Dear Friends of the College,
May has arrived and the paloverde trees are bursting with yellow blossoms all over town. With the warmer weather comes the end of the spring semester, and many of our talented students will graduate next week! This has also been a semester of transition, and we are all very hopeful that we are finally leaving the COVID pandemic behind us.
This is an especially exciting time for our graduating students, and I am so proud of them all for what they have accomplished. I know they will go on to use the knowledge and skills they learned in the college to improve the health and wellness of our diverse communities and make the world a better place. I look forward to seeing all of you at our MEZCOPH Convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 9am, at Centennial Hall. Congratulations to our Spring 2022 graduates!
Indigenous Health
I want to thank Dr. Felina Cordova-Marks for the remarkable series of events that she has organized this spring for the IndigiWellbeing program that she leads. All the events feature Indigenous presenters and promote health and wellness for tribal communities. Most recently, Dr. Cordova-Marks coordinated a very impressive symposium for National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Awareness Day on May 5 that brought together experts from around the country and the world who focus on this crisis in our tribal communities. Dr. Cordova-Marks also leads our team of Indigenous faculty for the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Health.
In addition, connected to that MMIP Symposium, I encourage everyone to participate in the MMIP Awareness 5K Run/Walk this Saturday, May 7, that is also part of the IndigiWellbeing program. And finally I want to thank our graduate student William Carson who works closely with Dr. Cordova-Marks on the IndigiWellbeing program, and also congratulate him as one of the winners at the MEZCOPH Public Health Poster Forum!
Global Engagement
I am pleased to report that we are in the midst of several promising discussions with other universities internationally that we hope will result in new global partnerships guided by our Global Health Institute (GHI). We also have many global health programs that are already underway.
The first cohort of Global Health Institute Scholars, six graduate students in total, will be embarking in June to work abroad on projects in Colombia, Guatemala, India, Ireland, and Mexico. Congratulations to our GHI Scholars, we look forward to hearing about your projects! The GHI will also be hosting the Young Global Leaders Program for Arizona high school students this June. Spots and scholarships are still available!
Faculty, Staff, and Students: Honors, Profiles, and Awards
We are very proud of all that our students, staff, and faculty accomplish and appreciate the recognition that comes their way.
Please join me in congratulating the following:
Mona Arora, PhD, MsPH, was selected to serve on the Environmental Health and Climate Workgroup for the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI).
Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH, has received a Fulbright Award to conduct research on wildland firefighter health and safety policy in Australia in 2023 with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Emergency Services Agency in Canberra, Australia.
Purnima Madhivanan, MD, PhD, MPH has received a Fulbright Award to do research in India in 2023 and conduct a needs assessment for female cancer survivors in Mysore, India.
Purnima Madhivanan, MD, PhD, MPH, received one of the Provost’s Awards this year for the proposal: A Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience in Women’s Health.
New Roles and Promotions
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Zhao Chen has been selected as MEZCOPH’s new Associate Dean for Research (ADR). Dr. Chen brings outstanding experience, expertise, and vision to her new role. We all look forward to working with her to build on the college’s robust research programs. I also want to thank Dr. Kelly Reynolds who has recently served as the Interim ADR for her excellent service to the college.
I also want to commend our faculty who were recently promoted to Associate Professor – Kate Ellingson, PhD, Janet Foote, PhD, Kristen Pogreba-Brown, PhD, MPH. Congratulations to you all on this well-deserved advancement!
Community Advisory Board
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to David McEvoy, Esq. ’79, JD ’82, for his long and distinguished service as the Chair for our Community Advisory Board (CAB)! He has shown his dedication to MEZCOPH since the early years of the college, and has guided the CAB to support us as we grew our degree programs and community engagement and research. Thank you David! And as David transitions out of the role, I am very pleased to welcome and thank JoAnna Westcott as the new Chair for the CAB. Thank you JoAnna!
In addition, I want to congratulate our longtime supporter and dedicated CAB Board Member Amy Zuckerman on her Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college that she will receive at the Spring 2022 Convocation!
Job Postings
Often our alumni and others from the MEZCOPH community send us job postings for positions in public health and related organizations. Thanks to the coordination of Amber Richmond, our Alumni Engagement Coordinator, we will now have a weekly email available for subscription so we can send out job postings regularly to recent graduates and all interested alumni. If you want to receive the weekly Job Board email, please sign up here. If you have questions or want to post a job, contact Amber at amrichmond@arizona.edu.
Gratitude for Our Community
I thank all of you for your ongoing support of the College and our public health mission. I look forward to working with you to support our diverse communities, both locally and globally, with the best public health education, service, and research.
Best Wishes for your Health and Safety,
Iman
May Highlights
One Health Symposium Promotes Interdisciplinary Research
The emerging field of One Health builds from the knowledge that human health is deeply interconnected with environmental health and animal health, and the One Health Symposium, including many MEZCOPH faculty, promoted collaboration across disciplines to propel our leadership in One Health research.
Researchers Investigate Virus Transmission in Households
Guided by Kate Ellingson, PhD, the Arizona Household Virus Study, the regional site of a larger CDC funded research study, will investigate factors associated with the spread of COVID-19 and influenza within households.
Student Winners from the Public Health Poster Forum Seek Solutions
Among many impressive posters showing community engagement programs and research at the annual student-organized Public Health Poster Forum, a few students earned awards for their outstanding work in public health and related health fields.
Amanda Wilson, PhD, an assistant professor in the college and a MEZCOPH alumna, offers advice to new graduates in this guidance story from Health Sciences Connect.
Experts Urge Public Transit Riders to Continue to Wear Masks
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, and Saskia Popescu, PhD, warn of increased COVID-19 transmissions in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling that voided the national mask mandate on airplanes and public transit.
Karletta Chief, PhD, MS, joint faculty in MEZCOPH and CALS, was honored with the University of Arizona’s Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award for her impressive commitment to environmental justice and Indigenous communities.
IndigiWellbeing Presents: 2nd Annual Southern AZ Murdered and Missing Indigenous People Awareness 5K Run/Walk
There will be a 5k Run/Walk, performances and activities related to healing, and a keynote presentation by Verna Volker, founder of Native Women Running. This event is free and open to anyone who would like to attend, in-person or virtually.
May 7, 2022 at 6:00am. Brandi Fenton Park, Ramada 6 - Tucson, AZ
Commencement will be full of special moments as student leaders, university administrators, and a keynote speaker address the graduating Class of 2022. We invite you to join us for an exciting finale immediately following the ceremony!
May 13, 2022 at Arizona Stadium. Commencement will begin at 7:30pm; gates open one hour prior to the ceremony.
MAY 14
Zuckerman College of Public Health Convocation Ceremony
Join us as we celebrate the Class of 2022 at the Zuckerman College of Public Health Convocation at Centennial Hall. Graduating students, faculty, and ticketed guests only.
May 14, 2022. Ceremony starts at 9:00am
MAY 19
The Privilege of Providing End of Life Care
Presented by Nancy A. Alvarez, PharmD, BCPS, FAPhA, CPCC, the Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and Associate Dean for Academic and Professional Affairs for the Phoenix branch location. Organized by the UAHS Office for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
Organized by the UAHS Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center
June 30, 2022. 12noon to 1pm.
Session 1: Continuing the Conversation: Developing a Shared Language for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: June 30, 2022, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (AZ Time)
Session 2: Systemic Racism and Substance Use Disorder: Anti-Racist Strategies: July 28, 2022, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (AZ Time)
WAYS TO GIVE
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.
We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.