News

East Palestine train derailment

Allison co-chairs NIH grant session

At the annual meeting of the International Society of Exposure Science and the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, researchers, public health leaders and community advocates gathered for a session titled “Joining Forces in the Face of Disaster: How Five Universities Address Exposure and Health Concerns Resulting from the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment.”
Dean Maureen Lichtveld

Maureen Lichtveld to talk about global health landscape for CIF

Dean Lichtveld speaks on “Lessons from COVID, the Imminent Avian Bird Flu Threat, and the Certainty of Future Pandemics,” at the Chautauqua Insitute. Her talk provides a candid assessment of the global health landscape. She examines "what went wrong, what went right, and what we must do now to protect public health, strengthen resilience and navigate the challenges ahead.”
Students in classroom

New Pitt classes and programs launch in fall 2025

Pitt Public Health is offering new courses for fall 2025, including a Disaster Preparedness Certificate and a course in AI in Health Data Science, as well as training opportunities through the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health.
Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, MPH

CSI: Infection Control

Through 15 seasons and four spinoff shows, the intrepid investigators of television’s CSI franchise solved crimes with forensic science. Alexander Sundermann (DrPH, EPI ’22, MPH, IDM ’14) assistant professor of epidemiology, is investigating health care-associated infections with the same zeal to stop dangerous pathogens in their tracks—before they spread.
Professor of Epidemiology Samar R. El Khoudary

Vaginal estrogen tablets not linked with increased recurrent stroke risk

“As an epidemiologist, I see this study as a valuable contribution because it focuses on a population often excluded from hormone therapy research, midlife women with a prior stroke, and examines an increasingly used route of administration: vaginal tablets," said Samar R. El Khoudary, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
photos of student interacting

Holistic advising approach enters new phase

The School of Public Health was one of four Pitt schools and colleges included in the first phase of a new holistic advising approach guided by a shared-advising model that the University debuted last year.
faculty member Beth Hoffman

Healthy grieving online: Finding comfort, support, and meaning in the digital age

"Grief is an ongoing process," reflects BCHS Assistant Professor Beth Hoffman on the passing of her only sibling, Emily. "It doesn’t move forward in a straight line. People tell you the first year without your loved one is the hardest. But in my case, years 2 and 3 have been more difficult.”
Epidemiology Professor Steve Wisniewski

Military honors Pitt researchers for work on cold-stored platelets in trauma

Epidemiology Data Center's Stephen Wisniewski was part of a team of Pitt researchers who received an award for outstanding research at the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, on Aug. 4. The team was honored for their work on the Linking Investigations in Trauma and Emergency Services (LITES) Network.
podcast graphic

BSPH student voices, podcasted

In a recent assignment for the School of Public Health’s “Community-Based Approaches to Public Health” course, a group of undergraduate students tackled the Black maternal mortality crisis—not with a paper or a slide deck, but with a podcast. They opened with music and an engaging welcome, followed by a data-backed discussion of structural racism and community-based interventions, such as the use of doulas. Their delivery was confident, terminology thoughtful—and passion, well, audible.
BCHS Professor Steve Albert

Early lead exposure could result in memory issues later in life

“Heavy metals, which include lead as well as mercury, are not good for your body or your brain, even at low-level exposure," said BCHS Professor Steve Albert, commenting on studies presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference highlighting potential links between lead exposure and cognitive problems. “There are many environmental pollutants, airborne toxins, that have been associated with cognitive performance,” he added.
Abi Fapohunda, DrPH, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

Global classroom, local impact

Abi Fapohunda, DrPH, MPH, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, recently helped lead a two-year transnational collaboration, supported by Pitt’s Global Studies Center, called Global TEACH. The project involved faculty and staff from Pitt’s central and Johnstown campuses and the Center for African Studies, the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, Babcock University in Ileshan-Remo, Nigeria, and the Lakeshore Cancer Center.
dean with some of the staff committee

Pitt Public Health staff shine

Pitt Public Health recently presented the inaugural Staff Awards, honoring exceptional effort and dedication through teamwork, leadership, innovation and contribution to school, University and community culture. The awards were presented on August 5 at the annual Staff Recognition Picnic, preceded this year by a ceremony that also recognized staff who reached milestone service anniversaries in the last fiscal year. The event also celebrated the hard work of the entirety of the school’s staff. 

Actor Noah Wyle at the School of Public Health

5 of the top Yinzer-approved moments from HBO Max hit ‘The Pitt’

HBO Max recently renewed its breakout hit “The Pitt” for a second season. Based in Pittsburgh and led by veteran actor Noah Wyle (who recently visited Pitt’s School of Public Health), the drama follows the emergency department staff of a city hospital through a particularly harrowing shift.
Suresh Kuchipudi, PhD, MVSc, MBA

Kuchipudi receives Fulbright Specialist award

School of Public Health researcher Suresh Kuchipudi, PhD, MVSc, MBA, will lead a One Health-based research and education program at the Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this September.
Photo of a rat

‘The disease list goes on and on’: The health risks posed by rats, and how to keep them at bay

In addition to the destruction and nuisance they can cause, rats have long posed serious health risks to humans, explained Suresh Kuchipudi, a professor and chair of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.