SPH Alumni News Winter 2007

Alumni News-Winter 2007

Alumni News is a quarterly e-newsletter from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The next issue will be distributed in April.

Show your support for a statewide smoking ban at the Minnesota Capitol on Jan. 30. SPH alumni are encouraged to register for Smoke-Free Minnesota Day. Participants who register to take part in the day's activities will gather at St. Paul RiverCenter, 175 West Kellogg Blvd., for morning programs before traveling to the Capitol to show their support for comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation. Experienced advocates will lead group meetings with state legislators in which people will be given the opportunity to express why they think Minnesota should be smoke-free. Participation in Minnesota Smoke-Free Day at the Capitol is open to the public and free of charge. Registration is required.
Learn more and/or register online

SPH Alumni Board Being Assembled
Currently the School of Public Health (SPH) is without an Alumni Board.  With the support and encouragement of Dean John Finnegan, members of the SPH Alumni Society are working to assemble an Alumni Board by spring 2007.  A steering committee made up of SPH alumni from a variety of programs and graduation years is soliciting nominations of individuals interested in serving on the 15-member Board. Board membership is open to SPH alumni, students, faculty members, staff, and friends.  Membership is not restricted to those residing in the Twin Cities or Minnesota.

If you are interested in serving on the School of Public Health Alumni Board, please click below for more information about the responsibilities involved with Board membership and then click here to apply.  Board applications will be reviewed in early March, board members will be named in late March, and the first meeting will take place in late April.

For more information, please contact Diana Harvey, SPH assistant dean for external affairs, at (612)625-7134 or dharvey@umn.edu.

• Learn more and/or apply online

To honor SPH Professor Robert and Karen Veninga's distinguished careers and service to countless students and colleagues, more than 70 donors have stepped forward to create the Robert and Karen Veninga Scholarship Fund. Alumni and friends have already donated more than $40,000 to the newly endowed fund, which will have its annual awards to international MPH students doubled by the University's scholarship match program.
• Make a donation online at: www.mmf.umn.edu/giveto/veninga, or call 612-624-5406.

Read the latest SPH Research Brief, "Using Mathematical Models for Cancer Control: An Example of Colorectal Cancer," by Karen Kuntz, professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management. Research Brief is a monthly publication of research by SPH faculty that is distributed electronically.
• Read Karen Kuntz' Research Brief
• Subscribe to Research Brief

The 2007 Legislative Briefing and Reception is an opportunity for alumni to join President Bruininks for an insider's look at the U's 2007 legislative request. The U seeks $123.4 million in new state funds in its 2008-2009 biennial budget request, with stated goals of ensuring the U's continued excellence and helping to build for the future of the U and the state. Learn what you can do as an advocate and network with others who care about the U. Light dinner buffet followed by a program; short training sessions available. Jan. 24, 5:30-8 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC. Register by Jan. 18, 5 p.m., at www.supporttheU.umn.edu or by calling Emily Johnston at 612-625-8739.

Advances, the quarterly SPH alumni magazine, is available online at http://www.sph.umn.edu/advances/home.html. The current issue features a story on public health preparedness, as well as the latest annual report. To have a printed copy of Advances magazine mailed to you, send your name and address to SPHNews@umn.edu.

Do you have news to share on a new job, award, or other accomplishment? If you have news that you'd like to appear in a future issue of Advances (the SPH alumni magazine), send it to SPHNews@umn.edu.

Read, listen to, and watch SPH blogs and podcasts. You'll find real people, real stories, real public health. Learn about advances in public health by tuning into Public Health Moment. Listen to Public Lectures and hear presentations by leading experts on a range of issues. See what it's like to be a public health student by watching My Life, a video podcast (www.sph.umn.edu/podcast) or by reading our student blogs on Student SPHere (www.sph.umn.edu/sphere/).

Mark Your Calendars for the 2007 National Public Health Week Film Festival. This third annual event will be April 3-7. In recognition of National Public Health Week, the SPH, its community partners, and the Minnesota Public Health Association are offering free films about public health issues. The festival will be held on or near the University campus. Each night's festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. Stay tuned for films to be featured at www.sph.umn.edu/filmfestevents.html.

The Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA) celebrates 100 years in 2007! Stay tuned for details on events commemorating this milestone. To learn more about MPHA, go to http://www.mpha.net/home.html.

Stay connected to current SPH students and fellow alumni with the Alumni Network at www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/network/.

Learn about the SPH Mentor Program at www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/mentor/.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to Alumni News send your name and e-mail address to SPHNews@umn.edu.

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