A celebration in honor of renaming the Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellows Program was held on Tuesday, February 20 in the Hess Student Commons at the Mailman School of Public Health. Mailman School Executive Vice Dean Andrew Davidson spoke on behalf of the School and introduced the featured speakers, including Dean Marla Gold, Drexel University School of Public Health, Dean Robert Amler, New York Medical College School of Public Health , Dr. James O’Brien, vice dean, New York Medical College School of Public Health, Dr. Eugene McCray, director, Office of Capacity Development and Program Coordination, Coordinating Office for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr. Harrison Spencer, president and CEO of ASPH, who made a formal presentation to Dean Rosenfield.  Dr. Davidson also read words of gratitude from two MPH graduates who are currently fellows in the program.  Many colleagues, Mailman School faculty, students and staff were in attendance to help honor Dean Rosenfield.  

Approximately 1,500 academic, federal, state and local preparedness experts met at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., for the 2007 Public Health Preparedness Summit from Monday, February 19-Friday, February 23. The conference, "Partnering for Preparedness: Strategies" was designed to share cutting-edge presentations, continuing education opportunities and information from the field. Sessions were designed with optimal opportunities to network, gather tools and resources and share stories that would improve state and local preparedness initiatives. ASPH served on the planning committee for the conference.

On Tuesday, February 20 the ASPH Preparedness Consultation Committee chaired by Dean Gary Raskob (Oklahoma) met in conjunction with the 2007 Public Health Preparedness Summit in Washington, D.C.

Public health education and training is undergoing dramatic transition. Work-force development obligations, outcome-based approaches to learning, advances in understanding learning styles and new applications in instructional design and technology are just a few of the forces propelling academic innovations in public health. Public Health Reports in partnership with ASPH, invites manuscripts that capture the directions, trends and progress of academic innovation in public health for this special supplement.

ASPH staff attended the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers meeting in Miami, Fla., this Wednesday.  The Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers are currently funded through AAMC’s cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve public health/population health education for their medical students through partnerships with their local or state health departments. 

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 (http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=747). Listed below are grant opportunities that have been posted in the last seven days.

The goals of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-supported career development programs are to help ensure that diverse pools of highly trained scientists are available in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas to address the Nation's public health research needs. The purpose of the Mentored Research Scientist Development Award is to provide support and "protected time" (three years) for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the basic, behavioral and applied sciences related to health promotion, disease prevention, injury and disability prevention and health protection from infectious, environmental and terrorist health threats leading to research independence.

This funding opportunity announcement is intended to encourage and support meritorious oral health promotion research directed at improving oral health and preventing diseases and/or their sequelae across the lifespan.  The research would focus in any of the following areas: maternal and child health, adolescent and young adult and the health of adults and complex diseases in the general population or in subgroups of the population with health disparities.  

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to invite applications for support of public health dissertation research.  This program supports research undertaken as part of an academic program to qualify for a doctorate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dissertation award supports dissertation research costs for students in accredited research doctoral programs in the United States (including Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories or possessions). 

This week, ASPH announced a number of new training opportunities for students currently enrolled in, or recent graduates, of ASPH-member schools. These training opportunities provide hands-on public health experience with several federal agencies, the nation’s Prevention Research Centers (PRC) and on Capital Hill. By developing expertise in public health policy, research and practice, ASPH Fellows are able to contribute to public health goals while advancing their careers.

The Homeland Defense Journal will offer "Collecting and Processing Intelligence Information" Workshop from Tuesday, March 20-Wednesday, March 21 in Arlington, Va. The workshop will teach participants the responsibility, restrictions and protection issues which face most first responder professionals when handling U.S. intelligence information. It will define critical sources and methods in the collection of intelligence, how intelligence is processed and will delve into the vetting process and target analysis. Participants will learn about the intelligence loop and how it can be used to benefit law enforcement efforts and protect us against terrorist attacks.

The Harvard School of Public Health will host "Strengthening Human Resources for Health," a short course, from Monday, August 20-Friday, August 31 in Boston, Mass. Applications to participate in the course are due Wednesday, June 20.

University of North Carolina Chancellor James Moeser announced this week that Dr. Dennis Gillings and his wife, Ms. Joan Gillings, committed $50 million to the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Gillings, chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp., is a former UNC biostatistics professor and a current member of the school’s Advisory Council.

UAB Public Health (The Handle), the magazine of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), won the Grand Award for Illustration from District III of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The award-winning illustration, created by artist Mr. Howard Cruse and titled "Neighborhood Secrets," focuses on issues related to HIV/AIDS in African-American women. Another illustration for the same magazine by Mr. Cruse – this one focusing on the challenge of civility in times of public health crisis – also won an Award of Excellence from CASE III.

Recent years have been ones of tremendous growth and success for the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). However, the school must respond to current challenges – both internal and external – in order to maintain this trajectory of success. GSPH Dean Donald S. Burke initiated a formal strategic planning process in January of this year to chart the school’s course for the future and continually examine its progress. Wednesday, marked the strategic planning kick-off. Small group discussions and a luncheon with the steering committee culminated in a school-wide strategic planning kick-off meeting.

An article which builds on the work of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Healers Abroad: Americans Responding to the Human Resource Crisis in HIV/AIDS Report appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this week. The article, written by Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan of the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University, was the topic of a meeting of representatives from a number of organizations interested in capacity building in low-resource countries, held Thursday.

The Public Health Law Association (PHLA), the world’s leading organization for everyone who shapes, uses, teaches and conducts research in the highly dynamic field of public health law, announced today that it has been awarded a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to build a consensus agenda on the use of law to protect and improve the public’s health.  

On Friday, February 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) article titled, Prevalence of Heart Disease – United States, 2005. The study provides, for the first time, state and U.S. territory information on the percentage of people living with heart disease.

The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on both infants and their mothers are the subject of a collaborative study by researchers from Emory University and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP) in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The investigators are trying to determine whether omega-3 fatty acids can heighten infants' growth and development, while preventing post-partum depression in their mothers.

New York City dwellers who reside in densely populated, pedestrian-friendly areas have significantly lower body mass index levels compared to other New Yorkers, according to a new study by the Mailman School of Public Health. Placing shops, restaurants and public transit near residences may promote walking and independence from private automobiles.

Bioengineers and public health researchers have developed a novel spray drying method for preserving and delivering the most common tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. The low-cost and scaleable technique offers several potential advantages over conventional freezing procedures, such as greater stability at room temperature and use in needle-free delivery. The spray drying process could one day provide a better approach for vaccination against TB and help prevent the related spread of HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

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 http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=924. This week’s additions include: the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation’s Foundation for Public Health.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation Hero
 Award was established in 2005 to coincide with the foundation's tenth anniversary celebrating "A Decade of Heroes." The award recognizes an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to improving the public's health through exemplary work in advancing CDC's mission of promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) invites high school, college and graduate students to participate in its first ever National Public Health Week (NPHW) Viral Video contest by filming compelling videos that spread the word about preparing for public health threats. Videos should be no longer than five minutes and submitted by Sunday, March 25.

"Legal Implications for Public Health Professionals in Emergencies" will be presented as part of the University of Minnesota Emergency Readiness Rounds, on Wednesday, March 7 from 12-1:30 p.m. (Eastern). The presentation will be available via Web cast and will provide an overview of current laws and their implications for public health professionals and vulnerable populations during times of emergency.

The Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLU SPH) created a conference about prevention and preparedness for pandemic disease that will convene from Tuesday, March 6 through Thursday, March 8 on the Loma Linda University campus, located in Southern California.

The Homeland Defense Journal will hold a conference titled, "Medical Aspects of Disaster Management," from Wednesday, April 18-Thursday, April 19 at the Sheraton National in Arlington, Va. Directly preceding the conference, the Journal will hold a workshop with the theme "Working with the Media in High Stress and High Concern Situations Workshop" on Thursday, April 17.

Registration for the 2007 NNPHI Annual Conference "Partnering for Public Health Systems Improvement" is now open. The conference will take place from Monday, May 21-Wednesday, May 23 at the Wyndham Canal Place in New Orleans, La. 

Dr. Greg R. Alexander, an internationally recognized maternal and child health (MCH) scholar, passed away on Tuesday, February 20. He was 56. Dr. Alexander was an MCH/perinatal epidemiologist, known for his passion for research and his work cultivating leadership and scholarship in the field of maternal and child health.

Dr. Alexander was a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of South Florida with a secondary appointment in the College of Public Health.

New!
Volume 122
Issue 2
March/April 2007

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