Standing Up for Core Principles in Departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health: Department Chairs Speak Out

S Bryn Austin¹, Joanna E Cohen¹, Spring Cooper¹, Karen M Emmons¹, Gilbert C Gee¹, Kerry M Green¹, Mary Hawk¹, Darrell Hudson¹, Trace Kershaw¹, Don Operario¹, Kurt M Ribisl¹, Carlos E Rodriguez-Diaz¹, Jennifer M Sacheck¹, Benjamin Shaw¹, Kathleen J Sikkema¹, Mark W Vander Weg¹

Affiliations

Affiliation

¹ S. Bryn Austin and Karen M. Emmons are with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Joanna E. Cohen is with the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Spring Cooper is with the Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY. Gilbert C. Gee is with the Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA. Kerry M. Green is with the Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD. Mary Hawk is with the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Darrell Hudson is with the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Trace Kershaw is with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT. Don Operario is with the Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA. Kurt Ribisl is with the Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill. Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz is with the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Jennifer M. Sacheck is with the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI. Benjamin Shaw is with the Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago. Kathleen J. Sikkema is with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Mark W. Vander Weg is with the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City.

PMID: 41061205
PMCID: PMC12510098
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308283

Editorial

Standing Up for Core Principles in Departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health: Department Chairs Speak Out

S Bryn Austin et al. Am J Public Health. 2025 Nov.

. 2025 Nov;115(11):1767-1772.

doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308283.

Authors

Affiliation

¹ S. Bryn Austin and Karen M. Emmons are with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Joanna E. Cohen is with the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Spring Cooper is with the Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY. Gilbert C. Gee is with the Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA. Kerry M. Green is with the Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD. Mary Hawk is with the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Darrell Hudson is with the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Trace Kershaw is with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT. Don Operario is with the Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA. Kurt Ribisl is with the Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill. Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz is with the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Jennifer M. Sacheck is with the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI. Benjamin Shaw is with the Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago. Kathleen J. Sikkema is with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Mark W. Vander Weg is with the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City.

PMID: 41061205
PMCID: PMC12510098
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308283

No abstract available

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References

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1. US Dept of Health and Human Services . Fact sheet: HHS’ transformation to make America healthy again . April 2, 2025. . Available at: https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge-fact-sheet.html . Accessed August 20, 2025.
1. US Dept of Health and Human Services . HHS grants terminated: FY 2020–FY 2024 . Tracking accountability in government grants system. Available at: https://taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data/HHS_Grants_Terminated.pdf . Accessed April 28, 2025. .
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Standing Up for Core Principles in Departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health: Department Chairs Speak Out

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Standing Up for Core Principles in Departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health: Department Chairs Speak Out

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References

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