Michigan Public Health is built on diverse perspectives and community voices. We engage with countless fields and diverse populations, and together we help drive forward the dialogues that guide the future of public health.
SPOTLIGHT
Do Africans Want Genetically Modified Mosquitoes?
Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14
Genetically modifying mosquitoes to control infectious disease is not a new idea. But all consequences—the good and the bad—of such an intervention must be adequately vetted. And importantly, argues physician and alum Utibe Effiong, local communities should have a say in the process. Read more
Watch What You Eat: How Talk of Weight and Healthy Eating Can Be Harmful during COVID-19
Megan Reynolds
While promoting healthy eating may be well-intentioned, messaging that incites fear of weight gain contributes to weight stigma and encourages negative psychological outcomes. During a pandemic, it is especially important to consider in all health care settings the implications of discussing food and bodies. Read more
Screening for Social Determinants of Health in Pediatric Settings
Phoebe Trout, Rebeccah Sokol, Julia Ammer, Layla S. Mohammed, Rachel Varisco, Sara F. Stein, and Alison L. Miller
Early screening and intervention, including in the doctor’s office, can help address health inequities and mitigate their impact. The negative effects of childhood adversity extend to a variety of health outcomes. Screening promotes well-being by ensuring families have the resources they need to maintain a healthy environment for their child. Read more
Public Health Concerns for Caregivers of Children with ASD
Lydia Essenmacher, MPH '20
Raising a child is an incredibly demanding task. The task of raising a child becomes more difficult when your child has a developmental disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The field of public health can use its knowledge of health theory to inform policies that decrease the burden for families of children with ASD and increase access to services for these families to utilize. Read more
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Mental Health Inside Detention Centers: The Unknown Toll on Latinx Child Immigrants
Cecilia Galvan
Thousands of children still live inside US immigration detention centers, and they are not getting adequate care. These populations include large numbers of Latinx children currently living in a traumatic and uncertain environment. Obtaining the data necessary to understand the mental health impacts of detainment on these children is vital. Read more
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Go See the Doc: The Battle to Take Back Primary Care
Kayla Flewelling and Utibe Effiong
Your primary care provider is in a unique position to help you stay healthy, in large part by identifying potential disease threats and helping you prevent their onset. So what is keeping so many Americans out of their primary care doctor’s exam rooms? Read more
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A COVID-19 Vaccine Needs the Public's Trust--And It's Risky to Cut Corners on Clinical Trials, as Russia Is
Abram L. Wagner
On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use. Why is this news being condemned broadly by scientists around the world? Read more
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Antibiotic Use during Pregnancy: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Lixin Zhang, PhD ’99
The discovery and use of antibiotics is one of public health’s great achievements, but antibiotic use is not without its problems. At therapeutic doses, antibiotics exert a strong selection pressure on the microbial community. When antibiotics interact with an infant’s developing microbiome, they can affect gut health and with it the child’s health for years to come. Read more
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Online MPH Students Tackle Real COVID-19 Issues in the Virtual Classroom
MPH Students Reflect on COVID-19 Simulation Coursework
As the coronavirus pandemic swept across the nation, University of Michigan School of Public Health online master’s students in Population and Health Sciences had the unique opportunity to use what they’ve learned through coursework in a real-world public health simulation focused on controlling the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
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Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Increasing Awareness through Access to Research
Matthew L. Boulton, Jillian Morgan, and Sara McAdory-Kim
In recent weeks, the killing of Black and African Americans during encounters with police has brought renewed and overdue attention to the public health and societal crisis that is racism. Matthew L. Boulton, Jillian Morgan, and Sara McAdory-Kim share how the American Journal of Preventive Medicine is working to raise awareness of this issue. Read more
