The School of Public Health would like to recognize and welcome the following faculty and staff to our community. Some are already part of our community and are being recognized for new roles/titles, while others are joining us this academic year. Welcome and congratulations to all!

Kevin M. Roy, Ph.D., was elected member-at-large of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Board of Directors.  Dr. Roy is professor of family science in the UMD School of Public Health and a recognized expert in the field of fatherhood research, with two decades of experience working with low-income families and community-based parenting programs.

A School of Public Health assistant professor whose research focuses on understanding and addressing the mental health needs of young LGBTQ people has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health with an Early-Stage Investigator Award. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts have taken a disproportionate toll on American mothers who were pregnant or just gave birth. Maternal mortality (i.e., deaths during pregnancy or in the early postpartum period) increased by 18% in 2020, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, exceeding the ~16% increase in overall US mortality in 2020.

Dr. Mona Mittal, associate professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, was recently invited to discuss trauma in higher education classrooms on the podcast TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm and Healing After Crime produced by the Network for Victim Recovery of DC.

Dr. Mia Smith-Bynum, professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, participated in a Q&A with WalletHub where she discussed key factors to improve racial equality in political and social opportunities.

Story by Sala Levin ’10

A valuable but underutilized resource in the field of maternal health is linked to better pregnancy outcomes and more respectful health care from providers: a doula. 

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, SPH faculty and staff convened for the spring assembly which included the annual awards ceremony honoring outstanding teaching, public health practice, service, mentoring and commitment to the school’s success and community. New this year, the 2nd Lieutenant Richard W. Collins III “Courage Against Hate” award was established through a partnership with Richard’s mother Mrs. Dawn Collins. The School of Public Health and Mrs.

Dr. Elisabeth Maring, associate director of the Global Health Initiative, director of the Global Public Health Scholars Program, faculty advisor for Public Health Beyond Borders and professor of Family Science has added another title: winner of the Donna B. Hamilton Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

In the past two years alone, families have undergone what can feel like insurmountable stress—the stress associated with the pandemic, on top of chronic stressors like financial problems, limited access to health care, and balancing work-family life responsibilities, all of which can have significant physical and psychological effects on individuals and their relationships.