The Weekly SPHere Feb. 23, 2009
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 sphnews@umn.edu.
>SPHere Spotlight
>Student News
>School News
>SPH Events
>Other Events
SPHere Spotlight
Come to Pamoja this week! This year’s Student Senate¿sponsored event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Campus Club on the 4th floor of Coffman Union. Pamoja, which is the Swahili term for togetherness, gives students, faculty, staff, and others a chance to meet, network, and enjoy each others’ company. Business casual dress is preferred but not required at the free event. Door prizes will be raffled off throughout the evening. Families are welcome to attend.
Help MDH with vaccine outreach. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is in great need of public health students who speak Spanish, Somali, or Hmong to assist with a vaccination survey for Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib). Rates of Hib are on the rise. In response, MDH is enrolling families in a colonization survey with the aim of tailoring an outreach plan for unvaccinated children. The goal is to enroll 2,000 children at sites in Minneapolis and St. Paul. If you are interested in volunteering for half¿day shifts at clinic sites to talk with families about the survey, contact MDH epidemiologist Stephanie Meyer at stephanie.meyer@state.mn.us.
Support the U Day will be held Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the State Capitol in St. Paul. The Minnesota Student Association invites everyone to join hundreds of U of M students and supporters at the event. Registration begins at 11 a.m. followed by a rally at noon with University President Robert Bruininks and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Board of Regents student representative, Dustin Norman. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. Bus transportation is available from all campuses.
• More information/sign up online
(TOP)
Student News
SPH Professor, Michael Oakes, will lead a poster training session on Friday, Feb. 27, for those interested in submitting abstracts for the school’s Research Day. The session will be held 9 to 11 a.m. in Mayo 3¿125. For questions about the session, contact the SPH Dean’s Office at 4¿6669.
Students submitting abstracts for the SPH Research Day should review the recently released guidelines posted by the Associated Schools of Public Health (ASPH). Abstract submissions are due Monday, March 9.
• Read the guidelines (PDF)
• Go to the Research Day web page
Students considering a career in law are invited to attend a free forum on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The Careers in Law Forum will be held from noon to 3 p.m. in the atrium of Wiley Hall. The forum will give students an opportunity to learn about law schools or law¿related career options, talk with representatives from law schools, paralegal organizations, corrections and law enforcement organizations, and test prep services. Some representatives will also have information on volunteer or internship opportunities.
• More information
The Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity is sponsoring a career fair on Wednesday, March 4. The fair will be held from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. at the St. Paul RiverCentre, exhibit hall A and is open to the public. The Career Fair is targeted to professionals or students who hold or are pursuing a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• Read more about the career fair
U of M President Robert Bruininks will present his State of the University Address on Thursday, March 5. The address will be at 3 p.m. in the theatre of Coffman Union. A question and answer period will follow the speech. A reception will follow in the lobby. To request disability accommodations call University Relations at 4¿6868.
• Access the live video link
Volunteers are needed to help Children’s Hospitals with its Employee Competency Fair to be held in April. Volunteers will participate in "fit-testing" employees for the mask used while working with infectious tuberculosis patients. An infection prevention specialist will train volunteers in the technique. Volunteers are needed in four¿hour increments from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. If interested, please e-mail your resume and letter explaining your interest to Barb Laporte at blaporte@umn.edu by Friday, March 6.
The Minnesota AIDS Project’s HIV Action Network is sponsoring AIDS Action Day on Thursday, March 12 at the State Capitol. Meet with elected officials, share stories, and share concerns with the people who make decisions. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and activities will be held hourly until 3 p.m. A program and lunch will be held at noon.
• Visit Minnesota AIDS Project to read the schedule and register online
The National American Indian and Science Engineering Fair (NAISEF) is seeking volunteers and judges for the annual gathering, which will be held in St. Paul, March 26¿28. More than 300 Native American students in grades 5¿12 from across the country will attend. Judges are needed for a full day on March 27 and volunteers are needed throughout the event. To volunteer contact Mark Bellcourt at bellc001@umn.edu. To register as a judge, download the judges registration form and fax the completed form to (505) 765¿5608. The deadline to register is Friday, March 13. For questions about judging please contact Tina Pino at tina@aises.org or (505) 765¿1052 x105.
• More information about the fair
Do you Twitter? If so, check out Epidemiologic Inquiry, a new medium for disseminating epidemiology information via the social networking service Twitter. Follow the "Epidemiology God" Twitter feed, which offers news and innovations in epidemiology. Additionally, updated features on Epidemiology Job Board and Epidemiology Fellowship Board will allow people to view the latest job listings. Interested readers should subscribe via e-mail for the latest updates (on the right hand side of the job/fellowship board pages).
A cross¿cultural leadership retreat will be held in April for international graduate students who want to learn to become more effective in international environments. The deadline to apply is noon on Monday, March 2. This highly interactive, high¿energy retreat will be a living laboratory of what it takes to work with people from vastly different cultures. The cutting¿edge Personal Leadership model will be used to develop a cross¿cultural skill¿set. The retreat will be held April 3 and 4. For questions contact Thorunn Bjarnadottir at 6¿4799 or thorunnb@umn.edu. Space is limited so apply online at International Student and Scholar Services.
• For details, visit the Facebook event page
ClearWay Minnesota is releasing a new Request for Proposals (RFP) entitled, Regional Grants to Reduce the Harm Tobacco Causes Minnesotans through Coalition Building, Policy Advocacy and Public Education. Under this funding opportunity, ClearWay Minnesota will award new funding to three or four applicants in Greater Minnesota. Letters of intent are due Monday, Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m. Full applications are due on Monday, March 23, 4:30 p.m. Questions about this funding opportunity should be submitted to Molly Moilanen at mmoilanen@clearwaymn.org or by calling (952) 767¿1421.
• Access the RFP and related forms from ClearWay Minnesota
Students seeking a unique educational opportunity should consider enrolling in the SPH Global Public Health Institute at St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, India. The session will be held March 16¿24. Global Health India provides an opportunity for students from the United States and India to meet with faculty from the University of Minnesota, experience educational institutions in India, to examine the impact of globalization on health, and identify strategies that support a healthy and productive global workforce. Questions? Contact Meghan Taylor at tayl0427@umn.edu or 6¿8434. Travel stipends are available.
The SPH Senate Diversity Committee is seeking volunteers to help plan, organize, and market the Taste of Diversity event scheduled for Tuesday, April 15. The event will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Whole¿Music Club in the basement of Coffman Union. Those interested in volunteering for the communications, entertainment, volunteer, and food and beverage committees should contact Mercedes Estrada at estra021@umn.edu or Elizabeth Jacobson at jaco0644@umn.edu.
Become a new leader in global health as a volunteer for the Unite For Sight organization. The group, which supports eye clinics with human and financial resources, is offering opportunities to volunteer in Ghana, Honduras, or India during the spring, summer, fall and winter.
• Details at Unite for Site website. Questions to volunteers@uniteforsight.org
(TOP)
School News
Call for Nominations for SPH Faculty and P&A Awards. The SPH Recognition, Awards, and Honors (RAH) Committee now welcomes nominations for the following awards: the Leonard M. Shuman Award for Excellence in Teaching, The SPH Community Services Award, the Charles N. Hewitt Creative Teaching Award, the SPH Award for Excellence in Advising, and the SPH P&A Excellence Award. Nominations and supporting documentation are due Friday, April 10 and should be sent to Recognition, Awards and Honors Committee, c/o Stefannie Anderson (stef@umn.edu), MMC 197, A302 Mayo.
• Details/forms on the SPH awards page
Public health research grants up to $15,000 are available through the University of Minnesota: Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness (U¿SEEE), through its U¿SEEE Pilot Research Program. Research should relate to enhancing the usefulness of education and training that build the capacity of the public health preparedness system. Applications are due Monday, March 9.
• More information/application
(TOP)
SPH Events
"Reform of China’s Health Care System: Issues, Challenges, and Future" will be presented by Hufeng Wang, Renmin University of China, on Thursday, Feb. 26 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in D330 Mayo. Light refreshments will be provided.
• See the presentation abstract
SPH Professor Lyn Steffen will discuss her research during the Epidemiology and Community Health division seminar on Friday, Feb. 27. The seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 364 of WBOB. For more information contact Carol Raichert at 5¿1836.
(TOP)
Other Events
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
Subscribe to SPH calendar updates by e-mail
(TOP)
The Weekly SPHere is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Last modified on Friday Feb 20, 2009