SPH News April 9, 2007
From the Dean
The weather may be unseasonably cold this Spring, but our hearts were warmed by some exciting news this past week.
We learned that that Prof. Marguerite Pappaioanou and her talented collaborative team, including senior advisor to the Center, Prof. Mike Osterholm, have successfully landed for Minnesota a Center of Excellence in Avian Influenza from the NIH. This is significant for several reasons. It puts the University in rare company -- only a few of these were awarded. To receive one is recognition of our growing excellence in this arena.
Second, it is a benchmark of the importance of collaboration in research. Marguerite is a member of the SPH Division of Epidemiology & Community Health and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her team spans the AHC and, importantly, the Minnesota Department of Health whose state-of-the art laboratories provide an important platform for this work.
Third, it's important because it's global. Our thanks to Marguerite and her team across the AHC for leading the effort.
We also learned that the Healthcare Management program which moved back to the SPH Division of Health Policy and Management in 2005, has jumped from fifth to second place in national rankings published by U.S. News and World Report. Congratulations to the HM program faculty, alumni, and students!
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
Media News
March media coverage featured the following SPH faculty and staff:
Bradley Carlin
Aaron Desmond
Marla Eisenberg
David Jacobs
Rosalie Kane
Bea Krinke
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Michael Osterholm
Emily Parker
Anna Prizment
Matt Simcik
Patricia van den Berg
Coverage was featured in local media as well as in Science Daily, Reuters News Service, the Sydney Morning Herald and on BBC Radio. Visit www.sph.umn.edu/news/ to read more about SPH faculty in the news and to find links to the complete stories, or e-mail SPHNews@umn.edu to request hard copies of the stories.
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Faculty News
Kathleen Call and Jeanette Ziegenfuss, research assistant published an article in the current issue of the Rural Minnesota Journal: Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care Among Rural and Urban Minnesotans
• Read/download the article (PDF)
Russell Luepker was appointed as a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) T32 Study Section. This group reviews pre- and post-doctoral training grants supported by the institute.
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
Robin Mathy has authored the book Preventive Health Measures for Lesbian and Bisexual Women (co-edited with Shelly Kerr), recently published by Haworth Medical Press. Mathy is earning a Certificate in Core Concepts in Public Health.
SPH students won awards at the 5th Annual University of Minnesota CLARION Interprofessional Case Competition on March 31. Ryan Chaquette was on the first place time; Dawn Sillars, on the second place team; and Peter Graven, on the third place team. The first place team will be presenting again at the National Case Competition held at the McNamara Alumni Center on April 14.
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
Health and science writer Laurie Garrett will be the commencement speaker for this year's School of Public Health commencement ceremony, May 14, 5 p.m., at Northrop Memorial Auditorium. Garrett became the only writer ever to have been awarded all three of the Big "Ps" of journalism: The Peabody, The Polk (twice), and The Pulitzer. Garrett is also the best-selling author of The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance and Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health.
• Read Garrett's bio
• Learn more about commencement
U awarded $22.5 Million to Study Avian Flu. University researchers, bolstered by a $22.5 million NIH grant, will be at the forefront of disease and virologic surveillance of avian influenza viruses throughout the world. SPH professor Marguerite Pappaioanou is the principal investigator of the Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (MCEIRS).
• Read more about the center
The Master of Healthcare Administration Program (MHA) ranked second in this year’s U.S. News and World Report ranking of healthcare management programs. The MHA program jumped from a fifth place ranking to second place on the 2008 list. The rankings are based upon the results of peer assessment surveys sent to leaders in academic healthcare management programs across the country.
The latest issue of SPH Research Brief is on protecting the nation’s food supply. SPH associate professor Craig Hedberg writes about strengthening foodborne disease surveillance and improving the safety of our food supply. Research Brief is a monthly electronic publication in which SPH faculty members write about their current research.
• Read this issue of Research Brief
Twelve SPH faculty, fellows, and students presented papers or chaired sessions at the Eleventh Annual Minnesota Health Services Research Conference on March 6: Yiscah Bracha, Donna McAlpine, Kirk Allison, Stephanie Jarosek, Andrew Ward, Pamela Jo Johnson, Jean Abraham, Alissa Van Wie, Jeanette Ziegenfuss, Kamisha Hamilton Escoto, Walter Gregg, and Michelle Casey. Doug Wholey chaired organization of the conference, which featured 17 sessions and over 50 papers. (Student participants in italics.)
The School of Public Health Student Senate (SPHSS) is planning a series of international cooking events. All students, faculty, and staff will be invited to attend. The kickoff event is scheduled for the middle of April and will be themed "Taste Diversity: Essence of Asia." Countries of Eastern Asia and Southeastern Asia will be included. (The rest of Asia will be featured later in the international cuisine series.) The SPHSS is looking for individuals in the SPH who are from a country in Eastern Asia or Southeastern Asia to help plan and host this event. Please contact Thuy Doan (doanx034@umn.edu) if you are interested in helping.
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.
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Events & Courses
"Ocular Health and Technology Access: Linking Clinical and Functional Assessments" will be presented by Julie Jacko on Monday, April 9, 4-5 p.m. in 3-100 Mato. Jacko is professor of biomedical engineering and professor of computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, and director of the Center for Interactive Systems, Health Systems Institute, Georgia Tech.
Events centered on the role of men in ending violence against women will take place April 12. Patrick Lincoln, director, Consulting and Training, Men Can Stop Rape, Washington D.C., will lead a workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Strength Training: Engaging Men in Leadership to End Men’s Violence Against Women" (324 Coffman Memorial Union; for registration contact lipsk002@umn.edu; 6.8122). Lincoln will lecture at 7 p.m. on "Visible Allies: Finding Our Role in the Prevention of Men’s Violence Against Women" (100 Smith Hall). Hosted by the Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education; cosponsors include the Program in Human Rights and Health.
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.
Three events with Gregor Wolbring, University of Calgary, on emergent technology, concepts of health, disability, and human rights will take place April 11-13. Hosted by the Program in Human Rights and Health:
• April 11, 7:30 p.m. "Nanomedicine to Synthetic Biology: What Does It Mean to be Healthy?" (Loring Pasta Bar, Red Room, 327 14th Ave SE; Bell Museum Café Scientifique series - $5)
• April 12, 7 p.m. "From Nanotechnology to Synthetic Biology, from Curative to Enhancement Medicine, from Disability to Ability Studies: Nano, Bio, Info, Cogno, Synbio-triggered Paradigm Changes and the Responses Needed." (Moos Tower 2-530, free.)
• April 13, 12:15 p.m. Brown Bag talk: "The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: What it Can and Cannot Do, and Threats It Faces" (Coffman Memorial Union 222 Commons, co-organized by the Disabled Students Cultural Center.)
SHADAC Conference Call on Uninsured - Revised CPS Uninsurance Estimates. SHADAC has been working with the Census Bureau to improve their estimates of health insurance coverage and evaluate their current data processing system for the health insurance coverage variables. As a result of this quality improvement process, the Census Bureau discovered a mistake in the processing of the Current Population Survey data that led to almost 2 million people being counted as uninsured when health insurance coverage had been reported for them during the survey interview.
The U.S. Census Bureau has revised the number of uninsured downward from 15.9 to 15.3 percent of the U.S. population in 2005. SHADAC will host a conference call to discuss this revision, featuring Chuck Nelson of the U.S. Census Bureau. The call will be held on Thursday, April 12 at noon. Please RSVP to soder145@umn.edu or call 4-4802.
Join an April 16 practice performance of Pangea World Theater’s production of "A Journey to Safety." The play centers on domestic violence in immigrant and refugee communities and structural barriers to intervention and safety (7-9 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union Theater, free). First-person narratives based on a Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights Twin Cities research report are followed by panel discussion with health, law, community law enforcement, and victim advocacy practitioners. Public health, medical, law students and community members are encouraged to participate. Community resource tables and organizations will be present. Hosted by the Program in Human Rights and Health and June LaValleur associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Minnesota.
• Download/read the report (PDF)
The next Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series will take place Wednesday, April 18, 12:15–1:15 p.m. in 2-520 Moos Tower. Robert J. Genco, State University of New York at Buffalo, will present "Oral and Systemic Disease: Crossing the Barriers of Interdisciplinary Research in Academic Health Centers" All are invited to attend; sandwiches and beverages will be served and parking will be validated.
"Genetic Studies for Ordinal Traits" will be presented by Heping Zhang, Yale University School of Medicine, on Wednesday, April 18, 3:30 p.m., in Moos 2-690. A social tea will be held at 3 p.m. in A434 Mayo. All are welcome.
For more details contact 4-4655 or visit the Web site.
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 Roundtable Series is free but registration is requested.
• More information and/or register
"Managing Incidental Findings in Human Subjects Research" is the title of a conference to take place May 1, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Cowles Auditorium of the Hubert H. Humphrey Center. This annual symposium will present the recommendations from an NIH-funded project to the public, researchers, research subjects, and regulatory bodies such as IRBs to obtain feedback. The full agenda, speaker bios, and registration info may be found on the conference Web site.
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.
• Ticket pricing and event information
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.
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance will host the fourth annual Cancer Summit Tuesday, May 8 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Keynote speaker Tom Kean, executive director of C-Change, will discuss cultivating leadership in comprehensive cancer control. The Summit is open to anyone interested in learning about Minnesota cancer control efforts, from community health workers and advocates to clinicians. Early bird registration deadline is April 10 and registration closes May 3. Continuing education credits will be offered.
• More information or to register or
Contact Best Meetings at 800-958-8875 or 952-858-8950.
"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
• 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 and online registration
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.
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
• View a more detailed listing of our courses
• Register for the listed courses online
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.
SPH Roundtable Series
Human Rights, the Burden of Disease and International Tobacco Control will be held on Friday, April 27. The event will be held in Cowles Auditorium – Hubert H. Humphrey Center. The keynote speakers are Carolyn Dresler and Benjamin Mason Meier. They will discuss the impact of tobacco-related burden of disease on the developing world, and explore the emergence of human rights framings regarding international tobacco control. The Roundtable is free, but registration is requested. For more information visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu
A lecture, The Two Faces of Pandemic Risk Communication: Alerting People Now and Helping Them Cope When It Happens will be held Wednesday May 8. The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Mayo Memorial Auditorium. The guest speaker is Peter Sandman. The lecture is free, but registration is requested. For more information, visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu
Community Action Forum: Healthy Kids in Healthy Places will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9. For more information, visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu
Look What’s New at CPHP!
Free innovative online learning opportunities and resources offered through the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness. These new activities are designed to enhance the participant’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health threats and emergencies.
New learning activities include:
- The Off-Site Care Facility-An Alternate Care Site: A Primer for Volunteers
- Mass Fatalities – planning for and response to a mass fatalities incident
- Zoonoses – significance and implications of zoonotic diseases for emergency preparedness
- Emergency Readiness Rounds – a series focusing on current readiness issues and controversies
- Coming April 2007! Disease Surveillance Skill Development Guide
- Competency Mapping – new format available in print AND online
• View more detailed information online or e-mail umncphp@umn.edu
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, or to request a print catalog please call 612-626-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu.
CPHEO COURSES
8-Hour Hazardous Materials Site Worker Refresher will be held on Thursday April 12. For more information and registration visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu/niehs
24/40 Hour Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Training will be held April 23 – 27. For more information and registration visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu/niehs
Mold Identification will be held May 15 - 17, 2007
For more information and registration visit cpheo.sph.umn.edu/mcohs
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Last modified on Monday Apr 09, 2007