SPH News Nov. 10, 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

Media
News

From the Dean

John Finnegan It’s been nearly a week since we elected Barack Obama our next President. While much has been said of this historic event, it’s worth remembering that in 70 days the president-elect will take leadership of a country that just a few decades ago was still struggling to grant basic civil rights to American citizens of African ancestry. Hope, indeed, for the American ideals of opportunity, possibility and inclusiveness!

But where does a new President begin? The challenges are daunting and formidable. Wars around the world continue to consume lives, resources and futures. The American economic meltdown has triggered a global downturn that, ironically, might itself have been the key factor in Obama’s case to the electorate for “change and hope.” However, as one commentator opined recently, “Obama was given the Presidency, not a magic wand.” True, but our hope and expectations of change for the better are heightened nonetheless.

Whether health policy falls on Obama’s “To Do” list in the first hundred days of his administration remains to be seen in light of many more immediately pressing issues. But his health policy proposals suggest that he has a good understanding of the important role public health can play in both the health of our nation’s citizens and the economy. He has proposed an ambitious plan to reform U.S. health care and fund insurance for at least some of the 46 million Americans who now go without.

The plan also makes specific mention of important public health issues: health disparities, childhood obesity, and the health workforce shortage. It includes a proposal for electronic health records and a small businesses tax credit to help pay for employee health insurance. Under his proposal, insurers also would no longer be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Coverage would include preventive services such as cancer screening.

A proposal during a presidential campaign, however, is a long way from the thorough vetting it will receive even in a “friendly” Congress. You recall that hopes were high in the Clinton first term, too, which was the last time we tried to deal with health care comprehensively (and ultimately unsuccessfully). Public health, prevention and health promotion didn’t play much of a role in the proposal back then. This time, they appear to feature more prominently. So, once again we hope for change that will be equitable, effective, and affordable.

—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.

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Media News

October 2008 media coverage featured the following SPH faculty and staff:

Michael Davern
Roger Feldman
John Finnegan
James Neaton
Debra Olson
Jamie Stang
Mary Story
Tricia Todd
Traci Toomey
Elizabeth Wattenberg

Coverage was featured in local media as well as in the New York Times, Washington Post, Press Democrat, Athletic Business, Agence France Presse, United Press International (UPI) and eMaxHealth.com.
• More 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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Faculty News

Call for SPH Faculty Guidebook Updates. The guidebook is a printed publication of your expertise that the school distributes to prospective students, journalists, legislators, and others. (Note that the guidebook information is different than any online faculty bios or descriptions.) Please download the “Guide to SPH Faculty and Their Expertise“ PDF to review your information. Faculty are listed alphabetically and, in the index, by area of expertise. (If you are a new faculty member and not in the guidebook, you will be contacted directly for your information. If you have changes to your information, please contact Toya Stewart at stew0004@umn.edu to arrange for edits to be made. The deadline for changes is noon on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

William Riley has been named interim executive director of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). PHAB is a nonprofit consortium of heads of local public health agencies whose mission is to develop, promote, and oversee quality standards for public health agencies at the municipal, state, and federal levels. Riley, a noted national expert on quality improvement in health care settings and public health agencies, has served on PHAB’s board of directors since 2007. He and PHAB’s board have begun a search to find a permanent executive director. In the meantime, Riley will continue to fulfill his duties as SPH associate professor and associate dean.

Save the date for the Fall Semester Faculty Meeting and Faculty Voting Meeting on Thursday, Dec. 11, in 3-100 Mayo. Refreshments will be served at 8:45 a.m. and the semester faculty meeting goes from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The professors with tenure voting meeting on promotion will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

All faculty now submit final grades online at the SPH Online Grades application. Students may view their final grades at this online location.
• Go to the SPH Oline Grades application

Become an IonE Fellow or Researcher. The Institute on the Environment is accepting applications for resident fellow, which provides $75,000 in flexible funds for new projects. Also, learn morea bout applying to be an associate fellow and to submit a paper for the Discovery Grants Program. The deadline for all applications is Dec. 5.
• More about institute funds
• Applications associate fellows
• More about papers for Discovery Grants program

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School News

Save the date for the All-School Winter Reception. SPH students, staff, and faculty mark Dec. 11 on your calendars for the All-School Winter Reception. The event will begin at 2:15 p.m. at the Weisman Art Museum and last until 4:30 p.m. There will be games, food, and beverages. More information will be given as the date gets closer.

Order Public Health Apparel from the Student Senate for the holidays. The annual apparel sale is a way for students to raise money for the SPH social event, PAMOJA, which occurs in February. Samples are available in the Student Services Office in D305 Mayo. Please return order form and payment to Student Services Center by noon on Friday, Nov. 21. Cash and checks can be placed in an envelope with the words, "Senate Apparel." If mailing to Student Services Center, send only checks. Please make checks out to “University of Minnesota,” with "Apparel" in the memo. Orders are expected to be in before holiday break, so order for family and friends. Pick-up day and time will be announced.
• Download the order form Please direct questions to sphss@umn.edu.

“Estimating and Applying Quality-of-Life Weights for Self-Reported Health Status” is the topic of the October issue of SPH Research Brief. The latest brief comes from SPH professor John Nyman.
• Read/subscribe to the brief

Beginning Nov. 3, SPH students have the opportunity to officially register for community engagement activities. A zero credit/zero tuition course number has been developed to meet the liability insurance needs provided that students register under PubH 0020. The zero-credit course requires a contract approved by the participating community organization and the student’s academic faculty advisor. Integrating community engagement supports the University’s mission of public engagement and enhances the educational goals of the student as well as making a difference in the community.
• Access the Community Engagement Contract

The Safety of Our Food Supply will be the topic of discussion on Friday, Nov. 21, during a forum sponsored by the Minnesota Public Health Association. This is the second forum in a series entitled "Food and Public Health: A Sampler" and will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 East, room CC15, in Roseville. Join MPHA colleagues and guests in a discussion with Mike Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, and Kirk Smith, supervisor of the Foodborne Disease Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health, regarding the safety of our food supply and the technologies and regulations available to insure the health of Minnesotans. Maureen Reed will moderate this forum. Seating is limited and registration is encouraged. A breakfast of locally produced and organic foods will begin at 7 a.m. The suggested donation is $8 for MPHA members, $15 for non-members and $5 for students. Free parking is available.
• Register online

“PUBLIC HEALTH is YOUR HEALTH!” is an national awareness campaign that runs Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. Organized by the Association of Schools of Public Health, the campaign provides provides a fun and easy way to raise awareness of public health and demonstrate how it impacts our daily lives. Students, faculty, and students may pick up campaign stickers in English and Spanish in the Dean’s office, Student Services Office, and SPHere Student Lounge. Please place stickers where appropriate to illustrate public health and take a picture. Post your pictures on the This is Public Health Flickr Group or send to Thuy Doan at doanx034@umn.edu.

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SPH Events

Richard Grimm is the keynote speaker of the Epidemiology and Community Health Division Seminar scheduled for Friday, Nov. 14. Grimm’s discussion will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 364 of the West Bank Office Building. Grimm, director of the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research, is also the chief of the Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Hennepin County Medical Center. For more information, contact Carol Raichert at 5-1836.

The SPH Public Health & Cultures Monthly Series, “Celebrating American Indian Heritage Month,” will be held Wednesday Nov. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 3-125 Mayo. All SPH faculty, staff and students are invited to view presentations by SPH students Genelle Lamont and Yvonne Ortiz on public health issues and challenges in American Indian Health. Food will be served! For questions contact Thuy Doan at doanx034@umn.edu.
• Download the poster

The SPH Roundtable Series: Public Health 2050, "The Changing Face of Minnesota Communities Now through 2050: How Will Public Health Respond?" will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 4. Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy is the keynote speaker for the event, which will be held in Coffman Memorial Union Theater. There will also be a panel discussion that includes Jocelyn Ancheta, Mitchell Davis, Katherine Fennelly, SPH Dean John Finnegan, Sean Kershaw, Yusef Mgeni, and SPH Associate Dean Debra Olson, The moderator is Edward Ehlinger, Director and Chief Health Officer of Boynton Health Service. The roundtable is free, but registration is requested.
• More about the roundtable. Questions? Call 6-4515.

For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar

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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

Tools for Managing Volunteers During and After a Disaster
These tools were developed for Medical Reserve Corps coordinators, public health agencies or any organization that may deploy volunteers to assist during or after an emergency or disaster and can be adapted to meet your agency needs.
• Access tools online

Public Health Policy and Advocacy – Online Module
In this online module, learners will examine how policy becomes law and the "nuts and bolts" of advocacy that influence legislators.
Access Module

Homeland Security
Nov. 12-13
Access Module

Advances in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Issues
Nov. 13
Access Module

Confined Space
Nov. 14
Access Module

Health Equality: Honoring Culture While Closing the Gap
Nov. 12-14
Access Module

8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Dec. 4
• View course description

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