School of Public Health News
$3.5m NIH grant supports study on strength training and women’s blood pressure
A $3.5 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health will enable research led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health into whether strength training can reduce hypertension in post-menopausal women.
National Academy of Kinesiology ranks UMD Kinesiology in top 10
It’s not a stretch to say the doctoral program of the University of Maryland’s Department of Kinesiology is among the nation’s best.
Two SPH faculty win awards for excellence
Congratulations to two above-and-beyond SPH superstars: On Sept. 9, Melvin Seale and Joanne Klossner each won the Provost’s Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty, presented at the 43rd Annual University of Maryland Faculty and Staff Convocation.
Several SPH faculty earn tenure, promotions
Eight faculty will begin the 2026-2027 academic year with a new recognition of their expertise in research and education. The positions go into effect in July and August.
Spotlight: Luca Pedone
If Malcolm Gladwell’s saying that achieving greatness in a skill takes 10,000 hours holds true, then by Luca Pedone’s May graduation, the SPH kinesiology major was already well on his way to becoming an athletic trainer.
Spotlight: Mitchell Lloyd
After four years of excelling on and off the lacrosse field, Mitchell Lloyd’s kinesiology degree has set him up for a successful professional career helping others.
Behind the daredevil flips, it’s a family affair
Whether back-flipping over a vault, tumbling through a ring of fire or balancing on a pyramid of people, these spectacular feats take one essential skill and anyone can learn it.
Spotlight: Vasanthi Shanmuganandam, MPH ’26
A few years ago, Vasanthi Shanmuganandam struggled to keep up with her studies. She had just given birth and was taking prerequisite courses in pursuit of a doctorate. Shanmuganandam already had a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biotechnology and a master’s in biotechnology from her hometown alma...
Young athletes of all abilities thrive here
On a crisp Sunday morning in October, children came running through the doors of a gym in the University of Maryland's School of Public Health (SPH). Others stood more hesitantly before volunteers guided them inside hand in hand, and still others pushed themselves forward in their wheelchairs.
Trailblazers in motion: The fierce dedication of Drs. Clark and Whitall
Jill Whitall and Jane Clark never do anything halfway. From Whitall’s earliest days as a graduate student and Clark’s start as a rising faculty member, they poured themselves fully into the University of Maryland. Each step built on the last: teaching led to leadership, leadership to advocacy, and a...