The 94th Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony 2024
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Justa brief note to share a few reflections based on my two years as president of the Academy, which has been a great honor and learning experience for me!
We worked through a successful leadership transition, with Dr. Kate Smith as the organization’s new leader! Our Board is highly engaged; we have active and productive committees; and we added new Board members who will enrich our deliberations and impact looking forward! We are also well positioned to expand on the work of the Delaware Public Health Council, and to engage public health leaders from across the state in the important work of improving our public’s health! Our Healthcare Workforce initiative; Journal of Public Health, excellent conferences, and student loans continue to contribute in a significant way.
Looking ahead, I see our organization becoming the voice of public health in Delaware. We will seek to serve as the go to source of evidenced based information, sought after as our state considers changes that affect our public’s health.
A highly engaged Academy membership is essential to this work! This is an area of active pursuit for the organization. The Academy is also developing educational advocacy as a core capability, to better position us to play an impactful role as the voice of public health as various state agencies contemplate changes.
Be on the lookout for a new brand for the Academy. This will pay tribute to our storied past, while better clarifying our work in public health!
While I look ahead with a great deal of optimism, these are unsettling times. It is my sense that it is organizations like ours that will need to really pay attention, and to step up when we see that our public’s health is being adversely impacted.
With gratitude!
Lynn Jones, FACHE President
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Themission of the Academy/DPHA is to enhance the well-being of our community through education, the promotion of public health, research, and targeted investments in human capital and development through our student financial aid program, and in 2024, we did just that.
President Lynn Jones focused the Board of Directors, and pointed the Academy/DPHA down a path to becoming one of the strongest voices and advocates for public health in Delaware.
We offered programming and educational activities for everyone in the state, from Mini Medical School and the Delaware Youth Medical Academy for middle and high school students, to the 2024 Immunization and Health Care Work Force Summits with programming for providers, state employees, and legislators in Delaware.
We published five issues of the Delaware Journal of Public Health, and provided multiple reports to institutions throughout the state about the current status of the healthcare workforce. The Graduate Medical Education Expansion program concluded, having created new resident and fellowship positions, and supplied funding for educational supplies for medical education and development.
We awarded $37,000 to three Delaware medical students to fund their education, and a further seven loans were provided to Delawareans studying everything from physical therapy to medical diagnostics.
I want to thank the staff of the Academy/DPHA for putting in the (long, tedious, eye-straining) hours, and for making my first year as Executive Director a fulfilling one. I want to thank the Board of Directors for their focus and commitment to our work, and to thank our partners and members throughout the state for advocating for public health and the well-being of everyone in Delaware. And I want to thank you, for lending an ear, for telling your story, for saying the hard things out loud. We can’t do this without you.
Kate Smith,
MD,
MPH Executive Director
Directors
Public Health Advisory Council
Staff
Lynn Jones, LFACHE, President Stephen C. Eppes, MD, President-Elect
Jeffrey M. Cole, DDS, MBA, Treasurer Ann Painter, MSN, RN, Secretary S. John Swanson, MD, Immediate Past President
Daniel J. Meara, MD, DMD
Brian W. Little, MD, PhD
John P. Piper, MD
Megan L. Werner, MD, MPH
Charmaine Wright, MD, MSHP
David M. Bercaw, MD
Eric T. Johnson, MD
Joseph Kelly, DDS
Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS,
Erin M. Kavanaugh, MD
Erin K. Knight, PhD, MPH
Allison Karpyn, PhD
Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS, Chair
Gerard Gallucci, MD, MSH
Alfred Bacon, III, MD
William J. Swiatek, MA, AICP
Melissa K. Melby, PhD
Laura Lessard, PhD, MPH
Dayzha Washam, BA Executive Assistant, Membership Coordinator
Nicole Sabine, BS, Research Associate
Almon (Al) Harper Accounting
Matt McNeill, BS Research Associate
Timothy Gibbs, MPH Director and Principal Investigator
Katherine W. Smith, MD, MPH, NPMc, Executive Director
Giselle Bermudez, MS Student Financial Aid Coordinator
Student Internship Program
Delaware Chronic Disease Coalition
Mission: Provide a reliable resource of information about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic disease for all Delawareans; and provide ongoing support for those living with chronic disease.
https://dechronicdiseasecoalition.org/
Six undergraduate and graduate school interns took the lead in updating the DCDC’s website and offerings in 2024. The website was reviewed an updated by Allie Benton (cancer and kidney disease) and Sophia Castro (stroke and cardiovascular disease), both of whom also completed gap analyses of their focus areas.
Allie Benton
Wake Forest University
Sophia Castro Penn State University
Environmental scans of chronic disease programs in Delaware (Aurora Steele) and children at risk in Delaware (Sonia Srikanth) were completed and added to the coalition’s offerings to the public.
Aurora Steele University of Delaware
Sonia Srikanth VCU School of Medicine
In addition, Shriya Bagdi completed a gap analysis of Medicaid and CHIP Coverage for Children in Delaware and Flora Akinkunmi completed a graduate level assessment of the impact of air pollution on respiratory health in Delaware.
Shriya Bagdi University of Delaware
Delaware Health Force
Flora Akinkunmi University of Massachusetts
Mission: Provide data and implement a variety of initiatives to address Delaware’s healthcare workforce shortages. https://dehealthforce.org
Mikul Duggal researched and created patient to provider ratio goals for many of the license types that Delaware Health Force tracks. When finalized and put online, these will provide a clearer sense of where Delaware stands relative to national recommended standards for workforce.
Mikul Duggal
University of Delaware
High School Student Internship
In addition to the undergraduate internship program, the Academy also offers a virtual, semesterlong internship for high school students throughout the state. During this program, students are guided through research into a public health topic of their choice, and the creation of a hypothetical public health program to close that gap. The goal of this internship is to teach about public health, and its use in all fields. The internship also teaches the value of time management, as students set their own hours and deadlines.
In 2024, ten high schoolers learned how to utilize logic models to plan and evaluate programs, reference public health data sources and find a gap in knowledge, make community-based inferences using qualitative and quantitative data, use public health theory to inform program implementation, and effectively communicate ideas to other professionals in the public health field. Interns focused on the following topics:
Gurbaani Kakkar
Biotechnology High School
Addressing Racial Disparities in Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight: The Role of Substance Abuse and the Need for Comprehensive Public Health Solutions
Michelle Zhou
Newark Charter School
Childhood Cancer Prevention in Delaware
Tanishka Aglave
Strawberry Crest High School
Environmental Pesticide Exposure and Increased Risk of Cancer Across Various Demographics
Rishitha Guddapali
MOT Charter School
Cardiovascular Drug Therapy for Women
Saathvik Swamy
Appoquinimink High School
Concussion Awareness in High School Sports
Cailyn Pan
Charter School of Wilmington Health, Education, and Digital Safety in Delaware
Piya Patel
Caesar Rodney High School
Obesity in Delaware
Allen Zhang
Worcester Preparatory School
PFAS Education and Policy Change
Eesha Sagiraju
Charter School of Wilmington
Strategies to Address Systemic Barriers to Health Literacy Among Deaf ASL Users
Saanvi Vereddigari
Great Valley High School
Substance Misuse, Disorders, and Stigma
Delaware Youth Medical Academy
In 2024 the Academy launched the inaugural session of the Delaware Youth Medical Academy (DYMA). After securing a partnership with JeffMentors—a group of medical and pharmacy students from Sidney Kimmel Medical College—DYMA facilitated an interactive experience for DYMA Scholars. These scholars are participants of Delaware Mini Medical School who have taken additional steps to expand their knowledge of healthcare in Delaware. Participants had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one discussions with JeffMentors, gaining valuable insights and mentorship on their journey toward medical careers. Additionally, scholars attended a workshop focused on building a strong college résumé/CV for medical school, equipping them with essential knowledge for their future applications.
Delaware Mini Medical School
Started in 2009, Delaware Mini-Medical School (DMMS) is a free, six-week series designed for individuals who want to gain a deeper understanding of the world of healthcare – from dentistry and medicine to public health and research. This series, funded as a part of our healthcare workforce initiative, is designed to engage the next generation of healthcare and public health providers. Middle, junior, high school, and undergraduate students (though all are welcome to attend) learn about trends in diagnosing and treating illness and general health topics. Faculty provide in-depth lectures and allow time for questions to enhance the experience.
Our goal is to remove as many barriers as possible to engagement, so unlike many other programs, there are no tests or grades to join DMMS, or to obtain a certificate of attendance. There is no cost to program participants. As a part of the American Rescue Plan Act funded partnership with the State of Delaware, our original student attendee target for the duration of the program (ending December 2026) was 3,000 students. We reached and surpassed that target with the December 2024 series, and have reset the new target for 5,000 students. The student cohort consists of a greater proportion of non-white attendees than State of Delaware ethnic percentages ( figures 1 and 2). We also show strong participation in the target student age range. Many of the adult attendees are the parents or caregivers for students attending the series ( figure 3). Finally, a majority (81%) of attendees are female, in keeping with current trends in the healthcare sector as whole.
DMMS began as a yearly, in-person, six-week series based in New Castle County. It has expanded into a virtual, multi-semester series, highlighting healthcare institutions and professionals throughout the state, and offering the young people of Delaware information not only about health care careers, but the paths they might take in the future to become a part of the health and public health workforce.
Figure 1. Delaware Race/Ethnicity Distribution
Figure 2. DMMS Student Race/Ethnicity Distribution
Figure 3. Student Age Distribution
Graduate Medical Education Expansion
ChristianaCare Academic Affairs, the sub-recipient of the Graduate Medical Expansion initiative (GME) of DHF, designed a program to make immediate, as well as long-term impacts on the strength of graduate medical education at the State’s largest health system, as well as in partnership with other institutions throughout the State. Funds were used to:
• Create two psychiatry resident positions, one post-doctoral psychology-D fellowship, and three advanced practice clinician fellowships;
• Purchase educational supplies for the Virtual Education and Simulation Training (VEST) Center, which hosts simulation training sessions for pre-nursing students in a nursing pipeline program. Throughout the next academic year, these high school and undergraduate college students will visit the VEST Center to participate in simulation training;
• Purchase supplies for nursing professional development specialists to use with nursing students and caregivers;
• Create high value faculty development courses in leadership (25 physicians) and artificial intelligence (15 learners);
• Support the attendance of three caregivers from the Hope Center (a transitional housing facility providing shelter to families in need) to the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference and Policy Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona.
The ChristianaCare team participated in over 200 meetings with more than 60 internal and external stakeholders to investigate and collaborate on opportunities to expand medical training and residency programs. Two clinical disciplines, behavioral health and care of elderly patients (including neurocognitive disorders, and understanding of end-of-life care options), were recognized as having very poor access for patients throughout Delaware. The meetings also determined the need to offer more training and more continuing medical training to more clinical caregivers: physicians (residents and fellows), advanced practice clinicians (nurse practitioners, physician assistants), and other members of clinical teams (medical assistants, nursing aids, laypersons).
Informed by these community voices from across Delaware, ChristianaCare was able to successfully support over 300 caregivers with various learning opportunities. Utilizing grant funds, two Psychiatry physician resident positions, one post-doctoral Psychology-D Fellowship and three Advanced Practice Clinician fellows in Primary Care were created. A total of ten Medical Assistants and three Home Health Aides were trained utilizing grant funds. Additionally, eleven New Castle County Vo-Tech students in the Medical Assistants program were funded during their Co-Op experience. Salary, tuition, learning materials, license fees and professional development opportunities were funded for a variety of additional training programs (medical laboratory science, anesthesia technologist).
In addition to residencies and technical training programs, the program created opportunities for continuing medical education for large groups of healthcare learners and the public throughout Delaware. The topics covered included palliative care, communication skills for serious illness conversations, and dementia, and were presented at different locations/ groups across the state.
• One-hour workshops were delivered which focused on Advanced Care Planning for clinicians and families. The Palliative Care Education program reached a total of 309 learners across Delaware over the past 12 months, including 26 physicians in training. Five of the eight sessions included a Train the Trainer curriculum to prepare additional healthcare professionals to deliver the Palliative Care Education curriculum in the future.
• VitalTalk: Navigating Serious Conversations. The course has been completed by a total of 45 clinicians. VitalTalk mobile subscriptions were purchased for 100 clinical learners and were distributed until December 2024. The VitalTalk Mobile course includes three short, mobilefriendly interactive modules that provide clinicians with the tools they need to navigate serious illness conversations with ease. Two candidates who attended the VitalTalk Faculty Development program were selected to become trainers. Now a few months removed from their training, one learner is working towards creating a VitalTalk program specific to Emergency Medicine physicians and the other learner facilitated the last VitalTalk session hosted by their home health system.
• The Swank Symposium was held in which 53 community physicians and other clinicians across the state learned about issues related to dementia. Topics discussed included the assessment and management of behavioral changes in patients with dementia and new treatments for Alzheimer’s dementia, and attendees reviewed issues related to dementia and driving.
• As part of the program’s intention to foster the training of future cohorts of physicians and other clinicians, it emphasized faculty development.
• Nine physician-educators were provided support to attend the Shapiro Institute’s Principles of Medical Education: Maximizing Your Teaching Skills conference in Boston, Massachusetts held by Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
• Thirty-five physicans completed the The Maximizing Your Medical Education Skills virtual course facilitated by faculty from the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from a variety of specialties including Internal Medicine, Breast Surgery, Radiology, Sports Medicine, Surgery, Palliative and Hospice, Hematology & Medical Oncology, Cardiovascular, Ambulatory Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine and Behavioral Health.
• Three of the course facilitators from the Carl J. Shapiro Institute were invited to Delaware for a three-day site visit to ChristianaCare from March 27th until March 29th. Dr. Richard Schwartzstein, Dr. Molly Hayes and Dr. Christopher Smith were able to observe the clinical educational environment and provide in-person feedback for several of our physician educators during their time in Delaware. The Shapiro Institute physicians also facilitated a Design Your Career workshop that focused on strategies to build a community of educators, how to characterize professional identity and create a professional vision board.
• The Grant supported the partnership with seven external organizations to provide training on leadership, communication, financial acuity, artificial intelligence in healthcare, instructional techniques and feedback, wellness, health equity, and caring for underserved and underrepresented communities. Over 250 learners participated in these courses in a variety of settings, including in-person, virtually, synchronously, and asynchronously.
• The program launched a partnership with The American Association for Physician Leadership’s Fundamentals of Physician Leadership Series (AAPL). It received 31 nominations and selected 20 physicians to participate in the program.
• Funds were used to contract with ExecOnline to provide curated and high value business management courses to 25 physicians. Participants will be engaging in a combination of threeor six-week courses, delivered by Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
• The grant funded two cohorts of the Total Leadership program. This professional development course is focused on guiding physicians to become more effective leaders, find purpose in professional endeavors, reduce stress, and contribute toward important causes while fostering greater support for generating change. The first cohort of 24 learners included physicians and residents in training. The second cohort included 21 physician learners, 18 attending physicians and 3 resident physicians.
• The program fostered a leadership development program for resident physicians. LEED-R is an annual two-week intensive and fully immersive leadership elective that enables and empowers 30 residents and fellows across ChristianaCare and Nemours children’s hospital to further their leadership and organizational development skills.
• Finally, the grant supported a partnership with the Proximity Project, led by Antre Alleyne. The Proximity Project is an educational offering that educates caregivers as to the importance of diversity and inclusion within their organizations and how to develop and deepen authentic relationships with communities of color.
An outdoor Food as Medicine Learning Lab was created and launched on the campus of Christiana Hospital in Newark. The Food as Medicine Learning Lab is based in a garden setting and envisioned as a classroom for healthcare professionals to explore the tenets of food as medicine so that they may share this wisdom with the diverse patient populations that they serve. Workshops include a garden activity to allow caregivers to learn about the production of fresh food and the benefits of spending time outside. Resident physicians from multiple medical specialties are undertaking formal education in Food As Medicine.
Student Financial Aid
Legacy Loan Program
In 2024, the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association awarded $37,000 through its legacy financial aid program for Physicians and Dentists to three students currently studying medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Since the program began, a total of $1,980,275.08 has been loaned, with an outstanding balance of $310,609.36.
The Academy has generated approximately $244,492.86 in revenue through its legacy loan program, most of which has been added back to principle fund balances to maintain the funds in perpetuity. Over the years, 180 students have received loans, which must be applied for each year as needed. Each student borrows from the Academy twice on average. The typical loan amount is $11,000, per year and the average interest rate is 5%.
Out of the 180 recipients, 159 have fully repaid their loans. Four loans have been deemed uncollectible, two were written off, and one was discharged. Currently, four students are in deferment, while ten are actively repaying their loans.
Most loan recipients attended Thomas Jefferson University (formerly Jefferson Medical College), though other frequently attended institutions include the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University, and Temple University.
The most common residency specialties among loan recipients are Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics. The top three residency locations are Christiana Care, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical Center.
ARPA-Funded Student Aid
Since the ARPA-Funded Health Care Student Loan Program launched in April 2023, a total of 20 loans have been approved, amounting to $166,606. Of these, 15 applicants accepted their loans, resulting in a disbursement of $127,500. However, $12,498 of that disbursed amount was refunded to the Academy, bringing the current outstanding loan balance to $114,469.73.
In 2024, seven additional loans were issued to students in a range of health care related fields, including physical therapy, nursing, medical diagnostics, health behavior science, medical sonography, cognitive science, and social work. Current loans support students attending the University of Delaware, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University. More than 50% of the loans support varying levels of nursing, a critical shortage area.
The loan repayment phase of the program officially began in November 2024. As of February 2025, seven students are in deferment, awaiting graduation from their respective degree programs, and three students have entered repayment.
Health Care Workforce Data & Research
In 2024, the Health Care Workforce Project continued researching and analyzing the data acquired thus far, continuously adding new data sources related to Delaware’s workforce, and expanding the workforce categories outside of those sourced from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Two projects of note are discussed below.
Exploring Delaware’s Primary Care Landscape and the Impact of the Social Determinants of Health on Access to Care
As of the end of 2024, Delaware’s primary care clinician workforce was slightly above the national average, with 114 clinicians per 100,000 people (national average: 106 per 100,000). However, disparities exist based on social deprivation indices (SDI). The analysis details the SDI scores at the county level, primary care service area (PCSA), zip code tabulation area (ZCTA), and census block group, and highlights how these scores influence access to primary care. For instance, those living above the median SDI score have better access to primary care clinicians than those living below it.
The analysis also discusses the area deprivation index (ADI), which assesses socioeconomic disadvantages through various factors such as education, income, and housing. It highlights disparities in health services utilization, community safety, and health outcomes across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.
Delaware Dental Survey
This initiative was begun in 2024, and has begun to research statistics regarding the dentists practicing in Delaware, as well as which medical and/or dental school they attended, and their residency locations. Thus far, the initiative has referenced a total of 16,298 medical and dental schools, and detailed numbers of active clinicians and licenses in the system. The data found confirms that many dentists tend to remain in proximity to where they completed their education, with a significant number coming from nearby states like Pennsylvania and Maryland. As we enter into 2025, the Data and Research arm is ramping up version two of the Delaware Health Force mapping and data dashboards, with a special focus on chronic disease management supported by deidentified data from the Delaware Health Information Network. This second version will include a shift from using the American Academy of Medicine Colleges taxonomy to describe healthcare provider specialties, instead adopting the NUCC (National Uniform Claim Committee) taxonomy, which is much deeper and concise.
Membership
The Academy/DPHA offers a membership program to help advance your career, connect with fellow professionals, attend high-quality educational events, and support a cause that matters – the health and wellness of all Delawareans! As a member, you’ll have access to resources that enhance your public health knowledge through Academy/DPHA newsletters and publications, as well as opportunities for networking, professional development, and participation in sponsored events.
From Dover to Washington, DC, our standing as Delaware’s public health advocacy organization gives both us and our members a powerful voice in shaping the policies, laws, and programs that impact public health.
The Academy offers several membership tiers, including individual, retired, student, and corporate/ institutional options. In 2024, we welcomed 66 new members, an increase from the previous year. This growth was largely driven by contributions to the Delaware Journal of Public Health and participation in our 2024 Annual Meeting, where attendees were offered a free one-year membership to explore the benefits of joining. We’re in the process of transforming our organization to raise awareness about membership and better engage public health professionals from all backgrounds.
Fundraising
In 2024, the Academy/DPHA continued its participation in Lightful’s BRIDGE program, in partnership with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, to further strengthen the Academy/DPHA’s digital presence and fundraising strategies. Through a combination of efforts, including the BRIDGE program and DoMore24 Delaware, the Academy/DPHA successfully raised $9,315.
Immunization Coalition of Delaware
Mission: Bring together local, state, and community organizations and individuals to promote education about vaccine preventable diseases and new vaccines, with the goal of improving access and vaccination rates throughout the lifespan. https://immunizedelaware.org/.
The ICD works in partnership with its members and their organizations to advocate for policy issues related to childhood, adolescent, and adult immunizations; reduce disparities in adult access to immunizations; and to shape the healthcare process and outcomes for Delaware residents in relation to vaccine preventable disease.
The ICD’s website is https://www.immunizedelaware.org/ , and has sections for both healthcare professionals and the public, with links to immunization stories in the news, and other immunization topics. The ICD also publishes its Week in Review on Mondays.
Educational Events
Frank M. and Robert R. Hoopes Medical/Dental Lecture
February 22, 2024
In partnership with the Delaware State Dental Society (DSDS) and the Hoopes Fund, the Academy offered the 2024 Frank M. and Robert R. Hoopes Medical/Dental Lecture at the Ammon Center ad Christiana Hospital in Newark. Over 60 people registered for this conference, and 41 attended.
The keynote address, “The Application of Gene-Editing to Treat Solid Tumors,” was given by Eric B. Kmiec, PhD; Founder and Executive Director, the Gene Editing Institute, ChristianaCare; co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, CorriXR Therapeutics.
The lecture was accredited by the Medical Society of Delaware for 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ of continuing medical education, and by the DSDS for 1.25 Continuing Education Credits.
Delaware Healthcare Workforce Summit
September 25, 2024
A joint initiative of Delaware Health Force and the Office of Healthcare Provider resources, the inaugural Delaware Healthcare Workforce Summit conference was held at the Delaware State University campus in Dover. Three hundred people attended the conference in person, which was also broadcast via zoom to an additional 47 attendees.
The conference covered a variety of topics including:
• Workforce Challenges and Successes from a National Perspective, by Michelle Washko, PhD, Director, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, HRSA
• Expanding Educational and Advanced Clinical Opportunities to Address Workforce Deficits Panel, moderated by Tabassum Salam, MD, MBA, ChristianaCare and including panelists from Bayhealth, Nemours Children’s Health, ChristianaCare, Westside Family Healthcare, and Delaware State University
• Advancing Care Through Workforce Development, Implementation, and Innovation Panel, moderated by Rita Landgraf, and including panelists from the State of Delaware, the Delaware Health Care Commission, La Red Health Center, and the Medical Society of Delaware
• Battling Burnout and Enhancing Well-being in the Healthcare Workforce: Evidence-Based Strategies that Work and Yield a Positive Return on Investment, by Keynote Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, Vice President for Health Promotion, Chief Wellness Officer, Ohio State University; Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Evidence-Based Practice, College of Nursing; Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, College of Medicine
• Institutional Challenges and Responses to Staffing Shortages Panel, moderated by Brian Frazee, MPP, Delaware Healthcare Association, and including panelists from the Delaware Association for Home and Community Care, Beebe Healthcare, the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association, ChristianaCare, and Bayhealth
• Next Steps to Maintain Momentum, by Rachel Block, Program Officer, Milbank Memorial Fund
Attendees to the conference represented virtually all healthcare institutions throughout the State, as well as a diverse audience based on degree type. State leadership, both elected and appointed, also participated as attendees, and in supporting roles throughout the planning and implementation of the event. Recordings of the presentations and panels were available online after the summit at dehealthforce.org.
Immunization Summit
December 12, 2024
In partnership with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), the Immunization Coalition of Delaware offered the 2024 Immunization Summit at the John Ammon Center at Christiana Hospital in Newark. Over 70 people registered for the conference, and 53 attended. Tables were available for vendors throughout the day. Presentations included:
• Vaccinations and Equity, by Awele Madukah-Ezeh, MD, MPH, PhD, CCHP; State Medical Director, Division of Public Health, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
• Influenza Immunization Update, by Andrew Kroger, MD, MPH; Medical Officer, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Vaccines for Pregnant People, by Matthew Hoffman, MD, MPH; Marie E. Pinizzotto, MD, Endowed Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology; Director, Center for Women and Children’s Health Research, ChristianaCare
• Vaccines for Cancer, by Gabrielle Darville-Sanders, PhD, MPH, CHES; Strategic Director, National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, American Cancer Society
• Vaccine Confidence, by Jonathan Miller, MD; Chief, Delaware Valley Primary Care; Association Program Director, Pediatric Residency, Nemours Children’s Health
• Arboviral Diseases: Updates in Dengue & Chikungunya, by Marci Drees, MD; Chief Infection Prevention Officer; Hospital Epidemiologist, ChristianaCare
• Pneumococcal & Meningitis Vaccines, by Stephen Eppes, MD; Vice Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases; Association Infection Prevention Officer, ChristianaCare
The conference was accredited by the Medical Society of Delaware for 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ of continuing medical education, and slide decks were available online after the summit at immunizedelaware.org.
Public Health
A publication of the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association www.djph.org
2024 Overview
Five issues of the Delaware Journal of Public Health were published in 2024:
Chronic Diseases in 2024: Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention (March 29)
Development & Education (October
The 63 articles included 9 editorials, 8 narratives, 3 reprints, and 17 reviews. There were also a total of 22 research articles published (13 cross sections, 6 case studies, and 3 cohort studies).
New issues of the DJPH are sent out electronically to all members of the Academy/DPHA’s list serve (9,750 subscribers). Print copies are sent to all corresponding authors, as well as key figures throughout the state. All Delawareans can access the content through the DJPH website or through issuu.com (https://issuu.com/dam-dpha).
DJPH Website
Between September 1 and December 31, 2024, https://djph.org was accessed over 6,000 times. The top ten countries it was accessed from include the United States (3,460), India (175), Indonesia (63), the Philippines (59), China (52), Pakistan (36), Canada (20), Nigeria (17), Iran (16), and the United Kingdom (13).
The top pages accessed include the home page (which is updated with links and information about the current issue), and has hits for the Childhood Development and Education issue, the Cancer issue, and the After COVID issue. The fourth most selected page is the submission guideline page.
Issuu Publication
In 2024, there were 5,032 reads of DJPH content, 183 links clicked within the issues, and 201 downloads of the issue pdfs. All of these actions peaked during the time an issue was first published to the platform, but all continued during the periods without publication as well.
The top ten countries accessing content via issuu.com include the United States (3,510), India (152), Norway (99), Indonesia (73), Finland (67), the United Kingdom (63), Italy (56), the Philippines (39), Canada (37) and Malaysia (25).
Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H. Publisher, Delaware Journal of Public Health
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S. Editor-in-Chief,
Laura Lessard, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Herman, D.N.P., R.N.
Madeleine Bayard, B.A., M.P.P.
Volume
10 | Issue 1. Chronic Disease in 2024
March 2024
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six in ten Americans live with at least one chronic disease. Many live with more than one. These diseases (heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, etc.) have significant health and economic costs, and interventions to prevent, treat, and manage these diseases can make up a large portion of our national and local health care expenditures.
3 | In This Issue
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S.; Timothy E. Gibbs, M.P.H.
4 | Guest Editor
Jeffrey M. Cole, D.D.S., M.B.A., F.A.G.D.
Daniel J. Meara, M.S., M.D., D.M.D., M.H.C.D.S., F.A.C.S.
6 | Toward Optimal Health for All: The American Dental Association Takes on Sugar and its Impact on Oral Health
George R. Shepley, D.D.S.
8 | A Public Health Update: The Oral Health of Delaware’s Kindergarten and Third Grade Children in 2022
Nicholas R. Conte Jr., D.M.D., M.B.A.
16 | Odontogenic Infections and a Pound of Prevention
Daniel J. Meara, M.S., M.D., D.M.D., M.H.C.D.S., F.A.C.S.
18 | More Premiums Spent on Patient Care? A Great Idea That Should Apply to Dental Insurance
Mark A. Vitale, D.M.D.
20 | The National Healthy People Initiative: History, Significance, and Embracing the 2030 Oral Health Objectives
Timothy L. Ricks, D.M.D., M.P.H., F.I.C.D., F.A.C.D., F.P.F.A.
26 | Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and the Current State of Oropharyngeal Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Jacob P. Gribb, D.M.D; John H. Wheelock, D.D.S.; Etern S. Park, M.D., D.D.S.
30 | Global Health Matters January/February 2023
Fogarty International Center
42 | Update on Medication Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws
Barry C. Boyd, D.M.D., M.D., F.A.C.S.
44 | Reconsidering Autonomy: Ethical Reflections from the Frontlines of IDD Dental Care
Andrew Swiatowicz, D.D.S., D.A.B.D.S.M., F.A.G.D.; Brandon Ambrosino, M.T.S.
50 | The Mouth is the Mirror to the Body: Oral-Systemic Health
Roopali Kulkarni, D.M.D., M.P.H.
52 | Safety in the Dental Office
Louis K. Rafetto, D.M.D., M.Ed.
56 | Career and Technical Education: The Future of Delaware’s Healthcare Workforce
Jonathan S. Lee, B.A.
58 | Patient Safety at Forefront of OMS Anesthesia Delivery
Paul J. Schwartz, D.M.D.
60 | ORAL HEALTH LEXICON
62 | ORAL HEALTH RESOURCES
64 | Index of Advertisers
66 | Public Health Delaware Journal of Public Health Submission Guidelines
PROVIDING A VOICE AND PLATFORM
3 | In This Issue
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S.
Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
4 | Guest Editor:
David D. Chen, M.D., M.P.H.
Volume 10 | Issue 2. Violence as a Public Health Issue
June 2024
Violence is not only a major public health issue, but a root social determinant of so many other health issues. From mental health trauma and physical trauma caused by war, to limited healthcare access due to unsafe neighborhoods, the toll taken by violence is tremendous.
6 | Implications of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood
Kelly Oberheim
Janice Barlow, M.P.A.
Erin Nescott, M.S.
10 | It Takes a Village: Moving from Unaligned Action to Collective Impact
Cierra Hall-Hipkins, B.S.
Gwen Angalet, Ph.D.
Dorothy Dillard, Ph.D.
18 | Celebrating Fifty Years of Crime Victims’ Compensation in Delaware
Paige J. Schmittinger, J.D.
24 | Global Health Matters Newsletter March - April 2024
Fogarty International Center
36 | Empowering Victims of Lived Violence: Delaware’s Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP)
David Chen, M.D., M.P.H.
Johanna Rodriguez, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Mishai Pendleton, B.S.
Nichole Johnson, C.M.A.
46 | Understanding the Perception of Place and Its Impact on Community Violence
Dorothy Dillard, Ph.D.
Howard Henderson, Ph.D.
Johnny Rice II, Ph.D.
Amy D. Goldstein, B.A.
Maruice Mangum, Ph.D.
50 | Can Past Psychedelic Use Mitigate the Severity of Opioid Use Disorder? Case Report of a Musician.
Asim Trimzi
Morgan Campbell, M.D.
54 | A Safer Delaware: The Case for a Permit-to-Purchase Policy for Reducing Firearm Violence
Traci Manza Murphy
Sarah Stowens, Ed.D.
62 | Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council Resource Guide
120 | Index of Advertisers
122 | Delaware Journal of Public Health Submission Guidelines
3 | In This Issue
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S.; Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
Volume 10 | Issue 3. Cancer and the Power of Preventative Screening August 2023
When an individual is diagnosed with cancer, not only is there an increased medical burden (e.g., tests, treatments, therapies), but also an economic burden. As cancer progresses, the costs associated with treatment and the burdens of the disease begin piling up, leading to both economic distress and increased time living with disability.
4 | Guest Editor: Cancer and the Power of Preventative Screening: We Have Come a Long Way
Nicholas Petrelli, M.D.
6 | Cancer Society Annual Cancer Statistics 2024 Shows Drop in Cancer Mortality but Increasing Incidence for Six of the Top Ten Cancers
American Cancer Society
8 | Evaluating Quality of Cancer Care in Delaware using Commission on Cancer (CoC) Quality Measures, 2018-2019
Wilhelmina Ross, P.A., M.P.H.; Diane Ng, M.P.H.; Hayley Little, M.P.H.; Sumitha Nagarajan, M.P.H.; Paulette Robinson-Wilkerson, M.S.; Dawn Hollinger, M.S., M.A.
12 | Vaccines: An Emerging Multi-Modal Tool in the Fight Against Cancer
Valerie Lim, M.D.; Stephen C. Eppes, M.D.
16 | Hereditary Cancer Genetic Testing: 30 Years of Impact on Cancer Care
Kendra Flores, M.S., L.C.G.C.
22 | Lung Cancer Screening: Early Detection Decreases Mortality
Brian Nam, M.D.; Danny Hamm, M.S.N., R.N.; Nora Katurakes, M.S.N., R.N., O.C.N.; Charles Mulligan, M.D., M.B.A.
26 | Development of Sub-County Cancer Reporting Zones in Delaware and Example Use Case for Targeted Interventions
Dawn Hollinger, M.S., M.A.; Sumitha Nagarajan, M.P.H.; Diane Ng, M.P.H.; Wilhelmina Ross, P.A., M.P.H.; Hayley Little, M.P.H.; Helen Arthur, M.H.A.
30 | Informing a Future Clinician-Led Virtual Reality Experience Through Oncology Caregivers’ Pre-Treatment Preparation Experiences
Susan Birkhoff, Ph.D., R.N.; Heidi Donovan, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.; Heidi Donovan, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
38 | Sustaining Improvements in Colorectal Cancer Across Delaware: A Look at Racial Disparities a Decade Later
Diane Ng, M.P.H.; Stephanie Belinske, M.P.H.; Dawn Hollinger M.S., M.A.; Sumitha Nagarajan, M.P.H.; Hayley Little, M.P.H.; Stephen Grubbs, M.D.; Heather Bittner-Fagan, M.D., M.P.H.
46 | Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities with Precision Public Health: A New Strategy to Improve Prevention and Advance Health Equity in Delaware Hotspots
Scott D. Siegel, Ph.D., M.H.C.D.S.
52 | Global Health Matters Newsletter May – June 2024
Fogarty International Center
68 | Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Delaware, 2016-2020
Delaware Department Of Health And Social Services
128 | Lexicon & Resources
130 | Index of Advertisers
132 | Delaware Journal of Public Health Submission Guidelines
PROVIDING
Volume 10 | Issue 4. Childhood Development and Education
October 2024
There is no question that education and health and wellbeing are linked. As a critical yet neglected determinant of health, education is associated with health behaviors, morbidity, and life expectancy, and educational attainment can determine income and employment in the future. Healthy People 2030 has listed Education Access and Quality as one of its goals (to increase educational opportunities and health children and adolescents do well in school), and this education starts at an early age. The development of children includes biological, emotional, and psychological changes. These changes happen until the end of adolescence, and there is a growing consensus that early development – including access to education – influences a child’s success later in life.
3 | In This Issue
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S.; Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
4 | Guest Editors
Madeleine Bayard, B.A., M.P.P.; Matt Amis, B.A.
6 | Early Brain Development and Public Health
Ross A. Thompson, Ph.D.
12 | Investing in Delaware’s Early Care and Education to Improve Public Health
W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D.; Karin Garver; Allison Friedman-Krauss, Ph.D.
20 | It’s Time for Transformational Investments in Early Childhood in Delaware. Help Advocates Make It Happen
Donald Parsons
22 | PNC’s Commitment to Economic Prosperity Through Early Learning
Greg Miraglia
24 | Invest in Early Care and Education to Build Delaware’s Healthcare Workforce of Today and Tomorrow
Colleen Perry Keith, Ph.D.; Brian DiSabatino
26 | Early Education is the Civil Rights and Public Health Issue of the Century
Jarrett Royster
28 | Delaware’s Progress and Potential in Early Childhood
Lynn C. Jones, M.H.A., F.A.C.H.E.
30 | A Child’s Health Begins at Pregnancy, Requires Solid Early Investments, and Follows a Child into Adulthood
Priscilla Mpasi, M.D., F.A.A.P.
32 | Global Health Matters Newsletter July – August 2024
Fogarty International Center
44 | Families and Businesses in Delaware Share a Common Challenge: Child Care
Michael J. Quaranta
46 | Navigating Life: Delaware Families Experiencing Homelessness with Young Children
Annette Pic, Ph.D.
56 | Delaware Ranks 45th Nationally in Education Outcomes: Measuring Academic Success and Improving Educational Outcomes for Delaware’s Youth
Kelly Oberheim; Janice Barlow, M.P.A.
62 | Youth Mental Health in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rebecca McColl, M.A.; Erin Nescott, M.S.
68 | Early Investments Yield Long-Term Health and Community Returns
David A. Tam, M.D., M.B.A., C.P.H.E., F.A.C.H.E.; E. Thomas Harvey, III; Megan Tucker; Stephanie Scarmo, Ph.D., M.P.H.
70 | Creating the Healthiest Generations of Children: How Nemours Children’s Health is Increasing Accessibility to Health Education
Adrienne Palmer, C.L.S.; Erica Singleton, M.P.H., C.H.E.S.
72 | Resources
74 | Index of Advertisers
76 | Delaware Journal of Public Health Submission Guidelines
3 | In This Issue
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S.
Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
Volume 10 | Issue 5. After COVID: Rebuilding Public Health and Healthcare Resilience
December 2024
In late 2019, news coming out of China mentioned whispers of an unknown communicable disease affecting people who had attended a so-called wet market. The United States government – and Delaware Public Health leadership – kept an ear out for any news, and soon more and more patients were being affected. Then the disease spread outside of China.
4 | Delaware Health Force: A Comprehensive Approach to Addressing Healthcare Workforce and Access Challenges
Nicole Sabine
6 | Improving Postpartum Follow-Up with Telehealth: Did the Pandemic Nudge Us in a Better Direction?
Kathryn Vollum Woodroof, M.D.
Melanie Chichester, B.S.N., R.N.C.-O.B., C.P.L.C., R.N.C.-I.A.P., F.A.W.H.O.N.N
Karen Antell, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P.
Diana Wohler, M.D.
12 | Virtual Primary Care in a Large Delaware-Based Independent Academic Medical Center: Impact and Opportunity
Darrell C. Dow, M.S.
Sarah E. Schenck, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Tracy L. Bell, M.B.A., P.M.P., L.S.S.G.B.
Stephanie C. Roth M.L.I.S.
Omar Khan, M.D., M.H.S.
20 | Integrating Collaborative Robots into a Complex Hospital Setting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study
Susan Smith Birkhoff, Ph.D., R.N.
Paige Merring, M.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N., N.E.A.-B.C.
Amanda Spence, B.S.N., R.N.-B.C.
Wendy Bassett
Stephanie C. Roth, M.L.I.S.
32 | Associations Between Residence Type and Health Outcomes for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Analysis
Ankita Mohan, M.H.S.
Jody Roberts, Ph.D.
42 | Global Health Matters Newsletter September – October 2024
Fogarty International Center
54 | Flipping the Stats: A COVID-19 Success Story
My Healthy Community, Delaware’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network
60 | Executive Summary of the Delaware State Health Assessment: 2022-2023 Report
62 | Delaware Mini Medical School An Expeditionary and Health Literacy Program for Youth, Young Adults, and Those Exploring New Career Options
Timothy E. Gibbs, M.P.H.
Nicole Sabine, B.S.
70 | Access to Virtual Care in Behavioral Health: A Social Determinant of Health
Patrick J. Hearle, M.D.
Emily Ann Smith, M.D.
Richard J Caplan, Ph.D.
Ram A. Sharma, M.D.
76 | Index of Advertisers
78 | Delaware Journal of Public Health Submission Guidelines
