Deirdre Quinn was recently accepted into the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) 2016-2017 U.S. Policy Communication Program, a program designed to improve understanding about the process by which research informs the policy environment, and to learn various ways to communicate research findings to diverse U.S. policy audiences. Funding for the program comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of Health (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Christine Thinn was a Master of Public Health student in Public Health Practice and Policy and a Graduate Assistant for the Public Health Science bachelor of science program. She edited the Public Health Connection newsletter for the Universities at Shady Grove, the campus where the MPH in Public Health Practice and Policy is based.
Maria graduated from Simmons College in Boston, MA in 2012 with a BA in Political Science and Communications. She has spent the past few years working in the US House of Representatives, where she continues to learn the legislative process. Maria joined the MPH in Public Health Practice and Policy (PHPP) program to specialize in healthcare policy and learn the skills to analyze, develop and advocate for policies to improve health and reduce illness in the United States.
Dr. Amy Lewin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Science, received funding from the New Morning Foundation, a South Carolina-based organization that provides sexual and reproductive health education, counseling, and clinical services for young women and teens. Dr. Lewin, along with FMSC doctoral students Deirdre Quinn and Towanda Street, and a community partner, Sharp Insight, will be evaluating the implementation and outcomes from a longitudinal teen pregnancy prevention program.
Following their release of a state-commissioned study on the potential public health impacts of fracking in Western Maryland, University of Maryland researchers are helping to inform the conversation about the potential risks associated with unconventional natural gas development and production.