SPH News Sept. 15, 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
Financial Crises and Public Health
It was difficult to know which storm to focus on over the weekend — Hurricane Ike or the financial storm over Wall Street. While Ike’s impact on public health is obvious when 3 million people are suddenly without power, water, sanitation, communication, and access to medical care, the Wall Street Storm impact on human life may be potentially even bigger considering its global scale.
As the focus of public health is increasingly concerned with globally interlinked systems, understanding economics and public policy is more important than ever. Consider the research that appeared following the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 and the Mexican financial crisis of 1995-96. The data showed that morbidity and mortality increased. Governments cut spending on public health and other services, jobs were lost, wages declined, food prices rose, and people delayed visiting health care providers. In short, more people got sick and more people died, especially the most vulnerable — those at the margins of national safety nets.
Now, it appears the U.S. is facing a financial crisis not witnessed in many years. As still the world’s largest economy, when the U.S. sneezes the whole world catches cold, global public health included. So whether you follow the markets or not, you cannot ignore them as a force that shapes public health everyday — for good or ill.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
Under Michael Davern’s leadership SHADAC researchers compiled an issue brief released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on Aug. 28. “Comparing Federal Government Surveys that Count Uninsured People in America” addresses the differences in estimated insurance coverage rates between the three different federal surveys: the Current Population Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
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Download the brief (PDF)
SHADAC hosted its annual conference call in August for states with Census Bureau officials to mark the release of the bureau’s annual report based on the results of the 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS). “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007” provides health insurance coverage estimates by state. The report describes SHADAC’s work with the Census Bureau and other federal agencies to evaluate discrepancies between different federal estimates of uninsurance.
Alan Lifson will serve as team leader for an in-country mid-term evaluation of the national scale-up of HIV care activities in Ethiopia. This will include evaluation of expanded decentralized treatment services at the health center and community level. These activities are funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in collaboration with the World Health Organization plan for Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Illness.
Doug Wholey and Joanne Disch, Densford Center director for the School of Nursing, were among the eight interdisciplinary research teams funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The awards, totaling $2.3 million, will be used to fund research for projects designed to improve nursing care and help keep patients safer. The University team’s project is, “Multidisciplinary Organization and Outcomes for Chronic Heart Failure Patients in the VA.”
Call for Abstracts for the Thirteenth Annual Minnesota Health Services Research Conference. Abstracts must be received by Monday, Nov. 3. Abstract writers will be notified of acceptance by Dec. 1. The purpose of the event is to bring together Minnesota’s health services research community for a day of scholarly presentations and discussions. The conference will be held on Tuesday, March 3.
• Download the Call for Abstracts brochure (PDF)
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Student News
Genelle Lamont, an environmental health sciences doctoral student, attended the “National Native American Research Conference on Health” sponsored by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). Lamont, who has worked on the American Indian Community Tobacco Project with SPH staff member Kris Rhodes and professor Jean Forster for about a year, presented on a paper accepted in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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School News
“Saving Lives and Stomping Out Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa” will be presented Friday, Sept. 19, 1:30 to 3 p.m., in Mayo 3-100, by Dr. Tim Meade, an alumnus of the University of Minnesota Medical School. Meade will discuss his clinical work with HIV-positive orphans, vulnerable children, and pregnant women in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa. Refreshments will be served.
The Academic Health Center is sponsoring a blood drive on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the McNamara Alumni Center. Donors should schedule an appointment online. Questions about eligibility to donate should be directed to the American Red Cross nurse at 651-291-3885. For other information contact Jenny Meslow, meslo001@umn.edu or 1-800-448-3543.
• Schedule your appointment online
Show support for the SPH recipients of the Walter H. Judd International Graduate and Professional Fellowships by attending the annual poster session and reception for recipients. The event will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8. at McNamara Alumni Center. The event is open to the public. Advisers, faculty, and former Judd Fellows are especially encouraged to attend. Deadline for the next round of fellowship applications is Feb. 9, 2009. This year’s recipients included more Judd fellows from the SPH than any other university unit.
The recipients are:
Matilda Essandoh-Bondzie
Elizabeth Hutchinson
Lindsey Johansen
Betsy Mathews
Heather Oleson
Melissa Riedesel
Sarah Sevcik
Alicen Spaulding
Elizabeth Tesdell
Wei Wang
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SPH Events & Courses
Shengde Liang’s Ph.D. presentation, “Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling of Geostatistical and Spatial Point Process Data,” will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, Coordinating Centers for Biometric Research Ballroom, 2221 University Ave. S.E., Suite 200. Refreshments will be served prior to the presentation. For more information contact Megan Schlick at 5-5451.
“Odd risks or risky odds? Logistic regression and other models for dichotomous outcomes,” will be the topic of Ken Kleinman’s discussion on Friday, Sept. 19. The Epidemiology and Community Health division seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 364 of the West Bank Office Building. Kleinman is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Boston. For more information, contact Carol Raichert at 5-1836.
Kyong Park will discuss, “The role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the association of obesity and insulin resistance,” on Monday, Sept. 22. Park’s Ph.D. presentation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. in Room 364 of the West Bank Office Building. For more information contact Andrea Kish at 6-9989 or kish@umn.edu.
Epidemiology student, Christine Wassel, will deliver her final oral exam presentation, “Genetic Determinants of Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease,” on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Wassel’s Ph.D. presentation will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. in Room 364 of the West Bank Office Building. For more information contact Andrea Kish at 6-9989 or kish@umn.edu.
“Challenges and Opportunities in the Evolution from Episodic Healthcare to Community Health Improvement,” is the topic of Richard Norling’s talk during the 2008 James A. Hamilton Lecture Series. The lecture, sponsored by the Program in Healthcare Administration and its Alumni Association/Foundation, will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, in Mayo Auditorium. A reception will follow. The event is free.
• Register online
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
CPHEO Announcements
Upcoming Courses
Introduction to Epidemiology: Online Module
This online training provides an overview of epidemiology, key terms, and examines the role of epidemiologists in public health practice.
• Access the module
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Oct. 7
Dec. 4
• View course description
8-Hour Site Worker Refresher
Sept. 9
• View course description
24- and 40-Hour Site Worker Training
Sept. 15-19
• View course description
Evacuation Train the Trainer
Sept. 25
• View course description
Occupational Hearing Conservation Recertification
Sept. 25
• View course description
Occupational Hearing Conservation Training
Sept. 29-Oct. 1. For more information see:
• View course description
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Other Events
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church,
1200 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis
Regan Hofmann, the editor-in-chief of POZ magazine, will tell her personal story of living with HIV since 1996. More information
Sept. 26, 7 to 9 a.m.
The Connection Between Food and Health will be the topic of this "Public Health Matters" breakfast forum. Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Eugene Hugoson will discuss critical issues about food and its impact on the public’s health. The event will be held at the Neighborhood House in St. Paul.
Oct. 2, 4 p.m.
“Complexity and Meaning in Politics and Healthcare” will be the topic of Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale’s speech in the first annual David A. Rothenberger Lecture, Mayo Auditorium. More Information
Oct. 3, 7:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Ethics and Health Care Reform: Where is the Justice?
Oct. 9-10
The City, The River, The Bridge
Oct. 10, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The first annual Hennepin-University Partnership Symposium will be held at the Humphrey Center. Learn more/register Questions? Write to BIEL0032@umn.edu.
Oct. 16, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Ukrainian Event Center
301 Main St. N.E., Minneapolis
Friends of Fremont Clinic Health Services fundraising gala, $25 in advance and $30 at the door. FCHS hosts an annual gala to raise awareness of the vital role that community-based clinics play in providing health care to those in need, and to raise funds for providing care for the uninsured. For more information or to purchase tickets contact 612-287-2400.
Oct. 27-28
Minnesota Water Resources Conference. More information
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Events on the AHC Web Site
Events on the SPH Web Site
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Last modified on Monday Sep 15, 2008