2022 Faculty Teaching Awards
April 21, 2022
Narendran, Sedory, and Sharma awarded for their excellence in teaching.
Our Impact
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Selected for Statewide Rural Hospital Leadership Initiative
Houston, TX — UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has been selected to represent The University of Texas (UT) System in a new statewide initiative, the Texas Rural Hospital Officers Academy, designed to strengthen financial leadership and long-term stability of rural hospitals across Texas.
From Pre-Med to Public Health
This spring 2026, Mackenzie Senn, MPH, prepares to graduate with a Doctor of Philosophy in epidemiology from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
Xiao named 2026 US Fulbright Scholar
Qian Xiao, PhD, associate professor in Epidemiology, has been named a 2026-2027 U.S. Fulbright Program Scholar, a prestigious honor that supports international collaboration in research and education.
From Docside Clinic to U.S. Navy, one graduate's mission
As Peyton HerrNeckar, a Master of Public Health student in environmental health, prepares to graduate from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health this spring 2026, his next chapter is already taking shape on the water.
Jones, et al. awarded $1.5 million grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense
April 12, 2022
The project, “Response to Shocks and Hazards Associated with Climate” was selected as one of 17 recipients, developing comprehensive modeling of cultural transformations in dozens of societies over the last 200 years in response to shocks and hazards associated with climate in concert with Co-Principal Investigators from the Human Relations Area Files at Yale (Carol Ember), University of Tennessee Knoxville (Sergey Gavrilets) and Stanford University (Michele Gelfand).
Program receives $500,000 funding to assess a father’s role in the early childhood development of the brain
April 6, 2022
Designed in partnership with a community advisory board to address gaps previously identified by the partners in father engagement, and to improve understanding of a father’s role in early brain development of their children. BSD intends to obtain an increased knowledge of brain health development in these critical early years by serving 125 males between the ages of 18-35 years of age, who are residents of Tyler, Texas currently expecting or have a child under 3 years of age.
Markham Appointed Chair of the Department Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
April 5, 2022
As of March 16th, 2022, Christine Markham, PhD, has officially been appointed as Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health. After serving as interim chair since 2019, Dean Eric Boerwinkle, PhD has identified Markham as the most qualified candidate to take on the leadership role.
UTHealth School of Public Health Austin Campus Dean Authors Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Position Paper
April 4, 2022
Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, regional dean of the UTHealth School of Public Health Austin Campus, served as the lead author on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ position paper on the prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity, published in February 2022. This position paper supersedes the academy’s previous paper written in 2013, in which Hoelscher also served as lead author.
The Impact of War on Public Health
April 1, 2022
The distance between Texas and Ukraine, at nearly 6,000 miles, seems vast. Despite the distance, communities here, and elsewhere across the globe, have experienced the reverberating effects of the Russian invasion of that country. The American Psychological Association reports that 80% of Americans find the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be a significant source of stress. Stress factors that coattail the economic impacts of the war showcase just the outermost layers of war's impact on public health.
Know thy Alumni: Danielle Harmon, MPH
March 22, 2022
Danielle Harmon, MPH is the Executive Director for the US Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA). Danielle received her Master of Public Health in Community Health Practice in 2012. As a national association for lactation care providers, Danielle oversees the growth and development of USLCA’s programs and resources to ensure the organization is supporting the advancement of the lactation profession.
Brownsville Campus Student Awarded Gunnin Fellowship
March 16, 2022
UTHealth School of Public Health Brownsville campus student, Ghadir Helal Salsa has been named the recipient of the 2022 Dr. Gerry C. Gunnin, Ph.D. Public Health Memorial Fellowship (Gunnin Fellowship). This highly competitive award assists students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in public health at an accredited Texas school.
Naik appointed Chair for MPACH & Executive Director for the Consortium of Aging
February 25, 2022
Aanand Naik, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, and associate dean for Learning Health Systems at UTHealth School of Public Health. Naik has also been selected as the Nancy P. and Vincent F. Guinee, MD Distinguished Chair and executive director of the UTHealth Houston Consortium on Aging.
Peskin inducted into the Kenneth I. Shine, M.D. Academy of Health Science
February 24, 2022
Melissa Peskin, PhD, with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, has been accepted into The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, M.D. Academy of Health Science for her teaching excellence and commitment to the enhancement of health science education.