Rutgers School of Public Health

09/01/2026

Welcome to the 2026–2027 academic year at Rutgers School of Public Health! 🎉📚

Hear from Dean Perry N. Halkitis as he welcomes students to the new academic year and shares his advice for making the most of your time here — from building community and connecting with faculty to getting involved and exploring opportunities beyond the classroom.

Whether you’re a new or returning student, a member of our faculty or staff, an alum, or a friend of , we’re excited for a year of learning, connection, and making an impact in public health together.

https://sph.rutgers.edu/

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

08/26/2026

Did the fit give it away? 👀

Get your swag at R House! Save 15% with code BACKTOSCHOOL15. Offer ends Monday, August 31.

🔗 Shop the full collection: https://shoprhouse.com/collections/store-public-health

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

08/25/2026

📍Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference, hosted by the IAS - International AIDS Society

’s Deanna Kerrigan, PhD, MPH, vice dean, Henry Rutgers Chair of Whole Person Health, and professor, and Clare Barrington, PhD, MPH, incoming professor and chair of the school’s Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, joined researchers, public health leaders, and communities from around the world to advance the global HIV response.

At the conference, Kerrigan and Barrington presented three posters showcasing their research on HIV prevention, health equity, and the social and structural factors that shape health and well-being.

Swipe through for a look at their leadership, research, and time at AIDS 2026 in Rio. ➡️

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University | Rutgers Research

08/19/2026

🎉👏 Congratulations to ’s Mitchel A. Rosen, PhD — professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice and director of the Center for Public Health Workforce Development - Rutgers SPH — on receiving the Alice Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement from APHA’s Occupational Health and Safety Section!

Named for Alice Hamilton, widely considered the founder of occupational health in the U.S., the award honors a lifetime of service, science, and advocacy on behalf of working people.

For nearly four decades, that’s exactly what Rosen has done: since 1988, he has managed training for more than 1 million workers in occupational safety and health, environmental health, and public health education. At Rutgers, he has helped build programs that prepare students, first responders, and public health professionals to face the hazards they face on the job — and to meet new public health challenges as they emerge.

💭 “I have focused on bringing students to workplaces so that they see and understand how workers are impacted by their work,” Rosen said. “Alice Hamilton conducted site visits over 100 years ago to understand exposures, and I find it a big part of my work now. So, to receive the Alice Hamilton Award from the Occupational Health and Safety Section of APHA is an incredible honor.”

🔗 Learn more about his impact: https://sph.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-school-public-healths-mitchel-rosen-receives-apha-lifetime-achievement-award

American Public Health Association | Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

08/18/2026

swag is now available at R House! Save 15% on an order with code BACKTOSCHOOL15, valid August 17–31.

🔗 Shop the full collection: https://shoprhouse.com/collections/store-public-health

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

08/14/2026

🫀 Pregnancy can be an early flag for future heart and metabolic risk, even when the pregnancy itself is otherwise healthy, according to researchers.

Led by Ellen C. Francis, an assistant professor at , the study used nearly seven years of electronic health record data from 1,225 pregnancies to examine new diagnoses of chronic hypertension and metabolic conditions after delivery.

📊 Researchers found that women whose cardiovascular health was poorer during pregnancy were diagnosed with these conditions in a shorter amount of time after delivery than women with better cardiovascular health. This pattern held true even among women who had no pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes or hypertensive disorders.

The findings suggest that looking only at pregnancy complications may not be enough to identify who is at risk. A broader assessment of cardiovascular health during pregnancy could help clinicians spot risk earlier and connect women to preventive care after delivery.

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University | Rutgers Research | JAMA Network Open

08/11/2026

👋 Join us in welcoming Clare Barrington, PhD, MPH, who joins this September as a professor and chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy!

Barrington is a social and behavioral scientist whose research examines how social and structural factors shape health and well-being. Her work brings together public health research and practice to understand not only who experiences poorer health outcomes, but the social, economic, and structural conditions that produce those outcomes — and what can be done to change them.

💭 “I am honored to join the Health Behavior, Society, and Policy faculty, staff, and students to advance public health training, research, and practice. The department is well-positioned to improve understanding of critical public health issues at the community, state, national, and global levels and to collaboratively design and assess innovative and holistic responses.”

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

08/05/2026

In a recent episode of Managed Care Cast, Dean Perry N. Halkitis discusses the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the political neglect that shaped the response to it. He reflects on how organized advocacy pushed government and scientific leaders to involve affected communities in treatment development, a shift that contributed to major therapeutic advances in the years that followed.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on The American Journal of Managed Care's website: https://www.ajmc.com/view/the-role-of-politics-in-the-aids-crisis-perry-n-halkitis-phd-ms-mph

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

07/29/2026

👋 Meet Alexandra E. Black, a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies at !

Black is a social psychologist with expertise in relationship science and advanced quantitative methods. Her research investigates how committed partners navigate trust when facing relationship threats, and she plans to expand this framework to include the perspectives of bisexual people and their romantic partners. Additionally, her work examines how experiences of biphobia shape mental health and substance use among bisexual people. Her Model of Bisexual Stigma and Mental Health provides a roadmap for disrupting the harms of biphobia and supporting bi+ wellbeing.

💭 “There are barriers to bi+ people feeling accepted, but it’s so important that we show up proudly within our community spaces,” Black said. “My research highlights the unique stigma experiences of bisexual people in an attempt to dismantle biphobia. My goal while working at CHIBPS is to advocate for the perspectives of bi+ people to be considered in research and within the q***r community.”

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University | Rutgers Research

07/24/2026

Congratulations to Philip Demokritou, Henry Rutgers Chair and professor of nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at , on being named a 2026–2027 Fellow of the University of Surrey's Institute of Advanced Studies! 🌍🔬

The fellowship brings together leading scholars from around the world for interdisciplinary collaboration on complex global challenges. Demokritou will contribute his expertise in nanoscience, environmental health, and public health innovation.

💭 “Beyond the personal honor, I believe this fellowship presents an excellent opportunity for Rutgers School of Public Health to strengthen its international engagement in emerging environmental challenges,” he said. “The University of Surrey has internationally recognized strengths in sustainability, environmental health, air pollution engineering, AI, and public health, and this is a wonderful opportunity to build a collaborative partnership.”

🔗 Learn more: https://sph.rutgers.edu/news/philip-demokritou-named-university-surrey-institute-advanced-studies-fellow-2026-2027

Rutgers Health | Rutgers Research

Philip Demokritou, PhD, Henry Rutgers Chair and professor of nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at the Rutgers School of Public Health, has been named a 2026–2027 Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at the University of Surrey. Demokritou is also the founding director of t...