Kate Marmion School of Public Health Highlights Powerhouse Research at APHA 2026
Faculty, researchers, and students from the Kate Marmion School of Public Health at The University of Texas at San Antonio represented the institution with distinction at the American Public Health Association's (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in San Antonio. Demonstrating the school's commitment to advancing community wellbeing and health access, the team contributed 20 poster presentations and 5 oral presentations selected for exhibition across the conference schedule.
Driving Innovation Across Key Public Health Disciplines
The presentations spanned a wide range of critical public health fields, addressing local, national, and global challenges:
- Environmental & Occupational Health: Researchers examined environmental exposures, including volatile organic compounds and particulate matter among domestic cleaners in South Texas, as well as community lead exposure and soil safety in hazard-prone areas. Occupational health studies highlighted heat stress and kidney health in agricultural workers, burnout among certified nurse aides, and structural barriers to safety.
- Epidemiology & Chronic Disease: Presentation subjects explored chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu), self-reported hearing and memory loss in the U.S. Bible Belt, and the longitudinal impact of employment benefits and financial hardship on cancer survivors.
- Community-Based Public Health & Practice: Sessions showcased academic-community partnerships, including the CBPR Partnership Academy, local early childhood health initiatives in San Antonio, and collaborative efforts designing the school's MPH program in Public Health Practice and Administration.
- Health Education, Promotion & Vaccines: Teams delivered insights on vaccine messaging and social media misinformation, perceived HPV susceptibility, and HPV vaccination uptake among youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.
- Substance Use & Mental Health: Research highlighted trends in adolescent oral nicotine product use, referral pathways and treatment completion for substance use disorders among pregnant women, and hospital utilization trends among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Sexual Health, International Health & Care Access: Global and domestic studies covered condom use among adult cisgender women in Texas, long-acting PrEP awareness among men, and women’s preferences for cervical cancer self-sampling.
The robust representation at APHA 2026 underscores the Kate Marmion School of Public Health's growing leadership in impactful, community-engaged research and translational public health practice.