As we recognize September 11th and the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the UMD School of Public Health (SPH) would like to share the public health good they are doing in their communities, as well as the UMD SPH, UMD campus and public health professions.

Dina Borzekowski is a research professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health that travels the globe for her work in the area of children, media and health. COVID-19 thwarted Dina's usual non-stop international travel and allowed her time at home to increase her flock.

Mia Smith Bynum, an associate professor in the Department of Family Science, and her son Malcolm have been dreaming of adding a dog to their family but the timing never seemed quite right between teaching schedules and after-school activities. When the COVID-19 pandemic led to shelter-in-place and remote work and school plans, it offered Mia and Malcolm the quality time needed to welcome and acclimate a new dog into their home and establish a routine and care network that can evolve as in-person work and school resume.

We, the undersigned members of LGBTQ+ Students and Allies in Public Health (LGBTQ-SAPH), strongly denounce police brutality and impunity against Black communities and, more broadly, racism and white supremacy in all their societal manifestations. We unequivocally express our support of the Black community, and all other communities of color demanding justice.

Dennis Vacante is an instructor for the Department of Kinesiology and coordinator for the Children’s Development Clinic at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

We are all grieving the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and too many other Black men, women, children and transgender persons, named and unnamed, we have lost to violence fueled by racism, inhumanity and injustice.

Dear SPH community,

We are all grieving the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and too many other Black men, women, children and transgender persons, named and unnamed, we have lost to violence fueled by racism, inhumanity and injustice. We have also been mourning the disproportionate and preventable loss of black and brown lives from COVID-19 as the pandemic has laid bare the structural inequities of our society and hit the most vulnerable among us hardest. 

Across the world we are all facing unprecedented times and are practicing safety protocols like wearing a mask, maintaining physical distancing and washing our hands frequently. Cyndi Kershaw, an undergraduate teaching assistant program coordinator for the School of Public Health, has been making cloth masks to help to stop the spread of COVID-19. She’s made over 100 masks and counting, with delivery spanning across the US from Maryland to California. She is asking everyone to donate funds in lieu of payment to the UMD Student Crisis Fund, the Campus Pantry, and/or Keep Me Maryland.

Spreading positivity and sharing messages of support is an important way to keep connected with one another while maintaining physical distancing. In the spirit of #KeepTogether, please enjoy a video message from our Dean Lushniak, as well as a #ShellsUnited video message from every one of our UMD academic deans.

Stephanie Grutzmacher MS ‘04, PhD ‘07, a former University of Maryland School of Public Health employee, is doing public health good during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing meals to ICU and ER healthcare workers throughout Maryland. While Stephanie now lives and works in Oregon, she remains a Marylander at heart. Stephanie has raised more than $6,000 with over 70 people from the School of Public Health, University of Maryland and friends across the US. Food will continue to be sent across the Maryland region as people continue to give and until the money runs out.