Epidemiology News
Time-restricted eating improves cognition in older women
Samāneh Farsijani, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, provided expert perspective on new research suggesting time-restricted eating may improve certain aspects of cognitive function in older women. Farsijani emphasized that the findings are encouraging but preliminary, noting the study’s small size and the need for larger, more diverse studies before broader recommendations can be made.
School of Public Health staff honored at annual award and recognition celebration
Members of Pitt Public Health’s staff were honored at the 2026 Staff Awards & Recognition Ceremony on Aug. 11. Staff milestones recognizing five to 40 years of service were also celebrated.
A summer of public health
Through the Pittsburgh Summer Institute, a long-standing partnership between the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the Allegheny County Health Department, students work alongside experienced mentors on projects that address community health challenges while exploring careers in governmental public health.
How a study of diabetes prevention expanded the science of healthy aging
"What we're realizing is that we're not just studying diabetes anymore," said Elsa S. Strotmeyer, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health and current principal investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), a landmark study examining the long-term effects of lifestyle intervention and metformin on health and aging. "We're studying aging."
Méndez receives inaugural Pitt Health Sciences Community Building Excellence Award
During the 2026 EMBRACE Summit, Dara D. Méndez, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, received one of two inaugural Pitt Health Sciences Community Building Excellence Awards. She was recognized for advancing maternal and reproductive health and justice among Black people in Allegheny County.
A resistance gene that defeats most available antibiotics Is turning up in more American hospitals
Unlike most hospital outbreaks, the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) gene can spread between different bacteria on mobile DNA called plasmids, making it particularly difficult to contain. "The gene is inherently mobile," said recent epidemiology doctoral graduate Nathan Raabe. Alex Sundermann, assistant professor of epidemiology, added that bacteria readily acquire the gene because it enhances their ability to survive, contributing to the spread of highly drug-resistant infections.
Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed over 1,000 people
University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health's Jean Nachega, associate professor of epidemiology, who is advising African health authorities, says he does not expect the Ebola outbreak in the Congo to reach the CDC’s worst-case scenario but cautioned that the challenges remain “huge.”
Nachega recognized among 10 leaders driving global health research and innovation in Africa
Jean B. Nachega, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, has been recognized by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership as one of 10 distinguished leaders highlighted in 2026 for their contributions to advancing global health research and innovation in Africa.
Fifty years after Ebola’s discovery, Pitt Public Health researcher says global preparedness gaps remain
Fifty years after Ebola was first identified, researchers say the world has made significant scientific progress, yet many of the same public health challenges continue to hinder outbreak response. “The current outbreak gave us an opportunity to look back at where we’ve been over the past 50 years and ask what lessons we’ve actually learned,” writes Jean B. Nachega, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
How Sharon Welburn found her passion for public health and teaching
Sharon Welburn (MPH, EPI ’13; PhD, EPI ’19) was first introduced to public health while working alongside epidemiologists in an injury center lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “My team and I were conducting research on car crashes using driving simulators, and it allowed me to see firsthand how data and research can directly push policy,” said Welburn, now an assistant professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health.
School of Public Health staff honored for service milestones
The University of Pittsburgh recognized employees reaching significant service milestones during the Chancellor’s Staff Recognition Ceremony and Reception on June 11. Among those honored were 20 School of Public Health staff members who reached service milestones ranging from 40 to five years in 2026.
Far less than one drink a day could raise your cancer risk, study finds
Having just 0.35 ounces of alcohol per day has been linked to a higher risk of cancers of the pharynx, colon, rectum, esophagus, breast, liver, pancreas and prostate. “If you do the math, the results of this study suggest that it’s not safe to drink even one standard drink every day,” says Natacha DeGenna, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, clinical and translational science, and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Pitt Public Health students, faculty present at American College of Sports Medicine Annual meeting
Students and faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health attended the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting held May 25-29 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they presented research on aging, physical activity and maternal health.
Nationwide trial: Whole blood and components equally effective in prehospital trauma care
Giving whole blood or the component parts of blood are equally effective options for paramedics and emergency medical technicians to use in treating patients with severe, traumatic bleeding before arriving at the hospital, according to a large, nationwide trial directed by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC clinicians and scientists. “Our thoughtful approach to the study design allowed us to not only answer the important question of the efficacy of whole blood compared to component therapy, but also to evaluate the health impact of an important public health question, the age of whole blood,” said senior author Stephen Wisniewski, PhD, professor of epidemiology and co-director of the Epidemiology Data Center at Pitt’s School of Public Health.