School Notes: School of Public Health
July/August 2019

YSPH graduates urged to “speak up! speak out!,” engage with the world

Former New York City commissioner for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Mary Travis Bassett, told YSPH graduates to follow their hearts, take chances, and speak up for the values they believe in, during her keynote commencement address at Woolsey Hall.

Bassett, director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard, urged the 229 graduates to use their knowledge to tackle the pressing public health issues of the day, such as declining US life expectancy, rising maternal mortality rates among African American women, and surging prison populations.

Top educators recognized

Two members of the Yale School of Public Health faculty and a doctoral student were honored by the Class of 2019 for their commitment to advancing the student experience and promoting academic achievement.

Mayur M. Desai ’94MPH, ’97PhD, received the YSPH Distinguished Teaching Award—the school’s highest honor. It is the fourth time that Desai has been recognized with the award since 2009.

J. Lucian “Luke” Davis was named the 2019 Distinguished Student Mentor. He was selected for his “unique ability to be simultaneously positive and encouraging while also constructive in his comments.”

Adam Viera ’23PhD was honored as Teaching Fellow of the Year. The award recognizes a YSPH doctoral student who demonstrates outstanding performance as a teaching fellow and promise as a future teacher.

Partnership with China cancer center expected to advance cancer research

The Yale School of Public Health, Yale Cancer Center, and Yale Institute for Global Health have forged a new five-year partnership with the National Cancer Center of China. A formal memorandum of understanding was signed May 1.

Under the agreement, NCCC and Yale researchers will work together to obtain grant funding for basic and translational research involving cancer prevention, early detection, clinical trials, genome analysis, and epidemiologic study. The partners also will share scientific information and identify areas for future collaboration in cancer care, such as pathology, surgical and medical oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine.