News from the School of Public Health

We, the faculty, staff, and students of the University of Maryland Department of Behavioral and Community Health, strongly condemn anti-black violence that has resulted in the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, and many others. We extend our thoughts, anguish, and sympathies to their families, friends, and the broader black community. Unequivocally, we stand against the persistent and systemic racism that continues to disproportionately impact black people.

Three new Maryland laws passed this year will strengthen the ability of law enforcement to prosecute the perpetrators of human trafficking and increase protections and enhance human services that support the victims of sex and labor trafficking. The UMD Support, Advocacy, Freedom and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors supported and advocated for the three anti-trafficking bills passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2019 legislative session and signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan in May.

Dennis Vacante is an instructor for the Department of Kinesiology and coordinator for the Children’s Development Clinic at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Dr. Jennifer D. Roberts, Assistant Professor in Kinesiology, has dedicated her research to the built environment and its impact on physical activity. In her recent publication in Medium, titled "Central Park: Black Bodies Green Spaces, White Minds," Dr. Roberts provides insight on "the historical and contemporary use of white privilege for the exclusion of black bodies from green spaces in the United States."

The University of Maryland School of Public Health is proud to award its highest honor, the Distinguished Terrapin Award, to four outstanding members of the SPH community. Each honoree was selected for their professional and philanthropic contributions as well as for their service to the school and/or advancement of one of the dean’s strategic priorities.

As we enter Pride month, we feel anguish, grief, and anger at the slaying of Black lives and the police brutality against them. We condemn these racially-motivated acts of violence, the systems that allow violence to persist with impunity and the ongoing legacy of racial injustice in America. Perpetrators of anti-Black violence must be held accountable and justice must be served.