Student putting fluid samples into a dish

School of Public Health News

The School of Public Health is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people worldwide. Our departments, programs, and research units work to provide a diverse education, practical training experience, and numerous community involvement opportunities to prepare students to become leaders and professionals in the field of public health.

Current Public Health News

Maria Palapa Vargas on blue bench holding infant
People |

Maria Palapa Vargas named 2025 Student Service Award winner for her work to provide lactation and nutrition support to families.

individual receiving a vaccination from masked health practitioner
Campus News |

A group of faculty, students, and alumni roll out a campaign that encourages parents to complete their child's vaccine series. 

A UNLV banner hangs against the background of a bright blue sky
Campus News |

A UNLV-record 28 graduate and professional programs placed within the nation’s top 100 in their discipline, including 14 from Boyd School of Law.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

Francisco Sy in office by wall of framed diplomas and certificates
People |

Here's why Public Health's Dr. Francisco Sy hopes others will support students during the Rebels Give campaign.

individual taking photo of person covered in pie
Campus News |

Join fellow Rebels on March 27 in a day of giving, celebration, and friendly competition — all for a great cause.

Public Health In The News

Indica News

Methylene blue is a chemical that is used in treating methemoglobinemia, a rare disease in which hemoglobin in red blood cells has a reduced capacity to carry oxygen to the various parts of the body. It is also used in treating malaria with Plasmodium falciparum, drug-induced encephalopathy (a brain inflammation due to taking ifosfamide, a cancer treatment drug), and for diagnostic purposes, such as in examining the lymph nodes near the breast and parathyroid glands during their removal. It is also used as an antidote for nitrite or aniline poisoning.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

As mosquito numbers rise, so does the risk of various diseases.

Drug Discovery News

Vaxart’s orally administered vaccine tablet was safe and elicited mucosal immunity in older adults.

Time.news

Imagine a world where acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus—one of the most contagious viruses known to humankind—could be prevented with a simple tablet. With Vaxart’s innovative oral norovirus vaccine, we may be on the cusp of that reality. As norovirus continues to wreak havoc on public health, particularly among vulnerable populations, this breakthrough offers a ray of hope in the battle against viral infections.

Las Vegas Review Journal

More than three-quarters of Clark County schools began the academic year with a reported kindergarten vaccination rate of less than 95 percent, the threshold needed to prevent an outbreak of the highly contagious virus, new data shows.

Indica News

Tattoos have become quite prevalent, especially in the younger generation. Tattoos include the administration of exogenous pigments into the deep layer of the skin (dermis) to create a permanent design. Tattoos have been administered for over 5000 years, and at present are a common cosmetic practice all over the world.

Public Health Experts

An expert in program evaluation.
An expert on issues regarding healthcare policy and strategic management.
An expert on health disparities and LGBTQ aging adults with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
An expert in health disparities, children's health, and culturally responsive health communication.
An expert on drug misuse and addiction.
An expert on health behavior and coping with stress.

Recent Public Health Accomplishments

Asma Awan (Social and Behavioral Health) and Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) presented a poster titled, “A qualitative interpretive approach to examine different aspects of experiential learning in public health students" at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Conference held at Long Beach,…
Barbara Lewis (Public Health) presented her research on "Patient and Family Advisory Councils" to the Arkansas Hospital Association. 
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) has been ranked 20th globally in Stress Management in his career in the database, Scholar GPS, which ranks over 29 million scientists. Sharma is known for the books, Practical Stress Management (8th ed.), Introspective Meditation for Complete Contentment (Santosha) (2nd ed.),…
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article titled, “Exploring barriers to formal mental health help-seeking among Iranian adolescent girls: A qualitative study using the PRECEDE model,” in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth (5-year Impact factor 3.8) with coauthors from Shiraz University of…
Kavita Batra (Medicine) and Manoj Sharma (Public Health), alongside the GBD 2021 Asthma and Allergic Diseases Collaborators, published a study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine on the global burden of asthma and atopic dermatitis (1990–2021) with projections to 2050. While total cases are expected to rise, age-standardized prevalence rates should…
Kimberly Jones-Rudolph, Wilfredo Lacro, Larry Hurst, and Jay Shen (all Healthcare Administration and Policy) have published a paper, "Organizational Characteristics Associated with Addressing Community Social Determinants of Health in U.S. Hospitals: A National Perspective," in Hospitals. Jones-Rudolph, Lacro, and Hurst are doctoral…