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| Board Talk | |||
| A Little Help from Our ASPH Friends | |||
| When the Student Services Council decided to establish a bi-annual newsletter, and incorporate in it a recurring feature article by one of the newsletter staff entitled “Board Talk,” I joked that it might be thought of as “Bored Talk.” I had concern that we student service professionals might quickly exhaust topics of interest and would spend the entire newsletter tooting our own horns and rehashing old ideas. Such has not been the case, however, and we continue to hear from our colleagues who wish to share exciting new initiatives happening in their schools. On the receiving end, there seems to be unbridled enthusiasm and curiosity about what opportunities exist for students, what students have accomplished, what goes on in the other schools and how these great ideas might be adapted for use in our own settings, thus improving the level of services that we all are able to provide our students. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be involved in the development of SOPHAS, as well as the ASPH Student Services Council and the Student Services Newsletter, frequently remark about the collaborative spirit of the student services professionals in the ASPH schools and the lack of overt competition. While we all shoulder varying degrees of responsibility for the numbers of applicants who enroll in our schools, the bottom line is that student service professionals are ultimately concerned with the quality of the student experience in their schools. This is what drives us. A convincing case could be made that a certain personality type selects student and academic administration as a career field and that this personality type strives to work with others rather than in competition to address relevant issues and brainstorm possibilities. This keeps the work that we do fresh and fun. While this might sound a little like the horn tooting to which I previously referred, I remind us all that we are only one of the columns holding up this successful structure. The other pillar is ASPH. ASPH and its staff have worked with us each step of the way to achieve and maintain our goal – an ASPH council focused purely on students. Enough cannot be said about Alison Foster's steadfast support of this group and her ability to facilitate its activities while simultaneously encouraging its members to take ownership. She is half field commander and half cheerleader, a rare combination, and she knows when to turn each side on and off for maximum effectiveness. Thank you to all of you at ASPH for making the activities of the Student Services Council possible. As we begin our second year of this newsletter, we hope you enjoy the articles featured here and look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions for future newsletters. Please consider contributing articles about those noteworthy events happening in your schools. Have a great academic year! Chris Tisch University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health |
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| Looking Forward | |||
| ASPH Annual Meeting Schedule | |||
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| Member Profiles | |||
| The UMDNJ-School of Public Health: From Collaborative Graduate Program to Nation’s First Collaborative School of Public Health | |||
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - School of Public Health (SPH) serves a vital function for the people of the State of New Jersey, as well as for its students and for health care professionals alike. With three campuses located in the northern, central and southern part of the State, SPH reaches out to diverse populations in urban, suburban and rural areas. The School addresses challenges in public health by building community capacity and partnerships, and making service a priority in the School.
Articulated degree programs include:
SPH also offers certificate programs in Clinical Epidemiology; Environmental and Occupational Health; General Public Health; Public Health Preparedness; and Public Policy and Oral Health Services Administration. Credits earned by completion of these 15-credit programs are applicable to the MPH degree program. UMDNJ-SPH has also established the following centers, institutes and programs within its structure that provide research and service opportunities for students:
Research Facilities A number of campus research facilities are available to provide integral resources in support of students and faculty members in public health degree programs at UMDNJ, Rutgers, and NJIT. Research is frequently conducted with a number of institutes and centers located throughout New Jersey, such as:
The sociodemographic and environmental factors that combine to make graduate public health training in New Jersey timely and useful also form the mandate for the School's research agenda. Important Elements of SPH Collaborative Model
Opportunities The benefits of the collaborative model include the availability of intra- and inter-institutional, inter-disciplinary research, teaching and service among RU and NJIT schools as well as UMDNJ's other seven schools, and among immediate partners and external partners (local, state, national, international). Students have access to:
SPH Alumni/ae The contributions to the public health workforce by our School of Public Health is represented by over 1,300 masters and doctoral graduates who are serving in leadership positions at local, state, federal and international settings in private industry and non-profit and governmental organizations, such as: American Cancer Society; Bristol-Meyers Squibb; Cancer Research Prevention Center-University of Rhode Island; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; City of Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health; Colgate-Palmolive, Inc.; Columbia University; Iowa State University; Johns Hopkins-Bloomberg School of Public Health; Kaiser Permanente; L'Oreal USA; Lennox International, Inc.; Merck Research Laboratories; Nassau County, NY, Health Dept.; National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions; National Cancer Institute; National Institutes of Health; NJ Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers University; NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection; NJ Dept. of Health and Senior Services; NY State Dept. of Agriculture; NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene; Pfizer, Inc.; Princeton Regional Health Commission; Sanofi-aventis, Inc.; SAP Labs Canada; UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs; US Army; US Dept. of Labor-OSHA; US Environmental Protection Agency; US Food and Drug Administration; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-U.S. Public Health Service; and Zimmer, Inc., to name a few. Our alumni/ae serve as mentors and provide a rich source for student fieldwork placements. Summary As part of UMDNJ, recognized as the nation's largest health sciences university, which numbers eight schools on five campuses and includes a network of nearly 300 healthcare and educational affiliates statewide, the UMDNJ-School of Public Health provides world-class education to practicing and future public health professionals, healthcare professionals and scientists, physicians, dentists, researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals. Our commitment to excellence continues to be the foundation for a future of greater opportunity and better health for all. References 1Greenberg MR, Gotsch AR, Rhoads GG, Schneider D. Building and Sustaining a Multiuniversity and Multicampus Program or School of Public Health. Am J Pub Health 2008;98(9):1-3. Note: From the perspective of establishing a collaborative school of public health, leaders from SPH recently published this article, which addresses some of the issues highlighted in this member profile. Neal Richard Boyd, EdD, MSPH, CHES Associate Dean for Education and Assessment boydnr@umdnj.edu Wayne H. Dietterick Marketing and Communications Coordinator diettewa@umdnj.edu UMDNJ-School of Public Health 683 Hoes Lane West Piscataway, NJ 08854 P: (732) 235-9700 F: (732) 235-9755 http://sph.umdnj.edu |
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| Spotlight on Public Health Partners | |||
| Peace Corps Master’s International | |||
 Being able to integrate hands-on public health practices into daily life, having exposure to real-world health issues and the chance to learn how to confront and deal with those issues across cultures, and seeing theories played out in real life, in real time, and for long enough to see a project through does not have to be the stuff of fantasy. Rather, it is a real opportunity provided by Peace Corps Master's International (MI).“Graduate school or Peace Corps service…why not do both?” asks the Peace Corps Office of University Programs' slogan. Master's International combines Peace Corps service with the pursuit of a graduate degree. The MI program was created to provide potential Volunteers with academic preparation in scarce skill areas, one of which is public health. Interested candidates apply to graduate school at one of the partner institutions and to Peace Corps at the same time. Upon acceptance to both, students generally do one year of on-campus coursework, then spend a full 27-month term in the Peace Corps, during which they work on a project related to their degree program. Following service, they return to campus to finish their degree requirements. Individual school partners decide on the details, such as the course requirements and financial benefits to MI students. The Peace Corps determines the student's primary assignment overseas. Currently, 15 health-related programs—from public health to environmental health to tropical medicine—are offered through 11 different Master's International partners. The program is expanding at a rapid rate. Having completed a request for proposals, the Peace Corps will be adding more public health programs through eight new partner schools in the coming months. |
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| International Perspectives | |||
| RSPH Students' Education Enhanced by Global Field Experiences | |||
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Kristin Unzicker (Rollins School of Public Health) The Rollins School of Public Health supports approximately 50-75 master's level students each year with Global Field Experience Funding. The purpose of the Global Field Experiences is to provide students with opportunities to apply and enhance what they have learned in the classroom to real world settings around the globe. The program started with the funding of thirteen students in 1998. Ten years later, it has expanded to about 75 students. Three endowments primarily support the continuation of the program including, the Eugene J. Gangarosa Scholarship Fund, the Anne E. and William A. Foege Global Health Fund, and the O.C. Hubert Fellowships in International Health. Students also assist with additional fundraising by publishing a GFE calendar each year, among other efforts. The calendar depicts the student experiences abroad and helps to educate the larger RSPH community about their efforts. The process for receiving support requires that students submit an in-depth proposal to the GFE committee (made up of faculty, staff and other key stakeholders). Any student from any department in the school is eligible to apply. Proposals must show there is a significant learning experience to be gained by the student, collaboration from a community counterpart, sound research design (including IRB approval), and an important contribution to the field of public health. Priority for funding is given to those who are using this for a practicum or thesis experience. While any student may pursue a global field experience, Global Field Experience Funding requires this specific proposal process. In other words, there is dileniation between doing a global field experience and applying to receive Global Field Experience Funding. Students have completed GFE's in over 75 countries around the world, although most students study in East Asia and Africa. In past years, students have carried out a wide variety of projects on topics ranging from HIV voluntary counseling and testing, food consumption patterns, the spread of avian flu, and health savings account use. They have done so in collaboration with highly respected agencies and organizations such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CARE, UNICEF, Save the Children, World Vision, the International Federation of the Red Cross, Population Council, and the World Health Organization. The scope and impact of the research projects is limited only by the creativity and enthusiasm of RSPH students as they work to develop international opportunities. Once students return from their field experience overseas, they are asked to present their experiences and findings at Brown Bag Seminars throughout the year. This is also a mechanism for incoming students to learn about GFE sites and projects. Students, staff and faculty learn about these experiences and can better understand the challenges and opportunities that global research provides. There is a strong GFE web presence, where prospective, incoming and continuing students can access information about the program and search specific student experiences by year, country and student name. For more information, please visit www.sph.emory.edu/GFE. Students recently returning from 2008 Global Field Experiences share their feedback on this unique opportunity:  Laura Ellis, MPH candidate in the Department of Global Health, spent 3 months in South Africa working with African Religious Health Assets Programme (ARHAP) with a research team that held workshops with young people and with religious leaders, NGO workers, nurses, educators and other community leaders to understand how religion contributes to the sexual health or well-being of young people in these two South African cities. “This experience enhanced my MPH program by giving me the opportunity to see qualitative research methods in action. I learned about the complexities of research design and recruitment and am grateful for the diligent and talented team members who let me share in this important work. I look forward to the data analysis, which will hopefully lead to the implementation of more effective HIV prevention programs.” Brittany Eddy, a Global Epidemiology MPH student, worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Leogane, Haiti, overseeing a retrospective clinical research study with a cohort of patients who suffer from lymphedema secondary to lymphatic filariasis (LF), a mosquito-borne parasitic infection. She describes this experience by stating, “My summer experience was absolutely incredible. I was able to apply the knowledge I have learned in the classroom to a real world setting and was able to get the type of experience that cannot be taught in a classroom. I gained experience working in a developing country and also learned about all aspects of a conducting a study—from questionnaire and database development to patient recruitment to the details of running an effective study and finally analyzing a dataset with real world applications. Not only did this experience enhance my own education, but it will provide insight for the future treatment of individuals suffering from lymphatic filariasis.”  Carolyn Vance, a Health Policy and Management MPH candidate shares her summer experience in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Instituto Promundo, whose mission is to reduce gender disparities and prevent violence toward women and children through work with men and boys. “I am very interested in reproductive justice, and it was a huge learning experience for me understanding how men and boys can be, and should be, engaged in this movement. As part of this work I was taken into different favelas (low-income or "ghetto" communities) to conduct workshops on gender and sexuality with youth. Part of the work of engaging youth living in favelas dealt with reducing discrimination against them from the middle and upper classes. This reinforced the notion that the best major public health advances also serve to equalize socioeconomic status, and that health and wealth cannot be separated. Living and working within the Emory community, it is often easy to become comfortable with the luxuries we are afforded and think of our target populations as very far removed from ourselves. Being able to work with the community members we are trying to serve was not only rewarding, it reminded me of why we all came to Rollins, and how we might help others find luxuries we have come to enjoy by creating social change.” Lizz Mueller, a student in the department of Global Health, states, “My research experience was great! I learned a lot and it helped me figure out what I want to do in the world of international NGOs.” She spent the summer working in Kigali, Rwanda with the Rwanda Zambia HIV Research Group (RZHRG) with Project San Francisco (PSF). She conducted a research project to determine ways to improve data collection and reporting methods for couples voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) services at health centers in Kigali. Paul Schramm, 2nd year Environmental and Occupational Health Student, spent the summer at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura, Israel mapping waste disposal patterns in two recognized Bedouin communities. He further explains, “I administered surveys and collected GPS data points in two Bedouin villages. I hope that my research will highlight the environmental hazards posed by lack of infrastructure and education in Bedouin villages. This experience has allowed me to analyze a problem based on knowledge from coursework here at Rollins. I am using mapping strategies I learned in a Geographic Information Systems class, as well as extensive use of analysis techniques from two semesters of biostatistics and an epidemiology course. Overall, this opportunity to conduct environmental research abroad fit perfectly with my goals as a student in the global environmental health program. The costs of researching in a developed country such as Israel are quite high. Without GFE funds, the research may not have been possible.” He also shares an example of the students' emphasis to connect with their communities by sharing one of his favorite moments of sleeping on the roof with a Bedouin family in Tel Sheva. “I stayed with the Abu Srehan family for about a week while administering surveys. At night, the inside of their house would still be sweltering hot after baking in the desert sun all day. To avoid the heat, we would put mats up on the roof and sleep outside in one long row - husband, wife, six children, and myself all lined up. It was comforting to feel like part of the family.” |
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| Technology Watch | |||
| Emergency? At the University of Minnesota, they will “TXT-U” | |||
 Recent campus tragedies such as the shootings at Virginia Tech and the University of Northern Illinois serve as a grim reminder of the importance of having a campus-wide plan to alert students, staff and faculty during emergencies. In order to be effective, today's plans must incorporate the latest communication tools, and have a sound sense of where those on the leading edge of technology adoption (usually students) are turning for information. Because text messaging has become a popular mode of communication among the student-aged population, the University of Minnesota has initiated a program called TXT-U designed to reach students in the event of emergency. Students aren't the only target for this new program, though it is believed that students comprise the more than 16,000 people who have signed up for “TXT-U” since it was rolled out earlier this year. Those signed up for “TXT-U” will receive a text message alerting them to the danger and instructing them what to do and where to go to stay safe. While officials at the University of Minnesota have the technology piece of “TXT-U” figured out, the policy side is proving more challenging. There is concern that “TXT-U” not be overused and eventually ignored, much the way e-mail has evolved. Accordingly, officials are drafting policy that dictates that “TXT-U” only be used in situations in which safety is deemed to be at risk. Currently the University of Minnesota Police Department is authorized to use “TXT-U” on a moment's notice, in the event of a gas leak, bomb threat, or shooting, for example. Situations less life threatening, but where safety may be compromised, are reviewed by the University's “Officer of the Day” who determines whether “TXT-U” should be deployed. |
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| SOPHAS and ASPH Data Stats | |||
| SOPHAS and ASPH Data Stats | |||
 The third cycle of SOPHAS opened in August and is now in full swing. This year, 30 out of the 40 schools of public health are participating in SOPHAS.
One of the most useful outcomes of the SOPHAS process is the availability of comprehensive on applicants to our schools. In the spring 2008, a partial analysis of cycle two data was published and similar information will be published in the spring 2009 newsletter for cycle three. A full analysis of cycle two data will be analyzed shortly after the annual meeting. Preliminary data includes:
During this cycle, the SOPHAS advisory committee is working with Liaison International, to develop a online review portal. This portal will give admissions offices the ability to assign applications to both individual faculty and review committees and will facilitate an on-line review process. This is an important step towards a paperless admissions process, a goal shared by many schools of public health. The ASPH staff have also been hard at work developing a new and improved program search feature, which will allow applicants to search for degree programs by start term, degree, and area of study. This search will include both SOPHAS and non-SOPHAS programs, and is likely to be launched in October 2008. ASPH is still collecting degree information from each school, but at the time of publication, there were already nearly 3,000 options in the search database. This new search engine will surely be a very useful feature for applicants. |
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| Interview with Donna Petersen | |||
| Interview with Donna Petersen, Student Services Liaison to ASPH Board of Directors | |||
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| Marketing and Recruitment | |||
| Visit day at APHA 2008 | |||
Visit Accredited Schools of Public Health at the APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition  The Association of Schools of Public Health is organizing the second annual “Visit Day” during which prospective students and pre-health advisors are able to "Visit Accredited Schools of Public Health Day" at the APHA exhibit hall on Wednesday, October 29 at no cost. Last year's event was a great hit and given the fabulous San Diego location, we hope this year's event will be even more successful. The purpose of the event is to allow students interested in public health the unique opportunity to meet admissions staff from all CEPH accredited schools of public health at one convenient location. Please be sure to let your prospective students and any health advisors you know about this unique opportunity. Attendees are asked to pre-register no later than Friday, October 17 at www.asph.org/visitday. The exhibit hall will be open on Wednesday, October 29 from 8:30 AM - 12 Noon. The CEPH accredited schools of public health will be located in two aisles reserved for ASPH member schools of public health. Each booth will receive a CEPH/ASPH banner and rope lights to attach around the perimeter of either the table or the background display. The aisles will have signage incorporating the theme “This is Public Health.” Attendees will be greeted by students from the San Diego State University School of Public Health and will receive a packet of information about schools of public health. These packets will include a “This is Public Health” t-shirt, bingo cards instructing them to visit each of the schools of public health, and information about other booths in the exhibit hall they may wish to visit. Three panel sessions for advisors and students are scheduled for 9 AM, 10 AM and 11 AM and will be hosted by a variety of admissions officers from several schools of public health. As a reminder, access to the exhibit center is open free-of-charge to all Visit Day pre-registered prospective applicants and advisors the morning of October 29th. The registration deadline for all Visit Day attendees is Friday, October 17. To register or to find out more, please visit www.asph.org/visitday. General information about the ASPH Annual Meeting and a schedule of events will be posted at www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=930. Please be sure to check back frequently for updates! |
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| Recruitment Strategy Committee Report | |||
SOPHAS Subcommittee Looks at Recruiting Challenges and Strategies
What do you consider to be current external threats/challenges to recruiting for PH? Lack of understanding about public health and public health careers
What are some current external opportunities in recruiting for PH?
What are the strengths of current recruiting strategies (national and your school)? Responses included increasingly targeted marketing, participation in SOPHAS, activities to promote one-on-one interaction with applicants, use of creative media in recruitment strategies, reputation of school, and participating in exhibits such as Idealist.org. What are the weaknesses of current recruiting strategies (national and your school)? The overwhelmingly common answer was lack of funding to support recruitment activities.
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| PSA Opportunity at University of Minnesota | |||
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health invites entries to a worldwide public service announcement contest Contact: |
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| RFP for Disease Detective and UG Internship Program | |||
| ASPH/APHL Pathways to Public Health Career Events ASPH and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) are pleased to announce two new funding opportunities for career day events and mentorship programs. In an effort to generate interest in public health careers, ASPH and APHL solicit proposals for the planning and execution of career day events and undergraduate mentorship programs. Proposals will be accepted for events focused on undergraduate/graduate education and careers in public health, which may include an appropriate mix of activities, such as exhibit fairs, plenary sessions and small group events. The suggested length of event is one day, though longer events will also be considered. Events proposed under this category may be aimed towards health professions students, undergraduate students, high school students or a combination of all three categories. Proposals will also be accepted for internship programs which encourage undergraduate students to explore careers in public health and public health laboratory science. The program will be designed to combine public health concepts and theories with laboratory science and other practice settings, ideally among partnering academic institutions and state/local public health laboratories. Eligible organizations include:
This program is supported through funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interested organizations should submit a letter of intent by November 1, 2008 to jmcelligott@asph.org. Full applications must be submitted by December 1 via an online application system, which will be available on November 10. The complete RFP and application information may be found at: www.asph.org/pathways. |
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| “This is Public Health” Toolkit Website Developed | |||
 In April, ASPH launched a very successful, grass-roots "This Is Public Health" awareness campaign using removable stickers as the focal point. Since then, over 40,000 stickers have been distributed throughout North America and ten other countries to well over 150 individuals and organizations ranging from high schools to health departments and from foundations to non-profits. As an extension of the campaign, ASPH has developed a "This is Public Health" toolkit to serve as a resource for anyone who is interested in educating others about public health issues or the field of public health.The materials in the toolkit are suggestions or templates, which can either be used as is, or tailored to suit specific audiences. The toolkit also includes links and other resources that can help you to increase knowledge of the field of public health. The toolkit is a dynamic site and will be uploaded continuously. If you or your organization has any communication or presentation tools you would like to share with others on this site, please E-mail stickers@asph.org and your suggestions will be shared. To view the toolkit, please visit www.thisispublichealth.org/toolkit. |
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| Pathways to Public Health Website | |||
 ASPH recently launched an exciting new online resource for youth to learn more about public health education and public health careers, called Pathways to Public Health. The website includes a clearinghouse, with lists of youth-focused public health programs and resources developed and offered by federal health agencies, universities, and other entities. High school students, undergraduates, and youth-serving professionals (such as teachers and counselors) will be able to find resources on the website that inform them about public health careers, including job descriptions, curricular modules, or information about college and graduate school public health programs. This project was guided by a taskforce that includes representatives from the American School Counselors Association, Girl Scouts of the USA, NACCHO, ASTHO, the CDC, APHA, the Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers, the Emory Center for Science Education, as well as public health schools and programs. Dr. Ian Lapp, Associate Dean at the Columbia University Mailman SPH, chairs the taskforce. The website was soft launched in October 2007 at www.pathwaystopublichealth.org. To improve its youth appeal, ASPH conducted focus groups with undergraduate and high school students, and updated the website's content, as well as its “look and feel.” ASPH launched an improved version of the website in September 2008, and is conducting a campaign to publicize the website throughout the fall and winter. Questions about the website or contributions of resources to be listed in the clearinghouse can be sent to Gillian Silver at gsilver@asph.org. |
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| Public Health Reports - Student Column | |||
| Public Health Reports - Student Column | |||
 To promote the many projects, internships, and other practice-related work conducted by students, fellows, and recent graduates, ASPH will begin a peer-reviewed Student Column in each of the six issues of Public Health Reports printed annually. Public Health Reports is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the U.S. Public Health Service. ASPH has been a partner in the publication of Public Health Reports since 1999. Find Public Health Reports online at: www.publichealthreports.org/. The idea for a student column was approved by Deans Donna Petersen (South Florida) and Richard Kurz (North Texas), Diana Cunningham (NYMC), and Editor Laurence Reed on a conference call with Allison Foster and John McElligott of ASPH in May 2008. Potential submitters may be current students, at any level, from CEPH-accredited schools; current fellows; or working professionals up to two years post-graduation. The Student Column may publish an excellent project, internship, and other practice-related work conducted during matriculation, during a fellowship, or up to two years post-graduation. The review process will be the same as that used for other submissions to Public Health Reports. The review committee will be comprised of ten people chosen from a pool of current students, current fellows, or working professionals up to two years post-graduation. Each school is invited to nominate a current student with at least one year experience in a master's level program to the review committee. The review committee will be facilitated by a practice coordinator from one of the ASPH member schools. The first facilitator will be Linda Lloyd, PhD, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Lloyd said, “the peer reviewed Student Column will provide a unique opportunity to highlight the challenging work being done by students or recent graduates. In addition, the reviewers will gain experience with the publishing process and acquire new insights into the breadth of public health practice.” Each potential reviewer must submit two letters of recommendation from faculty members, a 1-2 page writing sample, and be available to review abstracts and full articles for at least nine months. To determine if potential reviewers have a good understanding of the diversity of public health, organizers may host a brief phone interview with each potential reviewer. Please spread the word and encourage your students and recent alumni to submit abstracts and apply to be a reviewer. Contact for More Information: Association of Schools of Public Health 1101 15th Street NW Suite 910 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 296-1099 ext 127 Fax: (202) 296-1252 info@asph.org |
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| Opportunities for Students | |||
| Fellowships and Internships | |||
| Later this month, ASPH will begin announcing new fellowship and internship opportunities for the coming year. The Requests for Applications (RFAs) will be announced on the ASPH website, as well as in the ASPH Friday Letter. Beginning with the RFA for the ASPH/CDC Public Health Fellowship Program on October 17th, we expect to announce RFAs for the ASPH/CDC Public Health Internship Program, the ASPH/EPA Environmental Health Fellowship Program, the ASPH/CDC/PRC Minority Health Fellowship Program, the ASPH/CDC Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellowship Program, and the ASPH Public Health Policy Fellowship Program from November through March. Please encourage your students to visit the ASPH website to stay abreast of all the training opportunities as they become available. For more information on ASPH Graduate Training Programs, please contact Monica G. Stadtler at MStadtler@asph.org. | |||
| Competency-Based Study Tours | |||
| Emory's Rollins School of Public Health and the University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health Partner to Create Competency-Based Study Tours | |||
 Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) and the University Of Puerto Rico School Of Public Health (UPR) partnered in 2007-2008 to organize a series of Networking/Study Tours to various public health agencies and organizations located in Washington, DC and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Students were selected through a competitive selection process based upon proven leadership experience and professionalism, which included an essay submission and an interview with the Career Services staff. Administration from RSPH and UPR were integral to the success of the tour. The Study Tours were designed to provide students with an applied experience that would reinforce the ASPH Core Competencies for master's students in public health in a professional environment outside the classroom. Through tailored discussions with public health leaders in a variety of agencies throughout Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, the study tours reinforced the ASPH Discipline-Specific and Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cutting Competencies. Examples of the ways in which the tours emphasized the Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cutting Competencies are as follows: Systems Thinking: Students from RSPH and UPR were given the opportunity to discuss systems level properties of domestic and international healthcare systems with high level government officials and private industry executives responsible for health systems reform, program management, and research. They identified the characteristics of the U.S. and Puerto Rican healthcare systems and recognized the intended and unintended consequences produced by major health reforms implemented over the last half century. Students were able to analyze the effects of political, social, and economic policies on public health systems at the local, state, national and international levels. Leadership: Through discussions with public health leaders in agencies in a variety of employment sectors, students learned about the collaborative partnerships needed to achieve organizational and community health goals for the nation and the world. Visits with the senior policy advisor to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, and with the Senate Health Policy Analysts of Senator Charles Grassley allowed participants to gain unique insight into the health policy challenges faced by U.S. leadership and the strategies they implement to reach collaborative solutions. Public Health Biology: One of the purposes of the study tours was to aid students in understanding how public health biology is often incorporated into public health practice. Through visits to the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, DC and the Port Authority and rain forest in Puerto Rico, participants gained insight into the role of biology in the ecological model of population-based health and how biological principles may be applied to inform public health principles and to develop and implement disease prevention and control programs. Cultural Diversity: Students were able to interact with both diverse individuals and communities to recognize the need to develop public health programs and strategies responsive to diverse cultural values and traditions. Professors at the UPR provided insight into the roles of history, power, privilege and structural inequality in producing health disparities in Puerto Rico. Professionalism: Through a series of discussions with health officials and the Puerto Rican pharmaceutical industry, students were able to analyze the potential impacts of legal and regulatory environments on the conduct of ethical public health research and practice. Students were able to analyze the distinction between population and individual ethical considerations in relation to the benefits, costs, and burdens of public health programs. Puerto Rico: January 2008 The Puerto Rico tour was specifically designed to examine the Puerto Rican health care system, including the impact of health system reform and tobacco control policies. The tour also highlighted career paths offered with agencies and organizations in Puerto Rico. RSPH worked closely with the UPR to organize and coordinate the tour. The tour enabled 15 students and alumni from RSPH along with 5 students from UPR to interact with potential employers and gain a greater understanding of the challenges faced by Puerto Ricans. Participants had the opportunity to visit Abbott Pharmaceuticals and Triple S, an independent licensee of The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in Puerto Rico. In addition, participants visited the El Yunque rainforest and learned about pressing environmental issues faced by Puerto Rico.  The tour gave participants the opportunity to compare and contrast health care in the United States with health care in Puerto Rico. Through visits to a Puerto Rican Department of Health, the Puerto Rico Medical Center in San Juan, and an HIV/AIDS women's clinic, students were able to begin to comprehend the complex nature of Puerto Rico's health system. They also visited the International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico and the Port Authority, where they learned about public health preparedness measures taken on the island. Emory University has an extensive network of alumni in Puerto Rico working in a number of sectors. Study tour participants from both RSPH and UPR along with Administrators from both schools had the opportunity to network and connect with Emory alumni at the Alumni reception held on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at the Condado Plaza and Hotel. The keynote speaker at this event was Dr. Jose Rigau, a former EIS officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. |
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| SPH Strides for Nancy A. Persily | |||
| SPH Strides for Nancy A. Persily | |||
| The University at Albany School of Public Health has established its first annual Making Strides for Breast Cancer Team to honor the extraordinary life of Nancy Alfred Persily – former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She impacted countless people in a myriad of ways in her lifetime and her legacy continues. Please help us further her life's mission to advance public health and medical education and research. She and we – in her memory – hope to make a difference on Sunday, October 19th noon in Washington Park, Albany. To join the SPH Strides for Nancy A. Persily Team or to make a donation, please visit the team website: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY09Eastern/ 1700909852?pg=team&fr_id=11613&team_id=332666 Contact Maggie Watson Skarlis at mwatson@albany.edu with any questions. |
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| Undergraduate Public Health | |||
| ASPH & Undergraduate Public Health Education | |||
| Undergraduate public health education has without question, gained steady momentum over the past few years as a viable option for undergraduate education at a number of America's most prestigious colleges and universities. In the 2007 ASPH Data Report, 35 of 40 schools responded with data on their undergraduate offerings. 16 of 35 (45.7%) schools currently have an undergraduate public health program. Of those 16, 10 offered a major and 10 offered a minor. Of the 19 schools without an undergraduate public health program, seven were currently planning a major or minor degree and 11 were not currently planning a major or minor degree. 11 of the 35 (31%) responding schools offer a combined bachelors-masters degree program and 17 (49%) offer an introductory/survey course that routinely permits enrollment of students who are not majors or minors in public health. 18 of 35 (51%) offer an introductory epidemiology course that routinely permits enrollment of students who are not majors or minors in public health. On May 19, 2008, Dean Donna Petersen (South Florida) facilitated the ASPH Undergraduate Public Health Education Meeting that was held in Tampa, Florida. Participants included Dr. Greg Hand (South Carolina), Dr. Jeffery Johnson (Tulane), Dr. Ian Lapp (Columbia), Dr. Peggy Leatt (UNC), Dr. Dick Riegelman (George Washington), Dr. Harrison Spencer (ASPH), Dean Carleen Stoskopf (San Diego), Dean Randy Wykoff (ETSU) and Dr. Jim Yager (Johns Hopkins). The meeting participants discussed the growth of undergraduate public health education, reviewed existing models and suggested priorities for ASPH to pursue. In addition, one noteworthy outcome of this important meeting was the creation of the following official ASPH Statement regarding undergraduate education in the public health sciences: ASPH supports the growth of undergraduate education in public health. Such educational offerings range from undergraduate degrees organized and granted by accredited schools and graduate programs of public health to courses and course clusters offered by institutions both with and without accredited graduate programs in public health. ASPH further recognizes
ASPH will develop resources to support this movement, including fostering a network of experts from Schools of Public Health, Arts and Sciences and others, that promote high quality undergraduate education in public health. Undergraduate public health education should
 The ASPH taskforce on undergraduate education in public health will continue to provide a forum for continuing discussion, exploration and action in undergraduate education in public health as part of a larger ongoing discourse around the continuum of public health education and its continued evolution. For more information, please see ASPH's web site, www.pathwaystopublichealth.org, which contains information regarding undergraduate public health programs and course offerings.
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| Newsletter Survey | |||
| Newsletter Survey | |||
| Let us know what you think about the Student Services Newsletter – please take a moment and send us your feedback so that can we can be sure to provide the content and format that you want to see in future issues. A short survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vnBc4UT5cV6QONZccr7YpA_3d_3d | |||
| Call for Articles | |||
| Please contribute! | |||
| The editorial committee highly encourages SPH faculty and staff to submit articles for future issues of the newsletter. Suggested topics are: use of technology, legal issues, international student perspectives, best practices, successful partnerships, and research on student services. Ideas for other topics are welcome! There is no word limit to articles and graphics/pictures are highly encouraged. If you would like to submit an article to the newsletter, please either forward an abstract or a full article to Allison Foster at afoster@asph.org. | |||
There is a lot going on for student services and admissions at the ASPH annual meeting. Below is a cheat sheet of events to clip out and keep with you in San Diego. 
Nancy Culbert, Chair of the ASPH Student Services Council, recently spoke with Dean Donna Petersen (University of South Florida College of Public Health), who was elected by the deans of ASPH member schools to the new position Liaison for Student Services. This position was created in part as a result of the increasingly organized and more complex activities of the student services and admissions directors of the ASPH member schools. We thank her for her time and thoughtfulness in this interview. 
Are applications to your schools decreasing or disproportionately slowing down for the following programs or degrees?