Health Impact Spring 2025

Welcome to the Spring 2025 edition of Health Impact, the official publication of the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, connecting alumni, colleagues, students, friends and the community.

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Download the Spring 2025 Health Impact Issue

In this issue:

From the Dean

Message from Dean Jean Wactawski-Wende
3/18/25
Welcome to the Spring 2025 edition of Health Impact.

Trending at SPHHP

Mentorship Program Brings Public Health Minds Together
3/18/25
Mentors: knowledgeable, helpful, engaged—and often hard to come by.
New Center, Interprofessional Education Welcome Leaders
3/18/25
The director of SPHHP’s newest center is all about “creating an incubator.”

Inquiry and Scholarship

More Evidence about Harms of Alcohol
3/18/25
The work of Jo L. Freudenheim, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, is contributing to growing evidence about the connections between alcohol and adverse health outcomes.
Faculty Awards
3/18/25
Three faculty members have received significant funding awards to support their groundbreaking research.

SPHHP in Depth

Feeding the Future
3/18/25
From Veggie Vans to food policy reform, innovative programs are reshaping access to healthy meals—on the campus and beyond.

Events

Perry, Lee Lecturers Aim for Meaningful Results from Complex Factors, Data
3/18/25
Our exposure to the environment is made up of more than the air we breathe. Add noise, light, natural vegetation, water and more, and you’ve got the “exposome”—the factors around us that can affect our health.
Gresham Lecturer Advocates for Universal Design
3/18/25
In architectural design, the understanding of how places are accessed and used by all people, regardless of ability, is crucial.

Faculty and Staff Updates

Honors and Accomplishments
3/18/25
Celebrating excellence in teaching, research, and service, several faculty members have been recognized with prestigious awards and honors this year.
Blair Goes the Distance with Network Optimization
3/18/25
For Rachael Hageman Blair, PhD, complex biological networks aren't abstract mathematical concepts: they're tools that could help solve real-world challenges, from containing disease outbreaks to optimizing plant genetics.

Student Connections

Athlete to Aspiring Dietitian: A Conversation with Alexa Hurley
3/18/25
Foodie and college athlete Alexa Hurley is a first-year student in the School of Public Health and Health Professions’ Clinical Nutrition MS program. Her dual interests have serendipitously converged into a passion for bringing fact-based nutrition practice to patients.
Student Accomplishments
3/18/25
Highlighting outstanding achievements in academics, research, and leadership, students from have earned prestigious awards and honors this year.

Alumni in Focus

Nkume Sobe Listens to His Voice Within
3/18/25
As a high schooler in the Rochester, New York area, Nkume Sobe, DPT ’10, took part in the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) at the University of Rochester.
Eminent Researcher Giovino is SPHHP's Distinguished Alumnus
3/18/25
Gary Giovino, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award for the School of Public Health and Health Professions.

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Health Impact Spring 2025

In this issue:

From the Dean

Trending at SPHHP

Inquiry and Scholarship

SPHHP in Depth

Events

Faculty and Staff Updates

Student Connections

Alumni in Focus

Research

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