Senator Ben Cardin to speak at School of Public Health Commencement

Ben Cardin,
US Senator for Maryland
and public health champion

 

On May 20, Senator Ben Cardin, a long-time advocate for universal access to affordable health care, will deliver the keynote address at the University of Maryland School of Public Health commencement ceremony.

The second-term senator for Maryland has worked to expand access to health care via the Affordable Care Act and initiatives to erase disparities in minority health. He was a driving force in the successful effort to create the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Among his many achievements, Senator Cardin was successful in securing guaranteed dental benefit in the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Pro­gram and authored the Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act to reduce pollution and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay through strong new enforcement tools and new grant authority.

“Senator Cardin has been a national leader on health care, and his efforts in support of access to high-quality, affordable health care for all people reflect the values and mission of our School,” says Dean Jane E. Clark.

Over 450 students will graduate from the School of Public Health this spring with both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The ceremony will be held on Monday, May 20 at 4pm in the Cole Student Activities Building. 

Details on the School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony.

Download the Spring 2013 SPH commencement program.

Global Public Health Students Shine at College Park Scholars Academic Showcase

On May 3, 2013, four hundred and sixty-nine College Park Scholars presented posters about their capstone practica at the 17^th Annual Academic Showcase. Of these, 66 were students from the Global Public Health Scholars program, which is sponsored by the School of Public Health and directed by Dr. Elisabeth Fost Maring, research associate professor in the Department of Family Science. Twelve of the Global Public Health scholars are majors in the School of Public Health (SPH).

English major Brianna Conyers presents to SPH's Dr. Colleen Farmer.

Students' practicum experiences ranged from studying abroad and service learning locally and abroad; to research in laboratories; internships at hospitals and NGOs; and mentoring youth with tutoring programs.

Kinesiology major Sarah Jenkins (pictured below) worked with SPH faculty and graduate students to plan and facilitate a screening of the documentary, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” and continued her effort to introduce the “movement” to the University of Maryland community for her practicum. 

                              

Dr. Maring (left) with Sarah Jenkins (center) and graduate assistant
Krishna Bhagat (right), a doctoral student in
behavioral and community health

Several students traveled to India on study abroad programs led by SPH faculty. Charles Milrod, an Environmental Science and Technology major, traveled with Dr. Maring to India in June 2012. He conducted interviews with doctors and patients in the local hospitals to examine biofuel and lung cancer risk in the community. He then continued his research project by working with Dr. Amir Sapkota in the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health.

 One Kinesiology student, Nikita Mehta, who traveled to India with Dr. Donna Howard in January 2013, titled her poster, “Wanderlust in India: Discovering Public Health Abroad."

Cell Biology major Ira Herniter presents his poster to SPH Dean Jane E. Clark.

Maria Velasquez, a Family Science major, became part of a research team exploring illustrations of health and healthy bodies by children. She examined the implications for global public health research and education.

School of Public Health Dean Jane E. Clark, who attended the Annual Academic Showcase for the first time, commented, “You should be very proud of the work the students are doing... impressive!”

SPH students in Global Health Scholars include:

Family Science: Maria Velasquez

Kinesiology: Cecilia Akintonde, Kenitra Alston, Sarah Jenkins, Brooks Leitner, Jennifer Macko, Nikita Mehta, and Julian Vesnovsky           

Community Health: Eman Faris, Carly Momorella, Rebecca Shnitkin, and Aisha Hussain  

Raising HIV Awareness Through the Arts

University of Maryland Hosts  Fourth Annual Seat Pleasant Health Summit

A high school student from Seat Pleasant talks about HIV/AIDS
awareness among teens in Prince George's County at the
third annual Seat Pleasant Health Summit in May 2012.

The fourth annual Seat Pleasant Health Summit on Friday, May 10 will bring high school youth and senior citizens from Prince George's County city of Seat Pleasant to the University of Maryland for a fun, educational experience that will help residents develop tools to improve health in their communities. This year’s summit will focus on developing leaders for the CREATE for Change program, an arts-based, inter-generational project focused on raising awareness about HIV and STD prevention through creative expression in the greater Seat Pleasant community.

Background: The annual Seat Pleasant Health Summits, which began in 2010, are the result of an ongoing partnership between Seat Pleasant and the University of Maryland School of Public Health’s Prevention Research Center (PRC) to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in this community. Located in Prince George’s County, Maryland along the eastern border with Washington, D.C., Seat Pleasant is a predominantly African-American community with disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS. New to the health summit this year, the University of Maryland Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center will partner with the School of Public Health and Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene W. Grant to engage community members in developing the arts-based CREATE for Change program designed to influence better health outcomes. This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters and MetLife Foundation All-In: Re-imagining Community Participation Program.

When and Where: Friday, May 10, 2013 from 8am to 1:15pm. The morning session (from 8:00–9:30 am) will be held in the university’s Eppley Recreation Center (room 2113). The rest of the program (9:45 am–1:-00 pm) will be held in the School of Public Health.  

Media: Members of the media are welcomed to cover this event and can park at any metered spot near the School of Public Health (see directions below).] Contact Kelly Blake, kellyb@umd.edu, 301-405-9418. 

More about the CREATE (Community Redirection of Expectations through Arts Transformation Experiences) project: About 10-20 youth and 10-20 seniors will work with the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the UMD Prevention Research Center to develop an arts-based inter-generational community engagement and education project focused on HIV awareness.  This will involve a three-day training during summer 2013 and follow up meetings throughout a period of six months. CREATE Leaders must be able to problem solve, community organize, take a leadership role, and educate others about HIV. They will receive commendations for community work from elected officials, provide an important service in which youth may receive community service credits, and have the University of Maryland affiliated title of CREATE Leader.  

More about the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center and the Seat Pleasant-University of Maryland Health Partnership: The UMD Prevention Research Center (PRC) was founded in 2009 and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Prevention Research Centers Program. The UMD-PRC was built upon the pre-existing Seat Pleasant-University of Maryland, College Park Health Partnership established in 1999 to improve the health of Seat Pleasant residents and to enhance learning and research for students and faculty of the University of Maryland. Members of the Health Partnership serve as a community advisory group to the UMD Prevention Research Center, which has a broad mission to reduce health disparities in Maryland along the national capital border and focuses on issues including STD/HIV prevention, obesity prevention, and adolescent health, among others, using community based participatory research methods.  



Learn more:

University of Maryland Prevention Research Center

Seat Pleasant-University of Maryland Health Partnership 

City of Seat Pleasant

School of Public Health
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Photos from Third Annual Seat Pleasant Health Summit

Directions to Eppley Recreation Center

From the main entrance to the University of Maryland campus (from US Rt. 1):
Follow Campus Drive (road from main entrance) to the roundabout with the large "M".
Turn right onto Regents Drive.
At the 2nd stop sign, turn left onto Farm Drive.
Turn right onto Valley Drive and continue to the ERC building. 
Metered parking is available in front of the building (You must pay or enter a validation code at the nearby kiosk.)­­

Handstands for Maryland Day 2013

By:     Aamna Ali
          Senior Community Health Major

          SPH Student Ambassador

It was yet another exciting year for Maryland Day and another beautiful day to enjoy it! The events were amazing, the food was delicious and the people were fantastic! Maryland Day is truly a unique experience that you can only get on this campus. To top off the amazing environment, was the superb talent of the Gymkana Troupe. These Maryland gymnasts really put on a show today, and encouraged the audience to see some of the benefits to staying healthy.

This group performed amazing stunts. Their synchronization was a unique display of true teamwork. They did it all, from backflips to hand stands, to even performing these stunts while on top of each other! They also danced stunningly to the music using powerful and graceful gymnastic techniques to awe the growing crowd of spectators. After watching each breathtaking performance, I, along with many others, was left speechless. Experiences such as this are what make Maryland Day so beautiful and diverse. 

Not only did Gymkana demonstrate how incredible gymnastics can be, but they also illustrated just how important it is to stay healthy. Gymkana is proof of how much more fun life can be if we were more physically active. As a student in the School of Public Health, I have learned that being physically fit and active not only decreases health issues, but also gives the body more energy and increases productivity. Starting and maintaining a new physical routine may be the hardest part of the journey but like Newton said, “Once an object is in motion, it stays in motion.” As Gymkana Troupe members flew through the air at Maryland Day, this idea began to seem true even for people. 

Gymkana’s performance taught me that though most of us live busy lives, we could all benefit from taking a break every once in a while for a walk, or some other form of physical activity. Two minutes of walking increases the functions of 75 genes in the body, according to an Australian study in the Journal of Applied Physiology. And though I don’t anticipate doing a handstand on a pile of stacked chairs in the near future, walking in my jeans to improve my genes sounds like a good place to start. 

Fearless Cooking Festival: Maryland Day 2013

By:     Surbhi Sardana

          Freshman Community Health Major

          SPH Student Ambassador

When the word paella comes to mind, Spanish and complicated typically follow thereafter. Not to mention what a mouthful buttermilk lemon soufflé pancake is to say, and never mind attempting to bake this breakfast treat. But never fear, the Terps are here!

On April 27, 2013, the University of Maryland held their much-awaited annual event of Maryland Day, where hundreds of people flocked to the campus to see and partake in all the activities and delicious food offered by various schools and organizations. One extremely popular event held at the Hornbake Plaza was the Fearless Cooking Festival, where the University’s own top chefs came together to teach Kitchenware-fearing people how easy it truly is to cook dishes that have a reputation of seeming complicated just like paella and buttermilk lemon soufflé pancake.

Traditionally, paella is a Spanish dish of rice with seafood, chicken and sausage that is artfully combined with the rich flavor of saffron. Typically, the dish takes an hour to prepare and while the task may seem daunting, Chef Ivory Kornegay from Adele’s Restaurant simplified the process and in no time, whipped up a beautiful plate of steaming rice and seafood colored a deep red from the saffron. Lucky for the audience, small samples of the rice bedded in a muscle shell were handed out to those eager to taste the dish.

Sometimes the best breakfast consists of simple buttermilk pancakes, but buttermilk lemon soufflé pancakes? The audience waiting for Catering Chef Thomas Schraa from Good Tidings seemed to have the same question: how to prevent the soufflé from drooping like a sad flower. Chef Thomas Schraa very clearly and simply demonstrated that baking soufflé pancakes does not need to be intimidating and showed everyone an easy way to prevent the soufflé from flattening – by baking it on a pan instead of the oven of course! With the audience’s mind whirling with this new discovery, samples of the mini pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and powdered sugar were distributed. As people from the audience stood up to leave for their next destination, they could be seen licking the corners of their mouths to pick up any last taste of the pancakes they could find.

With these simple, 30-minute demonstrations by professionals from the University of Maryland, the fear factor from cooking was unquestionably eliminated. The audience learned not only simpler ways of cooking these ostensibly daunting dishes, but perhaps was even inspired to take the recipes further and make them their own. That way, others would learn that Terps do not fear anything, but that others should fear the turtle. 

UMD Goes Smoke Free

By:        Shira Krimsky

              Sophomore Kinesiology Major

               SPH Student Ambassador

On June 30^th, 2013, all University of Maryland campuses will officially be smoke free.  The policy was cast to a vote last July and the board of regents voted unanimously in favor.  Many students have spent the past two semesters preparing for the change in a variety of ways.  Some students are excited about the change and have been anticipating the smoking ban for quite some time.  In November, a group of students including representatives from the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) hosted the Great American Smoke Out in the Stamp   This event helped educate students about the policy and also encouraged students to quite smoking, both off and on campus.  Prizes were given to those who pledged to quit smoking and the University Health Center’s Edie Anderson was there to offer her smoking cessation services.  

Student Union.

The smoking ban has been met with a variety of opinions: some supportive, some oppositional.  Some students are excited to walk around campus without the fear of ending up in a cloud of second hand smoke.  Others are less enthusiastic and see this as an infringement on their personal rights.  Many other institutions surrounding UMCP, including Towson University and The Community College of Baltimore County, have already implemented smoking bans and have faced similar opposition initially, but said that overall the ban was effective.    

One of the main concerns regarding the effectiveness of the ban is that it won’t be enforced and people won’t listen.  The current law for University of Maryland campuses is that individuals cannot smoke indoors or within 25 feet of a campus building.  However, almost all UMCP students have seen the group of smokers that stands only 5 feet away from McKeldin library, leaving a plume in their midst.  Other students have also complained of smokers standing outside their dorm room windows and preventing them from getting fresh air.  Many are worried that the smoking ban may not actually be effective.  In order for campus to be smoke free, the ban must be enforced. 

How do you enforce a ban that affects over 30,000 students? Stay tuned for June 30^th to find out! Catch up on the issue with these news articles:

University Senate skeptical of Board of Regents' campuswide smoking ban – The Diamondback Online

No designated smoking areas in U. Senate-approved ban – The Diamondback Online

University Of Maryland Bans Smoking On All Campuses – Huffington Post

Do campus smoking bans work? – Washington Post

Resident Hall Association seeks input on campus-wide smoking ban – The Diamondback Online

 

Gandhi Brigade: Terp Service Weekend

By:         Domonique Reed

  Junior Community Health Major

  SPH Student Ambassador

Each spring semester, the University of Maryland holds a Terp Service Weekend where hundreds of University of Maryland students have the opportunity to do service in the local community. One of the local programs that students from the University of Maryland had the opportunity to serve was a non-profit organization called the Gandhi Brigade.

Mahatama Gandhi is a renowned leader who devoted his life to fighting for the justice and equality of mankind, with the results of peace of mind. The Gandhi Brigade organization has taken Gandhi's philosophy to heart and is dedicated to helping young people “realize their inner and collective power to become the champions of the common good.”

The Gandhi Brigade allows young people to use media arts as a medium to express important messages on social justice. Youth members of the Gandhi Brigade created and produced a public service announcement on the cost of college tuition.

The Gandhi Brigade is located on the fourth floor of City Place Mall, in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. On Saturday, April 20^th, six other Terps and I visited the Gandhi Brigade with our artistic caps on. We were given the task of designing and painting a mural that would be on the front entrance of the organization. 

Our goal was to create a mural that would attract new youth and reflect the work of its current members. Although our mural was not completed during our time there, we gave the youth a good foundation on which they can build.

Free Weekly Vegetarian Feast at the Co-op

By:       Matthew Nolder

            Senior Kinesiology Major

            SPH Student Ambassador

This past Thursday, April 18th, I attended the free vegetarian feast from 7-9 pm in the Maryland Food Collective (the Co-op) on the ground floor of the Stamp Student Union. While the feast, which is held weekly, is located in the Co-op, it is put on by the University of Maryland Bhakti Yoga Club. It is open to everyone, members and non-members alike.

A photo of the Co-op Courtesy
of the Stamp Student Union

As a second semester senior here at Maryland, I thought I pretty much knew everywhere on campus to get a free meal when I needed one. I, however, had never heard of this event before, even though it has been going on for years.

When I first walked into the Stamp Student Union at about 6:30 pm, I walked downstairs to the Co-op to see what was going on. I had no idea how the whole event worked, so I wanted to get there early. At first there was no one there, but shortly after, at around 6:40 pm, a line formed at the door. At first it was just a few people, so I joined. Then, within a matter of minutes, the line was going all the way to the doors leading outside. I had no idea that this event had such a large draw to it.

While waiting in line, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to be served, but I was open to anything--let’s be serious who turns down a free meal. When the doors finally opened and I went through the buffet line, I was presented with white rice, black beans served in an unfamiliar sauce, and what tasted like cornbread for dessert. As I walked to the eating area across from the Co-op, I was excited to dig in and see how everything tasted. It was all fantastic; I enjoyed it so much I went back for seconds.

For anyone who is not terribly interested in the meal I ate, I would still recommend going to the free vegetarian feast. Other people in line told me that they try to serve different foods each week; who knows what you may get.

I highly recommend attending this feast to anyone looking to experience new foods or to simply get a delicious free meal.

Deadly Diseases and Health Heroes: Public Health Research@Maryland 2013

Somewhere in the world, buried deep inside secured laboratories, are two vials of a gruesome, infectious disease that Dr. D. A. Henderson spent a decade working to destroy. 

And he wants them gone.

Dr. D.A. Henderson

In a keynote lecture at the University of Maryland’s first annual Public Health Reasearch@Maryland (PHRM) day, the world-renowned epidemiologist offered a glimpse into what it took to rid the planet of smallpox virus. It was a hard-fought battle and a landmark in public health history. Destroying the two known remaining samples of the disease would provide closure and send a message to the entire world, Henderson said.

An infamous epidemic

In the 20^th century, smallpox claimed 300 million lives ­– more than twice the amount that occurred from all armed conflicts worldwide during that century, Henderson said.Victims included Abraham Lincoln, who was most likely suffering from the disease as he delivered the Gettysburg address.
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Henderson, his colleagues at the World Health Organization and countless community public health workers, the world has not seen a naturally occurring case of smallpox since 1977. However, the effects and impact of this disease and the effort to eradicate it are still being felt today.

Reynolds attended PHRM to
hear from renowned epidemiologist
D. A. Henderson.

Biological Sciences and Virology Ph.D. student Sara Reynolds attended PHRM to participate in the bioterrorism forum, view research posters and listen to the keynote lecture. Reynolds regularly works with pox viruses and was consequently one of few Americans vaccinated against smallpox since the last U.S. case in 1949. Her Christmas present to her family last year? The book on which Henderson’s keynote address was based: Smallpox: The Death of a Disease.

    
Henderson’s story helped Reynolds see the relevance of her work, she said.

“It made me feel like my research was important and gave me a context to understand the implications of pox viruses,” she said. “It’s a story of inspiration…but it’s also a continuing story.”

Watch Dr. Henderson's keynote lecture: "Smallpox: Death of  a Disease"

A spirit of collaboration

Public Health Research@Maryland day gave faculty, students and community members a unique opportunity to interact with public health experts like D.A. Henderson and network with members of the University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore Campuses. It was one of the first of several activities related to the development of a collaborative School of Public Health. The collaborative school is under development as part of University of Maryland MPowering the State, an initiative designed to stimulate cross-disciplinary collaborations.

While Henderson is widely known as the force behind the World Health Organization’s smallpox campaign, the process was a team effort from start to finish, he said.

“[The campaign] gave me a view of community,” Henderson said. “You had to bring together a lot of ideas. It was exciting.”

Thornton and her colleagues presented a research poster
at PHRM 2013.  

Monique Thornton, a Community Health undergraduate, was thrilled to hear Henderson, one of her heroes, speak about infectious disease, which was the topic that originally attracted her to the public health field.

“I’ve read about him in so many books. I’ve been dying to meet him ever since,” she said. “He opened my eyes to the many possibilities of what I can do as one person.”

Passing the torch
While Henderson and his colleagues were successful in eliminating smallpox, other types of pox viruses and infectious diseases are still rampant in many parts of the world. Students like Reynolds and Thornton will be the ones to continue Henderson’s work in combating these diseases and he is happy to pass the torch on to them.

“We are only beginning to realize the potential of public health and to explore new horizons in research, understanding and application,” he says in the preface of Smallpox: the Death of a Disease. “It is a field begging for fresh, resourceful ideas and a new generation of professionals who are not constrained by ‘knowing’ what can't be done."

Watch Dr. Henderson's forum on bioterrorism from PHRM 2013.