The Economy and Health: What is the Role of Public Health?

Friday, April 27, 2012
9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Coffman Memorial Union

300 Washington Avenue SE, U of M East Bank Campus

» Map and directions

This event is free and open to the public, but online registration is requested.

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Program

This SPH Roundtable will focus on the effects of recent changes in the economy on health and the strategies needed to improve the health of those most affected by the recession and job loss.

Keynote

Kate Strully, PhD, MA, is assistant professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where she studies the causes behind economic disparities in health, particularly how health influences—and is influenced by—social position. Her work seeks to understand how social programs and policies mediate relationships between socioeconomic status and health. Strully is a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from New York University.

Paul Mattessich, PhD, is executive director of Wilder Research, one of the largest U.S. organizations to study the effectiveness of human service, education, public health, and other programs intended to improve quality of life. Wilder Research is the home of Minnesota Compass, a social indicators project that identifies trends, tracks progress, and provides analysis with the goal of improving communities. Mattessich serves on a variety of government and nonprofit task forces. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Minnesota.

Melanie Ferris, MPH, is a research scientist at Wilder Research, where she conducts program evaluation and research in public health and children's mental health. She has studied health inequities in the Twin Cities metro, conducted process evaluations for Statewide Health Improvement Program grantees, and helped assess food accessibility in Ramsey County. Her current work will assess youth mental health and well-being in Hennepin County. Ferris received her M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Agenda

• 9-9:30 a.m. – Registration, light breakfast, and poster session by SPH students
• 9:30-9:45 a.m. – Welcome and opening remarks by SPH Dean John Finnegan
• 9:45-10:25 a.m. – Dr. Katherine Strully, “Economic Recessions and Health: Multilevel Interventions to Help Resolve Complex Problems”
• 10:25-11:10 a.m. – Dr. Paul Mattessich and Melanie Ferris, “Health Inequities in the Twin Cities: Can We Close the Gap?”
• 11:10-11:50 a.m. – Q & A
• 11:50 a.m.-noon – Evaluation and closing remarks

 

School of Public Health Roundtable Series

The School of Public Health Roundtable series is a discussion-based, educational forum covering current public health topics. Leaders in the field share their knowledge with community members, public health professionals, and University faculty and students.