This week, ASPH welcomed the SUNY Downstate Medical Center School of Public Health as an associate member school.  The School, led by Dean Pascal Imperato, is a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited graduate program in public health that recently began the transition to an accredited school of public health with CEPH.

On Monday, July 13, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Dr. Regina M. Benjamin as Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Benjamin is the founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, AL, and was a graduate of the Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health.

On Tuesday, July 14, the three health committees of the House (Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and Labor) introduced, "America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009" H.R. 3200 (or "Tri-Committee Bill"). ASPH is encouraging members to contact their Representatives to advocate for the importance of a sustained investment in public health and primary prevention, and to express support for the provisions of the bill that address the public health workforce crisis, as well as strengthen public health research.

ASPH hosts a public health advocacy section on its web site, which provides an opportunity to share information on advocacy efforts with all ASPH members. The site also highlights information on policy priorities, including several policy papers exploring the nation’s public health priorities, and provides links to sources of legislative information and resources and tips on how to contact Members of Congress. ASPH will also use the web site to post alerts on activities on the Hill that are critical to public health. Visit www.asph.org/advocacy for more information.

ASPH has once again teamed up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to offer two new fellowship positions. The ASPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellows should be early-career public health professionals with interest in injury prevention and behavioral research, and will be based in NHTSA’s Office of Behavioral Safety Research, located at DOT headquarters in Washington, DC. 

ASPH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) welcomed 30 new ASPH/CDC Public Health Fellows during a two-day orientation held in Atlanta this week.  An exciting part of the orientation was the opportunity to hear from three current ASPH/CDC Public Health Fellows.   Mr. Jason Dela Cruz (Drexel) presented on "Violence Prevention and Public Health," Ms. Ebony Thomas (Emory) presented on "Maximizing your Fellowship Opportunity" and Ms. Allison Waller (South Carolina) presented on "Getting Situated as a Fellow at the CDC."

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.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement from eligible U.S. for-profit, non-profit, or private voluntary organizations, or an Institution of Higher Education for a program titled, "Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS)."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Procurement and Grants Office has published a funding opportunity announcement entitled, "Support for Implementation and Expansion of HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Services at National Teaching and Referral Hospitals (NT & RHs) As Centers of Excellence in the Republic of Kenya Under The President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)."

This funding opportunity announcement, issued by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), invites applications for cooperative agreements to support the development of model programs for the training and education of workers engaged in activities related to hazardous materials and waste generation, removal, containment, transportation and emergency response.

The major objective of this solicitation from the National Institute of Health is to prevent work related harm by assisting in the training and education of workers in the Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons complex. Safety and health training will transmit skills and knowledge to workers in how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials encountered during hazardous waste operations, facility decommissioning and decontamination, hazardous materials transportation, environmental restoration of contaminated facilities or chemical emergency response.

This funding opportunity announcement, issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director (OD) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), encourages innovative research to enhance the quality of measurements of dietary intake and physical activity.

Mr. Brian Gilchrist, a second year PhD student at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, authored two grants that were recently funded by the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Gilchrist, who studies in the School’s department of public and community health, wrote the grants for the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, where he previously worked. The two grants total more than a million dollars over five years to educate young people about tobacco.

New Jersey native Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program, visited the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Public Health in Piscataway on Thursday, June 18. Dr. Birnbaum was accompanied by NIEHS Epidemiology Branch staff scientist Dr. Jane Hoppin, NIEHS associate director Dr. Allen Dearry, and Mr. John Schelp, special assistant to the director of NIEHS. During the visit, School of Public Health faculty presented highlights of their research, and a tour of the School of Public Health’s Office of Public Health Practice Training Center was provided.

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) is launching volume three of the journal Cases in Public Health Communications and Marketing, an online, open-access journal that focuses exclusively on case studies from the fields of public health communication and social marketing. The journal's mission is to promote the analysis of real-world experiences and practice-oriented learning.

For five years, the Columbia University Mailman School’s Harlem Health Promotion Center’s (HHPC) service arm, Project STAY (Services to Assist Youth), has been offering graduate students from Columbia University and other schools in the New York area the opportunity to participate in a dynamic, hands-on practicum through its Mobile Health Team (MHT). The opportunity benefits students in many ways: they earn HIV counseling and testing certification, have direct exposure to adolescent clients, collaborate with interns from various backgrounds, and develop valuable expertise reaching specific populations.

Today, The George Washington University’s (GW) Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program, within the School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), launched an interactive tool designed to provide an ongoing and comprehensive comparative analysis of national health reform proposals. The purpose of this health reform comparative analysis project is to advance public understanding of the policy and legal dimensions of national health reform.

Former Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist and East Tennessee State University (ETSU) College of Public Health Dean Randy Wykoff have co-written an editorial titled "Poverty and Healthcare:  Fatefully Linked."  Published in the Sunday, June 21, 2009 edition of the Johnson City Press, the editorial addresses the challenges facing the nation as we strive to improve the health of all Americans, especially those living in poverty. 

Dr. Matthew L. Boulton, associate professor of epidemiology, associate dean for practice and director of the Preventive Medicine Residency at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (SPH), and associate professor of internal medicine in the division of infectious diseases, was recently presented with an award by the Chinese government for initiating the highly successful China Scholar Exchange at the Unviersity of Michigan SPH with the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and for his work in assisting China with infectious disease control efforts.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth School of Public Health has promoted Dr. Christine A. Moranetz to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Chair for the new department of public health education. She also serves as an associate professor in both the department of public health education and the department of social and behavioral sciences. In her new position, Dr. Moranetz will provide strategic vision, expertise and leadership in academic initiatives and curricular development strategies that enhance program and degree offerings in public health.

Dr. Noel Rose, director of the Johns Hopkins Autoimmune Disease Research Center, was awarded the Nicolaus Copernicus Medal by the Polish Academy of Sciences. The award is the Academy’s highest honor. Dr. Rose, who is also professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s W. Harry Feinstone department of molecular microbiology and immunology and in the department of pathology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, was recognized for his discoveries on thyroiditis, which ushered in the modern investigation of autoimmune disease.

The premier international publication for rural health research is now being overseen by an associate professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. Dr. Ty Borders, associate professor in the department of health policy and management, has been named editor of The Journal of Rural Health, the official journal of the National Rural Health Association and leading publication of rural health research with more than 10,000 subscriptions worldwide.

Dr. David Allison, professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health’s department of biostatistics, has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 TOPS Research Achievement Award presented by The Obesity Society. The TOPS Research Achievement Award recognizes Dr. Allison’s singular achievements or contributions to research in the field of obesity and is made possible by an annual grant from the Take Off Pounds Sensibly Foundation (TOPS).

Dr. Michael Wessells, professor of clinical population and family health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College and until recently, senior advisor on child protection for Christian Children’s Fund, received the 2009 International Humanitarian Award from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Wessells was selected for his extraordinary commitment to the health of children and families.

Dr. Ulrike (Riki) Peters, research associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and associate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, was named by President Obama in July as one of 100 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Dr. Muhiuddin Haider, an associate research professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, was recently highlighted for his efforts to improve global health around the world. On a recent trip to Ecuador sponsored by the Fulbright Scholars Program, Dr. Haider conducted workshops for The Institute for Research in Health and Nutrition of the University of San Francisco de Quito. The workshops with local health professionals aimed at improving prevention and health promotion strategies through education and communication.

Dr. Beverly Winikoff, professor of clinical population and family health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and President of Gynuity Health Project, a research and technical assistance organization, was named to the 2009 Irvin M. Cushner Lectureship by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Society of Family Planning.

Research!America recently received recognition from two international competitions. The 2008 Your Candidates–Your Health voter education initiative received an Award of Excellence in the 15^th Annual Communicator Awards and a gold Hermes Creative Award, and the Poll Data Summary, Volume 9, was honored with a platinum Hermes Creative Award.

The International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), based jointly at Emory University and Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare, has selected three "mentor-mentee" pairs to inaugurate its new Mentorship Program.

Incorporating even relatively short bouts of exercise into a daily commute appears to deliver significant rewards, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers, led by Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate professor of nutrition in University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health, looked at the health and fitness levels of active commuters—people who walk or ride a bike to work at least part of the way—compared to those who drive or take public transportation.

From the White House to the State House, health care reform is the number one concern for legislators, providers and health care patients or "consumers." If health care reform is to meet the needs of consumers, then consumers need to become actively involved in their own care, according to a new report out of the University of California (UC), Berkeley, titled From Patients to Partners: A Consensus Framework for Engaging Californians in Their Health and Health Care.

As part of a series about Americans' response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health is releasing a national poll that focuses on Americans' views and concerns about the potential for a more severe outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in the fall or winter. The polling was done June 22-28. Approximately six in ten Americans (59 percent) believe it is very or somewhat likely that there will be widespread cases of Influenza A (H1N1) with people getting very sick this coming fall or winter.

States have unfunded liabilities for retiree health care of about $558 billion, including for teachers, according to a new report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence. "At a Crossroads: The Financing and Future of Health Benefits for State and Local Government Retirees" is the first systematic (entire workforce) assessment of the level of OPEB (other post-employment benefits) liabilities of U.S. states and a sample of localities.

Brazil's nearly two-decade effort to treat people living with HIV and AIDS shows that developing countries can successfully combat the epidemic. Inexpensive generic medicines are a large part of the solution, according to researchers from Brown University and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

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, July 13, 2009
www.aamc.org/newsroom/aamcstat/aamcnews.htm

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Volume 73, Issue 4
www.ajpe.org/volsIssues/issueViewer.asp?vol=73&issue=04&YR=2008%20

Global Health Council Weekly Update, Global Health Council
www.globalhealth.org/

Legacy e-News, American Legacy Foundation, July 2009
Click here to view.

MEFS Newsletter, Medical Education Futures Study, July 13, 2009
www.medicaleducationfutures.org/FeatNews-5982.html

State in Action, The Commonwealth Fund
Click here to view.

Washington Health Policy Week in Review, The Commonwealth Fund, July 13, 2009
Click here to view.

C-Change recently announced the launch of a web-based Cancer Core Competency toolkit, providing methods, tools and insights for strengthening the cancer knowledge and skills for non-oncology health professionals. Users can follow step-by-step process for designing and implementing a competency-based program to meet the unique needs of their profession or organization.

The University of Iowa College of Public Health is accepting nominations for the 2010 Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award and Distinguished Lectureship. This award honors persons who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the health field—in public service, executive management, higher education or research—and brings them to The University of Iowa campus in order to create opportunities for students, faculty and public health professionals to encounter and be challenged by their ideas and insights. The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 31.

Chronic diseases in adulthood, causes of infertility and the impact of genetics on reproduction are all influenced by what happens in the womb, affecting well-being over a lifetime. Research on these and related topics will be presented at the 42^nd annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), which will be held July 18-22, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Upper Midwest Center for Public Health Preparedness will host a Grand Rounds Series titled "Severe Weather—Hospital/Public Health Lesson Learned, Cedar Rapids Flooding of 2008" on Thursday, July 30, 2009 from 12-1:30 p.m. (Central) at 2189 Medical Education Research Facility at the University of Iowa. This presentation will also be available via streaming video on the web.

On Thursday, August 6 from 2-3 p.m. (Eastern), the Florida Department of Health's Distance Learning Satellite Network, the Office of Performance Improvement and the Division of Disease Control will host the upcoming satellite broadcast titled "Novel Influenza A H1N1 Outbreak: The Florida Response."

From September 22-24, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR) is hosting the State-of-the-Science Conference: Diagnosis and Management of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) in Bethesda, MD.

The Inaugural Conference of the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences will be held October 8-11 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The theme of the conference will be "Environment: The Interdisciplinary Challenge."

The 14^th Annual Conference of the National Hispanic Medical Association will be held March 25-28, 2009 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, DC. The theme of the conference is "Health Care Transformation to Expand Prevention and Health Promotion for Hispanic Communities."

The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) 2010 Annual Meeting will be held June 3-9, 2010 in Portland, OR. The theme of the upcoming meeting will be "How We Teach What We Teach." More information about the meeting will be available here.

Mr. Jerold  R. Mande was named Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday, July 9. Mr. Mande, a 1983 alumnus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's (UNC) Master of Public Health program in nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, will oversee the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the USDA agency that protects public health by ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of the nation's supply of meat, poultry and processed egg products.

New!
Volume 124
Issue 4
July/August 2009

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 124
Supplement 1

The first Supplement issue of Public Health Reports (PHR) for 2009 is titled "Occupational Interventions." PHR provides important research and key discussions on the major issues confronting the public health community. Subscribe Today! Click here to advertise in the Journal.