News from the School of Public Health

The School of Public Health would like to recognize and welcome the following faculty and staff to our community. Some are already part of our community and are being recognized for new roles/titles, while others are joining us this academic year. Welcome and congratulations to all!

The importance of health equity and its effects on health outcomes are the foundations of a major update to the 10 Essential Public Health Services, which were released on September 9th at a virtual event hosted by the Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI) and the de Beaumont Foundation.

When the world started to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, there was little information on the racial differences of incidence and mortality.

But health equity experts like Dr. Stephen Thomas knew that this information was crucial to documenting and addressing potential racial disparities.

"As states began to report race-based data, we started to see a bleak picture," said Dr. Thomas, a professor of health policy and management and the director of the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity (MCHE).

New research exposes full spectrum of misinformation online, reveals even well meaning vaccine proponents can spread misleading information

Exercise could be useful in recovery from COVID-19, Sushant M. Ranadive, associate professor of kinesiology, and his fellow researchers theorized in a recent publication. COVID-19 progression has been suggested to have a metabolic origin given that elevated glucose and lipid levels are risk factors, the authors explain. And, Fenofibrate, a promising medication, has positive effects on inflammation and endothelial function. The authors compare Fenofibrate to exercise and hypothesize that exercise could be a possible therapeutic strategy to bolster resilience against (and help manage recovery from) COVID-19.

“We’re so afraid of aging that we begin to devalue ourselves and others with each passing year,” Isabel Tom, an MPH graduate from the Department of Behavioral and Community Health, wrote. “The phrase '30 years old' incites panic. Seniors live in separate communities and barely interact with young people, while middle-aged people spend millions each year on anti-aging products.”

But what if we have it all wrong?