This summer, the University of Maryland will partner with Ohio State University to launch LiFEsports, a nationally acclaimed summer camp for children ages 9 through 14 from low-income families.

At 79, Ed Vilade has a jammed social calendar. Between his choir practice (he’s in two), voice lessons, community theater and overseeing the writer’s guild at his Silver Spring, Md., retirement community, Vilade’s brain was getting a regular workout, critical, he thought, to staying sharp as he aged.

But what wasn’t in shape was his body. So, three years ago, Vilade joined a clinical trial at the University of Maryland’s Exercise for Brain Lab, which used MRI and other diagnostic tools to study how physical exertion affects the neural networks that control memory and cognition.

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. Here's a look back at some of the school’s achievements in 2023.

Prior, associate professor and associate chair for research in the Department of Kinesiology, will receive $150,000 to fund his research on how exercise impacts vascular and functional impairment in older adults.

Gedion joined the School of Public Health in spring 2023 after earning her associate degree from Howard Community College. She is studying with Associate Professor Sushant Ranadive, exploring the effects of acute inflammation on vascular function and how those effects vary among different racial and demographic groups. 

Totalling $75,000, the funding program is designed to support collaborative, multidisciplinary public health research that enriches lives. Research topics includes racism, mental health and mucosal immunity.

The Department of Kinesiology has named Associate Professor Sushant Ranadive the inaugural endowed Burris F. and Margaret C. Husman Professor. Ranadive, who studies how women’s hormonal changes related to menopause affect cardiovascular health and predisposes them to high blood pressure, will receive $20,000 annually for three years to support research activities.

Looking for a book to inspire you as you recharge your batteries this summer? Or maybe you’re searching for a new perspective on public health. Either way, the School of Public Health has you covered! Our summer reading list, created with input from faculty and staff, touches on everything from the complexity of the disabled experience to racism, oppression and mistakes made in the healthcare industry.

This May, the University of Maryland School of Public Health recognized four outstanding members of the SPH community with the Distinguished Terrapin Award, the school's highest honor. The awardees were recognized at the Dean's Recognition Ceremony on May 5, 2023 which was attended by members of the SPH Dean's Council, supporters and friends of the school, along with faculty, staff and students. Dr. Robin Mockenhaupt PhD '99, chair of the SPH Dean's Council, emceed the event. Dean Boris D.

Published this month in the Journal for Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, the study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is a slight decline in mental abilities like memory, reasoning and judgment and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.