Colorado School of Public Health News and Stories

“Timeliness of care makes a big difference in outcomes,” said Dr. Evelinn Borrayo, associate director in the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor in the Department of Community & Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, who leads the five-year trial. “Timely treatment improves survivorship, quality of life and mental health.”

UCHealth | April 19, 2024

Sixteen words sum up the mission of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) at the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH). It is to “shape policies, practices, and programs that support a fair, diverse, and respectful environment for all individuals.”

Tyler Smith | January 23, 2024

If one goes in search of a stark public health problem, it’s difficult to avoid rates of hypertension in the Black community. The disease threatens all groups, but the percentage of Black adults with high blood pressure (at 59%) is by far the highest. In the relatively healthier state of Colorado, the incidence of high blood pressure among Blacks is much lower (at 34%), but it is still the highest by far among all groups in the state.

Tyler Smith | December 19, 2023

The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) has published a supplemental issue of Cancer Causes and Control to mark the Network’s 20th anniversary. As one of the Network Centers since 2019, the Colorado-based CPCRN site in the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (RMPRC) at the Colorado School of Public Health played an integral part of in the writing and release of this supplement.

Colorado School of Public Health | December 12, 2023

The Executive Order on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) issued by President Biden on October 30 is a directive that contains no fewer than 13 sections. But two words in the opening line strike at the challenge presented by AI: “promise” and “peril.”

As the document’s statement of purpose puts it, AI can help to make the world “more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure” at the same that it increases the risk of “fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation,” and other threats.

Tyler Smith | November 30, 2023

Members of the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators visited the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH) in November to learn about the CAIANH’s work to better understand the health of Native peoples across the United States, to advance culturally oriented and community-driven solutions, and how this work has helped shape public policy.

Colorado School of Public Health | November 30, 2023

Across Colorado, a diverse community of some 60,000 often unseen and overlooked people dots the state. They are refugees who have fled drought, poverty, persecution, violence and other threats from countries around the globe. But their challenges do not cease once they arrive in Colorado. Their plight frequently contributes to chronic medical problems.

Tyler Smith | October 05, 2023

There are 574 “Tribal entities” recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. The members of these tribes live in most of the contiguous 48 states in the nation, from Washington to Florida and Maine to Arizona. The Bureau of Indian Affairs also recognizes the 228 tribes of Alaska Native people who live across Alaska’s yawning expanses, yet public health education that centers on investigating and addressing the needs of these diverse communities and cultures is still a “niche market,” says Jerreed Ivanich, PhD, assistant professor of community and behavioral health and in the Centers for American Indian & Alaska Native Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. But Ivanich is leading an effort to change that. He directs the Certificate in American Indian & Alaska Native Health program, an online offering that is directed toward helping students develop the skills necessary to meet the most important healthcare challenges for Native people.

Tyler Smith | September 05, 2023

Record-breaking heat and drought. Thick blankets of wildfire smoke. Walls of wind-driven flames. Pelting hail. Swath-cutting tornadoes. The summer of 2023 has been a constant reminder of the powerful effects of climate change. But the trying season is only one dramatic recent reminder of the changes and the toll they have taken on neighborhoods, communities, and economies in the form of air quality, water resources, food production and other factors that affect the quality of people’s lives.

Tyler Smith | August 22, 2023

Bugs for dinner? It may sound like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, but edible bugs are making their way into the spotlight for a compelling reason: they may hold the key to a healthier and greener future. While the thought of eating insects may trigger apprehension for some, insects have been used for food and medicine by many cultures for centuries – up to 80 percent of the world's nations, particularly in tropical areas, eat insects. As our planet grapples with mounting challenges like climate change and food insecurity, the notion of turning to edible bugs as an eco-friendly option is capturing the attention of public health researchers, including Shaylee Warner, a recent graduate from the Colorado School of Public Health at Colorado State University.

Rachel Larson | June 14, 2023

A well-established pillar of Colorado’s healthcare system received powerful additional support in late April with bipartisan passage of Colorado SB23-002. The bill will allow Medicaid reimbursement for some services provided by community health workers (CHWs), who help to connect patients to vital healthcare and community services, provide education, and decrease barriers to care, among other tasks. CHWs often go by a variety titles, including health navigators and lay health workers.

Tyler Smith | June 13, 2023

As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Lexie King intended to study to be a nurse. Three years in, however, she changed her mind. She earned her degree in communications, with a minor in public health.

Tyler Smith | May 24, 2023

Each year, the Colorado School of Public Health honors exceptional students, faculty, and staff at an annual awards ceremony coinciding with graduation.

Colorado School of Public Health | May 19, 2023

Ten years ago, Samantha Bertomen completed her undergraduate education with a degree in food and nutrition sciences. Even before starting her professional career in the field, though, she says she had her eye on a different option. 

Tyler Smith | May 17, 2023

U.S. News and World Report has named the Colorado School of Public Health among the top 20 schools and programs of public health in the nation in its 2023-2024 rankings. ColoradoSPH is now ranked 17th out of 206 Master of Public Health (MPH) programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Colorado School of Public Health | April 25, 2023

Get more exercise. Eat right. Make new friends.

Lisa Marshall | January 10, 2023

This year, two Master of Public Health graduates of the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado  Anschutz Medical Campus, Hue Phung and Kristina Brandveen, are among a dozen alumni selected from six participating schools to receive competitive fellowships from the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Kaiser Permanente (KP). The national Public Health Fellows Program, now in its second year, is designed to “support the development of diverse, underrepresented public health leaders who are committed to improving the health of our most vulnerable communities and pursuing health equity for all.”  

Tyler Smith | September 12, 2022

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that half of the nation’s adolescents have experienced a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at some time in their lives. Many young people receive treatment to prevent these and other issues from worsening and becoming chronic, but many others do not, leading to problems that persist into adulthood and have serious consequences, both for the individuals and for society.

Tyler Smith | May 19, 2022

In the abstract, the term “human trafficking” may conjure shadowy images of vulnerable individuals forced into sex work or people enduring long, dangerous journeys on the promise of steady jobs, only to be consigned to low-paying, abusive work. The reality is far more complex, as Patricia Valverde discovered three years ago. 

Tyler Smith | April 06, 2022

Urban dwelling American Indian and Alaska Native older adults face multiple layers of challenges related to social determinants of health that present barriers to healthy eating. However, the social and cultural value placed on sharing and supporting one another within these communities can help improve healthy food access for older adults, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier.

Colorado School of Public Health | February 02, 2022

More than a year and a half after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no secret that responding to the disease has caused crushing stress among health care providers. To cite one of many examples, a survey of more than 1,100 industry workers reported that more than 90% experienced stress and three-quarters suffered from exhaustion and burnout as a result of the pandemic.

Tyler Smith | December 07, 2021

Charlotte Farewell, PhD, MPH, and Jini Puma, PhD, are one of six research teams awarded a 5-year grant from the Administration for Children and Families for the "Wellbeing of the ECE workforce working in Low-resources Locations (WELL)" study. The goal of the study is to investigate factors associated with worker wellbeing in Head Start settings and then implement and assess the multi-level, multi-strategy intervention (WELL) via partnerships with five large urban and rural Head Start agencies in Colorado. Collectively, the six research teams will create the Head Start-University Research Collaborative to establish evidence related to worker wellbeing in the early childhood education workforce. 

Colorado School of Public Health | September 30, 2021

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has named Spero M. Manson as the recipient of the 2021 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health for his 43-year career dedicated to improving the mental health of American Indians and Alaska Natives — and bringing a culturally informed lens to the assessment, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of mental health conditions. The award, which recognizes Manson’s achievements with a medal and $20,000, will be presented at the NAM’s virtual annual meeting on October 17, 2021. Manson, Pembina Chippewa, is a distinguished professor of public health and psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and The Colorado Trust Chair in American Indian Health at the Colorado School of Public Health.

Colorado School of Public Health | September 15, 2021

Individuals and organizations the world over are intent on improving people’s health outcomes. Their work yields new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and products to help consumers protect their skin, quit smoking, lose weight, and achieve scores of other positive outcomes.

Tyler Smith | July 12, 2021

In Colorado and around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has been a test of leadership. From mask mandates to vaccine distribution, governors, local officials and world leaders have struggled to achieve the necessary levels of cooperation and build public trust.

Victor Dukay and Kathy Irene Kennedy | June 18, 2021

Charlene Barrientos, community engagement manager at the Colorado School of Public Health, stresses the importance of engaging community members and building trust to address vaccine hesitancy in Colorado's Latinx population.

Denver 7 | April 22, 2021

Returning from a fly-fishing trip to Bristol Bay, Alaska, last July, Dr. Spero Manson stood at a baggage claim carousel at Denver International Airport. His phone rang. The caller, Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, had good news. Manson was the recipient of a prestigious award for his work in health education.

Tyler Smith | April 08, 2021

Assistant professor Neil Box and professor Lori Crane studied mole development in a group of children for more than 10 years. With a new grant from the Prevention Cancer Foundation, they will be able to build on this research.

EurekAlert | March 16, 2021

Emily Bergling, Community and Behavioral Health DrPH Candidate and RMPRC Professional Research Assistant, passed her dissertation defense with no conditions on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Congratulations to Dr. Emily Bergling!

Colorado School of Public Health | February 24, 2021

The ColoradoSPH at CSU faculty have stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide important research and essential work in understanding the virus, how to slow the spread, and how to help end the pandemic. This work has had local, national and international impact. 

Megan Jansson | February 03, 2021

Professors and faculty members at most research universities spend the bulk of their professional time in well-known academic pursuits: teaching, researching, collaborating with colleagues, and leading the next generation of experts in their respective fields. Less apparent are hundreds of hours some volunteer to present at conferences, provide testimony for policies, and collaborate on scientific committee work, publish papers, and review others’ work for publication. 

Tyler Smith | January 26, 2021

Our Department of Community & Behavioral Health faculty research topics such as American Indian and Alaska Native health, skin cancer prevention, health education, mental health, obesity, maternal and child health, and community development, among others. Join our faculty for a quarterly event where we dive into their current research. Our next "Meet Your Faculty" event will take place on Thursday, February 11 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm via Zoom. To join the event, please use this Zoom link.

This quarter, we are spotlighting Drs. Jini Puma, Michelle Sarche, Betsy Risendal, Sarah Stotz, and Ashley Brooks-Russell.

Colorado School of Public Health | January 26, 2021

Dr. Cynthia Hazel is a public health expert. Her husband, Dr. Kweku Hazel, is a surgeon. Both understand that some people of color are hesitant to get COVID-19 vaccines. The Hazels are eager to show that vaccines are safe, while helping leaders more effectively reach out to Black people, immigrants and other underserved people. Photos by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.

Katie Kerwin McCrimmon | January 08, 2021

In February 2020, Grace Franklin ’15 had just stepped into her new role as the public health director for San Miguel County in southwest Colorado. She was excited about the opportunity to revamp the county’s programs in family planning, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), and immunizations.

Debbie Pitner Moors | December 21, 2020

The link between views on aging, including attitudes about aging and older adults, and physical and mental health has been supported in numerous studies. However, the interactions of different types of views on aging are not well understood. Two types of views on aging were examined in a new study from the Colorado School of Public Health: aging stereotypes, which are defined as general beliefs about aging shared in a given culture, and self-perceptions of aging, which reflect people’s personal experiences of aging. The researchers hypothesized that societal views of aging would influence how participants perceived their own aging process. They also predicted that participants’ perceptions of their own aging would influence their health outcomes.

Michelle Kuba | October 15, 2020

The Colorado School of Public Health is one of four new Collaborating Centers to join the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) in Cycle 5 of the Network, spanning from 2019-2024. Led by Betsy Risendal, PhD, and Project Director, Emily Bilenduke, BA, the Colorado School of Public Health is presently comprised of nine investigators participating in seven CPCRN projects, in addition to center-specific involvement in local core projects dedicated to understanding and advancing risk-based cancer prevention and control strategies. 

Dr. Risendal, Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, is the lead investigator on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Center (PRC) Special Interest Project (SIP), titled, "Cancer RESULTS (Resources, Engagement, and Support for the Use of Lifetime Tailored cancer prevention Services)." Dr. Risendal's SIP is one of the seven CPCRN projects. 

Read the full interview on CPCRN. 

Colorado School of Public Health | September 28, 2020

A recent survey conducted by Colorado researchers sheds light on how severely COVID-19 is affecting the region’s most economically vulnerable families — and the most effective ways for them to cope with it.

Jeff Dodge | August 28, 2020

July 1, 2020 marked the start of another year of funding for the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP) for Patient Navigation but just like most things in 2020…it’s not just another year for the decade long program. 

CCSP is a Program of the University of Colorado Cancer Center with faculty and staff leadership from the Colorado School of Public Health. CCSP supports the safety net clinics in Colorado to increase colorectal cancer screening and also expanded to lung cancer and hereditary cancer screening.   

Keeping the funding for cancer prevention and control in Colorado was was harder this year amidst a pandemic. CCSP is funded through the Cancer Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Grants Disease Program (CCPD). In the 2019/2020 legislative session, as a state of fiscal emergency was declared, the program budget could have been dramatically reduced or completed defunded. For several years, CCSP has had to educate the public and legislature on the importance of cancer screening and advocate for funding as the CCPD funding source expanded to a broader portfolio of diseases or focus areas than when the grants program was established. 

Andrea Dwyer | August 21, 2020

A DrPH candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), Community and Behavioral Health Program, Jennifer Jewell works full-time and raises two children. She understands the need to adapt. After a seven-year break from academia, Jewell returned to school full-time to pursue her passion—psychiatric epidemiology—a field that did not exist when she completed her master’s degree in 2013. 

National Network of Public Health Institutes | June 05, 2020

Minutes after Katie Lohmiller and Halley Gruber arrived at Cole Arts and Science Academy near downtown Denver, an alarm began to blare and a voice announced that the school was in a lockdown. “Don’t worry,” Gruber reassured us as she scuttled around, turning off lights and lowering blinds. “This is just a drill.” It isn’t always a drill, though. In 2018, a 14-year-old was arrested for shooting a student outside of the school.   

Tori Forsheim | February 19, 2020

Traditionally, women’s health has been defined by its contrast to men’s health, but using a male/female gendered dichotomy to define entire fields of medical care has resulted in entire populations, like transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals, falling through the cracks.  According to a new commentary co-authored by Colorado School of Public Health researchers and published in Women’s Health Issues, there isn’t enough research on TNB health needs to help restructure health services in an evidence-based way to better serve these populations.

Tori Forsheim | January 02, 2020

Faculty at the Colorado School of Public Health are adamant when it comes to best practices in working alongside with and in service to the community. “We need to ask what the health needs of the community actually are before embarking on any project,” says professor Evelinn Borrayo. “It’s easy to make assumptions about concerns that may not be the primary concerns for a community, or may not even exist.” 

Tori Forsheim | December 13, 2019

ColoradoSPH Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health Spero Manson, PhD, was awarded the 2019 Carl Taube Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Field of Mental Health. Manson gave a lecture at the 2019 APHA conference in Philadelphia entitled “A Professional and Personal Journey: Exploring the Cultural Landscape of Mental Health Services”.

Colorado School of Public Health | November 12, 2019

After graduation, Reese Garcia, MPH ’17, hadn’t quite found her dream job yet, so she decided to get some help from the ColoradoSPH career services center. On her way in on the fateful day, she ran into a former boss, Andi Dwyer of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dwyer says she had seen a quiet leadership in Garcia as a graduate student, one that was highly effective at engaging people. That leadership led her to suggest that Garcia apply for a recent job opening at Fight Colorectal Cancer, a national advocacy and research organization Dwyer works closely with in her role as director of the Colorado Cancer Screening Program. 

Tori Forsheim | October 30, 2019

Beginning with the current 2019-2020 application cycle, the Colorado School of Public Health is eliminating the GRE as an admission requirement for its Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) graduate programs. Immediately, applicants to the school will have the option to submit GRE scores if they feel their scores strengthen their application. Those not submitting GRE scores will not be penalized. 

Colorado School of Public Health | October 23, 2019

Heather Kennedy is the Youth Movement Project Manager in the Center for Public Health Practice. An MPH alum (Community and Behavioral Health, ‘10) and recent PhD in Social Work, she oversees two grants that engage young people in social action programs. The first, UpRISE, focuses on tobacco control. The other involves adolescents in rural areas of Colorado in an arts-based conversation about mental health. From the time she applied for her first public health grant at the age of 17, Heather has been passionate about developing platforms where young people feel empowered to speak up and change their worlds.  

Colorado School of Public Health | September 30, 2019

It takes four hours and 20 minutes for Jenn Leiferman, PhD, and Jini Puma, PhD, to drive to the San Luis Valley from central Denver. When faculty and staff from the Colorado School of Public Health get to this rural community in Southern Colorado, they’re often greeted by their first name and a hug. They know the school well here. 

Kathleen Bohland | June 03, 2019

In a statement called Colorado Course Corrections, The Equitas Project has called for an urgent and immediate shift in awareness, and rebalancing of effort and investment across multiple stakeholders who share accountability for the health and safety of all Coloradans.

Colorado School of Public Health | April 12, 2019

Diehl, an expert on the psychology of aging, is professor of physical activity & healthy lifestyles  at ColradoSPH at CSU. His award presentation took place in November at the GSA’s 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

CSU External Relations Staff | January 28, 2019

Though Dr. Juyeon Park has devoted much of her professional research to studying how humans use technology – focusing more on the human aspects than on designing the technology itself – she still didn’t anticipate the “Eureka!” moments and, sometimes, tears that came when young women truly saw themselves.

Rachel Sauer | January 25, 2019

It’s a heartbreaking statistic: African-American/black infants in Colorado are two-and-a-half times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants. The number frames two complicated questions: why the disparity and how to eliminate it?

Tyler Smith | January 09, 2019

According to a study led by Community and Behavioral Health alum Nicole Harty, MPH '16, and including Professor Sheana Bull and Senior Research Assistant Andrea Dwyer who is also director of the Colorado Cancer Screening Program, advertisements on popular social media sites can instigate people getting tested for cancer sooner. 

Colorado School of Public Health | January 07, 2019

After decades of pioneering work proving the efficacy of telehealth services for remote American Indian and Alaska Native communities, Spero Manson, PhD, can paint any number of illustrations to make a point about reaching those in need.  

Michael Booth | December 14, 2018

Colorado has been feeling the effects of the national opioid crisis, particularly in rural areas. Now Colorado State University has received about $1.4 million in federal grants for a project in which community professionals — including CSU Extension agents — will work with youths age 10-14 and their families to prevent drug experimentation before it starts. 

Jeff Dodge | December 13, 2018

A new study including two ColoradoSPH researchers is among the first to show that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) had the highest frequency of rapid weight gain during the first six months of life, which may put them at increased risk for childhood obesity.   

Colorado School of Public Health | September 12, 2018

Colorado School of Public Health Community and Behavioral Health alumni Sharon Crocco, MPH ‘12 and Katie O’Connor, MPH ‘13 saw a lack of healthy food options at hospitals in Colorado, so they are working to do something about it.   

Colorado School of Public Health | December 01, 2017

Evelinn Borrayo, PhD, professor of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU, has been appointed to the State Board of Health by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Borrayo will represent District 2 for a three-year term. Of the state board's nine voting members, she is the only academic.

The State Board of Health performs such duties as promulgating public health rulings, approving grant funding, appointing members to department committees, and advising the executive director.

Of the appointment, Borrayo calls it "the most meaningful public service" she could perform. It will allow her a wide-reaching consideration of health issues facing Coloradans, as well as the ability to exercise a vote in improving citizen health. 

In addition to her appointments within ColoradoSPH, Borrayo is also a professor of counseling psychology and director of counseling training in CSU's College of Natural Sciences and its department of Psychology, and up until recently was the director of the Colorado School of Public Health's Latino Research & Policy Center.

Borrayo's voice will help represent three unique perspectives: that of a higher education academic; a mental health trained professional; and an ethnic minority woman of Latino descent.

"I believe that through my professional training, I can provide knowledge, skills, and experience related to the mental health needs of the people of Colorado. Moreover, through my affiliation with the Colorado School of Public Health, I am in the position to contribute added knowledge and skills related to public health matters that affect all citizens of Colorado."

"As part of my commitment to improve health inequities, I have developed expertise in best practices related to improving the pipeline of underrepresented providers in the healthcare professions, including mental health providers."

Read the full story in CSU Source.

Anne Manning | June 26, 2016