Division News

Fall 2007

Epidemiology and Community Health

Health Disparities Expert Speaks at the SPH
Studying health disparities is about correct science, not "politically correct" science, said Nancy Krieger at the school's annual Carl J. Martinson Lectureship in Preventive Medicine.

Neighborhood Alcohol Ads May Boost Kids' Drinking
In their research, a team from the School of Public Health and the University of Florida analyzed 931 alcohol ads--including billboards, bus stop signs, and logo displays--that were within a 1,500-foot radius of 63 Chicago elementary schools. Students exposed to them were significantly more likely to exhibit increased intentions to drink.

Environmental Health Sciences

SPH Leads Largest Study Ever on Child Health
The School of Public Health has been awarded $14 million over five years to lead a landmark study on child health. It will be largest and most comprehensive child health study ever conducted in the United States.

SPH Faculty Members Appointed to State Environmental Panel
School of Public Health associate professors John Adgate and Bruce Alexander have been appointed to the State of Minnesota's Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring Scientific Advisory Panel.

Public Health Education and Outreach

SPH Roundtable: Environmental Threats to Children
How to protect children from the toxic agents that permeate our environment was the topic of the latest SPH Roundtable. The event featured a keynote address from Philip Landrigan, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Global Outreach is Focus of New SPH Team
SPH has launched a new initiative to support the increasingly global scope of SPH research, education, and outreach. The Global Outreach, or "GO" Team, will work with SPH faculty, staff, and students to foster global networks.

Biostatistics

New Study Takes Aim at Oral Cancer
A University of Minnesota research team is working to change oral cancer statistics by studying the proteins found in saliva. The goal is to identify the proteins that lead to oral cancer--and, in doing so, create a method to diagnose the disease in its earliest stages.

U Team Looks for Genetic Clues to Organ Rejection
Why do some patients experience kidney transplant rejection while others are able to live with the new organ? That's the question behind one of the latest genetic studies at the University of Minnesota.

Health Policy and Management

Sainfort Heads Health Policy and Management
François Sainfort has been named head of the school's Division of Health Policy and Management. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, he has also been named a Mayo Professor of Public Health.

Blood Donor Pool Shrinking
Estimates of the number of Americans eligible to donate blood are off by as much as one-third, according to new research from the University of Minnesota.