In the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) faculty, staff, students, and alumni helped shape the conversation. And while the pandemic occupied much of our focus as a nation and a global community, our research and community engagement continued in other important areas of public health as well.
Our researchers were at the forefront of policy decisions, scientific discoveries, and community outreach. Here are our top stories of 2022:
1. Colorado COVID-19 Modeling Group releases statement as Omicron surges
January 3, 2022
Cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant continue to increase explosively in Colorado. Although the variant appears to carry a lower risk of hospitalization, modeling group experts predict a sharp increase in hospital demand in the following weeks.
2. Dean's note: BA.5 is the latest winner in the subvariant competition, and back to politics and public health
"Omicron subvariants continue to rise in Colorado, and nationally, BA.5 now accounts for the majority of cases. Fortunately, BA.4 and BA.5, while more transmissible than earlier subvariants, are not more virulent. However, they have structural changes that facilitate immune escape," ColoradoSPH Dean Jonathan Samet writes in his weekly commentary.
3. ColoradoSPH continues to rank in the top 20 public health schools and programs by U.S. News & World Report
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.
4. Dean's note: A surge starting in Colorado, and a look back by Deborah Birx
"I was asked by Alfredo Morabia, a friend and editor of the American Journal of Public Health, to participate in a panel discussion at APHA's national meeting on 'Modernizing CDC.' To prepare, I read Silent Invasion by Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator during the Trump Administration," ColoradoSPH Dean Jonathan Samet writes in his weekly commentary.
5. Heavy metal inhalation in cannabis users: New study funded at the Colorado School of Public Health
The three-year study out of the Center for Health, Work & Environment is the first known human health risk assessment to evaluate the large number of heavy metals that may be present in cannabis flower, concentrates, and vape devices.
6. New study examines the link between adult mental health and child maltreatment
A new study from ColoradoSPH examines county-level relationships between child maltreatment and adult mental health. Indicating a need for improved access to mental health services, the study found a relationship between the number of poor mental health days and increased child maltreatment report rates in counties.
7. Dean's note: Colorado’s plateau continues, and causation and its consequences
"Causation was on my mind this week, as it has been many times in the past. The finding that an association is causal may have profound implications and lead to action," ColoradoSPH Dean Jonathan Samet writes in his weekly commentary.
8. Colorado’s COVID-19 epidemic curve should continue to decline in the weeks ahead
January 26, 2022
CDPHE and ColoradoSPH released an updated COVID-19 modeling report suggesting the current curve has begun to decline and should continue to do so in the coming weeks; Colorado is still experiencing a high level of SARS-CoV-2 disease transmission.
9. ColoradoSPH doctoral candidates named APHA & Kaiser Community Health Scholars
Sep 12, 2022
Doctor of Public Health students Makala Carrington and Shenazar (Shane) Esmundo are among the 19 candidates selected for the prestigious scholarship program focused on equity and social justice.
10. Dean's note: Colorado’s pandemic plateaus and the Supreme Court continues to threaten public health
Jul 5, 2022
"I am just back from a trip to Scotland and my first brush with having COVID-19 is a result. And the Supreme Court released yet another decision with profound public health implications last week, West Virginia v. the EPA," begins ColoradoSPH Dean Jonathan Samet in his weekly commentary.
