Public Health Discovery Seminar Series

Interested in public health? Join the Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine faculty to learn more about ongoing research and hot topics in a wide variety of public health disciplines in our ongoing virtual seminar series.

All seminars will be uploaded and added to a YouTube Playlist.

Seminar Schedule

Practicing Humility and Decolonialism in Global Public Health 
Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM  
Dr. Kristefer Stojanovski, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Behavioral and Population Sciences and Research Director, Partners for Advancing Health Equity 
Dr. Stojanovski is a global health population scientist. In this seminar, he will discuss his global research portfolio, which includes projects in Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Dr. Stojanovski will discuss issues of the continued colonization in global health. He will also discuss what it means to practice and work in global health as a white-presenting scholar from the Global North, guide the conversation on the practice of humility, and share his approach to combating colonization in the world of global health and development.   
Register here!

Understanding Suicide: What the Science Tells Us and Why That Matters in Public Health 
Monday, December 15, 2025, at 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM  
Dr. Breanna Banks, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Behavioral and Population Sciences 
Despite rising suicide rates and growing public concern, suicide prevention efforts often remain siloed in clinical care. This seminar explores how public health can play a transformative role in suicide prevention by integrating foundational theories of suicide—such as the Interpersonal Theory, the Existential Constructivist Theory of Suicide, and Cultural Theory of Suicide—with a critical understanding of the social and structural determinants that shape risk and recovery. Drawing from both empirical research and implementation practice, this presentation highlights how social inequities—such as housing instability, discrimination, and poverty—interact with psychological drivers of suicide. Participants will be invited to consider how public health training, program design, and policy advocacy can more effectively address suicide as a complex, multilevel public health issue. Join Dr. Breanna Banks to discuss implications for interdisciplinary collaboration, systems thinking, and community-based approaches.   
Register here! 

Interested in learning more about our graduate programs? Fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.