Fungal pathogens are often somewhat of an apparition, an unexpected and seemingly invisible opponent of good health, until they are exposed under a laboratory lens or on a chest X-ray. Jennifer Head is helping to compose the book on understanding these potent vectors of disease, which sometimes can be misdiagnosed as pneumonia, tuberculosis or cancer.
Jackie Goodrich, a research associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, studies PFAS chemicals in firefighting gear and their health risks like cancer. PFAS alter gene expression and persist in the environment. New EPA rules aim to mitigate exposure and protect public health.
As a second-year Environmental Health Sciences MPH student, London Kozlowski’s research includes studying the health impacts of benign tumors, noise exposure linked to strokes, and the Green Anesthesia Initiative focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The introductory course Foundations of Sustainable Food Systems explores the complexities and nuances of this topic, offering students all across the University of Michigan the ability to explore some of the interrelationships between core concepts within a food system, looking through the lenses of public health, environmental sustainability and the food policy process.
Kris Sarri, MPH ’97, exemplifies the University of Michigan mission of becoming leaders and best through her lifelong dedication to bettering the earth’s health through policy and action. Today, Sarri’s storied career is built upon two decades of work in Washington, DC, at the highest levels of the federal government.
Culinary medicine is something Louise Merriman holds “near and dear to her heart”—a concept she has incorporated in her career as a Registered Dietitian for nearly 40 years. Merriman is supporting the University of Michigan School of Public Health’s Department of Nutritional Sciences through a new, seven-figure planned gift, the Drs. Kenneth Scott and Amherst Merriman Culinary Medicine Fund.