People in a lab at UMass
Giving Opportunities

School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Society needs a robust public health infrastructure. The School of Public Health and Health Sciences strives to produce ideas, discoveries, and training that promote better health for everyone.

Improving the Health of Millions

With a focus on innovation and incorporating diverse perspectives into its work, the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is accelerating the pace of progress in areas ranging from preventing chronic diseases to promoting healthy aging and battling the opioid crisis. Our faculty and students are committed to changing lives and strengthening the future of health care.

Our vision

Building a strong, adaptable public health infrastructure

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences influences community health and public policy through teaching, research, and targeted outreach. Your support will ensure that the school can expand its impact on society and evolve to meet the most complex health care challenges of our time.

#29
Best Schools of Public Health, U.S. News and World Report 2024
88%
of School of Public Health and Health Sciences graduates remain in Massachusetts to work in the health care sector
$17M
research funding awarded in 2024 

Initiatives for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences

New student-centered facility

This 26,000 square foot building will provide the space, technology, and resources the school needs to bring its campus community together and support a positive climate of learning, innovation, and well-being.

Scholarships

Support for student scholarships at both the undergraduate and graduate levels ensures that future leaders from a variety of backgrounds can choose UMass Amherst and dedicate themselves to making a difference in health care.

Faculty Support

Endowed professorships and fixed-term faculty positions enable the school to reward and retain faculty who lead promising research while mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. 

Immersive education and research opportunities

Donor support will help the school expand access to research practicums, industry and community internships, study abroad programs, field work, and community-engaged research projects.

Interdisciplinary initiatives and partnerships

The school seeks to increase the scope of initiatives that cut across campus and partnerships that engage communities and industries to provide economic and social benefits to the Commonwealth.

“This school has given me opportunities to pursue my dreams of conducting research, getting involved in community service, and teaching and mentoring students.”

Carissa Lange
Ph.D. candidate in environmental health sciences
Carissa Lange presenting at the SPHHS 2024 Research Day

Campaign Progress: $12,300,000

Goal: $18M
68%
Illustration of many different foods cascading down into a pill capsule.
Spotlight on Food is Medicine

Examining the power of food in promoting health

School of Public Health and Health Sciences Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz is collaborating with faculty spanning multiple UMass schools, colleges, and departments to establish a research hub dedicated to studying how nutrition and access to better food can enhance health and prevent a range of chronic illnesses.

Fact sheet from SEIGMA that fades into a blur
Spotlight on Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA)

Examining gambling attitudes, intensity, and harms in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission supports UMass Amherst’s research on the effects of expanded gambling in the state. Rachel Volberg, research professor of epidemiology, recently conducted an online survey in which responses suggested that problem gambling may be increasing among monthly gamblers.

Ready to learn more about the School of Public Health and Health Sciences?