SPH News June 2, 2008
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
Last week we kicked off the 2008 Public Health Institute. Now in its seventh year, the institute brings together participants from throughout the country—and in some cases, the world—to design a course of study from 10 academic areas.
A theme to emerge from this year’s institute is global public health. This global approach is reflected not only in course content but in the visiting students from Iceland, Africa, and China who are attending the three-week event.
More than a conceptual change, the institute is literally going global this year. Just months ago, the SPH organized the first-ever Global Institute. Held in March and April at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, the event drew students from both Iceland and the University of Minnesota. And planning is underway for a Global Institute to take place this fall in India. SPH faculty and staff are creating the program with partners from Manipal University.
This international work is the effort of the school’s newly formed Global Outreach team. To learn more about their past and future events, go to www.sph.umn.edu/go/.
If you want to focus a little closer to home, it’s not too late to participate in the courses, free lectures, and field trips happening this week and next. You can see the full lineup of University of Minnesota Public Health Institute opportunities at http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute/.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Media News
May 2008 media coverage featured the following SPH faculty, staff, and students: Daheia Barr-Anderson
Walter Bockting
Lynn Bretl
David Jacobs
Rosalie Kane
Nicole Larson
Jeffrey McCullough
Toben Nelson
Michael Osterholm
William Riley
Katie Seitz
Mary Story
William Toscano
Coverage was featured in local media as well as the Washington Post, Canadian Press, Bradenton Times, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Columbus Dispatch, and CNN. Visit www.sph.umn.edu/news/ to read more about SPH faculty in the news.
Subscribe to Public Health Scene to get regular e-mail updates on SPH in the news.
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Research News
Primary Investigator |
Project Title |
Award Amount |
Funding Agency |
Bruce Alexander |
Spring House Worker Health Study |
$773,954 |
Rohm and Haas Co |
Lisa Brosseau
|
No Fit Test Respirator Workshop |
$78,404 |
CDC Natl Inst for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
Lisa Brosseau |
Aspen Research Project |
$9,750 |
Aspen Res Corp. |
Craig Hedberg |
Evaluation of Cluster Definitions for Foodborne Outbreak Investigations
|
$48,667 |
Council of St and Territorial Epidemiologists |
David Knutson |
State Care Coordination Initiatives Technical Assistance |
$65,000 |
MN Dept of Human Services |
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Faculty News
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has posted a call for proposals in the childhood obesity program area. Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research are national programs of RWJF that support research to identify promising policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity, promoting healthy eating, and preventing obesity. The overall aim of both of these programs is to provide key decision- and policy-makers with evidence to guide effective action to reverse the rise in childhood obesity. Up to $800,000 total will be awarded for rapid-response research grants during the 2008 calendar year. The maximum amount for a single grant is $150,000, with a maximum funding period of 12 months.
Learn more at the Active Living Research website
Learn more at the Healthy Eating Research website
Fulfill the RCR Continuing Education/Awareness Requirement on Friday, June 13, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the McNamaraAlumniCenter. The SPH Health Disparities Working Group is sponsoring a seminar by community leaders entitled "Cultural Knowledge as a Resource for ExaminingEthnical Treatment When Engaging Local Cultural Communities in Research.” At the conclusion of the seminar, faculty will have the option to continue their training by attending future experiential learning workshops with the community members at the Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center. This program has been designated by the Office of the Vice President for Research to satisfy the Awareness/Discussion component of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) continuing education requirement.
Lynn Blewett, Jon Christianson, and Roger Feldman each presented papers at the Humphrey Institute on May 9-10 for the conference "The True Workings of Single Payer Health Systems: Lessons or Warnings for U.S. Health Reform." Sponsors included the Academic Health Center, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, and the Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law.
There will be a presentation on the process to establish a U.S. Census Research Data Center (RDC) at the University of Minnesota along with a discussion of potential health research applications. The session will be held on Wednesday, June 18 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in room A110 Mayo. Contact Lynn Blewett at blewe001@umn.edu with questions.
Traci Toomey received the MADD Choice Award from the Minnesota Chapter of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving.The goal of the award is to highlight people who, either in their work or in their daily lives, strive to erase drunk driving and underage drinking from communities. Toomey hasserved on the MADD national board of directors for four years.
Bradley Carlin has received the SPH’s highest teaching honor, the Leonard M. Schuman Award for Excellence in Teaching. Carlin teaches courses in spatial biostatistics and Bayesian analysis.
Susan Goodwin Gerberich has received the Excellence in Advising Award from the SPH in recognition of extraordinary dedication to student mentoring. Gerberich, an expert in the field of injury prevention, has advised close to 80 graduate students during her career.
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School News
Lisa McGuire, SPH librarian liaison, will hold summer office hours on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon during June, July and August. This is a great time to explore major project topics. Lisa can help with searching the literature and using RefWorks to organize citation data and complete bibliographies. Contact Lisa to make an appointment at: 6-3643 or via email at: lmcguire@umn.edu.
Take a short online survey and help improve the SPH website. One survey is for SPH faculty and a second is for SPH staff. Your input is welcomed.
Go to the faculty survey
Go to the staff survey
Gopher Express will host an appreciation day for U of M staff and faculty on June 2. Free fountain soda at the Coffman Cube location, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free regular or iced coffee at the Gopher Express West location, 9-11 a.m.
• More about Gopher Express' Appreciation Day
Guiding the design of computerized information tools for health care is the topic of the latest issue of Research Brief, a monthly electronic publication from the SPH. In the brief, SPH assistant professor Ayse Gurses examines how well designed information technology can improve communication during multidisciplinary rounds.
• Read the brief
• Subscribe to Research Brief by e-mail
Vitamin D, physical fitness, stroke awareness, and asthma awareness were recent topics of Public Health Moment, a weekly SPH podcast.
• Go to Public Health Moment
University Dining Services began its summer schedule on May 19.
• View the schedule online
Paul Bernhardt, SPH info tech professional, was a member of the creative team that won the U of M Communicators Forum Maroon Award for the “Public Jobs, Private Data” training and awareness campaign, sponsored by the Privacy and Security Office.
Beginning June 16, the EpiCH Shuttle Route and Schedule will change. See details of changes below. The regular schedule will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 2
Leave from EpiCH: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Leave from Mayo: 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
• Download Summer schedule
Mayo Building Pick-up/Drop-off Point Change for EpiCH Shuttle: Starting with the summer schedule change, the pick-up/drop-off point on the East Bank will be changing. Instead of stopping in the cul-de-sac in front of the Mayo Building, the pick-up/drop-off point will be on the west-side (back) of the Mayo building, just off of Church Street. This route change is permanent.
• Download map of new pick-up/drop-off point
•Link to new pick-up/drop-off point via Google maps (photo included)
Patricia Homyak received the Professional and Administrative Excellence Award from the SPH. The award recognizes staff members who have demonstrated extraordinary initiative, skill, or creativity in their work.
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SPH Events & Courses
“Angels and Troublemakers:” A special presentation of the Colonel Patricia Greene Public Health Nursing Lectureship Series, June 5, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Location TBA• Register online
“Ethics in the Worst of Times: Rationing to Protect the Public’s Health during a Severe Influenza Pandemic,” Thursday June 5.
• More information
Tenth Annual MCH Summer Institute on Health Disparities Promoting Health Equity: Family-centered program development and advocacy. The Institute will provide an opportunity to discuss how the universal experience of family—and its diverse definitions—can be integrated into family-centered programs and policies that enhance family resilience and improve individual and population health.
• Register online
"R U Ready or Just Playing Along? Gaming Simulation in Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness" will be presented by Debra K. Olson on Monday, June 23, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in Moos Tower 2-580. This session will discuss an evaluation study comparing the performance of students trained in bioterrorism and emergency readiness competencies, using an online simulated course, with students who did not participate in training. This evaluation will be explored by comparing the accuracy of decision making in a gaming simulation as well as descriptive data on the impact of learning and the return on learning investment. The simulated online emergency is “Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation.” Programming underlies the gaming simulation that tracks the accuracy of chosen responses.
CPHEO Announcements
Ethics in the Worst of Times: Rationing to Protect the Public's Health during a Severe Influenza Pandemic, June 5.
• Read more and register
10th Annual MCH Summer Institute on Health Disparities Promoting Health Equity: Family-centered program development and advocacy, June 12.
• Read more and register
Public Health Nursing Lectureship: Angels and Troublemakers, June 5.
• Read more and register
Safety Function Action for Disaster Responders and Survivors: Beyond Psychological First Aid, June 11.
• Read more and register
UPCOMING CPHEO COURSES
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Thursday, June 5
Tuesday, Aug. 12
Tuesday, Oct. 7
Thursday, Dec. 4
• View course description
2008 National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course
June 30 to Aug. 1
• Read more and register
Homeland Security
September 3-4
• View course description
8-Hour Site Worker Refresher
September 9
• View course description
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Other Events
The Minnesota Public Health Association’s reception and annual meeting will be Thursday, June 5. The reception will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the annual meeting is from 6:45 to 8 p.m. The gathering will be held at the Humphrey Center on the University’s West Bank campus.
• Learn more online
“Promoting Healthy Families in Uganda” will be held Wednesday, June 25, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Minnesota Church Center, 122 W. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis. Paige Anderson Bowen, the agency’s Uganda country director, will discuss community-based malaria and family planning programs. Please arrive early, as parking may fill up quickly. The event is free, but please register to Amy Miller at (612) 230-3363 or amiller@mihv.org.
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Events on the AHC Web Site
Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Sunday Jun 01, 2008