The Weekly SPHere April 28, 2008
The Weekly SPHere is a weekly electronic publication for students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. To submit items for the Weekly SPHere, please send an e-mail to sphnews@umn.edu.
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SPHere Spotlight
Student access to the SPHere Student Lounge (A-150 Mayo) is changing beginning Wednesday, April 30. Students will now need to use the Ucard swipe system rather than a passcode. This change comes with the additional security measures that are being put in place for students and the equipment in the SPHere. Students will also notice a camera, which is connected to central security. Students are advised not to leave the SPHere door propped open. If you have questions about the new system, please stop by the Student Services Center (Mayo D305)
Student News
Health Insurance Coverage Outreach. Students from the Division of Health Policy and Management will lead a community outreach event on Sunday, May 4. They will provide public health insurance program enrollment to visitors at the annual May Day parade, held in Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis (a block south of Lake Street, between 10th and 14th Aves). Look for the "Cover the Uninsured" banner along the north side of the lake. The group is seeking volunteers for two-hour shifts between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Interested parties can contact Karen at shadac@umn.edu or 4-4802 to sign up.
Participate in one of two focus group sessions and receive a complimentary lunch on Monday, May 5, or Tuesday, May 6, 12 p.m. The focus group sessions are intended to improve communications to SPH students. Interested? Write to enge@umn.edu.
The Tylenol scholarship program is accepting applications through Thursday, May 15. The company plans to award a total of $250,000 in scholarship money to students pursing health-related studies. Applicants can apply online at www.tylenol.com/scholarship, using the access key TYNL.
Attend an information session about the newly revised Health Journalism M.A. program. The program could be the perfect addition to your public health studies. Attend a session to learn about the expanded curriculum on Friday, April 25 at noon or on Thursday, May 1, 10 a.m. Both sessions will be held in A-301 Mayo. Refreshments will be served.
The Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet are holding a joint essay competition for those under 30 on the theme: "Climate change and health: research challenges for the health of vulnerable populations." Winners will be invited to take part (with all expenses paid) in the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health in Bamako, Mali, Nov. 17-19. The entry deadline is April 30.
• More about the essay contest
Postdoctoral Fellowships are available in Paris for American students wishing to pursue research at the Institut Pasteur. With 2,500 people of 60 nationalities, the 130 research labs of the Institut Pasteur are devoted to the basic science of improving global public health with particular emphasis on infectious diseases. Packages are $70,000 per year for three years. The application deadline is May 9.
• Application information
Correction: The degree information for two winners of SPH Research Day were incorrectly listed in last week's issue of The Weekly SPHere. Mary Forte is a Ph.D. student in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration and Karen Soderberg is an M.S. student in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration. We apologize for the error.
School News
Learn more about work being done to advance sustainability efforts on campus at a forum on Monday, April 28. The will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mississippi Room in Coffman Union. University vice president Kathleen O'Brien and Institute on the Environment interim director and SPH professor Deborah Swackhamer will co-host the forum along with the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group. Attendees will have an opportunity to share ideas and priorities for campus sustainability. The forum, part of student Actifest week events, will also inform the work of the committee charged by President Bruininks, and co-chaired by O'Brien and Swackhamer, to develop sustainability goals and outcomes for the U.
Save the date for the Minnesota Public Health Association's reception and annual meeting on June 5. The reception will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the annual meeting is from 6:45 to 8 p.m. The gathering will be held at the Humphrey Center. More information to come.
Participate in a community preparedness exercise. Hennepin County Public Health and the City of Eden Prairie are working together to test a plan to distribute medications to the public quickly during an emergency, such as an infectious disease outbreak. The exercise will take place Sunday, May 4, at the Eden Prairie Center JC Penney parking lot anytime between 8:45a.m. and 10 a.m. In order to accurately test our plan, organizers need a minimum of 300 vehicles to drive through the dispensing lanes to pick up their M&M's "medication." This little detour will go a long way toward making our community safer--and you won't even have to get out of your car!
• Register online or call 612-348-4463.
Save the date for the Annual SPH Faculty and Assembly Meeting: Friday, May 16. All SPH faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held in Mayo Auditorium beginning with refreshments at 8:45 a.m. and the meeting goes from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m.
SPH Events
"Interval Estimation of Ratios of Parameters," will be presented by biostatistics professor Chap Le at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, in 5-125 Mayo. A social tea will be held at 3 p.m. in A434 Mayo. All are welcome.
• Learn more online or call 4-4655
Rachel Isaksson will discuss, "Simulation to Estimate Sample Size for the Strategic Timing of Anti-Retroviral Treatment (START) Trial" during her Plan B presentation at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, in the CCBR Ballroom. Refreshments will be served prior to the presentation.
Join the Art of Living Foundation and the SPH at the "Pre-Exam Relaxation Session" where new techniques will be discovered to harmonize the body, mind and spirit from the stress of exams, school, and work. Everyone is invited to relax at this free event which will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, in the SPHere A-150 Mayo. Fruit and beverages will be provided. For questions contact Thuy Doan at doanx034@umn.edu
Other Events
MAY 6 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Biofuels Production and the Environment
May 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Our Bodies Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth