Why is America losing the war on gun violence? A new book, co-edited by Dr. Woodie Kessel, a professor of the practice at the University of Maryland School of Public Health details why. Why We Are Losing the War on Gun Violence in the U.S. explores several “principles of war” in regards to the public health perspectives about issues and solutions amid the gun violence epidemic nationwide.

2020 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement into a global force with the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor amid the Covid-19 pandemic. 

While a COVID-19 vaccine could be available in a matter of weeks, offering much-needed hope at the end of a grim and challenging year, a University of Maryland expert urges public health leaders and other authorities to begin communicating about the approval process and the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness right away.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have accessed health care appointments and services in a virtual format more than ever before. A new study by the University of Maryland School of Public Health found that hospitals in rural areas faced more barriers in adopting these telehealth approaches than those in urban areas. 

This story first appeared in Maryland Today and was written by Chris Carroll.

How much room you have in your house. The length of your commute. Your job and race.

The TOGETHER Program, which offers services that help local families develop healthy relationships and achieve financial stability, will continue its work for another five years with a $5 million grant renewal from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

A timely commentary co-authored by Dr. Woodie Kessel in the journal Pediatrics urges greater US investment in the non-healthcare related programs that play an important role in determining health outcomes, particularly related to infant mortality. 

People with Alzheimer’s disease living in rural areas are much more likely to go to the emergency department (ED) for a preventable visit than their urban counterparts, a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health found. 

The research team, led by Health Policy and Management Professor Jie Chen, included PhD candidates Nianyang Wang, the leading author, and Aitalohi Amaize. 

Where we live impacts our health in many ways, including how susceptible we are to contracting Covid-19. Quynh Nguyen, assistant professor of epidemiology, uses big data techniques to analyze massive volumes of visual information about our neighborhood environments and their relationship to population health. 

John Salerno, a PhD candidate in behavioral and community health, was one of 28 students nationwide selected to present research at the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health poster session at this year’s American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting.