School of Public Health Archives

HSC team receives national Award for work addressing sexual and gender minority healthcare needsBy Sally Crocker   More than 16 million people in the U.S. identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM). The healthcare needs of these populations are different, especially in terms of reproductive health. Visiting a health provider or accessing services has never been a one-size-fits-all experience. A lot depends on how included, respected and comfortable Read More »

Oct 30, 2020

HSC Regents Professor Dr. Scott Walters and colleagues share progress addressing nation’s opioid crisisBy Sally Crocker A special issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence has been released, profiling the efforts of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to address the nation’s opioid crisis. $350 million in funding has been committed to this program between 2019-2022 in what is notably the largest implementation science study ever conducted in the field of addiction. Scott Walters, PhD, Regents Professor at the University of North Texas Health Read More »

Oct 23, 2020

MHA Program Director Dr. Stephan Davis contributes to national diversity, equity and inclusion reportBy Sally Crocker The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, with contributions from the HSC School of Public Health, has released a set of recommendations for building a culture of fairness, respect and inclusion in health professions learning environments. SPH Assistant Professor and MHA Program Director Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, FACHE, contributed to the Foundation’s report and development of four broad recommendations and specific action steps for addressing forms of harmful bias and eliminating discrimination, Read More »

Oct 16, 2020

Taking away the painBy Diane Smith Seven heroin users walked into Fort Worth’s Recovery Resource Council on the Monday after Thanksgiving looking for help. They wanted to stop injecting. Case workers know when to expect spikes in traffic by people who don’t want to take pills or heroin anymore. They show up after holidays, when celebrities overdose or after police bust a “pill mill.” Family gatherings often include urgent pleas from fathers, mothers and siblings. “‘Either you get treatment or you are not going to live here,’” said case manager Paula Shockey, Read More »

Oct 14, 2020

Diana Cervantes. Assistant Professor Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Start planning for a safe holiday season nowBy Sally Crocker Fall and winter holidays will have a different feel during COVID-19 as families consider the safest ways to celebrate their usual traditions with friends, neighbors and loved ones. It’s still possible to enjoy the season during the pandemic, said HSC’s Dr. Diana Cervantes, by approaching your plans and festivities in creative, new ways. “Even though our world is different right now, people still want to maintain Read More »

Oct 7, 2020

HSC and National Association for Healthcare Quality partner to prepare MHA graduates to improve quality outcomesThe HSC School of Public Health has collaborated with the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) to provide its Master of Health Administration (MHA) students with the opportunity to pursue the only accredited certification in healthcare quality, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality® (CPHQ). Students will be provided with test preparation content and tools during the program capstone Read More »

Oct 2, 2020

Each patient’s story illuminates Tarrant County COVID data, strengthens contact tracingBy Sally Crocker HSC 2020 graduate Julia Aiken was finishing the last semester of her MPH in Public Health Practice when COVID-19 arrived. By May, she had finished her degree and was helping Tarrant County Public Health’s (TCPH) with contact tracing efforts to track and help stop community spread of the virus. Aiken volunteered extra hours above her temporary work schedule, eventually joining TCPH full time this summer as an Epidemiology Specialist managing a data intake Read More »

Sep 28, 2020

Dr. Erica Spears one of 15 national scholars to new well-being and inequality research training programBy Sally Crocker Health inequality and systemic racism have long threatened the lives of African Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic and increased awareness of police violence in 2020 have intensified nationwide action toward solutions and change for traditionally underserved populations. For health disparities researchers like HSC Assistant Professor Erica Spears, PhD, who has dedicated her career Read More »

Sep 22, 2020

Vapers may be at higher risk for COVID-19By Sally Crocker Attention vapers — new evidence links vaping to a higher risk of getting COVID-19. The risk has been shown to be 5 to 7 times higher, according to new scientific research, prompting lawmakers around the country to urge the FDA to temporarily clear the market of all e-cigarettes during the COVID pandemic. This increased health threat is especially troubling for teens and young adults, considering that the CDC reports nearly one-third of Read More »

Sep 1, 2020

COVID-19 adds double threat to U.S. drug crisisBy Sally Crocker The last two years had brought small but significant victories to the nation’s opioid crisis, with slow, steady declines in opioid use and deaths marking a positive change to this major public health problem. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, bringing months of an uncertain and unsettling new normal to people around the world. As the pandemic continues with no clear end in sight, the U.S. rates of anxiety, depression and Read More »

Aug 31, 2020

Newsroom