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Inside Public Health | June 2021
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Dear Friends of the College,
Summer is here and the heat has arrived. We are thankful that the extreme heat has retreated a bit for the now. And as clouds form, we all hope for a good monsoon season this year that will bring the rain to quench our deserts and our mountain forests. I know that many of our faculty and staff are taking well-deserved vacations after many challenging months fighting the spread of COVID-19, supporting communities in need, and more recently organizing vaccination campaigns and distribution efforts. I hope that everyone is able to recharge after a very challenging year.
UArizona Vaccination POD Closes
After delivering more than 240,000 doses of vaccine over 6 months of operation, the University of Arizona’s vaccination POD finally closed on Friday, June 25. One in every four Pima County residents received a vaccine dose at the UArizona POD! We extend our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of students, faculty, and staff from the college who signed up to volunteer. We especially want to thank Mona Arora whose leadership at the UArizona POD made us all proud and stands out as an example of what can be accomplished when public health knowledge and expertise is put into action.
While it has been highly visible, the UArizona POD is just one of many interconnected operations related to the state and county vaccination campaigns. The MOVE-UP (Moblie Outreach for Vaccination & Education for Underserved Populations) program continues to distribute vaccine to rural communities using the college’s Mobile Health Units. Further, the University’s freezer farm will continue to operate, storing vaccine that will be distributed throughout Southern Arizona via the Mobile Health Unit program and partners such as the Pima County Health Department.
The Long Road to Social Justice
The discovery last month of the bodies of 215 indigenous children in a mass grave near the site of the former Indian Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, has reminded us of the dark history of injustice towards native peoples in the Americas. Just recently, more than 700 unmarked graves were found near the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, Canada. I sent out a Statement to express our solidarity in grief and healing with all our first nation communities. Our work to heal the wrongs of the past and address health equity and social justice among all Native American communities continues and we are determined to build a better world.
Vaccine Distribution Equity
The campaign to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to rural and underserved communities through the Mobile Health Units (MHUs) continues, and the MOVE-UP (Mobile Outreach and Education for Underserved Populations) program has now reached beyond Maricopa County to organize vaccination events in Cochise County and Santa Cruz County to bring the vaccine to rural and border communities. You can see the most recent numbers and infographics from the MOVE-UP vaccination events here.
Our Arizona Center for Rural Health (AzCRH), under the leadership of Dr. Dan Derksen, has secured a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) award of $4.4M over five years to continue operating the State Office of Rural Health program. In addition, AzCRH anticipates an award of $8.1M in CDC funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services for the “COVID disparities initiative” to support vaccine promotion and distribution in rural Arizona over the next two years. Congratulations to our colleagues in the AzCRH!
Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards
Please join me in congratulating the following:
- Paloma Beamer, PhD, promoted to full professor with tenure in the Community, Environment & Policy Department.
- Felina Cordova-Marks, DrPH, has been selected as a Tribal Researcher Cancer Control Fellow (Dr Tom Becker's Program) and NIH Health Disparities Research Institute Scholar.
https://pub.lucidpress.com/2021SpringSumNARCHenews/#XCzT~UPSOojo
- David Garcia, PhD, promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Health Promotion Sciences Department.
- Lynn Gerald, PhD, has been selected to join the Arizona Leadership Board for the American Lung Association.
https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/az-board-members
- Chris Lim, PhD, received a 2021 Health Sciences Career Development Award to support his research on the relationship between air pollution and asthma in school children.
https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/connect/honors/dr-chris-lim-recognized-health-sciences-career-development-award
- Edgar Villavicencio, MPH, was selected as one of 26 aspiring Latino researchers from across the nation to join the 2021 cohort of Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training at UT Health San Antonio.
https://salud-america.org/meet-the-2021-exito-latino-cancer-research-trainees/
Gratitude for Our Community
Thank you for your ongoing support of the College and our public health mission. I wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer! Looking ahead to the fall of 2021, I welcome the time when we can all come together again, in person, to support our communities locally and globally with the best public health education, service, and research.
Best Wishes for your Health and Safety,
Iman
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College Launches New BA in Wellness to Prepare Students for the Health and Wellness Workforce
The new BA in Wellness and Health Promotion Practice prepares students to work in emerging wellness and healthcare roles such as health educators and health coaches for diverse communities and organizations.
More >
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AZ HEROES Research Study Publishes COVID-19 Vaccine Data in New England Journal of Medicine
Data from the AZ HEROES study led by Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH, shows that not only are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines highly effective in preventing infection, they also significantly reduce the severity of disease when infection does occur, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
More >
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Center for Rural Health Receives $4.47M Federal Grant to Continue Health Services to Rural Arizona
The college’s Arizona Center for Rural Health received a 5-year, $4.47M competing continuation grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to serve Arizona’s rural and vulnerable populations through the State Office of Rural Health Program.
More >
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First Public Health ‘Young Global Leaders Program’ Inspires High School Students
The week-long Young Global Leaders Program for recent high school graduates and students launched this June and inspired participants with an introduction to public health and a closer look into how public health tackles global health challenges.
More >
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Arizona Prevention Research Center Receives $500K CDC Grant to Promote COVID Vaccine to Rural Communities
The UArizona Prevention Research Center received a $500K supplemental grant from the CDC to conduct research on more effective COVID-19 vaccine promotion in rural and border Arizona communities.
More >
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During the pandemic there have been too many media interviews with our faculty to list them all. A few highlights are included below. We thank all of our faculty for doing so many interviews even as they work every day on COVID-19 response initiatives and research, and continue to support our regional and state public health officials.
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Expert Advice on How to Avoid Pesticide Poisoning
Assistant professor Melissa Furlong, PhD, talks about pesticide poisoning and how to avoid pesticides in the home and on our food in this “Expert Insights” video from Health Sciences.
Video on Health Sciences Connect >
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Frank von Hippel’s Science History Podcast Reviewed in Physics Today
The monthly Science History Podcast produced by assistant professor and ecotoxicologist Frank von Hippel, PhD, received a positive review in Physics Today.
Listen to the Podcast >
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Extreme Heat in the West Poses Public Health Challenge
Center for Rural Health director Dan Derksen, MD, comments on the health challenges presented by rising temperatures and extreme heat across the American West.
Story in Christian Science Monitor >
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What Are the Germiest Places at the Airport?
Professor Kelly Reynolds, PhD, reviews where germs concentrate in an airport and how to protect yourself.
Read more in the Huffington Post >
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Doctors May Miss Chagas Disease Transmitted by Kissing Bugs
Professor Kacey Ernst, PhD, MPH, comments on the danger and difficulty in the diagnosis of Triatomine bugs, commonly known as kissing bugs, that are vectors for a dangerous parasite and can cause a debilitating illness in humans called Chagas disease.
Story in USA Today >
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C A L E N D A R
Independence Day
- Sunday, July 4, 2021
- Please note that in observance of Independence Day, Monday, July 5th will be a University of Arizona holiday.
Making Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Treatment Mainstream
- Participants will be able to assess the history of medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) and its relationship with criminal justice, analyze the historical influence on the provision of evidence-based treatment today, particularly in rural areas, and more.
- July 13, 2021. 12:00pm to 1:00pm
- Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3gy74UhgShiG81hQdMXEog
This Is Public Health: Virtual Fair for Public Health Schools and Programs
- Applicants are invited to attend this free virtual event where you can conveniently and efficiently meet admissions representatives from Public Health Schools and Programs in a live event. Information provided and questions answered from your computer.
- July 14, 2021
- Register at: https://careereco.com/join/TIPH
- More info: 770-874-7807 or tiph@careereco.com
Wonder at Home: Urban Heat Resilience
- Heat is the number one weather-related killer in the U.S., yet receives far less attention than other climate risks. In this panel discussion, you will hear from faculty members and researchers how urban heat risk is an underestimated, yet increasing, climate risk in cities across the U.S. Zuckerman College of Public Health's own Dr. Mona Arora will join this very timely panel discussion organized by the UA Foundation.
- July 22, 2021. 12:00pm
- Register here: https://fuel.uafoundation.org/urbanheat
2021 Fall Semester Classes Begin
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Support Our COVID-19 Research and Shape the Future
All the funds raised for the “Dean’s Fund for Excellence” go to COVID-19 research. You can support this targeted fund by going to our UA Foundation page and making a contribution.
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Discover ways to give to the College of Public Health by visiting
publichealth.arizona.edu/support/ways-to-give
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