Boston University School of Public Health's latest news, upcoming events, and announcements.
 
 

SPH This Week

May 17, 2020
 
 
 
 
Dean's Note
 
 
For Our Graduates, As You Go Forth
 
Some thoughts on our present moment, and the role the class of 2020 can play in building a healthier world.
 
 
Convocation
 
 
Faculty, Staff, and Student to Be Honored at 2020 Convocation
 
Mary Rose Dinnean, Candice M. Belanoff, Lauren Wise, Jessica Christian, and Madeleine Scammell will receive awards.
 
School News
 
 
‘We Have to Be Prepared to Expect the Unexpected’
 
At a recent Coronavirus Seminar, environmental health experts examined how lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic can inform the global response to climate change and its health consequences.
 
 
School News
 
 
COVID-19 Story Map Illustrates Vulnerable Populations in Massachusetts
 
Attorney General Maura Healey and Jonathan Levy presented a new environmental justice policy report based on the SPH mapping tool, which was created by a team of faculty, researchers, and students, led by Patricia Fabian.
 
 
School News
 
 
Professor Receives $2.3 Million to Explore Medications for PTSD
 
Jaimie Gradus will evaluate existing medications for their potential to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
 
Research
 
 
Preventing Lower-Risk Drug Use from Becoming Riskier
 
Individuals who used drugs occasionally reported less use six months after a motivational interview with a health professional, while individuals who did not receive the intervention reported more use.
 
 
Research
 
 
DDT Was Banned Decades Ago. Why Is It Still Detectable in These Women?
 
Over half of a cohort of 23-35-year-old black women from Detroit had detectable levels of organochlorine pesticides in their blood, possibly from tobacco, alcohol, and water.
 
 
Spotlight
 
 
Faculty Spotlight: Birgit Claus Henn
 
As an environmental epidemiologist, Birgit Claus Henn examines how toxicants contribute to changes in children's brain function.
 
Spotlight
 
 
Staff Spotlight: Shelley Barnes
 
Shelley Barnes, administrative coordinator for the Department of Epidemiology and a Staff Senate representative, oversees faculty searches, department meetings, and special events.
 
 
Public Health Post
 
 
Profile: Katie Swenson
 
Katie Swenson, senior principal at MASS Design Group, outlines the role of cities in creating the conditions for health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
 
PHX
 
 
Summer Institute: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Health
 
Learn how to view and query spatial data, and produce high quality digital maps in ESRI ArcGIS.
 
 
 
 
In the Media
 
 
Boston Globe
 
Hospitals Are Separating Mothers and Newborns During the Coronavirus Pandemic—with Little Evidence It Will Help Slow the Spread of Disease — opinion co-authored by doctoral candidate Kate Mitchell and alum Katharine Hutchinson.
 
 
The Conversation
 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence During COVID-19: Lessons from Ebola — opinion by Monica Onyango, clinical associate professor of global health, and alum Alexandra Regan.
 
 
Harvard Business Review
 
Anxiety as a Public Health Issue — opinion by Dean Sandro Galea.
 
 
WBUR
 
Healey Report Highlights COVID-19 Impact on Environmental Justice Communities — quotes Jonathan Levy, professor of environmental health.
 
 
CNN
 
Antibody Tests Could Lead to Job Discrimination and Encourage Workers to Play ‘Russian Roulette’ — quotes Natasha Hochberg, associate professor of epidemiology.
 
 
Boston Globe
 
Scientists Warn May 18 ‘Still Feels Too Early’ to Begin Reopening Mass. — quotes Davidson Hamer, professor of global health; and Robert Horsburgh, professor of epidemiology and global health.
 
 
Chronicle of Higher Education
 
COVID-19 Has Worsened the Student Mental-Health Crisis. Can Resilience Training Fix It? — quotes Sarah Lipson, assistant professor of health law, policy & management.
 
 
Boston Globe
 
Ailing Areas Hit with One-Two Punch of Pollution and Coronavirus — letter to the editor by alum Elizabeth Sommers.
 
 
View all media posts
 
 
 
 
Think. Teach. Do.
For the Health of All
 
 
 
 
Looking Ahead
 
 
COVID-19: Community Conversations
 
Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 am – 11:00 am, online.
 
 
Staff Senate Meeting
 
Wednesday, May 20, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, online.
 
 
View full SPH calendar
 
 
 
 
 
Boston University School of Public Health