SPH News Jan. 29, 2007
Jan. 29, 2007
SPH News is a school-wide electronic newsletter distributed every other week. Please send news items to SPHNews@umn.edu. The submission deadline for the Feb. 12 issue is Wednesday, Feb. 7.
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From the Dean
Next to the U.S. government, universities are famous for acronym alphabet soup. One of the current and most important acronyms you have probably heard around the Academic Health Center is "CTSA." It stands for Clinical and Translational Science Awards. It's important because it has the potential to transform the way we do health science for greater public benefit.
CTSA comes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of its "Roadmap" initiative. Put simply, it is an "infrastructure" grant from the NIH that is intended to aid health sciences research institutions like ours to put in place the vision, organization, and resources necessary to speed scientific discovery to improve people's health. Whether the goal is better diagnosis and treatment of disease, drugs, medical devices, prevention and population health promotion strategies, or training the next generation of health scientists, a successful CTSA application is a must for Minnesota.
We haven't earned one yet, but the hard work of rewriting our application is underway for October submission, led by Dr. Jas Ahluwalia, Executive Director of the AHC's Office of Clinical Research. He has assembled an able team from across the AHC whose goal over the next several months is to sharpen the vision, focus, and organization to assure a successful application. From the SPH, key leaders include Drs. Russell Luepker, Mary Story, Joan Patterson, James Neaton, Eileen Harwood, and other contributors, too.
Although the "C" in CTSA stands for "Clinical," it is important to note that public health as a set of disciplines is important to the effort. NIH documents make clear that the full spectrum of transforming science to impact via research, learning, and outreach includes everything from molecular and animal model discoveries to those capable of engaging and changing communities, policies, and society. So far, 12 CTSA awards have been made. Of the 12, five institutions have schools of public health and an additional four have major departments or programs in public health.
An important aspect of the CTSA is changing the culture in the health sciences to leverage greater and speedier benefits from discoveries at whatever level. There are two parts to this that in my opinion seek to raise our "maturity" as an Academic Health Center. First, is how we enhance collaboration across disciplines, schools, and colleges in collaboration with our communities. Powerful "next generation" research programs require means and methods of posing new questions that reach beyond self-imposed disciplinary or administrative scope and also engage the people likely to be affected. The same "culture change" is true of how we train the next generation of scientists.
Second, how do we take discoveries and move them to the "next level" of development, whatever that may be. This is not as easy as it sounds. It means in part designing "staged gateways" by which investigators can manage the science, make decisions, and access the resources and investment to move specific discoveries forward. We have always done this informally. Now, we need to be conscious AND conscientious about the whole process.
Our size and scope as an Academic Health Center is both an asset and a challenge in this endeavor. We are big and complex, but I think our task is to clarify, simplify, and standardize as much as possible -- keeping in mind the goals of building the excellence and speeding the benefits of health science to our community and the world. So, achieving this grant must be high on our collective agenda.
Thanks are due all who are contributing to this important effort.
For more information about the CTSA and related activities, visit the web site of the Office of Clinical Research: www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/.
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty news
Lynn Blewett, along with colleagues Kathleen Call and Michael Davern received a $1.6 million four-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a coordinated approach to the evaluation of current state health reform initiatives. The new State Reform Evaluation (SRE) program will be housed at the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) in the Division of Health Policy and Management. The project will provide evidence to state policy makers on the specific mechanisms that contribute to successful state health reform efforts. Elizabeth Lukanen has joined the staff as the deputy director of SHADAC-SRE.
Kathleen Thiede Call, Michael Davern, and Lynn Blewett published an article in the January/February 2007 edition of Health Affairs. "Estimates of Health Insurance Coverage: Comparing State Surveys with the Current Population Survey" compares state survey and CPS estimates of uninsurance, highlights key reasons for these differences, and discusses the policy implications of this persistent discrepancy. (Health Affairs 26, no. 1 (2007): 269-278.)
Ayse Gürses is a new faculty member in the Program in Healthcare Administration in the Division of Health Policy and Management. Her research area is human factors engineering in health care. Her current research focuses on (1) the development, implementation, and evaluation of information technology to improve coordination, communication, teamwork and patient safety in healthcare organizations, (2) the impact of work system design on clinical workload, quality of working life, and patient safety, and (3) socio-technical aspects of healthcare information technology.
James Hart has been elected to the board of directors for Global Health Ministries, a network that supports international Lutheran health care work.
Craig Hedberg and Michael Osterholm are a part of an independent scientific advisory panel that is working with Fresh Express, one of the country's leading producer of salads. Hedberg and Osterholm, along with a committee of other food safety experts, are helping to develop the most productive research priorities related to E. Coli contamination.
Melissa Nelson is one of 47 principal investigators to receive a 2006-07 Public Engagement Seed Grant from the Office for Public Engagement. The grants allow U faculty, staff, and students to work with their communities to bring about change. Nelson's project is titled "Positive Motion: The development of a sustainable, community-based physical activity program for people living with HIV/AIDS."
• Learn more
Deb Swackhamer is featured in a "U of M Moment." The state of Minnesota has commissioned the U's Institute on the Environment to prepare a new long-term conservation and preservation plan, a blueprint for where the state's attention and resources should be focused on when preserving and protecting Minnesota's natural resources. Swackhamer, the institute's interim director, says the plan will address a wide range of environmental issues.
•
Listen to the feature
• Visit the U of M Moment blog
Harry Lando is featured in "U of M Moment" and the SPH "Public Health Moment" podcast regarding legislation to ban smoking in the workplace.
• Listen to U of M Moment
• Visit the SPH Podcast page
Deb Swackhamer was appointed by Governor Pawlenty to the Clean Water Council for the State of Minnesota. The Council advises the governor and legislature on administering the Clean Water Legacy Act.
• Learn more
Watch SPH faculty on TPT TV. John Finnegan and Mary Story, along with other experts, discuss the importance of prevention in health care. The show will air on TPT's Minnesota Channel 17 on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. (other air dates TBD).
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Student news
Students interested in graduate programs in the Health Policy and Management field are invited to attend an information session. During the two-hour session students will get to meet with faculty and students, learn about funding opportunities, and learn about the academic programs. The event is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6 and will be held in room D330 Mayo Memorial Building. Refreshments will be provided. Free parking will be available in the Washington Avenue Ramp. For more information or to make a reservation, call 4-8818 or send an e-mail to herri105@umn.edu. Complete event details can be found at www.hpm.umn.edu.
SPH Student Senate's spring semester meetings will take place from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. on the following days: Jan. 31, Feb. 15, Feb. 28, March 28, April 11, and April 25. Meetings will be held in the Student SPHere. All students are welcome to attend and participate. For more information, contact Denise Feda at feda0004@umn.edu.
The second annual Graduate and Professional Student Career Fair will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Great Hall at the Coffman Union. This is a great way for students to learn about internship and employment opportunities; to develop a network of contacts; and to gain valuable interview experience in a low-risk environment.
• Pre-Register online (required)
Kate Klugherz and Nicholas Smith, MHA students, have been honored with awards. Klugherz was the winner of the Class of 1954 Clerkship Award. Smith was the runner up. The class of 1954 established the Clerkship Award for the best clerkship report submitted from each MHA class.
Maggie Stedman-Smith, a Ph.D. student in Environmental Health Sciences, was awarded a fellowship for her dissertation research, which involves conducting a needs assessment of pesticide exposures among women and children in the Red River Valley.
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Research news
Primary Investigator |
Project Title |
Award Amount | Funding Agency |
Lynn Blewett |
State Reform Evaluation (SRE) Project |
$400,000 |
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
Susan Diem |
A two-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of cp-945,598 in the treatment of obese subjects |
$343,640 |
Pfizer, Inc. |
Bernard Harlow
|
Risks and Predictors of Postpartum Depression |
$74,209
|
NIH Natl Inst of Mental Health |
Deborah Hennrikus |
Influences on Taft-Hartley Fund Administrator and Trustees Regarding Tobacco Cessation Benefits |
$36,854 |
Clear Way MN |
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School news
Do you know SPH alumni who have news to share on a new job, award, or other accomplishment? If so, have them send news to SPHNews@umn.edu.
The information will appear in a future issue of Advances (the SPH alumni magazine).
• Read the magazine online
Urge Your Elected Officials To Support a Comprehensive Smoke Free Law. Last week legislators at the Capitol in St. Paul introduced the state's Freedom to Breathe Act, a law that will provide smoke-free protection for all workers in Minnesota. This comes on the heels of Olmsted County's decision to strengthen its county-wide ordinance to include all workplaces.
• Click Here to Send a Message to Your Lawmakers
Sponsored by the American Cancer Society and The Freedom to Breathe Coalition.
Robert and Karen Veninga Scholarship Fund. To honor Professor Robert and Karen Veninga's distinguished careers and service to countless students and colleagues, more than 70 donors have stepped forward to create the Robert and Karen Veninga Scholarship Fund. Alumni and friends have already donated more than $40,000 to the newly endowed fund, which will have its annual awards to international MPH students doubled by the University's scholarship match program. Donations may still be made at: www.mmf.umn.edu/giveto/veninga, or by calling 4-5406.
It's Global: A Juried Public Health Film-making Competition. Can you make a five-second film? Do you have something to say about pollution? Clean water? Refugee health? Preparing for disasters? Nutrition? Infectious disease? Access to health care? Climate change? Submit your entries for either short form (up to 10 seconds) or long form (11-30 seconds). Select entries will be screened at the National Public Health Week Film Festival during the week of April 2-7. Call for entries submission deadline: March 12. Contact: film@umn.edu or 4-6669.
• Learn more
Award to CPHP partner. The Milwaukee/Waukesha County Consortium for Emergency Public Health Preparedness was one of seven U.S. departments recognized for its achievements in emergency preparedness. It was honored as being "public health ready." Congrats go to Jen Stohler, the Consortium Program Coordinator for the Milwaukee/Waukesha County Consortium, who is a member of the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) Advisory Cooperative. CPHP staffer Patti Constant will continue to work with the Consortium to develop training.
The School of Public Health accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is moving forward as we continue to prepare for the CEPH site visit on April 16-18, 2007. In 2006, the School conducted a self study which is summarized in the Preliminary Self Study report at www.sph.umn.edu/faculty/accreditation/. The final report will be released in February.
The results are in for the SPH Student Senate Penny War. Students raised $305 during the contest, which ended Jan. 22. The money raised was used to purchase dinners for the Ronald McDonald House.
Penny War Power. Inspired by the recent SPH Student Senate Penny War, the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach (CPHEO) staff decided to host its own version of the Penny War. Teams were made, and the competition was friendly and enthusiastic. By the end of the five-week event, $500 was raised for the winning team's charity of choice: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The Women's Caucus is making a call for Abstracts. The deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 7. The Women's Caucus invites abstracts (250 words maximum) on any topic related to the lives and health of women. The Caucus is interested in social, cultural, environmental, and political contexts of women's health. Preference is given to abstracts that focus on underserved populations of women and emerging topics not yet covered elsewhere at the Annual Meeting (e.g., health of sex workers, genetic and reproductive technologies). The Women's Caucus program strives to include sessions that are novel and emerging in relation to women's health. For more information contact Jill Oliveri at oliveri.5@osu.edu or Heather Brandt at hbrandt@sc.edu.
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Events & Courses
The eighth annual State of the Academic Health Center Address by Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences, will be Wednesday, Jan. 31. This year's speech will be presented in the newly restored Mayo Auditorium. The presentation, "Learning from History: Driving to Discover the Future," will be preceded by the Academic Health Center Faculty Assembly. SPH faculty, staff and students are invited to attend.
• 2-2:45 p.m. - Academic Health Center Faculty Assembly
• 3-4 p.m. - State of the Academic Health Center Address
• 4-5 p.m. - Reception and tours of Mayo Auditorium.
Won Choi will discuss "Developing a Smoking Cessation Program for Native Americans," as part of the medical school's faculty candidate program in Health Disparities Research. Choi is an associate professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He will speak from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday Jan. 31 in room 2-520 Moos Tower. A light lunch will be provided for the first 30 attendees.
The Deinard Memorial Lecture Series on Law and Medicine presents Stephen Morse, University of Pennsylvania, who will present "New Neuroscience, Old Legal problems: The Case of Juvenile Responsibility," Thursday, Feb. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union Theater. This lecture will address the legal implications of neuroscientific advances that have been fueled by the revolution in imaging technology.
The Winter Lecture Series, presented by the Student Committee on Bioethics, will be held from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 1, Thursday Feb. 8, and Thursday Feb. 15 in 100 Mayo. Lunch will be provided by La Loma & Christos. Please direct any questions to Jenny Pierquet at pierq031@umn.edu.
• Feb 1: Jonathan Metzl, Protest Psychosis: Race, Stigma, and the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia
• Feb. 8: Joan Liaschenko, Disciplinary Identities and the Moral Work of Practice
• Feb 15: Carol Tauer, Pregnancy and Patient Choice: Are There Limits to Autonomy?
The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Seminars for the spring semester have been scheduled. The seminars will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in conference room 364 in WBOB.
• Feb. 2: Alex Scott-Samuel, director, IMPACT - International health Impact Assessment Consortium, Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool
• Feb. 16: Alan Hirsch, SPH professor, "PAD Public Education to Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes: From Epidemiology to a National Educational Campaign (the Minnesota Story)."
• Learn more
PAMOJA! is an evening of "togetherness" with food, drink, music, and entertainment on Thursday, Feb. 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Weisman Art Museum. The evening is sponsored by the School of Public Health Student Senate. For questions, please email sphss@umn.edu.
Dr. Leonard Epstein from the State University of New York at Buffalo will be a featured speaker on Thursday Feb. 8. Dr. Epstein will discuss "Behavioral Choice Theory and Pediatric Obesity" from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. in room 1-450 Moos.
• Learn more about Dr. Epstein
The Office of Clinical Research and the Program in Health Disparities Research will host Loretta Jemmott, speaking on "Recruitment of Ethnic Minorities into Clinical Trials" on Friday, Feb. 16, 12-1 p.m. in 1-450G Moos Tower. The event is part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities. Sandwiches and beverages will be served. Jemmott is the van Ameringen Professor in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and director of the Center for Health Disparities, School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ground-breaking Stem Cell Conference will be held on Feb. 26. This is a full-day conference sponsored by the Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences. This conference will convene top researchers and experts to explore the issues raised by SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer), the options open to universities, and how policy should progress. To register for the conference, "Creating Stem Cells by Research Cloning: Scientific, Ethical, Legal and Policy Challenges," visit the Web site or e-mail lawvalue@umn.edu.
Upcoming CPHEO Courses
• 8-Hour Hazardous Waste Site Worker Training Refresher, Feb. 8.
• 24/40-Hour Hazardous Waste Site Worker Training, Feb. 12-16
• Incident Management Systems Awareness, Feb. 22
For more information or to register visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/niehs
• Designing and Conducting Focus Group Interviews
Session I: March 12-13, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Session II: March 14-15, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Workshop Leader: Richard Krueger. This workshop is an interactive, intensive (yet enjoyable) overview of focus group procedures that can be used in public and non-profit environments. 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 workshop can be taken as non-credit continuing education or for 1 graduate credit. For more information, visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu.
• Emergency Readiness Rounds: Psychological Issues Following Disaster
Featured Speaker: Tai Mendenhall, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 12-1:30 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union. This seminar will provide an overview of the psychological impact that disasters have on communities and responders. The role of disaster trauma-response teams will be outlined and strategies for collaboration among responding disciplines will be discussed. For more information or to register for this event, visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/meret
• 2007 Summer Public Health Institute. The institute will be held May 21-June 8 on the Twin Cities University campus. Visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute for the complete three-week Institute schedule. The print catalog will be available late January. Please call 6-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu to request a copy.
• Events on the AHC Web Site
• Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Monday Jan 29, 2007