BU faculty uncover what is little known about the production and destruction of solar technology
Dunlap, a Boston University postdoctoral research scientist, and Sovacool, a BU earth and environment professor, titled their project “Transformational Energy Justice Across the Supply Chain,” which aimed to explore the hidden impacts of the solar energy industry, Sovacool said.
As Medicaid Cuts Loom, Here’s What’s at Stake for Families
The story of Medicaid and its role in the United States cannot be told without addressing its profound impact on the health and well-being of families. As the largest health insurer in the country, Medicaid provides coverage to over 77 million people, including two in every five children. Despite its foundational importance, Medicaid is often misunderstood and undervalued, and looming cuts threaten to unravel the safety net it provides. These cuts risk devastating ripple effects, not just on healthcare access, but on housing, hunger and the overall stability of families.
Louisville’s Anti-Displacement Commission finally gets off the ground
Members of Louisville’s Anti-Displacement Commission met for the first time Tuesday afternoon. The meeting was a long time in the making. The Louisville Metro Council passed the Anti-Displacement Law nearly two years ago. It directed city officials to work with researchers to develop a tool that could analyze proposed developments and determine if they were likely to displace neighborhood residents through higher rents or property taxes. Any project that would lead to displacement would no longer be eligible for public funding.
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.
From land takings to gentrification, East Boston has seen generations of ‘lost futures’
During his time as a postdoctoral research fellow, social worker Josh Lown found he didn’t have to look beyond his own East Boston neighborhood when doing research for a paper on “hauntology.” The term, coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, describes the emotional toll of unforeseen changes on a community.
Louisville inches toward implementing 2023 anti-gentrification law
Almost two years after Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance to combat gentrification, the city still has not fully implemented it.
Standing outside a city-owned building on South Fifth Street last month, advocates with the tenant union PUSH Louisville held signs saying “Stop playing, we’re staying” and “Fight displacement — use the tool.”
Rethinking cities through global collaboration
Cities are more than skylines and subways — they are lived experiences shaped by the people who call them home. Recognising this, five world-leading institutions have launched the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies to reframe how cities are studied and shaped, with a human-centred focus that responds to today’s most pressing urban challenges.
Brink Bites: Prescribing Cheaper Energy Bills and the Bible’s Agricultural Connections
A BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine, Goldman spoke on a panel focused on reducing climate change’s impact on Boston, along with fellow BU researchers, Lucy Hutyra, a College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor and chair of Earth and environment, who talked about an urban cooling project, and Madeleine Scammell, a School of Public Health professor of environmental health, who discussed an effort to document city hot spots. All three are affiliated with the BU Institute for Global Sustainability, which has a full report on the summit.
Celebrating 2025 APSIA Awards
The APSIA Awards is an annual recognition program that celebrates the hard work and innovation in the APSIA community. Since 2021, nominations come from the institutions themselves, as well as the broader community.
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!