The School of Public Health continued to move fearlessly forward this year, tackling pressing issues at the local, national and global level, while educating the next generation of public health practitioners. As we ring in the new year, let’s look back at some of the school’s achievements in 2023.
#1 - UMD Study Finds Brain Connectivity, Memory Improves in Older Adults After Walking
Regular walks strengthen connections between brain networks, according to research led by kinesiology Professor J. Carson Smith. The study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
# 2 - Maryland is Legalizing Cannabis: What You Need to Know About the Risks
Starting July 1, the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis became legal in Maryland for adults 21 and older. Professor Amelia Arria, director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development and an expert on the risk of substance use problems among adolescents and young adults, discusses how this change may impact the health of teens and adults.
# 3 - A Mental Health U-Turn
“U SAD?: Coping with Stress, Anxiety and Depression,” a course created by family science Assistant Professor Amy Morgan – an expert in couple and family therapy – and her team teach students to manage their mental health and use their skills to help others in need.
# 4 - A Peek Inside … Public Health Dean Boris Lushniak’s Office
Name the biggest crises of the past 20 years, and it’s likely School of Public Health Dean Boris Lushniak was on the front lines. From the Ebola outbreak in Liberia to the Sept. 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 pandemic, Lushniak has harnessed his expertise as a medical doctor and public health professional to save lives in the United States and beyond. He took Maryland Today on a tour of his office, where he proudly displays his heritage, shares mementos of missions and honors the public health heroes who came before him.
# 5 - REI-Funded Center Promotes Nature-Based Research and Reparation
Kinesiology Associate Professor Jennifer Roberts received a grant from REI’s Cooperative Action Fund to establish the Wekesa Earth Center, which will conduct research on the connection between nature and wellness, offer programming that gives people new ways to interact and feel a sense of belonging with the natural world, and discuss ways that land-based brutalities and injustices have manipulated the land as a tool of creating harm and perpetuating anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.
# 6 - A Fearless Focus on Mental Health
Amidst a national mental health crisis of the nation’s youth, the School of Public Health - and the larger University of Maryland – are encouraging students, faculty and staff to care for their whole selves through a series of programs, resources and a campus-wide mental health task force.
# 7 - UMD Awards 11 Grants to SPH Faculty to Address Humanity’s Grand Challenges
The School of Public Health received 11 grants from the Grand Challenges Grants Program, the largest and most comprehensive grant program of its type ever introduced at the University of Maryland. The program represents an institutional-wide effort to tackle major societal issues, including climate change, educational disparities, sustainability, pandemic preparedness, water quality, social justice and more.
# 8 - School of Public Health Hosts First International Health Research Symposium
More than 30 faculty members and students from the University of Maryland School of Public Health, University of Birmingham in England and University College Dublin in Ireland spent three days swapping experiences, sharing research and touring the University of Maryland as part of the first Universitas 21 Health Research Exchange (U21HREx) research symposium, held at SPH in College Park and the UMD Medical Center in Baltimore.
# 9 - Forging Community for Black Public Health Students
Doctoral student Naomi Whitaker, Ph.D. ’27 founded the Association for Black Public Health Students at the University of Maryland this year. ”We want to form community, not just for professional gain but just for personal gain,” she said. “Building community is necessary for our mental health. We can’t tackle this journey alone."
#10 - Mid-Atlantic Climate Action Hub Launches with $2.2 Million from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Mid-Atlantic Climate Action Hub (MATCH), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, led by the Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH) and directed by environmental health Professor Sacoby Wilson, will address the effects of environmental racism and climate change across the Mid-Atlantic, providing financial and training support and advocating for policy changes.