SPH Student News May 7, 2007
SPH Student News is a weekly electronic publication for students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. To submit items for SPH Student News--or to send your comments about the content of this e-newsletter—please send an e-mail to SPHStudentNews@umn.edu. The next issue of SPH Student News will go out on Monday, May 14.
>From the Dean
>Commencement News
>School News
>Student News
>Events
From the Dean
Dear SPH Graduates:
It hardly seems possible that another academic year has passed, but here we are in finals week with commencement upon us! As we have grown in size, so too have our needs for an adequate commencement hall. This year, we will hold our celebration in the one and only Northrop Auditorium.
I can't count how many times I have attended commencements at Northrop. At two of them (I won't say how long ago), I stood where you graduates will stand to receive a small piece of paper in recognition of all your hard work. It's your credential proclaiming to all that you earned this degree by fulfilling the requirements set by the faculty and ratified by the Board of Regents. But it's the start, not the end. From here on, lifelong learning must be your mantra and your companion as you move into the day-to-day world of public health, whether in the government, private, or academic sectors.
This school and this University will be there as your partner. As others have given to you, we hope that you will choose to give back to the next generation of students in whatever ways you are able. As you stand in Northrop Auditorium, know that you are the next in a long line of graduates stretching back many generations. As a faculty member, I believe that you, our graduates, are among our best "gifts" we can give back to the world. You leave us a better school for choosing to learn here, and I know that you will make for a better world with your work in public health.
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Commencement News
Surf’s Up! On Saturday, May 12 there will be an All-Student Year-End Celebration held at the Radisson. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Some of the highlights include the band, Big Surf, who recently played a gig with Dick Dale, legendary surf guitarist of Pulp Fiction fame. Food, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be in abundance. Other cool things include a display to recognize students who have received awards and scholarships or who will be graduating, an on-site photo booth for pictures with family and friends, an interactive space to share your favorite SPH memories, carnival games for all ages, and a casual festive atmosphere for all to enjoy. Family and friends welcome.
• RSVP online
• Listen to Big Surf here!
The SPH Student Senate would like to extend an invitation to all SPH students and their families for our End-of-the-Year Commencement Picnic. The picnic is meant to give all students a chance to relax at the end of the school year and to celebrate with all SPH Graduates. There will be outdoor games and a prize drawing for all graduates in attendance. The picnic will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 13 in the West Picnic Pavillion at Como Park in St. Paul. Food and drinks will be provided to all SPH students and their families, vegetarian grilling options also provided. Please feel free to bring along any lawn games, frisbees, balls, etc. No need to RSVP. Please direct all questions to sphss@umn.edu.
The 2007 commencement ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 14 at the Northrop Memorial Auditorium. The speaker is Laurie Garrett, award-winning journalist. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony on the Northrop Terrace and Mall. Graduates participating in commencement should be at Northrop at 4 p.m. to gather with other students and faculty to prepare for commencement. Light refreshments will be provided during this time. Please enter Northrup at the side entrance off of Church St SE. For more information and frequently-asked-questions please visit www.sph.umn.edu/current/commencement.html.
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School News
The SPH is seeking student feedback. The annual survey provides essential input on a variety of topics related to the SPH. Your input is an invaluable component of ongoing evaluation and improvement. Please respond by Thursday, May 31. Ten randomly selected participants will be awarded $50 gift certificates to Target. Winners will be notified via email on Friday, June 15. To access the survey click on this link: www.ahc.umn.edu/spheoysurvey/.
On Monday, May 7, an SPH school-wide meeting will be held for all SPH faculty, staff, and students. John Finnegan will give a dean's report along with other important announcements, including new faculty, awards, and promotions. Refreshments will be served at 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in room 3-100 of the Mayo building -- right below the Mayo Auditorium.
Join the SPH student listserv. If you would like to send messages directly to fellow students, you can sign up to become part of the SPH student listserv. Only students who sign up for the listerv will receive messages. To join, address an e-mail to listserv@lists.umn.edu and in the body of the e-mail, type: sub sph-students yourfirstname yourlastname. (EXAMPLE: sub sph-students Joe Smith).
The Bio-Medical Library extended its study hours to 24/7. As of Saturday, May 5, an area of the Bio-Medical Library will be accessible to students who present a UCard. Access control will be provided by a UM Security Monitor stationed at the entrance. Please direct any questions to Linda Watson lwatson@umn.edu or 6-7039.
SPH has adopted a new mass e-mail policy and created a weekly student e-newsletter. The aim is to tailor information to student needs, while reducing the number of mass e-mails within SPH. The efforts were prompted by responses from student focus group discussions and from comments received directly from students and others. To read the mass e-mail policy, go to www.sph.umn.edu/about/policies/email.html.
The Aslan Humanitarian Organization is recruiting volunteers to work with a nonprofit group in Africa this summer. Seeking students interested in getting involved in international public health and those who have a passion for social justice issues. Volunteer applications will be available at the Office of Student Affairs in Mayo D-305 and in the SPHere Lounge. Comments or inquiries can be directed to Abdi Ahmed at Qani20@yahoo.com or Ahmed098@umn.edu.
The Powderhorn Park Peer Pregnancy Prevention Program is seeking summer volunteers. The P6 program is a peer education program of The Birds & Bees Project with the goal of empowering youth in the Powderhorn community. The goal is to inform youth of the internal and external resources available to them in making health-centered decisions regarding sexuality, pregnancy prevention and leading a meaningful life. Each P6 session will end with a meal, and volunteers will be in charge of helping to prepare and serve the meal, assisting with clean up and hanging out with the youth. P6 meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5-7 p.m. The Program begins Tuesday, June 19 and ends Thursday, September 6. People can volunteer once or as often as they’d like. For more information, please email Sasha at sasha@birdsandbees.org.
The deadline for cleaning out and removing locks from SPHere lockers is May 19. All lockers must be completely emptied by Saturday, May 19. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Services Center at sph-ssc@umn.edu or 6-3663.
A new public health course, PubH 6000 Special Topics will be offered in the fall of 2007. The three-credit class, e-Public Health: Online Intervention Design, will be taught primarily by B. R. Simon Rosser. This introductory course covers the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of Internet-based public health interventions or e-Public Health. For more information, please contact Carol Raichert at 5-1836 or raichert@epi.umn.edu.
• See Web site for complete syllabus
2007 Summer Public Health Institute.
The institute will be held May 21-June 8 on the Twin Cities University campus.
The institute provides students with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study – for a single day or for three weeks. SPH students are invited to attend and are able to earn academic credit for their coursework. Visit www.cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute for the complete three-week Institute schedule, or to request a print catalog please 6-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu.
Delta Omega Honorary Society Inducts New Members. Each spring, the University of Minnesota’s Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Pi Chapter elects new members based on outstanding performance. The Pi Chapter Officers are SPH faculty members William Toscano and Traci Toomey. The Pi Chapter nominees will be inducted at a reception and luncheon on Friday, May 11.
Students
Scott Ackman, Deanna Brown, Yunhua Fan, Sarah Gordon, Katherine James, Lindsay Johnson, Kyoungrae Jung, Matthias Kirch, Laura Klein, Eduardo Medina, Sue Ellen Mollner, Megan Ogdahl, Jennifer Rho, Julia Sanem, Alyssa Wittorf, Jia Xu
Alumni
Kelly Coleman, Gloria Ferguson, Daniel Kovich, Carlota Medus, Dongfeng Qi, Janelle Peralez, Martha Roberts, Maureen Smith
Faculty
Paul Allwood, Timothy Hanson, B.R. Simon Rosser, Randall Singer
Honorary
Laurie Garrett, journalist and 2007 SPH commencement speaker
CHIP Utah Trip. The CHIP Student Center will send an interprofessional group of AHC students to Utah for a week-long course on alcoholism and drug dependencies June 24-29. The conference fee ($375) and dormitory costs ($135) will be paid by CHIP. Students who are chosen to attend the Utah School (www.uuhsc.utah.edu/uas ) will pay for transportation and meals. Upon their return, participants will work with the CHIP to develop substance use/abuse programming for AHC students. To be eligible to participate, students must have at least one year remaining in their program and be registered as an AHC student. For an application, contact CHIP Director Gina Kundan: kunda002@umn.edu. Applications are due Friday, May 18.
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Student News
Katie Gruner, CHE student, has won the Wisconsin Public Health Association’s New Public Health Worker award. She was recognized for helping to create the Off-Reservation Native American Wellness Initiative with the American Indian Center of the Fox Valley. She also created a rural immersion program for pediatric residents at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Shawano, Wisc. And she conducted a prenatal care phone survey for the Fox Cities Community Health Center. The award will be presented to Gruner during the Wisconsin Public Health Association conference, on May 24.
Jim Winkle, CHE student, has directed the film, "Sex and the Sate: A Minnesota Documentary. The film will be screened at the Oak Street Cinema on Thursday, June 7 at 7 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public.
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Events
"The Two Faces of Pandemic Risk Communication: Alerting People Now and Helping Them Cope When It Happens" will be held 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8 in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. The guest speaker is Peter Sandman, a preeminent risk communication expert. The program is designed for public health professionals, Medical Reserve Corp members, preparedness coordinators, personnel in health care settings, and students and faculty in public health, journalism, public affairs, and law. For more information, contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Online registration information
A public lecture on "Risk Communication and the Food System: Gauging the Hazard, Managing the Outrage" will be held on Tuesday, May 8, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center on the St. Paul campus. Risk communications expert Peter Sandman is the keynote speaker. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Lisa Brienzo at 4-2614 or brien002@umn.edu.
The Healthy Kids in Healthy Places Community Action Forum will be held Wednesday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The focus will be on several topics including specific changes, developing strategies for changes, increasing knowledge of key factors that impact obesity, and creating new connections among people concerned about childhood obesity. The forum will be held on the St. Paul campus at the Continuing Education and Conference Center, 1890 Buford Ave. The event is free, but pre-registration is required.
For more information contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Register online
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance will host the fourth annual Cancer Summit Tuesday, May 8, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Keynote speaker Tom Kean, executive director of C-Change, will discuss cultivating leadership in comprehensive cancer control. The Summit is open to anyone interested in learning about Minnesota cancer control efforts from community health workers and advocates to clinicians. Early bird registration deadline is April 10 and registration closes May 3. Continuing education credits will be offered.
• More information or to register
• Contact information: 800-958-8875 or 952-858-8950.
Mona Fouad will present "Recruitment and Retention of Minorities Into Clinical Trials" on Wednesday, May 9, noon to 1 p.m., in 2-530 Moos Tower. Fouad is a professor in the Medicine/Division of Preventive Medicine; and director, Minority Health and Research Center, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sandwiches and beverages will be provided for the first 50 attendees. The lecture is part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities.
• Learn more
The Provost’s Advisory Committee for the Institute for the Advancement of Science and Engineering is hosting a public forum on Thursday, May 10, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in 2-520 Moos Tower. Interactive live broadcast https://breeze5.umn.edu/iase.
• Learn more
"The Ethics of Predictive Health Research: From Framingham to the National Children’s Study" will be the focus of the a seminar held on Friday, May 11. It will be held from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in room 2-122 of the Molecular & Cellular Biology Building. The presenter is Eric Meslin, director, Center for Bioethics; Assistant Dean for Bioethics, School of Medicine; Professor of Medicine, Medical & Molecular Genetics, and Philosophy, Indiana University.
This year’s Commencement Picnic, sponsored by the SPH Student Senate, will be held at Como Park on Sunday, May 13, from 4 to 10 p.m. Families are invited to this special event. Details will be sent closer to the date.
Staff Association Years of Service Awards Reception for civil service/bargaining unit staff will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, at the Radisson Hotel Ballroom. More details to come.
"Treatment of Periodontal Disease and the Risk of Preterm Birth: The Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy (OPT) Trial" will be the focus of a seminar at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16. SPH associate professor James Hodges is the keynote speaker. The seminar will be held in the CCBR Ballroom on the Minneapolis campus.
• Learn more online or call
4-4655
"Service Learning for Health: Engaging Communities, Students and Educators" is a one-day service learning symposium being offered on Thursday, May 17. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Rochester. The symposium is co-sponsored by Mayo Medical School and UM Rochester, along with other co-sponsors. Sarena Seifer, executive director of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, will keynote the symposium along with other national speakers. The cost is $20 for the entire day and scholarships are available as needed for students. Register by May 11 by calling 507-287-2135 (reference symposium activity number 7414.231)
• Register Online
The Second Annual Best Practices Institute: Excellence in Health Professions Education will be held May 17-18 at the U's Minneapolis campus. The six schools of the Academic Health Center in collaboration with the AHC Office of Education are sponsoring the event. A committee consisting of representatives of the six health professions schools and the Health Sciences Library has planned a wide range of plenary and workshop offerings that will benefit faculty across all of the disciplines.
• Details and online registration
Costs and Benefits of Responsible Conduct of Research Conference. The Dept of Health and Human Services' Office of Research Integrity is sponsoring the Costs and Benefits of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Education Programs Conference, May 31-June 1, 2007. Hosted by the University of Minnesota, the conference will feature the experiences of four major research universities which have confronted issues of costs as well as reaped the value of RCR programs. Panel presentations and breakout sessions will allow opportunity for discussion.
Learn more
online or contact Carol Foth at 4-1854 or fothx0001@umn.edu.
Epidemiology and Community Health Seminar: May, 11: Kelli Komro, "Project Northland Chicago: A randomized controlled trial of a multi-component alcohol use preventive intervention for urban youth." Conference room 364 at the WBOB.
• Learn more at the EpiCH Web site.
Save the date for the MPHA Annual Conference on Thursday and Friday, June 14-15 at St. John's University in Collegeville. This year's conference will include informative presentations on public health preparedness, food safety, childhood and adult obesity, and health care reform. The conference will include exhibits and displays about MPHA's and public health's history in Minnesota over the last 100 years. Watch for program, registration, and lodging information in early May.
• Learn more and get registration info
SPH Student News is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. www.sph.umn.edu.
Last modified on Sunday May 06, 2007