SPH News Oct. 5, 2009
SPH News is a school-wide electronic newsletter distributed to SPH faculty and staff every other week during the school year. To submit items for the Oct. 19 edition of SPH News, please send an e-mail to sphnews@umn.edu by Wednesday, Oct. 14.
From the Dean 
Two weeks ago, the school hosted the sixth annual Community Partners event. A record number of people—around 200—gathered to help us formally thank our community partners for the work they do.
We presented 17 Community Partner Star awards to individuals nominated and selected by SPH faculty. The group includes mentors, preceptors, guest lecturers, and research partners.
In the organization category, Mercy Health Systems received an award. Led by CEO Javon Bea, an SPH alum of the Master of Healthcare Administration program, Mercy takes a holistic view of health care and has made “healing in the broadest sense” a fundamental tenet of its mission. Under Javon’s leadership, Mercy has mentored and hired several SPH students and graduates.
An award in the state agency category went to the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Team Diarrhea. The foodborne-disease investigators of “Team D” represent current SPH students and MDH epidemiologists. Over the past 10 years, 90 SPH students have been part of Team D, and close to half of them have used their experience to formulate their master’s project. SPH alum and Team D epidemiologist Carlota Medus accepted the award on behalf of Team D. (A video on Team D can be found at http://www.sph.umn.edu/teamd/.)
Despite the varying responsibilities of our many community partners, each plays a vital role in school’s mission. We couldn’t educate the next generation of public health leaders without them.
Photos from the 2009 Community Partners event are on the SPH’s Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/umnsph/sets/.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
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Media News
September media coverage featured the following SPH faculty and staff:
- Jean Abraham
- John Adgate
- Bruce Alexander
- Alvaro Alonso
- Lynn Blewett
- Jon Christianson
- Michael Davern
- Bryan Dowd
- Roger Feldman
- John Finnegan
- Leslie Grant
- Craig Hedberg
- David Jacobs
- Rosalie Kane
- Russell Luepker
- Elizabeth Lukanen
- Leslie Lytle
- Jian-Min Yuan
- Toben Nelson
- Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
- Michael Osterholm
- Susan Palchick
- Todd Rockwood
- Nancy Sherwood
- Jamie Stang
- Mary Story
- Nancy Tekautz
- Traci Toomey
Coverage was featured in local media as well as in the New York Times, cnn.com, American Medical News, National Public Radio, cbsnews.com, Associated Press, Belleview News Democrat, Reuters, Grand Forks Herald, Malaysian Insider, Montreal’s Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Newsweek, Post-Bulletin, healthcarefinancenews.com, Worthington Daily Globe, AARP Bulletin Today, nutritionhorizon.com, biomedicine.org, physorg.com, Medical News Today, Florida Today, Calgary Herald, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Examiner.
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Faculty News
Faculty Textbook Note: The University bookstore is now accepting spring semester textbook orders until Oct. 12. Textbook orders significantly affect the amount of money students receive at the end of the semester for their books and how many used books the bookstore is able to provide for next semester. To submit an order, contact Shirley Hellem, Text Office Manager at 5-4556 or helle008@umn.edu
Deborah Swackhamer will act as committee co-chair for the Water Resources Conference to be held Oct. 26-27. Swackhamer was appointed by Governor Pawlenty to serve on the Minnesota Water Council.
• Read more and register online
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School News
Distributing the HPV vaccine on a national scale is the subject of the September issue of Research Brief, authored by SPH professor Roger Feldman.
• Read the brief
Join the SPH marching in the University of Minnesota Homecoming Parade this Friday. March alongside fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni this Friday, Oct. 9 in the evening. Joining the public health parade unit will be Dean Finnegan driving a donated ZENN car along University Avenue. Participants will receive a complimentary long-sleeved SPH Homecoming shirt.
• Spots are still available, sign up online
Party Planners needed for the SPH All-School Winter Reception, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 10. Volunteers will attend three, one-hour meetings (dates and times to be determined) to discuss, plan, and execute tasks. (Volunteers will be rewarded for their time.) To volunteer, contact Nichole Axtman at 6-9303 or mart1047@umn.edu by Friday, Oct. 17.
SPH apparel is on sale until noon on Oct. 23. Order forms should be returned with payment to the Student Senate Office through the mail slot in the SPHere (Mayo A150). Checks should be made payable to “University of Minnesota.” Orders can be shipped. The proceeds from the apparel sale go to support PAMOJA, the Student Senate-sponsored social event for SPH, which takes place in the spring. Consider purchasing some warm SPH gear as the winter season rolls in. E-mail sphss@umn.edu with questions.
• Order forms and photos of available apparel are on the SPHSS website
“Overcoming Racial Disparities in Healthcare: The Role of Patient-Centeredness” will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Mayo Memorial Auditorium. Lisa Cooper, Pfizer Visiting Professor in Health Literacy and a nationally renowned expert on patient-provider communication issues and overcoming barriers to equitable health care in diverse populations, will present. Email phdr@umn.edu with questions.
• Additional information
The Center for Public Health Preparedness announces its latest online module, Crisis Intervention During Disaster. The goal of this module is to help learners identify reactions to trauma and take appropriate and effective action to assist individuals in crisis. Participants are eligible to receive up to 0.05 CEUs (0.5 contact hours) for completion of training including pre-test, post test and evaluation.
• Register online and learn more about our Public Health Emergency Training (PHET) Series
New Group Facilitator’s Guide for Disaster in Franklin County Now Available. The simulation can be projected in a classroom setting where participants engage in a group discussion about the problems presented, learning from each other in addition to learning from the online simulation.
• Learn more about the guide
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SPH Events
“Drug-induced DNA Protein Crosslinks” will be presented by Colin Campbell, Monday, Oct. 5, 3:35-4:25 p.m., 1155 Mayo. Campbell is an associate professor of Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota.
• Additional Information
The Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health presents “Women and Health Care Reform” with Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The lecture will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Moos Tower 2-530. For more information, contact wmhealth@umn.edu or 6-1125.
• Additional information
Health Policy and Management is sponsoring a dialogue on health care reform issues on Wednesday, Oct. 7, noon-1 p.m. in room D325/D327 Mayo. Faculty participants are Jean Abraham, Lynn Blewett, Bryan Dowd, Roger Feldman, Ira Moscovice, and Robert Town. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome.
• Additional Information
Occupational Hearing Conservation training will occur on Oct. 7-9, University Office Plaza (2221 University Ave SE).
• Read more and register online
The 2009-10 e-Learning Seminar Series presents “How do you REALLY get started?,” on Friday, Oct. 9, 10:30-noon, Mayo A110. This faculty panel, led by Judy Garrad, senior associate dean for research and academic affairs, is for faculty intending to put a course online.
• Read more and register online
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher training will occur on Oct. 13, University Office Plaza (2221 University Ave SE).
• Read more and register online
24- and 40-Hour Emergency Response training will occur on Oct. 19-23, University Office Plaza (2221 University Ave SE).
• Read more and register online
Media Production for Public Health will hold a seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m., in 2-110 Weaver-Densford. SPH media producer Paul Bernhardt will lead a discussion designed for SPH students on using basic media production tools to craft and communicate effective public health messages and conduct cutting-edge research. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome.
• Read about the program and register online
Breakfast Briefing: Ethics in the Practice of Industrial Hygiene will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7:30-9:30 a.m., University Office Plaza (2221 University Ave SE). This presentation will assist industrial hygienists in complying with the new ABIH ethics training requirement and be of interest to safety professionals or others working closely with the industrial hygiene community.
• Read more and register online
Join a Peace Corps recruiter and SPH returned Peace Corps volunteers to share stories, learn more about the myriad of Peace Corps opportunities, and enjoy complimentary appetizers. This information session will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Campus Club Bar, Fourth Floor, Coffman Union. RSVP to Eunice Abiemo at abiem001@umn.edu or 5-6463 by Friday, Oct. 23.
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Other Events
Join U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in conversation with J. Brian Atwood, dean of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and Allen Levine, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at Feeding the World: At Home and Abroad. The discussion will occur on Monday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall. Tickets are free but RSVP to 4-2345 or register online.
Pregnancy Care Reform: Legislative changes that could affect your practice and patients will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2:45-4:30 p.m., The Depot Minneapolis, a Renaissance Hotel, 225 Third Avenue South.
• Read more online
“The Living Organ Donor: Altruistic or Duty-Bound” will occur on Friday, Oct. 9, 12:15-1:30 p.m., 1-451 Moos Tower. Email lhoekstr@umn.edu with questions.
• Additional information
The Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine presents a Tropical and Travel Medicine Seminar on Oct. 14, 6-8:30 p.m., Shriners Hospital for Children, Multipurpose Room, 2025 East River Parkway. The featured speaker is Watcharapong Piyaphanee, director of the Travel Medicine Research Unit in the Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine and Faculty of Tropical Medicine at the Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Contact Debbie Luedtke at 6-3526 or luedt047@umn.edu for more information.
Ever wonder what it’s like to attend Medical School — minus the cost, stress, and late-night cram sessions? The Academic Health Center presents Mini Medical School on Mondays Oct. 12-Nov. 9, 6-8:30pm.
• Read more and register online
The Fall Assembly of the Network of Interdisciplinary Initiatives (NII) will occur on Monday, Oct. 19, 3-5 p.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union.
• Read more about the NII
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 Jun 07, 2009