HAPPENINGS
COLLEGE NAMES OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS The University of Iowa College of Public Health has named Dwight Ferguson and Shenghui Tang the recipients of its 2021 Outstanding Alumni Awards.
Ferguson received a Master of Science degree in epidemiology in 2006 and a doctoral degree in occupational and environmental health in 2012. He currently serves in the U.S. Public Health Service as an emergency management specialist within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he plans for and coordinates the response for federal emergencies. Tang received a Master of Science degree in 1995 and a doctoral degree in 1999, both in in biostatistics. He currently serves as director of the Division of Biometrics V at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In this position, he focuses on the development and regulatory evaluation of cancer treatment drugs. The award recognizes College of Public Health alumni who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public health and demonstrated a strong interest and commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the college. The recipients will be honored at an event this fall.
Agriculture Workers More Likely to Have Dementia
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014), CPH researchers explored whether rates of dementia and cognitive decline were different in older adults who had worked long-term in agriculture. Investigators found that those who identified as having long-term occupations in the agriculture, fishing, and forestry sectors had 46% greater odds of having dementia than those who did not. The study can help researchers develop effective interventions to protect older farmers. “This study is both timely and relevant because farmers routinely work beyond standard retirement age, making them vulnerable to occupational injury. Additionally, a dementia diagnosis among farmers may be missed or delayed for a variety of reasons, causing even greater safety concerns,” says corresponding author Kanika Arora, assistant professor of health management and policy. While researchers could not attribute the association to hearing impairment or depression—factors independently associated with both agriculture and dementia—the effect of pesticide exposure among agricultural workers may warrant further study.
18 SPRING 2021 INSIGHT
