The latest issue of our Public Health Sciences newsletter is now available!
This interactive PDF allows you to:
We encourage you to take a look and explore all the work happening across our department—from research and community engagement to student and faculty highlights.
Read it here
When most people think about public health, they think about the outcomes: healthier communities, disease prevention, clean air, safer workplaces, and access to reliable health information. What often goes unnoticed are the people behind those efforts. Public health professionals work across research, healthcare, government, nonprofits, education, and industry to address complex health challenges and improve lives.
Read our latest edition of, Your Dose of Public Health today!
Due to the internet, health information moves fast and misinformation moves faster. Public health professionals are the people communities trust to sort signal from noise. That takes training, practice, and a commitment to evidence. It’s exactly what an MPH is built to teach.
Read our latest edition of Your Dose of Public Health today!
Vaccines are only one part of the larger public health story.
Every day, public health professionals work to prevent disease, promote healthy behaviors, improve access to care, and create healthier environments where people live, work, and learn.
The next time you hear a public health issue trending in the news, consider the people behind the science, data, education, and community partnerships that help keep populations healthy.
Subscribe to Your Dose of Public Health on LinkedIn today!
Over the next four weeks, the Department of Public Health Sciences is running a social media campaign called What Is in Your Health Professional Toolkit? Each week takes up one part of the question, and we are asking students to weigh in — not just to read along. If you are studying public health, allied health sciences, nursing, exercise science, nutrition, psychology, healthcare administration, or you are on a pre-med or pre-PA track, this is aimed at you.
Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Week 1 — Career Goals & Inspiration. Where do you want to end up, and what pointed you there? We will share paths that public health graduates actually take, including the ones that are not obvious from the outside.
Week 2 — Skills for Success. The practical layer: data literacy, writing, working across disciplines, communicating with communities rather than at them. What you can start building now, before you need it.
Week 3 — College & Professional Life. Coursework, research opportunities, internships, and the unglamorous logistics of getting from a class roster to a résumé.
Week 4 — Future Impact. The long view — what students want to change, and how a career in public health connects to that.
To make participating a little more worthwhile, one participant will win a Back-to-School Health Professional Toolkit — a mystery bag with UConn swag, study supplies, wellness items, professional development resources, and a few public health–themed surprises.
Entries are earned through the same engagement the campaign is about, and they stack. You can enter more than once:
| Action | Entries |
|---|---|
| React to a campaign post or vote in a story poll | 1 entry each |
| Leave a meaningful comment | 2 bonus entries |
| Share a campaign post, tag us and tag a friend | 3 bonus entries |
This August, we invite you to think about what belongs in your own Health Professional Toolkit. Whether you’re interested in public health, nursing, pre-med, exercise science, psychology, healthcare administration, nutrition, or another health-related field, there are many paths to creating impact.
One participant will receive a Health Professional Toolkit Mystery Bag filled with UConn swag, study supplies, wellness items, professional development resources, and a few public health-themed surprises.
Official Rules
Read the full newsletter here.
Subscribe to Your Dose of Public Health on LinkedIn today!
The Department of Public Health Sciences recently had the opportunity to give back to the community through a donation initiative benefiting the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI).
Thanks to the generosity of the UConn School of Dental Medicine, our department delivered nearly 800 dental hygiene products, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss, to support CIRI’s workshops and meet the everyday needs of the individuals and families they serve.
CIRI has long been a vital resource in Connecticut, providing compassionate, high-quality legal, social, and educational services to refugees, immigrants, and survivors of human trafficking and torture. In addition to helping individuals navigate complex systems and rebuild their lives, the organization works to ensure that families have access to essential resources that promote health, dignity, and well-being.
Access to basic hygiene products is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of public health. Items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste play a significant role in preventing disease, promoting overall health, and supporting quality of life. By contributing these essentials, our department and partners hope to help reduce barriers to care and support the health of community members across Connecticut.
This donation effort reflects our department’s ongoing commitment to community engagement, health equity, and service. Collaborations like these demonstrate the power of partnership and the meaningful impact that can be made when organizations come together to address community needs.
We are grateful to the UConn School of Dental Medicine for their generous contribution and to CIRI for the incredible work they do every day in supporting some of Connecticut’s most vulnerable populations. We look forward to continuing opportunities to partner with organizations that advance health, equity, and community well-being.
Learn how you can help: https://health.uconn.edu/public-health-sciences/2026/05/18/2026-spring-cleaning-donation-drive/
Dr. Youngji Jo, Assistant Professor in Public Health Sciences, was awarded a K01 titled “Evaluating the Impact of Integrated and Differentiated HIV–NCD Service Delivery through Mathematical Modeling.” The project develops a behavior- and systems-aware model to evaluate integrated service delivery for multimorbidity management. Drawing on the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)’s large NIH-funded trial dataset (TASKPEN), the work will inform highly effective and cost-effective intervention approaches under the health-system constraints — capacity and budget — that must be addressed for integrated service delivery to scale.
This setting provides a unique, accelerated opportunity to study multimorbidity patterns, care-delivery challenges, and outcomes of integrated care models directly relevant to older adults living with HIV in the United States. With 54% of U.S. people living with HIV now aged 50 or older and an estimated 60–80% experiencing multimorbidity, this work will inform integrated care for Ryan White clinics and other safety-net systems, where strengthening chronic disease coordination is a national priority.
As the academic year comes to a close, the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn reflects on a vibrant and impactful spring semester—one marked by student achievement, faculty innovation, and deep community engagement.
This issue of our Spring 2026 newsletter highlights the many ways our community continues to advance public health both within and beyond the classroom.
We proudly recognized the Class of 2026 through a series of milestone events, including the annual poster session, graduation dinner, and commencement ceremony. These moments honored not only academic achievement, but also the real-world impact our graduates are already making in their communities and beyond.
Faculty and research teams continued to push the field forward this semester, tackling critical issues such as adolescent sleep health, treatment-resistant depression, environmental air quality, and data-driven public health policy.
From nationally recognized publications to collaborative grant-funded projects, these efforts reflect our commitment to improving population health through evidence-based solutions.
Our students, faculty, and staff remained deeply engaged in the community, participating in events such as the Black Family Wellness Expo, WishFest, and volunteer initiatives with organizations like Hands on Hartford.
These experiences bring public health to life—connecting education, service, and advocacy in meaningful ways.
This semester also showcased student leadership through research symposia, enrichment programming, community-based learning, and new initiatives like Munch & Mingle.
From mentoring high school students to presenting equity-focused research, our students continue to lead with purpose and impact.
As we move into the summer season, this issue is a reminder that public health is not just a discipline—it’s a community built on collaboration, resilience, and care for one another.
We invite you to explore the full newsletter and celebrate the people and work shaping healthier futures.
