Community Health Sciences

Complex issues require comprehensive solutions.

At the Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS), we apply social and behavioral sciences to enhance the health and well-being of communities and promote health equity.

Affiliated Degrees:
MPH PhD DrPH

Recent Department News

healthcare disparities

A Mother’s Death During or After Pregnancy May Increase Risk of Infant’s Death or Hospitalization

Students

Global Health Storytelling Class Brings COM and SPH Students Together

Community Health Sciences

Firearm Suicides Are Increasing Among Older Women at an Alarming Rate

Multi-ethnic group of teenage students listening to their teacher's lecture and raising hands to answer questions in high school classroom

Featured

Only 37% of US States Require Sexual Education in Schools to Be Medically Accurate

Panelists speak at Friends of NIDA hearing on July 17.

alcohol use

Professor Imparts Value of Collegiate Recovery Services at Congressional Briefing

LGBTQIA+ health

Supreme Court Rulings Deliver Victories and Challenges for Public Health

The skyline of Boston's South End neighborhood from as seen from the top floor of the Prudential Building

Students

SPH Debuts New PhD in Community Health Sciences

college student health

College Shouldn’t Be a Relapse Risk: Why Collegiate Recovery Programs Deserve Sustainable Funding

Sign and plaque on the facade of The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, NYC

Research

‘No Community Is Healthy Until All of Its Constituents Are Healthy’

Alumni

Alum Transforms Pain into Progress, Champions Trauma-Informed Care in Medical Education

Senior woman making a weed joint at home

drugs

Cannabis Use Disorder Is Increasing Rapidly, Especially Among Older Adults and People Living With HIV

Latino male teen student receives praise from classmates. Multiracial group of high school students sitting in a circle clapping together celebrating. Togetherness.

Research

Inclusive Peer Support Groups Are Expanding at US Colleges, but Stable Funding Is Needed

Published On 10/7/2025Ethical Implications of Study Terminations.Pediatrics
- Kimberly Nelson
read at PubMed
Published On 9/19/2025The impact of alcohol minimum pricing policies on vulnerable populations and health equity: A rapid review.The International journal on drug policy
- Timothy Naimi
read at PubMed
Published On 9/16/2025Exposure to Online Harassment and Disordered Eating in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Young Adults.The International journal of eating disorders
- Allegra Gordon
read at PubMed
Published On 9/12/2025Exploring State- and Individual-Level Characteristics Associated with Perceived Barriers to Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Among Young Adult Black Women.Journal of sex research
- Kimberly Nelson
read at PubMed
Published On 9/11/2025HIV Services Implementation Within US Syringe Services Programs: A Qualitative Exploration.AIDS patient care and STDs
- Angela Bazzi
read at PubMed

Recent media coverage

U.S. News & World Report

Babies More Likely to Die If Mother Passes During or After Pregnancy

Quotes Eugene Declercq, professor of community health sciences.

Medical Dialogues

Mother’s Death During or After Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Infant Death or Hospitalization

Quotes Eugene Declercq, professor of community health sciences.

WBUR

Public Health Experts Want to Slide Into Your TikTok Feed — With the Facts

Quotes Monica Wang, associate professor of community health sciences and Matthew Motta, associate professor of health law, policy & management.

KALW Bay Area

327 People Are Shot Every Day in the US. Of Those, 117 Die.

Mentions research by Jonathan Jay, associate professor of community health sciences, and Patrece Joseph, assistant professor of community health sciences.

UC San Diego Today

Julia Bond Receives 2025 NIH Early Independence Award to Study Sexual Well-Being

Latino Sexual Minority Men Overlooked in US HIV Prevention Initiative

Community Health Sciences.