The Weekly SPHere Oct. 19, 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 Oct. 26 edition of the Weekly SPHere, please send an e-mail to sphnews@umn.edu by Wednesday, Oct. 21.

>SPHere Spotlight
>Student News
>School News
>SPH Events
>Other Events

---

SPHere Spotlight

The next SPH Student Senate Meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5 p.m. in the SPHere. Learn about upcoming events, including Trick-or-Fooding. All SPH Students are welcome to attend and refreshments will be served. Contact sphss@umn.edu with questions.

Get to know your SPH division representatives. A roster of student senate voting members is available on the Student Senate website. Contact the various committee chairs if you would like to get involved in volunteer, wellness, or diversity events.

The SPHere Student Lounge Goes Green. The SPH is providing $100 worth of printing (1,000 pages) per student for the year. This value can be used only in the SPHere computer lab in Mayo A-151 and is not valid in any other campus computer labs, including libraries. Students can view their current balance and transaction history and add value to their Gopher GOLD accounts online. To request a refund or receive printing assistance, contact the lab attendant or SPH Student Services Center at 6-3663.

---

Student News

Kelvin Choi, Katarina Maria Grande, and Jessie Pintor are recipients of the SPH American Public Health Association (APHA) travel scholarship to attend the APHA’s annual meeting this November in Philadelphia.

A graduate assistantship in the Reden and Anders fellows program is available for the 2009 fall semester. The deadline for applications is Oct. 15.
• Read Fellows program description

The Georgetown Public Policy Review is currently seeking submissions of academic articles for the 2010 edition based on the theme “Global Health: Disease Control, Development, and Public Health Policy.” Submissions are due Nov. 10. For complete submission requirements or questions, contact executive print editors, Rory O’Sullivan or R. Brent Wisner at gppireview@georgetown.edu.

Become a Physical, Healthy, Driven (PHD) volunteer with the YMCA. Help elementary, middle, and high school students prepare for a healthy lifestyle. Work with students to teach them about nutrition, exercise, and making healthy choices. Contact the YMCA PHD program at PHD@YMCAmpls.org for more information or to apply.

Spent much time recently searching the libraries’ catalog for books, videos, conference proceedings, journals, or other items? The U Library needs your help. Take a short online survey to relay experiences using the library system.
•Participate in online survey

Join a Peace Corps recruiter and SPH returned Peace Corps volunteers to share stories, learn more about the myriad of Peace Corps opportunities, and enjoy complimentary appetizers. This information session will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Campus Club Bar, Fourth Floor, Coffman Union. RSVP to Eunice Abiemo at abiem001@umn.edu or 5-6463 by Friday, Oct. 23.

(TOP)

---

School News

SPH experts weigh in on health care reform. SPH faculty members Jean Abraham and Lynn Blewett discuss different aspects of health care reform, including cost containment, the uninsured, and the political process. Blewett directs the State Health Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) and is often called by federal agencies and Congressional staff to provide information heath insurance coverage. Abraham recently worked on health care reform in Washington, D.C., as one of ten senior economists on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
• Abraham: Watch and comment
• Blewett: Watch and comment

Heath Care Reform: Following Minnesota’s Lead, offers insights by SPH experts and highlights the way Minnesota has led the nation in the delivery and financing and health care.
• Read and comment on the article

SPH apparel is on sale until noon on Oct. 23. Order forms should be returned with payment to the Student Senate Office through the mail slot in the SPHere (Mayo A150). Checks should be made payable to “University of Minnesota”. Orders can be shipped. The proceeds from the apparel sale go to support PAMOJA, the Student Senate-sponsored social event for SPH, which takes place in the spring. Consider purchasing some warm SPH gear as the winter season rolls in. E-mail sphss@umn.edu with questions.
• Order forms and photos of available apparel are on the SPHSS website.

Overcoming Racial Disparities in Healthcare: The Role of Patient-Centeredness will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Mayo Memorial Auditorium. Lisa Cooper, Pfizer Visiting Professor in Health Literacy and a nationally renowned expert on patient-provider communication issues and overcoming barriers to equitable health care in diverse populations, will present. Email phdr@umn.edu with questions.
• Additional information

(TOP)

---

SPH Events

Epigenetic Alterations in Lung Cancer Development, an environmental health toxicology seminar, will occur on Monday, Oct. 19, 3:35-4:25 p.m., 1155 Mayo. Presenter Heather Nelson is an associate professor in Epidemiology and Community Health.
• Additional Information

The Health Disparities Working Group will meet Tuesday, Oct. 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Mayo A301. Lisa Cooper, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, will discuss reducing racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.
• Additional Information

Separated at Birth: Statisticians, Social Scientists, and Causality in Health Services Research is the topic of SPH Professor Bryan Dowd’ s presentation scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 3:30 p.m., Weaver-Densford Hall 2-120. Note: There will not be a social tea prior to this seminar.
• Additional Information

Media Production for Public Health will hold a seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m., in 2-110 Weaver-Densford. SPH media producer Paul Bernhardt will lead a discussion designed for SPH students on using basic media production tools to craft and communicate effective public health messages and conduct cutting-edge research. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome.
• Read about the program and register online

Simple Health Behaviors and their Impact on Business: Health, Cost, and Productivity will occur on Monday, Oct. 26, 2:30-4 p.m., 3-125 Mayo. Nico Pronk, vice president and health science officer at JourneyWell and senior research investigator at HealthPartners Research Foundation, will present.
• Additional Information

U health care coverage Q & A: Learn about health services for students on campus, what is covered by insurance, and options available after graduation. Bring questions to this information session on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Moos 2-520.
• Additional Information

Urban Design and the Quest for a Sustainable Quality-of-Life, an ERUPT: Emerging Research Underlying Public Health Trends lecture, will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Weaver-Densford Hall 2-110. Ignacio San Martin, professor at the School of Architecture and School of Design, will speak. Lunch will be served.
• Additional Information

Boosting Course Evaluation Response Rates Electronically Utilizing CourseEval and U of M Grading Systems will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 1-2 p.m. This webinar will be presented by Carol Francis from SPH Student Services, Barbara Smith from AHC Information Systems, and Kristina Pearson from SPH Student Services.
• Read more and register online

(TOP)

---

Other Events

HIV Treatment as HIV Prevention: Is there more to HIV prevention than condom promotion? will occur Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., Minnesota AIDS Project, 1400 Park Avenue, Minneapolis.
• Read more and sign up online

The U’s Student Unions and Activities is hosting a lecture by “PostSecret” author, Frank Warren, on Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Union, Great Hall.
• Additional Information

The U of M Social Justice Film Festival will occur on Saturday, Oct. 24, Tate Physics Building. Showings will be at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
• Read more online

The Minnesota Water Resources Conference will occur on Oct. 26-27 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, 175 West Kellogg Boulevard.
• Additional Information

Making Insurers Accountable: The Case for a Public Option in Health Reform will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 11:15-12:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center.
• Directions for parking

A Taste of Tropical Medicine: A Global Health Volunteerism Short Prep Course will take place Nov. 6, 6:30-9:30 p.m. and Nov. 7, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Contact Dawn Bauer at bauer.dawn@mayo.edu or 507-284-4584 for more information or to register.

SPEAK OUT to End Breast Cancer will occur on Saturday, Nov. 14., noon-3:30 p.m., Hotel Sofitel Minneapolis.
Read more and register online

The Minnesota Cancer Alliance presents the sixth annual Cancer Summit 2009: Partners in Progress on Tuesday, Nov. 17, Hotel Sofitel, Bloomington.
Read more and register online

(TOP)