
Deadly overdoses fell in the U.S. for the 1st time in 5 years, new estimates show
“You can make a case that it’s come down, but it’s come down because the covid impact is less now,” said Burke, dean emeritus.
New synthetic biomarker technology differentiates between prior zika and dengue infections
A newly discovered Zika virus-specific synthetic molecule is capable of differentiating Zika-immune patient samples from samples of patients previously infected with the related dengue virus.
Dara Méndez and Amy Hartman selected as Health Sciences Ascending Star Awardees
Congratulations to Dara Méndez, associate director of the center for health equity and associate professor of epidemiology and Amy Hartman, associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology, on receiving 2024 Ascending Star Awards.
Staff Spotlight: The Many Faces of Nicole Leckenby
There is more than one Nicole Leckenby.
One of them is on staff in the School of Public Health, where she is a post-award grants administrator for the Department of Epidemiology. Another is vice president of the Pleasant Hills Borough Council. Another is “soccer mom” to sons Liam and Colin, and wife to husband Brian, an information technology professional. Then there’s the one who writes children’s books.

Announcing ASPPH's public health education enhancement and development (PHEED) grant recipients
Congratulations to the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program on being awarded one of the inaugural Public Health Education Enhancement and Development (PHEED) grants!
Grant funds study of inflammation’s effect on heart, brain health
Anne B. Newman, MD, MPH, former professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology, is coprincipal investigator on a $1.2 million, four-year study being funded by the American Heart Association.
Virus gone wild: Which wild animals carry the COVID-19 virus? An ambitious U.S. project aims to find out
Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Chair Suresh Kuchipudi, and others aim to collect and analyze more than 24,000 samples from 58 wildlife species over the next 2 years.
Pitt Public Health’s 2024 graduation ceremony celebrates both undergraduate and graduate students
In an historic first, the 2024 Pitt Public Health graduation ceremony included nine graduates from the school’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree program, along with more than 240 master’s and doctoral-level graduates.
CDC grant funds vaccine-support tool
A $1 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will fund a decision-support toolkit being developed by the Public Health Dynamics Laboratory (PHDL) to increase vaccine acceptance and vaccination rates.
Pitt is launching an Office of Sustainability in the Health Sciences
“The new Office of Sustainability will accelerate the transdisciplinary opportunities across the health sciences,” said Dean Maureen Lichtveld.
Africa intensifies battle against mpox as ‘alarming’ outbreaks continue
The global outbreak helped bring new attention to mpox and led to a boom in research, Jean Nachega associate professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and Epidemiology says, but almost all of it came in Europe and North America.
ART Heals Pittsburgh showcases the role of community art in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Through the collaboration of professors Sara Baumann and Jessica Burke, ART Heals Pittsburgh showcases 27 artists from the greater Pittsburgh region.
Pitt researchers’ study raises concerns about risks to prescription drug supply
Katherine Callaway Kim, a Department of Health Policy and Management doctoral student, was first author of a cross-sectional study, in which a total of 571 drugs exposed to 731 supply chain issue reports were matched to 7,296 comparison medications.
Comprehensive sexuality education benefits youths, schools and communities
The team led by Dr. Sara Baumann, assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, examined the effects of a unique program working with school communities in rural Madagascar.