"Department Faculty Tapped for Health Care Reform Expertise"
On September 9 Public Health Sciences Lecturer, Meredith Ledford, took viewer’s questions regarding healthcare on WCNC TV (NBC 6). link
Also on September 9 Jeff Atkinson interviewed Public Health Sciences assistant professor, Michael Thompson on WBTV’s (CBS – 3) Prime Time Cover Story. linkAugust
Dr. Crystal Piper will join UNC Charlotte as Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences beginning Fall 2009. Dr. Piper received her PhD in Health Services Policy and Management, in 2007, from the University of South Carolina. Previously she earned MHA and MPH degrees from Des Moines University Medical Center. Dr. Piper's research focuses on health disparities in chronic disease; her dissertation, for example, examined race-based disparities in access to care among children with asthma in the United States. She has particular interests in policy and practice recommendations that will improve the quality of health care delivery systems among minority and vulnerable populations.
Dr. Piper currently holds a post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities and the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, University of South Carolina, where she coordinates a health disparity research network that is committed to faculty development; membership in the network includes individuals from the University of South Carolina and local health departments.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) recently awarded initial five-year accreditation to UNC Charlotte’s Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) and Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree programs.
> MHA Program Newsletter July 2009 Edition <
June
In celebration of National Public Health Week (April 6-12), the UNC Charlotte Department of Public Health Sciences along with the Graduate Public Health Association, the (undergraduate) Public Health Association, and Health Care for America Now!, sponsored a public Forum on Healthcare Reform: Perspectives from the Community on April 9. The National Public Health Week theme, "Building the Foundation for a Healthy America," emphasizes the development and strengthening of a comprehensive public heath/primary care system that serves the needs of all Americans. The present crisis presents a unique opportunity for rethinking America's approach to promoting health and organizing, financing, and delivering healthcare services. The forum addressed why the United States spends more per capita than any other nation, yet has substantially short life expectancies, higher infant mortality, and greater health disparities. The reasons are complex and opinions span the philosophical divide that views health as a commodity or a human right.
Forum on Healthcare Reform: Perspectives from the Community
March
Public health sciences Assistant Professor co-authors prize-winning paper
Larissa Brunner Huber, assistant professor of public health sciences, co-authored “101 Ways to Improve Health Reporting,” which won the inaugural PRSA Health Academy/Quinnipiac University research paper competition. Huber and the paper’s co-author, Brigitta Brunner, associate professor of communication studies, Auburn University, will present it at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Health Academy Conference in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harver and James Studnicki recently made presentations at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis as part of the series sponsored by the Charlotte Research Institute titled "Modern Health Dilemmas: Perspectives from the Research Front." Dr. Harver's talk, "Asthma, Health, and Society: Monitoring and Managing Asthma in Children and Adults" provided an overview of the pathophysiology, prevalence, and management of asthma. Dr. Studnicki introduced NC CATCH (http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/catch/ ), the North Carolina Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health system that was developed by faculty of the
Caring for Hypertension in African American Families
Researchers at UNC Charlotte have received a $123,704 grant from the National Institute on Aging to study the effects of high blood pressure of multiple generations in African American families. Because many blacks are diagnosed with hypertension in their late teens and 20s, two or three generations in a family can be dealing with the health problem at the same time, said Jan Warren-Findlow, an assistant professor in the UNC Charlotte public health sciences department. As part of the study, she plans to interview 90 pairs of African American subjects – children and parents – to help identify how best to intervene in families where high blood pressure affects more than one generation. Warren-Findlow and her research assistant, Chris Matthews, will drive 40 miles beyond
Public health professor's research links nurses' chemical exposure to increased asthma risk
Cleaning chemicals used in health care settings put nursing professionals at an increased risk for asthma, according to Ahmed Arif, a faculty member in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the College of Health and Human Services. Arif, along with co-investigators from the University of Texas at Houston, School of Public Health, recently released findings in the article "Occupational Exposures and Asthma among Nursing Professionals," published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a premiere journal in the field of occupational health and safety. "Nursing professionals exposed to chemicals used in cleaning and sterilizing instruments as well as other disinfectants and solvents are at a higher risk of developing new onset asthma," said Arif, whose research expertise is in occupational epidemiology. This conclusion resulted from a large population-based study of health care professionals. Arif and colleagues at the University of Texas surveyed 3,650 health care workers in Texas. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health funded the study. "These results are not surprising. It is well known that many chemicals are strong respiratory irritants," Arif stated. "However, the evidence suggests the need for nursing professionals to increase their use of personal protective equipment and the need to explore incorporating ‘green' chemicals in the workplace." Arif noted that the research did not look at specific chemicals, solvents or cleaning agents. He suggested future studies focusing on specific chemicals as well as the substitution of "green" or environmentally friendly chemicals is warranted, but such studies would require additional funding.
January-April
November
The Department of Public Health Sciences has applied for accreditation of its Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) and Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) programs by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is an independent agency recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and certain public health programs offered in settings other than schools of public health. These schools and programs prepare students for entry into careers in public health. The Department is preparing for a site visit that will be held November 13-14 and that will be led by Dr. Cynthia Harris, Director of the Institute of Public Health, Florida A&M University.
October
A new public health data system for local health departments and community partners was announced on October 9 by the North Carolina Division of Public Health. Its nickname, NC-CATCH, stands for "North Carolina Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health." NC-CATCH is a collaborative effort between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the North Carolina Division of Public Health and local public health agencies. It was developed by UNC Charlotte faculty under a contract awarded to Dr. James Studnicki and funded by the N.C. Division of Public Health and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. "The health status of our communities varies widely across our state and even within counties," said State Health Director Leah Devlin. "There are many reasons for that – every community have its own unique set of capabilities and challenges – but we must have effective monitoring systems that can help us see and measure what is happening. Then we can begin to correct underlying problems as well as to capitalize on each community’s strengths and achievements. NC-CATCH is just such a system." The new system will greatly improve local health departments’ ability to quickly retrieve and portray health data they need for community health assessments, which are used on the local and state levels to determine community needs and to help in making crucial public health program and policy decisions. NC-CATCH was announced at the 16th Annual Healthy Carolinians Conference in Greensboro. Healthy Carolinians is a statewide network of community-based partnershipsworking to improve the health of North Carolinians.
The Department of Public Health Sciences invites all to hear Major General Michael K. Wyrick Leadership at the Precipice. October 17th, 2008, 3:30-5:00PM, CHHS 159.Wyrick is an accomplished speaker and consultant on leadership and healthcare delivery. He has addressed: Symposium of Healthcare Leaders of Western European Nations in Brussels Belgium; British Surgeon General; the Washington, D.C. Consortium of Universities; US Medicine Institute; American College of Healthcare Executives. He was Commissioner on the Veterans Administration Commission for Capital Assets and Realignment for Enhanced Services (2003-4). His consulting firm is developing a pandemic flu response plan with Johns Hopkins University and the Howard County Department of Health.
The Department of Public Health Sciences will co-sponsor a day-long event hosted by the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics in October. On October 31 the Center will present "Subject Recruitment and the Public Perception of Research: Practical and Ethical Considerations Conference." The conference will include keynotes, panels, and speakers focusing on subject participation in clinical trials. The Conference begins with registration and a continental breakfast from 7:30-8:30 a.m. To learn more about the event contact the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics, 704-687-3542; www.uncc.edu/ethics
September
The Department of Public Health Sciences will co-sponsor a day-long event hosted by the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics in September. On September 24 the Center will present "Disparities in Health Status and Health Care in Charlotte and the Carolinas Conference." The conference will include keynotes, panels, and speakers focusing on health disparities among North Carolina's minority populations; caring for the uninsured; and strategies for reducing health disparities in the country and the state. The Conference begins with registration and a continental breakfast from 8:30-9:00 a.m. To learn more about the event contact the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics, 704-687-3542; www.uncc.edu/ethics
