Students in health sciences are gaining research experience in Lowell, working alongside an adult advisory group and local agencies to help make the city an “age-friendly” community.

During a class field trip to the State House, public health majors learned how advocates can impact policies that effect health.

With the help of a student research team, Transene Company is offering etching solutions to its semiconductor customers that don't contain the toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The city of Lowell is working in partnership with university researchers to get people with opioid use disorder into services and out of the criminal justice system. New grants are expanding the city’s diversion efforts, including for police calls involving people experiencing a mental health crisis.

A new study led by Prof. of Public Health Wenjun Li, with funding from a $4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, will analyze how older people move and use the outdoor space in their communities.

Community college students interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field took a free course at UMass Lowell over the summer through the STEM Starter Academy.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a $900,000 grant to Research Prof. Anila Bello of the Department of Public Health for research into better protections for firefighters from harmful chemicals used to extinguish fuel-based fires.

A new lecture series for new Honors College students introduces them to faculty across the campus and to opportunities for research and creative collaboration. It’s part of the First Year Seminar in Honors.

UMass Lowell received more than $3 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop new undergraduate and graduate programs in public health informatics and technology. UML will work with community colleges and health care partners to educate diverse students who can fill vital jobs.

An interdisciplinary team of UML faculty, led by Assoc. Profs. Meg Sobkowicz-Kline and Chris Hansen, have received a nearly $3 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award for a new graduate student program focused on developing sustainable materials and chemicals that won’t harm water resources.

Assoc. Prof. Kelsey Mangano, a nutrition researcher, says that the health of the planet and our own health go hand in hand – and that by improving one, we can improve the other.

The new “Health Sciences Hub” in the Health and Social Sciences Building is a one-stop center for student success. It includes space for advising, tutoring, exam reviews, faculty and teaching assistant office hours, health sciences club meetings, interprofessional education and more.

Starting April 19, anyone 16 years and older living in Massachusetts can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Campus health experts and researchers recommend vaccination for everyone who can safely get the shot -- so that we can protect ourselves and others in our campus community.

Public Health Prof. Wenjun Li researches people’s access to resources that support healthy aging, with a focus on how social and environmental factors such as income, race and residential neighborhoods contribute to inequities in health and well-being. He’s also collaborating on research projects involving veterans.

More than 100 students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences have volunteered to help out at Lowell General Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic, which gives about 2,000 shots each day. In addition, some nursing students are earning clinical hours while giving vaccinations.

The need for home health care services has never been greater, or more challenging, than during COVID-19. Under a major federal grant, Public Health Prof. Emerita Margaret Quinn, lead researcher for the Safe Home Care Project, is using her expertise to address the hazards that home care aides face.

Thanks to a five-year, $6.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, The New England Consortium at UMass Lowell will expand its hazardous materials worker health and safety training under the direction of Research Prof. David Turcotte.

The Master’s of Public Health program is growing in size and reputation since it debuted six years ago. Starting in January, the health care management option will be offered completely online.

Four current and former exercise science majors won praise at a conference for their research on a heart rate finger sensor – and honors student Andreas Himariotis carried off the top undergraduate prize.

Asst. Prof. Serena Rajabiun and two other Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences professors are leading a $3.9 million federal grant to help HIV treatment centers improve care for Black women, who have higher infection rates and worse health outcomes because of poverty, stigma and structural racism.

When two alumni now working at Lowell Community Health Center wanted volunteers for their “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 testing campaign this summer, they knew whom to call: their former professors in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences.

With the coronavirus pandemic persisting, people may be tempted to increase the use of disinfectants to help stem the spread of the virus. But these products contain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered pesticides that can cause harm, especially if not used as directed.

Lowell General Hospital chief medical officer Arthur Lauretano, M.D., received a master's in Healthcare Management and Clinical Informatics from UMass Lowell.

With labs closed and all academic programs now online due to COVID-19, seniors are adapting their capstone projects. Some capstones have even taken on new relevance because they address aspects of the pandemic.

Three faculty-led research projects focused on immediate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic received more than $33,000 in seed funding from the university’s Office of Research and Innovation.

Thirty undergraduate and graduate public health students from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences have volunteered to work with local boards of health on contact tracing efforts to help contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The New England Consortium, a UML-based institute, is offering free trainings on keeping workers safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, whether they’re front-line health care workers or employees in other essential industries.

The university has switched to remote operations because of the coronavirus pandemic, but student EMTs are still providing continuous emergency response services for the students and essential staff members who remain on campus.

Epidemiologist and Public Health Prof. David Kriebel, who is reviewing data as it becomes available on the outbreak of COVID-19, sees cautiously encouraging trends on the containment of the virus emerging in China.

Studies show that fad diets don't keep off weight in the long term. Faculty who are registered dietitians and students majoring in nutritional science share science-based advice to eat healthy for successful weight loss.

College Based Advising, Disability Services, Hospitality & Event Services and the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences have joined together to launch the “Don’t Drop the Mic, USE a Mic” campaign. The initiative encourages presenters to use microphones at large meetings, classrooms, events and conferences.

Students traded in their vape pens for UML gear donated by the university bookstore during “Escape the Vape,” a two-day event hosted by the peer health education student group Healthy H.A.W.K.S.

Research Prof. David Turcotte has won a federal grant of nearly $1 million to do more research on asthma – work that could benefit low-income seniors in Lowell.

Food and beverage companies learned about sustainable manufacturing and cleaning processes at a workshop funded by the EPA.

Work environment graduate student Nicole Karlsson was the lead author on a published study that showed that about one in four home care workers reported at least one incident of verbal abuse by clients or their relatives during the preceding 12 months.

Most people addicted to opioids are working – and job conditions can either contribute to addiction or help to prevent it and encourage recovery. The university was selected as one of four sites nationwide for a pilot training program on the critical connections between work, mental health and addiction.

An athletic training method shown to reduce head injuries in high school football will be rolled out in Hawaii next week through an $800,000 grant to the UMass Lowell researcher who designed the system.

Nutritional Science student Liam Fouhy is part of a group partnering with Lawrence’s Council on Aging. Fouhy will pursue his MPH at UMass Lowell.

The university’s Climate Change Initiative hosted members of the state’s House Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change for a roundtable discussion on climate science and policy at which faculty members shared scientific research and expertise to help inform policy decisions.

UMass Lowell Air Force ROTC Commander Jesse Jaramillo partnered with Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences faculty to deliver nutrition and exercise science education, counseling and training for cadets.

A team of public health students from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, who are working at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) on their capstone project, found safer cleaning solutions for reusable bags.

For almost two decades, Research Prof. David Turcotte’s “Healthy Homes” project has improved the lives of low-income children and seniors with asthma. His focus on environmental justice also includes research on wind turbines, community health and healthy workplaces.

Public Health Department Chair Nicole Champagne brings Ben, the university's first therapy dog, to campus twice a week and the Wellness Center recently brought baby animals to campus, all to reduce student stress.

“Confronting Gun Violence Against Kids” was the theme of the College of Education’s 23rd Panasuk Symposium on Educational Research, Policy & Practice, which featured Peter Cunningham, former assistant secretary for communications and outreach for the U.S. Department of Education.

At a recent career seminar, students from a variety of majors heard from three experienced genetic counselors about the various career options in the profession, as well as the challenges and rewards of their jobs.

Assoc. Prof. Wilson Palacios is researching new approaches to prevent opioid overdoses and the spread of disease in Lowell. Meanwhile, Asst. Prof. Angela Wangari Walter is identifying barriers to prevention, treatment and recovery for fishing industry workers in New England.

The Toxics Use Reduction Institute recently recognized Asst. Prof. Boce Zang as an Academic Champion of Toxics Use Reduction at the State House. He was one of 12 honorees that are working to reduce toxic chemical use across the Commonwealth.

Graduate students in the Master’s in Public Health with a focus on dietetics spent the semester interning on campus with University Dining Services, learning about everything from food prep and safety to knife skills and food waste composting.

An interdisciplinary team led by Manning School Assoc. Prof. Asil Oztekin and Zuckerberg College Assoc. Prof. Margaret Knight received a $10,000 IDEA grant from the Office of the Provost to collaborate with the Lowell Community Health Center and use Big Data analytics to model health outcomes for risk groups.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association named Margaret Quinn as the recipient of the Alice Hamilton Award, which is presented to an outstanding woman who has made a lasting achievement in the field of occupational and environmental hygiene.

A collaboration between Campus Recreation, the Wellness Center and the Exercise Physiology department, the Exercise is Medicine program teaches students how exercise can improve their overall well-being by providing them with 16 personal training sessions – free of charge.

UML is working hard to educate students in sexual violence prevention in the classroom, on playing fields, in student clubs and through residence life. Faculty are also doing cutting-edge research in the field.

UMass Lowell public health and computer science researchers are launching the pilot of a new tool in Peru that aims to speed up the diagnosis of people afflicted with tuberculosis.

“There’s an idea that clean equals good and healthy, but this should broaden our idea of what cleaning work is and what the chemical hazards are in particular,” said Margaret Quinn of UMass Lowell.

UMass Lowell researchers have developed a paint-stripping solvent that they say provides a safer alternative to the toxic, potentially deadly products available for purchase at local hardware stores.

Students are collecting new teddy bears and other stuffed animals to give to children in Lowell and hurricane-ravaged areas for the holidays. The Student Alumni Ambassadors are collecting in Fox Hall and also taking online donations of money.

Maura Walsh '80, health care administration alumna and former leader of a 15-hospital health care system in Texas, returned to campus recently to share her experience managing a command center during and after Hurricane Ike.

Faculty Teaching Circle Fellows integrate innovative teaching methods in classes to help students succeed.

Biologist Nicolai Konow studies the structure and movements of backboned animals, including fish, bats, birds and axolotls, to understand how they evolved and how they fit into the ecosystem. A recent study looks at fish that eat coral.

Students studying dietetics gain valuable work experience during their summer community internships.

The National Institutes of Health awarded Asst. Prof. of Public Health Natalia Palacios a $2.1 million, five-year grant to study the relationship between gut bacteria and the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

UMass Lowell officially dedicated its College of Health Sciences to alumnus Roy Zuckerberg in recognition of his support for the university and its students.

Students working in the TURI Lab helped the campus bike shop adopt cleaning products that are safer for the environment and workers.

A new “Interdisciplinary Experiential Learning” course gives students from five different majors — nursing, medical laboratory science, nutritional sciences, exercise physiology and public health — experience working in teams at Summit ElderCare in Lowell.

Prof. David Turcotte and a team of students carried out a community health needs assessment for Lowell and surrounding towns—and made some surprising findings.

Students from the eNABLE Lowell group fitted 8-year-old Liam Haggerty with a custom-made artificial hand at the South Campus basketball court.

From improving rehabilitation for stroke survivors to reducing inflammation through diet in older adults, faculty members in the College of Health Sciences are conducting studies that have the potential to make a powerful impact on people’s lives.

University researchers helped the Lowell Police Department win two major grants totaling nearly $1.3 million over three years to study factors contributing to opioid addiction and come up with solutions.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace a five-year $6,357,027 grant.

Increases in chronic diseases, obesity rates, virus threats and an aging baby-boom population are fueling the need for more public health professionals.

Before he graduated, Peace and Conflict Studies student Kevin Copson lined up a job with a start-up that supports Weave open-source software, created by university researchers.

Public health students created campuswide campaigns to raise awareness about global health issues.

The Center for Community Research and Engagement helps local agencies, links faculty research with community needs and provides graduate students with research experience.

Thanks to Prof. John Wooding's creative economy grant, the university is partnering with more than two dozen community groups for the monthlong Lowell Earth Day Celebration 2016.

Stress at work is linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, according to two research studies conducted by the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW).

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences has awarded The New England Consortium a $7.6 million grant to protect the health and safety of workers responding to hazardous-materials and climate-change crises.

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences has awarded The New England Consortium a $7.6 million grant to protect the health and safety of workers responding to hazardous-materials and climate-change crises.

New graduate degrees combine specialized knowledge in humanities and sciences with business management, data analysis and leadership skills.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded UMass Lowell a $2M grant that supports graduate students in their public health and occupational health and safety studies.

UMass Lowell's CPH-NEW and UMass Medical School were awarded a $500,000 two-year grant to measure the effectiveness of a new state worksite wellness program.

Prof. Emeritus Michael Ellenbecker of Work Environment has been honored for going above and beyond in contributing to the improvement of the public’s welfare.