On the Heights: August 2026

August 31, 2026

Stay informed with the latest from the University of Michigan School of Public Health community in our monthly digest. Faculty expertise in action, new research, policy advocacy, and community engagement highlight our continued commitment to advancing public health and creating positive change.

Policy impact & advocacy

Michigan Public Health experts weigh in as cyclospora outbreak turns deadly

Joseph Eisenberg and Juan Luis Marquez, two of the school’s epidemiologists, helped explain the parasite’s spread and offered food safety guidance as case counts climbed across the state. Their comments came as state health officials confirmed the outbreak’s first two fatalities.

Anand Parekh on why kindergarten vaccination rates keep slipping

The school's Chief Health Policy Officer weighed in on new CDC data showing coverage dropped for every reported childhood vaccine this year while exemptions climbed to a record 4.2% nationally. Parekh pointed to lingering COVID-era misinformation as a driver, and flagged Michigan's own numbers as a particular concern—the state's vaccination rate has fallen to 90.9%, well below the roughly 95% threshold needed for measles herd immunity. 

Faculty expertise in the media

Holly Jarman and Claire Ma on why US teens are smoking and vaping less than their peers abroad

The pair—an associate professor of Health Management and Policy and a postdoctoral research fellow—dug into a new national survey to see how nicotine use trends among American youth compare internationally. Writing for The Conversation, they found that both habits have fallen to historic lows.

Adam Finkel on the risks of CTE in football

A former senior OSHA official now on faculty in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Finkel spoke with The New York Times about mounting evidence linking repeated head trauma to a degenerative brain disease in professional athletes. He discussed what role workplace-safety regulators could play in addressing it.

Rick Neitzel on what a string of Stellantis workplace deaths means for auto industry safety

The director of the school’s Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering spoke with USA Today about three worker fatalities at the automaker’s plants over the past two years. He weighed in on what the pattern might signal about practices there.

Michigan Public Health experts featured in back-to-school media advisory

Several researchers from the School of Public Health were tapped for a University of Michigan news advisory connecting journalists with faculty who study issues facing students and families as the new school year begins.

Kate Bauer on how SNAP soda restrictions affect purchasing—and stigma

The nutritional sciences professor spoke with CBS News about a new study showing that state restrictions on using food assistance benefits for sugary drinks led to a meaningful drop in purchases. She also raised concerns that the policies could deepen the stigma recipients already face.

Paul Fleming on Public Health on Call

The associate professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity joined a recent podcast episode to talk about prevention thinking and what it takes to build healthier communities.

Research highlights

How measures of community need misread rural and urban areas—and why the differences matter

Health Management and Policy PhD student Hannah Lang and the Institute for Social Research’s Kimberly Rollings unpack where a popular tool for gauging local disadvantage breaks down, and why that carries real consequences for the places it mischaracterizes.

Donglin Zeng honored for turning complex health data into better treatment decisions

The Biostatistics professor's statistical models help clinicians identify which therapies are most likely to work for individual patients, and his research on long-term COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness informed findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and The Lancet. Zeng, who joined the school in 2023 after more than 20 years at UNC Chapel Hill, received the Michigan Public Health's 2026 Excellence in Research Award for the work.

Irina Gaynanova publishes study linking insurance and neighborhood disadvantage to glucose control disparities

The associate professor of Biostatistics and her co-authors analyzed diabetes-device data from more than 1,700 patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and found that socioeconomic factors kept shaping outcomes even among those already using continuous glucose monitors. Patients with public health insurance had significantly worse glucose control than those with private insurance, and the gap was widest among Black children and children living with the greatest socioeconomic disadvantage—suggesting access to the technology alone isn't enough to close these disparities. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Hely Nanavati links traffic noise to higher stroke recurrence risk

The Epidemiology postdoctoral fellow and colleagues followed more than 2,400 ischemic stroke patients in Nueces County, Texas and found that residents exposed to higher transportation noise near their homes had a 36% higher rate of stroke recurrence than those in quieter areas, even after adjusting for demographics, health behaviors, and neighborhood-level factors like income and air pollution. Noise wasn't linked to initial stroke severity or death, but the recurrence findings—among the first of their kind in a US population—point to a modifiable environmental risk factor stroke policy hasn't yet addressed. The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Honors, fellowships & appointments

Matthew Boulton wins President’s Award for Leadership in International Education

The recognition, in the Distinguished Service category, honors his work expanding global learning opportunities for students. Boulton is among three honorees recognized this year for advancing international education at the University of Michigan.

Rebecca Andridge, PhD ’09 wins Biostatistics Significant Alumni Award

Now the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies at The Ohio State University, Andridge was honored for her contributions to missing data methodology, collaborative research, and biostatistics education, along with her innovative approach to teaching and mentorship.

Darrell Hudson elected president of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Sciences

The James S. Jackson Collegiate Professor and Department Chair of Health Behavior and Health Equity will lead the group’s efforts to advance interdisciplinary research in the field.

Micah Aaron named to Michigan Chronicle’s 2026 class of 40 Under 40

The assistant professor of Health Management and Policy earned the honor for his contributions to the field early in his career.

K Rivet Amico co-edits new book on the global HIV response

The Health Behavior and Health Equity professor spent several years compiling “AIDS at a Crossroads: How Antiretrovirals and Community Transformed the HIV Response” alongside José M. Zuniga and Corey Prachniak, drawing together 25 chapters from leading scientists and care providers across the globe.

Findings wins five awards from the University & College Designers Association

Erin Nelson and Chris Diamond, from the Marketing and Communications team, were recognized for their work on the magazine, earning two Silver Awards, two Awards of Excellence, and an Honorable Mention across print and digital platforms.