The  Rutgers School of Public Health will lead New Jersey’s Center on Gun Violence Research with the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice.

The Center, directed by  Rutgers School of Public Health  faculty, Bernadette Hohl, PhD , will gather community-level data on gun violence and other public heath factors, conduct research on efforts to reduce gun violence across the nation and the world, consider innovative technologies to improve gun safety and create policy recommendations for gun violence prevention and public education.

It will draw on expertise from across the university, including  Rutgers University—New Brunswick ,   Rutgers University—Newark ,  Rutgers University—Camden , and  Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences  in fields such as psychology, sociology, medicine, law, nursing, social work, public policy, engineering and others.

Rutgers School of Public Health hosted its first annual Urban Public Health conference, “Topics in Urban Public Health: New Findings and Approaches,” on October 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.

The Conference brought together researchers, community-based organizations, policy makers, advocates, students, and community members to foster conversations on some of the most important health issues facing urban areas in New Jersey.  

If you were unable to join us or would like to join the conversation once more, checkout the panel/speaker videos below.

You can find speaker bios and other information by visiting our "Topics in Urban Public Health" page here .

Brian Strom, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences Chancellor and Perry N. Halkitis, Rutgers School of Public Health Dean, welcome participants.

Sheila Oliver , Lieutenant Governor,

Shereef Elnahal , Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health

Perry N. Halkitis , Dean, Rutgers School of Public Health discuss the status of urban public health in New Jersey on a panel facilitated by Leslie M. Kantor , Chair of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health.

Jeffrey Fagan, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Columbia Law School, Frank Ghinassi, President and CEO, University Behavioral Health Care and University Correctional Health Care, Victoria Coleman-Cowger, Senior Clinical Research Manager, Emmes Corporation discuss marijuana legalization on a panel facilitated by Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean, CUNY School of Public Health.

A conversation between Linda Villarosa, NY Times Magazine Contributing Writer and Qiana Brown, Assistant Professor, Rutgers School of Public Health and School of Social Work, about the health of African American mothers and babies.

Chantel Fletcher, Co-Founder Sis and Bro Initiative and Rutgers School of Public Health alum, Christian Martin, New Jersey March for Our Lives Organizer and activist, and

Isabella Gonzalez, Sex, Etc. Writer, discuss the role youth activism plays in community health on a panel facilitated by Nicole Cushman, Executive Director, Answer, Rutgers University.

Mark Wade, Director of the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness, Lisa Smith, Coordinator of the Rutgers University Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance and Charlie Branas, Professor and Department Chair of the Epidemiology Department at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, discuss violence in our communities on a panel facilitated by Bernadette Hohl, Rutgers School of Public Health faculty.

A conversation between Hala Madanat, Director, San Diego State University School of Public Health, Andrea Senteno, Legislative Attorney, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and Tiffany Joseph, Associate Professor, Northeastern University.

Naa Oyo A. Kwate, Associate Professor, Rutgers University Department of Human Ecology and Department of Africana Studies—Racism Counter-Marketing

Mindy Fullilove, Professor of Urban Policy & Health, Parsons/The New School, 400 Years of Inequality Project

Deborah Levine, Director, LGBT YouthLink, Q-Space, LGBTQ Youth Digital Center, discuss the innovative interventions they have developed to address urban public health issues on a panel facilitated by Spencer Kent, Reporter for the Newark Star Ledger.

Ryan Haygood, President and CEO, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice provided the closing keynote address.

Emily Barrett, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and researcher at the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Institute, finds that pregnant mothers’ exposure to phthalates – substances often used in personal care products, children’s toys and more – may be linked to delays in language development during early childhood. The study supports the growing body of work that suggests phthalates may be harmful to a developing fetus.

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Paul Duberstein, PhD, incoming Chair and Professor of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, has co-authored a study which found that interpersonal psychotherapy helps depressed women with histories of sexual trauma. The study, which included 162 women, found that Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Trauma reduced symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and improved social health when clinicians followed up 8 and 20 months later.

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Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH , Dean and Director of the Center for Health Identity Behavior & Prevention Studies, along with colleagues, has proposed a new biopsychosocial model for addressing the complex associations between substance use, mental health, psychosocial issues, and chronic pain among older adults living with HIV/AIDS. The framework should be used when considering treatment for a population susceptible magnified pain from to biological, psychological and social factors.

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Michael K. Gusmano, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Health Systems and Policy Concentration, along with colleagues, finds that elderly housing with supportive social services can reduce costly hospital use, in latest study. The researchers examine the impact housing conditions have on hospitalization and rates of medicare beneficiaries, evaluating whether programs reduced hospital use, including hospital discharges for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions. 

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Alan Monheit, PhD, and Irina Grafova, PhD, both faculty in the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, find that parental education beyond twelve years is associated with increases in family health care spending and decreases in specific health conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. The findings support the Grossman Model of Health Demand, which posits that a child’s health endowment is increased by investments in health.

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Henry F. Raymond, DrPH, MPH, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, along with colleagues, has published a study on “Starfish Sampling” – a novel hybrid approach recruiting hidden populations. The approach entails random selection of venue-day-time units from a mapping of the locations where the population can be found, combined with short chains of peer referrals from their social networks at the venue or presenting to the study site later.

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The Rutgers School of Public Health celebrated International Pronouns Day on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 and was a proud co-sponsor of the event.

International Pronouns Day seeks to make asking, sharing, and respecting personal pronouns commonplace. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender and gender nonconforming people. Together, we can transform society to celebrate people’s multiple, intersecting identities.

In a statement from Teri Lassiter, PhD, Assistant Dean for Public Health Practice, Diversity and Inclusion, the School stated its unequivocal support for the proper use of pronouns. Read her full statement here .

Congratulations to the New Jersey State Cancer Registry in celebrating 40 years of excellence!

The registry, an effort managed by Rutgers Cancer Institute and the New Jersey Department of Health, is led by Antoinette Stroup, PhD, Rutgers School of Public Health faculty, is the state's leading resource for cancer data.

The Rutgers School of Public Health will be at the annual APHA Meeting & Expo in San Diego, CA, from November 10 - 14, 2018.

Join us for our annual APHA Reception on  Sunday, November 11, 2018.

Please RSVP below or email Michelle Edelstein by November 1, 2018.

We look forward to seeing our faculty, students, alumni, valued partners, and friends in San Diego, CA.

The Rutgers School of Public Health Center for Tobacco Studies (CTS) is on Twitter!

Follow them at @RU_CTS.

Donating to the Rutgers School of Public Health supports scholarships for students to be engaged in discovery-based learning through research and practice activities working with populations who experiencing health disparities here in New Jersey, in our country, and  globally. By giving, you are helping us further our mission – we thank you. To donate, follow the URL and type “School of Public Health” in the search box.