It was a pleasure to welcome VA Secretary Doug Collins, Kody Kinsley, Lee Roberts and a host of experts to discuss how federal, state and local partners can better support #veteran mental health and well-being. Special thanks to Gillings' Public Health Leadership and Practice team!

It was great to participate in the first visit to UNC from the Vietnam National Lung Hospital, with whom we have partnered since 2021 under the leadership of UNC Public Health’s Dr. Vivian Go. I really enjoyed meeting Assoc. Profs. Vu Xuan and Nguyen Binh Hoa!

I've had a busy few weeks! It was fun to join up with our amazing faculty in Austin during the Society for Epidemiologic Research annual meeting. 🤠 💻

I had fun hanging out with our admissions director, Jonathan, at a new student meet and greet today! 👋

Our Department of Nutrition was a partner in last week's "Let's Grow Together: Health Professions Orientation" event, hosted by Office of Interprofessional Education & Practice. 800+ students participated from nutrition, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, PT, OT and many more specialties—I love the collaboration!

I was excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mountain Area Health Education Center last week! UNC Public Health has deep, fruitful partnerships with them — check out their work: mahec.net

It was my sincere pleasure!

I spoke with UNC Kappa Delta tonight about vaccines and public health!

Great meeting with our amazing foundation advisory board!

This was a great event — nutrition students trying out variations on favorite recipes to make them healthier and just as delicious

At today’s Gillings Multicultural Festival. Our students are so much fun!

“The field of public health and global health is not for the faint of heart. If you work in this field, one of the things that defines you is that you have to be an eternal optimist, even against all odds.” Thank you for having me, Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases. globalhealth.unc.edu/2025/02/instit…

It was so much fun seeing my colleague, Charletta Sims Evans, accept the ASPPH Student Services Excellence Award! I can tell you, she earns it every day with the immense care she gives to our students.

It was great to celebrate the public service of our Gillings community and partners this week! Our folks earned five awards for work ranging from student engagement to supporting military families and veterans to emergency response after Hurricane Helene.

“Public health is something that can be taught in the classroom, but it really has to be implemented in the community. Our work is not just publishing excellent science. It's taking that science and translating it to make a difference in the real world.” dailytarheel.com/article/2025/0…

Commencement practice earlier this week — can't believe another year has passed. So excited to celebrate today with our students!

Commencement never gets old! Congratulations, graduates — you are the public health leaders who will guide us into tomorrow, and we are so proud of you. Many thanks to Katelyn Jetelina for sharing wisdom and inspiration.

The highlight of my week was speaking to the high school student interns hosted by our Institute for Environmental Health Solutions. UNC Institute for Environmental Health Solutions

Last week, Gillings and our Dr. Nancy Messonnier welcomed undergraduate QUEST interns, who worked directly with grad student mentors and UNC Institute for Environmental Health Solutions faculty over the summer. On Friday, they shared their research into environmental factors that impact human health.

“You interact with public health every day and you don’t think about it,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier Dr. Nancy Messonnier told the audience at a Fogarty Innovation Lunch & Learn . “Seatbelts, clean tap water, the sign indicating that it’s safe to cross the street—those are all public health.” (1/5)