SPH News Oct. 1, 2007
SPH News is a school-wide electronic newsletter distributed to SPH faculty and staff every other week during the school year. Please send news items to SPHNews@umn.edu. The deadline for submission for the Oct. 15 issue is 9 a.m. on Oct.10.
From the Dean
There is an old saying, "Growth is an option; Change is not." I call on this phrase because it nicely captures the good news I am delivering to you today, and the reasons behind that good news.
I'm happy to report that the 2007-08 academic year marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment for the SPH. We now have 1,343 total active students in the school. This marks a 13 percent gain over the last academic year of 1,191 students. And it marks a whopping 83 percent increase over the 2003 student population of 734.
Who makes up the largest student body in our school's history? By degree here's how it looks: 727 MPH, 89 MHA, 178 MS, 159 PhD, and 190 Regents' Certificates. Here's the part I really like: Our female minority student population of African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans is up by 18 percent over last year. Male minority students are up by 11 percent.
While we can't stop the world from changing, we can grow to meet the increasingly complex challenges of that world—whether they be in infectious disease, policy, environmental health, chronic illness, global health, or preparedness. And we can grow in a way that brings our student body closer to reflecting the populations we serve.
Thanks to our stellar faculty and staff for creating a school that continues to rise in demand and reputation. And to our students, I send 1,343 wishes of good luck to you
--John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
Media News
September 2007 media coverage featured the following SPH faculty and staff:
Alan Bender
Ian Greaves
Alan Hirsch
Rosalie Kane
Nicole Larson
Jeffrey Mandel
Mary Story
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Coverage was featured in local media as well as in London's The Daily Mail and in a ScienceDaily.com, Forbes.com, CNNmoney.com, HealthDay News, and The Washington Post. Visit http://www.sph.umn.edu/news/ to read more about SPH faculty in the news and find links to the complete stories, or e-mail SPHNews@umn.edu to request hard copies of the stories.
Faculty News
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant applications are due Oct. 15. Grants up to $30,000 support assistant professors who have no independent national funding and are engaged in cancer-related research, including genetic mechanisms of cancer, molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and metastasis, development of novel therapeutic models and translational research, and cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Request an application by contacting micek003@umn.edu or 6-1926.
Fellowship opportunities. Families USA is accepting applications for two fellowships -- The Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice and the Villers Fellowship for Health Care Justice. The deadline is Jan. 15, 2008.
• Learn more about the Wellstone Fellowship
• Learn more about the Villers Fellowship
The Learning Abroad Center has two grant opportunities for U of M faculty and staff: Intercultural Engagement grants and Innovation for Broader Engagement grants. These grants are offered as part of the Study Abroad Curriculum Integration initiative. Applications are due at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 15.
Student News
Kudos to Epi PhD student Carrie Heitzler. Two weeks ago Heitzler finished the Ironman race in Wisconsin, which involved swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a marathon (26 miles). Her total time was 11 hours, 7 minutes, 19 seconds. She was 3/111 in her age group, and ranked 19th out of all 502 females--including 12 professionals--250/2209 total. Her third place age-group finish qualified her for the World Championships in Hawaii in October.
Melissa Boney has been selected as a 2007 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Emerging Leader. This prestigious fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for graduate students who want to work in federal government. Boney has begun work at the Indian Health Services headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. She will spend the next two years working in different offices in DHHS.
School News
SPH assistant professor Jeffrey McCullough writes about physician-hospital organization and IT use in hospitals for the September edition of Research Brief. SPH Research brief is a monthly publication that profiles the research of SPH faculty.
• Read McCullough's Brief
• View
past issues of the brief
Public Health Moments from September include SPH faculty talking about topics such as cholesterol awareness, youth access to alcohol, donating blood, and the importance of fruits and vegetables.
• Listen to Public Health Moment
Policy Change for the SPH Information Board. If you have a flyer or magazines/brochures you would like posted on the SPH information board by the Dean's Office, please contact Heidi Menzel (menze029@umn.edu or x4-6708). Information must be SPH-related. The school is in the process of revamping the information board, so be on the lookout for some exciting changes!
Community Fund Drive Starts Oct. 1. The University once again has teamed up with respected, well-run organizations that support social services, education, arts, and health to make it easy for faculty and staff to give to the community. You can choose where your money goes, selecting from a wide variety of worthy causes. This year, the University is aiming to again raise $1.25 million - funds that will go a long way toward addressing critical community needs.
• Learn more/contribute online
Are you attending APHA this year? If so, consider signing up to volunteer at the SPH booth. Each year the booth is buzzing with alumni, friends, faculty, and prospective students and what a perfect opportunity to network and assist the student services center personnel. In years past, faculty and staff who attended the conference have volunteered to hang out at the booth for a scheduled shift or just passed through at opportune times. If you are presenting, you may want to schedule yourself at the booth immediately following your session to accommodate continued discussion or prior to your session to advertise yourself. A booth staffing schedule that reflects the concurrent sessions of the conference has been prepared and is being managed by Melvin Monette, Director for Student Recruitment. Please stop by Melvin's office in Mayo D384 to claim your spot on the schedule and pick up a complimentary copy of APHA's Program at a Glance.You may also e-mail monet008@umn.edu or call 4-0601. During Melvin's travels, Val Mitchel will have the schedule for you to view in the Student Services Center.
Join the SPH reception at APHA. If you'd like to attend the SPH Alumni and Friends Reception scheduled for Monday, Nov. 5 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Washington please contact Nichole Marthaler at 6-9303 or at mart1047@umn.edu.
SPH Booth update for APHA. The SPH booth will be shipped Friday, Oct. 12. Should you wish to have items shipped for booth distribution or display, please have them to the Student Service Center by Thursday, Oct. 11, 4:30 p.m. Items requiring multiple copies should be already printed and all copies made. Items needing special (fragile) shipping must have packaging materials supplied by you. Perishable items cannot be shipped at this time as they will be stored in a D.C. warehouse until the conference. If your program, division or major has items you would like to distribute at the booth on your behalf, please check with Melvin Monette or Carol Francis prior to sending them to the SSC for shipment. The SSC may not be able to accommodate all your give-away requests.
Participants wanted for Alzheimer's disease research conducted by the School of Nursing and School of Medicine. Researchers are focused on discovering future therapies that will slow or halt the progression of the disease, which affects 13 million adults worldwide. They are looking to identify biological determinants of Alzheimer's. A phone call will determine if a person is qualified and an office visit for a physical exam and blood and urine tests. To participate or for questions, contact Joe Gaugler, assistant professor in the School of Nursing at 6-2485 or gaug0015@umn.edu.
Web site offers searchable database of low-cost or free cervical cancer screening programs. The Minnesota Women's Cervical Cancer Screening Resources Database is up and running. This database allows women to search by zip code or city for clinics and programs offering free or low cost pap smears and other services.
• View the site
• Questions? Contact Vicky Townsend: 651-201-3602, e-mail Vicky.townsend@health.state.mn.us
Call for abstracts. The Minnesota Health Services Research Conference planned for March of 2008 is calling for abstracts. The deadline is Monday Nov. 5. Abstract writers will be notified by Dec. 3. For information and questions contact Jane Raasch at 5-0955 or via e-mail raasc001@umn.edu.
SPH Events & Courses
Statistical Methods for Human Genomic Research will be discussed by Yulan Liang, a candidate for faculty position in the Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center Department of Biostatistics University at Buffalo, SUNY. The seminar will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1 in room 2-520 MoosT. All are welcome and lunch will be provided for the first 30 attendees.
Join Dan Nettleton from the Department of Statistics at Iowa State University as he discusses "Exploring the Information in p-Values for the Analysis and Planning of Multiple-Test Experiments." The seminar will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3 in MoosT 1-450G. This talk covers joint work with David Ruppert and Gene Hwang at Cornell University. A social tea will be held at 3 p.m. in A434 Mayo. All are Welcome.
• Learn more online or call 4-4655
Students in the MCH Program will discuss their public health experiences in India during two informal gatherings. Both sessions will be held in A301 Mayo (in the Dean's suite of offices) and both will be from 12:15-1:15 p.m. The first is Monday, Oct. 15 and features Karthik Srinivasan discussing his work with a project to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and with HIV/AIDS in commercial sex workers in South India. In the second session on Monday, Oct. 29, Mandi Proue and Terra Carey will share stories and photos from their recent field work. MCH will provide light refreshments and everyone is welcome to attend.
Missing data imputation in case-parent triad studies will be discussed by Zhi Huang, a masters candidate in biostatistics, at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, in A110 Mayo.
Plan B Presentation, part II will be held at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Fang Liu, a masters candidate in biostatistics, will discuss "Multi-Class Cancer Outliner Differential Gene Expression Detection." Liu's presentation will be held in A434 Mayo
Xenobiotics and Human Health Seminar Series: The Divisions of Epidemiology and Community Health and Environmental Health Sciences are holding a series of joint seminars. The goal is to exchange information and ideas about persistent organic pollutants and health, seen from several perspectives. Place and Time: Mayo 1155, Mondays, 10:30-noon. This schedule is subject to change. Please call Carol Raichert at 5-1836 to confirm.
- Oct. 8: Jeff Mandel and Bruce Alexander
Persistent fluorochemicals, worker health, and mortality - Oct. 22: Deborah Swackhamer and Matt Simcik
Fate and transport of emerging chemical pollutants
The School of Public Health Roundtable Series on Environmental Influences on Human Development and Disease Risk will be held from 8:30-noon on Friday, Oct. 12 in Cowles Auditorium at the Humphrey Center. The keynote speaker is Philip J. Landrigan. This event will focus on the historical and unprecedented increases in chronic disease and illness among infants and children. After the event participants will better be able to identify continuing and emerging threats to infant and child health, describe changes in governmental policy that can protect children from environmental hazards and risk and describe issue advocacy efforts at local, regional national and global levels to help reduce those risks. The Roundtable Series is free but registration is requested.
• Learn more/register online
Toxic Hazards in your Community: Free Community Workshops - These two-hour community workshops are for community members who are interested in understanding more about the toxic substances in their homes and neighborhoods. Participants will find out what might be dangerous in their area and how to protect their family and friends from dangerous substances.
• Learn more online
Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course (Video Streaming), Aug. 15-Oct. 15. The National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course offers online video streaming over the Internet to allow distance learners an opportunity to view sessions of the course. The streaming video sessions will be 8-9 hours.
• Learn more online
UPCOMING CPHEO COURSES
Occupational Hearing Conservation Refresher Training, Oct. 2
Occupational Hearing Conservation Training, Oct 1-3
NIOSH Approved Spirometry Training, Oct. 4-5
8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher, Oct. 11
• View a detailed course listing
• Register online
Other Events
"Saving the Planet ... One Campus at a Time" presented by the Institute on the Environment will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, in room 105 at the Cargill Building for Microbial and Plant Genomics on the St. Paul campus. This marks the first in several environmental roundtables which features University-wide conversations on pressing environmental issues of our time. Come hear Jacqueline Johnson, Chancellor of University of Minnesota Morris, and Thomas Fisher, Dean of the College of Design, discuss the role academia should play and what challenges exist, and share your ideas for how to 'green' our own campus.
• Learn more online
Bridges Fall Down is the Headliners event for October. Join Professor John Adams at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4 for the monthly forum to discuss the collapse of the I-35W bridge and how the catastrophe helped put the focus on civic infrastructure. He'll also discuss the broader implications of this Minnesota tragedy and explore possible solutions. The discussion will take place at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the St. Paul campus. Visit the Headliners Web site or call 4-4000 to sign up for the October 4 event, order a series pass, or learn more about the program.
Preconception Conference. A Lifespan Approach to Reproductive Health: Getting it Right. A one-day conference about preconception care will be held on Friday, Oct. 5 at Snelling Office Park in St. Paul. The conference is intended for health care providers, nurses, public health professionals, researchers, allied health students, health administrators, and policy makers. Conference participants may earn continuing education credits. For further information, go to www.epi.umn.edu/mch or www.marchofdimes.com/minnesota.
Canadian Defense Scientist Jim Ho will discuss, "Detection of Biological Threat Aerosols: Why is it so Difficult," on Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in 2-620 Moos Tower. The event is part of the LM Fingerson/TSI Inc., Distinguished Lecture Series. A wine and cheese reception will be held in the Campus Club at the Coffman immediately following the event.
The 2007 Many Faces of Community Health Conference will be held on Thursday Oct. 11 and Friday Oct. 12. The focus of the conference is on working to reduce health disparities in underserved populations. This year's clinical session are on managing multiple chronic diseases. The keynote is "Bridges Out of Poverty." There will be a special session on Friday about working with homeless populations.
• Learn more online
Why We Eat More Than We Think. The Institute for Research in Marketing is pleased to announce that Brian Wansink, author of the best-selling book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, will discuss the influence of advertising and marketing on eating habits on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., in the Carlson School of Management's 3M Auditorium. A reception will follow the talk. This event is open to the public with a registration fee of $45; current University of Minnesota students may register at no charge.
• Register online
Minnesota Public Health Association's Centennial Celebration Gala - Join the MPHA as it celebrates 100 years as a contributor to the health of Minnesotans. Will Steger, polar explorer, will be the keynote speaker at the event, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 25, 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. at McNamara Alumni Center. The evening includes a buffet dinner and cash bar, buffet dinner and cash bar, music by the MPHA Jazz Band, welcoming remarks by public health leaders, a history of public health in Minnesota and highlights from A Public Health Journal. Registration deadline is October 17.
• Register online. Questions?
Call (612) 673-3948.
Diabetes--a Breakthrough Series event. Registration is now open for the daylong event scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29. Learn about important research that examines insulin delivery systems, continuous glucose monitoring, islet transplantation, stem cells and other emerging modalities. The event is presented by the Office of Clinical Research and partner, LifeScience Alley. University faculty, staff and students will receive a discounted rate of $25 for the full- day conference on the St. Paul Campus.
• Register online
A conference on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8. This conference will cover a multitude of topics related to FASD including current diagnostic criteria, approaches for screening for alcohol use during pregnancy, and prevention and intervention strategies. The keynote address will be presented by Dan Dubovsky, the FASD specialist for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) FASD Center for Excellence. Registration fee is $25. Student scholarships are available. Please call Mary Ellen Walker at 651-351-3135.
Annual UMS-AIHA Professional Development Conference: "Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases and their Impact on Occupational Health" will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul.
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