ASPH is now accepting nominations for the ASPH/Pfizer Awards. These awards are intended to acknowledge and encourage excellence in teaching, research, and practice. The 49 full ASPH-member Schools of Public Health are invited to submit nominees. The application deadline is 5 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, July 13. Nominations are particularly encouraged for women and minority faculty. While self-nominations are not accepted, nominees are welcomed and encouraged to assist nominators with the preparation of materials for the nomination packet.

The fight against youth tobacco use was accelerated this week by Dr. Regina Benjamin, the U.S. Surgeon General, with the release of the Surgeon General’s Report Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults. This report details the scope, health consequences and influences that lead to youth tobacco use and proven strategies that prevent its use. Faculty at the University of Texas School of Public Health took a lead role in developing the report. Dr. Cheryl Perry, professor and regional dean of the Austin Regional Campus, was senior scientific editor and lead author on the report. Dr. Melissa Stigler, assistant professor at UTexas, was senior associate editor and UTexas doctoral students Ms. MeLisa Creamer and Ms. Emily Neusel were listed as contributors on the report.

Mammograms of women aged 40 to 49 led to earlier detection of breast cancer and better treatment outcomes, according to a new study led by Dr. Judith Malmgren, affiliate assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of  Washington School of Public Health. The study, published in the March edition of Radiology, adds to the continuing debate over whether women in their 40s should receive mammograms to detect breast cancer, the second-leading cause of death in women nationally.

Harvard School of Public Health researchers and colleagues have found that strong social networks and volunteering are linked with good health globally. From India to Ireland, from Afghanistan to Argentina, individuals in the study with stronger social ties were more likely to be satisfied with their personal health—even after the researchers accounted for other factors that can affect health outcomes. The study was published in the journal Social Science & Medicine on January 23.

Older women whose diets include a substantial amount of trans fats are more likely than their counterparts to suffer an ischemic stroke; however, the risk of stroke associated with trans fat intake was lower among women taking aspirin, according to the findings from researchers led by Dr. Ka He, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. The study, "Trans Fat Intake, Aspirin and Ischemic Stroke Among Postmenopausal Women," was published online March 1 in the journal Annals of Neurology.

In a new report, Dr. Ciro V. Sumaya, professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, finds that the field of public health needs a comprehensive classification data system that provides a better assessment of the size and composition of its workforce. Dr. Sumaya addresses this issue in “Enumeration and Composition of the Public Health Workforce: Challenges and Strategies,” published this month in American Journal of Public Health.

A new article by researchers from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative in the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the multiple opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve the health of low-income women through the use of community health centers. Appearing as a commentary piece in the March 7 issue of the journal Women’s Health Issues, the report also outlines the challenges many community health centers face because of primary care workforce shortages and federal funding cuts.

Employed mothers who suffer postpartum depression incur higher overall health care costs, according to a study led by Dr. Rada K. Dagher, assistant professor of health services administration at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Dr. Dagher suggests that employers should create programs to prevent and address postpartum mental health issues, as this could result in health care cost savings and a healthier workforce. The study is published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

New research from the University of Texas School of Public Health shows theory-based sexual education curricula can delay sexual initiation in middle school students. Researchers used two versions of the theory-based multimedia education program It’s Your Game – Keep It Real (IYG) to evaluate the effectiveness of both a risk avoidance curriculum and a risk reduction curriculum. Results of the study which was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are published in the February issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

A recent study at the Drexel University School of Public Health found that when maternal smoking reduced the weight of a baby at birth this in turn had an adverse effect on the intellectual development of the child. Dr. Igor Burstyn, an associate professor at Drexel, led a group that recently published the findings in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Living in a poor neighborhood was linked with worse chronic pain for young adults, according to a study by the University of Michigan, but young black patients faced difficulties with pain management no matter where they lived. The results were published in a recent issue of The Journal of Pain and showed where a patient lives, its structural barriers, affluence, and access to resources such as pain medicines, played an important role in pain management.

Improving health in Northern Manhattan requires stronger collaboration between research-scientists and community members. A federally funded study, co-led by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Dominican Women’s Development Center, has identified several ways to help researchers and the community work together in implementing community based participatory research (CBPR) approaches when conducting research studies.

This spring, SOPHAS will host two webinars designed to help both incoming public health students and those considering a career in public health learn how to finance their public health education. The first webinar, titled “The Real Cost of Financing Your Public Health Degree” will be held Thursday, April 19 at 2 p.m. (Eastern). The second webinar in the series, titled “What to Do When Your Student Loans are Due,” will be held Tuesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Registration is currently open for both webinars and early registration is encouraged.

As a service to its members, ASPH’s dedicated grants staff regularly provide timely information about grant opportunities for faculty. This week’s additions include announcements from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Readers can access a full listing of grant notices by visiting the “Funding for Faculty” section of the ASPH website. 

The Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship program of the National Academies – consisting of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council – is designed to engage its fellows in the analytical process that informs U.S. science and technology policy. Fellows develop basic skills essential to working or participating in science policy at the federal, state or local levels.

More than 18,000 people have received HIV testing through the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS), a nationally representative, household-based survey to assess the rate of new HIV infections sponsored by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and supported by International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Swaziland has the world’s highest prevalence of HIV, with an estimated 26 percent of adults infected, including 42 percent of pregnant women.

The Drexel University School of Public Health’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities (CHFC) was featured as a champion nonprofit by the White House Office of Public Engagement this week. In addition, last week Dr. Mariana Chilton, an associate professor at the school and the director of the CHFC, was invited to the White House to meet with staff from the Office of Public Engagement to discuss hunger in America and the efforts underway to address this national public health crisis.

The University of Louisville is admitting students to a new master’s degree program that combines public health and urban planning. Designed to educate future professionals about how infrastructure and design affects the health and well-being of the community, graduates of the program receive two degrees: Master of Urban Planning (MUP) and Master of Public Health (MPH). The program is a collaboration of the MUP program in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Urban and Public Affairs and the MPH program in the School of Public Health.

Starting this fall, the University of Georgia will become the first public university in the state to offer a Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) dual degree program. The program brings together the College of Public Health and Georgia Health Sciences University/University of Georgia (UGA) Medical Partnership. The program will allow medical students to fully complete both a medical degree and a master of public health degree in five years, roughly a year sooner than it would take to earn both degrees separately.

A new program at the Ohio State University will train doctors, nurses and other health professionals on methods that compare emerging technologies and treatment options for serious illnesses and injuries. The Comparative Effectiveness Research Online Learning Center, launched March 1, is a collaboration among the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), College of Public Health and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

This week, Dean John R. Finnegan of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health spoke with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Mr. Eugene K. Chow about the devastating effects of proposed budget cuts on the U.S. public health system; why it was a wise decision to censor the release of H5N1 flu research; and the creation of a medical reserve corps at universities.

Dr. Lynn Gerald has been appointed associate dean of research at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Gerald is the Canyon Ranch Endowed Chair, Professor in the Division of Health Promotion Sciences and a member of the Arizona Respiratory Center.

Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, professor of health services administration and director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, provided testimony before the Maryland House of Delegates on February 29. Dr. Thomas spoke to the Minority Health Disparities Subcommittee of the Health and Government Operations Committee on the progress the Maryland Center for Health Equity has made to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in Maryland.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received approximately $200,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine different types of local public health agencies in North Carolina. The goal of the research, which began in December 2011 and will continue through May 2013, is to determine whether the way a local public health agency is organized affects public health service delivery or health outcomes in communities.

The Northern Manhattan Cancer Screening Partnership (NMCSP), which is directed by Dr. Al Neugut, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and professor of cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center, was selected as one of five screening sites from across the country that will inform a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on programs that show promise for promoting fecal-based colorectal cancer screening. The partnership is a New York State Department of Health-funded program that provides free colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screenings to uninsured residents of the Washington Heights/Inwood and Central Harlem neighborhoods of New York City.

On March 7, Ms. Margaret C. Dunkle, lead research scientist at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy, was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame for being an author, activist and unsung heroine of Title IX (the 1972 landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in schools and colleges receiving federal funding). Ms. Dunkle, along with five other women, was honored at the ceremony for making unique and lasting contributions to the economic, political, cultural and social life of the state of Maryland.

Boston University School of Public Health’s Dr. Karsten Lunze is the recipient of this year’s American College of Preventive Medicine’s (ACPM) Don Gemson Resident Award.  Dr. Lunze received the national award in recognition of outstanding achievement in community service, scholarship, research, teaching and leadership in the field of preventive medicine.

The University of Washington School of Public Health received a grant from the Health Impact Project to assess a federal cleanup plan of a highly polluted waterway in Seattle. The health impact assessment will include recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to minimize the health impacts of its cleanup on neighborhood residents and fishermen. The assessment will focus on key health issues, including the consumption of contaminated seafood, air and soil pollution, as well as concerns such as construction noise, traffic safety, and access to goods and services in the neighborhoods surrounding the site during and after cleanup.

Dr. Louis D. Brown, an assistant professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health, received the Early Career Award from the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) of the American Psychological Association (APA). The SCRA Early Career Award recognizes community psychologists who make a significant contribution to the field of community psychology and to the APA.

Dr. Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, professor of health policy and management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, received the Carolina Women's Leadership Council faculty-to-faculty mentoring award on March 1. The leadership council also presents a faculty-to-student mentoring award. This year's winner was Dr. Jean DeSaix, senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences' biology department.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration granted $100,000 for University of Florida student Ms. Margo Klar to find a solution for neonatal tetanus, which is the second leading cause of death from vaccine-preventable diseases among children worldwide, according to the WHO. Tetanus disease, caused by clostridium tetani bacteria infection, is just one of many problems that can occur when an infant’s umbilical cord is cut improperly and it is particularly an issue in developing countries.

Drexel University School of Public Health alumna Ms. Ruth Morgan recently had findings from her master’s thesis cited in the February 2012 edition of CDC’s Preventing Chronic Disease Journal.  The article, titled “Interventions in Small Food Stores to Change the Food Environment, Improve Diet, and Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease,” identified small-store interventions and determined their impact on food availability, dietary behaviors and psychosocial factors that influence chronic disease risk.

Mr. James Stafford, graduate student at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) School of Rural Public Health, has been selected as the recipient of the Applied Ergonomics Creativeness in Ergonomics Student of the Year Award in a national competition from the Institute of Industrial Engineers. The award recognized Mr. Stafford’s work in ergonomics, including original research, industry assessment and product development. This is the second consecutive year a Texas A&M student has received this recognition.

University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health doctoral student Ms. Hanadi Hamadi is the recipient of the 2011 Student Research Paper of the Year Award presented by the American Academy of Medical Administrators (AAMA). Ms. Hamadi’s paper, “Exploring Health Care Organizations Through the Use of Transaction Cost Theory,” was recognized during the AAMA’s annual conference in Scottsdale, AZ.

The University of South Florida College of Public Health walked for eating disorders awareness on February 25. Fifteen undergraduate students, one graduate student, and one faculty member participated in the National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA) Walk to initiate this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. In addition to the walk, the school’s Service Corps Team collaborated to fundraise for this cause. 

Recently, Dean Richard Clover of University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences and chair of the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) spoke about the importance of the Certified in Public Health credential and professionalizing the field of public health via certification with The Nation’s Health, the monthly newspaper of the American Public Health Association. As of today, more than 5,000 public health professionals have begun the process of becoming certified through NBPHE’s certification model.  In this informative question-and-answer session, Dean Clover discussed the advantages of being certified, its importance to the field for both practitioners and academics, and how it differs from other certifications in the field. To learn more, click here.

The Columbia Regional Learning Center (CRLC), based in the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, has launched a new learning management system that is available here. The resource has more than 34 free online courses, webinars and lectures designed to meet the training needs of public health, health care, home health, medical reserve corps and emergency management staff. Course progress can be tracked within the system, with many courses developed by Columbia faculty, providing a certificate of completion. All of the CRLC’s certificate courses are based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention competencies and PHEP capabilities.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has announced the launch of Smokefree Español and SmokefreeTXT en Español, which are proven cessation strategies and support for Spanish-speaking smokers.

In February, the current cohort of University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health Center for Health Leadership (CHL) fellows launched a blog that aims to make the concept of public health more accessible to a wide audience. The blog, titled Public Health is…, reflects the students’ desire to create a space for discussion and debate on a full spectrum of public health issues. Each entry will answer the question “How do you define public health?” in a unique way.

ASPH regularly provides 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:

The Public Health Foundation’s (PHF) 2012 “I’m Your Community Guide” contest is open for entries.  Public health organizations are encouraged to share their successes with the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) for a chance to win various prizes. State, tribal, local and territorial health departments; community health coalitions; and other organizations that have used or are currently using findings and recommendations outlined in the Community Guide are urged to submit their stories or testimonials for contest consideration to communications@phf.org through April 30. 

The Section on Statistical Genetics and the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health are accepting nominations for the Eleventh Annual Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Statistical Sciences. The award will be conferred on September 12. The award recipient will be invited to deliver a lecture at the UAB award ceremony and will receive all expenses, the award, and a $5,000 prize. The deadline to submit a nomination is June 29.

The Arizona State University School of Public Affairs has recently launched The Policy Challenge – a national policy proposal competition among students and others to develop ideas proposed through the Startup America Policy Challenge on how federal agencies might break down barriers to entrepreneurship and best enable the use of new technologies in healthcare and medicine, clean energy and the environment, and education. Individuals or small teams can submit a two-page proposal that evaluates a proposed idea for administrative change and develops a viable actionable plan of implementation. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 2.

The Gary L. Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership recognizes individuals from Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) member programs who have made outstanding contributions to the field of health administration education, who have exhibited leadership in the field, and who have enriched their institutions, their students, and health administration education through their work. Nominations must be submitted electronically through the AUPHA web site not later than April 2, 2012. 

The John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators recognizes young faculty based on their contributions to the research literature in the field of health services. The awardee must be a faculty member at a full member program of Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), have been awarded a PhD no more than six years prior to consideration (2006), and have not achieved tenure as of the date of selection. The prize is intended to serve as a benchmark for pre-tenure work.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics invites student and faculty researchers to submit poster abstracts for this year’s expanded poster session at the 2012 National Conference on Health Statistics, held on August 6-8 in Washington, DC. Conference registration is free and attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk with NCHS staff from all surveys and programs, as well as representatives from other government agencies. Abstract submissions are invited across all topic areas within the field of public health and health statistics.

Internationally known epidemiologist Dr. Ana Diez Roux will be the featured guest speaker for the Delta Omega Lecture at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health at noon on Friday, March 16. The program, “Transcending Impasses in Population Health Research: Can Complex Systems Help?,” will be held at the Arnold School of Public Health and is free and open to the public.

The March session of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Grand Rounds, titled “Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use: What Public Health Can Do,”  will be available via live webcast from CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20 at 1 p.m. (Eastern). This session will explore the public health impact of excessive alcohol use and evidence-based strategies to prevent it, with specific attention to the role that state and local public health agencies can play in addressing this important public health problem.

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services will participate in an event that is part of the DC Environmental Film Festival on March 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Eastern). Films included in this event highlight the critical role that the environment plays in human health.

On Tuesday, March 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold its next “Public Health Grand Rounds” session, titled “Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use: What Public Health Can Do.” This session will explore the public health impact of excessive alcohol use and evidence-based strategies to prevent it, with specific attention to the role that state and local public health agencies can play in addressing this important public health problem. To learn more, click here. 

The Public Health Foundation’s TRAIN, a learning management system for public health professionals and volunteers, will host a webinar for public health professionals on March 20 from 2-3 p.m. This one-hour webinar will focus on identifying the impact of effectiveness and efficiency of learning management systems on accreditation workforce development efforts. Topics such as human resource needs, training needs assessments, and cost savings will be discussed and demonstrated. To register and to learn more, click here. 

The Drexel Center for Graduate Studies will hold its Public Health Career Panel and Networking Reception on Thursday, March 22 at 6 p.m. (Pacific).  There will be a light dinner followed by a panel of executive-level public health professionals discussing the benefits and potential of public health careers, and how one can make the most of their public health career. The event is open to the public and will be held at the Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, CA. To RSVP, click here. For those who are unable to attend, live streaming of the event will be available here.

The Drexel University School of Public Health will host an information session on its Executive MPH program on Saturday, March 24 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, PA. The program offers class schedules in which students can earn their degree in 21-months through online components and face-to-face classes one weekend per month. To register, click here.

The 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA_ will take place May 30-June 3 in Minneapolis, MN. The meeting aims to bring together graduate and undergraduate faculty to share ideas and proven practices in educating future practitioners in health care management. This year's meeting is titled “Embracing Transformation,” in light of the fact that every facet of health care, and likewise health care management and policy education, is transforming.

In this webinar, staff from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCH) and faculty from both University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Washington will describe a new learning portal that facilitates use of existing open-access training, organized in areas consistent with nationally endorsed public health and MCH leadership competencies.  Learn how to use the Navigator in academic programs to enhance the skills of students, supplement class content, and extend capabilities to provide continuing education opportunities.  Join MCH for a tour of the new website and a discussion about its applicability in academic settings. To register, click here.

Child Family Health International (CFHI) will hold a webinar on its available Global Health Education Programs on Thursday March 29 at 8 p.m. All interested in learning more about CFHI programs are invited to call in and follow along online as staff and CFHI alumni discuss questions about where the programs take place; program dates and deadlines; how CFHI supports local communities abroad; and scholarship deadlines. For more information and to register, click here.

The University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health will present its second annual symposium, "Healthy Eating in Context: Local Solutions, Global Challenges," beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, March 30 in Columbia, S.C.  Dr. Roni Neff of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will deliver the keynote address, titled “A Healthy Environment Is Our Food Security.”

The National Public Health Leadership Development Network (NLN) will host its Transforming Leadership Development for Healthy Communities conference April 25-27.Traditionally attended by directors, faculty, and staff of various public health leadership development programs, NLN is encouraging all stakeholders in public health leadership and workforce development to attend this year's conference.

The University of British Columbia Interprofessional Continuing Education organization is hosting a Child and Youth Mental Health Matters Conference on May 6-8. The conference has three parts: Parental Mental Health, Children of Parents with Mental Illness, and Young Carers. This is the first gathering of this nature, and it will provide a forum for focusing on the needs of young people and families as they encounter issues related to mental health concerns across the generations. The overall goal of the concurrent conferences is to develop a common language and understanding of the needs of young people and families. To learn more and to register, click here.

The University of Maryland School of Public Health will co-sponsor the 2012 USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium of the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service.  This is the first time that the symposium will be co-sponsored by an academic partner, and the first time that it will be held on a campus. The theme is Prevention Strategies for a Healthy Nation: Building on the Basics of Public Health. Pre-conferences take place June 18-19 with the full conference beginning on June 19 through June 21.  For more information and to register, click here.

New!
Volume 127
Issue 2
March/April 2012

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! Click here to advertise in the journal.

New!
Volume 127
Issue 2
March/April 2012

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! Click here to advertise in the journal.

In Volume 127, Issue 2...

• Closing the Gap Between Injury Prevention Research and Community Safety Promotion Practice: Revisiting the Public Health Model
• Health Impact Assessment: Necessary but Not Sufficient for Healthy Public Policy
• Preventable Injury Deaths: A Population-Based Proxy of Child Maltreatment Risk in California
• Actions to Control High Blood Pressure Among Hypertensive Adults in Texas Counties Along the Mexico Border: Texas BRFSS, 2007
• HIV Testing and Management: Findings from a National Sample of Asian/Pacific Islander Men Who Have Sex with Men
• Using Emergency Department Data to Conduct Dog and Animal Bite Surveillance in New York City, 2003–2006
• Passenger Contact Investigation Associated with a Transport Driver with Pulmonary Tuberculosis
• The Economic, Institutional, and Political Determinants of Public Health Delivery System Structures
• Examining Compliance with a Statewide Law Banning Junk Food and Beverage Marketing in Maine Schools
• Using State Laws to Vaccinate the Health-Care Workforce
• NCHS Dataline
• On Linkages: Participatory Research Partnerships: Addressing Relevant Public Health System Challenges