SPH Maryland Day Events!

Maryland Day is this Saturday, April 30, all over the University of Maryland, College Park campus. The SPH will be participating in Maryland Day again this year. Check out the list of SPH events below, and visit the Maryland Day website at marylandday.umd.edu to add them to your schedule!

Don't forget to stop by Hornblake Plaza to see the TODAY Show's Joy Bauer, an SPH alumnus. She will be giving nutrition talks, cooking demonstrations and signing her new book. Read more about her schedule here!

All Day Event

Are You a Basket Case?

School of Public Health Building - Indoor

See if you have the nerves and control to meet a basketball free-throwing challenge. Get some

shooting tips from kinesiology majors.

In Door

All Day Event

Better Than an Apple a Day

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Receive a personal assessment of different health risk factors and learn how regular physical

activity can reduce your risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Out Door

All Day Event

Cholesterol Screening by Health Solutions

Overhang, Hornbake Plaza

Wonder if your diet and exercise are enough to keep your cholesterol numbers down? Check it out

with our friends from Health Solutions!

Out Door

All Day Event

Dance to the Music

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Learn a new fitness/dance routine to burn a few extra calories. No prior experience required.

Out Door

All Day Event

Deamonte Driver Dental Project

Mobile Unit near Hornbake, Hornbake Plaza

DDDP is a community partnership for children's oral health. Visit us at our mobile unit for free

dental health screening.

Out Door

All Day Event

Dimensions Healthcare System

Hornbake Plaza

Come by to meet some health professionals from DHS to answer your health questions and to

receive some health screenings.

Out Door

All Day Event

Food-egories Game

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Come play "Food-egories" to test your healthy food knowledge under the pressure of a ticking

clock!

Out Door

All Day Event

Football Clinic

Comcast Center, Outside

Minnesota Viking Madieu Williams '03 will offer a football clinic for children ages 8-13. Preregistration

is required and there is a 300 participant limit. Register at

http://tinyurl.com/madieucamp.

Out Door

01:00 - 01:30

Gymkana Gymnastics Exhibition

McKeldin Mall

Enjoy a performance from the UM Gymkana Troupe. These athletes will put on a high flying show

full of gymnastics and acrobatics while demonstrating the importance and benefits of living a

healthy drug-, alcohol and tobacco-free lifestyle.

Out Door

All Day Event

Healthy Mouths - Healthy Bodies

Hornbake Plaza

The head bone connects to the neck bones and the rest of our skeleton. Come learn about oral

health and have an oral cancer exam. Healthy mouths--a matter of life and health.

Out Door

10:15 - 10:45

Intro to Zumba

Hornbake Plaza

Experience a 30 minute Zumba class which uses a fusion of Latin and International music to create

a dynamic, exciting, and effective fitness system. Tennis shoes suggested.

Out Door

All Day Event

Maryland Healthy Smiles Dental Program/DentaQuest

Hornbake Plaza

The Maryland Healthy Smiles Dental Program is Maryland's Medicaid Dental Program for children,

pregnant women, and Rare and Expensive Case Management (REM) adults. We're here to help

Maryland families stay healthy! Come and learn more!

Out Door

All Day Event

Panel Discussion: Discover Undergraduate Degrees in the School of

Public Health

1304, School of Public Health Building - Indoor

Discover a career helping individuals and families choose healthy and active lifestyles. If you want

variety in courses and career options, enjoy promoting healthy lives and communities, and are

looking for excitement in school, come and learn about majors in community health, family

science, and kinesiology.

In Door

All Day Event

Public Health Trivia by PHEAR

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Join PHEAR (Public Health Engaging and Representing) for some PHUN with Public Health Trivia. Do

you know - What is Public Health???

Out Door

09:00 - 12:00

Put Your Face on Testudo!

Artificial Turf Field

Maryland Wishes will take a picture of your face in a life-size cutout of this infamous reptile. We

are a student organization that helps raise funds to grant the wishes of children living with lifethreatening

medical conditions.(http://www.midatlantic.wish.org)

Out Door

All Day Event

Stress Reduction Workshops

0107, School of Public Health Building - Indoor

Family Member Stress Reduction workshops:every 15 minutes - deep breathing workshop, muscle

relaxation workshop, guided imagery workshop, family stress reduction education/brainstroking;

relaxation workshop, guided imagery workshop, family stress reduction education/brainstroking;

this schedule will then repeat throughout the day.

In Door

All Day Event

Surf's Up! Discover Your Inner Ear

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Good balance is important not just for surfers and snowboarders. Poor balance leads to falls and

injuries numbering in the millions annually. Try our Bongo board challenge and test your balance.

Out Door

All Day Event

This Is Public Health at Maryland

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

Place your face in a cutout photo showing people engaging in public health activities. Participants

get a link to a website where they can see and download their pictures.

Out Door

All Day Event

Visit the Public Health Garden

Between Rec and SPH, School of Public Health Building - Outdoor

Come visit the site of the new Public Health Garden. Children can plant seeds and learn about how

they grow. You can also look at the progress of the construction of the Garden. Learn about

sustainable agriculture and how community gardens can improve environmental, community, and

public health.

Out Door

All Day Event

We Like to Move It, by PESO

McKeldin Mall-College Tent-School of Public Health

UMD's Physical Education Student Organization leads a variety of activities that are not only fun but

good for developing physical fitness.

Out Door

Community Health Course Offers Practical Learning Experience

Students from Dr. Robert Feldman's Principles of Community Health class are hosting a Spring health fair at the School of Public Health this Thursday, April 28. The following article was written by students in the course about their experiences planning the fair.

How many students does it take to get to the center of a healthy campus? One, two….YOU! This slogan, reminiscent of the Tootsie Pop slogan, is being used by Dr. Robert Feldman’s HLTH391 Principles of Community Health I class to help advertise their “Spring Back into Health” Fair.

In addition to lecture-based learning, students in HLTH391 are required to plan and execute a health fair as part of their curriculum. Though Dr. Feldman’s section this semester is smaller than average, the class is still able to carry out the same duties as would be required by a larger class.

The class is divided into five committees, each of which is responsible for performing a specific role for the implementation of the fair. The members of each committee collaborate with each other, members of other committees, and campus resources to ensure a successful and smoothly operated health fair. The committees, each consisting of two to three students, perform different tasks such as outlining the topics of highest importance on campus, advertising, renting the necessary equipment for the day, setting and cleaning up, and providing an assessment of the success of the fair for the Department of Behavioral and Community Health.

In addition to the multiple duties that the students must carry out for their committees, each student is individually responsible for creating an engaging and unique display about a specific health issue. These issues, as determined by a needs assessment, include nutrition, exercise, stress, alcohol, safety, and many more.

Though it may seem daunting for the HLTH391 students to assume all these responsibilities, the hands-on experience attained from such an endeavor provides students with the organizational and research skills that can be utilized in many other public and community health positions that the students will eventually pursue. The class would like to thank Dr. Feldman, the Department of Behavioral and Community Health, and the School of Public Health for their help and support throughout this process.

The class would also like to invite the members of the UMD community to their health fair, which will take place on Thursday April 28, 2011 from 2-5pm on the Ground Floor of the School of Public Health. Free food, giveaways, door prizes, and fun activities will be provided in addition to the informational displays. We look forward to seeing you there!

UMD PRC Receives National Excellence Award

The University of Maryland Prevention Research Center (UMD-PRC) was recently selected to receive one of 11 awards for best-practices in community-based participatory research (CBPR) from the National Community Committee, which is associated with the Prevention Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are currently 37 PRCs. The purpose of the award was to recognize and stimulate excellence in CBPR within the diverse group of CDC Prevention Research Centers across the country.

Mr. Chikezie Maduka, Dr. Bradley Boekeloo and Dr. Suzanne Randolph.

The UMD-PRC was established with CDC funding in 2009 at the University of Maryland School of Public Health in College Park, Md. Its mission is to reduce health disparities in Maryland along the national capital border, an area in Prince George’s County, Maryland between the “National Capital Beltway,” the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Md.  This area is specifically targeted for community health improvement as much of this Prince George’s County national capital border area is medically underserved. Contrasts between this area and surrounding areas are pronounced in regard to demographics, health services, and health status. This Prince George’s County national capital border area suffers from remarkably high rates of primary Syphilis, HIV, stroke, diabetes, low birth weight, and other health problems.

The SPH happens to be located in Prince George’s County at the nexus of the contrasting jurisdictions. The UMD-PRC infrastructure builds on an existing collaborative with the City of Seat Pleasant in Prince George’s County, the Prince George’s County Health Department and the SPH to further engage with organizations within and across the many area borders. It links needs with resources and addresses issues that exacerbate disenfranchisement. The ultimate goals of the UMD-PRC are to make significant strides toward increasing community capacity, eliminating health disparities in Maryland along the national capital border, and advancing Community-Based Participatory Research.

Bradley Boekeloo, Ph.D., M.Sc., is the principal investigator and director of the UMD-PRC. The award application was coordinated by Mr. Chikezie Maduka, Dr. Suzanne Randolph, Ms. Denise Bellows, and Mr. Brian Gilchrist.  Mr. Maduka and Dr. Randolph are two area residents and UMD-PRC’s representatives to the NCC and members of the UMD-PRC Community Advisory Committee; and Ms. Bellows and Mr. Gilchrist are graduate research associates in the UMD-PRC.  Dr. Boekeloo, Mr. Maduka and Dr. Randolph accepted the award on April 12, 2011, on behalf of the entire UMD-PRC team in Atlanta, Georgia at the annual CDC Prevention Research Center meeting.

For more information contact umdprc@umd.edu.

Advancing Oral Health in America

The Institute on Medicine released a report titled Advancing Oral Health in America to highlight the role the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can play in improving oral health and oral health care.

The report, released April 8, was created by a special committee organized in 2009 that explored ways to increase public awareness of the relationship and importance of good oral health to good physical health; promote prevention and improve oral health literacy to health providers and the public; and recommend ways to improve access to oral health care.

Dr. Alice Horowitz, a research associate professor at the SPH, was a member of the committee that reviewed current relevant oral health care actions, the barriers to progress and ways in which policy can improve access to oral health care.

Along with that, the committee examined existing oral health activities and programs; existing regulations, statutes and resources that affect efforts to support oral health care and research data; and financing and policy efforts that bear on oral health.

"We tried to see how HHS could have more of a real focus on oral health," Dr. Horowitz said. 

The committee recommended that HHS design an oral health initiative consistent with IOM’s proposed set of organizing principles, which are based on the areas in greatest need of attention and on the approaches that have the most potential for creating improvements.

In addition, the IOM stressed three key areas needed for successfully maintaining oral health as a priority issue: strong leadership, sustained interest, and the involvement of multiple stakeholders. 

Dr. Horowitz said if the committee's recommendations come together and there is a strong influence with HHS, it could be a model for states to follow in regards to oral health policies and practices.

SEIPH Hosts Public Health Awareness Day

The Shady Grove Public Health student club, SIEPH, students engaging in public health, hosted a Public Health Awareness Day at the Universities at Shady Grove on April 6, in honor of National Public Health Week.

Public health students partnered with the UMES Hospitality Program, UMB Nursing and the Shady Grove Center for Academic Success to hold an event to raise awareness of the importance of health and fitness, and to celebrate public health week.

Activities included fitness screening, healthy snack taste test, a yoga and relaxation session, bottled vs. tap water taste test challenge, and information on global health and malaria and a demonstration of a bed net.

Zofia Klosowska, the vice president of SIEPH, said, "As USG's only health awareness/prevention club, SEIPH knew how important it was to try and bring fun activities to the students that promote the idea of healthier living."

Klosowska said that the group decided during the fall semester that they would like to bring awareness to various health concerns to the USG campus, and they began to work towards that goal during the spring semester. With help from the USG Office of Student Services, who helped the group with funding the events prizes and with spreading the word, the event was a success.

"We had volunteers from several different programs: nursing students helped at our Physical Fitness booth doing BMI's and Blood Pressure screenings, Biology students helped with the infectious disease booths, and Hospitality students helped us bake foods for a taste test that we had, where students sampled two versions of a snack and had to guess which one was the healthier option," she said.

This was the first Public Health Awareness Day the group has held, but Klosowska said SIEPH hopes to hold the event again next year and maybe even once per semester.

"As the weather was very cooperative, we were able to hold everything outside in the main courtyard where we drew plenty of people," Dr. Jennifer Todd, director of the Public Health Science Program, said. "It was not only well attended, but enthusiastically attended! We had a lot of fun and the students did an amazing job."

Dean's Scholars Dinner and Awards Ceremony

The 6th annual Dean's Scholars Dinner and Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday, April 7, 2011. Students from all departments in the SPH were honored for their hard work and accomplishments. Congratulations to all of the award winners! 

Jerry P. Wrenn Scholarship Winners
Evelyn Berkoh Asamoah
Kelsey Baker
Brittany Barnes
Rebecca Burke
Elizabeth Capowski
Brittany Hollis
Colleen Hopkins
Haleigh Lester
Wilhelmina Lord-Adem
Ashley Munguia
Ellen Pauloski
Donna Siu
Troy Stewart
Noreal Weems

Family Science

Outstanding undergraduates:

Anjali Jain, Natalie Gaudette, Nkemka Anyiwo

Noel Myricks Endowed Scholarship: Maria Vega

Ned Gaylin Endowed Scholarship Award: Deanna Pruitt

Jeanette Spier Beavers Memorial Scholarship: John Hart, Breanna Davis

Andrew Billingsly Endowed Scholarship fund: Tiffani Stevenson Lloyd

Mark and Tracye Turner Scholarship: Dara Winley

Behavioral and Community Health

Outstanding Undergraduates:

Jennifer Fink, Monique Thornton, Manuela Plazas

David Hyde Scholarship Award: Tawanna Sawyer

Doris Sands Scholarship Award: Lucile Cancre

Kinesiology

Outstanding Undergraduates:

Patricia Almedia, Cody Punt, Andrea Tian

Quinn Scholarship:

Kyle Fink, Lindsay Schlegel

Alice Morgan Love Scholarship:

Kimberly Baker, Krysten Eshelman-Sneade, Kristen Murphy, Lyndsay Schlegel, Kyle Fink

NASPE Major of the Year:

PHED- Christopher Day, KNES- Michelle Romeo

EDA/AAHPERD Outstanding Future Professionals: Steven Reedy, Amanda Webster

2010-11 Sally J. Phillips Dissertation Fellow: Brad King

Ann Wylie Dissertation Fellow: Brad King, Jeremy Rietschel

KNES Graduate Summer Fellow: Brian Baum, Anusha Venkatakrishnan

University

Philip J. Merrill Scholar:

Kelly Anne Protzka, Christopher Day

Dean’s Graduate Scholars

Epidemiology/Biostatistics: MPU- Lu Chen

Family Science: PhD- Colleen Veseley, MS- Kathryn Beck

Kinesiology: PhD- Erik Hanson, MA- Davi Mazala

Behavioral and Community Health: PhD- Raquel Peat, MPH- Elizabeth Dalianis

Health Services Administration: MHA- Monica Machado

MIAEH: MPH- Michelle Collins

Dean’s Senior Scholars

Family Science

Hannah Barrett

Sasha Garcon

Fallon Goodman

Jonathan Kalish

Caitlin Thomas

Sarah Thornton

Behavioral and Community Health

Julia Bernstein

Kanokphan Rattanawatkul

Jessie Tsai

Kinesiology
Kristine Bedell

Jennifer Cunningham

Julie Ermoloff

Samuel Fam

Cina Karodeh

Haleigh Lester

Alexander Meloy

Hilary Moser

Michael Nilsen

Arik Orbach

Michelle Romeo

Hillary Rosenblatt

Jarenn Stewart
Michael Walsh

The Story Behind Public Health Week with Dr. Caswell Evans Jr.

Dr. Caswell Evans Jr., Professor & Associate Dean of Prevention & Public Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a former president of the American Public Health Association, visited the SPH on April 5 to discuss how National Public Health Week came about.

Evans shared information from his experience as APHA president, as well as from his time at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, where he first implemented a public health week.

The idea for public health week came from a meeting between Evans and Bailus Walker, a former APHA president and friend of Evans'. The two discussed what it would take to get traction for a national public health week.

Evans decided to work toward a smaller version of that in Los Angeles. His first public health weeks had a slow start gaining supporters outside of the local media, but they slowly began to grow in popularity, he said.

Evans said he continued to push for a public health week in Los Angeles County because it required minimal effort from the involved parties, but it would highlight the work they do year-round.

"You can do what you normally do- just celebrate what you normally do as public health week," he said.

He said his team capitalized on making the event fun and on making public health visible, encouraging creativity among the different departments and organizations.

"Each entity was expected to do something that they were really invested in," he said.

The event grew every year, and gathered interest from outside parties as well. Evans' staff began to package primers on how other organizations, cities, states, etc. could implement a public health week of their own.

Public health week continued to grow in popularity until it was eventually adopted nationwide under the Clinton administration.

"Back then I had no idea public health week would be what it is today," he said.

He said he believes in giving stuff away and, through that, empowering others to take whatever piece they want and to build on that with their own vision.

Evans also stressed the importance of focusing on the organization, not the individual. He said having good friends who provide support in times when you need support is critical.

"If you're gonna do something that's bold, you've got to have the strength, and the fire and the guts to see it through," he said.

SPH Celebrates National Public Health Week April 4-10, 2011

For more than a decade, communities across the country have celebrated National Public Health Week (NPHW) each April by highlighting public health achievements and raising awareness of issues important to improving the public’s health. This year, APHA will continue its vision to make America the healthiest nation in one generation by addressing the importance of injury and violence prevention through the theme “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury-free”. Learn more about NPHW at www.nphw.org.

The SPH is happy to take part in National Public Health Week this year for the first time as a CEPH-Accredited school of public health. The school's National Public Health Week 2011 events are listed below. Come out to join us and help promote public health!

Monday, April 4
3 - 4 p.m.
Public Health Garden Club Meeting: Learn and Get Involved in the Public Health Garden
National Public Health Week’s “Safety Is No Accident” Campaign gives the club a great opportunity to tie in issues about safety in our implementation planning for the Public Health Garden.  Discussion will focus on planning and implementation of the garden, and encourage participants to consider safety issues while they learn about and participate in community gardening.
SPH Building, Room 2234CC (MIEH/EPIB Conference Room)

Tuesday, April 5
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Public Health Garden LARC321 Final Design Presentations
Undergraduate Landscape Architecture students in the LARC321 class will present final design concepts for the Public Health Garden.
Plant Sciences Building, Room 1130

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Prevention Road Tour: APHA NPHW Hill Briefing
Join APHA for a National Public Health Week briefing titled “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury-Free.”
US Senate Visitors Center, Room SVC 208/209

2:30 p.m.
Community Advisory Council Meeting
The Council provides the School with insights on public health needs and issues of relevance to our School’s research, teaching and service activities.

5 - 6:00 p.m.
LECTURE: The Story Behind Public Health Week
Caswell Evans Jr., DDS, MPH, will speak of his experiences that led to the creation of Public Health Week during his tenure as President of the American Public Health Association. He will address how the week is a tool for health communications and health literacy.
SPH Building, Room 2242H

Wednesday, April 6
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
LECTURE: Can HIT Become PHIT During a Public Health Emergency?
Nathanial Hupert, MD, MPH
Co-sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Health IT Research.
Van Munching Hall, Robert H. Smith School of Business

Thursday, April 7
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
LECTURE: Epigenetic and genetic approaches in cancer epidemiology and risk assessmentMukesh Verma, Ph.D.
Chief, Methods and Technologies Branch; Program Director, Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
5 p.m.
Dean's Scholars Dinner
Outstanding SPH students will be recognized for their scholarship, leadership, community service and character.

Friday, April 8
11 a.m.
Exercise in Stroke and Neurological Disease: A Public Health Perspective
The 2011 Department of Kinesiology Husman Lecture will feature Richard F. Macko, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine and College Park, and VA Maryland Health Care System.
SPH Building, Room 1312

Download a PDF of the calendar here.