SPH Student News April 30, 2007

Welcome to the first issue of SPH Student News, a weekly electronic publication for students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. To submit items for SPH Student News--or to send your comments about the content of this e-newsletter—please send an e-mail to SPHStudentNews@umn.edu. The next issue of SPH Student News will go out on Monday, May 7.

>Awards and Appointments
>Events for SPH Students
>School News
>CPHEO News
>More Events

Awards and Appointments

Three SPH students, Terra Carey, Nicole Mesch and Omar Fernandes were among 20 masters and professional degree students awarded the 2007 Walter H. Judd International Graduate and Professional Fellowship. The Judd Fellowships are designed to support the continued internationalization of the university by increasing opportunities for students to study, conduct research, or participate in internships abroad. Fernandes will study in Kenya, Carey will study in India, and Mesch will study in Ecuador.

CHE student Katie Gruner has won the Wisconsin Public Health Association's New Public Health Worker award. During her time working at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Gruner helped create the Off-Reservation Native American Wellness Initiative, created a rural immersion program for pediatric residents, and conducted a brief prenatal care phone survey for the Fox Cities Community Health Center. She will receive her award on May 24 at the Wisconsin Public Health Association conference.

Alissa VanWie and Mandy Woodfiled, both PHAP students, received two-year Presidential Management Fellowships in Washington, D.C. More than 1,000 graduate students compete annually for the fellowships. This is the first year that SPH students have received this honor. VanWie's appointment is with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Woodfiled's appointment is with the National Cancer Institute.

The new SPH Student Senate Officers will begin their 2007-2008 term starting on May 15.
President: Stephanie Ball
Vice President: Paul Jansen
Secretary: Deja Scott

CLARION wins the Tony Diggs Innovation Award. The CLARION student program was recognized among University Campus Life Programs and Registered Student Organizations. The award is named for Tony Diggs, former director of the Student Activities Office. CLARION creates and conducts co-curricular, interprofessional experiences for Academic Health Center students based on the Institute of Medicine's report “Six Aims for a New Healthcare System."

(TOP)

Events for SPH Students

On Monday, May 7, an SPH school-wide meeting will be held for all SPH faculty, staff, and students. John Finnegan will give a dean's report along with other important announcements, including new faculty, awards, and promotions. Refreshments will be served at 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in room 3-100 of the Mayo building -- right below the Mayo Auditorium.

On Saturday, May 12 there will be an All Student Year-End Celebration held at the Radisson. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Scholarship recipients and award winners will also be recognized during the event. More details to come.

This year's Commencement Picnic, sponsored by the SPH Student Senate, will be held at Como Park on Sunday, May 13, from 4 to 10 p.m. Families are invited to this special event. Details will be sent closer to the date.

(TOP)

School News

Join the SPH student listserv. If you would like to send messages directly to fellow students, you can sign up to become part of the SPH student listserv. Only students who sign up for the listerv will receive messages. To join, address an e-mail to listserv@lists.umn.edu and in the body of the e-mail, type: sub sph-students yourfirstname yourlastname. (EXAMPLE: sub sph-students Joe Smith).

The Bio-Medical Library will extend its study hours to 24/7. In response to a request from an AHC student group for additional options for safe and comfortable study spaces, the Bio-Medical Library and AHC deans will conduct a pilot project to provide extended 24/7 access to a portion of the second (tunnel) level of the library in Diehl Hall.

Beginning Saturday, May 5, after the library's usual closing time, an area of the second floor will be accessible only to those who present a UCard. This area encompasses the public computers, study tables, small group study rooms, and rest rooms. There will be no library services, such as photocopying, printing, circulation, or reference assistance provided during extended hours. There will also be no access to the print collection of journals and books in the stacks. Access control will be provided by a UM Security Monitor stationed at the entrance. Please direct any questions to Linda Watson lwatson@umn.edu or 6-7039.

Summer volunteer opportunity. Seeking students interested in getting involved in international public health and those who have a passion for social justice issues. The Aslan Humanitarian Organization is recruiting volunteers to work with a nonprofit group in Africa this summer. Volunteer applications will be available at the Office of Student Affairs in Mayo D-305 and in the SPHere Lounge. Comments or inquiries can be directed to Abdi Ahmed at Qani20@yahoo.com or Ahmed098@umn.edu.

The deadline for cleaning out and removing locks from SPHere lockers is May 19. All lockers must be completely emptied by Saturday, May 19. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Services Center at sph-ssc@umn.edu or 6-3663.

Two career resources to help students in their job search to offer more services. The College of Education has started CareerPath, a free, online career management tool. Another online service, GoldPASS, the university's career and resume post and search system, is expanding and will offer services for all students. The changes planned include expanding the Web site and adding a section to publicize recruiting events on campus.
• Learn more about CCE's new service
• Learn more about GoldPASS

Learn what life is like for Kate Downing, a U of M public health student in health policy and management. Watch "My Life: Featuring Kate Downing."
• Watch My Life in Flash (7.5 mb)
• Watch My Life in Quicktime (28 mb)

Three global health courses are being offered during the Summer Public Health Institute and for the Fall 2007 semester. PubH 7200: War and Public Health will examine public health problems associated with armed conflict. CSPH 5321: Public Health Priorities in the Developing World will examine problems, priorities and interventions in developing countries. And the web-based course, Nurs 5800: Refugee Health: Trauma, Stress, and Coping will look at war, displacement and associated stressors affecting the psychosocial health of refugees.

(TOP)

CPHEO News

Upcoming Courses, Training, and Events from the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach (CPHEO)
• View a more detailed listing of our courses
• Register for the listed courses online

The Ethics of Public Health Emergencies: The Case of Pandemic Flu will be held on Wednesday, May 9. Debra A. DeBruin is the guest speaker for the event, which is the last ERR seminar this spring. For more information and registration, visit www.meret.umn.edu.

Look What's New at CPHP! Free innovative online learning opportunities and resources offered through the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness. These new activities are designed to enhance the participant's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health threats and emergencies.
New learning activities include:

• The Off-Site Care Facility-An Alternate Care Site: A Primer for Volunteers
• Mass Fatalities – planning for and response to a mass fatalities incident
• Zoonoses – significance and implications of zoonotic diseases for emergency preparedness
• Emergency Readiness Rounds – a series focusing on current readiness issues and controversies
• Coming April 2007! Disease Surveillance Skill Development Guide
• Competency Mapping – new format available in print AND online

• View more detailed information online or e-mail umncphp@umn.edu.

2007 Summer Public Health Institute
The institute will be held May 21-June 8 on the Twin Cities University campus.
The institute provides students with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study – for a single day or for three weeks. SPH students are invited to attend and are able to earn academic credit for their coursework. Visit www.cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute for the complete three-week Institute schedule, or to request a print catalog please 6-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu.

(TOP)

More Events

The Center for Lung Science and Health is presenting a Special Scientific Program on Monday, April 30. The program is from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and will be held in the Moos Tower Auditorium 2-650. Some of the discussion items include COPD: What are the key research needs, Tobacco Cessation and the New NHLBI strategic plan. Speakers from the National Health, Lung and Blood Institute at the NIH and the director of the Lung Division of the NHLBI will attend. For questions, please call 5-7741 or e-mail lung@umn.edu.

"Managing Incidental Findings in Human Subjects Research" is the title of a conference to take place Tuesday, May 1, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Cowles Auditorium of the Hubert H. Humphrey Center. This annual symposium will present the recommendations from an NIH-funded project to the public, researchers, research subjects, and regulatory bodies such as IRBs to obtain feedback.
• Find the full agenda, speaker bios, and registration info

A seminar on bias reduction versus sufficient dimension reduction will be held on Wednesday, May 2. David Nelson from the Center for Chronic Disease at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center is the keynote speaker. The event will be held at 3:30 in room 2-690 Moos Tower. A social tea will be held at 3 p.m. in A434 Mayo. All are welcome.
• Learn more online or call 4-4655

On May 2 and 3, the University will host a symposium to honor the lifetime contributions of Regent Professor Emeritus G. Edward Schuh. SPH faculty, staff, and students are invited to "Toward a Global Food and Agricultural Policy for an Open International Economy." A special rate of $20 for students and $40 for U faculty members and staff will cover the cost of the meals to be served during the symposium.
• Learn more about symposium, including registration

A faculty candidate seminar featuring Alan Lifson will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May, 3 in room 142 of WBOB. Refreshments will be available at 9:15 a.m. Lifson's discussion topic is “The Unholy Trinity and Death in Resource-Poor Settings: HIV, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B.

"The Two Faces of Pandemic Risk Communication: Alerting People Now and Helping Them Cope When It Happens" will be held 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8 in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. The guest speaker is Peter Sandman, a preeminent risk communication expert. The program is designed for public health professionals, Medical Reserve Corp members, preparedness coordinators, personnel in health care settings, and students and faculty in public health, journalism, public affairs, and law. For more information, contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Online registration information

A public lecture on "Risk Communication and the Food System: Gauging the Hazard, Managing the Outrage" will be held on Tuesday, May 8, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center on the St. Paul campus. Risk communications expert Peter Sandman is the keynote speaker. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lisa Brienzo at 4-2614 or brien002@umn.edu.

The Healthy Kids in Healthy Places Community Action Forum will be held Wednesday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The focus will be on several topics including specific changes, developing strategies for changes, increasing knowledge of key factors that impact obesity, and creating new connections among people concerned about childhood obesity. The forum will be held on the St. Paul campus at the Continuing Education and Conference Center, 1890 Buford Ave. The event is free, but pre-registration is required.
For more information contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 6-4515.
• Register online

Mona Fouad will present "Recruitment and Retention of Minorities Into Clinical Trials" Wednesday, May 9, noon to 1 p.m., in 2-530 Moos Tower. Fouad is a professor in the Medicine/Division of Preventive Medicine; and director, Minority Health and Research Center, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sandwiches and beverages will be provided for the first 50 attendees. The lecture is part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities.
• Learn more

The Minnesota Cancer Alliance will host the fourth annual Cancer Summit Tuesday, May 8, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Keynote speaker Tom Kean, executive director of C-Change, will discuss cultivating leadership in comprehensive cancer control. The Summit is open to anyone interested in learning about Minnesota cancer control efforts from community health workers and advocates to clinicians. Early bird registration deadline is April 10 and registration closes May 3. Continuing education credits will be offered.
• More information or to register
• Contact information: 800-958-8875 or 952-858-8950.

The Food Industry Center is sponsoring a colloquium, “Food, Technology, and Individual Privacy," on Wednesday, May 16. The discussion will focus on the RFID privacy debate and its implications for the food industry. The event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Coffman Union. For more information call 5-7019 or e-mail tfic@umn.edu.
• Register online

The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Seminars take place in conference room 364 at the WBOB. Learn more at the EpiCH Web site.
May 4: Hiroyasu Iso, Cardiovascular Epidemiology in Japan
May, 11: Kelli Komro, "Project Northland Chicago: A randomized controlled trial of a multi-component alcohol use preventive intervention for urban youth."

The Medical Technology Leadership Spring Forum will be held on Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The forum will examine the impact of the convergence of biologics with the medical device industry.
• Learn more

Save the date! The MPHA Annual Conference will be held Thursday and Friday, June 14-15 at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. This year's conference will include informative presentations on public health preparedness, food safety, childhood and adult obesity, and health care reform. The conference will include exhibits and displays about MPHA's and public health's history in Minnesota over the last 100 years. Watch for program, registration, and lodging information in early May.

The Ninth Annual MCH Summer Institute on Addressing Health Disparities, “Culture, Communications and Health," will be held Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25. The event will be held at the HH Humphrey Center and the cost is $40 for students – some scholarships are available. Exciting keynote speakers and in-depth breakout sessions will focus on issues of culture and health literacy; the implications of communications inequality; the health communication needs of specific communities of color; and new strategies to increase communication effectiveness.  A special feature of the Institute is a sneak preview of the upcoming PBS documentary: “Unnatural Causes: Is Health Inequality Making Us Sick?"
• Learn more and get registration info

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