In May 2024, Becky Ofrane became part of the inaugural cohort of Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) graduates at the Rutgers School of Public Health. With a career spanning biochemical engineering, environmental health, and maternal and child health, she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to improving public health systems and outcomes.

For terminally ill cancer patients, the final days of life are immensely personal, having the choice to continue cancer treatments, or to stop treatments and prioritize a more comfortable passing.

The average consumer is exposed to more than one hundred chemicals a day through personal care products (PCPs) alone, according to a Rutgers Health study that examined the chemical exposures occurring through the specific products used daily by study participants.

Micro- and nanoscale plastic particles in soil and water can significantly increase how much toxic chemicals plants and human intestinal cells absorb, according to two new studies from Rutgers Health that raise fresh concerns about food safety from plastic pollution.

This year’s Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, explores the significant role of Black labor throughout history—spanning from enslaved Africans’ forced agricultural work to the organized labor movements fighting for justice and economic equity.

To commemorate Black History Month and deepen our understanding of this theme, we sat down with Teri Lassiter, Assistant Dean for Justice, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for Education and an assistant professor in the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the Rutgers School of Public Health, to discuss the historical and modern implications of Black labor, its connection to social justice, and the lessons we must take forward.

Min-Jeong Yang, Ph.D., M.S., has joined the Rutgers School of Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy as an assistant professor. She has also joined the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies as core faculty.

Patients taking a commonly used stimulant for the treatment of binge eating disorder experienced mixed results, according to Rutgers researchers.

“Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States, yet there is no drug specifically developed for the condition that affects people of all racial and ethnic groups," said Abanoub Armanious, a master of science student at Rutgers School of Public Health and lead author of the study.

Researchers at Rutgers University have found that adverse childhood experiences can make people more sensitive to potential threats from others, which in turn increases their risk of engaging in defensive gun use in adulthood.

Many mental health care clinicians don’t ask all of their patients whether they have access to firearms, an important step in firearm injury prevention, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

The prevalence of diagnosed disorders from recurrent use of sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has increased sharply since 2001, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

While traditional sustainability efforts often focus on environmental concerns, there is a growing need to focus on the interconnectedness of planetary health and human health. The climate crisis is a public health issue and threat multiplier, intensifying existing health disparities within societies. Achieving environmental justice is inherently tied to advancing public health.