School Notes: School of Public Health
March/April 2019

YSPH alumna appointed top health official in Bhutan

Alumna Dechen Wangmo ’07MPH has been appointed minister of health of her homeland, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. An independent public health consultant in Southeast Asia for the past decade, Wangmo is familiar with the public health needs of Bhutan, a landlocked nation of about 800,000 people between China and India. She credits her time at the Yale School of Public Health with helping her gain valuable perspective, adding, “My education at Yale has been an instrumental factor in what I have achieved over the last decade.” 

Gun violence is public health threat

Gun control activists speaking at a Yale School of Public Health forum urged public health professionals to join their efforts in combating the pervasive gun violence that has become a major public health threat across the country. “It’s really critical that we have your support,” said Po Murray, chair of the Newtown Action Alliance, a gun control advocacy group formed after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The November 27 forum was organized by three YSPH students who saw a need for an informed conversation about the role public health professionals and the YSPH can have in addressing gun violence.

School-based nutritional programs reduce student obesity

In-school nutrition programs that promote healthy eating among middle school students limit increases in body mass index (BMI), according to a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health. The five-year trial followed nearly 600 students from 12 schools in New Haven.

Students in schools with a greater focus on nutrition had healthier BMI trajectories (a measure of obesity) over time and reported healthier eating behaviors than students in schools without enhanced nutrition policies and programs. In schools focused on nutrition, students’ BMI percentile increased less than 1 percent. Students in schools without enhanced nutrition supports showed increases of 3 to 4 percent. “Childhood obesity is a serious health threat, and schools are a vital way to reach children and their families to reduce risks and promote health,” said lead author Jeannette Ickovics, the Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences.