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Department of Social and Behavioral Health News

Housed in the UNLV School of Public Health, the Department of Social and Behavioral Health consists of faculty who engage in research and develop and evaluate community-based programs that promote health and disease prevention. Our students learn to identify high-risk behaviors or trends in specific populations, as well as propose solutions that aim to improve overall public health in communities.

Current Social and Behavioral Health News

Tim Grigsby sitting on a UNLV bench in the Academic Mall
People |

After an unexpected start in public health, this professor of social and behavioral health is uncovering the complexities of substance misuse and childhood trauma.

A UNLV student studies with the Strip in the distance.
Campus News |

Headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

unlv pumpkins
Campus News |

A monthly roundup of the top news stories at UNLV, featuring the presidential election, gaming partnerships, and much more.

Josh Hawkins, UNLV
Campus News |

News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.

The Las Vegas skyline (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News |

A collection of news stories highlighting UNLV’s dedication to community and research.

man in suit sits in front of wall that reads "school of public health"
People |

The Outstanding Faculty Award winner has spent over 40 years helping us understand health behavior.

Social and Behavioral Health In The News

Indica News

The world celebrated World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, 2025, with the theme of “Yes, We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.” According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, approximately 10.8 million people were affected by TB globally, including 6.0 million males, 3.6 million women, and 1.3 million children. No country or age group has been spared by TB. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, 9,633 cases of TB were reported which was an increase of 15.6% over the previous year.  It needs to be noted that TB is preventable and curable. Can we eradicate TB like we did smallpox?

IndiaCurrents

Dr. Manoj Sharma, Professor of Social and Behavioral Health and Internal Medicine, answers queries on the ‘empty nest syndrome’.

Indica News

One of the twentieth-century public health achievements that was touted was the prevention of dental caries through fluoridation of water. But the recent political climate has challenged this, and the debate is on. What are the pros and cons of fluoridation of public water?

Yahoo!

The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday.

Washington Post

The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday.

Las Vegas Sun

Four months ago, Tara McKay, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University, received an award from the National Institutes of Health recognizing her contributions to the field of LGBTQ+ health research.

Social and Behavioral Health Experts

An expert on health behavior and coping with stress.
An expert on drug misuse and addiction.
An expert on lactation, breastfeeding, and maternal and child health and nutrition.
An expert on health disparities and LGBTQ aging adults with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Recent Social and Behavioral Health Accomplishments

Manoj Sharma (Social & Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article association with coauthors from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences titled, “The effects of saffron supplementation on inflammatory factors and clinical outcomes in sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU): Study protocol for a double-blind…
Manoj Sharma (Social & Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article association with coauthors from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences titled, “The effects of concurrent alpha-linolenic acid, L-carnitine supplementation on clinical symptoms, mental health, and quality of life in women with migraine: A randomized, triple-…
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article as a senior collaborator in the GBD 2021 Adolescent BMI Collaborators Group titled, “Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: A forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease…
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article as a senior collaborator in the GBD 2021 Adult BMI Collaborators Group titled, “Global, regional, and national prevalence of adult overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: A forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021,” in The…
Ph.D. student Laurencia Bonsu (Global and Environmental Health) has received the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees Fellowship. The fellowship is granted over four semesters to doctoral students in the final two years of their program. Bonsu’s research focuses on lead contamination in water sources caused by illegal mining in Ghana. During her…
Erika Marquez (Environmental and Occupational Health), Amanda Haboush-Deloye (Social and Behavioral Health), Jay Shen (Healthcare Administration and Policy) and Binita Adhikari (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) coauthored a paper titled “Factors Associated with Hospital Length of Stay and Intensive Care Utilization Among Pediatric COVID-19 Patients…