SPH News June 5, 2006

SPH News
June 5, 2006

From the Dean
Faculty news
Student news
Staff News
School news
Calendar of events

SPH News is a School-wide electronic newsletter distributed every other Monday during the school year. Over the summer, SPH News will be distributed the first Monday of the month. The bi-weekly schedule will resume the first week in September. Please send news items to SPHNews@umn.edu. Whenever possible, please use SPH News in place of School-wide e-mails. The submission deadline for the July 3 issue is noon on Friday, June 30.

From the Dean
From cooperation to collaboration
Dictionaries define cooperation as working together to achieve a specific, common aim. That said, the Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota have a long record of cooperation among its colleges and schools. We have worked together well to achieve the objectives of many projects over the years. But for some time, we have been moving into a different era better characterized perhaps by the word collaboration. Dictionaries define collaboration as working together generally as a matter of norms, common practice and mutual benefit. This is no mere nuance of meaning, in my view. It is about transforming the orientation of our University "silos" to do a far better and different job of improving health and well-being in the world and here at home -- better than we can do by merely being "cooperative."

Much of our "silo" mentality is actually administrative, not disciplinary. By that I mean that organizations build administrative walls around sets of activities (e.g., programs, departments, schools, colleges) that try to define what is inside and what is outside. But scholarly disciplines have a way of refusing to be contained inside of administrative constructions. It is the nature of scholarly disciplines not merely to cooperate with others, but to explore and discover commonalities, differences and to seek leverage of new ways of knowing, learning and doing.

I know this is beginning to sound like a dry treatise on organizational sociology, so let me give you an example. In the past five years, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health have been actively reducing barriers to permit closer disciplinary collaboration between our two schools. Today we share faculty, dual degree programs, laboratories, centers as well as joint research projects world-wide. Now I am not suggesting that the fields of public health and veterinary medicine will simply merge and become indistinguishable. The two fields will always have unique disciplinary, clinical and training functions that will differentiate them. But what is becoming normative is not what makes us different. It is how we leverage our mutual strengths to address zoonotic and human disease, the role of the human-animal bond in health and well-being, communication about risk, biosafety and the safety and security of food production systems, and much more.

We are indebted to the many generations of CVM and SPH faculty who have built the platform for this important collaboration. The pioneering work of Professors Emeriti R.K. Anderson and Stan Diesch, for example, were instrumental in the beginning. Lately, Prof. Will Hueston, Dean Jeff Klausner, Profs. Craig Hedberg, Marguerite Pappaioanou, Randy Singer, Mike Osterholm, Debra Olson and others have built an impressive edifice on their foundation.

The evolution of the CVM-SPH relationship continues and the rest of the nation is beginning to take notice of what we are building. Recently I agreed to co-chair a joint national committee of the ASPH/AAVMC with Dean Michael Blackwell of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The goal is greater collaboration between the fields on behalf of improving human and animal health and well-being. Minnesota's leadership will be important to the effort and I am proud to have the benefit of so many great colleagues in pushing forward the cause of collaboration in the health sciences.
-- John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.

Faculty news (top)
Deb Swackhamer received an award from the University of Minnesota Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment and the Life Sciences on behalf of the Water Resources Center which she co-directs. The $5,000 award will go toward presenting “The Power of Water Colloquia.”

Michael Davern was named Program Chair-Elect for the Government Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association.

Kathleen Thiede Call, Michael Davern and Donna McAlpine made presentations at the recent 61st Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Lynn Blewett, Kathleen Thiede Call, Jon Christianson, Michael Davern, Bill Riley and Bryan Dowd will be presenting at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting (ARM) to be held June 25-27 in Seattle. This is an opportunity for health services researchers and decision makers to hear the latest research, debate policy issues, develop new research skills, and meet colleagues. For more information on the conference or to register, visit www.academyhealth.org/arm.

The following SPH faculty members were featured in local, national and international media coverage for their work:
Bruce Alexander
Kristin Anderson
Timothy Church
Michael Davern
Roger Feldman
John Finnegan
Aaron Folsom
David Jacobs
Robert Kane
Rosalie Kane
DeAnn Lazovich
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Michael Oakes
Michael Osterholm
Mark Pereira
James Rothenberger
Matt Simcik
Jamie Stang
Mary Story

Media outlets included the Washington Post, ABC News, the London Daily Mail, and the Associated Press.

Student news (top)
Peter Scal, a PhD student in Health Policy and Management, was awarded a K08 research development grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Deanna Scher, a current Environmental Health Sciences PhD student, won a competitive Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Minnesota Graduate School.

Tami Swenson, a doctoral student in Health Policy and Management, received an award for a poster she submitted to the national Delta Omega public health honor society poster contest. She will have an opportunity to present her work at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in November.

Amy Thornton has been named to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Emerging Leaders Program.

Concerned about campus awareness of mental health issues? Join students interested in starting a campus chapter of Active Minds. Open to all students, the organization’s mission is to provide information about available resources and serve as a liaison between students and the mental health community. Help the U of M chapter get started by contacting Cynthia Fuller at 624-0325 or full0060@umn.edu or http://www.activemindsoncampus.org.

Staff News (top)
Adam Buhr has been named SPH director of development, replacing Carmela Kranz who was promoted to a senior-level development administration position at the Minnesota Medical Foundation.

Michelle Casey, deputy director and senior research fellow at the SPH Rural Health Research Center, is the recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Researcher Award of the National Rural Health Association. This is a prestigious award given annually to a researcher whose work has had a significant impact on rural health policy and practice.

School news (top)
Health Policy and Management is the new name for the SPH division formerly known as Health Services Research and Policy, following approval of the change at the May meeting of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. The name reflects the recent addition of the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program to the division, and the role that management plays in the division’s educational programs. Health services research remains a core function of the division and work in that area will continue to influence health policymaking at all levels of government.

The Minnesota Public Health Association 2006 Annual Conference and Meeting June 6. Register at: http://www.mpha.net/PublicHealth2006AnnualConfRegister.pdf. The event will be from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska. SPH Professor Alan Lifson will deliver the conference’s closing address, titled "Reflections on a Quarter Century of HIV/AIDS.”

Eighth Annual University Staff Day Celebration June 6.
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Minneapolis Campus: Coffman Memorial Union
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. St. Paul Campus: St. Paul Student Center Terrace and Patio
6:30 to 8:00 p.m. - Minneapolis Campus: Coffman Memorial Union

School of Public Health Roundtable June 7. The last SPH Roundtable of the 2005-2006 academic year is scheduled for this Wednesday, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the first-floor atrium of the Humphrey Institute. The free event is titled, “Native Dancer, Honor the Beat and Summer Survivor Camp: Games and Other Health Education Strategies for Native Youth.” It will be presented by Monte L. Fox, an enrolled Hidatsa, is the White Earth Diabetes Project Coordinator and an exercise physiologist. He is working with the North Dakota State University Archaeology Technology Lab to develop Native Dancer, an emerging genre of video games that involve physical activity.

2006 Summer Public Health Institute: May 22 – June 9. Professionals have a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study – for a single course or the entire three weeks of the Institute. For more information on courses, faculty, special programs and events, and registration, please visit www.sph.umn.edu/publichealthplanet/events/institute/home.html or call 626-4515

Symposium on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) June 14-15. This conference brings together parents, care providers and professionals together to address challenges associated with FASD. For more information, visit www.sph.umn.edu/publichealthplanet/events/hand_in_hand.html

Dakota and Hennepin County Public Health Departments are seeking volunteers for public health emergency preparedness training exercises to be held Friday, June 16. Contact Joshua Carlyle for details at 612-673-2910 or joshua.carlyle@ci.minnepolis.mn.us.

The Center on Aging Summer Institute June 19 and 20. Titled “Using Clinical Guidelines to Improve Older Adult Care,” the conference will feature national and international aging experts discussing the use of specific practice guidelines to dramatically improve the quality of care for their older patients. The conference will be held at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. The conference fee is $110. A conference brochure with more information is available at www.hsr.umn.edu/coa or by calling 626-4248.

Emergency Readiness Rounds: Healthcare Response to a Pandemic. Ethical Resource Allocation During a Pandemic June 28.
Sponsored by the Minnesota Emergency Readiness Education and Training (MERET), this seminar is intended to improve the ability of Minnesota’s health professionals to function effectively during healthcare emergencies. The seminar may be attended in person or viewed via a webcast. For more information, visit http://ustar.ahc.umn.edu/register_event.cfm

Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course July 26-28.
This continuing education program focuses on the improvement of maternal and infant health through the delivery of high quality nutrition services. For more information, visit http://www.sph.umn.edu/publichealthplanet/events/mnic.html

The SPH Alumni Network is available online. By providing contact information to the network, alumni can become a valuable resource for current and prospective students who are curious about public health careers. And, of course, they can also use the network to forge connections with other alumni. Check it out at http://www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/network/home.html.

Nominations are requested for the U of M Global Engagement Award for faculty and staff members, active or retired, for outstanding contributions to global education and international programs. Deadline is July 1. For more information, go to http://www.international.umn.edu/awards/global/global.html.

Mass dispensing online training modules are available to assist individuals who may be asked to work in mass dispensing sites during an emergency. To view the modules visit www.umncphp.umn.edu/massdisp. For more information, contact Jennifer Reilly at 624-7440 or e-mail massdisp@umn.edu.

Spring and Summer Epi Shuttle Schedule:
May 15 – June 9: summer schedule, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
June 12 – Sept. 4: no shuttle service

The Geneva Forum – Towards Global Access to Health – will be held August 30 to September 1. This forum will provide a unique opportunity for all participants to present and explore innovative partnerships and programs facilitating access to health. Early bird registration ends June 5. For more information and to register, go to http://www.hcuge.ch/genevahealthforum/GeneralInformation.html.

Calendar of Events (top)

Event listings are available at the SPH Web site at http://www.sph.umn.edu/news/events and the AHC site at http://www.ahc.umn.edu/calendar/.

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SPH News is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. www.sph.umn.edu.