News
After Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, more young women opted for sterilization
A 2024 study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health found that sterilization procedures increased immediately after Dobbs, especially among women ages 18–30. The increase has persisted, suggesting demand for permanent contraception remains high, according to lead author Jacqueline Ellison, assistant professor of health policy and management.
Tick season is here. Why your backyard may be at risk
It's tick season in Allegheny County, and public health officials say the risk may be closer to home than many residents realize. Danielle Tufts, assistant professor in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, and her team have tracked these ticks across western Pennsylvania for years.
Cheering for Pitt: How David Dyjack is shaping the future of public health
School of Public Health Partner Advisory Board Member David Dyjack started his career focusing on asbestos and lead. “My job is divided into many different challenges; every day is different," Dyjack said. "That is why I love public health so much—it is dynamic and evergreen."
Swapping a desk for a week of service
Safe, stable housing is often considered a cornerstone of public health, a metaphor that resonates with Pitt Public Health research administrator Scott Szypulski. Each spring, he trades his desk for a Habitat for Humanity housing site, spending a week with Pitt students and alumni helping construct the walls, frames and foundations that give families a secure place to live.
Da Silva Castanha receives NIH award to study emerging Oropouche virus
Priscila Da Silva Castanha, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to study Oropouche virus, a growing infectious disease threat.
The overdose decline and the limits of single-cause explanations
In a forthcoming commentary in the International Journal of Drug Policy, Pitt Public Health Dean Emeritus Donald Burke and co-author Hawre Jalal propose that the recent decline in overdose deaths should be understood in the broader context of the overdose epidemic’s long-term trajectory. In their view, overdose deaths during the COVID era were a temporary departure from that trajectory, driven by social disruption, changes in treatment access, labor-market volatility, income shocks and other pandemic-related factors.
Salk's vaccine among 250 most impactful moments in American history
Peter Salk, adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, speaks about what drove his father to develop the first successful polio vaccine. (Segment begins at 23:25.)
Understanding the many drivers of severe asthma
Sally Wenzel, chair of environmental and occupational health, discusses how a more holistic approach could enhance personalization and improve care for patients with severe asthma.
How precision medicine is transforming asthma care
Advances in precision medicine are transforming severe asthma care by identifying distinct patient phenotypes and using biomarkers to guide targeted treatment. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Chair Sally Wenzel explores how matching the right biologic therapy to the right patient can lead to more effective—and even life-changing—outcomes.
How rising temperatures impact kidney disease risk
Hoimonty Mazumder, MBBS, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral researcher in environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and colleagues published a study looking at the link between a gradual rise in global temperatures and a higher risk of kidney disease. The study is published in the journal Kidney Medicine.
Youk named ASA Outstanding Teacher of the year
Ada Youk, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs at Pitt Public Health, has been named the 2026 Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the American Statistical Association Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences.
Lost connection? The Pittsburgh metro area ranks poorly in a new analysis of urban sprawl
“Urban sprawl has, at its core, issues of social determinants of health,” said Maureen Lichtveld, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. “It’s for a very specific reason that we always say, ‘Where you live determines your health.’”
Pitt researchers study menstrual health interventions in Nepal
In remote regions of Nepal, some women and girls are still forced to sleep in isolated huts or avoid kitchens, water taps and temples while menstruating due to cultural stigma and religious beliefs surrounding menstrual “impurity.”
Home 'sick' home? Here's how to keep your house healthy
Dean Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH, shares her expertise in environmental health by explaining how common household conditions can negatively affect indoor air quality and respiratory health.
“Air pollution indoors is worse than outdoors. Often people don’t realize that,” Lichtveld said. “But the solutions are easier than we think.”
Researchers receive NIH grant to study how early-life environmental exposures affect kidney health
Alison Sanders, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and associate dean for research at Pitt Public Health, and Izzuddin M. Aris, associate professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School, have received a nearly $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how early-life environmental exposures may influence kidney health and blood pressure later in life.