University of New Haven DHSc graduate Nevila Bardhi ’26 DHSc, MPH achieved two major milestones as her doctoral research on mercury-exposure screening was published in <a href="https://healthylife7.com/mayor-johnson-names-dr-garth-walker-to-lead-chicago-department-of-public-health/" title="Mayor Johnson names Dr. Garth Walker to lead Chicago Department of <a href="https://healthylife7.com/sharing-expertise-on-ways-kids-can-be-healthier-harvard-t-h-chan-school-of-public-health/" title="Sharing expertise on ways kids can be healthier | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health“>Public Health“>Public Health Reports, and it was selected for presentation at the 2026 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
By Nevila Bardhi, DHSc, MPH and Pavani Rangachari, Ph.D., CPH
As a recent University of New Haven Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) graduate, I’ve reached two significant milestones in my doctoral research. My thesis findings have been published in Public Health Reports, the official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the work has also been selected for oral presentation at the 2026 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in San Antonio
Completed under the mentorship of my thesis chair Pavani Rangachari, Ph.D., CPH, the study, “An Urgent Need for Evidence-Based Guidance on Mercury Exposure Screening to Inform Public Health Policy, Practice, and Prevention,” addresses an important environmental public health challenge. Through qualitative research with primary care clinicians in New York City, the study identified barriers to routine mercury-exposure screening and highlighted the need for evidence-based guidance and implementation strategies to better protect vulnerable populations. The publication represents my successful translation of doctoral scholarship into research with the potential to inform public health policy, clinical practice, and prevention.
Earning my DHSc from the University of New Haven and seeing my thesis research published in Public Health Reports has been an incredibly meaningful milestone. I am also honored to present our findings at the APHA Annual Meeting this fall. These achievements are the result of perseverance, outstanding mentorship, and the unwavering support of my family, faculty, and the University community. I hope this work helps equip healthcare providers with the guidance needed to better protect vulnerable populations from mercury exposure and serves as a reminder that with determination, meaningful goals are achievable.
The research was guided by a distinguished doctoral committee whose expertise strengthened the project from conception through dissemination. In addition to Dr. Rangachari, the committee included Sandra D’Amato Palumbo, R.D.H., M.P.S., Ed.D., whose expertise in public health and health-professions education helped shape the scholarly development of the work, and Dr. Kenneth R. Spaeth, chair of the Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, whose nationally recognized expertise in environmental and occupational health provided valuable clinical and public health perspective throughout the project.
The publication and national presentation reflect the University’s commitment to preparing doctoral graduates to conduct research that addresses important public health challenges while contributing meaningful evidence to scientific literature
We’d also like to acknowledge the support of the University of New Haven’s Marvin K. Peterson Library and Writing Center, whose assistance throughout the research, writing, and publication process contributed to the successful completion of the project
