Getting ready to ditch your mask as the percentage of the U.S. population vaccinated against COVID-19 steadily rises? Not so fast, warns Dr. Donald Milton, professor of applied environmental health at the University of Maryland and a leading expert on how viruses spread through the air.

As COVID-19 vaccine distribution ramps up nationwide, unanswered questions remain about the vaccine’s effectiveness: Can it prevent infection of SARS-CoV-2 and transmission to others?

That’s what the University of Maryland, along with over 20 universities, will attempt to answer for a newly-launched national study, Prevent COVID U. 

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us have experienced varying degrees of depression or anxiety related to the challenges of this unusual and trying time. 

Yet some people have weathered the stressors better than others. What factors predicted better mental health during the pandemic and what can this teach us about protecting against depression and anxiety during other difficult times? 

When it comes to health officials and experts evaluating environmental health risks among populations, what has been the norm isn’t enough, and a shift is needed to better protect children and other vulnerable groups, according to Devon Payne-Sturges, an assistant professor of Applied Environmental Health in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Dr. Jie Chen, a professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, received $2.3 million in funding from the NIH-National Institute on Aging for her R01 project focused on improving care coordination practices for racial and ethnic minorities who are at high risk for or have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.

Dr. Quynh Nguyen, an assistant professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has received a $3.3 million RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health for the project Risk and Strength: Determining the Impact of Area-Level Racial Bias and Protective Factors on Birth Outcomes.

Behavioral and Community Health PhD candidate and UMD-PRC Investigator John Salerno (he/him) is incredibly active in research and advocacy. An exemplar of the PRC’s mission, Salerno centers some of the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ communities in his work, including immigrants and Latina/o/x persons.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered the research field, leading to institutions struggling to keep career development connections and networks. The virus may also contribute to increasing the research divide, specifically for underrepresented Early Career Researchers (ECR’s) and doctoral students. 

Racial and ethnic groups who are underrepresented in Health Management, Services and Policy fields tend to face unique obstacles when it comes to career success. 

In medical research, diversity matters. It is key to equity in health promotion, health care delivery and treatment. 

However, the health care field continues to struggle to recruit African Americans for research studies, according to a new journal article from Health Policy and Management Professor Stephen Thomas. 

Nature has several benefits that impact a person’s overall well-being, according to a new research article, NatureRx@UMD: A Review for Pursuing Green Space as a Health and Wellness Resource for the Body, Mind, and Soul.