Boston University School of Public Health

Have you been considering pursuing your Master's of Public Health? There's still time to apply!

Learn more about our program offerings here ➡️ http://spr.ly/6184B8ZzIG

Congratulations to SPH's Patricia Fabian on receiving a Resilient Boston Award!

Fabian was honored for her multiple collaborations with the City of Boston at the 2026 Boston Climate Leader Awards, an annual initiative hosted by Mayor Michelle Wu and the city’s Environment Department to recognize organizations and individuals advancing Boston’s climate goals.

Her collaborations with the City of Boston have included the B-COOL pilot project, which evaluated whether Boston’s heat emergency system adequately reflects risks in neighborhoods experiencing extreme temperatures. Fabian has also contributed to regional climate resilience efforts through partnerships with community organizations and researchers studying environmental justice and urban heat islands.

Learn more ➡️ http://spr.ly/6185B8X19U

Senator John Keenan and his staff enlisted SPH students in Jacey Greece’s communications strategies course to devise interventions to draw attention to the health risks of sports betting in the commonwealth.

In January 2026, Sen. Keenan introduced Bill S.302 An Act addressing economic, health and social harms caused by sports betting, commonly known as the Bettor Health Act. The bill would place guardrails on the industry: bans on particularly risky bets, limits on betting ads during televised games, affordability checks on people making large wagers, higher taxes on online operators, and increased required contributions to the state Public Health Trust Fund.

Over the course of the 14-week semester, Sen. Keenan and his staff collaborated with two groups of SB806 students to devise strategic communications campaigns to better educate the public and other legislators on the risks of sports betting and to garner support for the Bettor Health Act. The students presented their final proposals to their Beacon Hill clients during the last session of the course in early May 2026.

Learn more about their proposals ➡️

Students Help Senator Tackle Health Harms of Sports Betting | SPH Senator John Keenan of the Massachusetts state legislature and his staff enlisted the help of students in Jacey Greece’s communications strategies course to devise interventions to draw attention to the health risks of sports betting the commonwealth.

A new study found that adolescents who were aware of their state’s minor consent laws were more likely to seek and receive testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, suggesting that teens’ accurate knowledge of their legal capacity to consent to healthcare services may be more important than the laws providing this right.

Learn more ➡️

Adolescents’ Knowledge of Legal Capacity to Independently Consent Linked to Higher STI/HIV Testing A new study found that adolescents who were aware of their state’s minor consent laws were more likely to seek and receive testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, suggesting that teens’ accurate knowledge of their legal capacity to consent to healthcare services may be more im...

While the current outbreak of the rare zoonotic virus will likely fizzle out, the termination of several global health partnerships and funding by the US means the nation has fewer tools to respond to the next pandemic or other international health crisis.

David Hamer, infectious disease expert and professor of global health at BUSPH, weighs in. ➡️

Hantavirus Outbreak Raises Greater Concern about Emergency Preparedness While the current outbreak of the rare zoonotic virus will likely fizzle out, the termination of several global health partnerships and funding by the US means the nation has fewer tools to respond to the next pandemic or other international health crisis.

BUSPH is at the World Health Assembly in Geneva this week! Please join us for another important Public Health Conversation tomorrow, May 20, either in-person in Geneva or online.

For this event, taking place in conjunction with the World Health Assembly, we are asking a select group of global public health leaders to answer the questions: What do you hope for public health around the world and how will it look like 50 years from now? What actions can we take globally to achieve this vision?

Learn more and register ➡️ http://spr.ly/6188BBALmw

“While this moment feels different and the challenges relentless, it is not unique,” said Robbie Goldstein, SPH's 2026 keynote speaker. “Public health has been here before.”

An infectious disease physician by training, he shared how his own journey into public health and medicine began during the height of the HIV epidemic in the US.

“What I remember more than the fear, death, and stigma was the response: the providers who did not turn away; the scientists, desperate for answers, who kept searching; the caregivers who showed compassion when too many others showed judgment; [and] the public health community standing firm in their commitment to access, to equity, and to hope,” said Goldstein. “That was when I decided what I wanted to do with my life.”

See more highlights from SPH's 2026 Convocation ➡️ http://spr.ly/6181BB4j1D

Last week, we hosted our graduating online MPH students in-person to celebrate their achievements!

Some of our students worked through this degree right here in Massachusetts, while some of our students completed their coursework from thousands of miles away. Many work full-time jobs and take care of families, all while earning their MPH.

While many students already feel like they know each other after many hours spent online together, it was exciting to connect in-person and celebrate this massive accomplishment.

Learn more about our online MPH program and see if it's the right fit for you ➡️ http://spr.ly/6181BBNUt7

It's been a beautiful weekend celebrating our grads! Congratulations to all of our graduates, and to the faculty, staff, and supporters, who helped get them here.

See these photos and more in our 2026 Convocation snapshot ➡️http://spr.ly/6189BBFU4z

"She was already doing the work before she even knew what the work was — little girl on the floor, books everywhere, pen in hand. No one told her to sit there. She didn't know she was preparing for a Master's degree. She just knew she loved to learn.

That was always enough. That was always the answer. Show up with curiosity, with heart, and with the audacity to believe your presence means something. It always did."

Congratulations, Jannatul! 🎉