News from the School of Public Health

Noah Triplett grew up in the one-stoplight town of Tyro, N.C., where cows seemed to outnumber people and the hot teen hangout was Walmart. He’s lost several childhood acquaintances to the opioid epidemic that hit small-town America hard, and understands how isolation and poverty can threaten mental health.

On a recent cool Friday afternoon just south of campus, a group of students from UMD’s College Park Scholars and College of Arts and Humanities came together to usher in spring with a timely volunteer project. 

TAKOMA PARK, Md. – The cheerful rhythms of Remy Ongala’s electric guitar fade as Dr. Kevin Roy comes on the air, embodying all the lively energy of the music he is broadcasting. You can hear his smile. 

On Wednesday, scores of students paused as they entered the School of Public Health, delighted by what they saw: Giving Day, the university’s annual day of donations, had begun and to mark the occasion, SPH staff shared Maryland Dairy ice cream, stickers and QR codes to make a donation.

A few years ago, Vasanthi Shanmuganandam struggled to keep up with her studies. She had just given birth and was taking prerequisite courses in pursuit of a doctorate.

Brooks Barlow Kenny ’95 got her first taste of pickleball a few years ago, and quickly understood why the sport that sounds like a snack was the fastest-growing in the nation: It’s easy to learn, accessible for many age groups, fast-paced and fun. For the longtime health advocate, that all added up to another savory benefit: boosting—and even protecting—the brain.