SPH in India: Partnering for Progress on Disease, Climate, and Sanitation
As India launches its first national census in 15 years following a COVID-related postponement from 2021, researchers at the School of Public Health and their Indian collaborators foresee opportunities to strengthen and scale their existing portfolios of work on air pollution, sanitation access, tuberculosis, and maternal and child health in the world’s most populous country.
Living in Historically Redlined Neighborhoods May Reduce One’s Ability to Conceive
Living in a historically redlined neighborhood may reduce a person’s ability to become pregnant, according to two new studies led by researchers at the School of Public Health. Published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) and Epidemiology, the studies found that people residing in redlined neighborhoods—neighborhoods that were subjected to the historic practice of mortgage lending discrimination by the federal government—were less likely to conceive than those who lived in neighborhoods the government deemed favorable for mortgage lending.
Decoding the New Federal Dietary Guidelines
In a stark departure from previous recommendations, the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture jointly released 2025-2030 federal dietary guidelines last month that place an emphasis on consuming red meat, whole milk, and butter, along with fruits and vegetables. Dubbed “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in our nation’s history,” by US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the updated dietary guidelines also suggest people limit—or eliminate entirely—highly processed foods, added sugars, and excess sodium. The guidelines also removed daily limits for alcohol consumption and now urge people to just “consume less alcohol.”
Scaling Social-Emotional Learning: A Student’s Practicum at City Hall
For two-and-a-half years before enrolling at SPH, Corryn Barter taught at Match, a charter public high school located next to Agganis Arena on BU’s Charles River Campus. First, she taught physics, and then she pivoted to teaching health. She found that while her students overwhelmingly struggled with math problems, they were deeply empathetic and skilled in reading a room. But with such a rich emotional life comes challenges, she says, and without a specific curriculum targeting their social-emotional development, her students were struggling to achieve personal and academic well-being.
Child Gun Injury Risk Spikes When Children Leave School for the Day
In the United States, child firearm violence prevention focuses largely on school shootings, even though the majority of child gun injuries occur outside of schools. A new study led by School of Public Health researchers provides additional insight into this gun violence threat, showing that children’s risk of being shot rises as soon as the school day ends.
Many Questions Remain After Judges Order USDA to Fund SNAP During Shutdown
At the eleventh hour on Friday, October 31, two New England federal judges ruled that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use billions of dollars in emergency funds to partially cover Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 42 million Americans living in every county in the nation.
Failure to Pass a UN Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases is Not an Excuse for Inaction
Near the end of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly last week, Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health took center stage in a Fourth High-Level Meeting focused on common ground and solutions. I was optimistic that there would be real momentum to act, as NCDs remain a leading cause of death and disability across the world and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to reduce premature mortality from NCDs is off track by a third.
Gregory Wellenius Receives Beverly A. Brown Professorship
Gregory Wellenius has been named the Beverly A. Brown Professor for the Improvement of Urban Health. Endowed in 2012 through a $4 million donation from Boston University trustee emeritus Richard Shipley (SMG’68, GSM’72), the professorship honors and supports the work of a highly distinguished professor whose research, teaching, and service advance the condition of the more than half the world’s population who live in urban areas. The professorship is named for Beverly A. Brown, the long-time development director of the former Center for Global Health and Development and the wife of BU president emeritus Robert A. Brown.
Researchers Partner with Nonprofits to Track Health Effects of Federal and State Environmental Policies
Since the start of 2025, the Trump administration has issued nearly 200 executive orders, including directives that have dramatically altered the trajectory of the country’s environmental policy, challenging climate-related initiatives and ending environmental justice programs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has followed suit, attempting to roll back an array of environmental protections that the administration has deemed a burden to domestic oil, gas, and coal production. The agency has characterized these efforts as the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.”
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!