Our Community Partners

SPH Community Partners Star Award Recipients for 2007

Environmental Health Sciences

Lea Foushee, B.S., University of Minnesota, 1990. She is co-founder of the North American Water Office. Foushee is active in environmental health and environmental justice issues among women and children of indigenous people in Minnesota and nationwide. She is an active collaborator with the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in investigation of mercury exposure to children of indigenous people.

Annie Young leads environmental justice activities in the Harrison Neighborhood; she is a commissioner on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and is active in promoting environmental health. She is active with the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in promoting neighborhood awareness on pollutants resulting from industrial dry cleaning establishments.

Carol Greenwood is a volunteer for the Seward Neighborhood group. She is active in collaborating with the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in promoting neighborhood awareness on persistent organic pollutants.

Pam Shubat works at the Minnesota Department of Health Environmental Health Division and is an active collaborator with the Division in children's environmental health issues.

Starr Sage is a doctoral student in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences. She helps members of the community through tutoring young students and participating in outreach programs involving community members.

Health Policy and Management

Dawn Bazarko, RN, MPH, is an alumni and has been involved in coordinating projects between United Health Group and SPH. She has also helped facilitate locating placements for SPH students at United Health Group. She is an expert on quality improvement and lectures at the SPH.

Lew Sandy, M.D., is a senior executive at United Health Group and has been extensively involved in creating linkages with the SPH. He has coordinated several meetings with researchers on various topics, sponsored studies, and lectured at the SPH.

Deb Burns is director of Public Health Practice at the Minnesota Department of Health and has provided leadership for a collaborative study between the Minnesota Department of Health, local health departments, and SPH to expand quality improvement methods and techniques into local public health agencies. Burn is senior official on a Minnesota Department of Health grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is coordinated with a Robert Wood Johnson grant to the SPH. By combining these two grants, the Minnesota Department of Health and SPH are able to expand the scope and spread of two separate projects.

Laurel Briske works at the Minnesota Department of Health and has been responsible for day to day operations of a Minnesota Department of Health and SPH collaborative that involves nearly every local public health department in the state. Eight separate QI projects have been established and include multiple local health departments, which are coordinated by Briske.

Public Health Practice

Linda Halcon, Ph.D., School of Nursing, public health nursing leadership, is working with SPH on a Global Leadership Certificate and on our international ventures with Iceland.

Joni Scheftel is a Minnesota State Public Health Veterinarian. Scheftel has been a true partner in furthering the knowledge and professional development of DVM/MPH students. She has established a field experience opportunity for DVM/MPH students at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Mark Muller, M.S., is director of the Environment and Agriculture Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis. Muller helped organize a national invitational only meeting on agriculture policy and child obesity. He also guest lectures in Mary Story's class.

Gretchen Taylor, M.P.H., R.D., is with the Diabetes and Health Behavior Unit, Center for Health Promotion, at the Minnesota Department of Health. Gretchen works with SPH students and frequently hosts students for their field experiences and master's program. She also collaborates extensively with SPH in research activities.

Patricia Splett, Ph.D., R.D., is president of Spleet & Associates in St. Paul. She frequently works with SPH students on their master's projects and field experiences and speaks in SPH classes.