SPH News March 26, 2007
Increase in NIH funding expected
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 April 9 issue is Wednesday, April 4.
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From the Dean
Spring has sprung and with it comes the National Public Health Week Film Festival. The festival is the School of Public Health’s annual weeklong event that last year drew more than 300 people from throughout the Twin Cities.
Each night of the festival—April 2-6—features a different public health theme. This year’s topics include aging, immigrant health, AIDS/HIV, and sex education. The films include the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which features former vice president Al Gore’s quest to halt global warming.
Also new this year is the SPH’s first ever public service announcement competition. The school put a global call out to professional and amateur filmmakers to submit 10- or 30-second clips on the public health topic of their choice. The entries will be screened during the festival.
The festival is free and open to all, the speakers will be engaging, and the films, compelling. Please plan to join in for any or all of the nights. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. and take place in our state-of-the-art Mayo Auditorium. For a full list of films, see www.sph.umn.edu/filmfestevents.html.
On another note, congratulations to SPH faculty members Rosalie Kane and Jim Rothenberger, who have received awards in recognition for their outstanding work at the University. The details of the honors are outlined below in Faculty News. Well done, Jim and Rosalie!
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
Lynn Blewett testified before the Minnesota Senate, Health, and Human Services Budget Committee in support of S.F. No. 196 - Establishing a Reverse Mortgage Incentive Program introduced by Senator Linda Berglin on March 15.
Rosalie Kane has received the Distinguished Women Scholars Award from the University of Minnesota. Two awards are made each year in two academic categories. Kane received the award for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts. She was recognized for her outstanding accomplishments in improving long-term care and support services for elderly people worldwide.
Jim Rothenberger was selected as one of five recipients of the University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award. The award was established in 1999 by President Robert H. Bruininks to honor community outreach and service activities of the U of M community. It recognizes members of the U of M community who have devoted their time and talent to make substantial and enduring contributions to improve public life and the well-being of society.
The School of Public Health Recognition, Awards, and Honors (RAH) Committee now welcomes nominations for three SPH faculty awards. Nominations are due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday April 6:
• The Leonard M. Schuman Award for Excellence in Teaching ($3,000) is the School's highest teaching honor.
• The School of Public Health Community Service Award ($1,500) honors faculty who have performed public service activities that are above the norm.
• The Charles N. Hewitt Creative Teaching Award ($1,500) recognizes outstanding faculty contributions in special areas such as skilled teaching of large classes, continuing education, interscholastic education, or learning technology.
All three awards will be presented at this year's Faculty/Assembly meeting, to be scheduled in the spring. For more information about nomination materials and about each of the award criteria contact Judy Peterson, 7-4196, peter042@umn.edu.
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants are available to support assistant professors who have no independent national funding and are engaged in cancer-related research including genetic mechanisms of cancer, molecular mechanism of cancer progression and metastasis, development of novel cancer therapeutic models and translational research, cancer immunology, and immunotherapy. Funding up to $30,000. The deadline is April 16. For more information, contact micek003@umn.edu or 6-1926.
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Student News
Rada Dagher, HPM doctoral student, presented the poster “Health care response to intimate partner violence: Mandatory reporting or routine screening?” at the 2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence on March 16-17 in San Francisco.
Nominations for executive positions on the SPH Student Senate will be accepted beginning Wednesday, March 28. Positions are available for president, vice-president and secretary. Self nominations are welcome and all nominations will be accepted for one week. Please email Denise Feda (feda0004@umn.edu) with your nominations.
Mark your calendars for a special student celebration. On Saturday, May 12 there will be an All Student Year-End Celebration held at the Radisson. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Scholarship recipients and award winners will also be recognized during the event. More details to come.
This year’s Commencement Picnic, sponsored by the SPH Student Senate, will be held at Como Park on Sunday, May 13, from 4 to 10 p.m. Families are invited to this special event. Details will be sent closer to the date.
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School News
Support the U Day at the Capitol will be Wednesday March 28. Sign up now to join hundreds of U supporters including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and volunteers from across the state. There will be a rally in the rotunda at noon and lunch in the Great Hall at 12:45 p.m. There will be an optional meeting with lawmakers at 1 p.m. See the U tattoo and register at http://www.supporttheU.umn.edu.
Volunteers are needed for the SPH National Public Health Week Film Festival. Students, staff, and faculty who are interested in helping with the annual film festival scheduled for April 2-6 at the Mayo Memorial Auditorium should contact Anne-Marie Kruse at 6-9303 or kruse109@umn.edu.
A report prepared by the School of Public Health’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) raises new concerns for uninsured children in moderate-income families. “Whose Kids Are Covered? A State-by-State Look at Uninsured Children” reports that nearly 9 million children in the United States are without health insurance and that two out of three uninsured kids (64 percent) live with adults who earn modest incomes (roughly $40,000 or less for a family of four). The report, released March 13, was prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Cover the Uninsured Week, which will be April 23–29.
The SPH Student Senate is holding a bake sale on Wednesday, March 28 to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. The bake sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the Outside In Café in Moos Tower. The senate is also sponsoring a relay team, the SPH Cancer Crushers, at the April 20 event. For more information or to donate money contact Emily Abbott at abbot093@umn.edu.
Lisa Marshall joined the Dean's Office as assistant to Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research (Judith Garrard) and to Judy Peterson. She can be contacted at 6-1426 and e-mail marsh396@umn.edu.
The University of Minnesota’s Children, Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC) is undergoing program review, a process the University follows for regular review of all academic units and centers as part of its continuous improvement goals. A short on-line survey has been developed to assist data collection. Please take a moment to fill out the survey. Click here to take the survey or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=478693433617. All responses are anonymous and the survey should only take a few minutes to complete. It will remain open until April 6.
Call for Nominations for the 2007 School of Public Health P&A Excellence Award. The deadline is Tuesday, April 10. The award was established to recognize annually a member of the Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) staff who has made distinguished contributions to the missions of the University of Minnesota and the School of Public Health. To be eligible nominees must have at least three years of P&A employment in the SPH at the time of nomination. Nominees cannot hold a joint faculty appointment. The recipient’s achievements will be commemorated with a plaque, a permanent display in the school’s administrative offices, and a cash award of $1,500. The Excellence Award will be presented at the annual SPH Faculty/Assembly meeting. For more information contact Judy Peterson at 4-7196 or peter042@umn.edu.
The Second Annual Best Practices Institute is putting a call out to all faculty and students interested in presenting a poster. The Excellence in Health Professions Education will be held May 17-18 and the poster session will be from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. on May 17. Applications are due on Monday, April 16. Selected poster presenters will be notified on Monday, April 23. For more information contact Mary Coulter at mary@projecttime.net.
Welcome to UMCal! The SPH Dean's Office, CPHEO, and the divisions of Epidemiology and Community Health and Health Policy and Management are moving to UMCal for personal calendars. UMCal is the calendar system used by most of the University. For many, this will mean a switch from MeetingMaker. The Office of OIT will assist SPH with this migration. The changeover is expected to occur in late May for the Dean's Office and CPHEO. With UMCal you can check your calendar on your desktop client or on the Web from any computer, as well as sync it with your PDA. If you have questions about the conversion, or if you use a PDA, please send an e-mail to sphpod@umn.edu.
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Events & Courses
The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health will sponsor a Faculty Candidate Seminar on Thursday, March 29. Siobhan Sutcliffe, a postdoctoral fellow, for the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University will discuss, “Infections in the Etiology of Prostate Cancer.” The seminar is from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 140 WBOB. Refreshments will be available at 9:45 a.m.
A Faculty Candidate Seminar sponsored by the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health will be held on Tuesday, April 3. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. in room 140 of WBOB. Keith Horvath will discuss “Online Sexual Behavior Research: Browsing the Risks & Opportunities of Internet-Based Public Health.” Refreshments available at 2:45 p.m.
Minnesota Public Health Association is celebrating its centennial with a statewide birthday party. The “Minnesota Public Health Association Healthy at 100: It’s No Accident” celebration will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4 via video-conferencing. SPH Dean John Finnegan will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. More information at www.mpha.net/.
A lecture on the Societal Implications of the Life Sciences will be held on Thursday, April 12 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at the Coffman Memorial Union Theater. The lecture, “A Perspective on the Intersection of Science and Policy at the FDA,” will feature Scott Gottlieb of The American Enterprise Institute. Gottleib is the former deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are strongly encouraged. Lunches are provided to those who RSVP by April 9 to lawvalue@umn.edu or 5-0055 (please indicate if vegetarian/vegan). Registration is required if you wish to receive continuing education credits (CLE, CME, CNE). Those without reservations are welcome to attend, but should bring a lunch.
Mervyn Susser will deliver the 2007 Gaylord Anderson Lecture on April 26. Susser is Sergievsky Professor of Epidemiology Emeritus of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and faculty of Medicine. He is regarded as one of the preeminent epidemiologists in the world. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center.
Plan to attend the upcoming Public Health Roundtable. “Human Rights, the Burden of Disease, and International Tobacco Control” will be discussed April 27, 8:30-noon, Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute. Speakers from the SPH include Dean John Finnegan and Professor Harry Lando. Other speakers: Carolyn Dresler, University of Arkansas, is former head of the Unit for Tobacco and Cancer Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. Benjamin Mason Meier, is an IGERT International Development and Globalization Fellow within Columbia University’s Department of Sociomedical Sciences.
The Annual Celebration of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association will be held on Tuesday, May 8. Tony Dungy, class of 1978 and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team is the keynote speaker. Early Bird group and single ticket prices are available through April 13. Complete ticket pricing and event information is available at www.alumni.umn.edu/celebration.
Staff Association Years of Service Awards Reception for civil service/bargaining unit staff will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, at the Radisson Hotel Ballroom. More details to come.
"Service Learning for Health: Engaging Communities, Students and Educators" is a one-day service learning symposium being offered on Thursday, May 17. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Rochester. The symposium is co-sponsored by Mayo Medical School and UM Rochester, along with other co-sponsors. Sarena Seifer, executive director of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, will keynote the symposium along with other national speakers. The cost is $20 for the entire day and scholarships are available as needed for students. Register by May 11 by:
• Contacting Rochester Community Education at 507-287-2135 (reference symposium activity number 7414.231)
• Register Online ator by calling
• Call
Michon D. Rogers at 507-287-7141.
The Second Annual Best Practices Institute: Excellence in Health Professions Education will be held on May 17-18 at the U’s Minneapolis campus. The six schools of the Academic Health Center in collaboration with the AHC Office of Education are sponsoring the event. A committee consisting of representatives of the six health professions schools and the Health Sciences Library has planned a wide range of plenary and workshop offerings that will benefit faculty across all of the disciplines. Details about the Best Practices Institute as well as online registration is available at www.bpinstitute.umn.edu.
The next EpiCH Martinson Lecture is tentatively scheduled for Friday morning, September 28. The keynote speaker is Nancy Krieger. She is a professor in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Seminars take place on Fridays in conference room 364 at the WBOB. Topics for the upcoming seminars will be announced.
March 30: Bruce Alexander, “Farming, Pesticides and Prostates."
April 6: Claudia Munoz-Zanzi
April 13: Mimi Yu
April 20: Charles Oberg
April 27: Rhonda Jones-Webb
May 4: Hiroyasu Iso
May, 11: Kelli Komro, "Project Northland Chicago: A randomized controlled trial of a multi-component alcohol use preventive intervention for urban youth."
CPHEO Upcoming Courses
Team Approach Dinner: Health Effects Among World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers will be held on Thursday, March 29. The event will be at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Minneapolis. The cost is $35 and includes dinner. Stephen Levin of Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine in New York is the keynote speaker. He will discuss the ongoing health surveillance programs set up for individuals involved in the World Trade Center recovery and demolition project. For more information visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu .
NIOSH Approved Spirometry Training will be held Monday and Tuesday, April 2-3. For more information visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/mcohs.
Incident Management Systems Awareness is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5. For more information visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/niehs.
Occupational Hearing Conservation Testing and Refresher will be held Wednesday through Friday April 4-6. For more information visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/mcohs.
Emergency Readiness Rounds – “Oh the Places You’ll Go!: Providing Care in Non-Traditional Settings During an Emergency” will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25. The event will be held in the Mississippi Room of the Coffman Memorial Union. For more information visit www.meret.umn.edu.
Save the date! A Community Action Forum: Healthy Kids in Healthy Places
will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9. More information to come.
• Events on the AHC Web Site
• Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Monday Mar 26, 2007