News & Announcements

Have news?

Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science faculty, staff and students who have news to share may submit their announcement here.

Media contact

Whether you are looking for a faculty expert to interview, need information about public health, or need help on a story, please contact Yadira Galindo, Director of Communications.

News Releases

09/13/2021

John and Sally Hood Family Foundation Gives $3 Million to UC San Diego

Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, founding dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, named inaugural chair in public health

Featuring: Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH

The John and Sally Hood Family Foundation have given $3 million to establish the Hood Family Endowed Dean’s Chair in Public Health at University of California San Diego. The gift is intended to support excellence in research, education and practice of public health at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego.

“We have lived in the San Diego region for more than 20 years and have had a close-knit relationship to UC San Diego throughout that time. This last year has shown that public health affects everyone and is vitally important to so many different parts of society: the economy, community relationships and especially individual people. We couldn’t imagine a more important moment to support a critical cause such as public health than right now,” said John Hood.

Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Ph.D., MPH, founding dean of Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, has been named the inaugural chair holder. An endowed chair is one of the highest honors that an academic institution can confer upon a faculty member. It recognizes excellence in their research and clinical practice.

Read the full news release here.

09/01/2021
With Time and Without Masks, COVID-19 Vaccines Wane in Protection
Featuring: Nancy Binkin, MD, MPH

In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, publishing online September 1, 2021, an interdisciplinary team of physicians and public health experts at University of California San Diego measured the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines among health workers at UC San Diego Health, most notably during the emergence of the highly transmissible delta virus variant and coincident with the end of the state’s mask mandate, allowing fully vaccinated persons to forgo face coverings in most places.

08/05/2021
Public Health Leaders Urge HPV Immunization in Time for Back to School
Featuring: Jesse Nodora, DrPH

As the start of school approaches, local public health leaders are calling on parents to protect children from preventable diseases, in particular the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is responsible for 36,000 new cancer diagnosis each year.

08/04/2021
Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarette Packaging Changes Perceptions
Featuring: David Strong, PhD, John P. Pierce, PhD, and Karen Messer, PhD

Purchase a pack of cigarettes in Australia and be prepared to be accosted with graphic warning labels depicting the dangers of tobacco use — including images of gangrene of the foot, a newborn with a breathing tube and throat cancer. In a paper published online in JAMA Network Open on Aug. 4, 2021, Strong and colleagues at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, California State University San Marcos, San Diego County Public Health Services, and San Diego State University, demonstrated that graphic warning labels are effective reminders of the negative health consequences of smoking.

07/15/2021
Common Medication Used to Reduce Cholesterol Levels May Reduce COVID-19 Severity
Featuring: Karen Messer, PhD

In a new study from University of California San Diego School of Medicine, researchers have confirmed that patients taking statin medications had a 41 percent lower risk of in-hospital death from COVID-19. The findings were published July 15, 2021 in PLOS ONE and expand upon prior research conducted at UC San Diego Health in 2020.

07/07/2021
How to Reduce Obesity among Latino Children, with Precision
Featuring: Eric Hekler, PhD

As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s newly budgeted California Comeback Plan and the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM), researchers at UC San Diego, led by the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI), will receive approximately $3 million to create a precision, community-based program to address specific health problems related to adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, a term that describes potentially traumatic events that affect children, such as family violence, abuse or neglect.

06/30/2021
UC San Diego Wildfire Experts Directory
Featuring: Tarik Benmarhnia, PhD, MSc, MEng

As California faces wildfire season following drought in much of the state, experts at UC San Diego are available to discuss wildfires, drought, and California climate across an array of topics, including climate science, technology, public health, and economics and policy.

06/03/2021
Social Justice as Part of the Remedy for What Ails Us
Featuring: Cinnamon Bloss, PhD

The T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion has opened its newest center, focused on addressing issues of social justice in health care.

In the News

01/15/2021
The race is on for medical treatment of NASH
Faculty featured: Rohit Loomba, MD

01/15/2021
Covid-19 deaths in San Diego County have doubled since Thanksgiving
Faculty featured: Rebecca Fielding-Miller, PhD

01/07/2021
Commentary: Health experts and other San Diego leaders must unite to better coordinate pandemic response
Faculty featured: Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS

For older "In the News' content, visit the News Archives Page

Spotlight

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Congratulations to Joint Doctoral Program student, Adhana McCarthy, US Army, MPAS, PA-C, who was featured in Clinical Advisor for her important work as a physician assistant (PA) in a local San Diego community. Adhana collaborated with community leaders to address food justice in an underserved neighborhood in San Diego, and recently presented findings in a poster session at the American Academy of PAs 2021 Conference (AAPA 2021). Learn More.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Congratulations to T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, Natalie Golaszewski, PhD, who has been selected to receive the AHA Trudy Bush Fellowship for Cardiovascular Disease Research in Women’s Health. Dr. Golaszewski will present her research at the AHA Epi and Lifestyle Meeting in May 2021, and will also receive a $1000 award for her work.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Desiree Santos, a research intern for the SDSU/UCSD Cancer Partnership Scholars Program (PSP) was featured in an Instagram post to celebrate her success in cancer research, graduation from SDSU, acceptance into the SDSU MPH program in Epidemiology, and her future goal of becoming a doctorally-trained epidemiologist in the future. Ms. Santos is interning with HWSPH faculty members, John Bellettiere, PhD, MPH, and Andrea LaCroix, PhD, MPH.

Announcements

Fall 2020

Celebration of our 1st Academic Year: Our celebration of the 1st Academic Year in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science was held virtually on October 16^th. Learn more.
California COVID Notify Pilot Program: An exposure notification system from Google and Apple has been adopted on campus to help alert individuals when they may have been exposed to COVID-19. UC San Diego is one of the first campuses to participate in this statewide program. Find out more about the program and how to install CA COVID Notify on your phone.
Campus Return to Learn Updates: To promote the health and safety of our campus community, staff, students, and faculty are able to:
- Complete daily screening for symptoms of COVID-19
- Schedule COVID-19 testing at no-cost
- Hear routine updates and ask questions at monthly Town HallsPlease continue to maintain physical distancing, wear masks, and proper hygiene.
- Learn More