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School of Public Health 
Scarletter
December 2020
Keeping the 'Public' in Public Health
Season's Greetings: School & Student Leadership
"In this year that has been filled with too much darkness, may this season and the New Year 2021 be filled with glimmering light!"

Perry N. Halkitis, Dean
-AND-
The Leadership Team of the
Rutgers School of Public Health
Our Research
Featured Research
Stress related to the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty of what the future holds is motivating people to purchase firearms, a trend that may be more prevalent in those who already own firearms, according to a new study led by Michael Anestis, associate professor in the department of urban-global public health and executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. Learn More
States need to implement a uniform system of collecting sexual orientation and gender identity demographic data to better understand the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on LGBTQ communities, according to a new Rutgers School of Public Health Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) paper. Learn More
Exposure to metals such as nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead may disrupt a woman’s hormones during pregnancy, according to a new study led by Zorimar Rivera-Núnez, assistant professor in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology. Learn More
Expertise
Older adults should avoid making trips to the supermarket and instead use curbside pick-up or food delivery services based on new data that reinforces guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that in-person grocery shopping during the coronavirus pandemic is risky, according to Leslie M. Kantor, professor and chair of the department of urban-global public health. Learn More
A national ban on menthol cigarettes
will help prevent young people from starting to smoke and lower national smoking rates, particularly among vulnerable groups, according to Cristine Delnevo, professor in the department of health behavior, society, and policy, and director of the Center for Tobacco Studies and Ollie Ganz, instructor in the department of health behavior, society, and policy and and a researcher at the tobacco center.
Grants
Anita Kinney, professor in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology and associate director for population science and community outreach at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, is one of ten recipients across the nation of an American Cancer Society and Pfizer community grant of $399,892 to support investigation into reducing racial health disparities in cancer care through precision oncology and immunotherapy. Learn More
Our People
Student Highlight: Bintu Fofana
As COVID-19 rates rise, temperatures drop, and the weather worsens, getting meals to those in need should be a top priority, says Bintu Fofana, a Rutgers School of Public Health student, who penned an op-ed for the New Jersey Star Ledger.
Group Highlight: Community Living Education Project
Learn how the Rutgers School of Public Health Community Living Education Project (CLEP) adapted to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to support families trying to make living arrangements for their adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Awards
Leslie M. Kantor, professor and chair of the department of urban-global public health, has been named the 2020 Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence recipient from the Mailman School of Public Health. Established in 2007, the award recognizes the achievements of the school's outstanding alumni and their leadership in the field of public health. Learn More
Our Reach
News Clippings
Vaccine Roll Out Doesn't Mean We Stop Basic COVID-19 Prevention:
While the COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out in New Jersey, according to Henry F. Raymond, associate professor in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology, people should still be doing the things they have done to mitigate acquiring or transmitting the virus. Read NJ.com

The Coronavirus Thrives on People Being Careless: Infectious disease experts, like Vince Silenzio, professor in the department of urban-global public health,  knew the coronavirus would thrive, and continue thriving, in places where people gathered. "This is a virus that we know is very happy to take advantage of people being careless," says Silenzio. Read Mashable

Combatting Vaccine Skepticism: Vaccine skepticism is high among Black communities - with the Pew Research Center finding in December that 42% of Black American adults said they would get a vaccine, compared with 83% of English-speaking Asian Americans, 63% of Hispanics and 61% of whites. According to Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, "people are more likely to be persuaded if they see someone they respect— celebrities or community leaders, for instance— endorse the vaccine." Read MSN News

Crossroads of a Plague: The worst pandemic in a century has ravaged Newark and its Black community. It was a tragedy decades in the making. According to Leslie Kantor, professor and chair of the department of urban-global public health, “Black and brown communities were hit much harder because people are much more likely to be working in jobs where they had to go in person and interact with people." Read NJ.com
Keep Masking Campaign
Share a selfie and tag @RutgersSPH on social to set an example by showing and telling us how you're practicing COVID-19 prevention!
Even with a vaccine being rolled out, continue "keeping the 'public' in public health" by wearing a mask consistently, physically distancing, socializing with non-household members outside with masks on, washing your hands regularly, getting tested if you think you may have been exposed, and cooperating with contact tracers.

"Keeping the 'Public' in Public Health" masks and gear will be available in early spring via our bi-annual swag sale.
Our Events
Student Welcome Week
Coordinated by the Office of Student Support Services, students will be invited to participate in a variety of activities during Welcome Week (January 19-29, 2021). Activities include departmental socials, Q&A sessions, and skill building trainings. To learn more and RSVP, visit the Student Connect Canvas page.
Virtual Events
Adobe Stock Photos
Check out the Rutgers School of Public Health's events calendar to learn about and/or join various events hosted, co-hosted, or supported by the School.
Rutgers School of Public Health
683 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08854
732-235-9700
One Riverfront Plaza, Suite 1020
Newark, NJ 07102
973-972-7212
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