Public Health Thank You Day

UPDATE: Thanks to all those who participated in our Thank You Day yesterday. In total, we received 18 thank you notes from alumni, students, teachers and staff, and I would like to personally thank each of you for taking the time to express your gratitude for someone.

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Today, Monday, November 24, schools and organizations across the United States are celebrating “Public Health Thank You Day.” Sponsored by Research America, the day provides an opportunity for communities to thank public health professionals and researchers whose work leads to better health protection and practices. For more information about the day, visit http://www.publichealththankyouday.org/

To celebrate, the Healthy Turtle has invited the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the School of Public Health to take time to thank someone special within our community.

The response was great, and the expressions of gratitude truly speak to the caliber of people who work, research and learn within these walls. If you would to add your thank you to those below, please email rmcmahon@umd.edu (notes can be anonymous if you'd like).

Thanks to all who submitted their notes, and enjoy:

I want to thank Dr. Espen Spangenburg. He is a great exercise metabolism professor. Even though I don't do well on tests (It's my fault for not studying as much as I should:)) I still understand the main points of the material because he is a great explainer. He is a great guy. Thank You!
-Courtney Fletcher

I would like to thank Karen Mackey, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to be excellent in everything she did to support us while she was the Executive Administrative Assistant at MIAEH.

- Dr. Betty Dabney, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health

I'm a recent graduate from the School of Public Health (May 2008) but I wanted to thank Dr. Hyde for always being there to give advice... even after graduation!
-Anonymous

Dr. Laura B. Wilson is an outstanding leader and mentor who cares about the well being of her students, faculty and staff. Never seeking credit or putting "ego" first, her creative ideas and considerable accomplishments are the stimulus and foundation of numerous initiatives in the SPH. Her expertise, leadership and interpersonal skills make things happen. She is always an inspiration.
-Anonymous

I'd like to thank Dr. Jane Clark. She started a walking program and issued hundreds of pedometers. I took to the program right away and created a web site so that each person could log their steps and track their averages. If I recall, it was 6,000 to keep your health steady and 8,000 - 10000 steps to improve your health.

When I started the program, I averaged 5,200 steps. Not satisfied with being below-health, I determined to increase my steps. I learned various ways to improve my step count, but the most important step was to schedule daily time to take walks and monitor the distance for different walks. It allowed me to gain steps and to reduce my stress after a tough day at work. My average steps improved to 7,200 a day.

Two years ago, I began running three times a week to improve my wind and muscles and, of course, to improve my step count. I now run four to five times a week and I enter several races a year. I had never raced before and this was a big boon to my enthusiasm. I now average over 10,000 a day and have done so for the last 60 weeks, consecutively. My wind is good; my muscles are improving and my self-respect and perspective is greatly enhanced. Jane's program was a life-changing first step. Thank you Jane.
- Daniel Kessler, Web Engineer, School of Public Health

I would like to thank Dr Dushanka Kleinman for her contribution in the public health service.
-Joanne Pérodin, 2nd Year MPH Environmental Health Student

I would like to thank the Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health who sponsored Robert Morris to speak on water quality last year. That presentation (and his book, "The Blue Death") have made me so much more aware of the water crisis in the United States than perhaps I even wanted to be.
- Dr. Viki S. Annand, Office of the Dean

Many thanks to Laura Wilson for her numerous contributions to the School of Public Health, Department of Health Services Administration, and the Center on Aging. Her efforts in establishing the MPH program in the Department of Public and Community Health was the first step in developing the new School of Public Health.
-Anonymous

I would like to take this chance to say thank you to Dr. Tongtong Wu, who is a faculty in Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in School of Public Health. She is always encouraging and positive. I learned from her not only the knowledge but also how to be a decent person in the daily life.
-Anonymous

Much appreciation to Dr. Viki Annand for her helpful guidance with curriculum development and tireless work to get a revised course through the detailed process of university approvals.
-HLSA Faculty Member

Dr. Dushanka Kleinman, Dr. Mary Kivlighan, Lynn Reilly, Adam Shervanian, Greta Walker and Daniel Kessler make the office of the Dean productive and effective.
-SPH faculty member

Dr. Sharon Desmond is a great professor and mentor.
-Anonymous

Sue Anne Swartz is always helpful and her cheerful attitude is a pleasant welcome to the HLSA offices.
-HLSA Faculty Member

Thanks to Dr. Bob Gold and Dr. Nancy Atkinson for the encouragement, support, and opportunities that you have provided me with during my very long graduate school journey. Thanks to Dr. Wang for recent statistics help. And thanks to Dr. Desmond for support and advice through the years. And I so appreciate how you introduced my children to the roof!
-Sandy Saperstein, Doctoral Student, DCPH

I would like to say a huge thank you to Dr. Sally Koblinsky for her many years of service to the Department of Family Science and for her continued strong student support during her transition to Assistant President and Chief of Staff. Thank you!!

-April R. McDowell, doctoral student, Department of Family Science

Much thanks to Sally Koblinsky and Carol Werlinich for all their hard work in planning FMSC's move from Marie Mount Hall. We are so grateful for all the time and energy spent in making this transition as smooth and successful as possible.
-Anonymous

We'd like to thank Dean Gold for having the vision, passion and leadership that made the school possible in the first place. He's always telling us thank you and that he couldn't have done it without all of us, but without his original idea, drive, determination and tireless work--it definitely wouldn't have happened. So thank you Dean Gold!
-Anonymous

Much thanks to Sally Koblinsky for all of her hard work as chair of FMSC. We congratulate you on your wonderful and well-deserved new position, but will miss having you around the department. Good luck!
-Anonymous


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Check back throughout the day for more thank you notes. If you'd like to contribute your own thank you note, please email rmcmahon@umd.edu.