Bouvé College of Health Sciences

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

What does a controversial ad campaign have to do with psychology? A lot, according to Bouvé College's Dr. Rachel Rodgers. 📰

Dr. Rodgers, associate professor of applied psychology, was recently quoted by Northeastern Global News breaking down why a national ad campaign drew so much criticism online. Her research looks at how media and culture influence body image, and she explained why using a model's body as the visual focus, rather than showcasing athleticism, sent a message many found outdated and objectifying.

➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/14/sydney-sweeney-ad-novig/

Northeastern experts explore why Novig’s first national ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney sparked online controversy.

10/01/2026

What if you could watch your own brainwaves and learn to turn down your pain? That's exactly what Bouvé College's Dr. David Sherman is studying. 🧠

Dr. Sherman just opened a new lab at Northeastern, funded by a $1 million NIH grant, to study neurofeedback as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis. About a third of the 25 million Americans living with this joint disease experience something called amplified pain, where the brain reacts more intensely than the injury actually calls for. With neurofeedback, patients see their pain signals mapped on a screen and learn to reduce them through focus alone, no medication required.

Dr. Sherman hopes this five-year study could lead to a brand new treatment option for people whose pain has been hard to manage any other way. 💡
➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/11/neurofeedback-knee-osteoarthritis-pain/

Neurofeedback may help people with knee osteoarthritis reduce chronic pain, according to a new Northeastern University study.

09/29/2026

New program alert 🔬 The MS in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences is here.

Go deep in immunotherapy, drug delivery, pharmacology, or biomedical sciences, guided by faculty driving real breakthroughs in cancer therapy and drug discovery.

"Students gain hands-on experience in translational research... and AI/ML-enabled drug development," Dr. Stephen Hatfield, Interim Program Director.

Explore the program ➡️ https://bouve.northeastern.edu/news/bouve-launches-new-ms-in-pharmaceutical-and-biomedical-sciences/ 🧪

A STEM-certified program designed to prepare the next generation of scientists for careers at the intersection of biology, chemistry, data, and AI.

09/28/2026

Ever strain to catch what someone's saying at a loud restaurant? Bouvé College's Dr. Jonathan Peelle is studying why that gets harder with age, and what might help. 🎧

Dr. Peelle explains that hearing loss isn't just about volume. It's about the brain's ability to separate speech from background noise, a skill that depends on brain regions especially vulnerable to aging. His lab is now testing a surprising fix: exercise. Early results show that people with higher fitness levels perform about 15% better at picking out speech in noisy environments than less active peers.

The team plans to test whether a single workout, and eventually months of regular exercise, can sharpen this ability even further. Their advice for now is simple: get your heart rate up, any way you can. 🏃‍♀️

➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/03/exercise-and-brain-health-speech-perception/

Exercise may sharpen your ability to hear speech in noisy rooms, Northeastern researchers find in a new study.

09/23/2026

Do you ever catch yourself planning tomorrow's to-do list while brushing your teeth today? Bouvé's Dr. Laura Dudley has a name for that: "time-traveling." 🧠

Dr. Dudley, who directs our Applied Behavior Analysis programs, spoke with Northeastern Global News about what meditation actually does for a busy, wandering mind. She explains that trying to do everything at once usually means doing nothing well, and that mindfulness means learning to notice one moment at a time, including the uncomfortable ones. Her own first meditation experience left her feeling sluggish and irritated, but over time it helped her react less and reflect more.

Dr. Dudley also points out something easy to forget: the benefits of meditation reach beyond the person on the cushion. Her own kids can tell when she hasn't meditated, because she seems "a little grumpy."

➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/01/meditation-benefits-mindfulness/

Meditation benefits go beyond stress relief, Northeastern experts say, showing how sitting with your thoughts can change your reactions.

09/21/2026

Struggling to remember new vocabulary no matter how many flashcards you make? The answer might be less about how you study and more about when. 🌙

Bouvé College professor Dr. Zhenghan Qi is studying exactly that question through her Time2Learn project. Her team is testing whether practicing a new language in the evening, closer to bedtime, helps the brain lock in what was learned during sleep. Early results suggest evening practice may have an advantage, particularly for people who naturally stay up late.

Dr. Qi's research digs into how different stages of sleep support different kinds of learning, from pronunciation patterns to new vocabulary. Her team is also studying how these patterns might work differently for people with developmental language disorder, hoping the findings lead to better learning strategies for everyone. 📚

➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/08/24/sleep-and-memory-language-learning/

A Northeastern study finds evening study sessions and sleep quality may help new language skills stick better over time.

09/18/2026

What if your body could be trained to hunt down cancer cells on its own? 🧬 That's the idea behind a new personalized cancer vaccine making headlines this month.

Moderna and Merck reported that their experimental vaccine, paired with the drug Keytruda, helped delay melanoma from coming back better than Keytruda alone. Bouvé College's own Dr. Mansoor Amiji and Dr. Stephen Hatfield weighed in for Northeastern Global News, explaining how scientists use a small tumor sample to build a vaccine unique to each patient, then activate the immune system's T-cells to find and destroy cancer cells.

Both professors called the results encouraging, but also urged some caution. Dr. Amiji is watching for more detailed data on how much the vaccine actually improves outcomes, and Dr. Hatfield noted that early detection will still matter most. This kind of expert insight is exactly what our faculty bring to the classroom every day.

➡️ https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/08/20/cancer-vaccine-moderna-merck/

A new cancer vaccine from Moderna and Merck slowed melanoma relapse. Northeastern immunology experts say the results are promising.

09/16/2026

Ever wonder why your body moves the way it does? 🧠🦵 That's exactly what our new Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology is all about.

Launched this fall in the School of Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences, the program studies human movement from every angle, muscles, joints, biomechanics, even psychology. Co-directors Dr. Lauren Raine and Dr. Chris Cesario designed it for all kinds of students: former athletes, people recovering from injury, or anyone curious about helping others stay active. Students dive into research early, work alongside faculty in the lab, and complete co-ops in clinical settings, research labs, or with industry partners across the country.

With only about 1 in 4 U.S. adults meeting basic physical activity guidelines according to the CDC, understanding movement has never mattered more. This degree can lead to careers in physical therapy, sports performance, fitness technology, or research. 🎓

https://bouve.northeastern.edu/news/bouve-college-launches-new-bachelor-of-science-in-kinesiology/

Movement is fundamental to human life — even, some would argue, a human right. Bouvé College’s new Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology is built around the question of how and why humans move. “The BS in Kinesiology program is the study of human movement, specifically physical activity,” said...

08/26/2026

We're proud to welcome Dr. Chrissa Kioussi as the new Dean of the Bouvé College School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences! 🎉

Dr. Kioussi is a molecular geneticist who studies how genes and cells drive organ formation and regeneration 🧬. She joins us from Oregon State University, where she led growth in research and graduate education as Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her training took her through top labs worldwide, including time mentored by two Nobel Prize laureates.

We can't wait to see her vision come to life here at Bouvé. Join us in welcoming Dr. Kioussi! https://bouve.northeastern.edu/news/bouve-college-welcomes-chrissa-kioussi-as-dean-of-the-school-of-pharmacy-and-pharmaceutical-sciences/

Bouvé College of Health Sciences is pleased to introduce Chrissa Kioussi, PhD, as the new Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. An internationally trained molecular geneticist, Dr. Kioussi brings a distinguished record of scientific leadership and research excellence to the ro...