SPH News April 23, 2007
April 23, 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 May 7 issue is Wednesday, May 2.
From the Dean
Last week we completed the SPH accreditation visit with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). This event occurs once every seven years and requires about a year to prepare a self-study for the visit team. Almost every aspect of the School is examined. The review team met with many faculty, staff, students, alums, and community partners and stakeholders over a three-day period. These personal interviews make the self-study come alive for them and provide a more complete picture of the School than print and multimedia alone permit. At the exit interview, the committee reviewed with us the general recommendations it will make to the CEPH council in August. The "unofficial" review suggests that we are doing very well as an accredited SPH. When the review is official, we will make the formal report available.
My deep thanks go to everyone in the SPH who helped with this important process. I especially want to thank Associate Dean Debra Olson for organizing the effort. Many staff assisted her, and we will be acknowledging their contribution, too.
Our successful week was tempered by the tragic news out of Blacksburg, Virginia, and our own tragedy close to home. As I wrote to you in an e-mail over the weekend, Public Health Nutrition major Melissa Speich died Friday of injuries sustained in an auto accident Easter Sunday when she was hit by a drunk driver. Her loss is felt deeply by the SPH community. Please keep her family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Research News
Investigators(s) |
Project Title |
Award Amount |
Funding Agency |
Bernard Harlow (PI) |
Assessment of Markers Related to Altered Immuno-Inflammatory Response Among women with Vulvodynia |
$9,450 |
National Vulvodynia Association |
Rosalie Kane (PI) |
Using NHREegPlus to explore the Nexus of Resident Autonomy, Regulation, and Culture Change: A Planning Grant |
$35,000 |
Hulda B and Maurice L Rothschild Fdn. |
Todd Rockwood (PI) |
Respondent Driven Sampling |
$250,000 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN FDN Inc. |
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Faculty News
Leslie Grant and Rosalie Kane have been appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to the newly formed Veterans Long Term Care Advisory Commission. The commission is charged with identifying the best approach for the future operation, management, administration, and governance of the Minneapolis Veterans Homes.
Russell Luepker has been appointed to the Defense Health Board. This group advises the Secretary of Defense on health matters in the military.
George Maldonado has been named co-editor-in-chief of the online journal Epidemiologic Perspectives and Innovations. Maldonado is a founding executive editor of the publication. For more, see www.epi-perspectives.com.
Pamela Schreiner has been appointed a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Cardiovascular Disease and Sleep Epidemiology study section.
Melanie Wall has been appointed to the Biostatistical Methods and Research Design Study Section, Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health. Her term will begin July 1, 2006 and end June 30, 2011. Study sections review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on the applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council, and survey the status of research in their fields of science.
Beginning June 30 the new Major Chairs for the Epidemiology and Community Health Division will be the following: CHE: Deborah Hennrikus; MCH: Wendy Hellerstedt; and EPI MPH: James Pankow.
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Student News
Alissa VanWie and Mandy Woodfiled, both PHAP students, received two-year Presidential Management Fellowships in Washington, D.C. More than 1,000 graduate students compete annually for the fellowships. This is the first year that SPH students have received this honor. VanWie’s appointment is with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Woodfiled’s appointment is with the National Cancer Institute.
The new SPH Student Senate Officers will begin their 2007-2008 term starting on May 15.
President: Stephanie Ball
Vice President: Paul Jansen
Secretary: Deja Scott
The deadline for cleaning out and removing locks from SPHere lockers is May 19. All lockers must be completely emptied by Saturday, May 19. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Services Center at sph-ssc@umn.edu or 6-3663.
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.
CLARION wins the Tony Diggs Innovation Award. The CLARION student program was recognized among University Campus Life Programs and Registered Student Organizations. The award is named for Tony Diggs, former Director of the Student Activities Office. CLARION creates and conducts co-curricular, interprofessional experiences for Academic Health Center students based on the Institute of Medicine’s report “Six Aims for a New Healthcare System.”
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School News
Learn what life is like for Kate Downing, a U of M public health student in health policy and management. Watch "My Life: Featuring Kate Downing."
Watch My Life in Flash (7.5 mb)
Watch My Life in Quicktime (28 mb)
Save the date for the SPH Annual Faculty and Assembly Meeting. On Monday, May 7, a school-wide meeting will be held for all SPH faculty, staff, and students. John Finnegan will give a dean's report along with other important announcements, including new faculty, awards, and promotions. Refreshments will be served at 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in room 3-100 of the Mayo building -- right below the Mayo Auditorium.
SPH Student News, a weekly electronic publication, will launch April 30. SPH students will begin receiving a weekly e-mail of events and news. Students will receive SPH Student News in place of SPH News, which will continue to be distributed to SPH faculty and staff on a biweekly basis. To submit items for SPH Student News, please send an e-mail to SPHStudentNews@umn.edu.
The latest issue of SPH Research Brief is on latent variable modeling. SPH associate professor Melanie Wall writes about her work to create a more universal framework for considering latent variables, and how that work has been applied to a comprehensive study of adolescent nutrition and obesity. Research Brief is a monthly electronic publication in which SPH faculty members write about their current research.
• Read this issue of Research Brief
Fresh Express, producer of value-added salads in North America, awarded nine research teams up to $250,000 each to study the Escherichia coli O157:H7 pathogen to advance science-based practices to prevent its occurrence in fresh produce. Fresh Express is funding up to $2 million collectively in research under the guidance of an independent scientific advisory panel as a means to support industry-wide food-safety solutions. SPH professor Michael Osterholm is the voluntary chairman of the Fresh Express Blue Ribbon Scientific Advisory Panel and SPH associate professor Craig Hedberg is a member of the panel.
Save the date! The MPHA Annual Conference will be held Thursday and Friday, June 14-15 at St. John's University in Collegeville. This year's conference will include informative presentations on public health preparedness, food safety, childhood and adult obesity, and health care reform. The conference will include exhibits and displays about MPHA's and public health's history in Minnesota over the last 100 years. Watch for program, registration, and lodging information in early May.
The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) helps client win award. Deb McKinley of MnTAP wrote an award application for Tennant Company, a MnTAP client, that helped the company win the Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention. MnTAP is an outreach program of the SPH. Read more at:
• www.plantservices.com/industrynews/2007/021.html
• www.ifma.org/daily_articles/2007/feb/02_06.cfm
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Events & Courses
A Cover the Uninsured Week event will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 23 in room 3-125 of the Mayo building. See a screening of Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine in Tennessee, a film that exposes the injustices behind the Medicaid reform of Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. Now in its fifth year, Cover the Uninsured Week, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a nationwide movement with the goal of raising awareness of the nearly 45 million uninsured Americans. The event is sponsored by the SPH's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC). SHADAC helps states monitor rates of health insurance coverage and to understand factors associated with uninsurance. For more information, visit www.shadac.umn.edu.
The "Celebrating University Women" 2007 Award program will be held Wednesday, April 25, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. SPH professor Rosalie Kane and Dean's Office staffer Martha Feda are among the recipients being honored. Kane is being given the Distinguished Women Scholars Award and Feda will receive the Civil Service and Bargaining Unit Award. The program will open with remarks by VP and Vice Provost Rusty Barceló, and a dessert reception will follow. The event is free, but registration is requested. The event will be held in Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center. For more information visit: www.umn.edu/women/events.html.
Mervyn Susser will deliver the 2007 Gaylord Anderson Lecture on Thursday, April 26, from 4-5 p.m. Refreshments will be served following the lecture. 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, "Scientific revolution: Joseph Goldberger and Edgar Sydenstricker" will be held in the A.I. Johnson Great Room at the McNamara Alumni Center. Susser will meet with EpiCH faculty for a light breakfast from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, April 27, in room 364 WBOB. A student gathering will follow from 10 to 11:30 a.m. (same locale and a light breakfast). For more information call or e-mail the Dean's office at 4-6669 or sphdo@umn.edu.
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
"Pandemic Preparedness for Human Resources: Designing and Implementing Effective Policies," a CIDRAP Business Source interactive webinar, will cover such important planning issues as policy development, employee communications, and tabletop exercises. The presenters include SPH professor Michael Osterholm, Jeanne Denz, director of Global Benefits for General Mills, and Roger Brice of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Free viewing for University staff, faculty, and students on Friday, April 27, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 5-125 Moos Tower.
• Learn more online or
contact palensky@umn.edu
A new public health course will be offered in the fall of 2007. The two-credit class, PubH 6800, Health Disparities Research: Measures, Methods and Data will be offered from 10:10 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. on Wednesdays. The location is yet to be determined. It will be taught by Kathleen Call and Pamela Jo Johnson.
The Center for Lung Science and Health is presenting a Special Scientific Program on Monday, April 30. The program is from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and will be held in the Moos Tower Auditorium 2-650. Some of the discussion items include COPD: What are the key research needs, Tobacco Cessation and the New NHLBI strategic plan. Speaker from the National Health, Lung and Blood Institute at the NIH and the Director of the Lung Division of the NHLBI will attend. For questions, please call 5-7741 or e-mail lung@umn.edu.
"Managing Incidental Findings in Human Subjects Research" is the title of a conference to take place Tuesday, 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.
On May 2 and 3, the University will host a symposium to honor the lifetime contributions of Regents Professor Emeritus G. Edward Schuh. SPH faculty, staff, and students are invited to "Toward a Global Food and Agricultural Policy for an Open International Economy." A special rate of $20 for students and $40 for U faculty members and staff will cover the cost of the meals to be served during the symposium.
• Learn more about symposium, including registration
"The Two Faces of Pandemic Risk Communication: Alerting People Now and Helping Them Cope When It Happens" will be held 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8 in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. The guest speaker is Peter Sandman, a preeminent risk communication expert. The program is designed for public health professionals, Medical Reserve Corp members, preparedness coordinators, personnel in health care settings, and students and faculty in public health, journalism, public affairs, and law. For more information, contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Online registration information
A public lecture on "Risk Communication and the Food System: Gauging the Hazard, Managing the Outrage" will be held on Tuesday, May 8, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center on the St. Paul campus. Risk communications expert Peter Sandman is the keynote speaker. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Lisa Brienzo at 4-2614 or brien002@umn.edu.
The Healthy Kids in Healthy Places Community Action Forum will be held Wednesday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The focus will be on several topics including specific changes, developing strategies for changes, increasing knowledge of key factors that impact obesity, and creating new connections among people concerned about childhood obesity. The forum will be held on the St. Paul campus at the Continuing Education and Conference Center, 1890 Buford Ave. The event is free, but pre-registration is required.
For more information contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Register online
Mona Fouad will present "Recruitment and Retention of Minorities Into Clinical Trials" Wednesday, May 9, noon to 1 p.m., in 2-530 Moos Tower. Fouad is a professor in the Medicine/Division of Preventive Medicine; and director, Minority Health and Research Center, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sandwiches and beverages will be provided for the first 50 attendees. The lecture is part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities. For more information, visit the Program in Health Disparities Research Web site.
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
• Contact information: 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 calling 507-287-2135 (reference symposium activity number 7414.231)
• Register Online
The Second Annual Best Practices Institute: Excellence in Health Professions Education will be held 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 in conference room 364 at the WBOB. Learn more at the EpiCH Web site.
May 3: Alan Lifson, "The Unholy Trinity and Death in Resource-Poor Settings: HIV, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B"
May 4: Hiroyasu Iso, Cardiovascular Epidemiology in Japan
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, Training, and Events
• 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.
The Ethics of Public Health Emergencies: The Case of Pandemic Flu will be held on Wednesday, May 9. Debra A. DeBruin is the guest speaker for the event, which is the last ERR seminar this spring. For more information and registration visit www.meret.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.
The institute provides professionals with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study – for a single day or for three weeks. Visit www.cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute for the complete three-week Institute schedule, or to request a print catalog please 6-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu.
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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• Events on the AHC Web Site
• Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Monday Apr 23, 2007