Dean’s Message – March 2023
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Thank you, Laura Vandenberg, David Catrambone, the 6 student teams, coaches, judges, and our donors, for making the SPHHS Health Innovators Challenge a huge success. For over two years, we had discussed with advisory board members interested in entrepreneurship and innovation how to create this opportunity for students. Under the leadership of Dr. Vandenberg and the support of our advisory board and Office of Advancement, it finally materialized. The event showcased the creative thinking powers of our students to solve real world problems. Read more about this inaugural event and our student teams here.
I want to congratulate Aline Gubrium on being named the school’s recipient of this year’s ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentor Award. This award was presented to Dr. Gubrium on March 28th during the UMass ADVANCE annual distinguished lecture. The award recognizes faculty who make a difference in mentoring junior faculty through the perils of academia and contribute to making the university a more inclusive and equitable place to work. Great job, Aline!
Congratulations are also in order for our alumna Louise Valentine (MPH), who was just named the #1 certified health, fitness & sports science professional in the world by the American College of Sports Medicine. If you remember, she launched our dean’s seminar series in February 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with a talk that was very well received by our community. We are so proud of her many accomplishments and know that more are to come.
Additionally, I want to acknowledge Dr. Matilde Castiel, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services for the City of Worcester. She has been named the recipient of the Massachusetts Public Health Association’s Local Public Health Leadership Award, which is presented to an individual that has worked directly in municipal local public health and contributed their efforts to a more equitable, efficient, and effective local public health system. I had the pleasure of moderating a discussion of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum on vaccine hesitancy with her, and was impressed by her efforts in the city to distribute vaccines to hard-to-reach community members. She exemplifies what public health stands for, and we congratulate her on this award.
Events to look out for in April:
I hope you will spend a part of your afternoon on April 14th to support of our students during our annual Research Day, which will be held once again in the Student Union Ballroom. This is always a fabulous event that demonstrates our students’ hard work under faculty supervision. Our faculty conduct amazing projects that span the gamut of research from invitro cell lines that push the science forward to community research that provides opportunities to improve the lives of individuals.
On April 22nd, I invite you all to join me at the UMass Dash & Dine 5k to support the Amherst Survival Center. We will be meeting in front of the Berkshire Dining Commons loading dock at 10:30 am (prior to the race start time of 11 am). We will have coffee at the start and lunch is to be provided after. Make sure to wear a SPHHS team shirt to represent our amazing school! If you need a t-shirt for the event, stop by the dean’s office (Arnold House Room 109) to pick one up! Click this link to register. On the registration form, be sure to type “SPHHS Faculty & Staff” under the Team Name. We hope to see you there!
Finally, I am grateful to Vice Chancellor Brandi Hephner LaBlanc, who has worked diligently with the Director of Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations at the UMass Store, to encourage the acquisition of UMass professional women’s attire. I have already purchased some for my upcoming events! All the items can be found in store and online here.
Happy Spring!