Rutgers School of Public Health

08/11/2026

👋 Join us in welcoming Clare Barrington, PhD, MPH, who joins this September as a professor and chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy!

Barrington is a social and behavioral scientist whose research examines how social and structural factors shape health and well-being. Her work brings together public health research and practice to understand not only who experiences poorer health outcomes, but the social, economic, and structural conditions that produce those outcomes — and what can be done to change them.

💭 “I am honored to join the Health Behavior, Society, and Policy faculty, staff, and students to advance public health training, research, and practice. The department is well-positioned to improve understanding of critical public health issues at the community, state, national, and global levels and to collaboratively design and assess innovative and holistic responses.”

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08/05/2026

In a recent episode of Managed Care Cast, Dean Perry N. Halkitis discusses the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the political neglect that shaped the response to it. He reflects on how organized advocacy pushed government and scientific leaders to involve affected communities in treatment development, a shift that contributed to major therapeutic advances in the years that followed.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on The American Journal of Managed Care's website: https://www.ajmc.com/view/the-role-of-politics-in-the-aids-crisis-perry-n-halkitis-phd-ms-mph

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07/29/2026

👋 Meet Alexandra E. Black, a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies at !

Black is a social psychologist with expertise in relationship science and advanced quantitative methods. Her research investigates how committed partners navigate trust when facing relationship threats, and she plans to expand this framework to include the perspectives of bisexual people and their romantic partners. Additionally, her work examines how experiences of biphobia shape mental health and substance use among bisexual people. Her Model of Bisexual Stigma and Mental Health provides a roadmap for disrupting the harms of biphobia and supporting bi+ wellbeing.

💭 “There are barriers to bi+ people feeling accepted, but it’s so important that we show up proudly within our community spaces,” Black said. “My research highlights the unique stigma experiences of bisexual people in an attempt to dismantle biphobia. My goal while working at CHIBPS is to advocate for the perspectives of bi+ people to be considered in research and within the q***r community.”

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07/24/2026

Congratulations to Philip Demokritou, Henry Rutgers Chair and professor of nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at , on being named a 2026–2027 Fellow of the University of Surrey's Institute of Advanced Studies! 🌍🔬

The fellowship brings together leading scholars from around the world for interdisciplinary collaboration on complex global challenges. Demokritou will contribute his expertise in nanoscience, environmental health, and public health innovation.

💭 “Beyond the personal honor, I believe this fellowship presents an excellent opportunity for Rutgers School of Public Health to strengthen its international engagement in emerging environmental challenges,” he said. “The University of Surrey has internationally recognized strengths in sustainability, environmental health, air pollution engineering, AI, and public health, and this is a wonderful opportunity to build a collaborative partnership.”

🔗 Learn more: https://sph.rutgers.edu/news/philip-demokritou-named-university-surrey-institute-advanced-studies-fellow-2026-2027

Rutgers Health | Rutgers Research

Philip Demokritou, PhD, Henry Rutgers Chair and professor of nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at the Rutgers School of Public Health, has been named a 2026–2027 Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at the University of Surrey. Demokritou is also the founding director of t...

07/22/2026

📍🇬🇷 Athens | Delphi | Nafplio, Greece

This summer traveled to Greece for the global course, Food and the Mediterranean Culture, developed in partnership with Χαροκόπειο Πανεπιστήμιο.

Through in-class lectures and experiential learning, students examined the historical, cultural, and public health dimensions of food production and consumption in the Mediterranean region.

While abroad, students, faculty, and staff:

• Toured a museum, a wheat processing facility, and an artisanal bottarga producer
• Walked the “Footsteps of Socrates” above Athens
• Took a lesson on modern Mediterranean cooking techniques
• Explored the Ancient Agora and a traditional open-air market
• Learned family recipes from a Harokopio student
• Connected with local organizations, including Πρώτα το Παιδί - Children First and the Ινστιτούτο Prolepsis
• Attended a sports nutrition lecture at the Panathenaic Stadium

Learn about upcoming Rutgers Global opportunities, including studying public health in the Caribbean and Latin America, on our website! 🔗 go.rutgers.edu/svhw68e4

07/22/2026

Congratulations to two outstanding members of the community! 👏

Rafael Pérez-Figueroa, Associate Dean for Community Engagement, Population Health, and Global Public Health, and Michelle Edelstein, Chief Marketing Officer, have been named to NJBIZ's 2026 People to Watch in Healthcare list. They are recognized for their meaningful contributions to advancing public interest through their work and community service.

🔗 Learn more about their impactful leadership: https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-health-administrators-are-recognized-people-watch-health-care

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

Six professionals who work in administrative roles at Rutgers Health were recognized by NJBIZ on the business journal’s “2026 NJBIZ People to Watch in Healthcare” list, which identifies professionals on the front lines who, through their efforts, are helping to make New Jersey healthier. 

07/20/2026

A pilot study found that one of the most useful features of a new HIV-prevention guide may be a question it never asks: Why do you want to know about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP?

researchers Wendy Davis and Vice Dean Deanna Kerrigan developed a decision-making tool to help people compare daily oral PrEP and a newer injectable option for HIV prevention. What set the tool apart, participants said, was that it carried no risk assessment. Because it didn’t require them to disclose details of their personal lives, they didn’t feel they had to justify their interest in PrEP.

💭 “A big challenge in public health now is how we make people aware of these options so they can use them to their benefit," Davis said.

🔗 Learn more about the study and tool: https://sph.rutgers.edu/news/researchers-develop-hiv-prevention-guide-without-stigma-asking-about-risk

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University | Rutgers Research

The most useful thing about a new HIV-prevention guide may be a question it never asks: Why do you want to know about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP?

07/15/2026

As cyclosporiasis cases rise nationwide, the New York Post asked: is it time to skip the greens? 🥗

Dean Perry N. Halkitis weighed in with a clear message: "Don't panic." His advice: parasite outbreak or not, it is always good practice to wash herbs and berries thoroughly and refrigerate them properly.

🔗 Read the full article: https://nypost.com/2026/07/14/health/should-you-stop-eating-salad-because-of-explosive-diarrhea-parasite/

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

Michigan, the state with the highest number of cases of cyclosporiasis in the country, has a primary suspect for the source of the outbreak: lettuce.

07/06/2026

is excited to announce that Daniel Semenza, PhD, has joined the Department of Urban-Global Public Health as an associate professor. He is also the Director of Research for the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers. Semenza joins Rutgers with an extensive record of scholarship and leadership in firearm violence prevention.

🔗 Learn More: https://sph.rutgers.edu/news/daniel-semenza-joins-rutgers-school-public-health-and-new-jersey-gun-violence-research-center

Rutgers Health | Rutgers University

Daniel Semenza, PhD, has joined the Department of Urban-Global Public Health as an associate professor. He is also the Director of Research for the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

07/01/2026

is thrilled to announce that Dean Perry N. Halkitis will serve as a panelist at this year’s NAACP Health Summit, We The People: A Nation Rooted in Health.

Dean Halkitis will join fellow prominent thought leaders for the summit’s plenary, “The Charge: Revolution, Reconstruction, and Redesign,” sharing critical insights on building a sustainable and equitable foundation for health that truly serves all people.

📅 Friday, July 17, 2026
📍 Chicago, IL
🔗 Learn More & Register: https://naacp.org/convention

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