Ohio State's College of Public Health Magazine, Summer 2014

Global Significance. Local Impact.

OHIO STATE’S

SUMMER 2014

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

IN THIS ISSUE

Growing a Culture of Research CPH student research

Doubling of High School Athlete Concussions University’s Mumps Advisory Executive Team Led by Ohio State public health dean

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The Ohio State University College of Public Health

TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

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COVER STORY Growing a culture of research

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F E AT U R E S Nature’s filter Doubling of high school athlete concussions Identifying potential for dementia New electronic health record app #WellnessIsAnAttitude

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NEWS 12 Seven health sciences = one health A week of celebration, a lifetime of better health Ohio State celebrates 50th anniversary of Surgeon General’s Report Age is not just a number Faculty achievements Alumna uses public health education to help children, elderly in Guatemala Public health buckeyes study abroad thanks to scholarships Student body president win for public health student G R A D UAT E S N A P S H OT

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U P C O M I N G D A T E S & I N F O R M A T I O N 25

STAY CONNECTED facebook.com/publichealthbuckeyes @OSUPublicHealth youtube.com/publichealthbuckeyes go.osu.edu/CPHalumnilinked instagram.com/publichealthbuckeyes pinterest.com/osupublichealth flickr.com/publichealthbuckeyes

Editorial Staff Tessie Pollock, External Relations Director Bri Loesch, Communications Coordinator Publication design by Lisa Klancher | K2Studios, LLC Photo Credits All photos are credited to University Photography or college staff except p.6, NASA; p.15, Haikady Nagaraja; p.21, Monica Baker; p.22, Ohio State’s Office of International Affairs, p.23, Celia Wright; and back cover, Nana Wilmot.

Administration William J. Martin II, MD Dean of the College of Public Health Michael Bisesi Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Christopher Weghorst Associate Dean for Research Ann Florentine Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration Qinghua Sun Assistant Dean for Global Public Health Division Chairs Haikady Nagaraja Biostatistics Michael Bisesi (Interim) Environmental Health Sciences Mary Ellen Wewers (Interim) Epidemiology Phyllis Pirie Health Behavior and Health Promotion Thomas Wickizer Health Services Management and Policy

Support Public Health If you support what public health research can do for Ohio, consider funding scholarships for our graduate students or contributing to our endowments.

For more information on giving to the college, contact our development office at 614-247-4241. On the web, go to cph.osu.edu/alumni/giving for a complete list of our endowments.

Message

from the Dean

In the simplest form, we are researchers from the moment we are born. We explore the world, making We know many of the basics. Research in public health has shown us how to prevent disease and how to make essentials like food, air, water and shelter safer for ourselves and our families.

Research tells us when we’re doing it right and when we’re doing it wrong. Research helps us find that key impactful way to implement needed change. that crosscuts all of our degrees, all of our projects and all of our programs. Not only are we teaching our we approach public health. ce of Research provides remarkable infrastructure to support research in the college so that faculty and students have the time and resources to develop ideas out of new data to advance the public health of Ohio and of the nation. azine features just some of the amazing research projects occurring at CPH. I encourage you to read the stories and to connect with us electronically–make a point of visiting our website on a regular basis for current news and development opportunities.

I want to thank the growing public health community–which stretches from clinical medicine to social work– and research.

Sincerely,

William J. Martin II, MD Dean and Professor College of Public Health 1

GROWING a Culture of Research

BY BRI LOESCH

Valerie Delmonico, Kathy Renick, Scot Erbe and Christopher Weghorst

Christopher Weghorst, cancer researcher and professor of environmental health sciences, was named associate dean for research at the College of Public Health in October 2013. He and his team make up the “well-oiled machine” that is the College of Public Health’s expanding Office of Research. With an increasing volume of new faculty and grants, expectations for research are also on the rise.

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We sat down with Christopher Weghorst to learn more about the new Office of Research and how it’s helping researchers at CPH increase the depth and breadth of their projects.

Why has CPH created an Office of Research?

While Weghorst is working to build on the strengths of the existing infrastructure to meet these expectations, he stresses that progress could not be made without the support of the office’s staff.

Kathy Renick manages the day-to-day operations of the Office of Research. As director of research administrative services, she works closely with college administration and provides direction to the Office of Research staff.

She manages proposal submissions and provides postaward management for large center grants including the Center of Excellence in Regulatory Tobacco Science and the Prevention Research Center. She orients new faculty, provides education and guidance on grantsmanship, manages reporting and special projects, and helps faculty identify potential funding opportunities.

Scot Erbe is a research administrator in the Office of Research. He provides post-award grants management for faculty and staff in the Divisions of Environmental Health Sciences, Health Behavior Health Promotion, the Center for Public Health Practice, and for any laboratorybased studies. Working closely with the college’s business manager, he handles procurement issues, subawards and consulting agreements, and has primary responsibility for managing budget overruns and fiscal compliance. Erbe also facilitates laboratory operations and compliance for the college.

The newest member of the team is Valerie Delmonico.

As a grants and contracts specialist, she shares a portion of the proposal submission work load with Renick. She provides post-award grants management for faculty and staff in the Divisions of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Services Management and Policy, and the Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies. Working closely with the college’s human resources manager, she manages faculty and staff appointments on grants. She maintains faculty effort summaries, creates other support documents, tracks release time and answers questions about effort reporting.

One of the core responsibilities of the Office of Research is to facilitate, support and promote the research mission of the college. An important way to do this is to facilitate, support and promote the development of our faculty. There’s such a wide range of independent research experience within our current faculty. Some are relatively new, just coming out of graduate school or post-doc positions, while others are seasoned and have been at this for 30 years or more.

Each of those faculty demographics has different, specific development areas, which they need to focus on and practice in order to establish a successful research program. Our role in the Office of Research is to provide support and opportunities in all those areas. Faculty development seminars are one way we’re trying to provide information to them. Speakers are being brought in to talk about a variety of relavant topics from basic grant writing to partnerships and how to connect with people at Ohio State. We want to help faculty develop skills that are needed in today’s competitive environment.

How did you come into public health?

I’ve always been in some form of public health research throughout my career– it was just under a different name before. I was recruited to Ohio State from the National Cancer Institute where I spent five years as a staff fellow and did basic cancer research. When I joined Ohio State, I was hired into the College of Medicine within the Department of Preventive Medicine and Department of Health Services Management and Policy, which is now one of the College of Public Health’s five divisions. In the new school of public health, I became a member of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences.

What has been one of the office’s major tasks so far under your leadership?

Laboratory safety and compliance. Providing and maintaining a safe and healthy research laboratory environment for students, staff, faculty, contractors and visitors is a very high priority for me. Toward that end, Scot Erbe has taken the role of focusing the research community in Cunz Hall on laboratory safety and compliance. With help from Dr. Thomas Knobloch, research scientist and adjunct assistant professor in EHS, Scot has implemented numerous new and forward-thinking initiatives, both administrative and practical, that have made a great impacted and assisted lab-based principal investigators in this important area. I am proud to say that we are now viewed by The Ohio State University’s Environmental Health and Safety Office as a model for safety and compliance, even to the level of having one of our laboratories making the Ohio 3

“Forward! We have an outstanding group of faculty, staff and students in Ohio State’s College of Public Health that have a history of considerable success.”

State “Laboratory Safety Dean’s List.” Another big project we’re taking on is the creation of a new website for the Office of Research. The vision is that it will be an easy-to-use, helpful resource for everyone involved in research.

counterparts from other Ohio State colleges and schools of public health around the nation, gaining a greater perspective of the opportunities and challenges facing academic research institutions.

What has been one of the biggest challenges of this new position?

Do you see growth in the near future with undergraduate student research?

For me, the biggest challenge occurred during the first few months in the new position: initially finding the appropriate balance between my focus on the research program needs of the entire college and my focus to continue maintaining my personal active research program. Several individuals have helped with this dynamic transition: Phyllis Pirie (previous associate dean of research) has been gracious in providing assistance and insights during the transition. Kathy Renick, Scott Erbe and Valarie Delmonico are tremendous assets to this college and have patiently guided me through the steep learning curve of the inner-runnings of an already highly efficient and strong research office. Tom Knobloch has kept the research effort in my lab moving forward and has enabled this transition. And finally, Dean William Martin has been instrumental through his mentoring and support of Office of Research initiatives.

Yes. With the recent establishment and success of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program in the college, the demand is high and growing for our undergraduate research experiences. In order to meet this demand, we have to adjust as CPH faculty and figure out ways to both expand and support the inclusion of undergrads into our research projects. Currently graduate research is more of a strong point in the college, and that’s been established for a long time.

However, there are many new areas of opportunity on which we can capitalize that will strengthen and further develop high-quality research experiences for our undergraduates, and I’m eager to work with my administrative and faculty colleagues to ensure that happens.

What have you enjoyed most about the Office of Research so far?

It’s all been great so far. I’ve enjoyed learning about everyone’s research and how my colleagues are impacting public health. The Office of Research is a passionate bunch of individuals who really care about what they’re doing. It’s not just a job to them. It means a lot to me to have colleagues like that to assist me in growing a culture of research within the college. It’s exciting to work and dream with them, and to expand into areas we haven’t had the capacity to in the past. I have also had the opportunity to meet with my administrative 4

Where do you see the college headed in the next five years?

Forward! We have an outstanding group of faculty, staff and students in the Ohio State College of Public Health that have a history of considerable success. Under the new leadership of Dr. Martin, I expect we will build on those strengths and continue to develop cutting-edge research and academic programs that will impact public health at the local, national and international levels. It is my hope that the Office of Research can be a valuable and dynamic resource to assist this grant effort. We in the Office of Research are committed to facilitating, supporting and promoting interdisciplinary research in established and novel ways toward that end.

Learn about Weghorst’s recent research at: http://go.osu.edu/berriesandcancer

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO ALL PUBLIC HEALTH FACULTY AND STUDENTS

OFFICE OF RESEARCH TOTAL 2013 FUNDING

$9.19M

RESEARCH $ BY DIVISION

17%

3%

38%

5% 18% 19%

43

projects

480

students

AREAS OF INTEREST Health Disparities

4%

232

FT faculty

AWARD SOURCES 2%

2%

DEMOGRAPHICS

Biostatistics Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology Health Behavior & Health Promotion Health Services Managment & Policy Centers & Other

4% 28%

23% 3% 34%

NIH R01 NIH R21/R03 NIH P grants Other Federal Industry Foundations Other NonFed Subawards

Cancer Prevention & Control

Tobacco Control & Prevention

Biostatistics

Veterinary Public Health

Community-based Infectious Disease Research Control & Prevention

Health Services Mgmt & Policy

Cardiovascular Health

Environmental Quality & Health

Reproductive Health

Food Safety

LOCAL HEALTH GLOBAL HEALTH Our researchers look at what’s happening across our state

Our researchers have global collaboration and reach

Numbers provided are from the 2013 calendar year

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BLUE-GREEN ALGAL BLOOMS IN THE WESTERN REGION OF LAKE ERIE

Nature’s Filter Do the wetlands of Lake Erie keep contaminants out of the lake?

BY BRI LOESCH

Jiyoung Lee and her team are studying water samples taken during the swimming season from the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, a 6,704-acre preserved area located on the south shore of Lake Erie. They are examining the public health significance of understanding the pathways of pathogen transmission from contamination sources to human exposure in the lake front environments.

Lee, associate professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, received an award from the Ohio Water Development Authority for a study titled “Ecosystem services of wetlands for protecting microbial water quality of Ohio beaches from contamination sources.”

“This grant will help me explore my research idea and see whether it is feasible or not,” Lee said. “This project is really meaningful for me and my lab because we are studying Lake Erie, which is a very important drinking and recreational water source for not only Ohio, but for Canada and Michigan as well.”

Lee says this project is especially important because it has a human component to it and links the environment to human health.

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“Wetlands are known for reducing chemical contaminants, for example, excess nutrients from agricultural runoff.

However, they attract lots of wildlife and the wildlife sheds pathogens there. As the water goes through the wetlands, it finally reaches the lake and beaches where there’s human interaction and recreational activity,” Lee said. “So in this study we want to explore whether wetlands can provide public health-related ecosystem services, especially reducing cyanotoxins (toxins produced by blue-green algae) and enteric pathogens (disease-causing bacteria of the intestines).”

Ecosystem services are benefits to humans that come from nature. Wildlife and nearby agricultural runoff are known pollutants to the waterways with multiple contaminants, and Lee says keeping human and wildlife health hazards at bay requires a stable ecosystem and wetland.

“Public health risks due to recreational water exposure can be better explained by understanding the integrated health risks,” Lee said.

The wetlands of Lake Erie serve as a natural filter for water runoff from farm fields and in turn help to reduce algae which feed on the phosphorus in the runoff. Over the past several years, algal blooms have been a major issue for western Lake Erie, threatening the health of animals and humans and deterring recreation.

Doubling of High School Athlete Concussions

BY EMILY CALDWELL

CPH student research suggests increase could reflect more awareness, higher safety standards “It’s scary to consider these numbers because at first glance it looks like sports are getting more dangerous and athletes are getting injured more often,” said Rosenthal. “This study is observational so it doesn’t offer any proof about why the rates are going up. But I think in reality it’s showing that concussions that were occurring before are now being diagnosed more consistently—which is important.”

Concussion rates in U.S. high school athletes more than doubled between 2005 and 2012, according to a new national study lead by Master of Public Health student Joseph Rosenthal.

Rosenthal, who is also a clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Ohio State, analyzed data from the High School Reporting Information Online (HS RIO) sports injury surveillance system. The system contains data from a representative sample of 100 U.S. high schools that have at least one certified athletic trainer on staff. This particular study used data on nine different team sports. Overall, the rate increased from .23 to .51 concussions per 1,000 athlete exposures.

The increase might appear to sound an alarm about sports safety, but Rosenthal and colleagues on the study suspect the upward trend in reported concussions reflects increased awareness – especially because the rates went up the most after the 2008-09 academic year. Around that time, states began passing legislation promoting education about concussions and setting “return to play” guidelines for youth sports. Media coverage about head injuries in professional athletes has also increased over the last five to 10 years.

In addition to the overall doubling of concussion rates, the rates of these head injuries increased significantly in five particular sports: football, boys basketball, boys wrestling, boys baseball and girls softball. The other four sports involved in the study showed upward trends in concussion rates, but based on statistical analysis, those increases could have occurred by chance. Football had the highest concussion rate among these nine sports.

Tracking these injury rates over time will enable clinicians, coaches, parents and athletes to understand what risk factors influence changes in concussion rates and explore new ways to protect young athletes, Rosenthal said. He added the initial study indicates that “people are starting to recognize the seriousness of concussions and how important it is to treat them appropriately.”

Rosenthal conducted this research as part of his pursuit of a Master of Public Health degree at Ohio State. He is a student in the College of Public Health’s Program for Experienced Professionals, which allows working professionals to work on their degree part time. His co-authors are Randi Foraker of the College of Public Health’s epidemiology division; Christy Collins of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital; and Dawn Comstock of the University of Colorado Denver. His adviser is Randi Love of the College of Public Health.

The study is published online in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

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NEW

Electronic Health Record App

TO REDUCE PATIENT RISK OF STROKE AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE

BY BRI LOESCH From a public health perspective, it is important to reach populations at risk for coronary heart disease and stroke. By giving health care providers a means to measure modifiable behaviors through a web application that is linked to the Electronic Health Record, Randi Foraker and other researchers hope to improve cardiovascular health in patients.

Foraker, assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology, is the principal investigator on a grant from Pfizer Inc. for a study entitled “Stroke Prevention in Healthcare Delivery EnviRonmEnts (SPHERE),” which includes co-investigator Abigail Shoben, assistant professor of biostatistics.

By giving health care providers a means to measure modifiable behaviors, researchers hope to improve cardiovascular health in patients.

The Electronic Health Record App uses a traffic light color scheme to show a patient’s overall cardiovascular health score.

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Now in its second year of funding, the team is collecting data from the pilot outpatient clinic at Ohio State for a three month period, and will measure it against the data from the same three month period taken last year in order to measure changes in the cardiovascular health of patients at that clinic.

“Because it’s only a two year project, we’re not measuring stroke as an outcome,” Foraker said. “What we wanted to focus on were the risk factors that can ultimately lead to stroke, and so we chose the American Heart Association’s My Life Check Life’s Simple 7, which are seven modifiable behaviors and factors that are related to stroke and also coronary heart disease.”

Five of the seven factors are readily available in the Electronic Health Record. The SPHERE application uses a traffic light rating system to communicate to the patient and provider whether the patient’s cardiovascular health factors are at ideal (green), intermediate (yellow), or poor (red) levels. The overall aim of the study is to decrease the burden of stroke and its modifiable risk factors among older women in primary care practices by leveraging existing health information technology.

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Life’s Simple

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from the American Heart Association

1 Smoking Status

2 Body Mass Index 3 Physical Activity 4 Healthy Diet 5 Total Cholesterol 6 Blood Pressure 7 Fasting Plasma Glucose

Randi Foraker (right), assistant professor of epidemiology and Marcelo Lopetegui (left), postdoctoral student in Biomedical Informatics demonstrate the Electronic Health Record app.

“Our central hypothesis is that the SPHERE application, an individualized and automated cardiovascular health assessment, will improve modifiable risk factors for stroke among older female patients,” Foraker said. “The potential impact of the SPHERE application on a population of older female patients in the primary care setting is large, considering Women’s Health Initiative data in which only three percent of older women were in ideal cardiovascular health on all behaviors and factors enumerated in Life’s Simple 7.”

“The SPHERE application leverages the Electronic Health Record and is designed to improve health outcomes by empowering clinicians to discuss cardiovascular health with their patients and ultimately enhance primary prevention efforts,” Foraker said.

When a provider launches the Electronic Health Record for a patient and goes to the order screen, the SPHERE application launches, displays the traffic light rating system for each factor, and renders a cardiovascular health score based on a scale of 0-100 percent. Based on the patient’s score and risk factor levels, the application may serve as a prompt for the provider to order medication or testing.

Other researchers on the study include Marcelo Lopetegui, a postdoctoral student in biomedical informatics who designed and programmed the application; Philip Payne, associate professor and chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Informatics, and joint associate professor of health services management and policy in the College of Public Health; Albert Lai, assistant professor of biomedical informatics; and Rebecca Jackson, director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and associate dean for clinical research in the College of Medicine.

Additionally, the application offers a slider function which allows the provider to change values of individual risk factors and show projections of possible cardiovascular health scores for the patient based on changed behaviors.

A comprehensive, automated cardiovascular health assessment deployed in the primary care setting offers the potential to improve chronic disease risk factors and increase appropriate pharmacologic treatment in the health care setting.

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Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam

BY ALLIE SQUIRES

IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL FOR

DEMENTIA

The SAGE test was downloaded from the Wexner Medical Center website over 640,000 times within the first week of the release of the research paper.

The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination may help physicians tackle the rising number of dementia patients and improve preventative treatment strategies by detecting early signs of cognitive impairments. Over 1,000 volunteers ages 50 and over were given SAGE as part of the study.

Dr. Doug Scharre, director of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center led the study. Haikady Nagaraja, professor and chair of the College of Public Health’s Division of Biostatistics, was the sole statistician on the project. He designed the studies, suggested sample sizes, and analyzed the data to showcase the best features of the SAGE test. Nagaraja said one of his favorite aspects of this long-term project was to be there from start to finish.

Researchers found that the 15-minute test was successful in detecting four out of every five people tested with mild cognitive decline.

The first exam score acts as a baseline from which scores can be monitored and assessed from year to year.

SAGE is designed to be administered anywhere with just a pencil and paper. Consisting of 22 questions, the test assesses six separate aspects of cognition: language, orientation, computation, visuospatial comprehension, problem solving and memorization.

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Researchers have stressed that this exam should not be used to diagnose, but rather to detect symptoms. Once the exam has been taken, it is recommended that the results be shared with a physician, particularly for those who score less than a 17.

Nagaraja notes that the SAGE test has a major impact on public health.

“At this moment there are over 99 million people over the age of 50 in the U.S. (and over a billion in the world) who can potentially benefit from the SAGE test,” Nagaraja said. “Early detection of cognition impairment can result in timely therapies and happier lives for millions, and substantial reduction of the disease burden on society.”

Further studies are being planned to use SAGE to measure the rate of change over time in normal aging and in various cognitive disorders.

The research on the community implementation of SAGE appears in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

The research was also featured on CBS News, the Huffington Post, and the local NBC affiliate.

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WA N T TO TEST

YOUR BRAIN?

Visit go.osu.edu/sagetest

Kelsey Perkins, a recent Master of Public Health graduate, examined the Ohio State Student Wellness Center Twitter account as a health and wellness education tool. Perkins and her team hoped to answer two key questions with this study of the social network: “What are the characteristics of a popular tweet among Student Wellness Center followers?” and “What knowledge and attitudes do Student Wellness Center followers hold regarding health and wellness behaviors and Student Wellness Center services?”

#WellnessIsAnAttitude

BY ALLIE SQUIRES

“The results of both pieces of this research study will guide future social media efforts,” Perkins said.

“As an example, we may find that our followers have sufficient knowledge regarding nutrition, but that they have limited knowledge about sexual health. We may also find that tweets that include a link and are published around 2:00 p.m. tend to be the most popular.

With this knowledge, we could tweet a targeted sexual health link at 2:00 p.m. to increase message exposure and ultimately initiate behavior change.”

The health behavior and health promotion student presented her research project in May at the American College Health Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Jonathan Nutt, assistant director and policy coordinator of the Student Wellness Center acted as co-principal investigator in this study alongside Perkins.

Perkins’ faculty adviser was Randi Love.

Public Health Dean Leads University’s Mumps Advisory Executive Team

BY TESSIE POLLOCK

The College of Public Health’s Dean William J. Martin II, MD has been tasked by Interim President Joseph A. Alutto with convening The Ohio State University Mumps Advisory Executive Team following an outbreak of illness at the university and in central Ohio. This collaboration between university medical and health experts, and local and state public health experts will focus on promoting best practices to protect the health and safety of the university community.

On March 6, Columbus Public Health affirmed that eleven Ohio State students had been diagnosed with suspected mumps. Within hours of the notification, the university sent a message to all faculty, staff and students informing them of this as well as providing information and resources. Since that time, communications have been ongoing to faculty, staff and students, as well as continued media response to help create awareness.

One of the advisory team’s first actions was to develop and recommend a proactive vaccination initiative for the university community.

The group worked with on-campus medical experts, Columbus Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop this initiative.

“Vaccination is the best way to reduce your risk of getting mumps,” said Dr. Martin. “To help broaden awareness, our executive advisory team collaborated with our partners to develop the university vaccination initiative in response to the mumps outbreak.

We want to combat the outbreak now, as well as next fall, when experts advise there is the potential for the outbreak to continue.”

While not required for employment or enrollment at this time, it is strongly recommended that all individuals associated with the university follow the vaccination guidelines shared in April. For information about the university’s response to the mumps outbreak including the vaccination guidelines, visit https://www.osu.edu/mumpsinfo.

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E T HIOPIA SEVEN HEALTH SCIENCES = ONE HEALTH

BY TESSIE POLLOCK

ONE HEALTH teams up the university’s health sciences colleges for an international project of unprecedented scope

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With more health sciences colleges on one campus than any other university, Ohio State is uniquely able to keep our communities and our world healthier, happier and more productive. The One Health initiative in Ethiopia pairs the College of Public Health with other health sciences colleges, international universities and other organizations to allow for those improvements.

Ethiopia has invested heavily in its education infrastructure, increasing its number of universities from three to 31 in just the last decade. The nation is poised to next address health issues, but lacks the trained people to accomplish the mission. That’s where the Ohio State / Ethiopia One Health Partnership comes in.

One Health is a model system that addresses issues at the interface between human health, animal health and the environment. It also allows the establishment of mutually beneficial working systems across disciplines for effective control of global health issues.

ONE HEALTH

The activities of the One Health partnership support Ohio State’s three discovery themes: health and wellness, energy and the environment, and food production and security. Specifically, the core pilot projects will develop a roadmap for eliminating rabies, reduce cervical cancer deaths, improve food safety, and train the next generation of health practitioners in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This crossdisciplinary work is an example of a “One Health” approach.

Community Partners Involved Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ethiopian Public Health Institute University of Gondar Addis Ababa University

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the One Health concept recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment.

There are many examples that show how the health of people is related to the health of animals and the environment. Rabies, salmonella and West Nile virus are just a few of zoonotic diseases passed from animals to humans.

Because animals also share our susceptibility to some diseases and environmental hazards, they can serve as early warning signs of potential human illness. For example, birds often die of West Nile virus before humans get sick with West Nile virus fever.

One Health is not a new concept, but it has become more significant in recent years because many factors have changed the interactions among humans, animals, and the environment. These changes have caused the emergence and reemergence of many diseases.

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This partnership integrates academicians and practitioners from Ohio State and select East African countries to leverage their knowledge, skills and resources.

The Ohio State / Ethiopia One Health Partnership developed in response to consultations among The Ohio State University, Ethiopian universities, regional institutes and U.S. federal partners.

This partnership integrates academicians and practitioners from Ohio State and select East African countries to leverage their knowledge, skills and resources to directly and indirectly contribute to improving biologic and economic health in developed and underdeveloped countries.

Much of the activity revolves around the annual One Health Summer Institute. In 2013, Ohio State sent 15 faculty, five students, and one staff member from seven colleges and administrative units. They taught courses and workshops related to the three priority areas and conducted valuable research on the rabies project during those six weeks.

An Ohio State team returns again this summer, expanding to approximately 20 faculty and 12 students from eight colleges and administrative units.

Courses will include Food Safety and Food-borne Diseases, Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, International Trade and Public Health Risk Analysis, Neonatal Resuscitation Care, and Optometry Training.

Follow the partnership in real time from Ethiopia by visiting the website u.osu.edu/onehealth.

Learn more about the Public Health Research & Education Support Fund which, among other things, supports College of Public Health student travel awards to Ethiopia.

Visit giveto.osu.edu and search for fund #310502

Left: Michael Bisesi visits Ethiopia during the 2013 One Health Summer Institute.

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Students Participate In One Health Summer Institute In Ethiopia

I S

N OT

J U S T

A

N U M B E R

BY ALLIE SQUIRES

“Forty-two years ago, I tossed a coin to choose between mathematics and statistics ... This experiment led me on an unbelievably interesting and rewarding route.”

– Haikady Nagaraja

CHAIR AND PROFESSOR OF BIOSTATISTICS

To celebrate his 60th birthday and dedicated research career, Haikady Nagaraja, professor and chair of the Division of Biostatistics in Ohio State’s College of Public Health, was honored at the Ordered Data Analysis, Models and Health Research Methods international conference March 7 at the University of Texas at Dallas. The conference was organized by colleagues and former students of Nagaraja, and attracted nearly 200 participants from 14 countries, including some of the world’s most prominent researchers in the field of theoretical and applied statistics.

“I have spent the last 34 years of this path on the Ohio State campus--from Cockins Hall in the north, to Davis Medical Center Building in the south, and everywhere in between--training statisticians, biostatisticians and biomedical researchers,” Nagaraja said of his long-standing career with the university.

Included in the research presented at the conference was Jin Peng’s master’s thesis project titled, “Models for Injury Data from the National Health Interview Survey,” which was supervised by Nagaraja.

“Dr. Nagaraja is a great teacher as well as a great mentor,” said Peng, an Ohio State PhD student in epidemiology. “He is a very patient and modest person. He spent two hours per week guiding me through my master’s thesis project. He taught me many statistical techniques and collaboration skills with multidisciplinary professionals, and more importantly, how to be a responsible scientist.”

Nagaraja’s success has been shown through his research as well as through achievements such as his election as American Statistical Association Fellow in 2000, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012. He noted that one of his greatest accomplishments was coauthoring Order Statistics, one of the top textbooks on the topic. He also coauthored A First Course in Order Statistics, another popular reference book on ordered data analysis.

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A Week of Celebration, a Lifetime of Better Health The College of Public Health Celebrates National Public Health Week

BY TESSIE POLLOCK

The CVS/pharmacy team of Jeff Raman, area vice president; Robert Comorosky, regional sales manager; and Kevin Hourican, senior vice president of operations join Dean William J. Martin II, MD near the statue of President Thompson after receiving the inaugural Thompson Public Health Award.

The college celebrated National Public Health Week in April with events and activities engaging the surrounding community and business leaders from across the country.

“National Public Health Week provides an opportunity to showcase public health issues in Ohio as well as the work at Ohio State to promote improved public health for all Ohioans,” said Dr. William J. Martin II, dean of The Ohio State University College of Public Health.

Farm to Table Interactive Luncheon How many stops has your food made before landing on your plate? The NPHW Farm to Table luncheon featured educational food stations from local vendors, as well as an information session on the Farm to Table Study Program with veterinary public health professor Armando Hoet, and past participants.

Thompson Public Health Award CPH awarded CVS Caremark the Thompson Public Health Award for its national public health efforts during a luncheon attended by some of Ohio’s greatest tobacco researchers and tobacco control specialists. The company announced it will end the sale of tobacco products at its 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores by October 2014. CVS/pharmacy has more than 300 stores in the state of Ohio.

The food and setting were fantastic! I enjoyed learning about the local restaurants and where they source their food as well as the opportunity to talk with an interdisciplinary group at my table.”

– Farm to Table Participant

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“We are honored to receive this recognition from The Ohio State University as the first national pharmacy chain to stop selling tobacco products in support of the health and well-being of our patients and customers,” said Kevin Hourican, senior vice president of operations at CVS/pharmacy, who attended the College of Public Health’s award ceremony. “Tobacco products have no place in a setting where health care is delivered and it is clear that removing these products from our stores is the right thing to do.”

Attendees from outside the university included representatives from the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Public Health Association, and Ohio’s Office of the Attorney General.

The Thompson Public Health Award is presented in honor of Ohio State President William Oxley Thompson for his decision in 1900 to ban tobacco use in university buildings on Ohio State’s campus. This award is given annually to an individual or organization in recognition of their contributions to advance the nation’s public health.

The Raising of America In an exclusive preview screening, the central Ohio community along with CPH students, faculty and staff tackled the topic of early childhood health and education. The event centered on a customized hour-long collection of segments from PBS’s upcoming series, “The Raising of America” (scheduled for release in fall 2014).

A special CPH thank you to our “Raising of America” panelists: Jane Wiechel, executive director at the Schoenbaum Family Center; Donald Hubin, principal investigator of the Innovation Group, Ohio State Center for Ethics and Human Values; Twinkle Schottke, director of Columbus Moms2B; Dr. Arthur James, co-director of Ohio Better Birth Outcomes and the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality; Pam Salsberry, associate director, Ohio State Institute for Population Research; and to our moderator from WOSU, Fred Andrle.

Amy Acton, assistant professor of health services management and policy in the College of Public Health, won the contest to name the series.

Created by the producers of Unnatural Causes, this film explores how a strong start for the children of America leads not only to better individual life course outcomes, but also to a healthier, safer, better educated and more prosperous and equitable America. Following the screening a panel of experts addressed the question, “what can I do to help children have an equal start in life?”

Engaging Students, Faculty and Staff • The Centering Community Health Council got hearts pumping with two cycling machines in the Cunz Hall lobby for students, staff and faculty to ride.

• Public Health through the Lens of an iPad: Dr. Robert Gillio, executive director and co-founder of the Force for Health Foundation, provided demonstrations of interactive Force for Health posters and health literacy videos.

• Alison Norris, assistant professor of epidemiology and medicine at Ohio State presented on Umoyo Pa Tsogolo or “health for the future,” a community-based health research program established based at Child Legacy International, a health facility in rural, central Malawi that uses only renewable energy.

• The Public Health Mentorship Program through the Multicultural Public Health Student Association hosted a resume and interview workshop for students.

• Faculty and staff learned their numbers through biometric screenings in Cunz Hall.

• The Association of Future Healthcare Executives Leadership Development Symposium’s annual leadership symposium featured keynote speaker Gregory Pauly, chief operating officer of Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and senior vice president of Massachusetts General Hospital.

• Buckeyes 4 Public Health and Student Ambassadors for Public Health organized a wellness walk around campus, passing out healthy snacks and NPHW buttons along the way.

Generous support from alumni and friends make educational activities such as National Public Health Week possible. If you’d like to support events like this in the future, please consider giving to The Ohio State Fund for the College of Public Health at giveto.osu.edu.

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OHIO STATE CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SURGEON GENERAL’S

BY BRI LOESCH REPORT On January 11, 1964, the landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s Report linking tobacco smoking with lung cancer and chronic lung and heart disease was released to the public.

Fifty years after the release of the first report, remarkable progress has been made. It is known that tobacco use causes numerous cancers and other illnesses, yet it remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 440,000 people each year.

To celebrate 50 years of progress and millions of lives saved since the inaugural U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, The Ohio State University invited the community to attend its anniversary celebration January 10 in the Ohio Union.

The College of Public Health at Ohio State is proud to recognize five outstanding faculty members who are deemed exceptional by their peers, divisions, the college, and the university. Four were promoted to associate professor, and one to full professor.

Bo Lu

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR BIOSTATISTICS

“The 1964 report is the most important health policy report of the 20th century,” said Dr. William J. Martin II, dean of the College of Public Health. “It has saved millions of lives and as importantly, it changed the culture of the U.S. from accepting tobacco as simply an individual’s choice, to seeing tobacco as a risk to society as a whole. Presently, we celebrate the enormous success of this single report while also realizing that we are only halfway home.”

Jiyoung Lee

Mary Ellen Wewers, a tobacco expert and professor in the College of Public Health added that unfortunately, progress in reducing tobacco use has not been evenly distributed across society.

PROFESSOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

“Those individuals with the fewest resources are typically at risk for persistent tobacco use.” Wewers said. “We must increase our efforts to create tobacco prevention and control policies that promote a tobacco-free environment for all Americans.”

The event included tobacco research posters and presentations from Ohio State leadership and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

This 50th anniversary came just days after the official launch of Ohio State’s tobacco-free campus initiative. On January 1, 2014, the use of all types of tobacco products became prohibited in university buildings and on universityowned properties, including parking lots, garages, and all outside areas.

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College celebrates tenured and promoted faculty

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Qinghua Sun

Sarah Anderson ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EPIDEMIOLOGY

Eric Seiber

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR HEALTH SERVICES MANAGEMENT AND POLICY

Recent grants and awards (Jan. 1 to May 1, 2014)

Jiyoung Lee ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Marcel Yotebieng ASSISTANT PROFESSOR EPIDEMIOLOGY

Alison Norris ASSISTANT PROFESSOR EPIDEMIOLOGY

Michael Bisesi SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Mira Katz ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Received an award from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission for a project titled “Rapid and Sensitive Microcystin Detection.” She also received an award from the Ohio Water Development Authority for a study titled “Ecosystem services of wetlands for protecting microbial water quality of Ohio beaches from contamination sources” and a contract from the GeoSyntech Consultants for “Microbial source tracking on San Diego water samples”.

Received an award from Yeshiva University for a project titled “Central Africa IeDEA.”

Received an award from the OSU Office of Outreach and Engagement for a project titled “Understanding Barriers to Reproductive Health Care Among Somali Women in Columbus, Ohio.”

Michael Bisesi, senior associate dean for academic affairs, associate professor and interim chair of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the Center for Public Health Practice, received a contract from the Defiance County Health Department for a project titled “Agency Strategic Plan.” He also received a contract from the Youngstown City Health District for a project titled “QI and WD Plan Development,” an award from the Stark County Health District for “Agency Strategic Plan,” a contract from Global Evaluation and Applied Research Solutions, Inc. for a “Collaborative prevention of infant mortality,” and a contract from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department for “Continuous quality improvement”.

Awarded a Coca-Cola Critical Difference for Women Grant for the study entitled “Development of a HPV Vaccine Intervention.”

DIVISION OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH PROMOTION

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS

QUOTES FROM OUR 2014 PUBLIC HEALTH GRADUATES

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MICHAEL PENNELL CHOSEN FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD

BY BRI LOESCH MICHAEL PENNELL IS COMMENDED

BY STUDENTS FOR HIS EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

“Many students made comments about how enjoyable his classes are, even when they are at 8 AM.,” said Cara Cover, a recent Master of Public Health graduate and selection committee member. “His humor also left a lasting impression on students.”

that he effectively communicates difficult concepts in a clear way, and brings humor to the classes to hold students’ attention.

Michael Pennell, assistant professor of biostatistics, was presented with the 2014 Excellence in Teaching Award by students from the selection committee and staff members from the Office of Academic Programs and Student Services for the College of Public Health.

“I was shaking when I walked to the front of the room to accept the award,” he said.

“It means a lot to me that a student thought enough of my abilities as an instructor to nominate me for an award. The students are the reason we (the faculty) are here and to be recognized by them for doing something well is amazing. Another reason why the award was so overwhelming is because it has been a long, hard road for me with regards to teaching. I had essentially no experience in teaching prior to coming to Ohio State and have had to work hard every year to improve and am not done yet.”

The award is intended to recognize College of Public Health faculty members for exemplary performance in the teaching mission of the college.

“As a committee, we chose Dr. Pennell for this award for several reasons,” Cover said.

“His Student Evaluations of Instruction, letter from the division chair, as well as the student nomination all showed his unwavering commitment to students, and his proactive response to comments and critiques about his classes in order to make improvements were impressive.”

Pennell has taught graduate level courses ranging from required introductory biostatistics to courses in regression, statistical programming and applied methods in biostatistics. His students commented 20

One student nominator said, “He is open, approachable, and makes an effort to make biostatistics interesting and relevant for the students. Although the classes are large, he makes an effort to learn names.”

Pennell said he was overwhelmed and honored when his name was called out as this year’s recipient.

One of Pennell’s favorite aspects of teaching is “being able to create one of those ‘light bulb’ moments for students.” He said it is rewarding helping struggling students reach the moment where the material makes sense.

Haikady Nagaraja, chair of the Division of Biostatistics, wrote a letter of support for Pennell’s nomination.

“Mike has achieved this excellent status based on his persistent, dedicated hard work

and his genuine interest in the welfare of his students. Instead of lowering the standards to make the instruction easier and achieve better student evaluation, Mike has taken to heart each one of his student comments and worked very hard with many steps in the direction of learning new methods to impart knowledge in a more effective way.

He has one non-negotiable characteristic of an excellent teacher – that is his pursuit of knowledge and his desire to share it with utmost dedication with his students.”

Students’ evaluations were unanimous in stating Pennell was one of the best instructors they had ever had, and was responsive to recommendations, making adjustments to his teaching based on feedback.

“One thing I have realized over the past seven years of doing this, is that if I am not enjoying myself during class the students won’t being enjoying themselves either,” “When I am preparing for lecture, I look for portions of the notes where the content is getting pretty dry (usually these are the slides with a lot of equations) and think of things I can do to make things less monotonous like tell a story or a joke. Even if the joke bombs, I have their attention.”

Nominations for the Excellence in Teaching Award may be made by students, faculty members or alumni of the College of Public Health, and may come from individuals or groups. The selection committee is composed of the three most recent winners of the award, and one student from each division/specialization in the college.

Exploring public health in Guatemala

BY ALLIE SQUIRES For Monica Baker, public health isn’t confined within a given curriculum. When Baker’s husband, Robert Siedler, was set to go on a medical school trip to Guatemala this past December, the then Master of Health Administration student (who graduated in spring) saw an opportunity and took advantage of it.

For four weeks Baker and a team of students and medical team members volunteered at Mayan Medical Aid, a non-profit clinic located in Santa Cruz, Guatemala.

According to Baker, a typical day started out with seeing patients in the morning when the clinic first opened, and taking their medical history. When she wasn’t interacting with patients, she was working on administrative tasks to improve the patient records system, the registration process and to streamline inventory at the clinic. Baker said that many of the women working at the clinic haven’t been educated past ninth grade, so coming up with a new record keeping system was a priority to her.

“If we create a program for them we really have to put ourselves in their mindset to understand how they might go about doing it, so I just tried taking the process they already had and improve it,” Baker said.

After work and on the weekends, the team learned medical Spanish from Dr. Craig Sinkinson, an American physician who very quickly immersed the team into the culture and language. Baker said that by the third week she was feeling comfortable speaking medical Spanish with the patients, but because some of the patients were Mayan, they spoke Kaqchikel which required a translator.

Baker said she used a technique discussed in the MHA program called “talk back” which allowed her to explain medication instructions to patients and ensure they understood the situation or diagnosis.

Baker also met up with a fellow College of Public Health Buckeye, Amy Petrocy. Petrocy is a ’13 Master of Public Health alumna living in Guatemala who works for a nongovernmental organization called Mayan Families.

“She was able to show me around her office and introduce me to some people,” Baker said. “That was really neat to be able to meet up with another CPH person while being there. We had a great time!”

MONICA BAKER PICTURED WITH VOLUNTEERS AND CLINIC EMPLOYEES, SECOND FROM RIGHT.

MAYAN MEDICAL AID CLINIC IS LOCATED ON TOP FLOOR OF THIS BUILDING.

Dr. Sinkinson started the Santa Cruz clinic in 2004 to pursue his dream of providing highquality health care to less fortunate areas of the world.

Baker’s faculty adviser was Thomas Wickizer.

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Public Health Buckeyes

Study Abroad Thanks to Scholarships

BY ALLIE SQUIRES

Three undergraduate public health students have been selected to receive Wolfe Study Abroad Scholarships on behalf of The Ohio State University Office of International Affairs.

PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENTS: TANIQUA INGOL (SECOND FROM LEFT), SARAH KNAPP (CENTER) AND NICOLE HALLER (FAR RIGHT)

Nicole Haller is among the recipients. Haller is a third year public health sociology major from Cleveland, Ohio, who will be traveling to India in May with the Public Health Perspectives study abroad program.

“I am hoping that this study abroad experience will enhance my knowledge, expand my horizons and help me to get a better understanding of public health issues on a global scale,” Haller said.

During this 4-week program in Manipal, India, students study a variety of public health, sociological and cultural issues with an emphasis on Indian perspectives. Through dynamic academic instruction and unique cultural immersion, students compare and contrast major regional, domestic and international public health issues and how they interact with and influence one another.

Taniqua Ingol, third year public health sociology major from Akron, Ohio, will be joining Haller on the Public Health Perspectives Program trip to India. This is Ingol’s first time abroad and she says she is excited to experience the culture of India.

“I like to learn how inequality in their society leads to various health disparities, how the government reacts to these disparities and what challenges does it present for global public health,” Ingol said.

Sarah Knapp, a fourth year public health major from Lima, Ohio also received the Wolfe Study Abroad Scholarship and will be traveling to Japan in June. Knapp will also be participating in the Public Health Perspectives Program and says this trip will be her capstone experience for her upcoming graduation in the fall.

The three-week program in Tokyo covers topics such as public health in Japan and its history, health issues in Japan, Japan as an industrial country, and health issues affected by environmental factors. Field visits and experiential learning are vital components of this program that will provide participating students with an understanding of the role of culture, economy, and environment on public health in Japan.

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“Believe in a Better State”

Student body president win for public health student

BY ALLIE SQUIRES

A College of Public Health honors student will be dabbling in politics, not on capital square, but right here on campus as president of the student government.

First on their to-do list as they take office is to address student mental health

Celia Wright, a third-year honors student majoring in public health and minoring in Spanish and international studies, recently won the 2014 undergraduate student government presidential election along with running mate Leah Lacure.

Wright and her team built their campaign platform on, “Believe in a better state,” and used this slogan throughout the election. The team ran on five main issues: Improving block utilization in the student meal plan, streamlining the academic advising process, bringing a bike share program to campus, implementing a comprehensive safety plan and creating a state-wide education coalition among students of institutions of higher education in Ohio.

First on their to-do list as they take office is to address student mental health and make it a priority on campus. Wright says students are waiting too long to speak with a counselor or mental health professional if they need help.

Wright entered Ohio State as an exploration major and remained in the program through most of her sophomore year. She has long been interested in international issues and the effects of poverty worldwide, and appreciates the skills public health gives her. Wright sees her path in public health allowing her to investigate the health effects of poverty in developing countries.

Along with Wright representing the College of Public Health is Jonathan Robinson.

He will serve as the public health senator for the undergraduate student government.

Recently accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program, Robinson will specialize in environmental health.

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THE NEXT CLASS OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCATES:

Where are they going?

STEFANIE SPIELMAN COMPREHENSIVE BREAST CENTER

AKRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Columbus Public Health

EPIC HEALTH SYSTEMS OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL SCHOOL

JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

ST JOSEPH MERCY HOSPITAL NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHILDREN'S HUNGER ALLIANCE

OCHSNER HEALTH SYSTEM

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER

MEDSTAR HEALTH

Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health

THE NEXT CLASS OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCATES:

What you might not know

My brother is a professional skateboarder!

- Julia Wilkins, Bachelor of Science in Public Health

I was a varsity cheerleader for three years at my undergraduate university, the University of Illinois. When I came to Ohio State, I went to cheerleading tryouts and made the team! Unfortunately, I couldn’t balance the rigorous graduate course load and the demands of the OSU cheerleading program – and ultimately had to quit the team. I still know the OSU fight song and the accompanying dance.

- Brandon Buchanan, Master of Health Administration

Arthur is still one of my favorite TV shows.

- Quyen Huynh, Master of Public Health

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SHARE YOUR NEWS AND EVENTS

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

HOMECOMING TAILGATE

Find out what your fellow alumni are up to these days. The College of Public Health is now accepting class notes. Let your colleagues know about your career moves, additional academic endeavors, new homes, additions to the family via marriages or children, or even farewells that we must say to old friends.

Email your updates to herr.40@osu.edu or give us a call at 614-292-0297.

Nominations now being accepted

CHAMPIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AWARDS

A LIMITED NUMBER OF OSU VS RUTGERS FOOTBALL TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OSUAA AND CPHAS OR HSMPAS MEMBERS TAILGATE TICKETS ARE $15 FOOTBALL TICKETS ARE $85 REGISTER ONLINE AT GO.OSU.EDU/CPHHOMECOMING BEGINNING AUGUST 20

We invite you to nominate worthy individuals and organizations in all fields of public health who, through their professional achievements, volunteer service or civic involvement, personify the mission of the College of Public Health to advance knowledge and improve lives in Ohio.

Awards are given in the categories of community leader, public health practitioner and organization. Individuals may be nominated posthumously, but preference goes to nominees who are living at the time of nomination. For information about past award recipients, visit cph.osu.edu/ alumni/events/champions.

Nominations are accepted online at go.osu.edu/ nominateachampion and will be accepted through July 11.

FRANKLIN BANKS, WILLIAM R. GEMMA DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS MEMORIAL AWARD Frank Banks contributed 34 years of service to The Ohio State University Department of Preventive Medicine and the School of Public Health. During his distinguished career, he served students of medicine and public health alike to provide them with a quality education in the area of community medicine.

He directed a program for 34 years for community medicine rotations.

William R. Gemma devoted his career to improving emergency medical services in the United States and abroad. His achievements spanned a military career where he served in hospital administration; academia, where he studied and taught business administration, hospital administration, and health service policy and planning; the U.S. Public Health Service; and the private sector.

To honor the memory of these close friends, the Alumni Society Board of Directors established the Franklin Banks, William R. Gemma Memorial Award. Nominees must be an alumnus of the School/College of Public Health or Department of Preventive Medicine (prior to 1995) and have worked at least five years in the field. College of Public Health faculty and past recipients are not eligible for this award.

Nominations are accepted online at go.osu.edu/GemmaAward and will be open for submission through July 11.

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College of Public Health The Ohio State University 250 Cunz Hall 1841 Neil Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43210

“But for Ohio State, I would not have found my passion for epidemiology and my desire to work in the underserved areas of the world.”

Committed to making education attainable and affordable, Ohio State has been cited by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of the 100 Best Values in Higher Education. Even so, paying for college can be a challenge to many students. Scholarships are a powerful way to make a difference in students’ lives.

EFUA “NANA” WILMOT (RIGHT), 2014 MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH GRADUATE AND MARY PLUMMER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT, MEETS WITH THE PRESIDENT OF RWANDA DURING HER PRACTICUM.

The Ohio State University College of Public Health 614-247-4241 | buckeyes@cph.osu.edu | giveto.osu.edu

Learn more about what the College of Public Health is doing to put students first at cph.osu.edu/alumni/giving/students-first