THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | 2006 – 2007
Annual Report
M A G A Z I N E
O H I O
A N D
T H E
W O R L D
Vision To make a difference in the health of the public by advancing knowledge through multidisciplinary research and education and by reaching out with knowledge, service and leadership to Ohio and the world.
Mission Statement The Ohio State University College of Public Health exists for the improvement of the health of the public through the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge. It prepares students for the challenges of leadership and service in public health and related professions, adds to knowledge through basic and applied research, and serves the tradition of land-grant universities.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
1
Table of contents Dean’s Message
2
Progress Report
3
Research: Hunting International Killers
4
Research News and Selected Projects
6
Teaching and Learning: EHS Fellowships
10
Teaching and Learning News
12
Editorial Staff
Service and Outreach: Health Disparities
16
Christine O’Malley, Communications Director
Service and Outreach News
18
Faculty News
20
Julie Johnston, Communications Coordinator
Alumni News
22
Wendy Pramik, Communications Coordinator
By the Numbers
24
Publication design by The Drawing Room
Development
25
College of Public Health Home Page: http://cph.osu.edu
All photo credits are from University Photography except: pgs 4–5, CPH faculty; p. 14 CPH staff; p. 25, Lachner photo by Sandy Daly; back cover by Stan Lemeshow. The CPH Annual Report Magazine is published annually every September by the OSU College of Public Health for the alumni, faculty, students, staff and friends of the college. This is the third issue. Copyright 2007. Permission to reprint any portion must be obtained from the college. Contact: College of Public Health Communications Office, 320 W. 10th Ave., StarlingLoving M116, Columbus OH 43210. Phone: (614) 293-9406.
“Advancing Knowledge. Improving Life.”
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
DEAN’S MESSAGE
On becoming a College This has been a monumental year for public health at The Ohio State University. University trustees voted Feb. 2 to establish the College of Public Health, the first new college at Ohio State in 23 years. Becoming a college recognizes what we have accomplished and challenges us to reach our ultimate goal of becoming a top tier college nationally. The decision by the trustees reflects recognition of public health as a high-impact field. University leaders also acknowledged that Ohio State is uniquely positioned to develop a first-rate college of public health. We have the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the nation. Public health is on the same campus as colleges of veterinary medicine, nursing, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry. Public health research and scholarship are directly linked to community wellness, health policy and quality of life for our citizens. The quality and caliber of the faculty
2
in our college broadens the depth of academic offerings and research at Ohio State. We have a commitment to work that has immediate, real-world impact. In 2005, the university designated Cunz Hall as the future home for the College of Public Health. The building requires significant renovation to address deferred maintenance, code violations and space issues. This spring, the Board of Trustees took the next step by approving the design phase for the renovation project. The university has committed the bulk of funds to cover the $20 million cost. The college just hired a new development director, Jennifer Connery, to help us raise additional funds toward the project. As you can see from this magazine, we continue to recruit talented new faculty and retain productive faculty. This annual report portrays the range of projects our faculty undertake that make a difference in people’s lives. Our faculty are investigating: • Disease prevention and surveillance in the developing world • Tobacco use patterns in Europe • How to improve colorectal cancer screening rates in Ohio • The extent that air pollution affects cardiovascular health Articles included here illustrate how our academic programs aim to prepare future public health professionals to meet the challenges of obesity, environmental threats, childhood injuries, zoonotic diseases and health disparities. Our priorities for next year include our accreditation self-study, expanding offerings to undergraduates, filling senior faculty positions, fundraising development and strengthening the support we provide to our doctoral students. I hope you will continue to support and share in this extraordinary period of growth and transformation!
Dean Stanley Lemeshow
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
PROGRESS REPORT
Trustees bestow college status The Ohio State University Board of Trustees voted on Feb. 2 to establish the College of Public Health, the first new college at Ohio State in 23 years. The School of Public Health was established in 1995 and is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. In 2003, the school’s first permanent dean, Stanley A. Lemeshow, was appointed. In 2004, the school separated from the College of Medicine. Over the last three years, the School of Public Health has significantly increased the size of its faculty and tripled its research funding. College of Public Health faculty have expertise in cancer control and prevention, tobacco cessation, health services research and public health preparedness. In 2006, the university selected public health preparedness for infectious diseases as one of its targeted areas of investment. The preparedness initiative, which includes the College of Public Health and five other colleges at Ohio State, includes new preparedness research, such as improved detection and monitoring mechanisms, new diagnostic tools, therapies and vaccines.
College included in US News rankings The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health and its Master of Health Administration (MHA) program both gained ground in U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 ranking of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The College of Public Health (CPH)
was ranked as the nation’s 21st best public health program, representing the college’s first ranking in this survey. In addition, the College’s MHA program is now ranked 12th nationally, rising from 14th in 2004. “This progress is a result of the remarkable strength, dedication and success of our faculty, staff, students and alumni,” said Stan Lemeshow, who has been Dean at CPH since 2003. “We are closer than ever to our goal of becoming a top tier school of public health.”
Cunz Hall renovation approved This spring, the OSU Board of Trustees moved forward with the design phase of Cunz Hall renovations. Cunz is the future home of the College of Public Health. The Cunz Hall project is expected to cost approximately $20 million. The building requires renovation to address deferred maintenance, code violations and space issues. The university has offered to cover the bulk of the project’s costs. Included in the new building will be lab space for our Division of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), classrooms, and offices for all five divisions and administration. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2009.
Champions of Public Health Each fall, the College presents the Champions of Public Health awards. Winners of the 2007 Champions of Public Health awards are:
(From left) Former Provost Barbara Snyder, Dean Stanley Lemeshow and past University President Karen Holbrook celebrate the school becoming the College of Public Health.
• Anne R. Harnish, retired assistant director of the Ohio Department of Health in the public health practitioner category. • Robert D. Murray, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, in the community leader category. • Greater Cincinnati Oral Health Council and the Cincinnati Health Department for the school dental screening program, a joint award in the organization category. These awards are designed to recognize individuals and groups who have made a significant impact on the health of Ohioans.
Other notable accomplishments of the past year: • We hired our first assistant dean for student affairs, Teri Roberts. • The 2006-2007 academic year was the first year we offered an undergraduate minor. Our faculty taught 175 undergraduates across five courses for a total of 820 credit hours. • We are conducting a mid-term review of our five-year strategic plan. • We are beginning preparations for reaccreditation.
3
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RESEARCH
Hunting international killers Parasites, tobacco, Alzheimer’s pursued on a global level Song Liang, assistant professor in Environmental Health Sciences (seated upper left), and fellow researchers traveled to a remote village in China to study a dangerous parasite that resides in the area’s waterways. 4
By Julie Johnston CPH Communications
New Center for Global Health Global health is a priority not just for the College but for The Ohio State University as a whole. The University will soon present a coordinated approach to global health issues as it prepares to establish a new research center, the Center for Global Health. The Center will provide opportunities for CPH and other health sciences colleges to collaborate on interdisciplinary research in the areas of global health and development. “From a public health point of view, it is no longer enough to narrowly focus on one specific disease at one time and one place,” CPH Dean Stan Lemeshow said. “We must look at disease from a global perspective. When avian flu is found in Vietnam, it impacts all of us.”
China. Italy. France. All sound like exotic vacation destinations, but each location also is a hotbed of scientific research. Last year, Song Liang, an assistant professor in environmental health sciences, traveled to Sichuan Province, China, to investigate a dangerous parasite. Stanley Lemeshow, dean of the College of Public Health, journeyed to Paris to study the city’s elderly population. And Amy Ferketich, assistant professor of epidemiology, ventured to Milan to observe the behaviors of Italian smokers. The China Syndrome In the hilly regions of southwest China, a killer is under surveillance. The Schistosoma parasite, which is second only to malaria in terms of its effects on public health worldwide, is linked to at least 20,000 deaths each year. It has reemerged in some communities where it was previously controlled or eliminated. Environmental health sciences researcher Song Liang, an assistant professor in the College, recently completed
a six-week trip to Sichuan Province to study the re-emergence of the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, a disease that can lead to fatal liver, spleen and kidney disease if left untreated. According to a recent estimate, schistosomiasis affects nearly 200-300 million people worldwide and causes a host of disabilities, including stunted growth, anemia, abdominal pain, exercise intolerance and poor school performance. Liang, co-investigator on this National Institutes of Health / NIAID project, and colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley, are researching factors contributing to the reemergence of Schistosoma japonicum, a parasite that affects humans and many mammalian animals primarily in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia. Schistosoma parasites can infect humans and animals when skin touches water that is contaminated with the parasite. When infected human and animal waste is released to the environment, e.g. used as fertilizer, it flows into irrigation ditches
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
and waterways. Liang wore protective gear as he plodded through creeks and streams. Another key component in the cycle is a small snail, which becomes an intermediate host to the parasite during its juvenile stage. There, the parasite multiplies by the thousands inside the snail. These new infective Schistosoma cercariae are later shed into the water by the snail, and the cycle continues. Liang and his colleagues are studying the reasons behind the reemergence of schistosomiasis, which had been controlled or eliminated in many communities in the early 1990s. However, after five to 10 years, some of those same farming villages saw resurgence of the disease with infection rates above 60 percent in extreme cases. Liang and the team from UC-Berkeley are also following transmission patterns, and how to most effectively break the cycle. For example, biogas digesters, which are specialized containers with bacteria, destroy Schistosoma eggs in human and animal waste before the fertilizer is spread on fields. These tanks, which are typically set up in individual homes and used for a source of heat because of the methane gas produced, can reduce the concentration of Schistosoma eggs by 99 percent. Another effective treatment is the pesticide niclosamide, which drastically reduces infections when spread along irrigation ditches where the snail lives. Using extensive interviews with villagers from the region, the team sought to determine which prevention methods work and which do not. The team also investigated how well village residents complied with their schistosomiasis treatment regimen, which when followed properly, has a very high rate of success. “This research helps us understand the factors related to environmentally-mediated infectious disease re-emergence,” Liang said. “Through this understanding,
better surveillance approaches can be developed to protect public health.” Liang and his colleagues will continue their current project through March 2012. Growing old in Paris Dean Stanley Lemeshow spent the spring in Paris with world-renowned neuroepidemiologists on a populationbased study of the elderly at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM). His research focused on analyzing the risk factors for vascular and cognitive disorders in a study of more than 9,000 elderly people. He also used these data to explore possible associations between Alzheimer’s and height, income and educational achievement. INSERM is the only French organization entirely dedicated to biological, medical and public health research. He has also spent time recently establishing several partnerships with other universities and organizations around the world, including the University of Aarhus in Denmark and the Swiss Department of Justice. He hopes that many of these relationships can lead to new opportunities for faculty and PhD students. Smoking: Milan’s unfashionable accessory At Milan’s Institute for Pharmacological Research “Mario Negri,” Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Amy Ferketich studied Italian smokers, who represent approximately 24 percent of the population. While the smoking rate among Italian adults has decreased about 25 percent in the past 17 years, in part due to a national indoor smoking ban, Italy continues to rank high in its percentage of hard-core smokers and lack of cessation information. From April through June, Ferketich examined smoking patterns based on gender, socio-economic status, geography,
A boy examines tobacco products in a window display in Padua, Italy, where smoking is a part of daily life. Amy Ferketich, assistant professor in epidemiology, traveled to Italy to study its culture’s deadly habit.
marital status and other factors using annual surveys conducted by DOXA, the Italian branch of the Gallup International Association. Among the findings, approximately one-third of all Italian smokers are “hardcore,” meaning they smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day, have not previously tried to quit, and have no intention of quitting. The rate of hard-core smokers in Italy is twice as high as England and the U.S. Ferketich and her colleagues also discovered that just 21 percent of Italian smokers, compared to 55 percent of smokers in the U.S., reported receiving any cessation advice from their physicians in the last year. Despite pressure by the government for physicians to adopt and follow cessation guidelines, most Italian physicians do not give their patients cessation advice. Physicians’ lack of training and the smoking behaviors of some doctors are believed to contribute to the lack of cessation information provided to patients. Ferketich hopes her research results in new policies and interventions to improve cessation advice given by practitioners and help the heaviest smokers quit. ■
5
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RESEARCH
Women shun heavy lifting in the weight room Taking the path of least resistance may be common practice for women in the weight room. A new study led by Brian Focht, assistant professor in the College’s Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, indicates that women will typically choose less intense workouts when performing resistance exercises than what a physician or physical trainer might
6
prescribe. This has consequences not only for the muscular development that women are trying to achieve, but also whether or not the exercise has any impact on bone density. Research has shown that adequate strength training can mitigate osteoporosis later in life for women. Focht’s study involved 19 college-aged women, all in reasonably good shape, who were unfamiliar with strength training. During the study, each woman was asked to participate in two sessions of resistance exercise: one was a training load designed by each individual and the other involved an imposed bout of exercises designed by Focht. All of the women selected significantly less intense training loads than what would generally be recommended for their age and health status. Most chose a training load at about 50 percent of their maximum capacity, significantly lower than the training load of 75 percent capacity, which was prescribed. When the strength training regimen was imposed on them, many of the participants complained that the exercises were too difficult. “We found that there was a very big difference between what we prescribe versus what they do,” said Focht. “The
While researching women’s behavior during workout routines, Brian Focht, assistant professor in health behavior and health promotion, discovered that women typically choose less intense weights than what their doctors might prescribe.
weight they selected was far less than what we would want them to do in terms of stimulating improvements in muscular fitness and maintaining bone health.” He said that health care providers and fitness experts do not want people to lose interest in strength training because they find it too difficult. “There is a double-edged sword – we don’t want to prescribe exercise that is too effortful and could de-motivate someone, but if we are not using sufficient stimulus, that could impede (muscle and bone density improvements),” Focht said.
of about 90 percent if caught early, the National Cancer Institute estimates that fewer than 40 percent of colorectal cancers are detected early because of low screening rates. Electra Paskett, CPH epidemiologist and Marion N. Rowley Professor of Cancer Research, is leading the research team. “People do not like to talk about their bowel movements, and there are many myths and cultural barriers about screen-
Project studies strategies to raise colorectal cancer screening rates A team of OSU researchers is embarking on a 5-year, $2.24 million project funded by the National Cancer Institute to study the most effective ways to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among minorities and older Americans, both of whom face a disproportionate rate of CRC deaths in the United States. Although CRC has a survival rate
Electra Paskett, PhD
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
ings,” Paskett said. For many minorities and people over 65, the CRC screenings can be even more challenging. “Part of it is simply an access issue, such as insurance or getting time off work or the cost,” Paskett said. Lois Hall, the program director for the Ohio Department of Health’s Comprehensive Cancer Program, said that some insurance companies will only allow a screening if a patient shows symptoms. She said various agencies in Ohio offer free or low-cost CRC screenings, but funding for those programs is limited. “Sometimes it comes down to physician awareness and assumptions, too,” Hall said. “Health care providers do not always believe their patients will go through with the screening, or they are not aware of what Medicare and Medicaid will cover. Colonoscopies are covered by both.” The project will focus on three screening methods: the fecal occult blood test (FOBT), in which stool is inspected for blood; the flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which a thin tube with a camera is inserted into the lower portion of the colon; and the colonoscopy, in which a camera and tube is extended around the entire length of the colon. Paskett and researchers from CPH and the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center will study screening at more than a dozen family practice clinics throughout Columbus, including those that are in the OSU Primary Care Network. The control group will continue its screening recommendations and practices, but the intervention group of clinics will participate in a variety of activities to promote screenings for those patients who are older than 50. At the intervention clinics, information about CRC screenings will be provided in the waiting room or during
EHS Assistant Professor Qinghua Sun looks at an MRI image to learn how poor air quality effects cardiovascular disease.
a visit with the doctor. Paskett and her researchers will tailor individual interventions for those patients who still have not gone through a screening a year after the doctor’s recommendation. “We don’t believe everyone needs a face-to-face with someone to change their behavior,” Paskett said. “For some people, it’s enough to get a letter from the doctor, some people might need to talk to someone on the phone, and then for some people, those who are more recalcitrant, it may require a personal visit.” Paskett said when the study is complete in 2012, her team will understand the demographics, baseline beliefs, and barriers of the people who are least likely to get screened. “That allows us to really understand which people need what type of intervention,” she said. Other CPH faculty involved in this project are Mira Katz, PhD, and David Murray, PhD. Cathy Tatum of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center is project director.
Air pollution’s impact on cardiovascular health One College of Public Health researcher is using Ohio’s air quality problems to better understand air pollution’s relationship to cardiovascular disease. Qinghua Sun, an assistant professor in the Environmental Health Sciences Division, sees Ohio’s air quality problems as a driving force in his efforts to discover air pollution’s impact on hypertension, atherosclerosis and other diseases associated with the cardiovascular system. “I have to admit that one of the things that brought me to Ohio is just how unhealthy Ohio air is,” Sun said. In 2005, the most recent year of data available at press time from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ohio was ranked highest in the nation for its median values of fine particulate matter. A combination of industrial and weather-related factors creates pervasive air quality issues throughout Ohio. “In Ohio, the primary sources of fine particles in the atmosphere come from
7
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RESEARCH NEWS
8
coal-burning power plants, traffic and agriculture,” said Bill Spires, who manages the Ohio EPA’s implementation plan to help solve the state’s particle problems. Many of these small particles are emitted directly into the atmosphere from automobiles, power generators, or construction and demolition activities. Sun and his mentor, Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan, a cardiologist at the OSU Medical Center, have spent several years investigating air pollution’s impact on cardiovascular diseases, with most of Sun’s studies focusing on small particles. Fine and ultrafine particulate matter [designated by scientists as PM2.5 and PM0.1, respectively] are a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. A growing body of research suggests that these particles can move beyond the blood-gas barrier in the lungs and penetrate the human circulatory system, impacting blood pressure and the health of vessels, ultimately inducing cardiovascular dysfunction. Sun said that his studies indicate that air pollution has an adverse effect on the cells and tissues and even induces hypertension. “Our long-term goal is to expose
other tobacco users permanently quit. Professor Phyllis Pirie, chair of the Health Behavior and Health Promotion Division at the College, will serve as principal investigator, and Amy Ferketich, assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology, will be Co-PI. Pirie and Ferketich will be assisted by Malaika Stubbs-Wilson, a new project coordinator for the team. The new tobacco treatment centers, which were funded by the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation in January, are housed at five major Ohio health systems: the Cleveland Clinic; the Kettering Medical Center Network in Dayton; ProMedica Health System in Toledo; Humility of Mary Health Partners in Youngstown; and The Ohio State University Medical Center. Approximately 22 percent of Ohioans smoke, and each year, nearly 19,000 Ohioans, or 52 a day, die from tobaccorelated illnesses and disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We hope this project will spur health systems to put effective cessation programs in place to ensure the best success for tobacco users,” Pirie said.
subjects to the real-world particle levels in our studies so that we can fully, accurately understand the mechanisms behind air pollution’s effects on the cardiovascular system in humans,” Sun said.
Pirie said the evaluation process will carefully monitor each aspect of a center’s cessation program to see where improvements can be made and which programs are predictive of success. “We know how effective cessation can
Evaluation team to review tobacco centers across state
be when it is incorporated into a health system,” Pirie said. “This evaluation will allow us to look at the individual pieces and see if cessation can become part of routine practice among healthcare providers statewide.”
A team of CPH researchers has been chosen to evaluate several innovative tobacco treatment centers recently established in Ohio. The evaluators will ensure that the centers are using the most effective means possible to help smokers and
Compiled by Julie Johnston, CPH Communications
Cognitive bases of hindsight effects National Science Foundation Social & Economic Sciences Arkes, Hal Case study environmental monitoring in support of the Baltimore region environmental justice in transportation project Morgan State University/US Department of Transportation Buckley, Timothy Exposure assessment tools to assess health impact of traffic Morgan State University/US Environmental Protection Agency Buckley, Timothy Cancer survivors’ intentions for work following diagnosis and treatment Lance Armstrong Foundation de Moor, Janet Sterner Cancer survivors’ employment patterns and consequent economic and health outcomes National Cancer Institute de Moor, Janet Sterner A study of employer-sponsored elder care programs The Retirement Research Foundation Dembe, Allard How demanding work schedules affect occupational injury risk Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Dembe, Allard Center for Public Health Preparedness Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Holtzhauer, Francis PA & OH public health training center University of Pittsburgh/Health Resources and Services Administration Holtzhauer, Francis The Ohio public health leadership institute Association of Schools of Public Health Holtzhauer, Francis After discharge management of low income frail elderly Summa Health System Jarjoura, David Patient activation to increase colon cancer screening National Cancer Institute Katz, Mira
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
Selected Projects 2006–2007 Power and sample size for microarray studies National Human Genome Research Institute Lee, Mei-Ling Ting Threshold regression methodology for cancer risk assessment National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Lee, Mei-Ling Ting Genetic and epigenetic regulation of addiction genes National Institute on Drug Abuse Lee, Mei-Ling Ting Analysis of longitudinal CVD and cancer data Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Lee, Mei-Ling Ting Reducing cervical cancer in Appalachia (Biostatistics core) National Cancer Institute Lemeshow, Stanley Genetic analysis of the breast tumor microenvironment (Research methods/ biostatistics core) National Cancer Institute Lemeshow, Stanley The socio-environmental determinants of schistosomiasis re-emergence University of California at Berkeley/ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Liang, Song Corporate universities in healthcare organizations American College of Healthcare Executives McAlearney, Ann Improving cardiovascular care for minority Americans: Assessing organizational readiness to change George Washington University McAlearney, Ann Center for prevention and early intervention Johns Hopkins University Murray, David Community youth development study University of Washington/NIH Murray, David Etiology of childhood obesity: A longitudinal study UMinn/NHLBI Murray, David
Trial of activity in adolescent girls University of North Carolina/NHLBI Murray, David A randomized study to prevent lymphedema in women treated for breast cancer Lance Armstrong Foundation and Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Paskett, Electra Breast cancer prevention through nutrition program The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Paskett, Electra Ohio patient navigation program American Cancer Society Paskett, Electra Reducing cervical cancer in Appalachia National Cancer Institute Paskett, Electra Evaluation of the Ohio Tobacco Cessation Centers Project Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation Pirie, Phyllis Netwellness Case Western Reserve University and Delta Dental Plan of Michigan Pirie, Phyllis Measuring the value and effectiveness of public participation initiatives for the public sector: What to measure and a way to perform the measurement Kettering Foundation Pompili, Michael Genetic polymorphisms and glioma risk Umea University Schwartzbaum, Judith Genetic and molecular epidemiology of adult glioma University of California at San Francisco/National Cancer Institute Schwartzbaum, Judith Profile of family violence in Ohio Health Policy Institute of Ohio Steinman, Kenneth Health behavior among religiously active black youth Association of Schools of Public Health Steinman, Kenneth
Ohio State health network infection control collaborative: Epi-centers for prevention of healthcare related infections Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Stevenson, Kurt Evidence and empowerment among consumers in the public mental health system Ohio Department of Mental Health Tanenbaum, Sandra The role of consumer-operated services in a transforming public mental health system Ohio Department of Mental Health Tanenbaum, Sandra Prevention of oral cancer by strawberries with selenium assimilated in the fruit National Cancer Institute Weghorst, Christopher Genetic susceptibility and cervical cancer development Phi Beta Psi Sorority Weghorst, Christopher Chemoprevention of oral cancer in Appalachia American Cancer Society Weghorst, Christopher Prevention of oral cancer by dietary and topical administration of lyophilized strawberries California Strawberry Commission Weghorst, Christopher Testing the effects of interactive computer programs for smoking cessation Walther Cancer Institute Wewers, Mary Ellen The Ohio State University Health System Tobacco Treatment Center Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation Wewers, Mary Ellen Tobacco free nurses University of California at Los Angeles/ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Wewers, Mary Ellen Hearing acuity and risk of unintentional injury National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Wilkins, John R III Ohio regional center for agricultural disease and injury National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Wilkins, John R III
9
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
TEACHING & LEARNING
Healthy minds 10
Business leaders and public health professionals share knowledge through fellowship program By Julie Johnson CPH Communications
Michael Pompili, a well-known environmentalist and public health leader in Ohio, has always been a take-the-bullby-the-horns kind of guy. When Pompili
Fellowship, a scholarship program geared toward Ohio’s senior environmental health managers. The program’s first two awardees,
saw a survey some time ago that indicated only 17 percent of Ohio’s county and city health directors had master’s degrees, he knew the College could help. “Here you have all of these high level environmental health managers who could really benefit from an MPH or other advanced public health degree in terms of their education,” said Pompili, a clinical assistant professor of environmental health sciences. “At the same time,
Gene Phillips of the Ohio Department of Health and Mary Ann Webb of the Highland County Health Department, graduated with an MPH in 2007. Both seasoned health professionals in the field of environmental health, each received full scholarships funded by Ashland Inc., an international chemical company with offices in Dublin, Ohio, and Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), the solid waste district in Franklin County.
you realize that our government could really benefit from having better managers. “And wouldn’t it be great if businesses benefited in some way so that they could do a better job protecting the health of the community?” he asked.
In return for the scholarships, Phillips and Webb participated in a risk assessment and risk communication plan, both of which focused on the environmental hazards associated with a raw material used in one of Ashland’s polymers.
In 2004, Pompili helped design a program that would become a win-win for everyone. The result is the Leadership
Meanwhile, another MPH student helped SWACO conduct training practices for its solid waste activities.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
(Clockwise from left) Tom Keenan, a toxicologist with Ashland chemical company, and Mike Pompili, assistant professor with Environmental Health Services, mentored Gene Philips of the Ohio Department of Health and Mary Ann Webb of the Highland County Health Department through a scholarship program called the Leadership Fellowship.
Webb and Phillips worked with US Environmental Protection Agency exposure modeling software to complete the risk assessment. The software helped predict a risk of exposure based on the quantity of material released into the environment, including the impact it might have in local waterways. After analyzing the environmental risk of the raw material as part of their practicum experience, they then developed a risk communication plan to disseminate information to the public if the material were ever released into the environment. Toxicologist Tom Keenan, PhD, manages the health and safety program for Ashland’s operations in 100 countries worldwide. He helped direct the two students in their risk assessment and communication projects at Ashland’s Dublin facility. “I think this program gives Ashland a better perspective in terms of what the public needs in a risk communication, and at the same time, I hope it gave (Webb and Phillips) a new perspective on what corporations do to keep the environment and the public safe,” Keenan said. Tim Buckley, chair of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at CPH, said that internships and culminating projects in the MPH program provide all students with some real world training, but the new Leadership Fellowship Program will provide students with opportu-
nities to address real-world environmental health issues faced by industry. “Everyone wins when our public health officials have the proper training. The State’s communities and industry will be better served by decisions that are based in well-rounded experience and grounded in the latest science,” Buckley said. Webb, the director of environmental health in Highland County for the past 15 years, said her education and her work with Ashland have provided her numerous benefits.
11
“The more we can reach out, the more we can improve our relations with businesses and government, then the more the College can find its niche in the public health community.” — Michael Pompili, Clinical Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Services
“Not only does this knowledge benefit my work, but I now have a number of great resources in risk assessment that I was not aware of before,” she said. “I feel as though I have really honed my writing, research and speaking abilities. … I have so much more confidence.” Pompili continues to seek out new sources of funding for Leadership Fellowship not just for the student and business’ sake, but also to benefit the College.
“The more we can reach out, the more we can improve our relations with businesses and government, then the more the College can find its niche in the public health community,” he said. For more information about supporting the EHS fellowship program, contact Jennifer Connery, the College’s development director, at 614-293-7628 or jconnery@cph.osu.edu. ■
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
TEACHING & LEARNING NEWS
From meat inspection to cancer prevention Summer practicums offer variety of experience Michael Hockman, chief of the division of meat inspection for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, works with MPH student Katie Stolte on her practicum. 12
By Julie Johnston CPH Communications
During Summer 2007 MPH students spread out across the United States and around the world to hone their skills and interests as they prepared to become the next generation of public health practitioners. Michika Nickerson is a student in the MPH Program for Experienced Professionals (PEP). She has found that her summer practicum with the non-profit organization Road of Life: Cancer Prevention for Kids has been an excellent way to put her health behavior and health promotion background to use. “The practicums give students a better sense of the tremendous skills and knowledge they pick up from their MPH program, and it gives them a first chance to see how those skills have practical applications in their careers,” said Lori Bolton, CPH’s assistant director of practice education and career services. Road of Life, based in Columbus, focuses on educating children in areas of nutrition, fitness and tobacco use prevention in order to reduce their risk of
developing cancer. Working with fellow MPH students Keeley Zakrzewski and Sarah Krygowski, Nickerson developed a workbook designed to help parents and caregivers teach the Road of Life Curriculum to their children. The three also completed a health career handbook designed for elementary students. “I think these experiences have really prepared me,” Nickerson said. “Someday I want to direct a community health center and promote the healthy values that we focus on at Road of Life.” Hayley Ashbaugh traveled halfway around the world this summer for her practicum at the National Institute of Veterinary Research (NIVR) in Hanoi, Vietnam. An MPH student who is specializing in veterinary public health, Ashbaugh is conducting milk hygiene surveys with rural Vietnamese dairy farmers and performing lab work on samples collected from the farms. “I thought this setup would allow me to get a glimpse of the variety of work that goes on in the department I am
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
From left, MPH students Michika Nickerson, Keely Zakrzewski and Sarah Krygowski talk about preventing childhood cancer with visitors to the Road of Life booth.
working in,” Ashbaugh said. Ashbaugh, who previously spent a year teaching English in Vietnam, says her work with NIVR, which is the main veterinary research institution in Vietnam, may be very helpful if she decides to continue working in Vietnam after graduation. “The practicum gives students a real world experience, but even more, it gives them the opportunity to network,” Bolton said. “So many of our students find very rewarding careers after graduation, and this ability to network during practicums is key to finding a great position.” Ashbaugh said she has already applied information she learned in her food safety, zoonotic disease classes, and her epidemiology and biostatistics knowledge has helped her with data collection and analysis. “As far as food safety goes, though, I am not only needing to apply the skills I learned from class, but also find how best to transfer the knowledge of what should occur in the U.S. dairy industry to how
milk can be kept safe in the context of rural Vietnam,” she said.
Pilot courses include epidemiology of injuries, psychiatry and TB The College of Public Health diversified its offerings for students this year with several new pilot courses. Among them was injury epidemiology, a survey course offered in Spring 2007 that introduced master’s and PhD students to the methodological techniques and experts found in the field of injury epidemiology. The course was taught by Dawn Comstock, PhD, an assistant professor jointly appointed in CPH’s Division of Epidemiology and the College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. “Our goal in this course was to show the students that injury epidemiologists have the ability to drive local and national legislation, help create safer automobiles, and perform a host of other services to the public,” Comstock said. During the quarter, Comstock intro-
duced the students to several epidemiologists, physicians, and even a professor of engineering, who discussed public policy, motor vehicle safety, sports injuries, playground safety, agricultural and occupational injuries, among others. Pilot courses offer the college a way to test the popularity of certain areas of study while also giving faculty from other areas of the university the opportunity to teach, said David Murray, chair of the Division of Epidemiology. He said several faculty from the College of Medicine, Comstock among them, have approached him with epidemiology courses that they would like to offer. Murray said he is happy to have the extra course offerings in his area as long as they remain popular among the students. “It really comes down to our enrollment numbers and the faculty members’ willingness to teach that course,” he said. Pilot courses are often on the cutting edge of cultural trends and scientific breakthroughs. Sarah Anderson, a new assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology, will offer the Epidemiology of Obesity during the upcoming academic year. During the past year, the college offered several pilot courses across
13
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
TEACHING & LEARNING NEWS
14
disciplines, including Epidemiology of Tuberculosis, Psychiatric Epidemiology, Patient-reported Outcomes in Health and Diseases, Critical Behaviors in Public Health: Physical Activity, and Fundamental Determinants of Population Health. The Psychiatric Epidemiology course, taught by Kathleen Pajer, MD, MPH, of the College of Medicine, resulted in two student papers that were of high enough caliber to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Comstock is hopeful that the injury course will help groom the next generation of epidemiologists to help tackle the incidence of injuries among children and adults. “I love this work and it is such an important topic,” Comstock said. “For children to age 45, injuries are the number one cause of death, but too often, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”
CPH, Vet Med faculty present at combined health conference This spring, the College of Public Health took part in a joint symposium between the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the Association of Schools of Public Health. Partnerships for Preparedness: Future Directions for Schools of Public Health and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine was held in Atlanta from April 22-24. Two OSU faculty members presented information about the veterinary public health degree program offered jointly by OSU’s College of Public Health and College of Veterinary Medicine at the symposium. Jeff Caswell, CPH’s associate dean for academic affairs, and Armando Hoet, clinical assistant professor in the department of veterinary preventive medicine, have worked together for the past few years to develop and implement the latest
OSU students can complete a new public health preparedness course online.
degree specialization for Master of Public Health students. At the Atlanta symposium, they explained the advantages and challenges of collaborating on the program, and how the program continues to evolve with
He said that he hopes the MPH-VPH specialization at Ohio State can eventually be tailored to attract practicing veterinarians who want to earn an MPH to enhance their career.
outside and internal partnerships. “Historically, this partnership works because of the natural overlaps in public health and zoonotic diseases,” Caswell said. Caswell explained that the recent trend of “one medicine” that promotes crossdisciplinary interaction among various health sciences fields adds credence to the OSU partnership. While many of the students who specialize in veterinary public
Online college course offers accessibility, convenience
health at CPH go on to veterinary school, others eventually find careers in fields such as food safety and infectious disease. “Epidemiology and environmental health sciences really dovetail well with the VPH curriculum,” Caswell said. “And I
Stanley, PhD, program director at the Office of Workforce Development (OWD), the new 3-credit Introduction to Public Health Preparedness course is a survey course designed for both graduate and undergraduate students.
think there is a certain coolness factor for some public health students in having a specialization in veterinary public health.”
“This is an awareness level course for anyone interested in public health and preparedness,” Stanley said. “Distance
Students at The Ohio State University are now able to learn the history of public health preparedness and the basic tenets of disease investigation from the comfort of their home or favorite coffee shop. The College of Public Health’s Office of Workforce Development introduced the college’s first distance learning course during spring quarter. Taught by Sharon
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
learning seemed very appropriate at this level.” The course content was developed by Shoshana Shelton, a former program manager at OWD, who created 10 online modules. Each module includes assignments, readings, and quizzes about various public health preparedness topics ranging from Homeland Security to risk communications. In the absence of face-to-face classroom time, the course also offers a discussion board, and Stanley encourages regular phone calls and office hours with her students. “We didn’t want this course to be death by PowerPoint,” Shelton said. “It was a long process to turn this course into an interactive tool that would really engage students.” Despite some of the limitations of online learning, most of the dozen or so students who took the pilot course agree that the content and flexibility of this course are important, and they are glad they enrolled. “I feel that more future healthcare employees should take a course similar to this, if only to give them an appreciation of the public health role,” pharmacy student Jillian Elliott said. Stanley says the College plans to offer the preparedness course at least once a year. While the course is currently only available to OSU students, Stanley hopes to offer it to public health practitioners within the year. The OWD recently hired Cheryl Engle as a program manager to develop new web and hybrid (combination of in class and online) courses. “Given recent natural and manmade disasters and the emerging threat of pandemic influenza, public health is transforming to include new partnerships, changes in the workforce, and new
technologies,” Shelton added. “This format will allow us to eventually offer our courses at the national level and recruit students from all over the country.”
College welcomes public health professionals to summer program The OSU Center for Biostatistics and the College of Public Health organized and hosted the annual 2007 Summer Program in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiological Methods (SPABEM). Over a period of two weeks each summer, the program offers 12 courses in the application of statistical methodology and epidemiology addressing a wide range of biomedical and public health problems. The courses teach students new approaches to the analysis of data from epidemiologic studies as well as the analysis of biologic, clinical trial, and laboratory data.
In 2007, 198 students attended the program and included public health professionals from 11 states, Puerto Rico, and five foreign countries. Approximately 175 public health professionals from Ohio attended the 2007 program. “One of the challenges is getting the word out to international scientists and practitioners,” said CPH Dean Stanley Lemeshow. “We’re always so pleased when we have several represented each year at SPABEM.” This year’s program included an expanded Practice-Based Epidemiology (PBE) Series. Its goal was to provide practicing epidemiologists and public health researchers general and specific epidemiology training that emphasized methods and techniques that could be directly applied to improve public health performance at the state and local levels. Compiled by Julie Johnston, CPH Communications.
MHA grad receives award for work health advocacy In April, Tammy Heyman, a registered dietician and 2007 graduate of our master of health administration (MHA) program, received the F. Ann Gallagher Award at the American Dietetic Association’s Public Policy Workshop in Washington, D.C. This prestigious award is presented to those who have demonstrated legislative advocacy at the state and national level. Heyman has been active in nutrition and health policy advocacy since the 1980s in three states (Ohio, Missouri and Oklahoma) and on Capital Hill for federal legislative issues. She said she was inspired to work in legislative issues because policy was an integral part of her education as a clinician. Associate Professor Jeff Caswell, HSMP, was Tammy’s advisor in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy.
15
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE & OUTREACH
16
CPH sharpens focus on health disparities New center will address issues of minority health, health equity, environmental justice Amitabh Chandra, PhD, a Harvard researcher, lectured on racial disparities in outcomes following heart attacks at CPH’s 2007 Diversity Day.
By Julie Johnston CPH Communications
Dean Stanley Lemeshow envisions a day in the very near future when leaders from Ohio’s minority communities, largest congregations, public health agencies and the College of Public Health gather around the table regularly to tackle the state’s biggest public health issues. Minorities in Ohio are disproportionately burdened with health care problems and lack of health coverage. Nearly 20 percent of black residents in Ohio, compared with 10 percent of white residents, reported that they lack any health coverage, according to the 2004 Ohio Minority Health Profile produced by the Ohio Department of Health. According to the same report, approximately 60 percent of Ohioans living in poverty are black, Hispanic, or Asian / Pacific Islander, even though these groups represent just over 15 percent of the
state’s total population. The state government has historically placed low emphasis on public health, with only 2 percent of state health care dollars being spent on public health, ranking Ohio 32nd in the nation, according to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. Dean Lemeshow believes that disparity research and outreach must be at the forefront of the College’s future growth. “We as a college of public health are committed to reducing and eliminating inequities in public health and making health services more readily available to everyone,” he said. The College is actively developing a new center for health equity and multicultural health, which will focus teaching, service and research activities around issues of minority health, health disparities, health equity, environmental justice
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
and community involvement. The center may address any number of community problems – from domestic violence to lead paint hazards. Efforts to find a director for the new center are being led by Phyllis Pirie, chair of the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion at CPH. “We see this center in a liaison role between faculty research and the local communities,” she said. “Universities have not always done the best job of relating to the issues facing urban communities and people of color.” In some cases, researchers will work on a project and then leave for good, Pirie said, and the community members are left without the benefits of collaboration. Pirie said that the center will foster sustained, long-term relationships with local communities and provide easy access to resources at OSU. “We need to pay attention to the community’s needs and become their link,” Lemeshow said. Already, the concept of a new health equities center has been praised by individuals who seek to address chronic health issues among the poor and underserved. The Women & Philanthropy program, a group of women philanthropists devoted to enhancing new projects at Ohio State, has donated more than $15,000 in seed money for the new center. As plans for the new center develop, top researchers at the College continue their work to improve the lives of minorities and underserved populations. Current projects include: • Improving cardiovascular care for minority Americans: Assessing organizational readiness to change with principal investigator Ann McAlearney, associate professor in health services management and policy. • Case Study: Environmental Monitoring in Support of the Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transporta-
Dr. Chandra with Columbus Health Commissioner Teresa Long (center) and Mei-Ling Ting Lee, distinguished professor in the College’s Division of Biostatistics.
tion Project with PI Tim Buckley, chair of the environmental health sciences division. • Reducing Cervical Cancer in Ohio Appalachia, as part of OSU’s Center for Population Health and Health Disparities, with PI Electra Paskett, professor of epidemiology at CPH. Other CPH faculty involved with this project include Stan Lemeshow, Amy Ferketich, Mira Katz, Chris Weghorst and Mary Ellen Wewers. • What Accounts for Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer, from the National Cancer Institute, with PI Michelle Shipp. The College and its Diversity Enhancement Committee continue to provide programming and other opportunities to CPH students, faculty and staff throughout the year.
Health policy expert Amitabh Chandra, PhD, was the featured speaker at the College of Public Health’s (CPH) first Diversity Day on March 5. More than 120 people attended the event, co-sponsored by the College, CPH’s Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies (HOPES) and the OSU Diversity Enhancement Program. Chandra, an assistant professor from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, presented “Geography and Racial Health Disparities.” His lecture focused on the role of geography in contributing to racial disparities in outcomes following heart attacks. His recent research indicates that racial disparities in health care may not be limited to provider bias, but that geography and quality of care must also be considered. ■
Diversity on campus As part of its strategic plan, the College has been working to improve the diversity of its faculty, staff and students. Diversity Day is one of the College’s activities to promote diversity and cultural awareness in various facets of public health research and education. Many of the activities are planned by CPH’s Diversity Enhancement Committee. Last November, the College hosted faculty from the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, for a two-day visit to the OSU campus. They spoke with CPH faculty, staff, students and community leaders about best practices in recruiting minority and women faculty in public health. “Hiring more diverse faculty is an integral part of our reaching out to many of these communities in Ohio,” Dean Lemeshow said. “We know that if our faculty have first-hand experience with various minority and ethnic groups, then we can greatly enhance our research and engagement activities for the community’s betterment.”
17
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE & OUTREACH NEWS
Service activities unite students in kitchen, construction and climbing
18
More than a dozen students at the College of Public Health traded textbooks for tomato sauce when they prepared a homemade spaghetti dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House. Held during National Public Health Week, the dinner was one of several events to reach out to the local community. “It seemed like a natural choice to get our organization involved with the Ronald McDonald House,” said Jesse Plascak, vice president for the Society of Public Health Students (SPHS). “Many students within the College expressed their interests in helping out children’s organizations as well as soup kitchen-type organizations.” Several students cooked while others presented homemade desserts to bring a little comfort to families whose children were being treated for serious illnesses at Columbus Children’s Hospital. Approximately 25 families participated in the event, but there were plenty of leftovers for those who arrived later. “I think most of the College of Public Health students are looking for hands-on service projects in the community,” said Matt Schroeder, president of SPHS. “This will be an important aspect of our future careers, and we really enjoy these opportunities in which we can bring all the public health specialties together.” During the past year, CPH students also spent a day helping the OSU Chapter of Habitat for Humanity frame a house in Columbus, and participated in the University’s Operation Feed campaign. Plascak, Schroeder, Uwe Stolz and Neal
CPH students cooked a meal for families at the Ronald McDonald House during Public Health Week.
Vasist, with a team name of SPHS Eradicators, participated in Climb for a Cure, a 40-flight, stair-climbing fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Their winning time of 3:33 brought home first prize and raised $250 for the foundation, Plascak said.
Public Health Week addresses needs of vulnerable populations The College hosted several activities during National Public Health Week, April 2-6. Since 1995, the American Public Health Association has designated the first week in April as National Public Health Week. This year’s theme was “Take the First Step! Preparedness and Public Health Threats: Addressing the Unique Needs of the Nation’s Vulnerable Populations.” CPH’s Office of Workforce Development hosted a program about tuberculosis as part of its Public Health Dialogue Series. “Tuberculosis and Vulnerable Populations” was well attended by students and professionals. Shu-Hua Wang, MD, is the medical
director at Ben Franklin TB Control Program in Columbus and is also assistant professor of clinical medicine at OSU. Dr. Wang discussed tuberculosis, its implications and impact on public health in Ohio and abroad. Questions were raised about recent cases in schools and what is being done to prevent future outbreaks. Discussion included TB testing for all school-age children and immigrants, and direct observed therapy (DOT). Ben Franklin nurses Maureen Murphy and Naomi Tucker helped explain local and state efforts. According to the World Health Organization, TB infection is currently spreading at the rate of one person per second. The disease kills more young people and adults than any other infectious disease and is the world’s biggest killer of women. Also during National Public Health Week, the Ohio Center for Public Health Preparedness, Office of Workforce Development, coordinated a two-day workshop “Meeting the Needs of Special Populations Through Community Organizations” at the Blackwell Hotel and Conference Center at OSU.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
Presented by Prabu David, associate professor in the school of communications at OSU, the program was targeted to public health professionals interested in reaching special populations, particularly on preparedness-related topics. Lastly, a group of public health students prepared a meal for families at the Ronald McDonald House (see related story).
Netwellness.org increases visits Netwellness.org, a website dedicated to offering accurate, unbiased medical information, has experienced exponential growth in the past year. Operated by the OSU College of Public Health, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Cincinnati, Netwellness.org regularly receives more than 10 million hits each month, doubling last year’s hits. The number of unique visitors in June and July 2007 exceeded 1 million – evidence that more consumers are finding and using the site. In July alone, visitors posted 1,006 questions to the “Ask an Expert” section. OSU experts have authored / co-authored 200 articles for the site in the past 11 years. Professor Phyllis Pirie, chair of the division of health behavior and health promotion, is the Netwellness director at OSU, and Brenda Clark, MPH, is Netwellness program manager.
College contributes 700 meals during Operation Feed campaign The 2007 Operation Feed Campaign at the College of Public Health was a great success — more than 700 meals were donated to the Mid-Ohio FoodBank in May. Since 1980, the Mid-Ohio FoodBank has provided more than 358 million pounds of food and other grocery products for hungry Ohioans.
More than 550 emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, senior dining centers, day care and afterschool enrichment programs in Ohio receive food from the FoodBank. CPH faculty, staff and students gave 367 food items, $125 in cash, and 84 ink jet cartridges, which count toward one meal each. Facilities Manager Reneé Watts coordinated the 2007 Campaign and was assisted by members of the CPH community.
OWD staff help health agencies evaluate direct care services Between the summers of 2006 and 2007, a team of health education specialists from CPH’s Office of Workforce Development traveled more than 15,000 miles to provide Ohio health agencies with training in the areas of community health assessments and program planning. OWD Assistant Director Joanne Pearsol and Program Manager Heather Vilvens, along with Kay Parent from Wright State University, provided on-site technical assistance to 29 local public health agencies statewide through a $64,667 grant from the Ohio Department of Health. All 29 health agencies ran programs on behalf of Child and Family Health Services, a bureau within the Ohio Department of Health. The projects being evaluated focused on the health status of women, infants and children. The team offered support to health agencies in evaluating direct care services, such as prenatal clinics or immunization services, or an agency’s community health assessments (CHAs). A CHA is a process of collecting, analyzing and distributing information about the health needs of a community, including gaps in care and health status.
The team of health educators from OWD and Wright State worked with health departments to make sure that they were conducting CHAs using proper protocol and evaluation methods. In trainings, the educators also reinforced the many practical applications of CHAs in addressing the health needs of the local community. Pearsol said that among those agencies providing direct care services, many discovered during the trainings that there were duplications within the community or that scarce resources should be redirected into other programs. In those cases, educators helped the agencies begin the process of transitioning out of direct care services. She said that this transition can be an emotional process for some agency staff. When we started the process, some would say, “We will not transition out of direct care – we’ll find another way to fund this service.” But after working with them, they will often say, “We’ll do a transition plan, and we’ll do it right.” According to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a core function of any health department is to assure that health services are available and accessible to the community. Agencies in this project that opted out of certain direct care services still have a responsibility to ensure that those services are provided by other community partners, Pearsol said, and so an agency’s overall role in providing that service is vital. “Our goal was to ensure that agencies were going about their programming and CHA process in a strategic manner, and that their work was data-driven,” Pearsol said. “Often there is a real need to do more with fewer dollars in terms of direct care services and community health assessments.”
19
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
FACULTY NEWS
Ferketich chosen for 2007 award Amy K. Ferketich, assistant professor in CPH’s Division of Epidemiology, received the College’s 2007 Excellence in Teaching award. Nominators praised Ferketich for her lectures, projects and class materials combined with her personal guidance and dedication to students.
20
“It was with the encouragement of Dr. Ferketich that I competed for a predoctoral fellowship ... which has funded my education for the past year,” wrote one nominator. Her colleagues have also taken notice. While the typical advising load is 10-12 students, Ferketich routinely advises more than 30 students over an academic year. “I have found Dr. Ferketich to be a dedicated teacher, not only in the preparation and care she takes in her classroom teaching, but also in the time and energy she gives to her students as an advisor and mentor on their culminating projects, theses and dissertations,” said David Murray, chair of the Division of Epidemiology. Ferketich regularly teaches Health Survey Methods, and Health Data Sources and Uses, and this year she will also teach Epidemiology for Experienced Health Professionals. She received her PhD from The Ohio State University in 2000 and her Master of Applied Statistics from OSU in 2001. This annual award recognizes College faculty members for exemplary performance in fulfilling our teaching mission. The selection committee chose Ferketich based on criteria such as mentorship, approachability, teaching style and organization.
Amy K. Ferketich, PhD
Eric Seiber, PhD
NEW FACULTY Division of Health Services Management and Policy Eric Seiber, PhD, joined the College of Public Health on July 1 as assistant professor. He received his doctorate in economics from Tulane University. Prior to joining the HSMP faculty, Seiber was an assistant professor at Clemson University’s Department of Public Health Sciences in South Carolina. His areas of expertise include provider billing behavior, Medicaid and Medicare program integrity, employer-sponsored insurance and economic demography. Seiber said he chose to come to Ohio State because “the university is an outstanding institution and the division is a highly ranked health management program.” He said he is impressed with HSMP’s outstanding teaching and nationally prominent research. “Lastly, we have been delighted with Columbus, although I still have reservations about an Ohio winter,” he said. Deborah Levine, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor in HSMP as of Oct. 1. She earned her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and her MPH from Harvard School of Public Health. Her primary research interests are secondary stroke prevention, access to care
Deborah Levine, MD
of stroke survivors and health care disparities. Her interests include the association between access to care and health care disparities on clinical health outcomes as well as health policy solutions. “I was extremely fortunate to find a wonderful position that will allow me to pursue my research, educational and clinical goals and to be an active, collaborative faculty member in both the OSU College of Medicine and the OSU College of Public Health,” she said. Levine’s primary faculty appointment will be as an assistant professor in the OSU College of Medicine. Levine comes to OSU from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was an assistant professor.
Division of Biostatistics Soledad Fernandez, PhD, became a research assistant professor in September 2006. She received her PhD in statistics and animal science from Iowa State University. Fernandez is a recognized expert in statistical consulting and proposal writing. She collaborates with a wide variety of investigators in the area of statistical genetics, veterinary biosciences, cancer genetics, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. Her research interests also include retroviral carcinogenesis and breast cancer.
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
Faculty honors Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, associate dean of research, was one of 17 OSU researchers to be named a 2006 Fellow by the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Wewers was recognized for distinguished contributions to tobacco control research and clinical practice, in the investigation of nicotine dependence and evidence-based Soledad Fernandez, PhD
Xin He, PhD
She is also a biostatistical scientist at the OSU Center for Biostatistics. Xin He, PhD, comes to the College as assistant professor as of Oct. 1. He recently earned his doctorate in statistics from the University of Missouri – Columbia. His research interests include longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, nonparametric and semiparametric methods. In the division he will continue his research on the development of statistical methodology and applications in clinical trials and epidemiology. “The College provides an ideal environment for developing research and promoting collaboration,” He said.
Division of Environmental Health Sciences In September, Junan Li, PhD, joined the College as research assistant professor. Li earned his doctorate in biochemistry from The Ohio State University and has served as a research scientist in the Department of Chemistry since 2005. His current research interests include the structure/function relationship of tumor suppressors and oncoprotein. He also researches the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and prevention of environmentally inducible cancers, such as oral and liver cancers. In that project, Li focuses on how various environmental factors regulate
Junan Li, PhD
cancer-related human genes, and how to counteract such “environmental effects” at the molecular biology level.
Division of Epidemiology Sarah Anderson, PhD, joined the College Sept. 1 as an assistant professor. She received her PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology from Tufts University in Boston. She was most recently an instructor in family medicine and community health at UMASS Medical School and a research fellow in the department of public health and family medicine at Tufts. Anderson said her current research interests are development, correlates, and consequences of obesity, particularly those related to psychological health. She is currently investigating the extent to which early childhood behavior problems contribute to weight gain and risk for obesity in childhood and adolescence. “I am excited to be joining the faculty in the College of Public Health at OSU,” Anderson said. “I decided to come to OSU because I was attracted to the wealth of opportunities available in the College of Public Health for research collaborations with faculty and students, and the opportunity to be a part of a growing and dynamic institution committed to excellence in public health research and education.”
cessation treatment. Wewers also serves as professor in the division of health behavior and health promotion. CPH Dean Stanley Lemeshow and Professor Electra Paskett are also AAAS Fellows. Mel Moeschberger, biostatics professor, who retires and becomes professor emeritus on Oct. 1, will receive the Statistics Section Award for his career-long contributions to academia. The award will be presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 6. HBHP Assistant Professor Brian Focht was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine at the annual ACSM conference in New Orleans on June 1. Fellow status at ACSM is awarded in recognition for distinguished professional achievement in research. CPH faculty members Hal Arkes (HSMP) and Randi Love (HBHP) were honored at the 2007 Sphinx & Mortar Board Faculty / Staff Awards Reception at the Longaberger Alumni House in February. Professors Arkes and Love were among several faculty and staff from The Ohio State University to receive this prestigious honor from students in the Sphinx and Mortar Board Senior Class Honoraries. The honor is given to faculty and staff who have been instrumental in the academic careers of Sphinx and Mortar Board members.
21
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
ALUMNI
MHA alumna takes the helm of OSU East By Julie Johnson CPH Communications
22
Elizabeth Seely
A typical day for CPH alumna Elizabeth Seely stretches from 5:30 a.m. until the 11 o’clock evening news – yet the days are anything but typical for a working mom of three school-aged kids. In May, Seely assumed the role of executive director at The Ohio State University Hospital East, a 200-bed hospital located 5 miles east of the OSU Medical Center. Seely’s talents and tenacity have led to several key leadership positions at the OSU Medical Center during the past 16 years, including most recently as associate executive director of the University Hospital and Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital. Seely grew up in North Carolina and Maryland and is a summa cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University. After graduating with a BS in Biology, Seely decided to try something different. “I always loved the theory behind science, but I was not really cut out to be in a lab,” she said. “I was really looking for an opportunity to use my leadership
skills in some way related to science and somehow help people.” Seely decided to pursue a Master of Health Administration degree at OSU and was accepted in 1988 with a University Fellowship. Seely graduated in 1990 and accepted a one-year fellowship position in Michigan. She joined the Medical Center in 1991 and has taken on increasing responsibility, including management of the comprehensive transplant center, radiology, pharmacy, nutrition, clinical laboratories and rehabilitation services. Long-time mentor Larry Anstine is executive director of the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and University Hospital. Like Seely, he is an MHA alum and has known her for 16 years. “Elizabeth is one of those people with a very unique ability to see the big picture and yet be detail-oriented enough to implement and execute programs and projects,” Anstine said. “I think one of her
greatest strengths is that she can bring both of these qualities to the table.” Seely is still a rarity in the field of health care management. Only about a quarter of all hospital chief executives are women, according to the American Hospital Association. The American College of Healthcare Executives reports that women are achieving the role of CEO at 63 percent of the male rate, up from 40 percent a few years ago. In her new role at OSU East, Seely reports to Peter Geier, CEO of the OSU Health System, and Jay Kasey, chief operating officer for the OSU Health System. OSU East employs about 1,000 people and offers a variety of health services to Columbus’ East Side and inner city residents, including general medical and surgical care, critical care, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics and an ER. The OSU Sleep Program and the Wound Care Center are also located there. Seely is getting to know OSU East
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
Careers not one-size-fits-all for alumni in health fields Recent graduates of the College of Public Health are finding new career paths in less common settings. Amia Downes, a 2006 MPH graduate specializing in health behavior and health promotion, was one of 44 individuals selected for the prestigious Emerging Leaders Program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Participants are assigned to a two-year position in one of the HHS agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After being named an Emerging Leader, she was selected to work with CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In the first year of the program, Downes rotated to various NIOSH positions around the country. She assisted in preparing testimony in Washington, D.C., and gave a presentation on obesity in the workplace to registered dieticians in Cincinnati. Her favorite experience was during a rotation at the NIOSH Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response in Atlanta. “I was able to work at one of two desks responsible for worker safety and health during a CDC pandemic flu exercise,” Downes said. Downes was recently told that a permanent position is waiting for her at the NIOSH Office of the Director in Atlanta in 2008.
The College and its career placement staff continually examine trends in health care and public health to learn the latest in career opportunities and industry needs. The College’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is an example. “In the past, our placements were primarily focused on hospital administration, but that’s really changed in recent years,” said Amy Thaci, director of professional development for the MHA program. “We’ve tried to expose our students to all the different facets of health care, such as consulting, policy, practice management and even long-term care.” Jason Dopoulos is a 2007 graduate of the Ohio State MHA / MBA joint degree program. He is now a health care associate for Lancaster Pollard, an investment banking firm that specializes in funding capital projects for hospitals and senior living facilities. As part of Lancaster Pollard’s health care finance team, Dopoulos will be assigned to a specific hospital or senior living facility and work strategically with hospital leadership on ways to efficiently access the capital markets to finance projects. Dopoulos, who majored in finance while pursuing his MBA, says that he has not ruled out working for a hospital someday. “I think that down the road, my MHA and experiences at Lancaster Pollard with boards and hospital leadership will really help me understand the inner workings of a health system.” 23
medical staff, and is impressed with her team. “These are really incredible people across the entire organization – whether it’s someone who replaces our ceiling tile or is drawing blood, each of them is part of this whole health-care delivery process.” Seely said leadership within the health system has focused on several strategic goals for OSU East in the upcoming years, such as quality, service and reputation, workplace of choice and innovation. Chief among the strategic goals is financial performance. The hospital has struggled financially in the past year, but it is now entering a period of growth and recovery, fueled by both expanding existing services and adding new services. “Over the next two years, we will focus on programmatic growth and operating metrics in each of our strategic goal areas,” she said. ■
CPH Alumni Fall Meeting The CPH Alumni Society held its annual fall meeting Sept. 7, 2007, at the Graystone Winery in Columbus. Guest speakers included Dean Stanley Lemeshow and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Alvin Jackson. Winner of this year’s Bill Gemma award was alumna Kate Shumate. Above is the alumni society board, from left: Amy Ferketich, Sato Ashida, Andrew Knecht, Mac Crawford, Lisa Jones, Suellen Bennett, Jill Oliveri, Amy Wermert, Jen Luca, Randi Love, Blake Warner.
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
CPH BY THE NUMBERS
293, total number of graduate
students in CPH programs for the past academic year
38 percent, increase in the
number of students over the past five years
30 percent, increase in the 24
number of applicants over the past five years
66.3 percent, the percentage of female students in the College
70 percent, the percentage of female students enrolled in all accredited schools of public health
7, total number of Graduate School Fellowships
33, total number of Graduate Associateships
198, number of professionals
attending the 2007 Summer Program in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiological Methods
3,000, number of professionals
attending workshops and programs offered by our Office of Workforce Development over a 12-month period
$12.5 million, CPH budget for 12 months ending June 30, 2007
$6.5 million, grants awarded to CPH faculty in FY07
21st, rank of OSU’s College of
Public Health, according to latest US News & World Report
12th, rank of OSU’s MHA program
according to latest US News & World Report
19th, rank of The Ohio State
University in US News & World Report’s list of best public universities
ANNUAL REPORT | 2006 – 2007
DEVELOPMENT Christopher Weghorst, associate professor of environmental health sciences at CPH, received $58,300 in August from the Phi Beta Psi Sorority, a 103-yearold national civic organization dedicated to providing support in cancer research. Weghorst will use this funding to study genetic susceptibility and cervical cancer development in Appalachian women. Appalachian women have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. Weghorst will focus on possible genetic links to these higher rates. Other OSU collaborators are David Cohn, MD, and Electra Paskett, PhD, professor of epidemiology at CPH. In 2006, Phi Beta Psi members allocated $283,500 to various cancer research projects around the United States.
Jennifer Connery joined the College as its new director of development. Connery has nearly 10 years of development experience with local and national organizations. Most recently, she served as director of development for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, where she was responsible for an annual budget of $12 million. She also created and managed a successful $10 million endowment campaign. Prior to that, Connery worked at the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “I am so pleased to heading up the development effort for the College of Public Health,” says Connery. “As a long-time resident of Columbus, a community volunteer and a graduate of the University, it gives me great pleasure to be a part of this team effort.”
Mrs. Bonnie Lachner contributed $25,000 to the Bernard J. Lachner Scholarship Endowment this year. The fund was started by and named for her late husband, Bernard J. Lachner, the founder of the Master of Health Administration program at The Ohio State University. Income from the endowment fund provides a fellowship to recruit an incoming student in health services management and policy and a scholarship to a returning MHA student. Previous scholarship winners attended a luncheon with Mrs. Lachner, along with several faculty from the College of Public Health’s HSMP Division. At right, Mrs. Lachner stands between previous scholarship winners Elizabeth Seely (left) and Julie Amling.
Women & Philanthropy, a new program created by The Ohio State University Foundation, awarded $15,825 to Mary Ellen Wewers, associate dean of research and faculty development in the College of Public Health. The award will support the creation of a center to promote healthy lifestyles. The overall goal of the center is to reduce risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality, with a particular emphasis on promoting healthy activities among at-risk or vulnerable populations. Factors such as poor diet, obesity, risky sexual behaviors, cigarette smoking and domestic violence are increasingly prevalent among the socioeconomically disadvantaged, especially women. The gift from Women & Philanthropy will help fund a graduate research assistant for the center.
To learn more contact: Jennifer Connery jconnery@cph.osu.edu 614-293-7628
25
This aerial view of main campus shows just how centralized the future home of the College of Public Health will be. Cunz Hall is near the Recreational and Physical Activities Center (RPAC), Ohio Stadium, the Main Library and the health sciences campus. Cunz Hall is located at the circular drive between Ohio Stadium and the medical center.
COLLEGE OF
PUBLIC HEALTH College of Public Health The Ohio State University M116 Starling-Loving Hall 320 W. 10th Ave. Columbus OH 43210