Alumni

René Pitter, MPH '09, finishes the Race against Hate

Movements toward Health and Each Other

Renée Pitter, MPH ’09

An effort to spread health positivity among Black Michigan alums became a huge success. In the face of so many stories about health inequities and trauma in Black communities, a growing group of Black alums is moving their way to connection, awareness, health, and healing.

Mosquito sitting on a leaf

Do Africans Want Genetically Modified Mosquitoes?

Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14

Genetically modifying mosquitoes to control infectious disease is not a new idea. But all consequences—the good and the bad—of such an intervention must be adequately vetted. And importantly, argues physician and alum Utibe Effiong, local communities should have a say in the process.

a child works on development puzzles

Public Health Concerns for Caregivers of Children with ASD

Lydia Essenmacher, MPH '20

Raising a child is an incredibly demanding task. The task of raising a child becomes more difficult when your child has a developmental disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The field of public health can use its knowledge of health theory to inform policies that decrease the burden for families of children with ASD and increase access to services for these families to utilize.

Antibiotic pills displayed in a pill bottle

Antibiotic Use during Pregnancy: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Lixin Zhang, PhD ’99

The discovery and use of antibiotics is one of public health’s great achievements, but antibiotic use is not without its problems. At therapeutic doses, antibiotics exert a strong selection pressure on the microbial community. When antibiotics interact with an infant’s developing microbiome, they can affect gut health and with it the child’s health for years to come.

Micrograph of the epidermis and dermis of human finger skin.

The Worst Disease You've Never Heard Of: Caring for Children with Epidermolysis Bullosa

Bailey Brown, BS ’20

Children with epidermolysis bullosa are often called butterfly children—their skin seems to be as fragile as a butterfly’s wing. While there is no cure for EB, ongoing clinical trials have developed treatments to manage symptoms. Public health clinicians can help patients and their families build support networks by connecting them to local support groups and other families caring for children with EB.