News
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."
McCarthy receives grant to support bioethics study abroad program
Associate Professor Cindy McCarthy, DHCE, director of the Bioethics Certificate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received a $10,000 Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad) Faculty-Led Program Global Pillars Grant to help support students participating in a new study abroad program.
New funding supports collaborative research on housing and intimate partner violence
A grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation is supporting a collaborative research project among Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center, Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health to better understand the housing challenges experienced by survivors of intimate partner violence.
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.
BSPH undergraduate helps launch beauty clinic for women with gynecologic cancer
Bachelor of Science in Public Health sophomore May Coffman helped bring the Magee Beauty Clinic at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital to life by building on a concept she developed as part of her coursework. Held in June, the clinic brought together volunteers and beauty professionals to provide free beauty services, support and a welcoming community for more than 30 women receiving treatment for gynecologic cancers.
Introducing Pitt’s latest Fulbright student finalists
Hannah Schwarz, who is pursuing doctoral studies in behavioral and community health sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies from the School of Public Health, is one of 10 University of Pittsburgh students and alumni selected as finalists for the 2026-27 cycle of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
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.
Public Health Science Academy empowers high school students through research
As faculty, family members and mentors moved from poster to poster inside the William Pitt Union, 29 local high school students confidently explained research on topics ranging from environmental health and infectious diseases to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer prevention, maternal health and health communication—work they had completed during just four weeks in the Public Health Science Academy.
Pitt researcher to speak at Lyme disease meeting
Danielle Tufts, assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, will discuss the prevalence and risk of Lyme disease at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Citizens Library in Washington, Pa.
The viral online attack on Pittsburgh doctors that sparked a national debate over vaccines
Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health who studies vaccine messaging, said it could take years for a shift to take place that counters the barrage of debunked claims. (Subscription required.)
There are already more US measles cases this year than in all of 2025
“Not vaccinating your kid is like saying, ‘I don’t want my car to have brakes,’” said Mark Roberts, former director of the Public Health Dynamics Lab at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. “Because it’s other people that you can hit. It’s not just you in your car. It’s other people.”
Pitt Public Health, Psychiatry researchers study trauma assessment
Researchers from Pitt Public Health's Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry are challenging how trauma is measured, arguing that traditional assessment tools often overlook the experiences of people with minoritized identities. The study, led by Phillip W. Schnarrs, PhD, and Krithika Prakash, PhD, calls for more inclusive approaches to understanding and assessing trauma.
Rebecca Deek receives ASA Biometrics Section Early Career Paper Award
Rebecca Deek, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics and health data science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, is one of four winners of the American Statistical Association (ASA) Biometrics Section Early Career Paper Award.