In a unique collaboration between the Heinz History Center and Pitt Public Health, students in the Introduction to Community-Based Approaches to Public Health course are bridging the gap between past and present.
By pairing archival materials with contemporary public health challenges, students produce public-facing podcasts that translate complex historical findings into a digestible, modern format.
“Looking at the contextual history of these public health issues within Pittsburgh is a powerful way to train future public health professionals to recognize the importance of understanding community relationships with medical professionals of previous eras,” said Sierra Green, senior outreach archivist at Heinz History Center. “We have collections of grassroots organizations that formed because communities wanted to save lives relative to issues still relevant today—air pollution, HIV/AIDS, sexual violence and vaccines.”
The course is led by a faculty trio of assistant professors of behavioral and community health sciences: Grace M. Drnach-Bonaventura (EdD ’24), Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH (MPH ’19, PhD ’22) and Jason Deakings, PhD, MSPH.
While the podcast assignment is not a new part of the course, Hoffman said after meeting with Green in Summer 2025, she realized many materials in the archives discuss issues that parallel public health issues today.
“Seeing archival materials regarding funding cuts for HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, for example, helps students look at those historical parallels,” Hoffman said. “What can we learn from the past about centering community organizations? Where have we succeeded, and where could we have done better?”
Drnach-Bonaventura said the faculty picked a set number of topics with the help of Green, polled the students on their top interests and created small groups. From there, students explored archival collections, learning about impacted communities and making connections to contemporary public health relevancy.
One of the project’s strengths, Drnach-Bonaventura said, is its "scaffolded" design.
“Students would visit the archives early, write papers, get feedback, write a script based on that feedback, and finally, record the podcast,” Drnach-Bonaventura said. “Students who feel they aren’t strong writers liked this because it showcased a different skill set compared to typical essays.”
Deakings, who also serves as the associate director of the Center for Health Equity, said the project is about understanding the "why" behind modern health disparities.
“By digging into these archives, our students can trace the roots of systemic issues in Pittsburgh, giving them the historical context necessary to advocate for more equitable community solutions in their future careers,” he said.
Faculty said that student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many discovering the History Center as a resource for the first time.
“For them to learn about archival research and this rich resource was great,” said Hoffman. “They also found it enlightening to see how many issues we have—or have not—made progress on.”
One specific archival find—a 1960s pamphlet discussing the "parking problem" in Oakland—became a favorite example among students of how some public health and infrastructure challenges remain persistent.
Looking ahead, the faculty hope this partnership continues to grow.
“As students move through the program, I’m hopeful that they might be inspired to use the archives for their capstone projects or theses now that they know about this resource,” said Hoffman.
“Hearing other topics that the students are passionate about is a way for the partnership to evolve,” said Green. “Our holdings are so broad—nonprofits and foundations connected to public health through decades—that we can take these topics and see how they are reflected in a local context.”
–Ava Dzurenda