To prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, Debra Furr-Holden has been working alongside a global network of public health and medical professionals, civic leaders, and activists. "Our efforts are unending. Yet here we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which is disproportionately taking the lives of black people. We are forced to confront the most enduring epidemic in America's existence, racism." Watch her personal video message.

Due to COVID-19, “contact tracing” has been added to our vocabulary. Not everyone understands it is essential to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. Mieka Smart, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Division of Public Health in the College of Human Medicine, answers questions about contact tracing. 

The National Institute of Mental Health awarded Jennifer Johnson and her colleague a $3.2 million, five-year grant to study the national Stepping Up Initiative. The primary aim is of the I.M. Stepping Up study is to improve treatment for individuals with mental illnesses and keep them out of jail. About two-thirds of individuals in jails have mental health problems yet most jails are ill-equipped to deal with complex issues.

Rodlescia Sneed is one of five researchers funded with a $250,000 grant through Policies for Action, a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She will be undertaking a two-year study to evaluate the potential impact of Medicaid work requirements on older recipients.

African Americans are overrepresented among reported coronavirus cases and deaths. A multitude of factors may explain the disparity in COVID-19 outcomes, including higher rates of comorbidities and implicit bias. To address this, we must apply a health equity lens and disaggregate the data.

March is Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness Month. Colorectal Cancer is often preventable and treatable, and screening can save lives. Yet, screening is underutilized, particularly among African Americans, who continue to bear an unjust Colorectal Cancer burden.

To share data around the well being of Flint Kids, the MSU-Hurley Pediatric Public Health Initiative and the Greater Flint Health Coalition will be hosting the first State of Flint Kids event on Friday, February 14, 2020, from 8 am – 10 am.

For people with psychiatric disorders, alcohol use and major depression are quite common. A new study may have uncovered key predictors for the combination of these disorders, information to aid in prevention and treatment.

The U.S. opioid epidemic is pronounced in low-income areas and where people lack health care services, which includes cities in Michigan and across the Rust Belt. Public health researchers set out to determine if opioid overdose deaths occur in patterns in Flint. 

Most seriously mentally ill inmates face daunting barriers to getting the medical and mental health care they need after they are released, which can lead to relapses, suicide attempts, and further arrests. Maji Debena believes peer navigators can help.

PBS News Hour reports on a number of programs that are working to encourage good nutrition for the children of Flint, Michigan. Triggered by high levels of lead in the drinking water and a public health crisis, how is Michigan State University making a difference?

Rodlescia Sneed is making a two-year commitment to engage in National Institutes of Health health disparities research in exchange for loan repayment for her graduate education. In her public health work, Sneed assesses how stress and social relationships impact health.