News

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.

Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain’s cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. These effects were found in both healthy older adults and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.

Three FMSC doctoral students were given special recognition for their presentations at this year’s American Public Health Association Annual Conference. Second year Family Science (FMSC) doctoral student Towanda Street won second place in the Greg Alexander Outstanding Student Abstracts Session for her paper on prenatal care, smoking, and low birth weight. Second year Maternal and Child Health (MCH) doctoral student Anthony Kondracki was awarded an honorable mention in the Greg Alexander Outstanding Student Abstracts Session for his paper on smoking and preterm birth.