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Department of Social and Behavioral Health News

Housed in the UNLV School of Public Health, the Department of Social and Behavioral Health consists of faculty who engage in research and develop and evaluate community-based programs that promote health and disease prevention. Our students learn to identify high-risk behaviors or trends in specific populations, as well as propose solutions that aim to improve overall public health in communities.

Current Social and Behavioral Health News

Fall colors 2025
Campus News |

Some of the biggest news headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.

First day of classes.
Campus News |

The top news stories starring university students and staff.

June campus horizon shot
Campus News |

The top headlines featuring UNLV’s staff and students.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

Tim Grigsby sitting on a UNLV bench in the Academic Mall
People |

After an unexpected start in public health, this professor of social and behavioral health is uncovering the complexities of substance misuse and childhood trauma.

A UNLV student studies with the Strip in the distance.
Campus News |

Headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Social and Behavioral Health In The News

Indica News

Whooping cough or pertussis is showing signs of re-emergence around the world, and more so in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently reported that whooping cough levels have returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels and were six times higher in 2024 than in 2023, and the levels in 2025 are also elevated.

Indica News

Use of plastics has become ubiquitous in our society since their first introduction in the 1950s. At present, it is estimated that only 20% of plastics are recycled or incinerated, leaving the rest as waste in the environment. It is projected that this waste could reach 2.4 billion tons by 2050. Due to slow and incomplete degradation, microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as harmful pollutants both for human health and the environment.

The 19th

Three years after the release of the first comprehensive roadmap to address difficulties faced by family caregivers of older adults and people with disabilities, the Trump administration has quietly erased transgender caregivers and caregivers of color from a list of underserved or hard-to-reach populations, The 19th has exclusively learned.

IndiaCurrents

Pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period need not be filled with anxiety; with some preparation it can be one filled with happiness.

The Epoch Times

Across the United States, research shows that longer work hours and increasingly busy lifestyles are leaving people more socially isolated than ever. While workaholics may appear to be high achievers, their relentless drive often comes at a cost to their health and relationships.

Indica News

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) due to uncontrolled sugar management that causes damage to eye vessels, leading to blindness. According to a recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology (2023), approximately one-third or 9.6 million people with diabetes had this condition, with 1.8 million having an advanced vision-threatening form of it.

Social and Behavioral Health Experts

An expert on health disparities and LGBTQ aging adults with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
An expert on health behavior and coping with stress.
An expert on drug misuse and addiction.
An expert on lactation, breastfeeding, and maternal and child health and nutrition.

Recent Social and Behavioral Health Accomplishments

Manoj Sharma, Sidath Kapukotuwa, Sharmistha Roy, Mahsa Pashaeimeykola, and Asma Awan (all Social and Behavioral Health) published an article titled, “Theory-based antecedents of stopping texting while driving among college students for injury prevention: A cross-sectional study,” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public…
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article titled, “Predictability of perceptual factors of the intention-behaviour gap among young adults: A protocol for an explanatory mixed-methods study,” in the journal BMJ Open (Impact Factor 2.3) in collaboration with authors from Tabriz University of Medical…
Asma Awan, Ana Daniela Gonzalez, and Manoj Sharma (all Social and Behavioral Health) presented virtually as the plenary address titled, "Transformation Towards Sustainable Food Systems," at the 9th European Public Health Conference on Nov. 28, 2025, held in Singapore. The presentation described a comprehensive exploration of policy initiatives…
Manoj Sharma, Asma Awan, Ana Gonzalez, Sidath Kapukotuwa & Md. Sohail Akther (all Social and Behavioral Health) published an article titled, “Fourth-generation multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change as a novel strategy for sustainable health promotion: A systematic review” in the Journal of Social Behavior and Community Health.…
The Nevada Breastfeeding Coalition awarded Gabriela Buccini (Social and Behavioral Health) the 2025 Golden Droplet Award. Buccini is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a leading researcher on breastfeeding nationally and globally. Since relocating to UNLV and Las Vegas, Buccini has received over 7 million in research and…
Abena Gyawu Owusu Ansah (Social and Behavioral Health) presented on Determinants of Infant Mortality in Two Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Comparative Analysis at the 2025 annual American Public Health Association (APHA) in Washington, D.C.