Master of Public Health

Research & Impact

From insight to impact: meet the moment with an education rooted in action.

Research & Impact

From insight to impact: meet the moment with an education rooted in action.

At Brown, your education extends beyond the classroom. Our students engage with expert faculty and conduct hands-on research that directly addresses today’s most pressing public health challenges. As the only School of Public Health in the state, you will have unique access and opportunities that aren’t found at other schools. Through our office in Washington, D.C, Brown faculty and students help shape health policy across the country and around the world.

As a MPH student, you don’t just study public health; you practice it. You are immersed in research, community engagement and on-the-ground problem solving. Working with expert faculty, you learn how to turn evidence into action–quickly and with measurable impact.

This is public health in practice. At Brown, your education is purpose-driven and built for today’s challenges.

Student Research

At Brown you don’t just study public health. You’ll be on the front lines from day one, gaining unparalleled opportunities for hands-on research, community engagement and practical experience. Through the MPH Practicum and the thesis/capstone project, students can demonstrate new knowledge and impact to directly address pressing public health challenges as they unfold.

  • Mikaela Byers (MPH 2025) worked with Professor Medina Agenor and is preparing to submit her thesis on providing sexual and reproductive health care in harm reduction settings [thesis linked here].
  • Elvira Fleury (UG/MPH 2023) worked with Professor Joseph Braun to publish her thesis on longitudinal PFAS exposure and adolescent cardiometabolic health in Environmental Epidemiology [linked here].
  • Kristin Koehm (MPH 2023) worked with Professor Ju Park published qualitative research on stakeholder perceptions of stigma related to the implementation of safe consumption sites in Substance Use & Addiction Journal [available here].
  • Madeline Noh (UG/MPH 2023) worked with Professor Medina Agenor to publish her thesis on equitable sexual health communication among patients with minoritized identities in Social Science & Medicine [linked here].
  • Samantha Parker (MPH 2024) worked with Professor Alexandria Macmadu to publish her thesis on stimulant use patterns and non-fatal overdose experiences in Harm Reduction Journal [linked here].
  • Darlene Tat (MPH 2023) worked with Professor Kaley Hayes to publish her thesis on sliding scale insulin use in nursing homes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in JAMDA (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association) [linked here].
  • Taylor-Marie Vasil (MPH 2024) worked with Professor Joseph Braun to publish research on prenatal and postnatal PFAS exposure and childhood eating behaviors in Environmental Epidemiology [linked here].
  • Eli Wasserman (MPH 2024) worked with Professor Medina Agenor on a a manuscript that is currently in the revise-and-resubmit phase for examining healthcare providers’ training, decisions, and actions related to sexual and reproductive health care for Black and Latina women who use drugs [thesis linked here].

Brown Faculty In the News

As nationally recognized experts, our faculty are in high demand by the media to help explain the latest issues facing public health. At Brown, you learn not just the science of public health but how to translate data and evidence into answers for people and policy makers.

Dean Ashish K. Jha provides regular expert commentary on pandemic preparedness, health policy, climate and health and global health for TV, print and radio and is the host of A Moment in Health, a podcast that explores how public health happens. 

Professor Rivkees, a former surgeon general for the State of Florida, is a leading voice on state and federal health policy practice such as the value of adding fluoride into drinking water. He teaches PHP 1450 - COVID-19, Public Health, and Health Policy and PHP 2073 - Leadership and Communication.

Professor Nuzzo, routinely engages with the media to educate and inform about infectious disease and biosecurity threats. In the spring of 2025, when government data sharing on infectious disease slowed, her center filled the void by creating the Pandemic Tracker. Professor Nuzzo teaches PHP 1854 - The Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases.

Professor Spencer, is an expert voice on humanitarian response, global health security, and pandemic preparedness with a unique skill in bridging divides that have plagued public health. Professor Spencer teaches PHP 1796 - The Historical Determinants of Public Health and PHP 2700 - Lessons (Un)Learned in Public Health and Humanitarian Response: A Historical Perspective.