Weekly SPHere July 2, 2007

The Weekly SPHere is a weekly electronic publication for students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. To submit items for the Weekly SPHere, please send an e-mail to SPHStudentNews@umn.edu.

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Student News

Scholarship opportunity: The Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC) is offering scholarships to students interested in Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) prevention to attend the The 33rd Annual Program Sharing Conference at the St. Cloud Civic Center on October 10 and 11. Applications due by July 31. For conference information visit www.emprc.org/ps2007. To request scholarship application, contact Lynne Gosselin at MPRC: 763.427.5310.

Employment opportunity: The SPH and Minnesota Department of Health are conducting a statewide health access study and are currently seeking students to conduct telephone interviews. Students can work a flexible schedule of 12-16 hours a week (evenings and weekends) in a convenient campus location. For more information, see the posting for “telephone interviewer” at www.sph.umn.edu/career/postings.

SPH students are blogging about their international field experiences. To read entries posted from around the world, go to: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/notes07/.

CHE student Isaiah Brokenleg and SPH intern Andrew Ranallo presented at the Indian Health Service Research Conference in Phoenix. They presented on the American Indian Community Tobacco Project, which is directed by SPH professor Jean Forster.

Jim Winkle, a graduate student in public health, explores the debate of the Sex Ed and the State in his debut documentary that follows the progress of a comprehensive sex education bill through Minnesota's legislature during the 2006 session. In the film, Minnesota lawmakers, advocates, opponents, educators and others debate the best strategy to fight adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The documentary was shown June 7 at Oak St. Cinema. See the City Pages review at: http://www.citypages.com/movies/detail.asp?MID=9030.

Field experience opportunity working with SPH professor Robert Kane in the office of Health Policy Management. Applications are being accepted this summer.Qualified students may be offered employment, depending on performance, academic status, and grant availability. If you have a strong epidemiology and clinical research background and desire flexible work hours, contact Dr. Kane at 4-1185 or kanex001@umn.edu.
• Learn more online

Learn about the American Public Health Association's (APHA) Public Health Fellowship in Government. APHAis looking for candidates with strong public health credentials who wish to spend one year in Washington, D.C. working in a congressional office on legislative and policy issues related to health and the environment.The fellowship will begin in January 2008 and continue through December 2008.A committee made up of APHA leaders and policy experts will review the applications and select the finalists. The application is due by July 20. The committee will make its decision by Sept. 30. All candidates must have an MPH or a doctorate in a public health discipline plus five years of experience in a public health discipline.
• Learn more online

In response to student requests, the printing in the SPHere Student Lounge will now be free of charge. This is a trial period. Please use discretion when printing and utilize methods that reduce the environmental and economic impact of printing (using double-sided, black color, and "Print Preview"). If printing happens in excess, the school will search for a new solution. Please notice the new printer/copier/scanner in the computer lab. If you have any questions, contact sph-ssc@umn.edu or 6-3663, or stop by D305 Mayo between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Summer Research Internship in Minneapolis. Work with Dr. Peter Vaughan, Director of Research at Rare, an environmental group based in Arlington Virginia (www.rareconservation.org/) on a summer research project to evaluate a radio drama that promoted HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, and environmental protection in Micronesia. Vaughan is located in Minneapolis and the intern could work from home or in Vaughan’s office. The work would entail data entry and analysis using Excel and SPSS.

The work includes: (1) Data entry and analysis from a phone survey of 500 people; (2) Data entry and analysis from a content analysis of about 330 scripts; (3) Data entry and analysis from a survey of 1,600 high school students; and, (4) Other, as time and interest and training permit. Data entry requires some facility with the use of computers and spreadsheets such as Excel. Attention to detail is required to enter the data accurately. If the intern is interested, Dr. Vaughan can help them learn basic data analysis strategies and methods. Internship can start July 2nd or shortly thereafter. Hours and stipend are to be determined.
• Learn more by contacting Dr. Peter Vaughan at 612-374-2808 or pwvaughan@comcast.net

Volunteers Needed for the 2007 Life Time Fitness Triathlon. Saturday, July 14, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., Lake Nokomis, South Minneapolis. Athletes Committed to Educating Students A.C.E.S. is an after-school tutoring program for urban youth in Minneapolis and St. Paul. As a nonprofit partner with Life Time Fitness, A.C.E.S. was asked to find volunteers to help with the triathlon. In return, A.C.E.S. will receive support from Life Time Fitness to help make a positive impact on the lives of urban youth. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt, snacks, and an invitation to the after-party. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please contact Tom Basquill at 612-331-3454 or tombasquill@aces4kids.org.

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School News

"The University’s Role During Times of Controversy" is the topic of Dean John Finnegan's column this week, which is about the school's role in the controversy of the state health commissioner's handling of data involving the high rates of mesothelioma (a deadly form of lung cancer) among Minnesota’s iron mine workers.
• Read the column online

Public Health Moments from June include SPH faculty talking about topics such as summer food safety, prostate cancer screening, and seat belts. Listen here: blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/moment/.

The SPH Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) has released "Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation." In this free online training tool the learner will assume the perspective of various public health professionals responding to a natural disaster. They will make decisions on behalf of a county public health director, a public health nurse, an environmental health specialist, and other public health professionals.
• Learn more online

Presentations from the joint symposium of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) are now available online. "Partnerships for Preparedness: Future Directions for Schools of Public Health and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine" focused on how these two fields can partner on research, education, policy, and workforce training. SPH faculty were well represented at the meeting. Deb Olson and Will Hueston presented in a session on joint degree programs, Marguerite Pappaioanou presented on both workforce training and avian influenza, and John Finnegan participated in a discussion on future directions of the field.
• View the presentations

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SPH Events

Summer Public Health Mini-Institute:? July 17-27, Bismarck, North Dakota. The Summer Public Health Mini-Institute provides students with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study -- for a single course or for two weeks. Courses are designed for those practicing or studying in public health or related fields.
• Learn more online

The National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course will be held July 25-27 in the Cowles Auditorium at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute. This continuing education program focuses on the improvement of maternal and infant health through the delivery of risk-appropriate, high-quality nutrition services.
• Learn more/register online

UPCOMING CPHEO COURSES
July 12: Incident Management Systems Awareness
August 9: 8 Hour Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Refresher
For more information and registration visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/niehs

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Other Events

The Grant Institute: Certificate in Professional Program Development and Grant Communication will be held at Northwestern University July 9 through July 13. All participants will receive certification in professional grant writing from the Institute, as well as 3.5 CEU units.
• Learn more online or call (888) 824-4424

Early-bird registration and a call for abstracts for the Unite for Sight Fifth Annual International Health Conference: Building Global Health for Today and Tomorrow is July 15. The conference will be held at Yale University in April 2008.
• Learn more online

The U's Center for German & European Studies will host Germany's minister of health and her delegation for a two-day trans-Atlantic forum. The American and German "Healthcare and Innovation" forum will be held on Monday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 17.
• Learn more/register online

A professional grant proposal writing workshop will be held in August at North Dakota State University. The Grant Institute's Grants 101: Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop will be held August 1 - 3.
• Learn more online or call (888) 824-4424

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is sponsoring an educational event in Minneapolis' Loring Park from Sept. 27-Sept. 30. The event, "A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City" is an outdoor, interactive educational exhibit made up of the actual structures and materials you would find in a real refugee camp. The exhibit asks visitors to imagine experiencing what it is like to be one of the world's 33 million refugees or internally displaced persons forced to leave their homes because of war or conflict. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
• Learn more online

Save the date! Make plans to attend the capstone event of Minnesota Public Health Association’s year-long centennial celebration. Famed environmentalist and explorer Will Steger will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 25 event held at the McNamara Alumni Center.

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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.