Arizona Public Health Association's Fall 2008 Meeting

To Be Held At The University of Arizona

The 80th annual Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA) meeting will be held at the Mariott Tucson University Park on the main campus of the University of Arizona.  A diamonds and pearls anniversary celebration! Come and explore eighty years of public health history in Arizona, as well as a bright future for our state!  All public health professionals and students are invited.  This meeting is sponsored by The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. More...

Hip Bone Density Measurement Helps Gauge

Breast Cancer Risk

Measuring a woman’s bone mineral density can provide additional information that may help more accurately determine her risk of developing breast cancer. This is the conclusion of a new study published by Dr. Zhao Chen, right, and colleagues in the September 1, 2008 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Chen is a member of the faculty at The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The study’s results suggest that incorporating bone mineral density tests with current risk assessment tools might improve physicians’ ability to predict breast cancer risk in older, postmenopausal women. This study is the first to investigate the relationships among bone mineral density, traditional breast cancer risk assessment tool results, and breast cancer incidence among the same group of  women. More...

Student's Image is ASPH's July 2008 Photo of the Month

July 18, 2008:  Ms. Courtnee Benford, a community health education student at The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, submited a touching photo which was selected as the July 2008 Photo of the Month for the ASPH Friday Letter.  Ms. Benford took this image on a Support for International Change trip to Tanzania, where she and other students from several universities volunteered and taught HIV education in the summer of 2007. Young students curious about and coming to see the wazungu (white people) wound up also learning about HIV.  Her picture illustrates the broad impact of public health, whether intentional or not.  More...

Dr. Peter Giacobbi, Jr., Joins Faculty

The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) welcomes Peter Giacobbi, Jr., PhD, left, to the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Health Promotion Sciences Division.  His position with the College began on July 1, 2008.  His major passion is educating people about the importance of regular and sustained physical activity in the maintenance of mental and physical health. He is particularly concerned with individuals who are at-risk for poor health due to inactive and sedentary lifestyles such as individuals with physical disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and aging adults.  More...

HPV Found in 25% of Heterosexual Men

Preliminary research by University of Arizona scientists Robin Harris and Alan Nyitray (right) suggests that almost 25% of heterosexual men test positive for a virus linked to cervical cancer in women, a surprisingly high percentage.   The effects of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, are well documented in women; this study shows that sexually-active heterosexual men may be more likely to have anal HPV than was previously realized.  More...

Pycnogenol Helps Control High Blood Pressure in

Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Patients with type 2 diabetes were able to cut back on their blood pressure medication after they began taking the flavonoid-rich supplement Pycnogenol, a natural plant extract from pine bark, according to Sherma Zibadi, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in The University of Arizona (UA) Department of Nutritional Sciences and the UA College of Medicine, (shown at left).  Also working on this research is Ronald Ross Watson, PhD, right, a professor at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) and interim director of the MEZCOPH Division of Health Promotion Sciences. UA scientists have also shown that Pycnogenol lowers blood pressure and is beneficial in treating asthma. More...

MEZCOPH Master's Degree Student Wins

Miss Arizona 2009 Crown

Erin Nurss, who holds a bachelor's degree in nutrition from The University of Arizona (UA) and who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, was crowned as the winner of the Miss Arizona pageant on Saturday, June 21, 2008.  A Tucson resident, she will represent Arizona at the Miss America 2009 pageant on January 24, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. More...

Dr. Iman Hakim Appointed As New MEZCOPH Dean

Iman Hakim, MBBCh, PhD, MPH, a national leader in health promotion, prevention and education, has been appointed dean of The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH).  A professor of public health and noted research scientist, Dr. Hakim has served as interim dean of the college since June of 2007.   The appointment, which takes effect July 1, 2008, was announced on June 17, 2008, following a national search.  More...

New Annual Scholarship Announced

Jane and Bruce Ash of Tucson, left, have announced a commitment to fund an annual scholarship for exceptional Native American, Latino and African American students at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH).  The scholarship will focus on public health students who have demonstrated a desire to work in underserved communities in Arizona after graduation.  More...

Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference: August 4-5

"Building Stronger and Healthier Rural Communities" is the theme of the 35th annual Arizona Rural Health Conference which will be held in Flagstaff, Arizona on August 4 and 5, 2008.  The longest running rural health conference in the nation, the Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference provides an environment for networking and disseminating information among professionals and community members for rural Arizona and the Southwest.  Primary sponsors of the conference are the Rural health Office, and the Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc.  Public health professionals, students, and the public are invited to attend.  More information...

Jennie Mullins Receives 2008 MEZCOPH Award

for Outstanding Community Service/Practice

Jennie (Jeannette) Mullins, BS, MPH, was selected to receive the 2008 Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Area of Community Service/Practice from The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH).  This annual award is given for significant accomplishments and evidence of leadership in public-health service to Arizona communities.  More...

Dr. Gail Barker Receives

2008 MEZCOPH Outstanding Teaching Award
Gail P. Barker, PhD , was selected to receive the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Award for Outstanding Teaching for 2008.  The annual award includes a one-time stipend, and was presented to Dr. Barker by MEZCOPH Interim Dean Iman Hakim on April 16, 2008 during the University of Arizona’s Awards of Distinction Ceremony at the Student Union Ballroom.  More...

Dr. Stefano Guerra Chosen for

2008 MEZCOPH Outstanding Research Award

Stefano Guerra, MD, PhD, MPH, was selected to receive the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health's Award for Outstanding Research for 2008.  The award was presented to Dr. Guerra on April 16, 2008 during the University of Arizona’s Awards of Distinction Ceremony at the Student Union Ballroom. Dr. Guerra serves a joint appointment in the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and the UA College of Medicine.  His award nomination letters emphasized that his research work has far exceeded the expectations for his position of Assistant Professor. More...

Sally Littau Receives the 2008 AHSC

Georgia Reynolds Dedicated Service Award

MEZCOPH is proud to announce that Sally Littau has received the prestigious Georgia Reynolds Dedicated Service Award for 2008, chosen from nominees in all four Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) colleges. Sally Littau, B.S., MT(ASCP), is a Coordinator for Health Research in the Community, Environment and Policy Division of MEZCOPH, and has worked for the University since 1992.  Sally is "gracious, sweet, the hardest worker that one will ever find," and is "a devoted colleague," said one of her colleagues who nominated her.   Sally works for Associate Professor Jeff Burgess, and does all of the laboratory work.  More about Sally and her work.

Margaret Kurzius-Spencer Receives

AHSC Award for Excellence in MEZCOPH Research

The 2008 Arizona Health Sciences Center Staff Awards for Excellence for Outstanding MEZCOPH Research Employee was presented to  Margaret Kurzius-Spencer, MS, MPH, a Senior Research Specialist in the Division of Community Environment and Policy. Margaret is an epidemiologist who does lots of data analyses and data synthesis, as well as proposal writing for new grants.  Data analysis is the backbone of science, and requires strong reasoning skills, accuracy, and even a bit of adventure coupled with the ability to look at information from many different viewpoints, and Margaret possesses all of those traits and skills.  

More about Margaret and her work.

Alan Beaudrie Receives

AHSC Award for Excellence in MEZCOPH Administration

Alan Beaudrie, Program Coordinator Senior and Undergraduate Coordinator for the Office of Student Services, received the AHSC Award for Outstanding MEZCOPH Administrative Staff.  He works hard to help the 200+ MEZCOPH undergradate students majoring in Health Education achieve success.  “I work with students from recruitment to the UA all the way to their graduation,” he says.  Others in the College also help along the way with career advising or other matters, but Alan is the only undergraduate advisor at the college. In the photo at right he receives his award from Interim Dean Iman Hakim.   More about Alan and his work.

2008 AHSC Awards for Excellence - The Full Story

Each year the four colleges of the Arizona Health Sciences Center recognize outstanding classified staff members.  Read the full story of the three MEZCOPH employees who won awards, whose stories are also listed separately above, as well as information about all MEZCOPH nominees for the awards and details on the nomination and selection procedures.

More Graduates Than Ever!

One hundred and seven undergraduate and graduate students were honored at the Spring 2008 Convocation ceremony for the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) on May 17, 2008, the largest graduating class of the College to date in its eight-year history.  Bob England, MD, MPH, gave the convocation address.  "Dr. Bob," as he is known to coworkers, is the Director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, the third-largest local health jurisdiction in the country.  More...

Health: A Requirement For Development

Julio Frenk, MD, MPH, PhD, renowned health policy scholar and former Minister of Health of Mexico,spoke on "Globalization and Health:  Risks and Opportunities On Our Common Border" to a large, appreciative audience on Wednesday, May 7, 2008.  Dr. Frenk's speech was the inaugural lecture of the James E. Dalen, MD, MPH Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture Series.   A photo album of the event and streaming video of the talk are available on-line if you wish to view them.  More...

Dr. Kacey Ernst Joins Faculty

The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health welcomed Assistant Professor Kacey Ernst, MPH, PhD to the faculty in January, 2008, the first on the faculty specializing in infectious disease and epidemiology. A native of Kansas, Dr. Ernst received her doctorate in 2006 in epidemiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  In 2001 she earned a Master’s of Public Health degree, also from the University of Michigan. Her research interests are centered in the ecology of infectious diseases. More...

Dean's Report 2007-2008 Released

The debut issue of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health's Dean's Report was introduced on April 7, 2008 by Interim Dean Iman Hakim.  Articles in this public-friendly, forty-page document were written by faculty researchers and are designed to give the reader a taste of the breadth and depth of academic offerings, faculty news, activities and research at the College.   The Dean's Report is available to download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format or you may request a printed copy.  More...

2008 Social Justice Symposium

and Resilience Workshop

A three-day event will be held from April 17th through April 19th focusing on social injustices in health, followed by an intensive workshop to build resilience within our communities.  Keynote speakers include Alejandro Toledo, the 46th President of the Republic of Peru; Eliane Karp, the former First Lady of the Republic of Peru; and Samia Goudie, a lecturer in Indigenous Health.  Lunch is provided.  More...

Alison Hughes Receives AWPC Mim Morris Award

Alison Hughes, MPA, has been named as the recipient of the Ninth Annual Mim Morris Award by the Arizona Women's Political Caucus (AWPC) to honor her lifetime contribution to improving women's lives.  The award will be presented at the AWPC's sixteenth annual Women Making History luncheon on Friday, March 21, 2008, at the historic Arizona Inn in Tucson.  Ms Hughes said, "It is a special honor that I have been selected by the Caucus to receive this year’s Mim Morris Woman Making History Award." More...

U.S. Needs More Health Workers To Avert Crisis

While natural disasters, the threat of bioterrorism and other health threats are taking their toll on public health resources, the U.S. is facing a major public health workforce crisis that could impact the health of each and every American unless there is an immediate influx of funding for recruitment and training of public health professionals. The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) released a first of its kind assessment of the crisis which found that more than 250,000 additional public health workers are needed by 2020. If not addressed, this shortage will leave our nation vulnerable to disease, bioterrorism and health threats, according to this new assessment.  More...

Professor Teufel-Shone Receives Award

MEZCOPH Associate Professor and FCH Section Chair Nicolette Teufel-Shone and her colleagues with the Hualapai Tribe's Healthy Heart Program, a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program, were awarded the 2007 Local Impact Award by the National Indian Health Board. The 2007 Local Impact Award highlights Dr. Teufel-Shone’s work and collaboration in the area of community-based health promotion, primarily with Native populations.  More...

2008 Epidemiology Forum Held in March

The 2008 Epidemiology in Arizona forum was held on Friday, March 7, 2008 at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH). Students had the opportunity to obtain information from and collaborate with public health officials from around the state.  In addition to the usual poster sessions for the forum, talks from faculty, students, and public health officials were featured.  More...

Arizona Rural and Public Health Policy Forum

The annual Arizona Rural and Public Health Policy Forum was held on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona.  Designed for those working in the field of rural public health,  the forum was sponsored by the MEZCOPH Rural Health Office, the Arizona Rural Health Association, and the Arizona Public Health Association.  More...

Bergsma Selected as NRHA Fellow

On December 11, 2007, the National Rural Health Association selected Assistant Professor Lynda Bergsma of the MEZCOPH Rural Health Office to be a 2008 Rural Health Fellow.    After the completion of a competitive review process, twelve fellows were selected nationally to participate in this year-long, intensive program aimed at developing leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. More...

Susan Gerard Served as Convocation Speaker

The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health was honored to have Susan Gerard, Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, as the keynote speaker on Friday, December 14th, for the Fall 2007 semester's Convocation.

As state Health Director since 2005, Ms. Gerard oversees one of the largest departments in Arizona State Government, with a budget of more than $1 billion and a workforce of more than 1,800 employees, along with many other public health care achievements.  More...  

Dr. Zhao Chen Awarded $3 Million in Grants
Zhao Chen, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor in Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, has recently been awarded two R01 research grants by the National Institute on Aging.    The first grant is on “Anemia and Its Relationship with Sarcopenia, Physical Function and mortality”. The second is a five-year project, funded for more than $3 million, which will do research on “Biomarkers and Genetic Factors Related to Sarcopenia in Women”. Both grants are extremely competitive and difficult to obtain. Congressman, Raul M. Grijalva, has sent a personal congratulation letter to Dr. Chen saying “you should take pride in this recognition."  Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass which occurs frequently in senior citizens, but especially in older women.  More...  

The MEZCOPH Fever Runs 195 Miles in Fight Against Domestic Violence and Wins Best Named Team
A team of 12 runners from the College of Public Health ran 195 miles as part of the Arizona Odyssey relay. The 30 hour non-stop run for the “Fever” helped raise funds for the Tucson Center for Women and Children (TCWC). The team of runners was made up of students, alumni, staff and faculty some of whom are pictured here.

The relay started at the Rillito Down Park Racetrack and headed east to Agua Caliente Park, to Sabino Canyon, and then out to the northwest by Dove Mountain. The course then turned south toward Saguaro National Park West, across the Tohono O’odom Reservation, toward Mission San Xavier del Bac.  More...

First Annual College Picnic Held
The first college-wide picnic, sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, was held on Saturday, October 13, 2008, at Ft. Lowell Park. There were 60 to 70 MEZCOPH students, faculty, appointed personnel, and staff that attended throughout the afternoon. There was a lot of food, fun, meeting new people and visiting with one another, volleyball and walks around the park to keep everyone busy. Thank you to Interim Dean Hakim and Dr. Ranger-Moore for tending the grill and a huge thank you goes out to Donna Petersen and Anita Foley for organizing the event.  See you all again next year!

College Holds Inaugural Scholarship Luncheon
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health held its inaugural Scholarship Luncheon on Friday, September 21st at the Arizona Inn. 

The College’s donors, scholarship recipients, Community Advisory Board members and University of Arizona President Robert Shelton were among the guests of honor.

Students and their scholarship donors sat interspersed at each table, providing a unique opportunity to get to know one another. More...

Rocky Mountain Public Health Education
Consortium’s 2007 MCH Institute
This year the Rocky Mountain Public Health Education Consortium’s (RMPHEC) held its MCH Institute for its certificate trainees in conjunction with the 2007 Public Health in the Rockies Conference in Ft. Collins, CO, a conference of the Wyoming and Colorado Public Health Associations.

The Consortium assembled seven new trainees (07-08) and nine continuing trainees (06-07) from Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, and Arizona. The new trainees represented the seventh class to enter the Certificate Program, which is designed to provide working public health professionals an opportunity to participate in a part-time, 12-month graduate education program. The program’s curriculum incorporates the scientific basis of public health practice, including cultural competence and leadership skills, and is tailored to each individual trainee’s learning needs and styles.  More... 

Peate Elected JTED Chair 
W. Peate, MD, MPH, was elected Chair of Pima County Joint Technological Education District ( JTED), a career technical education school district that overlays all 11 school districts in Pima County.   With an annual budget of 30 million, JTED has added and enhanced 84 programs for 18,400 county students, including pre-nursing and other health related careers.  The U of A is also collaborating with JTED and Pima College on a health and bio-technology high school adjacent to the Kino Community Hospital campus.

JTED is the Pima County Joint Technological Education District that was approved by Pima County voters in November 2006. It provides rigorous career and technical education programs for all eligible students and is focused on the educational and employment needs of Pima County. For additional information consult:

http://www.pimacountyjted.org/

Dr. L. Gary Hart Hart Named Director of Rural Health Office
L. Gary Hart, Ph.D.has been named Director of the Rural Health Office (RHO) for The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

As Director of the RHO, Dr. Hart will address Arizona’s current and projected population growth patterns that are generating a number of challenges impacting rural health care.  More..

Hughley Named Director of Development
Gail Hughley has been named Director of Development for The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. As Director of Development, Ms. Hughley will manage and direct all advancement and development activities in support of the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health.  She also will advise the Dean of the College and the President of the UA Foundation on all matters related to development and fundraising activities within the College.  More...

The new book, Immune Dysfunction and Immunotherapy in Heart Disease, co-edited by Ronald Ross Watson, PhD, professor and interim director of the Health Promotion Sciences division at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Doug Larson, PhD, professor of surgery, pharmacology and toxicology and director of instructional research/development at the UA College of Medicine, looks into how immune dysfunction can cause dysfunctional hearts.

Dr. Watson explains that the book describes their new hypotheses regarding how a healthy immune system keeps the heart functioning properly. More...

Dr. Carmona Speaks Out About Political Interference and Public Health
Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, 17th U.S. Surgeon General and distinguished professor of public health at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, recently garnered national headlines when he and two fellow surgeon generals testified before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. More...

'Car Cookout' has Important Public Health Message: 'Your Car is an Oven'

RHO Gets $100K Award from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Address Rural Issues
The Rural Health Office at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health was recently selected to participate in a network that brings together groups from different sectors to better address issues faced by communities in the rural Southwest. Funded by a five-year, $100,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Office will join nine other organizations in Arizona and New Mexico to participate in the  “Rural People, Rural Policy” initiative. More...

Dr. Martínez Receives Award for Excellence in Research
Maria Elena Martínez, MPH, PhD, has been selected to receive the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health 2007 Award for Excellence in Research. She was nominated for her "exemplary dedication to research" and her success in investigative work as demonstrated by the number of large research grants awarded and peer-reviewed journal articles published.

The award, which includes a one-time $1,000 stipend, was presented to Dr. Martinez, April 17, 2007, during the UA Awards of Distinction Ceremony. More...

College Offers Two New Doctoral Programs
As part of its mission to promote the health of individuals and communities with a special emphasis on diverse populations and the Southwest, The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is offering two new doctoral programs in public health, accepting students beginning in the fall 2007 semester. The programs were approved by the Arizona Board of Regents at their meeting on Thursday (January 25, 2007). More...