SPH News Dec. 8, 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.
Editor’s note: SPH News will be hiatus during the winter break beginning with this edition. It will resume publication on Monday, Jan. 5.
From the Dean
It’s hard to believe that 14 weeks have passed since I welcomed you all to the 2008-09 academic year in this column. I hope this has been a successful and rewarding fall semester for you all. I’m sure it has been a busy one.
I invite you to toast the end of the semester with me at the All-School Winter Reception on Thursday, Dec. 11. The event will take place from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. in the gallery overlooking the Mississippi river at the Weisman Art Museum.
This year’s celebration includes music, refreshments, and raffle prizes — plus the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the SPH version of Hollywood Squares. (Being too young to remember this television game show will in no way hinder the fun of watching faculty, students, and staff duke it out for first prize.) You can RSVP to the reception at www.sph.umn.edu/aswr08/.
I look forward to welcoming you back to the second half of our academic year. Until then, may your holiday break be filled with warmth, relaxation, and joyful times with family and friends.
—John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
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Faculty News
All instructors, faculty, and others who submit student grades are required to include a “last date of participation” for any student earning a grade of “F” or “N” in a course. This change is being implemented for all academic career levels in order to comply with a federal requirement that the University cancel 50 percent of a student’s federal Title IV funds if no course participation can be determined for those students who received all F’s, N’s or a combination of them for a term. More information can be found on the Grades FAQ page on the One Stop Web site.
The SPH Fall Semester Faculty Meeting and Faculty Voting Meeting will be held 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. Parking will be validated for those who park in the Washington Avenue Ramp or East River Road Garage. Bring parking tickets to the meeting for validation. For more information contact Barb Cook at barbcook@umn.edu.
The Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment and the Life Sciences has a funding opportunity for graduate and professional students. This funding initiative aims to encourage work on the broad societal implications of problems in health, environment, or the life sciences. The application deadline is March 23. Funding will provide support for the summer of 2009 or the 2009-10 academic year. Questions? Contact Audrey Boyle at Boyle032@umn.edu or 6-5624.
• Access the
Requests for Proposals
Bob Kane received the 2008 British Geriatric Society's Medal for the Relief of Suffering amongst the Aged. The award is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the welfare and alleviation of suffering of the aged.
Toben Nelson’s publications have been ranked the fifth most highly cited scientific studies in the past decade on the topic of underage and college student drinking according to Essential Science Indicators, a division of Thomson Reuters.
• Read more...
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Media News
November 2008 media coverage featured the following SPH faculty and staff:
Bryan Dowd
Lisa Harnack
Robert Jeffery
Robert Kane
Rosalie Kane
Katie Loth
Russell Luepker
Deborah Swackhamer
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Tricia Todd
Robert Town
Michael Osterholm
Coverage was featured in local media as well as in the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, Smart Money, Deseret News, CQ Politics, HealthDay News and CNN.com. Visit www.sph.umn.edu/about/news/media/ 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.
School News
The Office of Student Affairs is calling for students, faculty, and staff participation in decorating the Display of Diversity in Public Health. The glass display case will be a dynamic display designed to make the SPHere more meaningful to the SPH. Student Affairs is seeking items for display. If interested, please contact Dinah Dafeamekpor at dafea001@umn.edu or come to the Student Services Office (Mayo D305) with artifacts, personal memorabilia, artwork, etc. These items will be on loan until owners need or want them back. If your item is selected, you will receive a SPH logo USB drive. The unveiling of the Display of Diversity in Public Health is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 17. Please have your items to Dinah by Dec. 17.
Suggested Items include:
Pottery
Glass wear
Traditional cloth
Relevant Pictures to public health or multiculturalism
Coin collections, stamp collections, and
General items collected through public health experiences.
The State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) has launched a new website, www.shadac.org. The new site includes enhanced functionality on research and resources related to issues of health insurance coverage, data collection methods, and state health policy remains. Visit the site and sign up for SHADAC’s mailing list to stay on top of these issues.
For those looking for a one-of-kind, unique and interesting gift with an international flair, the ISP Executive Healthcare Study is hosting a give-a-way from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 16. The ISP office is located at 2221 University Ave. The give-a-way will be held in suite 116. Items will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. These objects are from all over the world.
The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Rethinking the Drinking Age. The Office for Student Affairs will host a free online seminar during which the pros and cons of changing the legal drinking age will be debated by John McCardell and higher education risk-management expert Brett Sokolow, among other panelists. Following the seminar there will be a 30-minute panel discussion. The discussion will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, in the Coffman Union.
• More about the seminar
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SPH Events
“Statistical Models for a Censored Quantitative Trait and Candidate Genes Association Mapping in Structured Populations with Multilevel Genetic Relatedness” is the topic of Meijuan Li’s Ph.D. presentation. It will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, in A434 Mayo. Refreshments will be served prior to the presentation. For more information call 5-5451.
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
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CPHEO Announcements
Upcoming Courses
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
8-Hour Hospital Decontamination
Dec. 11
• More about this training
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher
Jan. 8
Read the training description
8-Hour Site Worker Refresher
Feb. 5
Read the training description
24- and 40-Hour Site Worker Training
Feb. 9-13
Read the training description
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Other Events
Dec. 9, 3 p.m.
Market-Based Reforms in Health Care: The Next Step featuring Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Dec. 10, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
LifeScience Alley 7th annual Conference and Expo
Jan. 29 11:30 to 1 p.m.
2009 Deinard Memorial Lecture on Law & Medicine: "The Emergent Logic of Health Law"
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 Dec 07, 2008