UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences

UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences The official page of The UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS).

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences is located in Arnold House on the UMass Amherst campus.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported on "The Race to Make the Fastest Running Shoe" - featuring groundbreakin...
06/17/2026

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported on "The Race to Make the Fastest Running Shoe" - featuring groundbreaking research being conducted in the Integrated Locomotion Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, run by Wouter Hoogkamer, an expert in biomechanics and energetics. Hoogkamer conducted a study of Puma's Nitro Elite 3 running shoe, testing its performance against the Nike Alphafly 3, the Adidas Adios Pro Evo and its predecessor, the Nitro Elite 2. Of the 15 athletes tested, Hoogkamer found that each “recorded their best running economy in the prototype shoes.”

Read the feature article >>

Companies are investing in scientific labs in pursuit of a sneaker that could help marathon runners shave up to four minutes off their record. But some are skeptical of the results.

"How many steps do you really need?" Amanda Paluch examines that question in a piece she wrote for the American College ...
06/16/2026

"How many steps do you really need?" Amanda Paluch examines that question in a piece she wrote for the American College of Sports Medicine's "Hot Topic."

"Steps offer a metric that is easy to communicate, readily trackable, and motivating for the people we work with," she writes. "Not everyone relates to minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity, but most people understand steps. And the beauty of steps is they accumulate naturally, a walk to a meeting, a stroll after lunch, taking the stairs – no scheduled workout required."

Read the full essay at >>

New research shows 6,000–10,000 daily steps significantly reduce risk of death and heart disease.

This week, we're celebrating 60 years of Kinesiology at UMass Amherst. Founded in 1965-66 as the nation’s first Departme...
06/15/2026

This week, we're celebrating 60 years of Kinesiology at UMass Amherst. Founded in 1965-66 as the nation’s first Department of Exercise Science (now Kinesiology), the department has led the way under the leadership of visionary researchers and academicians in the field as they seek a greater understanding of human movement and the role it plays in our health and wellbeing.

With their 60th anniversary conference and celebration in full swing, we'll be highlighting how their long tradition continues to this day. We'll be starting with a look at how current Kinesiology doctoral students and faculty researchers are taking a unique approach to address an age-old problem many people face as they age: What causes older adults to fall more often, and how can that be prevented?

Watch the video to learn more >>

Kinesiology doctoral students and faculty researchers take a unique...

Jill Hoover, Lisa Troy, and Sofija Zagarins are among the 9 UMass Amherst faculty selected by the Center for Teaching an...
06/12/2026

Jill Hoover, Lisa Troy, and Sofija Zagarins are among the 9 UMass Amherst faculty selected by the Center for Teaching and Learning to the 2026-27 cohort of TIDE (Teaching for Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Equity) Ambassadors program. This selective fellowship empowers outstanding faculty to transform student learning across cultural, social and learning differences through strength-based, inclusive teaching approaches. Throughout the coming academic year, the new cohort of TIDE Ambassadors will deepen their inclusive teaching strategies, reimagine course designs and build meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Jill Hoover, Lisa Troy, and Sofija Zagarins have been selected by the Center for Teaching and Learning to the 2026-27 cohort of TIDE Ambassadors.

Professor of Nutrition Elena Carbone has been elected to the position of Vice President/President-Elect of the Internati...
06/10/2026

Professor of Nutrition Elena Carbone has been elected to the position of Vice President/President-Elect of the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA). Carbone will serve a 5-year term – first, as Vice President (through December 2027), then as President (through December 2030).

Founded in 2016, IHLA is a non-profit, member-based association dedicated to the professional development of its members and the health literacy field. It is committed to creating an international voice for health literacy and raising awareness worldwide.

“I have been part of IHLA since its inception. I’m deeply honored to serve as its Vice President and President-Elect,” says Carbone. “I look forward to deepening IHLA’s partnerships with health literacy researchers, practitioners, and advocates from around the world to promote health literacy for all.”

Elena Carbone has been elected to the position of Vice President/President-Elect of the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA).

Assistant Professor of Nutrition Chaoran Ma is among the six 2026-27 Family Research Scholars selected by the University...
06/09/2026

Assistant Professor of Nutrition Chaoran Ma is among the six 2026-27 Family Research Scholars selected by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Research on Families (CRF). This year-long interdisciplinary program is designed to assist faculty in various stages of research by providing faculty and peer mentorship, as well as the opportunity for national expert consultation with the goal of preparing a successful grant proposal.

Ma’s research focuses on understanding age-related chronic complex diseases, especially cancer and neurodegeneration, and how modifiable risk factors, including diet and behavioral factors, affect the disease processes. During her time as a CRF Family Research Scholar, Ma will work on a research proposal titled “Diet, Hormone Signaling, and Epigenetics in Bladder Cancer: Investigating Risk, Mechanisms and Biomarkers.”

Assistant Professor of Nutrition Chaoran Ma is among the six 2026-27 Family Research Scholars selected by the UMass Center for Research on Families (CRF).

This spring, four UMass Amherst graduate students, including Health Policy and Management doctoral student Ruth Appiah K...
06/05/2026

This spring, four UMass Amherst graduate students, including Health Policy and Management doctoral student Ruth Appiah Kubi, took their science and research expertise to Capitol Hill during the recent 2026 AAAS CASE Workshop.

The CASE workshop, also known as the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE), invites STEM students from across the country to learn more about the interplay between science and federal policymaking through hands-on training sessions. Students participate in the workshop each year to learn how to communicate their research to policymakers. Ultimately, the experience is designed to develop a mutual understanding between student researchers and politicians, with an emphasis on empowering students with the ability to convey the story of their research.

Read more about it on the UMass Amherst Graduate School website.

University of Massachusetts graduate students took their science and research expertise to Capitol Hill during the recent 2026 CASE Workshop.

Congratulations to public health sciences major Nylla Henriquez! Earlier this spring, she placed second in the Center fo...
06/04/2026

Congratulations to public health sciences major Nylla Henriquez! Earlier this spring, she placed second in the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies (CLACLS) Undergraduate Research Award Poster Competition. Her project, conducted under the mentorship of Associate Professor Daniel López-Cevallos, explored how Latinx communities navigate structural barriers in healthcare and social services while also demonstrating resilience.

Public health sciences major Nylla Henriquez placed second in the CLACLS Undergraduate Research Award Poster Competition.

Congratulations to our 2026 cohort of Delta Omega Honor Society inductees! This spring, the UMass Amherst Rho Chapter in...
06/03/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 cohort of Delta Omega Honor Society inductees! This spring, the UMass Amherst Rho Chapter inducted six new members: undergraduate public health sciences majors Thea Lynn Bassett, Zac Foerster, Anika Maharaj, Alison Martin, and Firdaus Muhammad, and MPH student Parul Chhatpar.

Delta Omega encourages excellence in student scholarship and research, recognizes academic achievement, and provides members with leadership development, publication, and networking opportunities.

The Rho Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health inducted six new members during a luncheon held May 11, 2026.

The authorization of two fruit-flavored vapes marks a pivotal moment in U.S. e-cigarette regulation, writes Jamie Hartma...
06/02/2026

The authorization of two fruit-flavored vapes marks a pivotal moment in U.S. e-cigarette regulation, writes Jamie Hartmann-Boyce in an op-ed she co-authored for The Conversation. The decision comes on the heels of the resignation of Marty Makary, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in large part due to his disagreement with the Trump administration's push to have the FDA move more quickly in approving fruit-flavored vapes.

"Researchers regularly assess the scientific evidence on whether e-cigarettes can help people stop smoking...," Hartmann-Boyce and her co-authors write. "However, researchers don’t yet know whether or how adding flavors to vapes might affect smoking and va**ng. While fruity and sweet flavors can be appealing to people who smoke, to***co and menthol flavors are sometimes more popular among older people who have a history of smoking to***co. As the recent clash between Trump and Makary shows, the debate over flavored vapes continues. Whatever the outcome, it remains important that decisions made about vapes are based on scientific evidence, and that the reasons behind policy decisions are communicated effectively to the public."

Flavored vapes draw new users – especially young people. On the flipside, they can also help some people quit smoking. Makary’s resignation makes it clear that the controversy isn’t going away.

Address

715 N Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA
01003

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14135452526

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category