IDM News
Pennsylvania One Health Consortium takes on diseases threatening humans and animals
The Pennsylvania One Health Consortium held its second annual meeting June 21-23 in Pittsburgh, with presentations on research, health practice and community outreach. “Just the amount of engagement of the group and also outside interest has grown tremendously,” said Jim, Holt, visiting associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology.
Pitt Public Health researchers find experimental Rift Valley fever vaccine protects mothers and fetuses during pregnancy
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Pitt's Center for Vaccine Research found that an experimental Rift Valley fever virus vaccine safely protected pregnant rats from severe disease and prevented infection in their offspring, marking an important step toward developing vaccines against one of the world’s most dangerous mosquito-borne viruses. The study was led by Amy Hartman, PhD, associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology.
‘An absolute game changer’: Confocal microscopes open new possibilities for public health research
Research at Pitt Public Health has entered a new era of cellular discovery, thanks to a piece of technology that has eliminated a barrier on campus. In March 2024, the Office of the Dean and three departments within Pitt Public Health—Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Environmental and Occupational Health and Human Genetics—collaborated to purchase a confocal microscope using instrumentation funds from the Office of Senior Vice Chancellor for Research.
Why bird flu targets cows’ udders instead of lungs
“When the real culprit turned out to be bird flu, everyone in the field was caught completely by surprise. We hadn't even remotely considered that cattle could be a host for H5N1,” said Suresh Kuchipudi, chair and professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the School of Public Health. One of the most striking observations was that instead of affecting the lungs like it does in other mammals, H5N1 targeted the cows’ mammary glands.
Dr. Jonas Salk’s son reflects on father’s role in creating polio vaccine in Pittsburgh
“It [polio] was just every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Don Burke, dean emeritus at Pitt's School of Public Health (SPH). But Dr. Jonas Salk and his team changed the course of history by developing the polio vaccine. “He was tapped on the shoulder by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which had been formed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had had polio himself,” said Peter Salk, Dr. Jonas Salk’s son and SPH adjunct professor of infectious diseases and microbiology.
The Salk legacy: Vaccines and the future of public health
Peter L. Salk, adjunct professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Pitt Public Health, discusses the Salk legacy, the state of public trust in science, and the future of public health with the City Club Forum of Cleveland.
Tick season is here. Why your backyard may be at risk
It's tick season in Allegheny County, and public health officials say the risk may be closer to home than many residents realize. Danielle Tufts, assistant professor in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, and her team have tracked these ticks across western Pennsylvania for years.
Da Silva Castanha receives NIH award to study emerging Oropouche virus
Priscila Da Silva Castanha, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to study Oropouche virus, a growing infectious disease threat.
Salk's vaccine among 250 most impactful moments in American history
Peter Salk, adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, speaks about what drove his father to develop the first successful polio vaccine. (Segment begins at 23:25.)
IDM Students Earn Fellowships
The School of Public Health congratulates Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology doctoral candidates Kassandra Baron and Shreyaa Senthilkumar, who have recently received prestigious fellowships.
Could hantavirus spark the next pandemic? Pittsburgh doctors explain
Suresh Kuchipudi is professor and chair of infectious diseases and microbiology at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. He said while hantavirus is more deadly to humans compared to covid-19, it’s much less easily transmitted. “One thing that made this more concerning is that this is the hantavirus version that we know can spread from human to human,” he told TribLive Monday. “That being said, it is important to clarify that this is not like covid-19 where you share the same airspace with someone and then you catch it from the air.
What Pittsburghers need to know about hantavirus
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that mainly spread through contact with rodents and their urine, droppings and saliva, according to the World Health Organization. “One scenario is when people in the springtime open the closed pump house or the lodge, the tiny little particles, dust particles, may have the virus that one can inhale and get infected,” said Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi, professor and chair of infectious diseases and microbiology at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
Pitt Public Health researchers study tuberculosis trends in Vietnam
Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading cause of death from an infectious disease, with more than 80% of cases and deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. To help address the gap in health data, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health collaborated with colleagues at Hanoi Medical University to examine TB incidence and mortality in Lang Son Province, a rural border region in northern Vietnam.
Holt named 2026 recipient of American Veterinary One Health Society Honorary Diplomate Award
James Holt, VMD, visiting associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt Public Health, has been named the 2026 recipient of the American Veterinary One Health Society Honorary Diplomate Award, which recognizes distinguished service and career contributions that advance the health of animals, people, plants and the environment through the principles of One Health.