Move into New Building Starts Feb. 20-24: Dedication Ceremony, April 7
 Many offices affiliated with The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will start moving into the Roy P. Drachman Hall the week of Feb. 20-24. The move will occur in a staged process over the course of a few weeks.
A dedication ceremony will be held at the Arroyo Courtyard, under the glass bridge between the two wings of Drachman Hall, Friday, April 7, 4 p.m. Guided tours of the building will be offered starting at 3 p.m. and pre-program festivities, including music by the Sunnyside High School Mariachi Band, will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Also on that day, the College will hold the MPH Internship Conference: Public Health Role in Emergency Preparedness, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Drachman Hall A114, and the Epidemiology in Arizona Forum, 2 to 3:30 p.m., Arizona Cancer Center Kiewit Auditorium. In addition, College alumni are invited to a reception at 6 p.m. at the Arizona Inn Flandrau House. For more information about these events, please call Kathy Ott, 626-3200, ext. 107 or email ottL@coph.arizona.edu.
New Study Aims to Better Understand Tobacco Issues Among 18- to 24-year-olds
The UA Zuckerman College of Public Health has received a $100,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Health Services (Tobacco Education and Prevention Program) to help better understand tobacco issues related to 18- to 24-year-old workers in Arizona.
 The study is being conducted to determine the best way to capture the attention of this age group in order to inspire them to want to quit smoking and participate in cessation efforts, said UA Zuckerman College of Public Health's Merrill Eisenberg, PhD, assistant professor and principal investigator, who will oversee the yearlong study.
The study is important "because 18- to 24-year-olds have the highest rate of smoking among any age group," said Eisenberg, who has been involved in tobacco research since 1997. The rate is much higher among young adults in the workforce compared with those who are attending college, she said.
Smoking rates nationwide have gone down in recent years, but the problem is still significant for younger adults, Eisenberg said. In a 2003 study published in Tobacco Control, a peer review journal, young adults have continued to show a significant increase in cigarette use during the past decade.
The study will collect and analyze secondary data in addition to conducting telephone interviews with young adult smokers and former smokers. The findings could help provide TEPP insight into tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, which include developing programs, recruitment efforts and anti-tobacco campaigns that target this age group. The information could also help researchers better promote programs that are designed to help smokers quit, such as the Arizona Smokers' Helpline, and reach out more effectively to 18- to 24-year-olds.
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Sundown at the Pass Set for Saturday, March 4
 Sundown at the Pass, a co-ed 5-mile run/walk and a 1-mile fun run/walk through Gates Pass, starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Proceeds from the event will benefit the College's Roy P. Drachman Prevention Fund for Children.
Sundown at the Pass features the walk/run along with dinner, dancing and entertainment at Old Tucson Studios. The event promises to be a fun venue for the entire family. The run will highlight top athletes from around the country and expects to attract more than 800 runners, walkers and their families.
The Prevention Fund for Children was established in 1998 to honor the late Roy P. Drachman, a well-known Tucson altruist who was instrumental in establishing the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Arizona. Led by the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, the fund helps children and youth by providing mentoring and promoting healthy behaviors, nutrition and physical activity.
The event is sponsored by Sleep America, 94.9 MIXfm, the new Z104.1, Old Tucson Studios, Pima County Natural Resources, New Balance, the International Wildlife Museum, Tucson Lifestyle and The Running Shop.
For more information about participating in Sundown at the Pass, call Donna Knight, (520) 626-2948; or visit the official Web site at www.publichealth.arizona.edu/sundown. Registration for the event also is available at www.active.com.
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Leadership Conference Identifies Need to Develop Statewide Public Health Improvement Plan
 Approximately 80 participants, representing various sectors of public health in Arizona, attended the "Second Annual Arizona Public Health Leadership Forum, Leaders in Collaboration" conference in Phoenix in mid-December.
A major action item set at the end of the conference was the need to develop a statewide public health improvement plan with special emphasis on addressing health disparities and workforce shortage and training needs.
The morning session consisted of presentations from various public health professionals on models used to increase collaborations across many agencies to address a public health issue.
Dr. Jill Moses and Jenny Notah from the Navajo Area IHS spoke about the Navajo experience using the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) community assessment tool to develop a Navajo Public Health Strategic Plan. Barbara Worgess, director of the Coconino Department of Public Health, shared "real life" stories of how they responded to emerging public health threats using collaboration and communication. And Marie Flake, local health liaison for Washington State Department of Health, described how the State of Washington undertook a massive 10-year effort to develop a Statewide Public Health Improvement Plan that involved several state and local agencies, the Tribes, a School of Public Health, and the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice.
The afternoon session facilitated by Dr. Carl Larson, national leader on collaboration for healthy communities, offered breakout groups that addressed the priorities identified in the first public health leadership forum: health disparities, emerging threats, workforce shortages/training and access to care. Each group was asked to define the priority, identify first steps in solving problem areas, and, finally, how to translate ideas into action.
The event was sponsored by the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health's Arizona Center for Public Health Preparedness and the Southwest Public Health Leadership Institute, along with the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the Arizona Local Health Officer's Association. For more information about how to be involved in next steps, contact Jennie Mullins, mullinsj@coph.arizona.edu.
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AIDS Conference Addresses Latest Trends
About 130 people attended the "AIDS 2006: Forecasts and Future Leaders in the Fight" conference held in Tucson late January. UA Zuckerman students teamed up with other UA students to present this event.
Among the topics discussed at the AIDS 2006 conference was the U.S. Federal Government's response to HIV rates, the latest Arizona epidemiological trends in HIV, needle exchange programs, the U.S. policy on sex workers, and UA faculty and student research and community service related to HIV.
Speakers included U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe; Maurice Middleberg, Global Health Council; Bruce Porter, Arizona Department of Health Services; and an HIV-positive man. UA Professors included: Susan Shaw, Mark Nichter, Sally Stevens, Stephen Russell, and, from our College, Doug Taren.
Representatives from local organizations included: Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, and Technical Assistance for Non-Governmental Organizations. Student speakers included Carrie Abdella, from our College, and Micah Boyer, Michelle Gamber, Kyle Tiemeier, and Sanjay Sinha.
Instrumental in making the event a resounding success were the following UA Zuckerman College of Public Health students: Rowan Frost, Eva Shaw, Anne Hill, Laura Reichhardt, Scott Epperson, and John E McElligott.
Event sponsors included the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, Department of Anthropology, Student Union Corporate Partners Grant, and Graduate & Professional Student Council.
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