The School of Public Health and Health Sciences will host a campus kickoff event celebrating the launch of its new Center for Community Health Equity Research on Thursday, April 26, 9:30am-12:30pm in the Campus Center's Amherst Room. The Center welcomes renowned speaker Dr. David Williams, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, for a keynote talk titled "Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Health: Present Realities & Future Directions.”

Results of a new study of factors that affect substance abuse and health among women military veterans who use the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health services suggest that delivering health and social services to them could be improved if several factors are taken into account, such as their history of trauma, discrimination and post-military socio-economic stress, among others. Lead author Elizabeth Evans, Assistant Professor of Community Health Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with colleagues at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and the University of California, Los Angeles, say their findings can help to improve interventions and services to reduce the women’s vulnerability to substance abuse and other health risks.

“Sarah was the first public health minded doctor I met when I joined the School of Public Health and Health Sciences,” says Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Daniel Gerber. “Her dedication as a medical doctor to solving the health problems for New England residents using a public health approach was truly special. She will be missed.”

Elizabeth Evans is among the eight faculty members who have been named Public Engagement Faculty Fellows by the Public Engagement Project. As a PEP fellow, she will write policy briefs, develop an online presence, and engage criminal justice leaders, focusing on prevention and intervention strategies that address the different needs of women and men.