CURE - “New technology is allowing us to find cancers that may have a (previously unknown) infectious origin,” says PATRICK MOORE, professor of infectious diseases, microbiology, molecular genetics, and biochemistry. He is credited with co-discovering viral links to two types of skin cancer: Kaposi sarcoma and Merkel cell carcinoma.
DRUG TARGET REVIEW - A team including EOH researcher VALERIAN KAGAN has revealed the mechanism causing defective function of tumour-associated dendritic cells, explaining why they’re ineffective in inducing antitumor immune responses and effective cancer treatment. The findings could lead to new strategies for improving the response to immunotherapy.
Biostatistics faculty member and scientific director of the Public Health Dynamics Laboratory, SAUMYADIPTA PYNE, and co-editors A.S. Rao and C.R. Rao have recently published a 2-volume title, "Handbook of Statistics: Disease Modelling and Public Health" which will serve as a vital resource for statisticians who need to access a number of different methods for assessing epidemic spread in populations, or in formulating public health policy.
HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS - Pittsburgh is 1of 4 city grantees of Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH). At their 12/14 meeting, KAREN HACKER, ACHD director and HPM faculty, reported on use of the Framework for Reconstructing Epidemic Dynamics (FRED) to predictively model infectious disease outbreaks.
TRIB LIVE - Oakmont officials are taking advantage of a $11,000 Pitt Public Health WALKWORKS program grant to encourage and improve walking safety in the borough. A consulting firm will study pedestrian traffic and develop a specific plan for sidewalk and intersection modifications. Oakmont is one of four communities, and the only one in Allegheny County, to receive WalkWorks funding.
NEW YORK TIMES - Infectious disease researcher ERNESTO MARQUES says about 3 percent of 1,000 pregnant Brazilian women in a recent sample were infected with Zika. “The problem’s not going away. We are still having cases. And the future of Zika babies already born is complicated by poverty and strained resources. “Most of these babies are from low socioeconomic status and rely on the public health system to provide care. It’s very difficult to mana...
STATE IMPACT - Infants born to mothers who live very close to natural gas fracking sites have a higher risk of low birth weight, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances . In response to the findings, EOH professor emeritus BERNARD GOLDSTEIN noted that children born with low birth weight have a greater risk of infant mortality, asthma, lower test scores, and lower lifetime earnings. He said, to m...
TRIB LIVE - In case you missed it, GeekWire hosted a national search for a second headquarters. Pittsburgh won. Duh! “Let’s hear it for Pittsburgh,” GeekWire co-founder John Cook said as he toasted the selection with an Iron City beer during a Facebook live stream Tuesday with co-founder Todd Bishop and reporters. What do they look forward to covering? Read about and rejoice!
This year, Pitt BIostats master's student LINGYUN LYU is a recipient of the Lingzi Lu Memorial Award from the American Statistical Association in partnership with the International Chinese Statistical Association, The award provides travel support to the ASA Conference on Statistical Practice and memorializes Lingzi L, a first-year student in the master's program in statistics at Boston University, who lost her life in the senseless bombing at...
PITT WIRE - When we consider the determinants of women’s cardiovascular health, we need to think beyond biology alone,” said epidemiologist Rebecca Thurston. She recently led a study that demonstrates how traumatic experiences in life are linked to later vascular health issues that place women at risk for heart disease. “This issue is particularly germane given the many recent traumatic events, such as major weather disasters, mass shootings, and...
POST-GAZETTE - Serial entrepreneur and human genetics chair DIETRICH STEPHAN will serve as CEO of Pitt's new business accelerator, backing a push to leverage Western PA’s strengths in the life sciences with private investors. The 10-year goal is to tackle prevalent and intractable global diseases. The initial focus will be on cancer, Alzheimer’s, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, obesity, diabetes, and rare genetic diseases.
The Joseph F. Mulach, Jr. and Louisa A. Mulach Scholarship Fund was created to provide scholarships to students in the field of biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or other related fields. Preference is given to qualified female candidates. ASHLEY SIER (EPI) is among the winners from last year. Congratulations!
C-SPAN - Doctor and HPM professor WALID GELLAD discussed the potential impact of the proposed CVS-Aetna merger with Washington Journal host Kimberly Atkins. He says it might mean a fundamental transformation of how health care is delivered... and the transition has been happening for decades.
JD/MPH student ALIX WARE (HPM ’19) was awarded the 2017 Bernard D. Goldstein Award in Environmental Health Disparities and in Public Health Practice for her work on the development of the Emergency Law Inventory (ELI). Created to help individuals navigate through 1,500 law summaries impacting volunteer participation in disaster scenarios, ELI provides emergency volunteers with easy access to the laws most relevant to become better prepared for e...
Alumna LINDA HANDLEY (HPM ’89) is founder of U can B, a Building Bridges for Business program. She provides monthly job readiness classes for Northside middle-schoolers at PPS Clayton Academy. All secondary students receive eight-sessions looking at career choices, paths, and interests. The program connects students, communities, and employers to transform careers and economies. Its hands-on curriculum has over 76 weeks of material available in a...
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE - What happens when a clinical trial fails?
REUTERS HEALTH - Whether it's colon cancer, breast cancer, or ovarian cancer, survival rates in the U.S. are lower for black people than for white people, three new studies show.
PITTWIRE - New research led by Pitt Public Health affiliates and published in the American Journal of Human Genetics reveals that an interplay of at least 49 genes contributes to earlobe attachment inheritance. “Sometimes the genetics of a fairly simple trait are actually quite complex,” said lead author JOHN SHAFFER. “By understanding that complexity, we can work toward treatments for genetic conditions, several of which have distinct fa...
POST-GAZETTE - Odds are you have phthalates inside you. And recent research by EPI’s JENNIFER ADIBI confirms previous findings that the plastic-softening chemicals are linked to changes in the placenta that seem to affect development of the fetus. Because of “ubiquitous exposure”, 99 percent of women of child-bearing age have measurable exposure levels.
MEDSCAPE - People who haven’t had insurance recently need help understanding their options, help that the ACA’s health care navigator program provided, says HPM’s ERIC ROBERTS. But the federal government has made steep cuts to that program’s funding. “This is a complex market to enter A well-informed individual guiding someone through the process is often the best solution, but that requires investment from the federal government and states.”