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Blogs

ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU ColoradoSPH at UNC

ColoradoSPH Receives Preliminary Reaccreditation from CEPH

Dear ColoradoSPH Community,

Over the past 2+ years, we prepared for our school’s Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) reaccreditation process that occurs every 7 years (this time 8 years due to the pandemic), with our last reaccreditation in 2016, accrediting the school into 2024.

Deans Notes

Drum Roll: Colorado School of Public Health New Vision Statement

When I interviewed for the position of dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, many of you said “we don’t know who we are as a school; we haven’t yet declared our identity.” It is completely understandable why the faculty, staff, and students may feel this way. Our school was started only 15 years ago, and few teenagers know what they are going to be. However, now is the time to define it. Strategic planning is common for a new leader, but few leaders get the opportunity to work with an organization to redefine its vision, mission, and core values for the foreseeable future. In this Dean’s note, I focus on our new Vision statement and the process the school used to develop it.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date March 15, 2024
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

At the Forefront: Driving Breakthroughs in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, affects several million people worldwide, with Colorado claiming one of the highest rates in the country. About one in 360 people in our state has MS, and women with the disease outnumber men by about three to one. Most often diagnosed between the ages 20 to 40, MS generally strikes patients during the prime of life.


Author Staff | Publish Date March 11, 2024
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Announcements    Accolades

Asturias Invited to serve on CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Edwin Asturias, MD (professor of pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of Latin American Projects, Center for Global Health, Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health), has received an invitation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to join the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His appointment is scheduled to commence on July 1, 2024 and conclude on June 30, 2028.


Author Department of Pediatrics | Publish Date March 06, 2024
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Research    Awards   

Research Awards Ceremony Celebrates Scientific Contributions

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus hosted its third annual Research Awards ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of the campus research community. More than 100 people gathered on Feb. 27 to cheer on their colleagues, who were recognized in 10 award categories.  


Author Megan Lane | Publish Date March 05, 2024
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Environment    Worker Health

Why We Go to Washington DC

Every February, delegates from NIOSH-funded centers across the United States gather in Washington DC to meet with staff from the offices of elected officials and provide updates on what we have done to support workers in their districts. Ultimately, we talk about how our work over the past year uses NIOSH funds to improve the health, safety, and well-being of workers. The interests of elected officials and their staff vary widely depending on their politics, the type of businesses operated within their districts, and many other crucial points.


Full Story

Deans Notes

Planning for Years 15 – 20, We’re Ready!

Dear ColoradoSPH Friends and Supporters,

I am thrilled to share some exciting updates and accomplishments with you. Just as our Colorado School of Public Health community is about to embark on strategic planning for years 15 through 20, the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) reaccreditation site visit was a resounding success. The school received a preliminary finding of “met” on all 43 criteria! This prestigious recognition speaks volumes about the dedication and excellence of our community.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date February 27, 2024
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ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU    ColoradoSPH at UNC

ColoradoSPH Receives Preliminary Reaccreditation from CEPH

Dear ColoradoSPH Community,

Over the past 2+ years, we prepared for our school’s Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) reaccreditation process that occurs every 7 years (this time 8 years due to the pandemic), with our last reaccreditation in 2016, accrediting the school into 2024.


Full Story

Community    Funding    Community and Practice    Health Policy

Judson Family Completes $1 Million Philanthropic Commitment to the Colorado School of Public Health

The Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) is pleased to announce the completion of the Franklyn N. Judson, MD, Endowed Fund for Impact on Public Health Policy, a visionary initiative made possible by more than $1 million in philanthropic gifts from Drs. Frank and Marti Judson. The fund aims to provide flexible support for the school up to and including research, education, policy formation, and various community outreach initiatives.


Full Story

Firearm Injury Prevention    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Gun Violence Prevention    Injury & Violence Prevention

CDPHE Partners with the Colorado School of Public Health to Launch the State’s First Gun Violence Prevention Resource Bank

REMOTE (FEB 22):   The Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has partnered with the Injury and Violence Prevention Center in the Colorado School of Public Health to publish the state’s first-ever resource bank regarding gun violence in Colorado.


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Community    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Global Health

ColoradoSPH Faculty Empowers Grad Students to Gamify Lessons for Local High School Public Health Practicum

When Madiha Abdel-Maksoud, MD, PhD, MSPH, a physician and researcher, saw the latest data about high school students in Colorado and risky behavior, she knew she had to do something, not only as a public health professional but as a mother of a daughter who graduated from the Denver Public School (DPS) system.


Full Story

Alumni    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Global Health    Health Advocacy

William Mundo Draws on Lessons from His Father and Public Health Education to Forge Budding Career in Emergency Medicine

Dr. William Mundo didn’t know it at the time, but his career in public health and medicine sprang from the seeds planted in an unlikely setting: a snowy pre-dawn morning in a trailer on the outskirts of Leadville, Colorado.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date February 15, 2024
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Worker Health

Is Your Workplace Wellness App Working?

If you offer your employees access to digital mental health applications, how do you know if the apps are actually helping them? Many employers understand their workforce’s need for mental health support. Nearly 60% of adults in the U.S. report having been concerned for either their own mental health or that of family and friends, increasing 9% since April of 20201. Poor employee mental health is associated with a $1 trillion annual global cost in productivity2.


Full Story

Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Colorado School of Public Health Announces Keynote Convocation Speaker

The Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) is pleased to announce Patricia (Patty) Gabow, MD, MACP, as the Spring 2024 convocation keynote speaker. As the former CEO of Denver Health, Gabow has been a champion of public health through her research, teaching, leadership, and advocacy for fifty years.


Full Story

Deans Notes

How Do We Surpass When We’re Doing So Much?

Welcome to 2024! The semester is off to a great start. Returning to campus after the holiday season, I feel increasing energy as more people fill the halls. I also appreciate the longer days of sunlight as we anticipate the arrival of spring in just a few more months. The beginning of the year, for many people, involves resolutions or commitments to values and goals that we hope to achieve in the months to come.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date January 29, 2024
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Research    Skin Cancer   

CU Cancer Center Member’s Skin Cancer Study Wins Anschutz Acceleration Initiative Grant 

University of Colorado Cancer Center member Maryam Asgari, MD, MPH, is one of nine CU School of Medicine faculty members to be awarded an Anschutz Acceleration Initiative grant. The winning projects, announced in January, were chosen for their promise to deliver life-changing advancements in medicine within the next three to five years. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date January 26, 2024
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Community    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU    Community Health    Health Advocacy

Colorado School of Public Health Reaffirms its Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Implements Innovative Search Advocate Program

Sixteen words sum up the mission of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) at the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH). It is to “shape policies, practices, and programs that support a fair, diverse, and respectful environment for all individuals.”


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date January 23, 2024
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Environment    Maternal & Child Health    Worker Health

Southern Colorado Study Examines Heavy Metal Exposure in Pregnancy and Impacts on Newborns

The San Luis Valley sits between two major mountain ranges—the San Juans and the Sangre de Cristos—in south-central Colorado. As the upper headwater region for the Rio Grande River, the San Luis Valley is a fertile and important agricultural part of the state, supporting the majority of Colorado’s potato and buckwheat crop.


Full Story

Firearm Injury Prevention    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

‘Bringing Colorado’s Voice Forward’: Results from the State’s Inaugural Firearm Injury Prevention Survey

For the first time in Colorado, a survey has been conducted to gather residents’ perceptions and beliefs around firearm injury risk, ownership, storage, and opportunities for prevention. The survey, which will be repeated yearly, will help inform ongoing firearm injury prevention strategies and advance the understanding of firearm-related topics that pertain to Colorado.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date January 10, 2024
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Press Releases   

New Research Shows Mobile Methadone Units are Most Impactful in Rural Areas

While mobile methadone units make a difference in expanding methadone use for patients with opioid addictions, they are likely to be most impactful in rural areas, according to new research.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date January 09, 2024
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Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Injury & Violence Prevention

Study: Older Drivers Newly Diagnosed With Migraines at Increased Crash Risk

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus found that older adult drivers diagnosed with migraines within the year were three times more likely to experience a motor vehicle crash (MVC) than those without a recent diagnosis of the chronic headaches. However, older adult drivers who reported having had migraines in the past were no more likely to have a MVC than those without migraines.


Author Kelsea Pieters | Publish Date January 03, 2024
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Research    Public Health   

Rep. Crow Impressed by ‘Breadth and Depth’ of Global Health Work at CU Anschutz

At a roundtable discussion on global health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus faculty briefed U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) on the many ways CU Anschutz is transforming trauma care in austere settings and training the next generation of healthcare providers in developing nations worldwide.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date December 21, 2023
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Research    Community    Students    Mental Health    Epidemiology    Firearm Injury Prevention    Infectious disease    Community and Practice    Student and Alumni    Cannabis    Environment    Gun Violence Prevention    Injury & Violence Prevention    Maternal & Child Health    Worker Health

ColoradoSPH's Top Stories of 2023

In 2023, some of the nation’s top public health researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health tackled a variety of the largest public health questions facing us today.


Full Story

Community    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Workforce Development    Community Health

Barbershops and Salons Prove Fruitful Grounds for Addressing Hypertension Rates in the Black Community

If one goes in search of a stark public health problem, it’s difficult to avoid rates of hypertension in the Black community. The disease threatens all groups, but the percentage of Black adults with high blood pressure (at 59%) is by far the highest. In the relatively healthier state of Colorado, the incidence of high blood pressure among Blacks is much lower (at 34%), but it is still the highest by far among all groups in the state.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date December 19, 2023
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Deans Notes

Looking Toward 2024 and Taking a Breath

As I write the final Dean’s note of 2023, I, like all of you, am longing for an end to war and a beginning to solutions that will end international and domestic problems – many of which fall under public health. Therefore, I am going to share a few thoughts about how we can approach fulfilling the promise of public health, starting with our school, and including volunteering our time and giving to causes important to us.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date December 19, 2023
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Research    Press Releases    Public Health   

Study Provides New Insight into Low Social Determinants of Health Screening Rates

A new study provides the latest data on the low rates for screening and documenting Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in healthcare settings.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date December 19, 2023
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Research    Cancer    Community Health

ColoradoSPH Research Shines in the 20th Anniversary Supplement from the Cancer Prevention & Control Research Network

The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) has published a supplemental issue of Cancer Causes and Control to mark the Network’s 20th anniversary. As one of the Network Centers since 2019, the Colorado-based CPCRN site in the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (RMPRC) at the Colorado School of Public Health played an integral part of in the writing and release of this supplement.


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Community    Giving    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    Workforce Development

Colorado Health Foundation Supports Rural-Colorado's Queer Youth with Donation to ColoradoSPH

The Colorado School of Public Health’s Center for Public Health Practice recently received a generous donation from The Colorado Health Foundation to bolster the Center's efforts to engage and support queer youth throughout rural Colorado.


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Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Worker Health

The Intersection of Women, Health & Work

Women's health is not just a women's issue. It's a societal issue that affects local communities and the economy. While women have made major headway towards equality, many areas of their lives require additional support to be made truly equal to their male counterparts. One of those areas is in the workplace.


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Community    mHealth    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    Artificial Intelligence (AI)    AI/AN health    Community Health    Latino Health

ColoradoSPH Takes Lead Role in Advancing Equity and Diversity in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation

The Executive Order on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) issued by President Biden on October 30 is a directive that contains no fewer than 13 sections. But two words in the opening line strike at the challenge presented by AI: “promise” and “peril.”

As the document’s statement of purpose puts it, AI can help to make the world “more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure” at the same that it increases the risk of “fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation,” and other threats.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date November 30, 2023
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Deans Notes

Three Myths Hindering Advancements in Public Health

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and short break! It is hard to believe that the semester is coming to a close. Each year, I rent a house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to spend the break with my two sons. Sometimes, it’s just us. Other times, friends come along and fill the house. This year, it was just us. On one of the days, it rained – not in the way it rains in Colorado, but a 14-hour soaking rain. The day opened space to contemplate the future of public health how we make strides toward improving the health of our society.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date November 30, 2023
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Child & Adolescent    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion   

Ambassadors for Literacy and Resilience Guide Young Students Along a Path to Success

Sonya Palafox was a freshman at North High School in Denver 25 years ago when she got a message kids don’t want to hear: come to the principal’s office. She had no way of knowing it at the time, but the call would represent a turning point in her life.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date November 30, 2023
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    AI/AN health    Community Health

Native American State Legislators Visit Anschutz Medical Campus to Learn about Research Advancing Native Health

Members of the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators visited the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH) in November to learn about the CAIANH’s work to better understand the health of Native peoples across the United States, to advance culturally oriented and community-driven solutions, and how this work has helped shape public policy.


Full Story

Research    Public Health    Epidemiology    Giving    Awards    Maternal & Child Health

ColoradoSPH Awarded $15 Million for Research on Environmental Influences on Child Health

The Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) has been awarded $1.2 million this year to contribute to an National Institutes of Health-funded initiative Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). The award is part of a planned seven-year grant with an estimated total value of $15 million for the Colorado participation. 


Full Story

Community    COVID-19    Infectious disease    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Environment

Lessons Learned from Three Pandemic Years as the 2023 Holiday Travel Season Kicks Off

This holiday season, more than 55 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving alone, with nearly 5 million taking to the skies next week. US air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and US airports are anticipating the highest number of Thanksgiving travelers since 2005. Masks are a rare sight not only in airports and on airplanes, but virtually everywhere else. But due, in part, to scientific advances and the structural, cultural, and societal changes that followed the emergence of COVID-19, we have a number of tools available to protect people from respiratory viruses. The outlook on respiratory disease this holiday season may be brighter than it has been in recent years.


Full Story

Press Releases    Public Health    Medical Marijuana    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Interactive Evidence Based Mapping Tool Gives Policymakers More Insight into Highly Concentrated Cannabis Products

After conducting the first scoping review of its kind, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed an evidence based interactive mapping tool to assist policymakers as they consider regulating the concentration of THC in cannabis products and as more potent products move into the marketplace.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date November 08, 2023
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Deans Notes

The Need for Public Health & Inclusivity in Divisive Times

I write about inclusivity this month as part of my R.I.S.E. (reach, inclusivity, surpass, expand) vision for ColoradoSPH. Writing about inclusivity in the abstract or ideal is an easy task. There are aspirational definitions, one of which I include below:

Inclusivity means making sure everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected, no matter who they are or where they come from. Inclusivity is about creating an environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute their unique perspectives and talents.”


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date October 31, 2023
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Research    Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Cathy Bradley Outlines Five-Year Plan for the Colorado School of Public Health

Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, is more than two months into her role as the newest dean of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) and the first woman appointed to this position. She commemorated the beginning of her tenure at the 2023 State of the School Address by acknowledging the school’s history and her vision for its future over the next five years.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date October 23, 2023
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Research    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Research Gains Ground in Detecting Recent Cannabis Use

Whether people use cannabis to induce sleep, relieve symptoms or relax during downtime, a vehicle crash or accident at work could leave them in jail or the unemployment line. Frequent users can lose their jobs or face criminal charges, even if their last puff or gummy was days or weeks prior to an incident.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date October 23, 2023
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Suicide Prevention    Community Health    Training    Worker Health

New Training Offered to Support Teacher Mental Health During Emergency Drills

Teachers and staff shoulder a significant burden of responsibility for emergency preparedness in pre-k-12 schools. While emergency drills, including active harmer (lockdown, lockout) drills, are designed to instill confidence, they can sometimes lead to fear, anxiety and confusion. Teachers are expected to lead the drills by directing and evacuating students, locking down classrooms, providing safety checks, and emotionally supporting students. Teachers often have unanswered questions and increased anxieties associated with drills and other emergency preparedness efforts. This underscores the importance of providing necessary resources to better support the school workforce, including psychological preparedness and other mental health supports, in addition to regular access to safety and security personnel


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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Forging Academic-Community Connections Highlight of This Year’s Research Exchange Event

The second annual Colorado School of Public Health Research Exchange began October 6 with an emphasis on numbers: dollars, percentages, poster presentation counts, and research award amounts. As the day unfolded, however, lively discussions turned to how statistics translate into the efforts of researchers to address the public health issues that define human lives.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date October 17, 2023
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Community    Diversity    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Panel: The Trick to Compelling Storytelling Lies in Their Words

Despite the pandemic, the elder woman seated in Adriana Zuniga’s, DDS, dental chair that day had traveled miles for a crown she’d been waiting months to get. Delaying care any longer for her and others in her family who came from their Arizona reservation for dental help was unthinkable with the long waitlist.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date October 12, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

A New Era: Removing Social Barriers in the Sphere of Public Health

Behind every exceptional leader lies a firm and ardent conviction. For Cathy Bradley, PhD, the newly minted, first permanent woman dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, it is a fundamental belief that health drives success. This belief is the compass by which she has built and steered a career dedicated to solving problems and removing social barriers in the sphere of public health, and that shall continue to guide her in this new venture as dean. For Bradley, there is no higher calling than the mission to fight the disparities that render our communities unequal.


Full Story

Research    Epidemiology    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Maternal & Child Health

Study Aims to Clear the Air on the Effects of Air Quality in School Classrooms

Across Colorado, thousands of students filing into classrooms this school year are sharing their space with new companions. These nearly silent classmates don’t occupy desks or pore over textbooks. But they are as focused on gathering information and contributing to a positive class environment as the most dedicated student.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date October 12, 2023
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Research    Community    Cancer    Firearm Injury Prevention   

Science Writers Treated to a Smorgasbord of Inventive Research

The menu featured innovation and knowledge on Sunday as about 200 Science Writers 2023 participants attended a variety of talks during Lunch With a Scientist sessions. In small breakout groups, CU Anschutz researchers shared their expertise on a host of subjects, from psychedelics in medicine to AI in healthcare.


Author Staff | Publish Date October 10, 2023
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Community    Students    Community and Practice    Student and Alumni    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    Community Health

Community-Based Programs Work with Local Refugees to Improve Health

Across Colorado, a diverse community of some 60,000 often unseen and overlooked people dots the state. They are refugees who have fled drought, poverty, persecution, violence and other threats from countries around the globe. But their challenges do not cease once they arrive in Colorado. Their plight frequently contributes to chronic medical problems.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date October 05, 2023
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Women's Health    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion   

National Academies Committee Probes the Outcomes of Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion Rights

On its face, the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was straightforward. It removed the constitutional right to an abortion that had been established in 1973 by the court in Roe v. Wade. Decisions about access to abortion would now be left up to the states, many of whom quickly imposed tight restrictions, while a handful of other states, including Colorado, acted quickly to ensure a woman’s right to determine what is best for her health.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date October 02, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Infectious disease    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Deadly, Treatment-Resistant Fungus Sees Notable Rise

While the hit TV show “The Last of Us” depicts a fictional fungus, there is a real fungus causing concern in the healthcare community, and it can be deadly.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date October 02, 2023
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Awards    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU    ColoradoSPH at UNC

Celebrating ColoradoSPH Awardees at Public Health in the Rockies

Each year, Colorado Public Health Association and ColoradoSPH honors exceptional individuals in the field of public health at the Public Health in the Rockies (PHiR) conference. The purpose of PHiR is to provide an opportunity for education, networking, and skill development of professionals in Colorado, Wyoming, and neighboring regions. As in past years, many ColoradoSPH students, faculty, and alumni received awards from CPHA and ColoradoSPH at the conference awards luncheon. We celebrate all who received these awards for their hard work in public health.  


Author Colorado School of Public Health | Publish Date September 28, 2023
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Deans Notes

Expanding Reach Through Our Partnerships & Making Prevention Easy

Two months into my role and ColoradoSPH is in full swing. The semester is well underway, and the next generation of public health leaders are hard at work. The school is also well underway in its reaccreditation process, and we are continuing to deliver on our mission and vision. It is an exciting time for ColoradoSPH, and I am energized each day as I interact with students, faculty, and our partners in the public health community. My goal for my monthly Dean’s Note is to give you information about some of the things happening within the school and also give you some of my thoughts about current events happening outside of ColoradoSPH. Let’s start with the school.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date September 28, 2023
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Research    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    CCTSI   

Conference Attracts Researchers Statewide

Imagine you have conducted a study and want to tell the world about the findings. Or suppose your research results show great promise for a particular cancer treatment, and now you need to make sure caregivers understand the impact of your work. What do you do? If you attended the recent CU-CSU Summit, you might have some ideas! 


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date September 26, 2023
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Community    Veteran and Military Health    Firearm Injury Prevention    COMBAT    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

CU Hosts Second Annual Military Firearm Suicide Prevention Summit

Preventing suicide among military service members and their family members is one of the top priorities for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The 2021 DoD Annual Suicide Report found that 70% of suicides among service members are enacted with a firearm, as are 60% of suicides among service member spouses.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date September 22, 2023
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Research    Firearm Injury Prevention    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Extreme Risk Protection Order Cases in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, director of the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and professor of emergency medicine in the CU School of Medicine, led a study that examined Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) cases for older adults in six states. The study was funded by the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research and published earlier this month in the journal Clinical Gerontologist.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date September 20, 2023
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Public Health    Epidemiology    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Poisoned: Assessing the ‘Dirty Truth’ About Foodborne Illness

It’s been 30 years since Americans began looking at hamburgers differently. In 1993, what started as an alert from a Seattle emergency department doctor of an unusual number of bloody diarrhea cases ended in the then-largest foodborne outbreak in the nation’s history.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date September 14, 2023
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Research    Public Health    Climate Science    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

A Warming Climate Heightens Focus on Kidney Disease

Prolonged heat waves and the sweltering summer days that accompany climate change can be hazardous for human health, leading to conditions such as heat stroke and even causing permanent organ damage or death if not treated quickly.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date September 13, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    AI/AN health

Online Certificate Program is One of Three in the Nation Focused on American Indian/Alaska Native Health

There are 574 “Tribal entities” recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. The members of these tribes live in most of the contiguous 48 states in the nation, from Washington to Florida and Maine to Arizona. The Bureau of Indian Affairs also recognizes the 228 tribes of Alaska Native people who live across Alaska’s yawning expanses, yet public health education that centers on investigating and addressing the needs of these diverse communities and cultures is still a “niche market,” says Jerreed Ivanich, PhD, assistant professor of community and behavioral health and in the Centers for American Indian & Alaska Native Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. But Ivanich is leading an effort to change that. He directs the Certificate in American Indian & Alaska Native Health program, an online offering that is directed toward helping students develop the skills necessary to meet the most important healthcare challenges for Native people.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date September 05, 2023
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Positive Psychology, Neurodiversity and Reframing Autism Research

For any child, the birth-to-age-5 period is vital to healthy development, but another important period – the transition into adolescence – is an opportunity to support positive developmental trajectories. For autistic children, matching the right intervention approaches to the right developmental period is essential to support healthy development and well-being.  


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date September 01, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Climate Health    Environment    Worker Health

ColoradoSPH Takes On Climate Threats to Human Health with First-of-its-Kind PhD Program

The Colorado School of Public Health on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is preparing to play a lead role in investigating and responding to the rapidly intensifying effects of global climate change.

The school is launching the nation’s first PhD program that focuses specifically on climate change and its multiple impacts on people’s health and the communities where they live. The inaugural class of the PhD in Climate & Human Health program is set for the Fall 2024 semester, said program director Katherine James, PhD, MSPH, MSCE, associate professor of environmental and occupational health and in the Center for Health, Work & Environment at ColoradoSPH.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date August 28, 2023
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Leadership    Deans Notes

What We Can Accomplish As We RISE Together

Coming into my role as the Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, I have many ideas about what the school can achieve but in the first month, I listened to you – the Colorado public health community. I am fortunate to have established relationships within the school and I leaned heavily on them to gain insight. I also reached out to our constituent leaders to learn where our influence and expertise is most needed. The energy from the community and from within the school is truly special and it excites me to see what, together, we can accomplish. In my first monthly communication, I wanted to share some of the insights I gathered and how they interplay with the vision for ColoradoSPH.


Author Dr. Cathy Bradley | Publish Date August 28, 2023
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Community and Practice    Climate Health    Community Health    Environment    Worker Health

New NIH-Funded Project Brings Public Health Faculty and Community Leaders Together to Seek Climate Justice

Record-breaking heat and drought. Thick blankets of wildfire smoke. Walls of wind-driven flames. Pelting hail. Swath-cutting tornadoes. The summer of 2023 has been a constant reminder of the powerful effects of climate change. But the trying season is only one dramatic recent reminder of the changes and the toll they have taken on neighborhoods, communities, and economies in the form of air quality, water resources, food production and other factors that affect the quality of people’s lives.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date August 22, 2023
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Public Health    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CSU    Community Health

In Memory of Henry “Hank” Gardner

Father, husband, brother, son, grandfather, uncle, friend, colleague, academic leader, visionary, mentor, and soldier, Henry S. (Hank) Gardner, Jr., DrPH, MSPH, 71, died peacefully on August 9, with his family at his side.


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Faculty    Public Health   

Program Merges Bioethics and Public Health in Search of Justice

Daniel S. Goldberg has devoted his career to studying how laws affect public health. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, legal and ethical considerations played critical roles in crafting public health policy and protecting the most vulnerable. Goldberg saw a need to better explore the interplay of public health law and ethics – as well as opportunities for improving health justice – and launched the PHEAL program at the Colorado School of Public Health with the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.


Author Kiley Carroll | Publish Date August 15, 2023
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Research    Firearm Injury Prevention    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Grant Will Support the Creation of Educational Resources on Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Colorado

Christopher Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, law enforcement lead for the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, received a two-year grant from the Fund for a Safer Future and is leading a project with the Colorado Attorney General’s office and law enforcement agencies throughout the state to create new videos and discussion guides on extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs).


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date August 15, 2023
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Research    Climate Health    Environment

New National Academies Report Provides Scientific Review of EPA’s Draft Formaldehyde Assessment

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for improving its draft IRIS [Integrated Risk Information System] Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde.


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Research    Education    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Climate Change, Mental Health Top Issues as New ColoradoSPH Dean Takes Reins

Responding to climate change, developing large-scale solutions to the mental health crisis and extolling the positive influence public health plays in making communities stronger and more resilient are just three of the first research and education goals for Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, as she steps into her role as the newest dean of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH).


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date August 08, 2023
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Research    Press Releases    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Research Shines Light on How COVID-19 Vaccination Reduces Severity and Mortality After Breakthrough Infections

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers provide answers to whether COVID-19 vaccinations reduce sickness and mortality following infection with SARS-CoV-2.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date August 08, 2023
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Research    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU

Red Meat Allergy From Ticks: Reality or Science Fiction?

Apparently, people love their red meat. Either that, or they find news of a rare allergy that can result from a tick bite juicy fodder for water-cooler chit-chat.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 01, 2023
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Community    COVID-19    Infectious disease    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Environment

ColoradoSPH Launches a Rocky Mountain COVID Data Dashboard to Help Public Health Officials Across the Rocky Mountain West

In May 2023, a public health emergency response spurred by the 3-year COVID-19 pandemic, came to an end in the United States. With that ending, many data feeds and indicators critical to COVID-19 planning and response also came to a halt. Many questions remain as communities across the nation settle into a longer-term relationship with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes. As the COVID pandemic made clear, public health officials need to be equipped with the best available information to optimize public health operations both now and in the future. To answer this call, researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health created and launched the Rocky Mountain COVID Data dashboard.


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Research    Students    Epidemiology    Firearm Injury Prevention    Student and Alumni    Gun Violence Prevention    Injury & Violence Prevention

Mapping Mass Shootings in the United States

The United States has more than 10 times the number of mass shooting incidents than other developed countries, yet little research has shown the distribution and types of shootings, geographically.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date July 26, 2023
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Research    Firearm Injury Prevention    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Mapping Mass Shootings in the United States

The United States has more than 10 times the number of mass shooting incidents than other developed countries, yet little research has shown the distribution and types of shootings, geographically.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date July 26, 2023
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Community    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    Workforce Development

Calonge's Second Stint as CDPHE’s Chief Medical Officer Solidifies Relationships and Public Health Infrastructure for Colorado

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recently named a new chief medical officer who is also a familiar face.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date July 25, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Climate Health    Environment    Worker Health

A First-of-its-Kind Training Program for Doctoral Students Focused on Climate and Worker Safety & Health

The Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) will soon be training researchers to address the impact of climate change on the health of workers. It’s newly established training program for doctoral students, Targeted Research Training Program in Climate and Worker Safety and Health, is the first of its kind in the United States.  


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Community    Faculty    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Worried About Forever Chemicals in Your Drinking Water?

“Forever chemicals” are unavoidable and found in everyday consumer products. They have even infiltrated our natural resources, including our drinking water, triggering concern about the dangers they may pose to human health.


Author Kiley Carroll | Publish Date July 21, 2023
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Community Health    Environment    Global Health    Worker Health

Climate Change and the Health of Vietnamese Subsistence Farmers

The rice fields in the Mekong River Delta of southern Vietnam flood.

Extreme heat in the coffee plantations in the Central Highlands is becoming a regular weather pattern. Vietnam experienced a record-setting heat wave in April and May of this year.


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Research    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Federal Visit Brings Senator, FDA Commissioner to Campus

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on June 23. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date June 26, 2023
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Patient Care    Community    Immunotherapy    lymphoma    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

CU Cancer Center Member Gains Unique Perspective as Cancer Patient

For a significant portion of his career, Arnold Levinson, PhD, MJ, has done work related to cancer.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 16, 2023
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Community    Students    Student and Alumni    Sustainability    ColoradoSPH at CSU    Community Health    One Health

Edible Bugs for Healthier and Greener Future: Master of Public Health Student's Capstone Sheds Light on Sustainable Food Systems

Bugs for dinner? It may sound like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, but edible bugs are making their way into the spotlight for a compelling reason: they may hold the key to a healthier and greener future. While the thought of eating insects may trigger apprehension for some, insects have been used for food and medicine by many cultures for centuries – up to 80 percent of the world's nations, particularly in tropical areas, eat insects. As our planet grapples with mounting challenges like climate change and food insecurity, the notion of turning to edible bugs as an eco-friendly option is capturing the attention of public health researchers, including Shaylee Warner, a recent graduate from the Colorado School of Public Health at Colorado State University.


Author Rachel Larson | Publish Date June 14, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Workforce Development    Community Health    Latino Health

ColoradoSPH Faculty Play Key Role in Passage of Bipartisan Bill Supporting Community Healthcare Workers

A well-established pillar of Colorado’s healthcare system received powerful additional support in late April with bipartisan passage of Colorado SB23-002. The bill will allow Medicaid reimbursement for some services provided by community health workers (CHWs), who help to connect patients to vital healthcare and community services, provide education, and decrease barriers to care, among other tasks. CHWs often go by a variety titles, including health navigators and lay health workers.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date June 13, 2023
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Research    Education    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Leadership   

Cathy Bradley Named Colorado School of Public Health Dean

On Aug. 1, Cathy Bradley, PhD, will take the reins of the Colorado School of Public Health, becoming the fourth dean in school history and the first woman appointed to the position, following interim deans Judith Albino and Elaine Morrato. Bradley will succeed Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, who hasheld the post since October 2017.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date June 06, 2023
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June 2023 LRPC@ColoradoSPH Newsletter

In this newsletter: vaccination centers and COVID-19, community events & opportunities, professional development & training, employment opportunities, grants & funding, and additional resources.


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Community    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Global Health

Hundreds Come Together for Campus Tribute in Memory of Dr. Stephen Berman

Dr. Stephen Berman, long-time director of the Center for Global Health in the Colorado School of Public Health, passed away from lymphoma earlier this year. His loss was felt deeply across the campus and his many friends and colleagues gathered at a tribute event held on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus on May 11, 2023. Six presenters covered the many dimensions of Dr. Berman’s career, offering colorful stories that captured his commitment to improving the health of children everywhere.  


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Community    Students    Community and Practice    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    RMPHTC    Community Health    Training

Student Awardee's Initiative Leads to Unique Practicum and Capstone Experience at ColoradoSPH's Public Health Training Center

As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Lexie King intended to study to be a nurse. Three years in, however, she changed her mind. She earned her degree in communications, with a minor in public health.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date May 24, 2023
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Community    Epidemiology    Awards    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU    ColoradoSPH at UNC    Biostatistics    Community Health    Environment    Health Advocacy

Recognizing Our ColoradoSPH 2023 Award Winners

Each year, the Colorado School of Public Health honors exceptional students, faculty, and staff at an annual awards ceremony coinciding with graduation.


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Students    Awards    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Health Systems    Health Advocacy

ColoradoSPH PhD Grad Wins “Outstanding Dissertation” Award for Work Critiquing Nonprofit Hospitals’ Contributions—or Lack of Contributions—to Their Communities

It seems a simple proposition. The roughly 3,000 nonprofit hospitals in the United States receive tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. In return, they are expected to provide a “community benefit,” which could come in the form of providing financial assistance to patients, covering the cost of uncompensated care to the uninsured or supporting programs to connect underserved patients to the healthcare services they need.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date May 19, 2023
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Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Graduation    Community Health

Student Leader and Graduation Speaker Pays it Forward, Building a New Generation of Public Health Leaders

Ten years ago, Samantha Bertomen completed her undergraduate education with a degree in food and nutrition sciences. Even before starting her professional career in the field, though, she says she had her eye on a different option. 


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date May 17, 2023
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Students    Public Health    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Opioid Research   

Boyfriend’s Fentanyl Death Inspires Nonprofit to Battle Crisis

Charlie Ternan had a job interview and wanted to cool the back pain that had flared on a long drive up the California coast. It was spring 2020, the COVID pandemic had just begun, and graduation was weeks away at Santa Clara University.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date May 15, 2023
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Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Environment    Global Health

Unique University Partnership Gives Students the Critical Training and Skills to Respond to Complex Humanitarian Crises on a Global Scale

In today’s global climate, more and more crises are occurring that not only involve natural hazards like tornadoes or floods, but also include conflict and mass displacement. Trained personnel are critical to the provision of appropriate responses to such complex humanitarian crises around the world. To address this growing need globally, two professors from two Colorado universities—the University of Denver and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus—have created an experiential ‘simulation’ model that prepares students for humanitarian work. In this model, classroom-based learning leads up to a broad-scale one-day live action exercise, set in a fictional place called “Korbelia” on the DU campus.  


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Research    Sustainability

How Are Chemical Harm Risks Established After an Industrial Spill?

When discussing recent high-profile industrial chemical spills in places such as East Palestine, Ohio, and Philadelphia, the first step in public health response is identifying the harm these chemicals pose, according to Lisa Bero, PhD. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date May 02, 2023
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Research    COVID-19    Vaccinations    Infectious disease    ColoradoSPH at CSU

Adios, Pandemic! You Taught Us Much

We are all ready to say goodbye to the COVID-19 pandemic. The past few years have been arduous, exacting a terrible toll in human suffering, economic turmoil, and political strife. More than 1 million Americans perished, as did a sense of well-being for our health and mental wellness. And while the SARS-CoV-2 virus will likely persist among us for a very long time, it appears that the worst is over, thanks to modern medicine and public health prevention.


Author Tracy Nelson | Publish Date May 01, 2023
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Community    Epidemiology    Awards    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Biostatistics    Community Health    Environment    Health Advocacy

ColoradoSPH Continues to Rank in the Top 20 Public Health Schools and Programs in the Nation

U.S. News and World Report has named the Colorado School of Public Health among the top 20 schools and programs of public health in the nation in its 2023-2024 rankings. ColoradoSPH is now ranked 17th out of 206 Master of Public Health (MPH) programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).


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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Cannabis    Health Advocacy    Health Policy

Colorado School of Public Health Delivers Comprehensive Review on Physical and Mental effects of High THC Concentration Cannabis to Colorado Capitol

Today, a research team assembled by the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) in response to the 2021 Colorado House Bill HB21-1317, “Regulating Marijuana Concentrates,” delivered its mandated review to Colorado legislators on the scientific evidence related to the physical and mental health effects of high-concentration THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis products). This review was requested as the marketplace shifted towards high-concentration products. The health implications of this change are not well understood. In a comprehensive scoping review, the team screened approximately 66,000 studies and ultimately identified 452 published through late 2022 that are relevant to understanding the health effects of high-concentration cannabis products. The ColoradoSPH team also created a first-of-its-kind interactive and publicly available evidence map of the 452 cannabis studies, which makes the studies searchable and accessible.   


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Research    Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

After the Marshall Fire: Survey Offers Community Snapshot of Recovery

The story of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history didn’t end with the receding of hurricane-strength winds and the extinguishing of the blaze’s last embers. Over a year later, while some questions the Marshall Fire left in its wake have been answered, many others remain, including where future public policy should go.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date April 19, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CSU    Environment

New Treatments for an Aging Population

A novel hypothesis is taking shape in the world of aging research: the idea that if everyone gets older, aging is inevitable, and chronic diseases multiply with age, then why not view aging as the problem to be investigated, rather than each disease or condition that develops


Author Hannah Halusker | Publish Date April 18, 2023
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Students    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Major Molly Bried Embodies “Be All You Can Be”

For Active-Duty Army Major, single mother of two boys, and University of Colorado College of Nursing graduate student pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health degrees at Anschutz Medical Campus, Molly Bried exemplifies the US Army slogan “Be all you can be.”


Author Dana Brandorff | Publish Date April 18, 2023
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Research    Plastic Surgery    Pediatrics    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Grant Will Help CU Researchers Develop Better Treatment for Craniosynostosis

A $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) will help researchers at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery and Colorado School of Public Health develop better treatment methods for children diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a present-at-birth condition in which a baby’s skull plates fuse together too early, before the brain is fully formed.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 12, 2023
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Community    Epidemiology    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Aurora Ninth Graders Get an Inside Look at Clinical Trial Design During First “Epidemiology Day”

How is a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed, executed and analyzed? It’s probably not a stretch to assume that the question would stump most people stopped on the street.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date April 11, 2023
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Research    Press Releases    Pediatrics    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    pregnancy    ColoradoSPH at CSU   

Study Reveals Prenatal Supplements Don’t Offer Adequate Nutrition for Women and Babies

A new study from researchers in the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows that 90% of pregnant women do not receive adequate nutrients during pregnancy from food alone and must look to supplements to fill that deficit. However, they also discovered that 99% of the affordable dietary supplements on the market do not contain appropriate doses of key micronutrients that are urgently needed to make up for the nutritional imbalance.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date April 04, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Health Advocacy    Health Policy

Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Walking into the Colorado State Capitol building feels like entering the living center of the state. The feeling is electric and exciting. I first experienced this while attending the Colorado Public Health Association’s 2023 annual Public Health Advocacy Day there. The CPHA Policy Committee organized the event to give public health professionals, students, and community members the chance to meet local legislators and learn about policy and advocacy.


Author Brenna Combs | Publish Date April 03, 2023
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Student and Alumni    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Outstanding Leader In Our Community: Raeven Clockston

Raeven Clockston is an alumna of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH), where she was a leader both in and out of the classroom. Her work towards anti-oppressive practices and leadership in student council has led her to her current position as Equity Specialist in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the ColoradoSPH.


Author Joanna Garcia | Publish Date April 03, 2023
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Research    Community    Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Growing Health and Wellness in the Community Garden

There’s a growing body of research supporting the satisfactions of gardening, from its positive impact as a mental health intervention to its association with improvement in cognitive function and reduction in stress, anger, and fatigue.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 28, 2023
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Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Six Tips for Spotting Fake Health News

Everybody can help fight the health misinformation epidemic by not falling for – and not sharing – fake news. It’s something experts like Lisa Bero, PhD, hope people will do for the sake of evidence-based science and, ultimately, societal health.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 27, 2023
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Research    Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Fake News: Medical Quackery Enters a New Dimension

By creating a rapt worldwide audience at a time of worry, COVID-19 brought out the worst in fake health news. Misinformation clogged the airwaves, with claims of microchipped vaccines, dangerous miracle cures and mask-mandate conspiracies plastering TV stations and social media platforms.

Today, pandemic “news” has abated. But misinformation has not.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 27, 2023
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Research    Giving    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Climate Health    Environment    Worker Health

$600,000 NIH Grant for Colorado School of Public Health Community Climate Hub

A collaborative group from Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) has been awarded $600,000 from the National Institutes of Health to support the first year of work for the newly-established Mountain West Alliance for Community Engagement-Climate and Health (ACE-CH) Hub, a community of public health researchers and community members working to identify evidence-based and community-driven action in the face of the climate crisis. 


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Research    Patient Care    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

What Is Personalized Medicine? A ‘Data Detective’ Explains

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle with thousands of tiny pieces spread across a table. The puzzle’s completion promises insights into better personalized patient care, but the pieces are from different puzzle-makers – their sides not fully matching up at first glance. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date March 21, 2023
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Community    Colorectal Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Two CU Cancer Center Members Attend Biden’s Moonshot Event on Colorectal Cancer 

Earlier this month, medical professionals, patient advocates, industry innovators, federal policymakers, and public health officials, including two members of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, gathered at the White House for the Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date March 16, 2023
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Global Health    One Health

Study Recommends New Testing Model that Aims to Swat Mosquito-Borne Dengue Fever

Under the best of circumstances, mosquitoes are no better than annoying pests. But many also carry viruses that cause widespread disease and death in large expanses of the world. A new study with contributions from the Colorado School of Public Health describes a novel path to early diagnosis of dengue, the most common mosquito-borne viral illness, in areas of the world where lab tests to confirm the disease are not available.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date March 14, 2023
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Community    Veteran and Military Health    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

National Security and Public Health Find Common Ground in Panel Discussion

Two worlds that are not always directly linked were recently brought together in a panel discussion hosted by the Colorado School of Public Health. The presentation, “National Security and the Impact on Public Health,” explored the often subtle ways that efforts to protect society from diseases, such as COVID-19, intersect with strategies to guard against political and ideological contagions that threaten the social fabric. 


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date March 07, 2023
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Research    Diabetes    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    AI/AN health

A Culturally Adapted Online Experience Improves Type 2 Diabetes Nutrition Education for American Indians and Alaska Natives

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have traditional food and nutrition practices that support holistic health. However, these traditional practices have been interrupted by Western food systems, which has led to disproportionate rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among AI/AN communities. Nutrition education interventions are particularly effective when developed to meet the needs of specific communities and when they emphasize strengths-based, culturally relevant healthy dietary practices. A research brief  in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, shares the results of a successful culturally adapted, online diabetes nutrition education program for AI/ANs. The implications of the findings have guided program changes for improved diabetes nutrition education.


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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Workforce Development    Training    Worker Health

Convening Colorado Business Leaders to Create Recovery Friendly Workplaces

On January 12, 2023, the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) at the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH), along with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, concluded the first phase of its Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) peer learning series – a four-part virtual workshop for Colorado business leaders. Nominated participants represented a range of industries including healthcare, restaurants, hospitality, construction/utilities, local government, and education.


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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

What is the Health Risk of Meth Contamination?

Abrupt closures at public libraries in Boulder, Littleton, Englewood and Arvada due to methamphetamine contamination are a cause for concern, if not alarm.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date January 31, 2023
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Global Health

Remembering Dr. Steve Berman

Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, patients and colleagues of Dr. Stephen Berman, who passed away on January 17. Steve was a true champion for children, and this loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him. Services were held Sunday, January 22, at the Hebrew Educational Alliance, in Denver.


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Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Should You Extinguish Your Gas Stove?

A paper published last month attributing 12.7% of childhood asthma cases to gas stoves generated a lot of heat, especially after U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said banning these common household stoves was being considered.


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Community    Epidemiology    Firearm Injury Prevention    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Gun Violence Prevention    Injury & Violence Prevention

CDPHE Partners with the Colorado School of Public Health to Create Gun Violence Prevention Resource Bank

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is partnering with researchers from the Injury and Violence Prevention Center in the Colorado School of Public Health to create and maintain a resource bank of regularly updated and accurate materials regarding gun violence in Colorado.


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Students    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Public Health Nursing in The Last Frontier

You can’t complain about your commute after meeting Claire Geldhof. The dual-degree student with the University of Colorado College of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice and Colorado School of Public Health, takes courses online from her home in Alaska, sometimes jumping on seaplanes, and boats; walking when the roads end to take care of patients living in the bush.


Author Deborah Sherman | Publish Date December 21, 2022
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Community    COVID-19    Mental Health    Scholarship    Awards    Community and Practice

Top 10 Stories of 2022

In the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) faculty, staff, students, and alumni helped shape the conversation. And while the pandemic occupied much of our focus as a nation and a global community, our research and community engagement continued in other important areas of public health as well.


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Awards    Community and Practice    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Community Preceptor Award Highlights MPH Student’s Work to Support Older HIV Patients at Risk for Cognitive Impairment

Erin Burk-Leaver has spent more than a decade advocating for and serving older adults. She is also committed to spurring that interest in others — and the Colorado School of Public Health has taken note.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date December 16, 2022
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Research    Blood    Child & Adolescent    Student and Alumni    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Tool Provides Global Standard for Pediatric Blood Pressure Assessment

Using data from studies published in the medical literature over a 40-year time span, Peter DeWitt, PhD, a University of Colorado School of Medicine data scientist in the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), has developed an automated algorithm to address gaps in children’s blood pressure percentiles, providing a way to directly compare blood pressure measurements for children of the same age, sex, and height.


Author Toni Lapp | Publish Date December 12, 2022
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Research    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Building Better, More Accurate Mobile Health Apps and Devices Through Inclusion

Consumer options for apps or wearable devices to help track personal health goals begin well before they arrive in a digital or physical store. The design and testing phase is where developers make crucial decisions on how well the solution will perform: from following evidence-based academic research, to including perspectives from a wide variety of backgrounds. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date December 06, 2022
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Health Policy

Remembering Dr. Phoebe Lindsey Barton

Condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Phoebe Lindsey Barton, PhD, professor of health policy and the MSPH program director at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center from 1990 until her retirement in 2008. Phoebe passed away on November 9, 2022.


Author Jennifer Myers | Publish Date December 05, 2022
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Community    Cancer    Magazine    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Leadership   

Women Are Gaining Increasing Seats at the Table in Cancer Leadership

Two important numbers to keep in mind are that 50.5% of the U.S. population is female, and that cancer will account for more than 606,000 deaths in the United States this year, making it the second-leading cause of death.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 28, 2022
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Research    Community    Vaccine    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Promising Research Working Toward RSV Prevention

As the number of hospitalizations related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to climb steeply throughout Colorado, with a reported 1,139 hospitalizations since Oct. 1, clinician and researcher Eric Simões, MD, is leading two studies that he hopes will help curtail future RSV surges.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 28, 2022
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Research    Community    Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Focusing on Cancer, Work, and Employment

In the course of her research studying employment and cancer, Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, MPA, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, has heard from people diagnosed with cancer who would skip a chemotherapy treatment rather than skip work and risk losing their job.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 16, 2022
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Research    Press Releases    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Research Can Help Older Adults Plan for Changes in Driving and Firearm Use

New research from the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative examined diverse viewpoints on reducing access to potentially dangerous situations among older adults due to changes in physical or cognitive functioning.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date November 16, 2022
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Community    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Climate Health    Environment

ASPPH Webinar Highlights Public Health Response to Climate Change

Colorado School of Public Health Dean Dr. Jon Samet didn’t mince words as he spoke during a webinar sponsored by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) October 26 about climate change and the health risks it poses.


Author Tyler Smith | Publish Date November 07, 2022
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Research    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CSU    Climate Health    Environment

Racially Segregated Communities More Vulnerable to Toxic-Metal Air Pollution, CSU Study Finds

For many decades, it’s been known that communities of color are exposed to more air pollution than their predominantly white counterparts.


Author Anne Manning | Publish Date November 01, 2022
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Press Releases    Students    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

New CU Dual-Degree Program Gives Physical Therapy Students a Grounding in Public Health 

A new dual-degree program offered by the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Colorado School of Public Health at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus will give doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students more opportunities to understand how their work intersects with issues around community health promotion, disease prevention, and social determinants of health.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 19, 2022
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Press Releases    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Leadership   

Jan Lowery Named Assistant Director for Dissemination and Implementation at CU Cancer Center 

Jan Lowery, PhD, MPH, who started her career as a researcher at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, returned September 1 as assistant director for dissemination and implementation for the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the CU Cancer Center. In her new role, Lowery will lead efforts to develop, conduct, and disseminate implementation-focused projects in cancer prevention, early detection, and survivorship.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 18, 2022
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

What are the Potential Human Health Impacts of Hurricane Ian’s Massive Destruction?

In the wake of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Ian as it made landfall across southwest Florida come new health concerns for residents in the impacted areas – ranging from traumatic injuries and waterborne infections to job stressors and mental health impacts.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date October 03, 2022
Full Story

Research    Breast Cancer    Liver Cancer    Colorectal Cancer    Pancreatic Cancer    Cancer    Public Health    Esophageal Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Imaging Information System Could Speed Up Prognosis for Certain Cancers

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that a new imaging information system may ultimately provide a faster, more accurate prognosis for certain cancers.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date September 19, 2022
Full Story

Community    Diversity    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

‘In America, Why Is Being Black Bad for Your Body and Your Health?’

Disparities in healthcare and health outcomes are not solely about income. Or education. Or access, according to author Linda Villarosa. They are also about race.


Author Laura Veith | Publish Date September 16, 2022
Full Story

Patient Care    Education    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Patient-Centered Injury Prevention

ER Physician Offers Five Steps That Can Help Prevent Suicide

An average of 130 people take their lives each day in the United States, making it the 11th leading cause of death.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date September 06, 2022
Full Story

Community    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Monkeypox Has Been Declared a National Health Emergency; Now What? 

The worldwide outbreak of monkeypox that started in May 2022 has now grown to such a degree that on August 4, the Biden administration declared a public health emergency to raise awareness of the virus in the United States and to free up funding and resources for a more robust response. More than 6,600 probable or confirmed cases have now been detected in the U.S., including in Colorado, and there are more than 28,000 confirmed cases worldwide. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 08, 2022
Full Story

Research    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Emphasizing The Importance of Patient Navigation 

A cancer diagnosis can be difficult to work through in the best of circumstances, but factor in barriers related to language, insurance status, educational achievement, geographic location, income level, and more, and the cancer journey — everything from prevention and screening to diagnosis and treatment — can become nearly impossible to traverse. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 05, 2022
Full Story

Research    mHealth    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Transformative healthcare technology, starting with Dr. Susan Moore and the mHealth Impact Lab

Dr. Susan Moore helps foster mobile health and informatics solutions at ACCORDS through consultation and advising for investigator and grant development. Her interest in health coupled with her experience in mobile technologies led her to think, “I bet we can do this for the good of the world.” This began her journey to translate health data to actionable knowledge.


Author Laura Veith | Publish Date July 14, 2022
Full Story

Community    Diversity    Student and Alumni    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at UNC

Pride and Connection: LGBTQ+ Hub Debuts to Unite and Serve CU Anschutz Community

On a warm afternoon in November 2021, a handful of volunteers gathered under a small tent at Boettcher Commons, cheerfully laying out T-shirts, lanyards, stickers and buttons on a table. The buzz in the air was about more than just the kickoff event’s swag and snacks: After years of disconnection and pandemic-induced isolation, the clouds literally parted for the opening of the CU Anschutz LGBTQ+ Hub, the university’s first-ever official, campus-wide organization dedicated to connecting and championing the LGBTQ+ community at CU Anschutz.


Author Kristen O'Neill | Publish Date June 21, 2022
Full Story

Education    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Samet to Step Down as Colorado School of Public Health Dean

Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, the third and longest-serving dean of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH), will step down from the top post pending a completed nationwide search for his replacement, administrators announced today.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date June 08, 2022
Full Story

Patient Care    Public Health    Epidemiology    Monkeypox    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Rare Spread of Monkeypox Puts Health Experts on Alert

The unusual spread of monkeypox from West and Central Africa, where it has occurred sporadically, has health experts on alert. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued a health advisory asking clinicians to be on the lookout for the virus’s characteristic rash and fever.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date May 23, 2022
Full Story

Research    Public Health    Epidemiology    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Study Shows Investment in Public Health Programs Helps Prevent the Spread of Foodborne Illnesses

A new study released by the Colorado School of Public Health evaluated the structural and outbreak factors associated with reporting foodborne outbreaks and found that the number and types of foodborne outbreaks reported varied substantially across states, with high reporting states reporting four times more outbreaks than low reporting states.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date May 18, 2022
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Hickenlooper Visits CU Anschutz for COVID-19 Response Insights

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on April 14, hearing from CU and UCHealth leaders on how they joined efforts in the battle against COVID-19 and touring the new Anschutz Health Sciences Building (AHSB). The senator’s aim was to take lessons learned back to the U.S. Capitol to help guide legislation and manage the country’s future health crises.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date April 19, 2022
Full Story

Faculty    Alumni    Philanthropy    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    ColoradoSPH at CSU

Building a Diverse Public Health Workforce – Without the Fear of Debt

Careers in public health are both critically important and noble. They address systemic inequities, educate the public, increase access to information and care, and develop ways to improve the lives of entire populations.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date April 18, 2022
Full Story

Faculty    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

American Diabetes Association Honors Two Outstanding CU Anschutz Researchers

In 1986, Jill Norris had a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in hand and pondered what to do next. She decided to pursue a doctorate in epidemiology and applied to a few schools. An invitation from a renowned figure in the field not only cemented her decision but also set her on a lifelong professional path to an elite position among her peers and now, international recognition.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date April 18, 2022
Full Story

Community    Faculty    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Returning to the Office and Feeling a Range of Emotions?

It’s your first day back in the office in almost two years. You’re anxious. Some thoughts run through your mind: How am I going to work for eight hours straight at my desk? What am I going to do for lunch? How am I going to cope with so much personal interaction? How did I commute to the office five days a week before the pandemic?


Author Kiley Carroll | Publish Date April 15, 2022
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Pediatrics    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Using AI, 3-D Technology, CU Anschutz Expert Lowers the Unknowns in Infant Skull Surgery

Trained as a computer scientist and engineer, Antonio R. Porras, PhD, became fascinated by craniofacial research – specifically the diagnosis and treatment of craniosynostosis, a skull-growth disorder ­– while working at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date April 15, 2022
Full Story

Community    COVID-19    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Donor Gift Provides Powerful Boost to COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach

Longtime University of Colorado benefactors and siblings, Alan Cogen and Judi Cogen, continue to have a significant impact on the Denver community. Thanks to their recent gifts, the Cogens are assisting underserved populations in the metropolitan area.


Author Danielle Davis | Publish Date April 08, 2022
Full Story

Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Recognizing Health Disparities During National Minority Cancer Awareness Month 

April has been designated National Minority Cancer Awareness Month to bring attention to the health disparities that lead to higher rates of cancer in Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and other communities of color. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 08, 2022
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Firearm Retailers and Law Enforcement Show Support for Providing Safe Gun Storage Options

A new study discloses that firearm retailers and law enforcement agencies support providing firearm storage to their community.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date April 06, 2022
Full Story

Research    Community    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Clearing the Air on COVID-19: Duo Campus Project Aimed at Keeping Schools Open

The classrooms of Barnum Elementary School in Denver echo with the chatter of students and the instruction of teachers. The white, waist-high, curved machine in the corner is quiet as can be.


Author Laura Veith | Publish Date April 05, 2022
Full Story

Research    Community    Faculty    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Rising Star Position Will Support Health Disparities and Shared Decision-Making Research

While conducting research for her doctoral dissertation, Channing Tate, PhD, MPH, spoke with 144 older Black adults about hospice care – what they knew about it, whether they’d consider it, what their experiences with hospice had been.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 25, 2022
Full Story

COVID-19    Vaccinations    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

From Emerging Variants to Grandma’s Health, Experts Say COVID-19 Youth Vaccines Still Matter

As office buildings refill with employees, and grocery stores bustle with mask-less shoppers, a question remains during the biggest lull in the COVID-19 pandemic yet: What about the children?


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 17, 2022
Full Story

Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Close to Home: Personal Experience Inspires Planning Strategies in Wake of Marshall Fire

Uncertainty and new questions are some of the first things that come to mind for Katherine Dickinson, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, when recalling Dec. 30, 2021 – the day of the Marshall Fire. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date March 15, 2022
Full Story

Research    Education    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

‘Global Weirding’: Marshall Fire Fuels Questions About Weather and Public Health

It started with the wind. Ripping across the plains on the morning of Dec. 30, 2021, gusts over 100 mph made for an unusual Colorado weather day just before the new year. 


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date March 11, 2022
Full Story

COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Six Things to Know About Omicron’s BA.2 Cousin

As the nation moves into the least-infectious period since the start of the pandemic, with Colorado’s governor last week ushering the healthy and fully vaccinated back into a mask-less and more normal life, some experts warn against moving too fast.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 11, 2022
Full Story

Community    Public Health    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Ads Contributed to Hooking Black Smokers on Menthols. Now CU Experts Are Fighting Back

Years of targeted advertising by tobacco giants turned menthol cigarettes into a racial issue, hooking mostly Black Americans on the minty-tasting tobacco products. Now public health experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have rallied a powerful community effort to reverse a deadly trend and social injustice. 


Author Laura Veith | Publish Date March 04, 2022
Full Story

Patient Care    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Firearm Life Plan Website Offers New Peace of Mind to Firearm Owners and Families

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, along with colleagues from the Rocky Mountain Veteran Affairs Medical Center, launched a website today to support adult firearm owners and their families when making decisions about what to do with their firearms in the future. The Firearm Life Plan is a free, anonymous website empowering users to make voluntary, private decisions about what to do with their firearms as they age.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date February 23, 2022
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    COVID-19    Faculty    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Oral Health Report: Mouth Serves as Gateway to Overall Health

While oral healthcare has dramatically improved over the past 20 years, especially in digital technology and restorative dentistry, access to routine and preventative care remains a significant problem in the United States.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date February 22, 2022
Full Story

Research    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

First of its Kind Research Provides Critical Information for Treating Alzheimer’s in American Indian and Alaska Natives

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), yet little is known about resources allocated for their treatment.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date February 17, 2022
Full Story

Community    Faculty    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Get to Know: Cerise Hunt, PhD, MSW

In celebration of Black History Month, CU Anschutz is launching the “Get To Know” series to highlight Black excellence on campus year-round – leaders, innovators and change makers who are accomplishing the extraordinary in their fields every day. The “Get To Know” series will expand throughout the year as an inclusive platform for voices on our campus. 


Author Kiley Carroll | Publish Date February 09, 2022
Full Story

COVID-19    Community and Practice    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Colorado COVID-19 Modeling Group Releases Statement as Omicron Surges

Since March 2020, the Colorado COVID-19 Modeling Group has tracked the COVID-19 pandemic in the state and provided projections on its course. Because the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has so quickly moved into the United States and Colorado, the Modeling Group – led by the Colorado School of Public Health with additional members from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, and Colorado State University – has issued a statement based on its tracking of the pandemic and the scientific evidence.   


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date January 03, 2022
Full Story

Faculty    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Can Climate Change Affect My Health?

Every day seems to bring news of another climate disaster.


Author Kiley Carroll | Publish Date December 20, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Publication Shines Light on How Language Impacts Firearm Injury Discussions

In a new peer-reviewed paper in the American Journal of Public Health, physician and researcher Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, leads a diverse group in tackling how words used in relation to firearm injuries and deaths can impact prevention of firearm injury.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date December 08, 2021
Full Story

Research    Public Health    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Study Recruitment Effort Grows Into a Public Health Tool to Reach Young American Indian/Alaska Native Women

Three years ago, researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health’s Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health launched a forward-looking study. They looked to use social media and mobile application technology to reach out to young (16 to 20 years of age) American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women living in urban areas. The goal: push out messages and virtual interventions aimed at preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEPs) and fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASDs) – serious health risks for both women and children.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date November 19, 2021
Full Story

Lung Cancer    Addiction    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

Does Vaping as a Smoking Cessation Tool Outweigh its Risks to Youth?

After 15 years of unauthorized vaping products being marketed across the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Oct. 12 gave its first-ever e-cigarette approval – three devices made by the company Vuse.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date November 19, 2021
Full Story

Press Releases    Public Health    Student and Alumni    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Students Examine the Role of Public Health in Racism in Harvard Review Article

In a new article published in Harvard Public Health Review, Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) students critically examine the role of public health in racism and oppression and how they, as the future leaders of public health, would like to see this addressed and changed.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date November 03, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    COVID-19    Public Health    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Survey Shines Light on Racial Disparities Persisting in COVID-19 Vaccination

A new public health survey reveals critical information regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine messaging and public policies on individual perception and behaviors in the United States.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date October 26, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Study Finds Correlation Between Rural Geography and Access to Handguns, Suicidality Among Colorado Teenagers

Living in rural, isolated areas correlates with easier access to handguns and higher risks of suicidality among Colorado teenagers, according to a cross-sectional study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. These findings can help inform public health and policy experts on how best to allocate educational firearm safety and suicide prevention resources in the state.


Author Kelsea Pieters | Publish Date October 13, 2021
Full Story

Students    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Olympian and Grad Student Talks About Mental Health, Seeking Balance

Maddie Godby, a graduate student in the Population Mental Health & Wellbeing Program at the Colorado School of Public Health, flew to her first Olympic Games this summer knowing full well the month in Japan would be unlike anything the world has seen.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date September 27, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    Community    Firearm Injury Prevention    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Family Violence    Patient-Centered Injury Prevention

CU Researchers Awarded Grant to Study “Safety in Dementia” Decision Tool

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been awarded a $1.7 million National Institutes of Health grant for a national study designed to improve firearm safety for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.


Author School of Medicine | Publish Date September 17, 2021
Full Story

Education    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Climate Change Fuels Multiple Threats to Society’s Health

Labeled a “code red for humanity” in a United Nations report released early last month, climate change has continued to wreak havoc worldwide. In the United States, devastating fires in the West recently traded the spotlight for deadly flooding in the East, keeping the threat squarely on America’s radar.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date September 10, 2021
Full Story

Research    Epidemiology    Obesity    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Study Finds Body Mass Index for Children Greatest in Midwest, Least in West

A study examining the body mass index (BMI) of over 14,000 children from birth to age 15 shows those in the Midwest have the highest BMI levels while kids in the West have the lowest, suggesting regional influences may play a role in the development of childhood obesity.


Author David Kelly | Publish Date September 01, 2021
Full Story

Education    Students    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Bettering the World Through Data (and Spreadsheets)

Alexa Hansen was in the final semester of completing her psychology degree at Metropolitan State University of Denver, when the career ahead didn’t seem to be a great fit.


Author Staff | Publish Date May 25, 2021
Full Story

Education    COVID-19    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

From Congo to Colorado: MPH Grad Envisions Outpacing Diseases

Growing up in big-city Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Papy Bawongo Boyamba, MD, looked forward to visits from the man in the white coat. Something about the man and his professional, caring manner gave the boy a vision of his own future.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date May 11, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Research Reveals Medicaid Expansion Is Still Improving Hospital Finances

A new study published in Medical Care Research and Review found that the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid programs to cover people previously uninsured, provided a financial boost to hospitals.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date May 04, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Anxiety Among Fathers Is Higher Than Recently Reported, New Study Suggests

New research suggests anxiety among men transitioning into parenthood is significantly higher than reported by the global World Health Organization (WHO) regional prevalence rates.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date April 06, 2021
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

One in Five Colorado High School Students Has Access to Firearms

Twenty percent of high school students have easy access to a handgun, according to a new study from the Colorado School of Public Health on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

In the study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers examined the prevalence of handgun access among adolescents in Colorado and explored individual and geographic characteristics, as well as related health factors.

“Our findings highlight that it is relatively easy to access a handgun in Colorado for high school students. This finding, combined with the high prevalence of feeling sad or depressed and suicide attempts, is concerning for the safety of adolescents,” said lead author Ashley Brooks-Russell, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Colorado School of Public Health.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date March 29, 2021
Full Story

Patient Care    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

CU Anschutz ICU Doctor Shines in Acting Debut on Golden Globe Awards

When Carey Mulligan complains to Fernando Holguin, MD, during a Zoom office visit about a persistent feeling of living in a time loop, the veteran doctor’s medical sleuthing skills kick in.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 02, 2021
Full Story

Research    Cancer    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Podcast: Closing the Cancer Care Gap Can Be a Matter of Life and Death

A cancer diagnosis today, while still scary and life-changing, signals a death sentence far less often than ever before. On the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, with its top doctors and advanced treatments, miracles happen every day. But for many people, that level of care remains out of reach.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date February 25, 2021
Full Story

Research    Education    Community    Diversity    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Hunt Helms Advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice in New Role

Eleven years ago, when Cerise Hunt, PhD, MSW, began her doctoral research into advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in postsecondary institutions, she realized it’s not enough to be an equity champion. Inclusive excellence must evolve from theory into action so that every student who steps onto campus ­­– regardless of race, ethnicity or gender identity – feels welcome and can thrive.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date January 26, 2021
Full Story

COVID-19    Diversity    COVID-19 Feature    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Fear, Distrust Overshadow Vaccine Decision for Some Hard-Hit Communities

Black, Hispanic/Latinx and American Indian/Alaska Native people are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to die from COVID-19 than white people. Despite the unequal burden, early data suggest fewer people from some diverse communities are receiving the vaccine during the rollout.


Author Shawna Matthews | Publish Date January 19, 2021
Full Story

COVID-19    COVID-19 Podcasts    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

COVID-19 and Public Health: Modeling, Silver Linings and ‘Colorado's Dr. Fauci’

When the pandemic struck last winter, it upended our lives in ways few could have imagined. Many of us work from home now, our kids go to school online, we wear masks and avoid our elderly or sick relatives for fear of passing along a potentially deadly illness. Meanwhile, lockdowns and isolation have spawned a mental health crisis that we are only now beginning to fully grasp.


Author Kelsea Pieters and David Kelly | Publish Date December 22, 2020
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

CU Anschutz Leaders Discuss the Latest Approaches in COVID-19 Testing, Patient Care, Modeling and Clinical Trials

Last week, a virtual panel series, “A Conversation on COVID-19 with the CU Anschutz Medical Campus,” continued with a discussion on some of the latest trends and developments in the pandemic.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date December 08, 2020
Full Story

Patient Care    Community    Awareness    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Dangerous Haze Is Back in Colorado. Get Prepped for More Fire Days Ahead

A cold front brought a blanket of snow to Colorado in late October 2020, a welcome gift for a state ravaged by wildfires. As the flakes fell, they helped tame record-breaking burns that had been threatening communities for weeks, racing from the Rocky Mountains above to the borders of Boulder below.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date November 10, 2020
Full Story

Research    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

From ‘COVID Fatigue’ to Holiday Gatherings: The People Want to Know

Put the viewers in charge of a COVID-19 forum with the experts, and you never know what direction the line of questioning will take. That’s what organizers of a COVID-19 series did for their Oct. 26 webinar, and the query topics ranged from the experts’ dining habits to the risk of being crushed by a meteor.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date October 29, 2020
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

CU Researchers Call for National Ethics Guidelines When Student Health Surveys Uncover Suicide-Risk 'Hot Spots'

  • What you need to know: CU researchers are urging national public health and education associations to produce guidance that clarifies the ethical and legal duties owed to schools when surveillance activities identify high risks of suicides. 

Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date September 18, 2020
Full Story

Community    COVID-19    Students    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Colleges Battle COVID-19 but Also the Budget Hit of Canceling Sports

  • What you need to know: COVID-19 protocols for collegiate athletics vary from canceled seasons to games with over 10,000 fans. The decision making has placed student-athletes in a difficult position: play it safe with the pandemic or pursue their life-long dreams.

In spite of a global pandemic, many colleges and universities across the United States are gearing up for the fall football season. While this slice of normalcy may be comforting, it could also come at an enormous cost – the well-being of the student athletes.


Author Blair Ilsley | Publish Date September 16, 2020
Full Story

Community    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Woman Duo Creates COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program

Editor’s note: “Our COVID-19 Fighters” is an occasional series highlighting the ways the CU Anschutz Medical Campus community is helping patients and the wider community in the fight against the pandemic. We welcome your story ideas; please share them here.

In an effort to keep their campus safe, two women on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus joined forces in creating a program aimed at preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in their community. So far a success, the pair’s model has gained attention from campuses across the state.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 14, 2020
Full Story

Research    COVID-19    COVID-19 Podcasts    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Podcast: CU Anschutz Experts Share Ups and Downs of Controlling a Pandemic

Other than halting it in its tracks, if experts on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus could wave a wand and change something about their battle against the coronavirus pandemic, it might be taking the politics out of the picture.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 05, 2020
Full Story

Research    Press Releases   

Emerging Viral Diseases Causing Serious Issues in West Africa

In a new study, researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus call attention to the emergence of mosquito-borne viral outbreaks in West Africa, such as dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date May 19, 2020
Full Story

Campus Life    Students    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

ColoradoSPH Graduate Sets Sights on Ending Human Trafficking

Somewhere between jungle warfare training in the Marine Corps and child abuse research at The Kempe Center on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Jessica Stubblefield found her calling.


Author Blair Ilsley | Publish Date May 14, 2020
Full Story

Research    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Experts: Our Mental Strength Depends On Us All Reaching Out to Each Other

Colorado is no stranger to disaster, with its devastating floods and record mass shootings. But living through the COVID-19 pandemic, an invisible threat with no known end in sight, creates a whole new set of challenges – especially when you can’t hug your neighbors.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date April 16, 2020
Full Story

Education    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz

CU Anschutz Experts Share Insights on ‘the Medical Challenge of Our Lifetime’

Grand Rounds reached a whole new level of importance for the Department of Medicine on April 1, as campus experts discussed the COVID-19 pandemic that has halted much of the world and forced their community into a rapid-fire pace.
Author Debra Melani | Publish Date April 06, 2020
Full Story

Community    COVID-19    Student and Alumni    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Stigma and Discrimination Against Asian Americans on the Rise

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has interrupted daily life as we know it. For Asian Americans, however, this virus has brought more than just social disruption and a lack of paper products. Incidences of stigma, discrimination and occasionally outright violence have erupted across the world.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date March 20, 2020
Full Story

Research    COVID-19    COVID-19 Podcasts    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Coronavirus: ‘Right Now, We’re Just Trying to Buy Time’

On March 12, only two months after the novel coronavirus outbreak, now known as COVID-19, started gaining traction in the Hubei province of China, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. COVID-19 has now reached over 100 countries, including over 1,200 cases in the United States, prompting President Trump to declare a state of emergency on March 13.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date March 16, 2020
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Coronavirus: Expert Notes ‘Reasonable Probability There Are More U.S. Cases Than We Are Actually Catching’

Outbreaks of illness caused by the novel coronavirus, called COVID-19, have dramatically increased in countries outside China. As of June 28, COVID-19 had sickened more than 10,173,722 people in 188 countries with over 502,517 deaths globally.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date February 28, 2020
Full Story

Patient Care    Education    COVID-19    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Novel Coronavirus: How Infectious Is It?

The coronavirus outbreak impacting China has the world’s attention. Known as novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, the new virus started in Wuhan, a city of 11 million. Within a few weeks it has spread to at least 24 other countries, affecting more than 40,000 people globally, and resulting in more than 900 deaths since mid-December.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date February 11, 2020
Full Story

Research    Lung Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Patients not treated at NCI-designated centers less likely to receive newer, high-cost lung cancer drugs

Genetically targeted drugs and immunotherapies are transforming the way we treat many forms of lung cancer. However, a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that while the use of these drugs rose 27 percent from 2007 to 2015, new, high-cost lung cancer drugs are not used equally in all places, with all patients. Patients who lived in high-poverty areas were 4 percent less likely to be treated with high-cost lung cancer drugs. On the other hand, patients treated at National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers were 10 percent more likely to be given these drugs than were patients treated in other settings.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date November 19, 2019
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Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Colorado School of Public Health Named One of 25 CDC Funded Prevention Research Centers

Across the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support 25 university-based Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) that serve a vital role within the public health system by identifying new approaches to promote health and prevent disease. The Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and its Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (RMPRC) will receive more than $3.7 million over the next five years to address the intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, household dysfunction by working with the school’s long-term partners and community leaders in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.


Author Tonya Ewers | Publish Date October 24, 2019
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Innovation    Education    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Public health ethics toolkit offers unique resource

Is the area of public health ethics different from research ethics?


Author Blair Ilsley | Publish Date October 01, 2019
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Innovation    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Bus revs up innovative access to sun safety

Strolling across the manicured lawn of the Denver Polo Club under a bluebird Colorado sky, Neil Box, PhD, walks his sun-safety talk. He wears a wide-brimmed Wallaroo hat, dark sunglasses and EltaMD sunscreen, while greeting the many attendees of the recent “Mallets for Melanoma,” an annual fundraising event for the Colorado Melanoma Foundation (CMF).


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date July 30, 2019
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Patient Care    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Using our expertise to fight the opioid crisis

The opioid epidemic is devastating communities, families and individuals across Colorado and the country. On average 130 Americans die every day from opioid overdose; it was responsible for 560 deaths in Colorado 2017. And for every death, there are many more people struggling with opioid addiction.


Author Staff | Publish Date April 23, 2019
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Research    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

The state of cancer in Colorado

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Colorado has the fifth lowest overall rate of cancer in the United States, behind only District of Columbia, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. And the American Cancer Society recently reported that the U.S. cancer death rate has dropped 27 percent over 25 years.


Author Staff | Publish Date February 04, 2019
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Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Possible connection between cardiovascular disease and fracking found

Researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health have found a possible connection between the intensity of oil and gas exploration in an area and early indicators of cardiovascular disease among nearby residents.


Author David Kelly | Publish Date December 11, 2018
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Research    Press Releases    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Researchers investigate suicide attempts and psychotropic drugs

As prescriptions for psychotropic drugs increase, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that prescribed access to anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications may make it easier for some patients to use the drugs in attempted suicides.


Author David Kelly | Publish Date November 12, 2018
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Colorado School of Public Health In the News

Colorado Public Radio

State launches first-ever firearm data dashboard meant to help Coloradans better understand gun violence, prevention

news outletColorado Public Radio
Publish DateFebruary 26, 2024

Beyond mass shootings, which generate a lot of media and public attention, gun deaths have steadily increased in Colorado for more than a decade, according to the state health department and reflected on the dashboard. During that time, state leaders and community advocates have worked to fight the trend. Now they’re turning to a new avenue — a public health approach to gun violence prevention. 

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The Denver Post

CDC chops $5 million in funding to Colorado research center working with local public health groups

news outletThe Denver Post
Publish DateFebruary 23, 2024

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to end its funding for a Colorado center that helps local public health organizations get their programs off the ground and prove they work. Colorado’s Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to the director of the CDC this week asking that the agency reconsider cutting funding to the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center.

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Colorado Public Radio

Can Colorado teachers feel more prepared for school emergencies?

news outletColorado Public Radio
Publish DateFebruary 21, 2024

Between reading, writing, and arithmetic, there are also disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and acts of violence at schools. While school districts have security and drills for these events, educators often have unanswered questions and are left feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Two Anschutz researchers wanted to change that, starting with gathering school staff’s ideas and addressing their questions about safety.

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CSU Source

What do your blood test results mean? A toxicologist explains the basics of how to interpret them

news outletCSU Source
Publish DateFebruary 07, 2024

As a toxicologist, Brad Reisfeld, a ColoradoSPH professor at CSU, studies the effects of drugs and environmental contaminants on human health. As part of his work, he relies on various health-related biomarkers, many of which are measured using conventional blood tests. Understanding what common blood tests are intended to measure can help you better interpret the results.

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