The inaugural cohort of Community Health Science PhD students get to know one another over lunch on Talbot Green. Photo: Megan Jones
SPH Snapshot: Fall 2026 Orientation
Scenes from the fall 2026 new student orientation and an international environmental epidemiology conference in Munich.
The School of Public Health welcomed new students to campus for a multi-day orientation designed to familiarize them with various aspects of graduate student life. The agenda included campus tours, presentations from deans, seminars on academic resources, lunch with family and friends, and an array of activities to connect new arrivals with faculty, staff, and one another.
Dean Adnan Hyder celebrated the arrival of new students on campus with a welcome address that acknowledged that the challenges facing the field, but expressed hope at what the students may achieve with the support of the SPH community.
Dean Hyder delivers the keynote address at new student orientation fall 2026. Photo: Megan Jones
Dean Hyder captures a selfie with new students after delivering the keynote address at student orientation fall 2026. Photo: Adnan Hyder
Students raise their hands as Dean Hyder asks which regions of the country and the world they come from at student orientation fall 2026. Photo: Megan Jones
Ann Marie Larese, assistant dean of admissions, oriented incoming students to their new city and neighborhood. Mary Murphy-Phillips, assistant dean of students, introduced incoming students to the Graduate Student Life (GSL) team and the opportunities and support that GSL can provide. Yvette Cozier, associate dean for DEIJ & wellness, discussed the School’s mission, values, and outlets for communication. Chris Louis, associate dean ad interim for academic affairs—wearing matching BU scarlet with Cozier—greeted students and provided a review of the School’s academic honesty policy. Anastasio Giannopoulos, captain of the Boston University Police Department, shared with students an overview of the university’s approach to campus safety.
Ann Marie Larese, assistant dean of admissions, oriented incoming students to their new city and neighborhood. Photo: Megan Jones
Yvette Cozier, associate dean of DEIJ & Wellness, gestures to Mary Murphy-Phillips, assistant dean of students, during her presentation on Graduate Student Life. Photo: Megan Jones
Chris Louis, associate dean ad interim for academic affairs, poses with Dean Cozier in their matching BU scarlet outfits. Photo: Megan Jones
Anastasio Giannopoulos, captain of the Boston University Police Department, presents on safety at BU. Photo: Megan Jones
Sunny weather greeted new students to the School of Public Health for day one of orientation, and spirits remained high through day two despite the rain.
Students having lunch under a tent on Talbot Green. Photo: Megan Jones
Mary Murphy-Phillips, assistant dean of students, poses with Ryan Wisniewski, practicum manager in the Career and Practicum Office, and Kori MacInnis, assistant director of student affairs, during new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
A group of students sitting in a circle on Talbot Lawn during fall new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
Students carry their lunches and SPH Reads book “Everything is Tuberculosis” across Talbot Green during fall new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
Students sit at a table on the Talbot Green patio during a lunch break from fall new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
A student, carrying the SPH Reads book “Everything is Tuberculosis,” speaks with Carol Dolan, clinical professor of community health sciences. Photo: Megan Jones
A student poses smiling next to the Talbot Building entrance during fall new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
An incoming DrPH student from Pennsylvania poses with his mother next to large, stacked letters spelling “BUSPH” in the Talbot Lobby. Photo: Megan Jones
Dean Cozier hosted a conversation on the meaning behind SPH’s mission statement, “Think. Teach. Do. For the Health of All.” Students explored who makes up the “public” in public health, why inclusion matters, and how our commitment to serving local, national, and global communities, especially those who are disadvantaged or underserved, drives everything SPH does through education, research, and service.
Associate Dean of DEIJ and Wellness Yvette Cozier presents data on mortality to students and poses questions during fall new student orientation. Photo: Megan Jones
Students discuss amonst themselves during Associate Dean for DEIJ and Wellness Yvette Cozier’s presentation on understanding SPH’s mission. Photo: Megan Jones
Caroline O’Shea, senior director for careers and practicum, presented recommendations for finding work opportunities and embracing the unexpected. She also made an effort to bust common myths students might believe, such as “I need to have it all figured out,” “Careers are linear,” Networking is only for extroverts,” My practicum locks me into one path,” and “I’m doing this alone.”
Ryan Wisniewski, practicum program director in the Career and Practicum Office, hosted a Q&A with recent alumni over dinner in Hiebert Lounge. Alexandria (Zan) Whitted (SPH’22), Rhiana (Rhi) Brennan (SPH ’25), Sam Gest (SPH’23), and Eric Ngo (SPH’26) gave incoming students the inside scoop, sharing what they wish they had known going into the MPH program and tips from success they picked up while students themselves.
Faculty and students from the Department of Environmental Health and the Department of Epidemiology recently presented their research at the 2026 Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) in Munich, Germany.
Faculty and students from the Department of Environmental Health and the Department of Epidemiology pose for a group photo at the 2026 Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Munich, Germany. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Sharonda Lovett (SPH’25) and Mary Willis, assistant professor of epidemiology) catch up at ISEE 2026 in Munich, Germany. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Mary Willis, assistant professor of epidemiology, presents her research poster “A Global Evaluation of Data Centers & Community Characteristics,” showing that across 166 countries studied, an estimated 3% of the population lives within 1 km of a data center, an estimated 86 million people. Photo courtesy of the EH Department.
EH PhD students Emily Leonard, Margaret Quaid, Jocelyn Fimbres, and Noelle Henderson with EH alumni Flannery Black-Ingersoll & Samantha Hall. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
EH mentor Birgit Claus Henn with her mentees Emily Leonard and Noelle Henderson at ISEE 2026 in Munich, Germany. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Noelle Henderson, an EH PhD student, presents her novel research on multi-chemical exposures and reproductive perinatal outcomes at ISEE 2026 in Munich, Germany. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Jocelyn Fimbres, an EH PhD student, presents her research on environmental exposures and kidney biomarkers among workers in Central America at ISEE 2026 in Munich, Germany. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Emily Leonard, an EH PhD student, presents work from the PHIME study on early-life metal exposures and child neurodevelopment, examining associations between children’s IQ test scores and metal mixture exposure. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Kaylin Vrkljan, an epidemiology PhD student, presents her work on the association of prenatal depressive symptoms with living near oil and gas development. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Margaret Quaid, an EH PhD student, presents her work with Maria Argos, professor of environmental health, on arsenic exposure and epigenetic age acceleration among children in Bangladesh. Photo courtesy of the EH department..
Erin Polka (SPH’20), EH PhD student, MPH alum, and former SPH staff member, presents her work on associations of oil and gas development and environmental risk perceptions. Photo courtesy of the EH department.
Source: https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2026/sph-snapshot-fall-2026-orientation