As you are no doubt aware, over the past few weeks Temple University has experienced an outbreak of mumps, an infection that presents like the flu, with painful swelling in glands on the face and along the jawline. For those over the age of 18, mumps is particularly dangerous, especially for those who have a weakened immune system caused by other conditions, treatments, or genetic disorders.
Each week in 2019, we're highlighting someone in the College of Public Health—students, alumni, researchers and beyond—for a feature we're calling Public Health in Focus. Click the photo for a portrait of Patrick Kelly, a senior public health major who works as a research assistant in two labs, or read on for the full interview.
Previous research shows that contact from Child Protective Services (CPS) can have significant, long-term implications for children and their parents. Children who are involved with the child welfare system have been shown to face poorer mental health, developmental and social outcomes.
David B. Sarwer, associate dean of research and director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), has been elected as a fellow to the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.
The start of a new year can feel like a good opportunity to reset unhealthy behaviors. But while many people will resolve to “exercise more” or “eat healthy” in the new year, evidence suggests that most will have abandoned these resolutions by early February. With the end of January 2019 nearing, we asked faculty members at the College of Public Health to weigh in on popular resolutions.
A new project by Gina Tripicchio, assistant professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was selected as one of 10 winners in the first phase of the Using Technology to Prevent Childhood Obesity in Low-Income Families and Communities Challenge by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Last winter saw one of the most severe flu seasons in recent memory. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 million were hospitalized due to influenza-related symptoms and an estimated 80,000 people died — making the 2017–2018 season the deadliest in over a decade.
After receiving a cancer diagnosis, navigating the pathways of existing treatments can be complicated. But recently developed genetic tests for tumors have added a new layer of complexity to the cancer recovery process. Tumor genetic testing, also known as tumor genomic profiling or TGP, can help doctors find a targeted approach to treating cancerous tumors, but the testing also reveals a wealth of information about an individual’s genetic code, including what other cancers he or she is susceptible to.
Research shows that breastfeeding through the first six months of a child’s life can have key health benefits for infants, such as reduced risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well as for mothers, such as a lesser likelihood of high blood pressure and breast cancer.
According to the CDC, nearly 14 percent of adults smoke nationwide; while this number continues to drop, smoking rates in low-income and minority groups are often more than 25 percent.