School of public health

School Notes: School of Public Health
July/August 2021

Megan L. Ranney | https://ysph.yale.edu/

YSPH names top educators

Three members of the Yale School of Public Health’s academic community have been selected by the Class of 2021 for their commitment to promoting academic achievement and advancing the student experience. The awards—Distinguished Teacher and Distinguished Student Mentor—were announced by Dean Sten H. Vermund in May. Each of the honorees—Yasmmyn Salinas ’10, ’14MPH, ’19PhD; Jacob Wallace; and Michael Wininger—was recognized at commencement on May 24, and each of their names will be added to the awards wall outside Winslow Auditorium. 

Professor named to NAS

YSPH professor Serap Aksoy is among 120 new members elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors bestowed on a US scientist or engineer. Aksoy was named to the NAS with three other Yale scientists: Hui Cao, Lieping Chen, and Debra Fischer. Aksoy, Cao, and Fischer also are among a record number of 59 women elected to the academy in a single year. “The historic number of women elected this year reflects the critical contributions that they are making in many fields of science, as well as a concerted effort by our academy to recognize those contributions and the essential value of increasing diversity in our ranks,” said Marcia McNutt, NAS president. 

LGBTQ community centers vital to mental health support

In surveys of LGBTQ community centers across the United States, researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that these venues provide critical frontline mental health services to a population that often faces stigma and a host of other challenges to their emotional well-being. The research team, led by John Pachankis, the Susan Dwight Bliss Associate Professor of Public Health, interviewed the CEOs and directors of 60 LGBTQ community centers in what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive surveys to date on the role of these venues in promoting mental health outcomes. The findings were published in the journal Psychiatric Services.      

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