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University of Minnesota and the School of Public Health

SPH News Oct. 16, 2006

Oct. 16, 2006
In this issue:

From the Dean
Faculty news
Student news
School news
Event listings

SPH News is a school-wide electronic newsletter distributed every other Monday. Please send news items to SPHNews@umn.edu. The submission deadline for the Oct. 30 issue is noon on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

From the Dean

At the SPH Spring Assembly in May (available on our SPH podcast page), I shared with you my perceptions about important University-wide changes in strategic and financial planning affecting the SPH and all schools and colleges. Time for another update.

As you know, the University of Minnesota has developed a strategic plan that it hopes will eventually elevate us to one of the top three public research universities in the world (click here for details). This is an important process that has involved thousands across the University. But as many have said before, the devil is in the details. What is beginning to emerge more clearly is the price of admission to this exclusive club. The short (but not the only) answer is: money. Or, if you prefer as do I, an important part of the answer is major investment in faculty, staff, students, and supporting resources.

Here are the challenges in my opinion:

  • The University is beginning to experience a dose of reality -- "sticker shock" -- as it tunes in a clearer picture of the required investment to reach our aspirations. While we can "re-task" a few resources around the University to make some investments, I believe personally that as of today the University does not have enough. While more may come from the state, they aren't likely to be nearly enough. Where will they come from? The private sector? Perhaps.

  • North of Washington Avenue, the fear is that too much investment is flowing into the Academic Health Center, including the SPH, at the expense of the rest of the University. This is risky, some say, because the price of failure may be too high. On the other hand, some point out that "world class" will NOT happen without the health sciences. Read the Oct. 3 discussion of the Senate Finance and Planning Committee, to understand the give and take. It illustrates clear "cultural" differences in the University and our resulting "mental maps" of what change and excellence are all about.

  • The University is experiencing increasing costs in central services under the new budget model adopted July 1. For the SPH, this meant that while we are now receiving all of our income, the costs allocated to us by central administration skyrocketed at about twice the rate of inflation (a little more than 7 percent). Some will argue that the increase reflects the "truer" cost of the SPH's doing business. Perhaps, but I know this much: the SPH is one of the few "earner" schools in the University. If costs continue to rise at this rate exceeding the growth in our income, well, you don't need a CPA to predict the outcome. Check out an overview of the budget model (PDF) and frequently asked questions.

Don't get me wrong: the SPH is in good financial condition right now, I daresay better than just about any other school or college in the University. We make enough money to pay our bills and have some left over at the end of the day. So far, we have been able to make good strategic investments (for example, our faculty complement will likely be 120 soon). But we have some challenges facing us in how an entrepreneurial outfit like the SPH navigates this new uncertain environment. How does this new budget model align with the investments that we need to make in faculty, staff, and students especially since most of the money appears to be flowing into University non income-earning activity? Are there adequate controls on increasing central cost pools? How does the financial model reward interdisciplinary and collaborative initiatives and activities that the strategic plan values? Are there ways we can ourselves reduce costs and be more "resource smart"?

A big part of the struggle in this uncertain environment is willingness to question constantly the assumptions of our "mental maps" about how the University is changing and how we shape change and adapt to change. This isn't a job for one person, but all of us. Change affects everyone albeit in different ways. In the financial and budget arena, I am asking our CFO, Joe Weisenberger, to head up an SPH task force to make recommendations to me and the SPH executive team about our current assumptions and how we need to adapt or re-shape our expectations. I hope to report progress at the fall faculty meeting in December. Stay tuned.

--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.

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Faculty news

Harry Lando received the Award for Global Engagement from the University of Minnesota.  Lando was recognized for his achievements in the field of tobacco prevention and control and for his contributions to global education and international involvement. He will carry the title "Distinguished International Professor" for the duration of his career here. A reception for Lando will be held Nov. 30, time and location to be determined (although it will most likely be in the late afternoon or early evening).

Alan Lifson was elected to the board of directors of the Minnesota AIDS Project, for which he also serves as co-chair of the public policy committee.

Russell Luepker was appointed for a second term to the Armed Forces Epidemiology Board (AFEB). The AFEB advises the Department of Defense on health matters.

Please hold 9:15-10:45 a.m. of Friday, Dec. 8 for this year's tenured faculty meeting for voting on documentation for promotion and tenure. More information to follow.

AHC junior faculty, fellows, and scholars are invited to attend a monthly informal breakfast meeting for those interested in getting guidance on clinical research. Jasjit Ahluwalia, executive director, AHC Office of Clinical Research, will lead the session, along with AHC senior faculty members. Each breakfast will be limited to five mentees and will be held 7:30-8:30 a.m. at varying locations. Please contact Meredith at mcraven@umn.edu or 6-6033 to express your interest in attending one of these meetings.

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Student news

Participate in the American Medical Student Association Candidate Series. Discuss health policy with the people who may be making these decisions in the future. No RSVP needed. Lunch will be served to the first 75 people. Questions or comments: e-mail jsmccabe78@yahoo.com.

  • Mark Kennedy
    Monday, Oct. 16, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Moos 1-450

  • Keith Ellison
    Thursday, Oct. 19; 12:15-1:15 p.m., Moos 5-125

  • Alan Fine
    Friday, Oct. 20; 12:15-1:15 p.m., Moos 2-520

  • Peter Hutchinson and Maureen Reed
    Monday, Oct. 23; 12:15-1:15 p.m., Moos 2-530

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School news

The school has tallied the official enrollment numbers for 2006. The grand total of SPH students is 1,177, an all-time high and the first time the school has broken the 1,000-student mark. This follows two years of record-breaking enrollment. Totals by degree: 

  • MPH: 618

  • MHA: 73 

  • MS: 176

  • PhD: 148

  • Certificate: 162

Want to know what it's like to live in the Twin Cities and study public health at the University of Minnesota? Now you can by reading about the lives of four SPH student bloggers. The blogs are intended to provide prospective students a unique insight into our school. Each week, one entry will be highlighted on the SPH Web site. Learn more about our student bloggers.

Public Health Moment, a weekly 90-second audio segment featuring SPH faculty members, debuts this week. It is one of three SPH podcast channels. The others are Public Lectures, which features audio lectures recorded on campus, and Public Health Planet, which spotlights varied video programs produced by the school. Learn more about SPH podcasts and blogs.

CLARION, an interprofessional organization within the Center for Health Interprofessional Programs (CHIP), is holding several upcoming events and activities for students and faculty. The first event is a lunch lecture with Glenn Billman, director of patient safety at Children's Hospital and Clinics, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., in Weaver-Densford Hall, Room 2-110. Learn more about upcoming CLARION events. CLARION seeks to develop future leaders who will redefine healthcare to produce the most equitable, highest quality system possible.

The Health Sciences Libraries is hosting an open house on Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in room 555 Diehl Hall. Learn about library resources, see the libraries new space improvements, meet with library staff, enjoy refreshments, and win fabulous prizes. Learn more at the Libraries' Web site, write to medref@umn.edu, or call 6-3260.

"Election Fair 2006" will be held Wednesday, Nov. 1, 4 to 6 p.m., in Moos Tower, Room 1-450G. The event will feature a panel of SPH faculty and students analyzing the responses given by candidates for statewide office (U.S. Senate, Congress and Governor) to questions related to health care access, health care financing, prescription drug coverage, among others. Students will have an opportunity at the event to register to vote, learn the location of their polling place, surf candidate Web sites, and mingle with other AHC students interested in the public policy issues related to their chosen field of study. Snacks and beverages will be provided. The event is sponsored by SPH and the Minnesota Public Health Association.

Get your free flu shot. Once again Employee Benefits, Boynton Health Service, School of Nursing, and College of Pharmacy are offering influenza vaccinations to all University students, staff, and faculty at no charge. Vaccinations will be available for those who are not students, staff, or faculty for $25. View a schedule of walk-in flu clinics.

Mark Your Calendars: Nov. 20 is Public Health Thank You Day. Research!America, the American Public Health Association, the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials invite you to celebrate our public health heroes on Monday, Nov. 20--Public Health Thank You Day. Visit the Research!America Web site, sign the thank you card, download free Web banners, ads (in English and Spanish), communication templates, poll findings, and find other ways to say thank you. Contact sdzubin@researchamerica.org for more information.

From the Bedpost to the Command Post: Healthcare Administrators' Role in a Disaster will take place Monday, Oct. 16, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center. The Minnesota Emergency Readiness Education and Training (MERET), in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Healthcare Alumni Association, is offering a free workshop to train participants to understand an administrator's role in the new Hospital Incident Command System. To register for this workshop contact MERET at 5-4409 or fitz0019@umn.edu.

The Hamline University Katrina Response Network will host the Minnesota Hurricane Relief Workers Gathering on Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., in the Sundin Music Hall at Hamline University. Reverend Lance Eden and Joanne Cook from First Street United Methodist Church, of New Orleans, will speak about the unique post-Katrina relationship between the Twin Cities and New Orleans. Diana Knobel, a documentary filmmaker, will show footage from her work, "Katrina Reflections - A Relief Worker Perspective." The Hamline University Katrina Response Network plans to send 80 people to New Orleans in 2007. Please bring donations of school supplies, which will be distributed to the MLK elementary school for science and technology in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. For more information, please contact Toni Hauser or Sharon Jaffe at 651 523-2483 or service-learning@hamline.edu.

The Minnesota Water 2006 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference will take place Oct. 24-25 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center. The conference will facilitate interactions among resource managers, researchers, state and local agency staff, and other water resources professionals, including consultants and practicing engineers. SPH professor Deborah Swackhamer served on the conference planning committees. Learn more and/or register.

Moving Toward Sustainable Energy Systems: Exploring Global Pathways to a Common Destination will take place Oct. 24-25 at the Humphrey Center. The event is free and open to the public. Keynote speaker is RK Pachauri, chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and director-general, The Energy Research Institute (TERI). Seating is limited, so early registration is recommended. Register online. For more information, please contact Sophia Albott, 6-1593; albot002@umn.edu.

The Health Policy and Management Seminar Series presents Timothy Hoff, associate professor, School of Public Health, University of Albany, SUNY, who will discuss "Applying Complexity Theory to Public Health Systems: The Care of Newborn Screening in the United States." The event will be on Thursday, Oct. 26, 3-4:30 p.m., room A-110 Mayo. Learn more about this event.

Ethical Guidelines for External Support of University Initiatives in Food Safety and Food System Protection will take place Friday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., in room 55, Mondale Hall of the Law School. This meeting is the second of three Town Hall meetings following the initial symposium held in May. Learn more.

"When Results of Large Studies are Divergent: Hormone Therapy as a Case Study," by JoAnn Manson, will be held Thursday, Nov. 9, 12:05 to 1:05 p.m. in room 2-690 Moos Tower. Light lunch will be served. Manson is chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, professor of medicine and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women's Health at the Harvard Medical School. The event is part of the Distiguished Visiting Scholar Series. For more information on the series, contact Susan Jackson at sjackson@umn.edu.

The Midwest States Health Reform Summit will take place Tuesday, Nov. 14, 8 a.m..-5 p.m. at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (invited) will discuss policy options available to the states as well as states' capacity to be innovative in addressing health care problems. The event is hosted by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) and the National Institute of Health Policy. Learn more.

Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Seminars take place Fridays, 10-11 a.m. in WBOB, room 364. Learn more at the Epi Web site. Upcoming seminars:

  • Oct. 20: Alan Hirsch, SPH, "PAD Public Education to Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes: From Epidemiology to a National Educational Campaign (the Minnesota Story)"

  • Oct. 27: Patricia McGovern, SPH

  • Nov. 3: Jian-Min Yuan, SPH

  • Nov. 10: David Jacobs, SPH, "Racial discrimination and substance use among African Americans: The CARDIA study"

Upcoming CPHEO Courses

  • Oct. 18: Personal and Family Emergency Preparedness: Train the Trainer Workshop

  • Oct. 23-25: 24-Hour Emergency Response

  • Oct. 23-27: 40-Hour Emergency Response

  • Nov. 8: Emergency Readiness Rounds: Planning for and Engaging Special Populations in Emergency Preparedness

  • Nov. 9: 8-Hour Hazardous Waste Site Personnel Refresher

  • Nov. 16: Hospital Decontamination

To see a more detailed listing of courses, go to http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu. Register for courses.

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Event listings

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SPH News is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. www.sph.umn.edu.



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