The university celebrated the accomplishments of our graduates in a virtual commencement ceremony on Sunday, December 20. The main ceremony can be viewed on the UMD Facebook and YouTube channels. Graduates are encouraged to share their photos and memories on social media using #UMDgrad. SPH graduates should also use #publichealthTerps and tag @UMDPublicHealth. See Public Health Terps' photos and reflections and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram!

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.

A new study finds that although running pummels knees more than walking, it may strengthen and build up cartilage, helping fight off knee arthritis, The New York Times reported. 

Knee arthritis develops for some runners but not all. As a group, avid runners may be “statistically less likely” to become arthritic than nonrunners, The Times said. 

Exercise could be useful in recovery from COVID-19, Sushant M. Ranadive, associate professor of kinesiology, and his fellow researchers theorized in a recent publication. COVID-19 progression has been suggested to have a metabolic origin given that elevated glucose and lipid levels are risk factors, the authors explain. And, Fenofibrate, a promising medication, has positive effects on inflammation and endothelial function. The authors compare Fenofibrate to exercise and hypothesize that exercise could be a possible therapeutic strategy to bolster resilience against (and help manage recovery from) COVID-19.

The Clean 2020 Virtual Summit is bringing together thought leaders from from business, policy, standards development, engineering and public health to work together to control viral transmission in the built environment. Four SPH experts have been involved in the collaborative effort - Assistant Professor Jennifer Roberts, Professor Donald Milton, Professor Sandra Quinn and Dean Boris Lushniak. 

Former School of Public Health Dean and former chair of the Department of Kinesiology Jane E. Clark, PhD, is a renowned expert in infant and children's motor development. Her research in motor development has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. She has received many awards and invitations to speak on her research around the world.

The School of Public Health is pleased to announce the members of the 2020-2021 Alumni Network Board.

With members spanning the spectrum of young professionals early their careers to experienced industry leaders, the board is comprised of greater Washington area alumni who are seeking to uphold the network’s mission to promote and support the school, encourage academic and professional excellence and facilitate career development for both current students and graduates while fostering and strengthening a lasting relationship between the school and its alumni.

Staying active can help older people prevent depression while following the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, according to a new University of Maryland School of Public Health study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The study is the first to examine the association between physical activity levels and mental health symptoms in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authorities shrugging off risk—or ordering everyone to mask up. The virus surging in locales that dropped their guards too soon. Death rates that cut along racial lines, impacting African Americans with particular ferocity.

Dr. Jennifer D. Roberts, Assistant Professor in Kinesiology, has dedicated her research to the built environment and its impact on physical activity. In her recent publication in Medium, titled "Central Park: Black Bodies Green Spaces, White Minds," Dr. Roberts provides insight on "the historical and contemporary use of white privilege for the exclusion of black bodies from green spaces in the United States."