PhD

Two people hug on a bright background of flowers.

Loneliness is a public health issue: Let's tackle it together

Lindsay Kobayashi

In 2023, the US Surgeon General issued a national health advisory on a loneliness epidemic in the US. Michigan Public Health professor Lindsay Kobayashi explains the long-term health consequences of loneliness, what causes it, and how we can heal through community-level interventions.

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Disability justice in public health

Kara Mannor

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act was just a first step in a journey toward equity for disabled communities. PhD student and disability advocate Kara Mannor describes how the disability justice movement can help institutions rethink a better future for research and health for people with disabilities.

Dr. Julio Frenk, MPH, PhD, President of the University of Miami, Florida

Leadership to Inspire Global Change

Julio Frenk, MPH ’81, PhD ’83

Julio Frenk’s career has oscillated between health care and higher education. He currently serves as President of the University of Miami and for six years served as Mexico’s Secretary of Health. Whether in the academy or in policymaking, the unifying theme to that career, Frenk says, has been trying to give back through service.

Antibiotic pills displayed in a pill bottle

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.