SPH News May 26, 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
A couple of years ago, Prof. Mary Story was Associate Dean for Student Affairs. A major obesity prevention initiative from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, work with the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and her large grant portfolio necessitated her stepping away from the associate dean's duties. It was very much in the interest of public health and the School that Mary pursued these initiatives, much more than my regret over losing her daily presence in the Dean's Office. But Mary and I have had morning coffee on a regular basis ever since, and I always asked the question: when can you come back? The answer, it turns out, is June 2009.
Mary will rejoin the Dean's Office part-time as Associate Dean for Student Life and Leadership. In this role, she will assure that the SPH experience outside of the classroom supports, refines, and expands our students’ learning through professional enculturation, personal growth as a community citizen, and the development of leadership skills complementing public health and graduate training. She will help to assure that the organizational climate of the school fully supports our students and aligns with our values of openness, respect, integrity, and responsibility for ourselves and others. This includes such areas indispensable to our students as:
Cultural awareness and diversity
Community citizenship
Academic and Professional Advising
Career Development and Counseling
Student Activities and Organizations
Student Participation in Governance
Working with our faculty, staff, and students, we also hope to enhance the range of opportunities for students to develop, test, and expand their leadership skills and to integrate them with their professional and graduate experience especially in community settings.
It will be good to have Mary back again participating as a member of the SPH Executive Team and working in concert with Debra Olson, Associate Dean for Education, and Judy Garrard, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs; and Bill Riley, Associate Dean for Strategic Relations and Partnerships. I am a firm believer in the power of morning coffee leading to good things!
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
The Committee on Graduate Education has submitted its report regarding restructuring the Graduate School. A 30-day public comment period is underway. Send comments to gradcmte@umn.edu.
• Read the report
Faculty should consider ordering textbooks for the Fall semester as soon as possible. Orders can be done online through a fast and easy process.
• Text Book Order Form
• Online Text Book Order Guide
Encourage your students to participate in the First Annual University of Minnesota Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Expo. The event will be held in the new TCF Bank Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Current students and 2009 graduates are welcome to present.
• More information, including the registration form for students
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School News
Today kicks off the 2009 University of Minnesota Public Health Institute. Now in its eighth year, the three-week event allows participants to design a course of study tailored to their needs. The institute draws hundreds of participants from throughout the country and world.
• Check
out the full roster of institute courses, lectures, and field trips
• Follow the event on Twitter
This month’s issue of Research Brief discusses the public health approach to college student drinking. The brief comes from SPH faculty member Toben Nelson.
• Read more here
U of M Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness (U-SEEE) is accepting applications now through June 18 for the U-SEEE fellows program for the period July 2009-June 2010. The program is an opportunity for University of Minnesota graduate students in public health, other health-related fields, or education to gain specialized training in the intersection of public health preparedness systems research and education. Awards are $20,000 per year for up to two years.
• Additional information
The Institute for Health Informatics (IHI) held an open house in April at its newly-renovated space in Diehl Hall. Located adjacent to the biomedical library, the IHI features a 4,000 square foot open floor plan and modern, modular work areas. The institute is led by Julie Jacko, who holds appointments in the SPH and School of Nursing.
• Visit the IHI website
Late registration for the 2009 Certified in Public Health Exam runs until June 12. The exam will be offered Aug. 8-29. For more details about the exam see the exam website. The SPH’s Public Health institute is offering a review course for the exam. It includes test-taking strategies and other support tools and services to help prepare. Scholarships are available for the course.
• More on the course
• More on the Institute
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SPH Events
The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety will present, “Occupational Health in India,” on Tuesday, May 26. Robert Joseph, professor of community medicine at St. Johns Medical College in Bangalore, India, will lead the discussion. The session will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in 3-125 Mayo. Light refreshments will be served.
“Ethical Issues in An Aging Society” will be discussed on Tuesday, June 2 during the Center on Aging and the Center for Bioethics 2009 Summer Institute. This day-long conference will be held at the U of M Continuing Education and Conference Center, 1890 Buford Ave. in St. Paul. Author and ethicist Martha Holstein of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group is the keynote speaker.For more information call 5-8954.
• Conference brochure and registration information
The Center on Aging presents “Improving Primary Care for Chronic Illness,” a symposium for health care professionals on Thursday, June 4. The event will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. David Colin-Thomé, United Kingdom National Health Service, is the keynote speaker. For questions call 5-8954.
• Conference brochure and registration information
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
Kate Bauer was awarded a 2009-2010 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the Graduate School. The title of her submission was “The family environment and adolescent girls’ weight, physical activity and dietary intake: Implications for obesity prevention programs.”
Benjamin al-Haddad was awarded a 2009-10 Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship by the Graduate School. His area of focus is development strategies and population health dynamics.
Tim Boyer has been awarded a 2009-2010 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the Graduate School. He is researching the relationship between antibiotic use in agriculture and the emergence of antibiotic resistance in the environment.
Tran Huynh has been selected by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHF) as the 2009-2010 recipient of the TSI/Arthur J. Abrams Memorial Scholarship. He will be recognized at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition to be held in Toronto, Canada.
Five of ten Judd recipients are SPH students. The Walter H. Judd International Graduate and Professional Fellowships provide assistance to increase opportunities for students to study, undertake internships, and conduct research projects abroad. Congratulations to the following SPH Judd recipients:
- Anna Bartels, a Maternal and Child Health student, will study in Uganda;
- Edward Kasner, a global environmental health student, will study in China;
- Amber Koskey, an environmental health student,will study in Uganda;
- Meghan Mason, an MPH student in medicine, will study in Senegal;
- Jeffrey McCullough, a public health policy and administration student, will study in Uganda.
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CPHEO News
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
The University of Minnesota Public Health Institute (PHI) is using Twitter to let you know about special events or other PHI updates. If you have a Twitter account and need to communicate with PHI, post @PHI2009 before your tweet.
• Join today to start receiving PHI2009's updates
H1N1 Resources. The recent outbreak of H1N1 Influenza prompted the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness to develop and distribute a list of free resources most pertinent to influenza outbreak and response. This information can be found under the ‘Influenza Resources’ side panel.
• Access resources online
“Dirty Bomb! After the Blast” is a 3D simulation that puts learners in the decision-making role to navigate through three missions working as a public health responder after a dirty bomb explosion. The comprehensive simulation is designed for all types of public health professionals who may be called to respond during a large-scale disaster.
• Click to access the simulation
“Introduction to Business Continuity Planning for Disasters and Emergencies” and “Preparing Employees for Disaster in the Workplace” are two online learning modules that focus on preparing businesses and other organizations for emergencies and disasters.
• Access the modules online
8-Hour Hospital Decontamination
Thursday, May 28
Additional information
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Thursday, June 11
Additional Information
NIOSH-Approved Spirometry Refresher
Wednesday, June 24
Additional Information
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Other Events
May 29-30
Exploring Medical Missions Conference
June 28-July 1
2009 Public Health Systems Research Interest Group Meeting
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 Tuesday May 26, 2009