Rutgers School of Public Health

@rutgerssph.bsky.social

Keeping the ‘public’ in public health through excellence in scholarship, education, and community engagement in New Jersey, the U.S., and the world 🌍 | https://sph.rutgers.edu

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 7:54 PM

Lead contamination in soil tracked inside homes can cause dangerous indoor lead dust levels, even in homes with no interior lead-based paint, according to an East Trenton, New Jersey study. Led by alumnus Sean Stratton, PhD. Learn more 👉 go.rutgers.edu/m1zegztq

#RutgersSPH #PublicHealth

Research graphic from the Rutgers School of Public Health titled "Contaminated Soil Poses Hidden Lead Threat Inside Homes." Quote from Sean Stratton, PhD, SPH’26, alumnus and lead author: "This is especially concerning because all samples were collected from bare soil at the surface, which is the most likely to be accessed by children or tracked into homes." Background photo: a shoe with a dirty sole on a carpet.

Key findings slide. What researchers found in 242 soil samples from 122 homes in East Trenton, New Jersey, and in interior dust samples from 42 of those homes. Contaminated soil: a ring labeled 86%, with the text "86% of bare surface soil samples exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) residential soil lead hazard level." Lead dust inside homes: 80% of floor dust samples exceeded the safety threshold in homes without interior lead-based paint, shown as eight of ten sample icons filled in. Not just older homes: a house's age doesn't rule out lead dust, even though consumer uses of lead-based paint were banned in 1978. Footer: Learn more, link in caption.

@rutgersarc.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 4:06 PMReposted by @rutgerssph.bsky.social

A new @rutgerssph.bsky.social and @rutgersifh.bsky.social study found U.S. benzodiazepine prescriptions declined 26.7% from 2013–2024, with average doses also decreasing. Learn more: ttps://loom.ly/menHybQ

@njgvrc.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 7:21 PMReposted by @rutgerssph.bsky.social

We’re excited to welcome Naomi Cruz, Lexie Contreras, and Nicole Asa to the GVRC team. Their work will support research across critical areas of firearm violence prevention. We’re excited to have them on board!

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 9:55 PM

Students have become one of her greatest teachers, writes Jaya Satagopan, PhD, associate dean for faculty affairs and professor at #RutgersSPH. We are proud to have faculty who, like her, keep learning alongside their students. Read more 👇
magazine.amstat.org/blog/2026/09...

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 8:21 PM

Discover what it’s like to pursue your graduate degree at the Rutgers School of Public Health! Join our virtual Open House on Zoom Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. ET to hear from Dean Perry N. Halkitis and connect with faculty, staff, and students.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 3:37 PM

#RutgersSPH NJ Gun Violence Research Center (@njgvrc.bsky.social) received a grant to bring The Armory Project, a voluntary firearm storage program to help prevent suicide, to New Jersey for the first time.

Led by Allie Bond, PhD, and @mikeanestis.bsky.social.
Learn more 👉 go.rutgers.edu/rkrg6xlu

Rutgers School of Public Health graphic tagged School News & Updates, titled "Rutgers School of Public Health Receives Grant to Bring Voluntary Firearm Storage Program to New Jersey." Quote from Allie Bond, PhD, assistant professor and principal investigator: "The Armory Project gives us the opportunity to work directly with firearm owners, retailers, ranges, and community partners to make temporary firearm storage a safe, accessible, and accepted option, particularly for Veterans and their families." Photo of Allie Bond smiling in front of a blurred building interior.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 30, 2026, 7:15 PM

Snapshots of the first few weeks of Fall 2026 at #RutgersSPH in Piscataway and Newark. 📸🍂 Welcome events, first classes, and coming together as a community.

@rutgerscshp.bsky.social Sep 30, 2026, 1:02 PMReposted by @rutgerssph.bsky.social

This week, we're sharing some #WednesdayWisdom from CSHP colleague Paul Duberstein, a clinical psychologist and professor at @rutgerssph.bsky.social.

He is quoted in a @vox.com article about the importance of speaking to your doctor about your #mentalhealth: go.rutgers.edu/sdck61rx

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 5:23 PM

Lead author Rebecca Woofter, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral associate at #RutgersSPH, spoke with @newsweek.com about the findings and where parents can find mental health support. Read the story 👇
www.newsweek.com/postpartum-d...

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 5:21 PM

Infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms immediately after delivery had a higher risk of dying before their first birthday, according to a Rutgers-led study of 414,000+ New Jersey births. Learn more about what the researchers found 👉 go.rutgers.edu/z1vobd2o
@jama.com

Research graphic from the Rutgers School of Public Health titled "Perinatal Depression and Infant Mortality." Quote from Rebecca Woofter, PhD, MPH, postdoctoral associate and lead author: "We found an association between maternal depressive symptoms and infant mortality across many different groups of mothers and infants. These findings don't mean that maternal depression is causing infant deaths, but it does tell us there is an important relationship here that we need to understand much better." Background photo: hands resting on a pregnant belly.

Key findings from more than 414,000 New Jersey births from 2016 through 2020, linked with infant death records through 2021. First: 7.2 versus 2 infant deaths per 1,000 births when mothers reported depressive symptoms versus when they didn't. Second: A consistent pattern. The association appeared across many different groups of mothers and infants. Third: Higher risk of death related to prematurity, perinatal conditions, congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 6:40 PM

#RutgersSPH Associate Dean Rafael Pérez-Figueroa joined a UN Foundation & VEEC global health roundtable. He and Vice Dean Deanna Kerrigan also visited the Mexican Consulate's Ventanilla de Salud. Two different rooms, one shared goal: advancing #HealthEquity through partnership.

Thirteen people stand in a row for a group photo in a wood-paneled meeting room. Behind them are an American flag, a New Jersey state flag and a purple New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs banner. In the foreground, a table holds name placards for representatives of the New Jersey Department of Health, the Vaccine Equity Education Coalition and the Office of Senator Andy Kim, along with handouts and water bottles.

Two people smiling side by side in a wood-paneled meeting room. On the left, a man with a shaved head and short beard wears a dark jacket over a black-and-white geometric-print shirt and khaki pants. On the right, a woman with shoulder-length dark hair wears a black blazer, a navy floral blouse and white pants. Behind them are windows with cream curtains, award plaques and a purple New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs banner.

Eleven people stand in a line for a group photo in a room decorated with red, white and green papel picado banners reading "Consulado de México en New Brunswick." A Mexican flag stands among them. Several people wear matching navy jackets with ID badges. A wall-mounted screen shows a Spanish-language message: "Paisana, paisano, lleva la información contigo: Escanea, consulta y guarda" ("Take the information with you: scan, check and save"), with QR codes.

@rutgerscshp.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 3:19 PMReposted by @rutgerssph.bsky.social

Today’s #FindingsFriday insight comes from an article by CSHP's Assistant Research Professor John Palatucci and Joel Cantor with @rutgerssph.bsky.social's Alan Monheit.

It explores the association of parental #behavioralhealth disorders with adverse #childhood experiences: go.rutgers.edu/ydx8gp3g

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 4:46 PM

#RutgersSPH researchers found nearly half of the 837 Instagram posts they analyzed from intoxicating hemp brands used youth-oriented imagery. Learn more about the study and its implications 👉 go.rutgers.edu/7ptpl76j

@juliachensankey.bsky.social @ru-ints.bsky.social @addictionjournal.bsky.social

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 3:59 PM

As New Jersey’s academic public health hub, #RutgersSPH works closely with NJDOH on research, education, workforce development, and community health initiatives. Next week, we’re excited to welcome Commissioner Raynard E. Washington, PhD, MPH, and NJDOH leaders to continue building our partnership.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 3:48 PM

New findings on hidden hormone disruptors in everyday products, the launch of a research institute, our experts on NPR, and more: the Fall 2026 edition of our newsletter, The Scarletter, is here! Meet the people advancing #PublicHealth in New Jersey and around the world.
👉 go.rutgers.edu/5regzkug

Graphic for The Scarletter, Fall 2026 edition, from Rutgers Health School of Public Health, over a fall campus scene. In this edition: Welcome to the New Academic Year, Meet Our New Leadership, Faculty and Staff Honors, Public Health in Action, Celebrating Alumni Achievements, New Research and Initiatives, and National Media Coverage. Read at go.rutgers.edu/5regzkug.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 7:08 PM

RISES — Rutgers Health Institute for Scientific Excellence in Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Well-Being, directed by Tamara Taggart — held its Fall 2026 Hub Meeting at #RutgersSPH. Co-leaders refined the strategic plan, set priorities, and planned the pilot award program and launch event.

Tamara Taggart, director of RISES, speaks while seated at a conference table, gesturing slightly as she talks. Two attendees are visible from behind in the foreground — one with light hair in a blue patterned blouse, one in a blue plaid shirt — with open laptops and papers on the table in front of them.

A university classroom with rows of red chairs and light wood tables. About nine people sit near the front with open laptops and coffee, facing a presenter standing at a podium. Two wall-mounted screens display a slide titled "Review Hub Co-Lead Roles," listing strategic plan review, initiatives supporting the Institute's mission, building awareness and partnerships, and the Community Partners and Translation Group.

@jsadjournal.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 12:06 PMReposted by @rutgerssph.bsky.social

Brief Intervention Versus More Extensive Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): Testing the Comparability Hypothesis (new in @jsadjournal.bsky.social 87/5)

by Patrick R. Clifford et al.

@mlsteinberg.bsky.social @rutgersarc.bsky.social @rutgerssph.bsky.social

www.jsad.com/doi/full/10....

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 7:38 PM

Join us 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟰, 𝗮𝘁 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. for our 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝: 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙤 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙡. Panelists will share how their backgrounds shaped their paths in public health, followed by a live Q&A.

#HispanicHeritageMonth

An event flyer titled "Latinos in Public Health: Graduate Student & Alumni Panel" features flags from various Latino and Hispanic countries.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 7:33 PM

During #HispanicHeritageMonth, #RutgersSPH honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. The diversity of our people, experiences, and perspectives is our greatest strength and drives our commitment to achieving health equity for all.
Hear from our community ⬇️

Rafael E. Pérez-Figueroa in academic regalia beside a School of Public Health banner. Quote: "At the Rutgers School of Public Health, we are proud of the many Hispanic and Latino students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners whose work advances research, education, practice, and policy to improve the health of our communities." Rafael E. Pérez-Figueroa, MD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community Engagement, Population Health, and Global Public Health.

Zorimar Rivera-Núñez smiling in a blue blazer. Quote: "Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate our communities, our contributions, and the perspectives we bring to public health. I am committed to mentoring students and helping them recognize that their experiences and perspectives are strengths that can shape the future of public health." Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.

Michelle M. Ruidíaz-Santiago smiling. Quote: "In public health, we know that strong communities are key to health and well-being. By celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the strengths that sustain our communities and the partnerships that help create opportunities for all of us to thrive." Michelle M. Ruidíaz-Santiago, Executive Assistant, Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy.

Bryan Balarezo in a shirt and tie in front of a colorful quilt. Quote: "For me, Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder that many of us come from the same communities we aim to serve. Let us take those experiences and combine them with our education, research, and passion to create change that prevents health inequities." Bryan Balarezo, Master of Public Health Student, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.

@rutgerssph.bsky.social Sep 11, 2026, 7:10 PM

Today, we honor the lives lost on 9/11 and the heroes who answered the call.

It's also a reminder that our work isn't finished. We stand with those still fighting 9/11-related illnesses. Their health is why we do this work, and we'll keep doing it. Learn more: sph.rutgers.edu/news/answeri...

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