The Mission of Kent State University's College of Public Health is to develop public health leaders and promote sustainable public health innovations in collaboration with community partners in northeast Ohio through teaching, research, and service.
What Have We Been Up To?

Dec 07, 2021
Her commitment and passion for math mixed with a desire to help others is what led Abbey Eng, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health at Kent State University to earn the 2020 Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA). The OTA, presented by the University Teaching Council, credits three full-time non-tenure track and part-time faculty members for being among the most dedicated and motivated faculty at the university.

College of Public Health Professor Partners With CHC Addiction Services for $2.6 Million Grant To Expand Opioid Treatment
Nov 04, 2021
Ohio’s opioid epidemic is one of the worst in the country. One Kent State University professor and his team are aiming to change that. Deric Kenne in the College of Public Health received a five-year, $2.6 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to expand and enhance services for opioid use disorder treatment in Summit County, Ohio. A significant portion of the funding will go to CHC Addiction Services to enhance and expand medication-assisted treatment programming.

Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County and Kent State’s College of Public Health Receive Federal Grant to Improve and Support Mental Health in Portage County Schools and Community
Oct 08, 2021
Through a five-year, $625,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County will partner with Kent State University’s Center for Public Policy and Health in the College of Public Health to improve and support mental health in Portage County.

Mar 25, 2021
Kent State University has partnered with Greater Akron community organizations to conduct the first comprehensive and specific LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment (CNA). Efforts of this assessment focus on producing a better-informed public health system and improving the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community members.

Mar 10, 2021
Kent State University and the College of Public Health have partnered with greater Akron community organizations to conduct the first comprehensive and specific LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment (CNA). Efforts of this assessment will focus on producing a better-informed public health system and improving the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community.

Feb 22, 2021
As part of the university’s strategy to stop the spread of COVID-19, the College of Public Health at Kent State University partnered with the Kent City and Portage County Health Departments to conduct contact tracing for students and faculty on Kent Campus. Melissa Zullo, Ph.D., an associate professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, reached out to students within the college to ask for volunteers for the testing events. The health departments then ask the students to assist with contact tracing across the university.

Feb 09, 2021
Two professors have conducted much-needed research on face coverings that use alternative textiles to protect the public from COVID-19 and how to keep those masks virus-free.

Nov 19, 2020
While it's no secret that many college students drink alcohol, how COVID-19 affected these behaviors and patterns is the focus of recent research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors by the collaboration of William Lechner from the Department of Psychological Sciences and Deric Kenne from the College of Public Health. The pair sought to study the effects that a major stressor such as the pandemic could have on addictive behaviors and how vulnerabilities such as anxiety and depression played a part in the coping process of college students.
Nov 09, 2020
Across the U.S., an increasing number of communities have declared racism as a public health crisis.
Nov 09, 2020
Preparations for the 2020 Global Health Immersion: Geneva course began like any other back in August 2019. As we approached spring, things picked up speed as students booked flights, began to learn about the World Health Organization, and made friends with their classmates.