SPH News Jan. 20, 2009
>SPH News is a school-wide electronic newsletter distributed to SPH faculty and staff every other week during the school year. Please send news items to SPHNews@umn.edu.
From the Dean
Change is one of life’s constants, and one important change we underwent at the SPH recently is the conversion to online course evaluations. Out with the golf pencils and in with the computer keyboard. This was a change supported by many faculty members and grumbled about by a few, but one thing is sure: students embraced it wholeheartedly. We received a 75 percent response rate overall in the SPH, very high for an online survey. This kind of student feedback is necessary for us to continually improve the quality of our education program.
One aspect of the new online course evaluation is that division heads and program chairs have timely and easy access to the evaluation results. It is my sincere hope that they will lead to improvements where needed, and also recognize the many outstanding teachers among us.
So, faculty colleagues, thank you for all you did to make this new process an enormous success and for the outstanding work you do in teaching the next generation of public health leaders. A special thanks to Student Services staff members Carol Francis and Kristina Pearson for helping to usher us all into this new era, and also to Barbara Smith, from the AHC IS department.
On an unrelated note, please pay special attention to the “School News” item below about the Feb. 12 memorial service being planned in honor of our dear friend and colleague, Jim Rothenberger.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
SHADAC hosted a State Survey Data Workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in Washington D.C. to provide up-to-date information on technical issues related to household surveys and the measurement of health insurance coverage. Michael Davern, Kathleen Call, and Lynn Blewett were joined by other well-known presenters in the survey research field, including Scott Keeter from the Pew Research Center. The topics covered were cell phone coverage and adjustment, Medicaid undercount, changing telephony, and how the BRFSS is handling change.
• More details online
Deb Swackhamer has been selected as a Scientist on the Spot by the Science Museum of Minnesota. Swackhamer will answer questions posted to the Web for the museum’s Science Buzz page.
• More information online
David Wallinga, director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis, will be a part-time fellow in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health for two years. He received a fellowship from the W.T. Grant Foundation that is designed to bridge research, policy and practice. Wallinga is a physician who does advocacy work to improve agricultural and public health policies as they relate to childhood environmental health, particularly around food and nutrition.
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School News
Witness the historic inauguration of Barack Obama during an open viewing of the ceremony in the Dean’s Office (A-301 Mayo) and the Student SPHere Lounge on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The televisions will remain on throughout the day to air coverage of the events, including the swearing in at 11 a.m. Refreshments will be available in A-301.
• View the full inaugural schedule
A public memorial service will honor SPH professor James Rothenberger for his many contributions to students, faculty, staff, and others during a career that spanned more than three decades. The memorial will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 in the Mayo Memorial Auditorium. As many of you know, Jim Rothenberger passed away due to complications from kidney disease and an infection on Dec. 8. In spite of his health challenges, he was a tireless and devoted instructor, teaching an average of 15 courses a year.
• View and/or post
remembrances of Rothenberger
Take a few minutes to weigh in on a proposed campus-wide smoking ban. The University’s Student Health Advisory Committee is seeking comments on the proposed policy that would go into effect in January 2010. A decision will be made about the policy this spring and if it is passed, incremental steps will be taken to eliminate smoking on campus through the summer and fall. Those wishing to make comments should email Katherine Himes, assistant to the provost at hime0005@umn.edu.
• View details about the proposed ban
Senior Vice President for Health Services Frank Cerra will present his annual State of the Academic Health Center address on Thursday, Feb. 19. It will be held in the Mayo Auditorium from 3 to 4 p.m. The address will be preceded by the AHC Faculty Assembly from 2 to 2:45 p.m. The presentation will be broadcast to the St. Paul, Duluth, and Rochester campuses. The assembly was originally scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15.
SPH professor Pat McGovern will join four other University professors at the Minne-College in Arizona on Saturday, March 7. The unique learning experience is a half-day session that targets U of M alumni. For more information visit
• More information online
“Designing and Conducting Focus Groups Interviews” is an interactive overview of focus group procedures that can be used in public and non-profit environments. Two workshops are being offered during March that will discuss the practical approaches to determining the appropriate use of focus group studies, design options, developing questions, recruiting participants, moderating skills, and analyzing and reporting results are emphasized. The first workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 16 and 17 and the second will be held from 8:30 to 4 p.m. on March 18 and 19. For m
• More details online
Enter the “It’s Global” PSA Contest for a chance to win up to $500. Want to tell the world how you feel about pollution, clean water, climate change, second-hand smoke or another global public health topic? Here’s your chance. Create a public service announcement that is 30 seconds or less and enter the 2009 “It’s Global” Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. Novice and seasoned filmmakers are encouraged to participate. The deadline to enter is March 6. Select entries will be showcased and winners of cash prizes up to $500 will be announced on April 6 during National Public Health Week. Learn more at www.sph.umn.edu/psa
“What’s Next in Law, Health and the Life Sciences? Debating Openness, Access and Accountability,” which will be held Friday, March 6. The daylong seminar, sponsored by the Consortium and Joint Degree Program, features SPH faculty members Michael Osterholm and Bill Toscano, and Frank Cerra, senior vice president for Health Sciences.
• More information about the seminar
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SPH Events
Patti Gravitt, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will discuss, “Effective cervical cancer screening in peri-urban villages in Andhra Pradesh, India: Evaluating the balance of coverage and assay performance,” on Friday, Jan. 23. The session will be held at 10 a.m. in room 364 WBOB. Lunch with the speaker will be at noon.
“Who Pays for Obesity,” will be discussed in a seminar held on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Jay Bhattacharya, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, is the keynote speaker. The seminar, sponsored by the Division of Health Policy and Management, will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in 2-650 Moos Tower. Bhattacharya’s papers on this subject are available and electronic copies can be requested by e-mailing raasc001@umn.edu
Save the Date for the next SPH Alumni and Friends Scholarship Gala. The event will be held on Saturday evening, May 16, in the Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union. New York Times best-selling author, Dan Buettner, will deliver the keynote. There will be a discounted rate for students. And since the gala is two days before commencement friends and family of graduates are encouraged to attend. Last year the event raised $45,000 for SPH student scholarships. For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
• More about Dan Buettner’s book
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CPHEO Announcements
Upcoming Courses
Tools for Managing Volunteers During and After a Disaster
These tools were developed for Medical Reserve Corps coordinators, public health agencies or any organization that may deploy volunteers to assist during or after an emergency or disaster and can be adapted to meet your agency needs.
• Access tools online
8-Hour Site Worker Refresher
Feb. 5
Read the training description
24- and 40-Hour Site Worker Training
Feb. 9-13
Read the training description
Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review
Feb. 16-20
Additional Information
Emerging Issues and Controversies in Occupational Health and Safety
Thursday, Feb. 26
Additional Information
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Other Events
Jan. 29, 11 a.m . to 1 p.m.
EPA’s chief scientist to speak about presidential priorities
Jan. 29 11:30 to 1 p.m.
2009 Deinard Memorial Lecture on Law & Medicine: "The Emergent Logic of Health Law"
Feb. 3 6-9 p.m.
Healthy Eating and Living Seminar featuring Brenda Langton, owner of Café Brenda and Spoonriver. Two other seminars will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5 and Tuesday, Feb. 10.
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
Subscribe to SPH calendar updates by e-mail
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Events on the AHC Web Site
Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Monday Jan 19, 2009