How virtual town halls can help build COVID-19 vaccine confidence among minority communities

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Building trust with minority communities through virtual town halls and community partnerships can help reduce vaccine hesitancy, suggests a recent study published by researchers from Florida International University (FIU). Vaccine hesitancy poses a challenge for global vaccine initiatives. Social media can be a breeding ground for misinformation, and public health experts have needed to get […]

Stempel College ranks among the top 16 schools of public health at public universities for NIH research funding

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The Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University holds steady at No. 16 in the nation for public health schools at public universities receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, according to this year’s annual rankings by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Overall, Stempel College ranked No. […]

Stempel College alumna turned USDA scientist inspires Black students to pursue their dreams

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“Do you have plants, animals or seeds with you?” It’s a question travelers get asked before entering the United States after taking a trip abroad. “The reason they are asking is that you mustn’t introduce anything foreign into our agricultural system,” said Deirdra Chester ’03, a science advisor with the United States Department of Agriculture […]

FIU Ph.D. student explores new link between insecticide and Alzheimer’s disease

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Ferass Sammoura first crossed paths with insecticides while playing soccer with his friends in the city streets of Lebanon. “I remember seeing big trucks with tanks spray a fog of insecticides throughout the streets,” Sammoura said. “When they finished, they told us it was ok to continue playing. So, we would wait for the fog […]

Stempel College’s Chair of Global Health to help strengthen global cancer prevention guidelines

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The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF, in official relations with the World Health Organization) has selected Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, chair of global health at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, to serve as the global representative on the Expert Panel for the Continuous Update Project. This initiative focuses on uncovering how […]

Stempel College Ph.D. grad lands role as Director of Epidemiology at health department in West Virginia

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photo of abir rahman at a desk wearing a mask
In April 2021, Abir Rahman, a Ph.D. graduate from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University (FIU), received news that he landed a position as the Director of Epidemiology at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD) in West Virginia. At the time, he was a Graduate Assistant at Stempel […]

Excellence in Health: A Year in Review

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The Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work has released its 2021 Impact Report: Excellence in Health. The report is a collection of stories that highlight the impactful work being done by Stempel College faculty, staff, and students. The past two years have tested communities, and the Stempel College community has stepped up […]

Epidemiology professor offers tips on how to protect yourself from Omicron

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The highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has led to a significant rise in infections and breakthrough cases across the country. Mary Jo Trepka, professor and chair of epidemiology at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, answers questions on how to best protect yourself and your loved ones. What is the […]

Dean of FIU-Stempel College awarded 2022 Society of Toxicology Translational Impact Award

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Tomás R. Guilarte, Ph.D., dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work and professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Florida International University, is the recipient of this year’s prestigious Society of Toxicology Translational Impact Award. The Society of Toxicology (SOT) is a professional and scholarly organization of scientists […]