Associate Professor Typhanye Dyer and Assistant Research Professor Rodman Turpin conducted two studies on the role of syndemics—combinations of adverse social, structural and individual factors—on health outcomes among Black sexual minority men and transgender women in the US. 

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.

Professor Hongjie Liu, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, was appointed by Montgomery County, Maryland to serve on its advisory group of scientists and medical professionals to help with its recovery plans during the pandemic. County Health Officer Travis Gayles wrote that the COVID-19 Public Health Advisory Board would “provide guidance to the Health Officer and Public Health Services response team, particularly related to our reopening metrics.”

We, the faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, stand in solidarity with Black students, faculty, and staff to end long-standing racial injustice and stop the dehumanization of Black people. We insist that Black lives matter. We condemn the ongoing racism and violence against Black people and communities, and stand by our students and colleagues who are grieving and angry right now in response to the brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, McKinsley Lincoln, Nina Pop, and so many others.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Assistant Research Professor Dr. Rodman Turpin (he/him) found his passion for HIV prevention and health equity fairly early in life. “I have always had a deep investment in the health of my community, the Black gay, bisexual, queer, and same-gender loving community,” Dr. Turpin said. Through his post-undergraduate work in medical laboratory science, he learned that research can be a powerful way to advocate for the health of marginalized populations.

Congratulations Spring 2020 graduates! We are so proud of your accomplishments and with the future of public health in your hands, we feel hopeful about the future.

Opiaah Jeffers M.P.H. ’21 hadn’t even finished her first shift as a COVID-19 contact tracer for the Prince George’s County Health Department on Friday when the complexity of safely restarting public life in the state of Maryland hit her.

Near the end of each academic year, the School of Public Health faculty, staff, students, families and friends join together for the special occasion of honoring our outstanding students through the SPH Convocation ceremony.

"Using Google Street View Images to Examine Links Between the Built Environment and Health" was delivered by Quynh Nguyen, assistant professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, as the first lecture in the 2020 National Library of Medicine (NLM) Informatics and Data Science Lecture Series.

The University of Maryland School of Public Health held its first Big Data in Public Health conference on Feb. 28, with 202 attendees from 35 different institutions and organizations. 

In this year's conference, 10 speakers from different application areas of big data analytics—including social media, genomics and bioinformatics, health care, imaging and neuroscience—presented about their cutting edge research using big data and its connection with public health data science.