Dean's Welcome

It is hard to believe that 2012 is upon us with the hope of improved economic times for our students and graduates who must navigate through potentially difficult times as they begin or enhance their academic and professional careers. We are fortunate to have such a devoted group of faculty, staff and students in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences who persevere, do well and do good. Some of their stories and achievements follow in our Winter newsletter. Many others are untold but are equally deserving of recognition. We are proud of all the wonderful things our SPHHS community contributes to the lives of others through research, teaching and community outreach. Please take a few moments to read our newsletter and a few of their stories. We welcome your suggestions and assistance as part of our community, so that we can do more and better things for the people and the world around us.

SPHHS Receives $2.5 Million Public Health Training Center Grant

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences is pleased to announce that it has received a four-year, $2.5 million grant to establish the Western Massachusetts Public Health Training Center. Dean Marjorie Aelion, with lead faculty investigators Dr. Dan Gerber and Dr. Stuart Chipkin, recently announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services award to the SPHHS.

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Communication Disorders Team Launches Telepractice Recruitment Effort

Mary Andrianopoulos, Associate Professor of Communication Disorders, along with doctoral candidates Michelle Boisvert and Nerissa Hall at the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, have launched a recruitment effort targeted at some 300 rural Massachusetts school districts. The research conducted by Andrianopoulos, Boisvert, and Hall aims to provide equal access to speech-language pathology (SLP) services for individuals irrespective of geographical location, disability, or socioeconomic status via live, secure video teleconferencing over the Internet, known as telepractice.

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SPHHS Celebrates Fall Events

Nearly 100 alumni, faculty, students, and friends turned out on Saturday, November 5, 2011 to attend the School of Public Health and Health Sciences Homecoming Celebration. The annual alumni reunion event, which included a social hour and a short awards ceremony, was held in conjunction with the university’s homecoming weekend.

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In Memoriam: Virginia Beal

Virginia A. Beal, Professor Emerita of Nutrition, who endowed and inspired the nutrition lecture series that bore her name, passed away on December 14, 2011. She was a member of the Food Science and Nutrition faculty from 1971 until her retirement in 1986.

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In Memoriam: Alvin Winder

Alvin Winder, retired Professor of Community Health Education, passed away in September at age 88. He joined the SPHHS in the early 1980s after a distinguished career as a professor in both the Psychology and Nursing Departments of UMass Amherst.

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Faculty News

In the Spotlight: New Faculty

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences welcomed several new faculty members into its ranks this year. They include Susan Hankinson (Public Health), Karen Ertel (Public Health), Jing Qian (Public Health), Nicholas Reich (Public Health), Gwyneth Rost (Communication Disorders), and Judi LaBranche (Kinesiology).

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Conferences & Appearances

• Cordeiro, Peterson present findings at Community Research Symposium.
• Buchanan invited to events in South Africa and Wales.

Honors & Awards

• Van Emmerik named as fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology.

Grant News

• Van Emmerik receives $975,000 grant from the Navy Health Research Center.
• Cohen awarded USDA grant for Farm to School Food Safety Program.
• Balasubramanian receives NIH grant to study mother-child HIV transmission.
• Communication Disorders doctoral student Boucher awarded autism research grant.

Media & Publications

• Braun reports diabetes drug metformin may blunt exercise benefit.
• Calabrese calls for overhaul of methods used to assess nuclear health risks.
• Online MPH in Nutrition students Williams, Temmerman publish articles.
• Wiist contributes chapter to new global chronic disease book.
• Zilberberg quoted in Reuters Health story.
• Mangels authors The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book.
• Peltier appears on The Bill Newman Show on WHMP radio to discuss air pollution.
• Braun quoted in article for Self magazine.
• Oransky discusses his blog Retraction Watch on NPR's "On the Media."

Student News

Online MPH Student Marie Meckel Attends Conference in Ghana

Marie Meckel, a graduate student enrolled in the online MPH in PHP program and a physician assistant working in Springfield, MA, attended the 5th Annual International Seminar for Physician Assistants held this past summer in Kintampo, Ghana. The international seminar is co-sponsored annually by the Kintampo College of Health and the University of Utah.

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Around the School

• SPHHS student clubs organize food, coat drives.
• Public Health student John Park honored by Gallagher Koster.
• Communication Disorders graduate students Johnson, Parker receive travel fellowships.
• SPHHS hosts 3rd Annual Internship and Workforce Development Fair.
• Teach For America seeks applicants.

Alumni News

Alumni Profile: Chris McCarthy, Health Policy, MPH '95

Chris McCarthy, '95 MPH, is the Director of the Innovation Learning Network and an Innovation Specialist at Kaiser Permanente. On October 20, 2011, he appeared at American International College in Springfield, MA to deliver a talk titled "Design and Healthcare: Unlikely (But Lovely) Bedfellows."

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Alumni News Briefs

• Nutrition alumna Elizabeth Ward appears on The Dr. Oz Show.
• MPH alumna Cherry Sullivan uses photovoice project to address mental health stigma.
• MPH in PHP alumnus Joseph Kim makes rounds on the presentation circuit.

Support and Follow Us

Join us on Facebook!

The best School of Public Health and Health Sciences is now part of the best social networking tool on the web! We have a new Facebook page that keeps you up to date with current news, health updates, SPHHS events, old and new friends, and more! Tell us how much you “Like” us at www.facebook.com/umass.amherst.sphhs.

Tell us your news!

Would you like to have your profile appear in an upcoming alumni newsletter? Do you have news you want to share with your fellow alumni? Whether you're telling us about advancements in your research or in your workplace, informing us about upcoming events, gatherings and fundraisers, or just sharing good news about new family members, we would love to hear from you! We will use stories for our website, newsletters, and other SPHHS publications.

To share your story, please email Patrick Freeman at pfreeman@schoolph.umass.edu.

Career Opportunities

Did you know that the SPHHS has its own Career Opportunities page? If you're a student looking for an internship or a professional looking for new opportunities in Public Health and the Health Sciences, visit our "Careers and Job Opportunities" page now!

Are you an employer looking for promising candidates within Public Health and the Health Sciences? Tell us about your job openings. Please email Risa Silverman at risa@schoolph.umass.edu with details and we'll place your job post on our Career Opportunities page — free of charge.

Give to the School of Public Health & Health Sciences

We are grateful to the many alumni, parents, and friends who play such a crucial role in supporting our School. We are committed to our mission to optimize the public's health and quality of life through education, research, outreach and practice, and we need your support in helping our students, faculty and the SPHHS achieve these goals. Contributions to the School of Public Health and Health Sciences enable us to enhance the quality of educational experiences for our students and foster new research and outreach programs on and off campus. If you would like to give to the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, please click here, or call our Development Office at 866-450-UMASS.