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 "Now more than ever, public health is your health," said Dr. Harrison Spencer, President and CEO of ASPH. "The ‘This is Public Health’ campaign and National Public Health Week allows us to illustrate the many ways in which public health touches us all." To help celebrate, ASPH has launched a micro-web site, www.thisispublichealth.org, on its "What is Public Health?" web site. On the main page of the site is a compelling video that features students and faculty from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health participating in the sticker campaign.
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The Associate Deans for Finance and Research met this week at the Hilton Chicago O’Hare in Chicago, IL. This marked the first time that the Associate Deans for Finance and the Associate Deans for Research met together to discuss key issues. The meeting of 42 associate deans for finance and research from 33 ASPH member schools was on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4. |
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Morning traffic in Tianjin, China (note the absence of bicycle helmets) highlights one of many public health problems faced by the Chinese population.
Photo taken by: Ms. Mary Beth Lewis, University of Michigan School of Public Health communications specialist, during a week-long assignment in China over spring break 2008. Thirty University of Michigan School of Public Health students and five staff members visited four practice-based projects hosted by the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control. Tijian is a major metropolitan area in northeast China with a population of 11 million.
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 Beginning in the May/June issue of Public Health Reports, the Surgeon General’s office will contribute to the journal on a regular basis. Surgeon General’s Perspectives is an important addition to Public Health Reports and will provide insight and guidance on important national public health topics.
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The spring 2008 ASPH Student Services Council Newsletter was published this week. The current issue and the fall 2007 issue can be accessed here. The newsletter serves as a forum for admissions and student affairs professionals working in graduate admissions and student services in Schools of Public Health. The ASPH Student Services Council Newsletter is published bi-annually in electronic format.
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 On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, ASPH staff and a number of schools of public health attended the third "Become a Disease Detective: Discover Public Health!" conference, which was held at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. This conference, previously held in 2003 and 2006, introduces university students, faculty and advisors to opportunities in the field of public health. Over 400 students from the south central area attended, as well as dozens of advisors from across the country. Many advisors were invited by ASPH to facilitate their ability to advise students on the field of public health.
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 In a podcast released on April 1, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Julie Gerberding encouraged high school students to actively explore the field of public health. She highlighted public health as a career choice and reminded students that it is also a means to learn more about protecting their own health and the health of their loved ones. Dr. Gerberding also referred students to the ASPH website in order to learn more about undergraduate public health education and the core undergraduate public health courses that have already been developed: Public Health 101, Epidemiology 101 and Global Health 101.
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On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Boston University SPH, Yale SPH, Harvard SPH, Johns Hopkins and Emory RSPH attended the Morehouse Public Health Awareness Conference, which was a two day series of lectures, workshops, seminars and other activities. International, national and local public health experts visited the Atlanta University Center campuses to discuss public health and participated in a graduate/professional school fair, which exposed students to the many opportunities in the health professions. |
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Mr. Chris Kinabrew, the public health specialist from ESRI and a leader in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), met with ASPH staff on Tuesday, March 25 to discuss how ESRI can assist schools of public health. He described three ways that individuals and schools can get involved with this exciting technology. [ Continued ]
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 Last week, a small group met in Philadelphia to finalize the first offering of the national public health certification exam. This effort marked the culmination of nearly two years of work, involving representatives from accredited public health schools and programs and the practice community from across the country, as well as representatives from all areas of public health disciplinary expertise. A group of 30 item writers generated over 700 potential examination questions. Each item was then carefully edited, subjected to intense peer review and either accepted, rewritten and accepted or rejected. From the bank of nearly 600 items that remained, 200 were selected for the first exam, which be offered August 11-30.
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ASPH regularly provides members and Friday Letter readers with information about grant opportunities. New opportunities are listed each week in the "Funding Opportunities" section of the Friday Letter. Readers can access a full listing of grant notices by visiting the "Funding for Faculty" section of the ASPH web site. You may want to bookmark this page (www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=747). Listed below are grant opportunities that have been posted within the last seven days |
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Secretary’s Forecast Summary CDC-RFA-PS08-813 CDC’s Procurement and Grants Office has published a program announcement entitled, "Initiatives to Educate State Officials and Policy Makers about Priority Public Health Issues Related to the Prevention and Control of STDs and HIV and AIDS." Approximately $140,000 will be available in fiscal year 2008 to fund one award. |
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The Healthy Communities Grant Program is seeking projects that target resources to benefit communities at risk (environmental justice areas of potential concern, places with high risk from toxic air pollution, urban areas) and sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, others at increased risk); assess, understand and reduce environmental and human health risks; increase collaboration through community-based projects; build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environment and human health problems and achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits. |
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is currently accepting grant proposals for Grand Challenges Explorations, a $100 million initiative to help scientists pursue innovative ideas for solving major global health problems. |
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 The American Psychological Foundation (APF) provides financial support of innovative research and programs that enhance the power of psychology to elevate the human condition and advance human potential both now and in generations to come. The Lizette Peterson Homer Memorial Injury Research Grant focuses on psychosocial research on injuries to children and young adults through accidents, violence, abuse or suicide. A $1,500 annual award is open to students and faculty to support research related to the prevention of injuries in children.
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 As part of the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Public Health’s celebration of National Public Health week, a panel discussion with state and local public health leaders, titled "In Sickness and In Wealth," will be held on Tuesday, April 8 at 3 p.m. The event is based on a new PBS series called "Unnatural Causes." "In Sickness and In Wealth" is the title of the first installment of the series. The episode investigates how a person’s work conditions, social status, neighborhood conditions and lack of access to power and resources can actually alter their human biology and, similar to germs and viruses, make them sick.
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In recognition of National Public Health Week, April 7-13, students at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have planned a number of activities. Each day, a new poster with information about a public health topic will be displayed in the lobby of the campus’ main building. A slide show will be shown concurrently that illustrates climate change challenges in countries that are home to HSPH students. |
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Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will discuss "The Public Health Effects of Global Climate Change" at the University at Albany's School of Public Health on Monday, April 7 at 3 p.m. (ET) Her lecture will highlight the School's celebration of National Public Health Week, which runs April 7-13. |
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The Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health (HSC-SRPH) will celebrate National Public Health Week, April 7-13, beginning with a "Fun Run" and 10-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, April 5. |
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 Dr. Mariana Chilton, an assistant professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health, was a lead author of an opinion editorial on child hunger. The piece was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, April 1 and spotlights the impacts that rising food and energy prices have on the development and health of vulnerable children and toddlers nationwide. As the lead researcher for the Philadelphia site of the national Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP), Dr. Chilton also sees first-hand that many children in the region who enter kindergarten behind in the skills needed to read and are hungry.
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 The Drexel University School of Public Health was awarded an Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) grant from the National Institutes of Health for more than $14.3 million to examine risk factors and the development of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in expectant mothers and their babies. The ACE is the largest grant received by the School of Public Health in its 11-year history. The Drexel University School of Public Health will coordinate the overall study and will lead the Philadelphia research field site. The grant was awarded to Dr. Craig J. Newschaffer, chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Drexel School of Public Health, who will serve as the principal investigator.
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Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Public Health have gathered some of the nation’s top experts in public health and the environment to participate in a web-based conversation on the current state of our planet’s health, as a part of National Public Health Week, on Thursday, April 10 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (ET). |
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Dr. Guthrie S. Birkhead, associate professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University at Albany School of Public Health and deputy commissioner of the Office of Public Health for the New York State Department of Health, was recently named a recipient of the American Medical Association’s Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service. Dr. Birkhead’s honor was recognized in the category of Outstanding Career Public Servant at the State Level. |
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The University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) was ranked 43rd in primary care this year, according to 2009 rankings from U.S. News & World Report, marking the college’s seventh consecutive appearance in the top 50. |
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On Tuesday, April 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a teleconference to announce the establishment of two public dockets. In one Federal Register notice, FDA requests information and comments on its 2007 Food Protection Plan that presents a robust strategy to protect the nation’s food supply from both unintentional contamination and deliberate attack. In another, FDA invites comments on for Third-Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds. [ Continued ]
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The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Making Health Communication Programs Work, also known as the Pink Book, has been a resource for practitioners to guide communications planning. Ongoing evaluation of NCI communications programs over the past 25 years has affirmed the value of using specific communication strategies to promote health and prevent disease. The NCI will no longer be printing hard copy books or compact discs of Making Health Communication Programs Work. It will be available online only at www.cancer.gov/pinkbook. |
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Presentations from the first public meeting of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health, held on March 24, are now available on the project web site at www.iom.edu/usandglobalhealth. The public meeting included presentations from the study sponsors and other eminent figures in global health. Audio recordings of the presentations are forthcoming. |
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Scientists have identified a genetic variant that not only makes smokers more susceptible to nicotine addiction, but also increases their risk of developing two smoking-related diseases, lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease. The research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). |
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Treating children as early as age six or seven with stimulants for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not likely to increase risk of substance abuse as adults, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, the studies also showed treatment with stimulants did not prevent substance abuse later in adulthood. [ Continued ]
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ASPH will regularly provide members and Friday Letter readers with links to other electronic newsletters that may be of interest to the public health community. Links to E-newsletters will be added to a web page found at www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=924. This week’s additions include:
AAMC STAT: Association of American Medical Colleges, March 31, 2008 Issue
www.aamc.org/newsroom/aamcstat/aamcnews.htm
AUPHA Exchange: Association of University Programs in Health Administration, March 2008 Supplement
www.aupha.org/files/public/March2008.pdf
CCPH E-news, Community Campus Partnerships for Health, April 2008
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/enews.html
CDC Cancer Prevention and Control Web Updates, First Quarter 2008
www.cdc.gov/cancer/?s_cid=q0308Cancer_Home
Harvard Public Health Now: Harvard School of Public Health, March 28, 2008 Issue
www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/
Foundations of Public Health: Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation, March 2008, Volume II Issue 3
www.phscofevents.org/newsletter/index.cfm
Spotlight on Aging Research: News and Notes from the National Institute on Aging: NIA, Inaugural Issue
www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/SOAR/v1n1/ |
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The National Council for Science and the Environment’s (NCSE) 2007 National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Integrating Environment and Human Health conference report and 7 th Annual John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture, delivered by Mr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director of Google.org, are now available as PDFs and can be found online at www.ncseonline.org/2007conference. |
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 The ASPH Friday Letter invites members of the ASPH-community to submit entries for the ASPH Friday Letter Photo-of-the-Month Contest. Each month Friday Letter staff will choose a photo that depicts a public health experience of students, faculty and staff of ASPH-member schools or affiliates of ASPH-partner organizations. Photo submissions should capture a public health experience such as school/community event or service project, faculty or student research experience, a fellowship/internship experience or a new public health initiative.
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Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) will be holding its 11th Summer Service-Learning Institute July 25-28 at Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, Cascade Mountains, Leavenworth, WA. Applications are due by Thursday, April 10. |
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The National Library of Medicine (NLM), located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, is opening a new, interactive exhibit on Thursday, April 17 titled “Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health.” [ Continued ]
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The first Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Career Day will be held Monday, April 21 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) at AmericasMart Atlanta, 250 Peachtree Street, Building 1-Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Atlanta, GA. The event will provide an opportunity to learn about CDC program areas, employee organizations, tips on applying for federal jobs and the work that is done at the CDC.
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt will deliver a keynote address on “Building a Health Care System Based on Value” at the 5th Annual World Health Care Congress, which will be held April 21-23 in Washington, DC. Secretary Leavitt will deliver his address on Wednesday, April 23 at 11:30 a.m. (ET) and will be immediately followed by a press conference. [ Continued ]
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 On Tuesday, April 29 from 12-2 p.m. (ET), Dr. Muin J. Khoury, the director of the National Office of Public Health Genomics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will deliver a keynote presentation on how the public health system, as broadly defined by the 2003 IOM The Future of the Public’s Health in the 21st Century report, might utilize the developed and emerging knowledge, research, tools and approaches of genomics for the improvement of the public’s health.
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 The 7th annual National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) conference will be held on May 14-16 at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, LA. The theme of this conference is "Unlocking Hidden Potential for Health Policy Reform" and the focus will be on building strong components of health promotion, improvement and disease prevention in nation, state and local health system reform.
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The Harvard School of Public Health will host a graduate level, two-week, interactive training workshop titled “Engineering Methods for the Control of Airborne Infections: An International Perspective” on July 14-25. The workshop will allow participants to learn how to apply current engineering methods to reduce the transmission of airborne diseases. [ Continued ]
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 New!
Volume 123
Issue 2
March/April 2008
Public Health Reports (PHR) is an informative and accessible resource for practitioners, teachers and students of public health. The Journal provides important research and key discussions on the major issues confronting the public health community. Subscribe Today! [ Continued ]
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The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) has updated information on Maintenance of Certification for Certified in Public Health professionals. Please visit www.nbphe.org/FAQs.cfm#MOC for more information.
 SOPHAS, the Schools of Public Health Application Service, is now available at sophas.org. Visit www.sophas.org and discover the simplest way to apply to graduate schools of public health.
 ASPH job listings are now posted on our new jobs website, www.publichealthjobs.net. In addition to new features like e-mail agents and saved search, we're sure you'll find the new site easier to search!
Visit our site to check out the 231 job opportunities available today.
Employers: Job submissions are no longer accepted via E-mail. To post a job, go to www.publichealthjobs.net, register as an employer, and enter in your job details. You will be able to manage all of your job postings right from your desktop!
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