On the Heights: October 2025
Faculty research shapes policy debates on mass deportation, SNAP benefits, and health communication while centers expand lifecourse research focus and new technology advances lab safety training.
Blog
University of Michigan, Ohio State scholars launch emerging health technology law and policy research network
School of Public Health Professor Holly Jarman co-leads OMLET, a collaborative network examining legal and ethical challenges in regulating emerging health technologies including AI in medicine, gene editing, and e-cigarettes.
University of Michigan researchers part of multi-institutional team working to revolutionize clean indoor air, reduce respiratory illness
Epidemiologists Emily Martin and Khalil Chedid join a Virginia Tech-led effort to develop smart-building biosensors that detect airborne pathogens and automatically trigger ventilation responses, aiming to reduce respiratory illnesses by 25%.
One Step Closer: Immersive XR Technology to Provide Campus-Wide Undergraduate Laboratory Health and Safety Training
School of Public Health researchers collaborated with the Center for Academic Innovation to develop web and VR-based laboratory safety training that students found more engaging and effective than traditional methods at teaching realistic safety skills.
Investigating racism's impact on birth outcomes
Q&A with University of Michigan researcher Safyer McKenzie-Sampson on racism’s impact on reproductive health
Safyer McKenzie-Sampson is the John G. Searle Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She focuses her research on the multi-level impacts of racial discrimination on adverse perinatal outcomes in Black communities. Her work uniquely examines these outcomes through the lens of maternal nativity, highlighting the experiences of Black immigrants
M-PACT Scholar brings youth-centered research home
Q&A with University of Michigan researcher Asari Offiong on adolescent health and community-based participatory research
Asari Offiong is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity at Michigan Public Health, where she conducts community-based research. As an M-PACT Scholar, Her research centers on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, integrating reproductive justice and youth-centered perspectives to understand how young people navigate complex health decisions.