Statements & Announcements

In the first half of our academic year, we benefited from a simple, but profound fact: We were together in person more often. 

Like many of you, I have been horrified by the recent news from Iran. As members of the public health community, we must stand for human rights everywhere.

The challenges are great, but our will is greater. 

Mark J. Bittle, DrPH ’06, MBA will become the next chair of the DrPH program, following in the footsteps of Janice Bowie, PhD ’97, MPH.

For months we have been waiting for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on a landmark reproductive rights case from the state of Mississippi. We now know the Court has overturned the constitutional right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade.

The U.S. Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—the first gun safety legislation to move forward at the federal level in decades. Later today, the bill is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the president. Among other provisions, the law encourages states to adopt extreme risk protection orders, which have been championed by our faculty and the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. The bipartisan support for this legislation is an important reminder that change is possible.  However, this week brought very troubling news on gun safety as well.

Once again, our country is furious and grieving. A gunman took semi-automatic weapons into an elementary school and murdered 19 children and two teachers. Their families and the Uvalde, Texas, community are completely devastated.

We are sickened, heartbroken, and angry that 10 people were killed in a Buffalo grocery store on Saturday in an act of racist violence. A mass shooting at a California church the next day was also a racist attack.

The toxic mix of white supremacy and violence has no place in our society.

As you know, Politico published a leaked draft opinion earlier this week in the landmark abortion rights case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. This draft indicates that Roe v. Wade is likely to be struck down entirely. While this decision is not final, its prospects for the health and wellbeing of our nation trouble me greatly.