2022

Voices

Insights from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Outstanding Faculty Award Winners for 2022.

$1.4 Million Grant to Sylvester Researchers Will Help Construction Workers Quit Smoking

The Florida Department of Health recently awarded more than $1.4 million from the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program to Taghrid Asfar, M.D., at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, to help construction workers quit smoking.

Storms like Hurricane Ian exact a toll on public health long after the skies clear

The Florida Department of Health recently awarded more than $1.4 million from the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program to Taghrid Asfar, M.D., at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, to help construction workers quit smoking.

Study Links Sexual Minority Stress with Cellular Aging Among Gay Men with HIV and Recent Methamphetamine Use

In a new study, researchers in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine examined the association between accelerated cellular aging in gay men and sexual minority stress, a unique type of stress related to discrimination, stigma, concealment of sexual identity, prejudice, and even anticipation of prejudice in sexual minority men (e.g., gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men).

CDC Renews Funding for Study of Vector-Borne Diseases

The Southeast Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease (SECVBD) will continue its vital work for another five years, thanks to renewed funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Entomologist John Beier, Sc.D., a professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences, leads the Miller School’s SECVBD efforts in collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control Division.

Sylvester’s Outstanding Faculty for 2022: In Their Own Words

Dr. Taghrid Asfar is an internationally known expert on reducing tobacco use and related deaths, and is deeply committed to improving smoking cessation treatments in disadvantaged and high-risk populations. Dr. Asfar is principal investigator on several efforts to advance health communications strategies to limit tobacco use among children and young adults.

Miller School Students Present Timely Research on Vaccines and Pregnancy at National OB-GYN Conference

Two second-year medical students and a recent M.P.H. graduate from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine collaborated on studies looking at attitudes and uptake of vaccinations during pregnancy.

A new treaty to prevent a new pandemic

El Universal: Since the spread of COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization in January 2020, the effects of this pandemic have not stopped being felt throughout the planet. Although the threat has entered a new phase of relative stabilization in certain regions of the world, the recent wave of infections of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant that has hit Europe and Asia, once again increasing cases, hospitalizations and even deaths, reminds us that the challenge to the health of the planet's inhabitants remains.

University of Miami and Autonomous University of Zacatecas Sign Memorandum of Understanding

Eric C. Brown, Ph.D., Associate Professor with the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, pioneered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Universidad Autónoma De Zacatecas “Francisco García Salinas”) to develop a common understanding and willingness to collaborate on health promotion research activities.

Graduate commencement ceremonies celebrate more than 1,300 students

During Thursday’s two commencement exercises, Ricardo Lagos, a former Chilean president, encouraged graduates to strengthen democracy and respect the dignity of all humans, while Catherine Lhamon, with the U.S. Department of Education, implored students to “make the choice to stand for others and for equity.”

Two Ph.D. students of Epidemiology take part in the annual Society for Epidemiologic Research conference

Karlon H. Johnson Jr., MPH, and Ifedi Anikpo, MBBS, MPH, both Ph.D. students of Epidemiology, took part in SER’s annual meeting in Chicago, IL from June 14 - 17, 2022.

Sylvester’s Lead of Evidence-Based Survivorship Supportive Care Receives ABMR Early-Stage Investigator Award

Patricia I. Moreno, Ph.D., lead of evidence-based survivorship supportive care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was a recipient of the 2022 Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR) Early-Stage Investigator Award.

Concordia Americas Summit concludes with focus on technologies, migrations

On Thursday, the final day of the two-day summit, University leaders tackled pressing issues in Latin America related to the intersection of technology and democracy and the unfolding migration crisis. The event took place at the Shalala Student Center on the Coral Gables Campus.

Sylvester Researcher Addresses Hispanic Cancer Care Disparities during Panel Discussion with Dr. Jill Biden

Dr. Patricia Moreno, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and lead of evidence-based survivorship support care at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently participated in a panel discussion with First Lady Jill Biden in San Antonio, Texas on cancer prevention and treatment among Hispanics/Latinos.

Researcher Invited to U.S. Capitol to Discuss National Impact of Substance Use, Addiction

Dr. Guillermo "Willy" Prado, who is a former Director of the Division of Prevention Science and Community Health and current secondary professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, participated in a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C. on substance use and addiction.

Healthier Together

A Group-Based Approach to Weight Management and Lifestyle Change, created by two second-year M.D./M.P.H. students in the NextGenMD program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, recently graduated its first cohort of participants.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Care-Associated Infections in Intensive Care Units in Low and Middle-Income Countries: International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Findings

Dr. Victor Rosenthal, a research associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, recently co-authored the findings of a study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) on the impact of COVID-19 on health-care associated infections in intensive care units in low- and middle-income countries.

Advances in Estimating Mortality Associated with Tropical Cyclones in the US

Tropical cyclones have a devastating effect on society, but a comprehensive assessment of their association with cause-specific mortality over multiple years of study has been lacking. In order to better understand mortality associated with cyclones in the United States, JAMA researchers have published an editorial looking at how six underlying causes of death: cancers, cardiovascular diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, injuries, neuropsychiatric conditions, and respiratory diseases, have affected populations up to six months after a cyclone.

Miller School Investigators Compare Recovery from Open Versus Robotic Bladder Removal Surgery

Patients undergoing bladder removal surgery, known as cystectomy, need from three to six months to recover regardless of whether they have robot-assisted radical cystectomy or the traditional open approach, according to a multicenter study led by Miller School investigators and published in JAMA Network Open.

Public health researchers work to build a global response to outbreaks

Professor José Szapocznik and Dr. Jorge Saavedra are working with world leaders to foster a global treaty that would guide nations on how to respond to disease outbreaks and prevent pandemics.

New Grant Will Support Research to Examine Cancer Risks Among Wildland Firefighters

The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $1.5 million to a consortium of scientists that will examine occupational exposure to carcinogens among U.S. wildland firefighters.

The Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine receives seven-year re-accreditation

The Graduate Programs in Public Health was recently awarded a full, seven-year re-accreditation – the highest possible – by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). This decision extends the program’s accreditation status until 2029.

Medical workers shed light on gun violence

From children to adults, gun violence affects all sectors of the population. Miller School trauma surgeons, a former nurse, and a medical school alumna all agree that outreach and education can help curtail the devastating damage.

Employee pushes limits, commits to DCC mission

Christopher Fitzmaurice, current M.S. in Prevention Science and Community Health candidate and exercise physiologist at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares goal-shattering tips that have helped him fundraise for the Dolphins Challenge Cancer.