School Notes: School of Public Health
July/August 2025

Students monitor measles outbreak

Students in Joanne McGovern’s Public Health Emergencies: Disaster Planning and Response class aren’t just learning about crises—they’re responding to them. McGovern’s students are producing comprehensive situational reports on the ongoing measles outbreak in west Texas and the southwest United States. These reports track county infection levels and vaccination rates and provide important information about the latest local and state government actions. By April, the reports were downloaded and shared by hundreds of thousands of people. Professor McGovern brings over 30 years of experience in leading disaster response and managing complex emergencies in the United States and around the world. The class is part of her mission to provide students with hands-on experience in public health crisis communications. “We were the only ones doing a comprehensive situation report,” McGovern said. “The students are filling a critical gap.” 

The future of public health

In March, Dean Megan L. Ranney cochaired the largest annual meeting of global academic public health leaders in the US. YSPH faculty and staff, including Ranney, led discussions at the conference organized by the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health (ASPPH). YSPH members also represented the school on advisory committees that provide leadership on critical academic public health issues. ASPPH, which supports over 150 accredited public health schools and programs, represents a community of more than 103,000 deans, faculty, staff, and students. Ranney’s role as cochair highlights YSPH’s leadership in public health. “It was a delight to cochair this meeting,” Ranney said. “Attendees represented a true cross-section of academic public health, ranging from students to deans to nonprofits. We articulated a fabulous vision for the future of public health and worked to design thoughtful responses to current challenges.”