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August 31, 2025
SPH This Week.
Latest News, Research, and More
INSIGHTS FROM THE DEAN
Rising to the Moment in a New Semester
What an energizing first two weeks here in Boston! This past week, I had the privilege of welcoming our new students from across the country and world. As I mentioned to them, it is in times of challenge that those of us called to this field step up and remember our “why.” It is in times of distress that this calling inspires us to ask, “how can I help?” And we do so with compassion and integrity, always placing the health of all people at the forefront.
And these thoughts came alive as we also grieve the loss of two beautiful young lives in Minnesota from the continuing scourge of gun violence, a public health emergency in this country and around the world. We need to ensure implementation of evidence-based strategies for curbing this epidemic—we know what works, but we need the communal will to make it happen. It is time to “Do.”
I am excited to engage with many of you across the public health community over the coming weeks and months, as we pursue a shared vision for advancing public health.
ADNAN HYDER, MD, MPH, PhD
Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
RESEARCH
While the majority of states require public school students to take at least one sexual education course, a patchwork of state-level provisions that mandate inaccurate or outdated motivated curricula may inhibit students from receiving essential information for their sexual health, according to a new study by Kimberly Nelson. Read more.
RESEARCH
While firearm suicides are higher among older men than older women, a new study found that this method of suicide is rising sharply among women 65 and older, underscoring the need for increased mental health support for older populations, according to a new study led by Ziming Xuan. Read more.
ALUMNI Q&AWe've launched a new Q&A series with SPH students and alums who share their experiences completing certificates in the on-campus MPH program. In this debut Q&A, alum Lindsay Kastner discusses how her small-town Ohio roots steered her toward a certificate in environmental health. Read more. |
PUBLIC HEALTH POSTWhile the manosphere may offer some men a sense of community, these online spaces often become echo chambers that amplify harmful ideologies, writes PHP fellow Bernadette Carter-Salmond. Read more. |
RESEARCH
Jonathan Buonocore and Jonathan Levy have received a grant from the national collaborative funding project Mosaic to support their ongoing efforts to advance the public discourse around health-protective environmental policies. Read more.
RESEARCHA new study led by Connor Buccholz found that youth as young as 15 are using multiple substances combined with opioids, and by age 21, youth opioid overdoses more commonly involve other substances—primarily stimulants—rather than opioids alone. Read more. |
PUBLIC HEALTH POSTSleep supports and restores every system in our bodies, but our culture often treats rest as an afterthought, writes PHP Executive Editor Monica Wang in a new viewpoint. Read more. |
Keep up with SPH on TikTok.
How valuable is a public health degree in the current political climate? MarCom content creator Jack Mellom shares what inspired him to pursue an MPH and why a career in public health is even more worthwhile in this challenging moment—and the dozens of responses to his video show that many others in the field agree that they made the right choice. Watch the clip.
In the Media.
NEW YORK TIMES
Quotes Matthew Motta, associate professor of health law, policy & management.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Quotes Muhammad Zaman, professor of global health.
INDEPENDENT
Quotes Kimberly Nelson, associate professor of community health sciences.
NPR
Quotes Jonathan Jay, associate professor of community health sciences.
The mission of the Boston University School of Public Health is to improve the health and well-being of populations worldwide, particularly the underserved, through excellence and innovation in education, research, and practice.
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