Research and Practice News

Check out some highlights of research and practice under way at Pitt Public Health:

James study on how a ‘care system’ must change to adequately support caregivers

James study on how a ‘care system’ must change to adequately support caregivers

In a March 2018 Journal of Palliative Medicine article addressing improvements for dementia and senior caregiving, Everette James, interim dean and director of the Health Policy Institute, and other researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the RAND Corp. stated that “fundamental changes ar... (01/07/2020)

Rinaldo remembers unsung heroes: Pittsburgh men, decades-long study impact HIV/AIDS research

Rinaldo remembers unsung heroes: Pittsburgh men, decades-long study impact HIV/AIDS research

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT - For more than three decades, Pitt Men’s Study leaders have gathered with Pittsburgh men and women to remember those who have died and give thanks for the 1,743 men who have participated in the nation’s longest-running HIV/AIDS research project. IDM's Charles Rinaldo has l... (12/21/2019)

Brent using MRI scans to reveal the physical makeup of thoughts and feelings

Brent using MRI scans to reveal the physical makeup of thoughts and feelings

CBS - Who among us hasn't wished we could read someone else's mind, know exactly what they're thinking? Well that's impossible, or at least that's what we've always, well, thought. EPI’s David Brent runs a clinic for suicidal adolescents. He happened to attend a talk Marcel Just was giving about hi... (12/09/2019)

Zeni publishes epidemiology for advanced nursing textbook

Zeni publishes epidemiology for advanced nursing textbook

Congratulations to Mary Beth Zeni (HSADM ’93) on the publishing of her textbook, Principles of Epidemiology for Advanced Nursing Practice: A Population Health Perspective. Zeni is an associate professor of nursing at Ursuline College in Cleveland, OH. Additionally, Zeni uses her decades of experien... (12/09/2019)

Students present interdisciplinary content in community session on health justice

Students present interdisciplinary content in community session on health justice

On a wet Wednesday night, December 4, Pitt Public Health student advocates Sarah Sanders (BCHS ’22), Sarah Bigelow (BCHS ’20), Paris Ekeke (EPI ’20), and Amy Raslevich (HPM ’22) joined peers from the schools of law and nursing for a Health Justice Night at Pitt's Community Empowerment Center in Hom... (12/04/2019)

Facher connects Pitt faculty with LifeX

Facher connects Pitt faculty with LifeX

IMPACT - Evan Facher (HUGEN '97) notes that one of the important ways that the Innovation Institute powers invention and ignites progress is by connecting Pitt faculty with the resources they need to accelerate the translation of their research from the lab to the market. LifeX Labs, the life scien... (12/04/2019)

Students & community collaborators create 'Disrespecting the Border' mural

Students & community collaborators create 'Disrespecting the Border' mural

Pitt student Camilo Ruiz (BCHS/Anthropology '20) collaborated with artists Leah Patgorski and Gil Rocha on a community mural-making workshop resulting in a magnificent art piece entitled "Disrespecting the Border." An artist and teacher from Laredo, Texas, Rocha facilitated a diverse group of nine... (11/26/2019)

Identical twin kidney transplants warrant gene sequencing, Jorgensen says

Identical twin kidney transplants warrant gene sequencing, Jorgensen says

MEDICAL EXPRESS - Researchers including Dana Jorgensen (EPI '14) found that kidney transplants between identical twins have high success rates, but also high rates of immunosuppressant use. About half of patients were on immunosuppresant drugs a year after transplant, but survival rates were about ... (11/05/2019)

Hollander finds doctors who get gifts from opioid makers more likely to prescribe large amounts, study finds

Hollander finds doctors who get gifts from opioid makers more likely to prescribe large amounts, study finds

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER - While several previous studies have focused on the relationship between pharmaceutical promotions and doctors' prescribing habits, this new study from lead author Mara Hollander (HPM '20) focuses on how those payments affect physicians across specialties. "There's defini... (11/04/2019)

Baumann's latest documentary examines transgender identities and reproductive health

Baumann's latest documentary examines transgender identities and reproductive health

WESA-FM -- A documentary about a local transgender musician’s reproductive health offers a new way to think about public health research: through the visual medium of film. Produced by Pitt Public Health postdoctoral associate Sara Baumann (BCHS '19), the film focuses on Jude Benedict, who identif... (10/25/2019)

HuGen’s Minster heads to Accra, Ghana for consortium on human heredity and health in Africa

HuGen’s Minster heads to Accra, Ghana for consortium on human heredity and health in Africa

Assistant Professor Ryan Minster (HUGEN ’11) is attending the 14th Meeting of the H3Africa (Human Heredity and Health in Africa) Consortium in Accra, Ghana. H3Africa facilitates fundamental research into diseases on the African continent while also developing infrastructure, resources, training, an... (10/08/2019)

Donohue paper reviews pros and cons of marketing pharmaceuticals directly to consumers

Donohue paper reviews pros and cons of marketing pharmaceuticals directly to consumers

HPM’s Julie Donohue weighs in on how marketing pharmaceuticals directly to consumers isn’t new. In the paper “A History of Drug Advertising”, Donohue outlines the case for and against these advertisements. Proponents tout patient and consumer rights to make informed decisions, while bioethicists a... (10/01/2019)

Burke talks about how to control the river of legal painkillers flowing through Allegheny County

Burke talks about how to control the river of legal painkillers flowing through Allegheny County

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW - There were 76 billion pills prescribed across the country from 2006-2012. In that time, prescriptions in Allegheny county went from 46 pills per person per year to 58. EPI's Donald Burke said that there is still a long way to go in terms of controlling this first step of... (10/01/2019)

Hormone patch might increase cardiovascular risk in menopausal women, El Khoudary study finds

Hormone patch might increase cardiovascular risk in menopausal women, El Khoudary study finds

WESA-FM - Some hormone replacement therapies for menopausal women might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. EPI's Samar El Khoudary found that women who are prescribed the patch were more likely to have increased calcium buildup in their arteries..."We cannot treat all menopausal women the... (09/27/2019)

Drake: there appears to be a major loophole in background checks for private, online gun sales

Drake: there appears to be a major loophole in background checks for private, online gun sales

STAR TRIBUNE - Fewer than 10% of sellers appear to require a background check. “We tried to search each listing for evidence suggesting the seller would need a background check," said HPM's Coleman Drake. "The results indicate that this is a potentially large loophole on private sales. The policy i... (09/23/2019)

Health savings accounts linked to care access in cancer survivors; Sabik looks to understanding impacts for specific populations

Health savings accounts linked to care access in cancer survivors; Sabik looks to understanding impacts for specific populations

CANCERNETWORK - “This was an important study because of the increasing role of high-deductible health plans in our insurance system,” said HPM's Lindsay Sabik. “As [high-deductible health plans] become more widespread, understanding their impacts for different patient populations will be important.... (09/23/2019)

Why do people die young here? Maseru project aims to send 'citizen scientists' out to investigate

Why do people die young here? Maseru project aims to send 'citizen scientists' out to investigate

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE - The cost of being poor can include decades of life. A just-launched partnership between a Homewood-based community group and a University of Pittsburgh research team intends to explore that grim price tag, and to create a corps of "citizen scientists" who could lead the ch... (09/18/2019)

Gellad comments: Four health care questions every 2020 Democratic candidate should answer

Gellad comments: Four health care questions every 2020 Democratic candidate should answer

VOX - If overhauling the U.S. health care system isn’t on the table in January 2021, drug prices, the opioid crisis, hospital spending, and long-term care are all deeply important problems that a Democratic president will need to turn their attention to if he or she wins. “If [Medicare-for-all] is ... (09/16/2019)

Tyurina finds genetic engineering could open possibilities for Parkinson’s patients

Tyurina finds genetic engineering could open possibilities for Parkinson’s patients

MEDICIAL LIFE SCIENCES - A team of researchers including EOH's Yulia Tyurina unveiled the most promising strategies in applying genetic engineering. The noble method can help study the role of cellular processes in the disease progression, develop new treatment methods and drugs, and estimate thei... (09/16/2019)

Kahn finds hospital choice could affect pediatric mortality during emergencies

Kahn finds hospital choice could affect pediatric mortality during emergencies

HEALIO - A child’s chance of survival in an emergency may depend on the hospital where they receive care. Researchers assessed the pediatric readiness of EDs in five states and found that hospitals with the highest scores had lower mortality rates. “For some time, we’ve known that hospitals vary wi... (08/26/2019)

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Research Videos

Rinaldo remembers unsung heroes: Pittsburgh men, decades-long study impact HIV/AIDS research

Brent using MRI scans to reveal the physical makeup of thoughts and feelings

Baumann's latest documentary examines transgender identities and reproductive health

Computer simulation just predicted a huge measles outbreak in texas, with 4,000 percent increase predicted in some communities

Computer simulation just predicted a huge measles outbreak in texas, with 4,000 percent increase predicted in some communities

NEWSWEEK - David Sinclair, a postdoctoral researcher in Pitt's Public Health Dynamics Laboratory and lead author of the study said, "I was surprised at how large measles outbreaks could be in Texas at current vaccination rates, according to our forecasts. The clustering of unvaccinated children in ... (08/25/2019)

As the U.S. measles count surpasses 25-year-old record, Roberts says: vaccinate

As the U.S. measles count surpasses 25-year-old record, Roberts says: vaccinate

WDAM - U.S. health officials have reported 971 measles cases so far this year, the highest tally in 27 years, and experts say it's not clear when the wave of illnesses will stop. "What's causing these outbreaks is lack of vaccination," said HPM Chair Mark Roberts. (05/31/2019)

Hoffman led research into anti-vaxxers on social media (video)

Hoffman led research into anti-vaxxers on social media (video)

WPXI - Antivaxxers left negative business reviews for Kids First Pediatrics after they posted a social media video encouraging HPV vaccination. So, they teamed up with researchers at Pitt including Beth Hoffman (BCHS '19, '23) who found that we have to "...start thinking about how to deliver tailor... (04/29/2019)

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