SPH News April 27, 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
In a few weeks, on Saturday, May 16, the SPH will host the 2009 Alumni and Friends Scholarship Gala. This is second year our school has hosted this celebratory event to re-engage alumni and raise funds for SPH student scholarships.
In the past 12 months since last year’s inaugural gala one thing has become perfectly clear and vitally important: alumni want to see SPH faculty and staff at the gala. They want to reconnect with their professors and mentors. They want to know that in the face of ever-diminishing state funding, the school is serious about seeking new sources of private support. They want to see that we are joining them in their efforts to support the next generation of public health leaders.
Our keynote speaker, Dan Buettner, is an explorer and bestselling author who has interviewed the world’s longest-living people to identify practices that can help all of us live longer, more healthful lives. Dan has partnered with several SPH faculty members on these projects, including his latest venture in Albert Lea, Minn., where he and Leslie Lytle are working to improve the health and longevity of that community.
Dan has donated his participation in the gala. That means 100 percent of the event proceeds will go directly to student scholarships. Last year’s gala raised more than $45,000. Let’s top that amount this year.
The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of Coffman Memorial Union. Tickets are $55 ($30 for students).
Register online
Thank you for all you do. I hope to see you on May 16.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
Faculty members are invited to apply to serve as the chair of the Public Health Practice (PHP) major. The chair will maintain and enhance PHP programs, as well as lead partnerships with University colleagues and community partners. The chair offers an opportunity for leadership development and a chance to shape the future of this growing major. Unlike other majors, PHP does not reside administratively in a division, but crosses over the entire school. Applications are due Thursday, April 30.
• View the job description
Roger Feldman will join the Panel of Health Advisers to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In this role, he will assist the panel in advising the CBO on issues such as projecting rates of long-term spending growth for health care reform under current law, estimating whether certain delivery or payment systems could affect spending levels or rates of growth, and modeling responses to an insurance mandate or health insurance exchange.
Susan Gerberich and Debra Olson were named among the 100 Distinguished Nursing Alumni and Centennial Distinguished Faculty Alumni. They will be honored in November at the School of Nursing's Centennial Gala. These outstanding alumni were selected, out of the school's approximately 8,500 living alumni, for recognition as a result of their profound impact on families, communities, education, and the nursing profession.
Michael Osterholm will speak at a joint meeting of the American Filtration and Separations Society (AFS) and the Center for Filtration Research. Along with the health issues that a pandemic creates, Osterholm also will address how a pandemic could present serious disruptions in everyday services.
The Medical School’s Program in Health Disparities has solicited possible research projects from community organizations and now seeks to match faculty members with these projects. Once collaborations are established, the teams can apply for grants. The projects range from identifying the predominant chemical dependency concerns in the Hmong community to health disparities among African American seniors, primarily in the areas of stroke/cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
• View the complete list (PDF) (Please note that projects 2, 3, 6 and 16 have faculty collaborators.)
• More information online
The Minnesota Public Health Association is accepting nominations for four awards, including the Albert Justus Chesley Award, the B. Robert Lewis Award, the Harvey G. Rogers Environmental Health Leadership Award, and the Paul And Sheila Wellstone Public Health Achievement Award. Please see the MPHA website for detailed guidelines of each award, previous winners and the nomination form. Nominations must be received by May 6. For questions contact Linda Olson Keller olson173@umn.edu or Erica Fishman Erica.Fishman@state.mn.us.
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School News
Nearly 600 people participated in the 5th annual National Public Health Week film festival (April 6-11), sponsored by the SPH. Besides offering thought-provoking films to anchor the week, the "It's Global" Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest highlighted talented filmmakers while the a coloring contest showed off the skills of kids 12 and under. Thanks to all who participated and helped the SPH draw a record-breaking crowd.
• See photos NPHW activities on the SPH flickr page
Are you ready to take the Public Health Certification Exam? A new course at the 2009 Public Health Institute reviews the five basic core competencies of public health practice included on the certification exam: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences. The course is geared for graduates of Council on Education for Public Health-accredited schools of public health, such as the SPH, or anyone preparing to take the exam. It includes test-taking strategies and other support tools and services to help you prepare.
• More on the course
• More on the institute
"The Changing Competitive Position of Public Research Universities," will be discussed on Thursday, April 30. M. Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is the keynote speaker. SPH Dean John Finnegan will serve as a reactor on a panel. The discussion will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center. This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required at 5-5002. This is one in a series of programs designed to bring together experts to talk about the current state of the economy.
Binge drinking in the military, hormone therapy and colorectal cancer, and increases in fast-food intake by adolescents were topics featured on Public Health Moment in April. Public Health Moment is the SPH weekly podcast that is picked up by eight outstate radio stations.
• Go to Public Health Moment
The Division of Environmental Health Sciences sponsored a team for the 5th Annual Colon Cancer Coalition's "Get Your Rear in Gear" 5K walk/run. Forty-two "Team Polyp Patrol—EnHS" members (a new division record) joined thousands of other GYRIG participants. Through registration fees, donations, and fundraising events, EnHS contributed approximately $2,500 to help raise awareness of this disease and other colorectal disorders.
The Office of Diversity and Engagement is encouraging you to participate in the 2009 Minnesota AIDS Walk, "Every Step You Take Makes a Difference." Volunteers are needed on Saturday, May 16 in the evening to set up and for various shifts on Sunday, May 17 at Minnehaha Park.
• More information
Save the date for the 38th Annual Workshops in Clinical Hypnosis scheduled for June 4-6. The event will be held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Plymouth, Minn. The workshop is a skill-development based training for health care clinicians to enrich their therapeutic communication abilities. For more information contact the Office of Continuing Medical Education at 6-7600 or by following the link below.
• More about Clinical Hypnosis Workshops
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SPH Events
The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Seminar, "Integrating Safety and Smoking Cessation in Small Manufacturing Businesses," will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. today (April 27) in Mayo 3-125. SPH professors Lisa Brosseau and Deborah Hennrikus will describe the results (to date) of a pilot intervention in two small manufacturing businesses aimed at integrating workplace safety and health promotion (smoking cessation) activities. This project is a collaborative effort of the SPH and the Carver County Department of Public Health.
The Division of Health Policy and Management Work in Progress Seminar Series continues with "Part 5: Implementation." SPH professor Robert Kane is the presenter and the discussants are SPH professors Bryan Dowd, Jeffrey McCullough, and Beth Virnig. The forum on causality in the health sciences will be held from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 in room D325-327 Mayo. Attendees are encouraged to read the following article before the session: Berwick, D.M. "The Science of Improvement." JAMA, 2008, 299(10):1182-1184. If you cannot locate the article online, contact Ann Reilly at areilly@umn.edu to request a copy.
"Generalizability of the results of randomized trials" will be discussed during the Epidemiology and Community Health Division Seminar on Friday, May 1. Noel Weiss, professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at University of Washington, is the speaker. The seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 364 of WBOB. For more information, contact Carol Raichert at 5-1836.
"The Unknown-Unknowns of Confounding and Selection Bias, or, what you never wanted but needed to know about confounding and didn't even know to ask" will be discussed on Friday, May 8, during the Epidemiology and Community Health Division seminar. Ian Shrier, associate professor, SMBD-Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, is the speaker. The seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 364 of WBOB. For more information, contact Carol Raichert at 5-1836.
The SPH Roundtable, Public Health 2050: The Impact of Technology on the Field of Public Health, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., on Thursday, June 4, in the Union Theater at Coffman. SPH professors Julie Jacko and B.R. Simon Rosser will serve as moderators for the event.
• More information and registration
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Student News
Congratulations to the incoming SPH Student Senate officers. Ania Urban was elected president, Erika Vetta was elected vice president, and Meghan Mason was elected secretary.
PHAP student Jason Wahlman won first place in the Kaiser Family Foundation essay contest in the graduate student category. More than 500 students submitted entries that offered advice to President Barack Obama on what he should pursue as a priority in health reform. The winning essays are posted at http://kaiseredu.org/essaycontest2009/prizes.asp
Jennifer Breen, an incoming student in the public health nutrition program, was named a Bush Fellow by the Bush Leadership Program. She is among a class of 18 who received this prestigious award. Breen is interested in creating a coalition of local food organizations that can promote a nutritional, sustainable food system and influence local and national food policy. In addition to working as a caterer, she is an educator at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
The winners for the 2009 SPH Art Competition are:
1st place: Helen Parson’s “Nation at a Crossroads”
2nd place: Tyler Weber’s “Tanzanian Children at a Street Camp”
3rd place: Sarah Sevcik’s “Balancing Act”
Viewer’s Choice: Sarah Sevcik’s “Balancing Act”
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CPHEO News
2009 Ready to Respond Conference: Sharing Minnesota’s Promising Practices
Tuesday, May 5
This conference is designed to improve the emergency preparedness planning and response capabilities of Minnesota’s health professionals. Attendees can expect opportunities to hear about promising practices, successful collaborations from their peers and lessons learned. Attendees will acquire tools and templates to enhance their ability to respond, as well as inspire, motivate and energize Ready to Respond efforts.
Additional information
2009 Summer Public Health Institute
May 26-June 12
This year’s Public Health Institute features 45 courses emphasizing theory to application across practice and interest areas in public health. Participants can build or expand professional knowledge and expertise; learn best practices; broaden career options; network with experts and colleagues; and explore new areas of interests. Courses are available for graduate credit or professional continuing education hours.
More information online
8-Hour Site Worker Refresher
Thursday, May 7
Additional information
For Emergencies Only? Successful Respiratory Protection Program Implementation
Thursday, May 7
Additional information
24- and 40-Hour Site Worker Training
May 11-15
Additional information
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Tuesday, May 19
Additional information
Annual National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Symposium
Wednesday, May 20
Additional information
Breakfast Briefing: Making Foreclosure Rehabs Work
Friday, May 22
Additional information
8-Hour Hospital Decontamination
Thursday, May 28
Additional information
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Other Events
April 27-29
"Discovery Research Programme on Rare/Orphan Diseases: An Indo-US Bilateral Workshop, "Scientific, Educational and Societal Frontiers"
May 11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"State and Local Policy Initiatives to Reduce Health Disparities"
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 Sunday Apr 26, 2009