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SPH Winter 2021 Commencement (In-Person)

The University of Maryland School of Public Health's in-person Winter 2021 Commencement Ceremony will be held in-person on Tuesday, December 21 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST at the UMD Xfinity Center.

Image from the 2018 SPH Winter Commencement*

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Cynthia Baur and colleagues at the Asian American Center of Frederick

Health Literacy Spans Language Divide

With $4M from HHS, the UMD Horowitz Center for Health Literacy is training community health workers to meet the needs of myriad language communities, dispel misinformation and improve health literacy by spreading accurate information in culturally appropriate ways.

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The New York Times | Is the Coronavirus Getting Better at Airborne Transmission?

The Alpha variant traveled more efficiently in small droplets and the Delta variant may have continued this evolution, according to new research by SPH Professor Don Milton and team.

Read the NYT article

SPH Doctoral Grad Thrives in Leadership Program at the NIH

As a Presidential Management Fellow at the All of Us Research Program, Travis Hyams, PhD '20, will help the National Institutes of Health with an ambitious goal, to recruit more than one million people nationwide to be a part of one of the most diverse medical databases in history.

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Healthy Garden, Healthy You

Asst. Professor Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein received NIH-NLM funding to provide information and tools on the links between gardening and human health in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, Maryland.

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Programs & Degrees

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University of Maryland COVID-19 Information

Free KN95 masks are available to the UMD community throughout campus, including at the Stamp Student Union and residence halls. These masks provide better protection for you and reduce the spread of the virus from someone wearing one. You are also less likely to develop COVID-19 after close contact with someone who tested positive when wearing a KN95 mask. These masks are extremely effective as they can filter 95% of the virus particles in the air.

In compliance and coordination with public health guidance, COVID-19 data, and Prince George’s County mandates, the University of Maryland continues to require masks to be worn indoors by all, regardless of vaccination status. Read UMD’s announcement.

All students, faculty and staff who will be on the University of Maryland campus this fall are also required to be vaccinated against COVID.

View COVID-19 Information for UMD

Explore public health

At the University of Maryland School of Public Health, we are driven by a passion to break down the barriers that keep individuals, families, communities and populations from attaining optimum health and wellness. Explore some of the ways we work to promote health, prevent disease and prolong active, high-quality lives through the topics below.

Make a difference with a degree from UMD Public Health

Mental Health
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Mental Health

Our mental health is an integral part of our overall health, yet barriers to mental health care and persistent stigma about mental illness make it difficult for everyone to achieve their best mental health. At the UMD School of Public Health, we are working to improve access to mental health care, and the quality of that care for underserved groups such as LGBTQ+ people, older adults and communities of color.

Related Programs
A national survey of LGBTQ+ college students, conducted by SPH doctoral student John P. Salerno, finds that large numbers are struggling with substance use, psychological distress, and social isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report recommends actions that university leaders should take to support the mental health of these vulnerable students.

Read a summary of the survey findings
Health Literacy
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Health Literacy

Health literacy is about how people find, understand and use health information and services to decide on and take action to protect and promote health.

At the UMD School of Public Health, we aim to improve health literacy and increase health equity through clear communication strategies and techniques.

Related Programs
- Center for Health Literacy
- BS, Community Health
HealthyMe/MiSalud is a smartphone app to find and receive personalized health information aligned with health goals and personal and family histories. The Center for Health Literacy research team is developing this app for African Americans and Spanish-speaking Hispanic users.

Healthy Me/Mi Salud
Family and Child Health
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Family and Child Health

The health and well-being of our children and families is the basis for a thriving and sustainable world. At the UMD School of Public Health, we examine how childhood experiences and family dynamics influence our health throughout life, and pursue research and policies that support the well-being of all families, caregivers and children.

RELATED PROGRAMS
Educational inequities that existed before the pandemic have become even deeper and difficult to bridge. A report by the Department of Family Science provided a wake-up call and recommendations for school systems to better support student engagement and success, particularly for Black and Latino K-12 students.

Report: Pandemic Exposes Educational Inequity Challenges
Climate Change and Health
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Climate Change and Health

From exposure to extreme weather and worsening air pollution to the spread of food and water borne diseases — climate change is a health emergency. At the UMD School of Public Health, we are studying the ongoing health impacts of climate change in our communities and developing strategies to mitigate harm, promote sustainability and advocate for environmental justice.

Related Programs
The Maryland Climate and Health Profile report, produced by the UMD SPH in partnership with the state health department, provides an assessment of how climate change is affecting or will likely affect the health of Marylanders.

Maryland Climate and Health Profile Report
Physical Activity
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Physical Activity

Physical activity is essential to maintaining health throughout life. At the UMD School of Public Health, we’re studying physical activity’s role in health from the cellular to the societal level. Programs examine impacts of activity on cognitive health and preventing injury and disease as we age and the role of our built environments in supporting active lifestyles.

Related Programs
Adults should do at least 2.5 hours to 5 hours a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes to 2.5 hours a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Read the Physical Activity Guidelines
Health Equity
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Health Equity

Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. At the UMD School of Public Health, we conduct research, lead interventions and inform policies that remove obstacles to health and aim to improve the conditions in which all people live, learn, work and play which can impact lifelong health and well-being.

Related Programs
Building trust in the COVID-19 vaccine in underserved communities of color is an important part of ensuring an equitable vaccination rollout. The Maryland Center for Health Equity has hosted a series of webinars to address questions and concerns from African American and Latino communities.

Visit the webinar playlist
Health Care Access
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Health Care Access

Life expectancy in the US is on the decline, yet we spend more on medical care than any other nation. To promote health and well-being, the UMD School of Public Health is studying the benefits of investments in programs focused on preventing disease and care coordination in reducing health disparities and health care costs, while improving access to high-quality and affordable care for diverse populations.

Related Programs
A new $2M NIH grant (R01) to Professor Jie Chen will focus on identifying ways that public health departments and health systems can coordinate care and improve health equity for African Americans, Latinos and people who receive federal housing assistance who have risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Learn more about this research
COVID-19
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COVID-19

Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the global coronavirus pandemic was identified, UMD School of Public Health experts have been at the forefront of the response. Our contributions have included research on how COVID-19 spreads, health communication guidance to keep people safe, and dispelling vaccine misinformation. We’re also addressing the disproportionate impacts of this crisis on different groups, including families of color and LGBTQ+ people.

Related Programs
- Stop COVID Study
- SPH Experts on COVID-19
Find the latest COVID-19 information for the UMD community.

Visit the 4Maryland Website

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Fearlessly Promoting Health for All

At the University of Maryland School of Public Health, we are driven by a passion to break down the societal barriers that keep individuals, families, communities and populations from optimum health and wellness everyday. Join us on a fearless journey to do public health good!

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Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the School of Public Health

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December 21 | 6:00 pm — 8:00 pm EST UMD Xfinity Center

SPH Winter 2021 Commencement

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The School of Public Health has extraordinary professors and faculty who are dedicated to continuous student success.

Taylor Palmer '21 Intern, PATIENTS Program, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and MPH student Read Taylor's profile

$19M

Annual Research Funding

Research and impact

Research & Innovation

SPH research is making a difference in critical areas, from climate change’s impacts on health, physical activity’s benefits to aging brains and culturally competent mental health care's role in LGBTQ+ persons' health, among others.

Explore our research centers

Student samples water for CONSERVE Center — A member of the CONSERVE research team collects water from a field site to be analyzed for its chemical, microbial and physical qualities.