Faculty, Staff, and Students to be Recognized with 2025 SPH Awards
Urmi Phanse, Chris Louis, Nicole Huberfeld, Mary Murphy-Phillips, David Jernigan, and Anita DeStefano are among those who will receive awards at convocation. Congratulations to the members of the School of Public Health community who will be honored with awards at the 2025 SPH Convocation!
Professor Awarded $3.2M Grant to Expand Urban Heat Research
Wellcome, a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, has granted Patricia Fabian, associate professor of environmental health, a $3.2 million Climate Impacts Award to expand the scope of her ongoing research on extreme heat and health.
‘There’s No Way Through This but Forward’
No matter your political leanings, policy preferences, or preferred candidates, the presidential re-election of Donald Trump presents serious challenges for the health of the public on a local, national, and global scale. Trump’s Cabinet nominations thus far have provided a clear window into the direction his administration hopes to take on a number of health issues. Below, members of the SPH community share what a second Trump administration means to them personally and to the public health issues that matters most to them—and how we can remain optimistic and embrace opportunities to make progress towards a safer and healthier world.
Extreme Heat May Substantially Raise Mortality Risk for People Experiencing Homelessness
By nature of their living situation, people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are considered one of the most vulnerable populations to the health impacts of extreme weather. PEH are particularly vulnerable to heat, and the impact of heat on mortality in this group is substantially greater than for the general population, according to a new study by the School of Public Health.
Thinking Climate Change? Think Exposure to Extreme Heat
When we think about climate change impacts in cities like Boston, we often envision dumpsters floating in the Seaport or flooding on Morrissey Boulevard. However, exposure to extreme heat results in more emergency room visits, more hospital admissions, and more deaths than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
A Clear Path through Murky Waters: Alum Finds Meaningful Career Studying Water Contamination
Upon finishing her PhD in environmental health at the School of Public Health, Beth Haley (SPH’24) moved to Oregon, drawn, she says, to the vast natural landscapes more commonly found out West. As a post-doctoral researcher with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Haley aims to tackle threats to water quality specific to the Pacific Northwest. Beth Haley’s PhD dissertation in environmental health linked sewage overflows with illness in Massachusetts and now her current post-doctoral research with the Environmental Protection Agency aims to tackle water quality in Pacific coastal areas.
Professor Partners with Boston Public Schools to Study Classroom Air Quality
The most comprehensive database of Massachusetts’ affordable housing inventory spotlights the use of age-restricted housing to maintain racial segregation, its creators say. In 44 cities and towns, not a single unit of non-age-restricted affordable housing has been built despite state laws such as Chapter 40B that make it easier for developers to build income-restricted projects.