Community Epidemiology Community and Practice Student and Alumni ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health
When Madiha Abdel-Maksoud, MD, PhD, MSPH, a physician and researcher, saw the latest data about high school students in Colorado and risky behavior, she knew she had to do something, not only as a public health professional but as a mother of a daughter who graduated from the Denver Public School (DPS) system.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice Equity Diversity and Inclusion ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU Community Health Health Advocacy
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.”
Research Community Students Mental Health Epidemiology Firearm Injury Prevention Infectious disease Community and Practice Student and Alumni Cannabis Environment Gun Violence Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention Maternal & Child Health Worker Health
In 2023, some of the nation’s top public health researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health tackled a variety of the largest public health questions facing us today.
Research Public Health Epidemiology Giving Awards Maternal & Child Health
The Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) has been awarded $1.2 million this year to contribute to an National Institutes of Health-funded initiative Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). The award is part of a planned seven-year grant with an estimated total value of $15 million for the Colorado participation.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Maternal & Child Health
Across Colorado, thousands of students filing into classrooms this school year are sharing their space with new companions. These nearly silent classmates don’t occupy desks or pore over textbooks. But they are as focused on gathering information and contributing to a positive class environment as the most dedicated student.
Women's Health Epidemiology Community and Practice Equity Diversity and Inclusion
On its face, the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was straightforward. It removed the constitutional right to an abortion that had been established in 1973 by the court in Roe v. Wade. Decisions about access to abortion would now be left up to the states, many of whom quickly imposed tight restrictions, while a handful of other states, including Colorado, acted quickly to ensure a woman’s right to determine what is best for her health.
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The United States has more than 10 times the number of mass shooting incidents than other developed countries, yet little research has shown the distribution and types of shootings, geographically.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice Workforce Development
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recently named a new chief medical officer who is also a familiar face.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health
Dr. Stephen Berman, long-time director of the Center for Global Health in the Colorado School of Public Health, passed away from lymphoma earlier this year. His loss was felt deeply across the campus and his many friends and colleagues gathered at a tribute event held on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus on May 11, 2023. Six presenters covered the many dimensions of Dr. Berman’s career, offering colorful stories that captured his commitment to improving the health of children everywhere.
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Each year, the Colorado School of Public Health honors exceptional students, faculty, and staff at an annual awards ceremony coinciding with graduation.
Community Epidemiology Awards Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Biostatistics Community Health Environment Health Advocacy
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).
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
How is a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed, executed and analyzed? It’s probably not a stretch to assume that the question would stump most people stopped on the street.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Both COVID and RSV can result in different types of cough, including dry, wet, wheezing, said Dan Olson, associate of epidemiology, to Fortune. While there is no exact way to differentiate the two conditions without testing, there are some potential tells, experts say.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Environment
“We’re sort of at a steady, manageable level for the moment,” said Dean Jon Samet. “It’s too early to say” if the flu is done, he said.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
“It’s not evenly distributed across the U.S.,” said Beth Carlton, professor of epidemiology. “It’s grown very rapidly in the Northeast, and there’s every reason to think it will do the same when it gets here.”
Community Epidemiology Firearm Injury Prevention Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Gun Violence Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention
The Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is partnering with researchers from the Injury and Violence Prevention Center in the Colorado School of Public Health to create and maintain a resource bank of regularly updated and accurate materials regarding gun violence in Colorado.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Environment
COVID-19 positivity rates have been rising in Colorado since October, but with fewer people being tested, uncertainty remains. Beth Carlton, associate professor of environmental and occupational health and Jude Bayham, assistant professor of epidemiology at CSU, weigh in for the Denver Post.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
As fall approaches, COVID appears to be on a continuous decline in Colorado, defying trends set in the last two years. “Hospitalizations are down. Wastewater levels are down. Percent positivity (of COVID tests) is down. So as we head into the fall, we are in good shape,” said Dean Jon Samet.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
The CDC relaxed its COVID guidelines last week, leaving decision-making mainly to individuals who lack public health training. The lack of a coordinated public health response deprioritizes community health and worsens longstanding health disparities Daniel Goldberg, associate professor of epidemiology, explains.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Colorado’s COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped 14% from last week. Cases are undercounted, meaning that there’s not a clear picture of how many people are truly infected, but the downward trend is still notable said Talia Quandelacy, assistant professor of epidemiology.
Press Coverage COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Colorado’s COVID-19 hospitalizations remain stuck in the same rough zone they’ve hovered in for the past six weeks. Normally, hospitalizations have started to drop about one week after cases began falling, said Talia Quandelacy, assistant professor of epidemiology.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz pregnancy Maternal & Child Health
Pregnant women who were exposed to multiple phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth, according to new research by the National Institutes of Health. Phthalates are chemicals used in personal care products, such as cosmetics, as well as in solvents, detergents, and food packaging.
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CSU
Colorado State University Professor Lorann Stallones has been recognized for her outstanding contribution to agricultural health and safety research by the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health.
Students Epidemiology Student and Alumni ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz COE
I went to a quaint college nestled in the western foothills of Vermont named Castleton University. It was there that I pursued my fascination in all living things micro and molecular. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology and chemistry in 2019, I took a job as a biology teacher at a small private high school in Vermont. While teaching, I became aware of my deep love for illuminating those around me with wonders of biology and, specifically, infectious diseases. I realized towards the end of my first year as a teacher that I wanted to harness this energy and pursue a life full of chasing infectious diseases and fighting the perils of their microbial afflictions by informing and supporting people around me.
And so, with the support of previous professors, I was encouraged to delve into the field of public health—a field foreign to me at the time. After much examination and research, I came to the conclusion that seeking a Master’s degree at a public health school would be the initial doorway to pursuing the field of epidemiology. With my new found ambitions, I settled on the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. ColoradoSPH’s program was robust and the beauty of the CU Anschutz campus backed by the majestic Colorado Rocky Mountains filled me with excitement and wonder.
Upon being accepted into the school, I was elated. However, those feelings began to mix with emotions of concern as I began to prepare for my journey westward while also hearing about the early signs of a potential pandemic, COVID-19.
Press Coverage Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
In the wake of the peak of the omicron variant, many are questioning if the recent decline in cases is signaling the end of COVID. Jon Samet, ColoradoSPH Dean warns the pandemic is far from over, with SARS-CoV-2 now present in animal reservoirs.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CSU smoking
Scientists at Colorado State University used one of the most comprehensive global health datasets in the world to analyze the causes of deaths and disabilities in Colorado over a 29-year period, from 1990 to 2019. The analysis included risk factors for poor health and deaths, making the study unique, according to Dr. David Rojas-Rueda, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of epidemiology in CSU’s Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences.
Cardiovascular disease and neoplasms, or cancers, accounted for half of the deaths in Colorado during this time frame. In relative numbers, Colorado has seen an improvement in health indicators observed in the study over the last 29 years, with mortality and disability rates accounting for an aging population.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado School of Public Health released an updated statewide modeling report showing Colorado is currently in its fifth wave of infections. The estimated effective reproductive number in Colorado is 1.1, indicating increasing infections, but that value is lower than it has been over the last month. One in 99 Coloradans are estimated to be currently infected—and 70% of Coloradans are estimated to be immune, by vaccination or by prior infection.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado School of Public Health released an updated statewide modeling report showing the projected impact of increased vaccine uptake in Colorado by Labor Day weekend. The models show that Colorado could still experience thousands more cases of severe, but avoidable, COVID-19 over the months ahead. Vaccination is the key to preventing these cases.
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CSU Climate Health Environment
On August 2, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced his selections for membership of the Science Advisory Board (SAB). The committee will be comprised of 22 women and 25 men, including 16 people of color, making it the most diverse SAB since the committee was established. The Administrator’s selections are well-qualified experts with a cross-section of scientific disciplines and experience needed to provide advice to EPA leadership to help advance the agency’s mission.
Among those selected is Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean and professor of epidemiology, and environmental and occupational health for the Colorado School of Public Health.
"I am honored to have been selected as a charter member of EPA’s Science Advisory Board, which has a critical role in providing peer review and guidance for the agency," said Samet. "With these new appointments, Administrator Regan has achieved a high level of diversity and added important expertise on environmental justice. I look forward to helping with the challenges ahead as the Administration moves ahead to improve the environment and reduce the substantial burden of disease due to pollution."
COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health
The concept of global health addresses health care issues and concerns that transcend national boundaries and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions. The understanding of this concept has never been as important in human history as today with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health
One of the most common causes of pediatric emergency department and urgent care visits is acute respiratory infections. Around 55-57% children presenting in these settings are prescribed antibiotics, despite these infections having primarily viral causes. The overuse of antibiotics can have negative consequences such as antibiotic resistance, increased healthcare costs, and adverse drug events. Respiratory pathogen identification could lead to improved evaluation and management of acute respiratory infection in children; it could also lead to decreases in the overuse of antibiotics. New advances in rapid respiratory virus testing provide an opportunity for the identification of pathogens in short timeframes in the emergency department and urgent care setting. A new randomized trial examined whether rapid knowledge of the pathogen impacted the prescribing patterns of physicians in these settings.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CSU One Health
In veterinary school I learned to put needles in a banana. Instructors now have access to a variety of human and animal models designed to reproduce the experience of medical procedures. Some models even bleed. But back in the early 2000s, bananas had their place.
Community Epidemiology Firearm Injury Prevention Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Gun Violence Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention
In 2010, total U.S. traffic deaths fell to their lowest level since the 1950s – due in part to more motorists buying into “buckling up and embracing safety innovations.” Motor vehicle death rates have remained roughly steady since that time despite more people driving.
Over the same decades, however, firearm death rates have remained steady and now started to rise. Why?
Let’s start by unpacking what led to the decrease in traffic deaths. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t a single “magic bullet.” Rather, it was a combination of approaches under the “three E’s of injury prevention” — education, engineering and enactment.
Education includes teaching the public about safe driving (basic driving rules; “don’t drink and drive”; the #justdrive campaign to end distracted driving), and about safe behaviors (like using appropriate car seats for kids). Remember the crash test dummies from the 1980s in television spots about using seat belts? Traffic safety campaigns also involve community or cultural change, like the “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” slogan that also began in the 1980s.
Engineering means making a product or environment safer — and sometimes this approach can work well because it doesn’t rely on changing behavior (which we know can be hard). For traffic safety, engineering advances over the past decades have had a major impact on crash fatality rates. Car occupants are far more likely to survive a crash now thanks to innovations like air bags (invented in 1951), seat belts and crumple zones (the parts of the car designed to absorb impact and crumple in a crash). Newer technologies like automatic braking systems and blind spot detection may even reduce the likelihood of a crash even happening.
Engineering of the environment outside cars also helped reduce deaths, through things like rumble strips, highway guard rails, traffic lights (introduced in 1930) and urban design to reduce motor vehicle – pedestrian collisions. Social engineering has included the development of alternative transportation options, like Uber and Lyft, that may reduce drunk driving.
Enactment of laws was a third key component to reducing traffic deaths. In 1970, the Highway Safety Act established the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a national organization responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA oversees large educational campaigns as well as vehicle safety testing, ratings and recalls.
Federal and state laws set speed limits and policies around driver licensing and driving while impaired. A key component of enactment is enforcement — that is, how are laws actually implemented and enforced, such as through heightened patrolling for drunk driving during holiday periods.
So, what does all this mean for reducing firearm-related injuries and fatalities?
Well, the first takeaway should be that there’s not a single “magic bullet” here, either. It’s going to take a combination of approaches, as well as the research to understand which ones work and why.
We need educational efforts to reduce firearm injuries and deaths — things like campaigns about secure home firearm storage (to keep guns out of the hands of kids) and reducing firearm access in times of suicide risk, and violence interruption programs with trusted community messengers. Maybe “have a brave conversation” will become the new “friends don’t let friends drive drunk,” as we encourage friends and family to look out for those with suicide risk. And we need engineering approaches like biometric “smart guns” (which can only be fired by an authorized user) and storage devices like safes, quick-access lock boxes and trigger locks.
Yes, we will also need enactment of policies if we want to significantly reduce firearm injuries and deaths in the United States. But we need thoughtful conversations about those policies — and then research to evaluate their effect on a range of outcomes — rather than knee-jerk reactions (either pro or con). Beyond the policies most often debated, we should also be thinking about policies to encourage secure home firearm storage, facilitate temporary firearm transfers in times of suicide risk, reduce liability for firearm outlets that offer temporary storage to prevent suicide, or even establish a NHTSA-like entity for firearm injury.
Enacting firearm-related legislation alone won’t solve the problem of firearm-related injuries and deaths — nor will education, nor will engineering. We need them all — and we need the research to inform them all. We need to engage varied voices in these discussions. We need to move away from vilifying the “other side” and instead embrace the fact that all of us want to keep our friends and loved ones safe from harm.
We’ve been down this road before, with a comprehensive approach to traffic safety and reducing motor vehicle deaths. We can do it again, this time with firearm injury.
Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, is a practicing emergency physician and researcher at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she directs the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. She also co-founded the Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition and gave a TEDx talk on firearm suicide prevention. This piece reflects her views, not those of her employers.
This article originally appeared in The Hill.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU Climate Health Environment
Three atmospheric scientists and one epidemiologist from Colorado State University will interpret NASA data for public benefit as part of NASA’s Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team. The team’s goal is to translate information from NASA satellites, models and surface observations to help officials make decisions to protect public health.
Research COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU
Colorado State University researchers say the vast majority of people around the university are wearing face coverings, according to a recent study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
In the United States, approximately 2 million children under the age of 18 experience sports-related concussions annually. Concussions can have negative impacts on a child’s health, including physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep health. Between 2009 and 2014, all 50 states and the District of Columbia enacted concussion laws in an effort to raise awareness of symptoms and to reduce the risk of repeated concussions. These laws all include three elements: immediate removal from play, clearance by a health professional prior to a return to play, and mandatory concussion education for coaches, parents, and athletes. When these laws went into effect, an increase in concussions and concussion-related emergency visits occurred, most likely due to higher awareness and reporting. Over the following 2.6 years, rates of reported concussions decreased, suggesting improved concussion practices due to the enactment of the laws. Previous studies on the effectiveness of these laws have looked only at the existence of the concussion law. A new study investigated the association between multiple design elements of various state concussion laws and rates of new and recurrent sports-related concussions. Three design elements were examined: strength of law, number of law revisions, and speed of law adoption.
COVID-19 Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
It has been nearly one year since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Colorado. Since that time, the state and local communities have continued to grapple with fundamental problems, notably protecting public health while cushioning the economic blow of doing so.
COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Health Systems Health Advocacy
The Colorado School of Public Health launched a new website that provides detailed, county-level data tied to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Colorado Population Data Dashboard is designed to help local public health agencies (LPHAs), county commissioners, community leaders, and the general public make more informed short- and long-term decisions about protecting public health.
Research Diabetes Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus is on the rise. Lifestyle modifications such as weight loss, increased physical activity, and dietary change have all been shown to decrease rates of incident diabetes; however, some people will still progress from prediabetes to overt diabetes despite achieving weight loss, physical activity goals, or dietary changes. This pattern was observed in the Diabetes Prevention Program, a randomized trial that included an intensive lifestyle intervention arm. An understanding of how personal characteristics affect how an individual reacts to lifestyle modifications could assist in targeting diabetes prevention. A recent study from the Colorado School of Public Health examined how genetic risk for diabetes modifies the association of successful lifestyles changes with incident diabetes.
Research Mental Health Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Suicide Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention
Suicides are the second leading cause of death among 15-44-year-olds and the tenth overall leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide prevention efforts include consideration of whether an at-risk individual has access to lethal means and whether an individual has any psychiatric disorder such as mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, or substance abuse disorders. A psychiatric disorder diagnosis is a known risk for factor for suicide. Previous studies that examined specific means of suicide focused on demographic factors such as gender, race, urban/rural designation, age, or health status, and whether those factors are associated with specific lethal means. A recent study from the Colorado School of Public Health examined whether the choice of means by which a person dies by suicide is associated with specific psychiatric diagnoses.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Environment Food Safety
The science is clear. The riskiest places for the spread of the coronavirus are indoor spaces where people are not wearing masks. Indoor restaurants are, alas, ideal locations for the spread of infections.
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What’s interesting about public health is when it’s working efficiently you don’t know it’s there. We take for granted our clean water and air, that the food we eat, the parks our children play in, and our work environments, are safe, and importantly that infectious diseases are controlled through vaccination programs, proper hygiene, and vector control. When a public health problem overwhelms the system like in the coronavirus pandemic, public health becomes front and center, we realize the importance of this system built to prevent and protect ourselves and our communities.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Superspreader events — where a person with COVID-19 inadvertently infects multiple other people at the same time and place — are likely to increase as we head into fall and winter.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
On September 14, Dr. Rachel Herlihy joined the Colorado School of Public Health and its Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Residency Program to deliver the annual "State of the State" update from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
By mid-March, Clinical Professor of Epidemiology May Chu could already see that that personal protective equipment (PPE) was going to be a huge issue in the fight against COVID-19. Shortages were already emerging, and medical equipment supply chains made it clear that those shortages would last for a while. Chu discussed the predicament with officers at the Open Philanthropy Project, and by April, the conversations turned into a $250,000 dollar gift to support fast-track, urgent research overseen by Chu related to PPE for healthcare workers.
Research Women's Health Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Maternal & Child Health
According to a new study, high school girls’ lacrosse players who may, but are not required to, wear flexible headgear are at a higher risk of getting a concussion from a stick or ball impact than boys’ lacrosse players, who are required to wear a hard shell helmet with a full face mask.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
A new study from faculty at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus looks at the relationship between opioid use and driving among older adults.
The findings published today in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
“We chose to focus on older adults because they face an increased risk of experiencing chronic pain and are commonly prescribed opioid medication as a treatment,” said Emmy Betz, MD, MDH, emergency physician, and researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. “However, it’s known that the side effects of opioid medications can compromise driving abilities, and we wanted to find out more about the current relationship between the two among an older population.”
The researchers examined data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study, one of the largest and most comprehensive databases available on senior drivers incorporating 2,990 participants being followed for five years. Data presented the opportunity to examine opioid use in a large cohort of older drivers (65 to 79 years old). More specifically, the goal of the researchers was to answer three questions through a cross-sectional analysis of data:
COVID-19 Mental Health Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU ColoradoSPH at UNC Data and Health AI/AN health Biostatistics Health Advocacy Maternal & Child Health Latino Health
Wearing a mask or face covering in the US has become about more than just slowing the spread of COVID-19 — some experts say it's a political statement, signalling another layer in the deep divisions within America.
COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
As much of the nation emerges from the cultural hibernation caused by the coronavirus, with varying degrees of concern and glee, American sports are now thrusting themselves headlong into the recovery effort.
Research Diabetes Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Maternal & Child Health
Despite the increased availability of diabetes technology, new therapies and more aggressive glycemic targets, today’s youth and young adults with diabetes in the United States are not demonstrating improved glycemic control compared to their counterparts from years past. Most notably, many age groups have worse glycemic control compared to youth and young adults from 2002-2007. Researchers revealed these data today at the American Diabetes Association’s® (ADA’s) 80th Virtual Scientific Sessions in a study entitled “Trends in Glycemic Control among Youth with Diabetes:
The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.” The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH) study began in 2000 with funding from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). It represents the largest, most diverse study of diabetes in youth in the U.S. Currently, SEARCH has more than 27,000 participants across racial and ethnic backgrounds from 10 different states visiting one of five study centers in the country (California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington).
“This large, active registry and cohort study of youth diagnosed with diabetes before the age of 20 enables researchers to make assessments of prevalence, annual incidence, and trends by age, race/ethnicity, sex, and diabetes type,” said SEARCH principal investigator and study co-author Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, director of the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center and the Conrad M. Riley Endowed Professor at the Colorado School of Public Health. “The SEARCH findings have contributed to a better understanding of the complex and heterogeneous nature of diabetes in youth.”
In the current analysis, researchers examined trends in glycemic control in 6,492 SEARCH participants who had diabetes for more than one year. Participants’ visit data was categorized into three time periods: 2002-2007, 2008-2013, and 2014-2019. In addition, participants were categorized into three groups based upon their duration of diabetes (1-4 years, 5-9 years, and more than 10 years), as well as by age group (10-14 years old, 15-19 years old, 20-24 years old, and 25 and older). Stratified multivariable regression models were used to test differences in hemoglobin A1c (A1c) over time. Adjustments were made for site, age, sex, race/ethnicity, health insurance status, and disease duration.
Results of the study indicated:
A video from the faculty of the Department of Epidemiology to the Class of 2020.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
As the world begins to open once again after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to consider how to do so safely in order to minimize further spread of the virus. One possible idea—being considered by countries including Chile, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the United States—is to have an immunity passport: a physical or digital document confirming that a person has become immune to SARS-CoV-2. While immunity certifications are typically discussed in the context of allowing a person to return to work or school, they are also being considered in the context of travel as a way to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus from regions with high infection rates to those that have not been as severely impacted by the global pandemic. And while this does make sense in theory, the idea of immunity passports raises several ethical questions, including who will have access to the passports and antibody testing, what privileges the passport would provide, and what happens when you effectively create two different classes of people based on immunity to a virus. Here’s what travelers should know and consider.
Research Epidemiology Firearm Injury Prevention ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Gun Violence Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention
A new study conducted in seven Front Range emergency departments demonstrated success in helping parents make their homes safer when a teen is distressed.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Dozens of antibody tests for the novel coronavirus have become available in recent weeks. And early results from studies of such serological assays in the U.S. and around the world have swept headlines. Despite optimism about these tests possibly becoming the key to a return to normal life, experts say the reality is complicated and depends on how results are used.
COVID-19 Students Epidemiology Student and Alumni ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Environment
Since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Colorado on March 5, more than 150 ColoradoSPH students have volunteered their time to support health agencies, labs, and local health organizations.
Community COVID-19 Mental Health Epidemiology Firearm Injury Prevention Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Suicide Prevention Gun Violence Prevention Injury & Violence Prevention
I live and work in Colorado, a beautiful state that can look to an outsider like a year-round playground of sunshine and skiing. But my state has a big problem: suicide rates that are among the highest in the country.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
As we appear to be reaching the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in some parts of the U.S., public health officials have started thinking about what happens next. Having widespread, accurate testing for COVID-19 is necessary in order to make it possible for essential workers to return to their jobs, and eventually, reopen society. But how will we keep track of who has developed antibodies after surviving a case of COVID-19 and should be permitted to go out in public? One option — which has already been implemented by researchers in Germany, and is being considered by the United Kingdom and Italy — is to have some form of documentation verifying a person’s immunity to the virus.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Health Systems Health Advocacy
Perhaps by the time you read these words, Colorado’s count of COVID-19 cases will, one hopes, have plateaued or even be falling. There will be mounting political pressure to open Colorado and the country back up. With the exceptions of the intrepid health care workers, farm and grocery workers, warehouse workers, delivery people, municipal employees, and staff deemed essential, we will have been cooped up for more than a month.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Data and Health Biostatistics
The state today released additional COVID-19 modeling data to the public. Governor Jared Polis first provided an in-depth analysis of the data during a press conference on March 27. The state will continue to review data as it evolves to inform future policy decisions.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
"There are, I think, some pretty good reasons you could muster why massive collective action that overwhelms individual rights and liberties in the name of public health can be harmful. All we have to do is think historically about that. It's not too difficult to come up with examples where running roughshod over individual rights and liberties, especially more disadvantaged people's rights and liberties, in the name of public health, in the name of social good, has actually turned out to be disasterous, and Buck v. Bell is a nice example of that. The history of eugenics and public health in the US is another good example of that.
So specifically returning to your specific question about coronavirus, the things that we are requiring for extreme physical distancing, this is harmful, and I think it's really important for everybody to understand that. I'm not saying that this isn't legally or ethically justified or warranted right now; I think given the situation we're in I'll go on record and say I think it's probably worth it and a good idea. But I think we have to have a counter in our head. Every day that this goes on, the harm is building. And it's not so much harm for people like me who are privileged and mostly able-bodied, although there are harms for me as well, but these harms are unequally distributed, and people who are more vulnerable, whether they're chronically ill people, whether they're people who live with certain kinds of disabilities. For example, we know that elderly people struggle mightily with social isolation in this country, and we know that social isolation is a major killer. It's a huge of mortality and morbidity. You're going to ask people in the US to socially isolate themselves for 12 to 18 months, you better be prepared for some serious public health consequences of that. Those consequences and harms build as time goes on, and so we have to think about those things."
Watch the interview.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Confused and anxious about the new coronavirus (COVID-19)? We feel you. It’s been a strange and surreal couple of weeks as the pandemic continues to spread—in Colorado, across the country, and around the world.
Community COVID-19 Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz COE Food Safety
Restaurants around the country are bracing for the impacts of COVID-19, and consumers are wondering whether they can dine out, pick up food or order in during the coronavirus outbreak. As of now, restaurants are still offering multiple options in an effort to stay in business — including dine-in, in some cases, as well as carryout, curbside pickup and delivery.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU Environment
One of the pillars of the Colorado School of Public Health is its collaborative model that leverages the unique strengths of three Colorado universities into one school. Comprising the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, the collaboration now also manifests as internally-funded, inter-institutional research projects, thanks to a new jointly-funded grant program.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Biostatistics Community Health Environment Health Advocacy
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.
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
Some time ago I discovered a major wrongdoing in the financial industry and reported it to the federal regulators as a whistleblower. I learned that under the US Whistleblower Protection Act, a whistleblower is entitled to a percentage of the funds the government collects in fines and damages. The federal regulators have so far brought no legal action in this case and my hopes are not high.
Simultaneously, I approached a team of lawyers for a possible class action lawsuit on behalf of the victims. The lawyers think of using me as a paid consultant for the class action and I would like to know if this would be ethical, considering that I'm also a whistleblower to the federal regulators. Should I publicly disclose my whistleblower status? Would I be ethically unfit to consult in a class action on behalf of victims while also being a whistleblower to the government?
Students Scholarship Epidemiology Veteran and Military Health Student and Alumni ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
When a group of students approached Career Services at the Colorado School of Public Health last fall with an idea for a peer mentoring program, none of them realized the impact it would have on one of the participants in its very first year.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU
Cardiometabolic risk refers to an individual’s chances of having stroke, heart disease or diabetes. Some factors, like age and gender, increase a person’s cardiometabolic risk and can’t be affected by behavior change. Many factors, though, may be affected by lifestyle, and those are what Dr. Chris Melby has studied for a significant portion of his career.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
I am a public health faculty member working with a community agency in a consulting capacity. In that role, I have been asked to help the agency expand one of their action committees. I have a student who has the skills to contribute to this committee and who could help me fulfill my role with the agency. As the student’s advisor, I can envision this being a good learning experience for the student but also know how busy the student is between school work and a job outside of school. By suggesting that the student take on this role, would I be unfairly coercive in using my influence as professor?
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
I am teaching a course in which students are doing course papers focused on addressing selected public health practice challenges. Recently, a student brought the following issue to the class, posing it as an ethical challenge. I wasn’t sure how to respond. What would you advise?
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Ethics
I regularly advise students who are working on field-based projects (practica and Capstones) in a high need community. Their work has involved engaging with community health leaders in conducting needs assessments and generating ideas among community members about how to address public health problems within the community. However, the students almost always leave the program before they can help the community develop viable solutions to the problems. I worry that the communities we work with may feel that they are giving more than they are getting in providing learning opportunities for students with little or no help in addressing the challenges uncovered by the students’ field work. At some point, they may decide to stop engaging with the school in this way – a loss for future students and also creating a bad name for the institution within the state. Is it ethical for us, as a school, to continue to send our students into these communities without a clear plan for how we, as a school, will help the communities once the students have moved on?
Community Epidemiology Infectious disease Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health
Influenza pandemics have shaped history. In 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic infected approximately 500 million people worldwide and claimed the lives of 50 million. The first cases were recorded at the U.S. Army’s Camp Funston, Kansas. It quickly swept through the barracks and the, aided by the transportation of soldiers, spread to the fronts of World War I. The death toll from the pandemic surpassed all the military deaths in the two world wars. New research suggests that Spanish flu virus originated from birds. Influenza virus infecting birds rapidly mutated, leaping to humans. Wild, aquatic birds are natural hosts to influenza viruses and they usually show no symptoms of illness. These avian flu viruses do not normally infect humans, except when a mutation occurs. If a mutation enables the influenza virus to infect humans the results can be deadly.
Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
WNYC radio host Ira Flatow had Dean Samet on the air with several other experts to discuss concerns about cellular radiation ahead of 5G wireless technology implementation. The station summarized the story as follows:
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Food Safety
It is sometimes difficult to find rays of hope in a public health crisis like a listeria outbreak in Colorado, until the outbreak is solved and contained through the joint efforts of local and national public health experts. In 2011, a bacterium contaminated cantaloupes grown on a farm in the southeastern part of the state and wreaked havoc, eventually killing 33 people and sickening about 150 others across the nation. It was the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the United States since 1924. The crisis helped to heighten awareness of the constant vigilance required to protect the food supply in the state and nation.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
ColoradoSPH researchers Alice White and Elaine Scallan, PhD, research instructor and professor of epidemiology joined with colleagues in in Canada, Australia, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study enteric infections, or those affecting the gastrointestinal tract. They found infections can present differently in older people compared with younger individuals.
Research Diabetes Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Maternal & Child Health
When Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, was considering a move from Romania to work in diabetes research in the United States, she was drawn to the work of Richard Hamman, MD, DrPH, saying she was “inspired by his vision and the opportunities he created for diabetes research.”
Press Coverage Alumni Epidemiology Student and Alumni ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Suicide Prevention
A ColoradoSPH alum at CDPHE shines light on the relationship between alcohol and suicide in the Rocky Mountain State.
Research Epidemiology Obesity ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Community Health Maternal & Child Health
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.
Research Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
A new study led by Gregory Kinney, MPH, PhD, assistant research professor of epidemiology, shows joint assessment of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using Pulmonary function testing (PFT) and computed tomography (CT) can identify patients at higher risk for death.
Research Epidemiology Suicide Prevention
Following an extensive analysis of published studies, research conducted in part by Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at Colorado School of Public Health, has found that while suicide rates are higher at higher altitudes, they are unlikely caused by hypoxia, (low oxygen) at these elevations.
Community Epidemiology Community and Practice Latino Health
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Latino Research & Policy Center at the Colorado School of Public Health Fernando Holguin, MD, MPH, is also a top international asthma expert at the University of Colorado Hospital’s Center for Lungs and Breathing.
Research Epidemiology Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Global Health Maternal & Child Health One Health
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Baylor College of Medicine will join with Guatemalan investigators in a major study examining the clinical outcomes of children infected with the Zika virus after being born, focusing on long-term brain development.
UCHealth
April 19, 2024
“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.”
Mirage News
April 17, 2024
The Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) has been ranked #16 by U.S. News & World Report for graduate programs in public health. The rankings were announced publicly on April 9. Previously, ColoradoSPH had been ranked #17. As a newer school of public health, founded in 2008, ColoradoSPH, has risen steadily through the ranks from #35 to #16 in just 15 short years. The rankings of more than 200 schools and programs of public health are based on expert opinions about program excellence and other statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students.
9 News
April 12, 2024
“People need to be aware that their risk associated with drinking PFAs in drinking water is still likely quite low, given we don’t have those high, high levels of contamination. The EPA standard is designed to really take that down to be most protective of public health,” said Ned Calonge, associate dean for public health practice, and a professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health.
5280
April 02, 2024
Kristine Burrows has dedicated a big chunk of her young life to old age. She earned a master’s degree with a focus on leadership and healthy aging from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2018, launched a statewide day program for older adults with disabilities through the Lakewood chapter of national nonprofit Easterseals, and eventually worked as director of aging, care, and connections for the Jewish Family Service of Colorado.
Colorado School of Public Health
