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Department of Public Health Sciences
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
2021 COVID-19 IMPACT REPORT
Message from Dr. David J. Lee, Interim Chair and Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, heralding a period of unprecedented change and challenge across the globe that continues to this day. Since then, there have been truly remarkable advances, including the development, production, and distribution of highly effective vaccines aimed at ending the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has also focused a spotlight on the critical role of public health—the science that works to protect and improve the health of people and their communities. The need for experts in the areas of infectious disease, epidemiology, prevention science, community health, environmental health, biostatistics, and public policy has never been greater. The mission at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences—which is to bring about sustainable, positive changes in health—has continued in this pivotal moment in history. Since the WHO pandemic declaration, our faculty, research staff, administration staff, students, and alumni have persevered with resiliency and adaptability—together as a community to provide exceptional solutions to public health challenges. From being on the frontlines, publishing ground-breaking studies, and securing grants for research on COVID-19 to working together as a community, adapting to different learning and working modalities, and thriving with resilience, you name it, they have done it. During this unprecedented year, I am also proud to share news on our graduate programs, new scholarship opportunities, and research rankings. From Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, our Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) and Master of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.) graduate programs saw a remarkable 85 percent enrollment increase. In the Spring 2021 semester, we enrolled one of our largest cohorts with 17 graduate students. The future is bright for these students and for public health. In addition to our research, graduate, and teaching assistantship opportunities for students in all programs, we announced a new full-tuition scholarship for incoming full-time M.P.H. and M.S.P.H. graduate students known as the Resiliency Scholarship, as well as guaranteed partial scholarships to accepted students in the Master of Science in Biostatistics and the Master of Science in Prevention Science and Community Health programs. The department’s five divisions and drug research center, including the Division of Biostatistics, Division of Epidemiology and Population Health Sciences, Division of Environment and Public Health, Division of Prevention Science and Community Health, Division of Health Services Research and Policy, as well as the Comprehensive Drug Research Center, continues to also celebrate milestone research achievements. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research in February 2021, the Department of Public Health Sciences ranked as the No. 4 most National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded department out of 28 in the Miller School of Medicine. Out of 46 research portfolios of public health departments within medical schools nationwide, our department is in the top 20 most funded by the prestigious NIH, ranking at No. 15. Lastly, the University of Miami’s Office of Research Administration announced that our department was No. 6 out of the top 10 highestfunded departments within the University. I cannot say enough about the remarkable resiliency of our faculty, research staff, administration, students, and alumni who have become effective learners in the middle of a pandemic and have partnered seamlessly to deliver and participate in pioneering programs that have improved public health outcomes locally, nationally, and globally.
I am grateful to witness and be a part of this incredible group of public health leaders and invite you to peruse through our Department of Public Health Sciences COVID-19 Impact Report, which showcases the incredible aforementioned achievements. Sincerely, David J. Lee, Ph.D. Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences Chair of Graduate Programs, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine 305-243-6980 dlee@med.miami.edu
FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS
Public Health’s Dr. Clyde McCoy Retiring, Honored for Pioneering Career The University of Miami celebrates Clyde B. McCoy, Ph.D., professor and chair emeritus of the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences, who will be retiring after an impactful 47-year career with the University. From chair, professor, academic, to mentor, civil rights activist, athletics enthusiast, and more, Dr. McCoy has made
Dr. Alberto CabanMartinez Appointed Community Liaison to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee Dr. Caban-Martinez will serve as a community liaison to their Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Testing
an impact in the University community and beyond.
and Health Outcomes Committee. In this role, he will be presenting the hazardous health effects of PFAS on firefighters and first responders.
GLOBAL HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS
New Miller School-Led Lancet Study on Redefining the Future of Pandemics Published in the prestigious Lancet Public Health journal, the study outlines 10 recommendations by an international group of thought leaders on how the world can better prevent and prepare for pandemics such as COVID-19 by adopting a robust global public health convention or treaty. "One of the lessons of the pandemic is that global crises require global responses,” said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. “When faced with a novel pathogen, what happens in one country affects every other country. This analysis of our current global governance arrangements is essential to facilitating collective action when humanity as a whole is faced with a health crisis."
Personal Perspectives on the COVID-19 Crisis in India University students, staff, and faculty members with direct links to the nation, which is struggling with a massive second wave of coronavirus infections, shed light on the situation. Dr. Naresh Kumar, professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, said India’s air pollution is “well above acceptable standards established by the World Health Organization.” According to a recent study in The Lancet, air pollution could be blamed for more than 1.6 million deaths in India during 2019. “Some people who are chronically exposed to that pollution and then get COVID-19 most likely already have weakened immune systems,” said Dr. Kumar, who also has several relatives in India.
Panel to Advocate for a Global Public Health Convention for the 21st Century Dr. José Szapocznik, professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Public Health Sciences, formed a new global panel of public health leaders working to strengthen the world’s ability to prevent pandemics and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Titled, “Panel for a Global Health Convention,” the group will work towards developing a convention by bridging critical gaps in global public health architecture and policy frameworks.
NEW RESEARCH AND INITIATIVES CHANGE to Train Next Generation of HIV Behavioral Scientists Participants will be trained to be conscious of the structural impediments driving health disparities, engage with and elevate the voices of community stakeholders in research, and ultimately commit to a career focused on addressing HIV and mental health in Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities that are most impacted by HIV.
$9.8 Million NCI Grant Awarded to Study Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship The study, titled, “Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): The Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study,” will examine how social, cultural, behavioral, psychosocial, biological, and medical factors may influence health outcomes following primary cancer treatment in Hispanics/Latinos.
The Greener the Neighborhood, the Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementias, UM Study Finds The study — published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease — found that a greater presence of neighborhood greenness was associated with a lower prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease by 20% and non-Alzheimer's disease by 11%.
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