Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences
News and Announcements
Recent BSS News
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October 2, 2025
News from Brown
Kids are not getting as much sleep as their parents think, study finds
Researchers at Brown University found that many Rhode Island kids sleep less than their parents realize, with Latino children logging the least amount of rest.
October 2, 2025
News from CHPHE
Spotlight on Robert Rosales: Championing Equity in Behavioral Health for Historically Marginalized Communities
CHPHE welcomes Robert Rosales, Ph.D., LCSW, as a new affiliate of the center. A behavioral health equity scholar and Assistant Professor at Brown University, Dr. Rosales focuses on the mental health impacts of racism, heterosexism, and other forms of minority stress. With a commitment to health equity, public advocacy, and mentorship, Rosales brings invaluable expertise to our shared mission.
August 21, 2025
News from SPH
Student Spotlight: The human side of health care
Brown MPH student Quynh Le brought her passion for global health to a local setting this summer, working to improve patient satisfaction and language accessibility at CODAC Behavioral Healthcare.
August 14, 2025
News from SPH
Farm-to-table for the youngest Rhode Islanders
The Little Harvest Produce Box program is delivering fresh, locally grown produce to Rhode Island child-care centers to increase access to nutritious food and encourage healthy eating habits in young children, one box at a time.
June 16, 2025
News from Brown
New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies
Brown University engineers partnered with public health experts to create new diagnostic techniques that could help to deliver better, patient-centered care to adults and newborns alike.
May 12, 2025
News from SPH
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Nyameyo, MPH ’24
Nyameyo puts her online MPH training into action through Lulu-Afrika, the nonprofit organization she founded to address food insecurity, women’s health and safety and the well-being of orphans and prisoners throughout Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan.
Doctoral student Emily Elenio is tackling one of the biggest challenges in digital public health research today: securing the integrity of online survey data. In her innovative work on the "What’s On Your Plate" study, she sets new standards for recruiting under-resourced populations while defending against bots and fraudulent responses.
April 22, 2025
News from SPH
Student Spotlight: Garrett Stang
For sexual and gender minorities, stress and stigma can undermine conventional tobacco cessation efforts. Brown SPH doctoral student Garrett Stang is examining smoking behaviors within these communities to inform more effective, evidence-based strategies for quitting.
April 7, 2025
News from CHPHE
Jaclyn White Hughto Receives Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Public Health
The Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity is pleased to announce that Jaclyn White Hughto, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Epidemiology, has received the prestigious Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Public Health. This award recognizes her outstanding commitment to mentoring students and fostering excellence in public health education.
January 23, 2025
News from Carney
A Case for Addiction Science Advocacy
Karla Kaun argues that addiction researchers should talk about their work in their everyday lives. Those conversations can shape how drug, tobacco and alcohol use is studied in labs, taught in schools, treated in clinics and shaped by policy. Brown addiction researchers have a track record of success in exerting the influence of evidence.
January 14, 2025
News from Brown
What the surgeon general’s warnings about alcohol mean for individual drinkers and public health
In a Q&A, Peter Monti, a professor of alcohol and addiction studies at Brown University and a leading researcher of alcohol and disease exacerbation, shared his perspective on alcohol and cancer.
January 8, 2025
News from SPH
Brown researchers awarded $3.8 million grant to study links between alcohol, gut health and HIV
The research, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, aims to uncover how alcohol and HIV disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to chronic health issues like heart disease.