Dear Friends of the College,
The weather has started to turn, the days are warmer and longer, the desert has begun to bloom, and yet we can still see snow on the peaks around Tucson.  Last week was spring break for the university and I hope all our students and faculty have returned refreshed and energized for the rest of the semester.

In March we celebrate Women’s History Month, recognizing the significant contributions women have made to the advancement of public health throughout our country’s history. As we continue our fight for health equity and social justice, we draw inspiration from the tireless efforts of the women who paved the way before us, dedicating themselves to enhancing the well-being of children, workers, and mothers.

March is also National Endometriosis Awareness Month, a painful disease that impacts the lives of 11% of women. I am proud to remind you that one of our faculty researchers, Dr. Leslie Farland, is doing groundbreaking research on the connections between endometriosis and cardiovascular health.

A New Strategic Plan
I’m a very pleased to announce that our college has successfully collaborated to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for 2023-2030 that will guide our growth and focus over the next seven years. The Plan includes a vision for our education programs, our research priorities, our strategies for community engagement and global health programs, and more. We have published our Strategic Plan on our website to inspire our community partners, engage prospective students and faculty, and build support as we embark on this path to success.

Recent News
It is with great sadness that I share the news that Carlos “Kent” Campbell, MD, MPH, an esteemed public health physician, malaria expert, and global health champion, passed away on February 21, 2024, after a full and generous life. In the late 1990s, Kent worked closely with Dr. James Dalen, then VP of the University of Arizona Health Sciences, to lead the development of our College of Public Health. Following the college's accreditation, he served as Interim Dean of the College for two years. In gratitude to the college, Kent and his wife Liz initiated the Kent & Liz Campbell International Public Health Internship, created to support exceptional MPH students working on initiatives in global communities. We are forever grateful for his many contributions to the college, and we thank Kent for all he did to eliminate malaria around the world.

Last month was the University of Arizona’s annual Giving Day, and I want to express my gratitude for everyone who supported the college and made this the most successful Giving Day ever for us! I also want to thank our development team Kim Bourn and Erin Green for all their work to promote Giving Day.  Special appreciation goes to our MPH student, Lady Elli, who recorded a compelling video that encouraged  donations. Thank you all for your generosity! While I’m mentioning our development team, I want to extend a warm welcome to Kurt Peterson, our new Director of Corporate Engagement and Business Development . Kurt brings new energy, enthusiasm, and experience to his role and we are excited for him to build partnerships for the college.

Also last month, Dr. Mary Roary officially received the Alumna of the Year Award for the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the university-wide University of Arizona Alumni Awards ceremony. While she was in Tucson, she also met with faculty and students from the college and attended our very successful From Black History to Black Health event that was organized by our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Congratulations again Mary!

Our Global Health Institute has been working hard to build new partnerships and I’m pleased to report that our first class of dual-degree students from Universidad del Valle de Mexico (UVM) have enrolled to earn their BS in public health as they earn their Medicine degree at UVM. In addition, our Young Global Leaders summer public health program for high school students is now open and funding is available!

In February, Dr. Mona Arora, Dr. Heidi Brown, and Dr. Melissa Furlong all participated in a Southern Arizona Heat Planning Summit in collaboration with colleagues from the UArizona’s College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA), the City of Tucson, and Pima County. Participants in the Summit produced an Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan that was adopted by AZ Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Health Services.

This coming Wednesday, March 13, I will be presenting as part of a Webinar in collaboration with our global partners International Medical University – Malaysia, titled Empowering Public Health Professionals: Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases and Healthcare Financing in Global Health. The online event is free for all to attend.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to connect with our alumni in the Washington DC area at our event on March 21 and pleased we have many RSVPs already! Please contact Amber Richmond, arichmond@arizona.edu, for more information.

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:

• John Ehiri, PhD, MPH, MSc, received a contract from the Arizona Department of Health Services  (ADHS) to work with college faculty, staff, and community partners to provide support to the 2025 Title V Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment. The objective of this project is to assess the health needs of Arizona’s Maternal and Child Health (MCH) populations (pregnant women/people, infants, children, adolescents, and children with special healthcare needs), using a qualitative approach. Data generated from the assessment will be used to inform the design and implementation of interventions to improve maternal and child health in Arizona.
• Leslie Farland, ScD, MSc, received an award from the Udall Center Fellows Program in association with the Bio5 Institute for a collaborative project with Jessica Rainbow, PhD, RN, from the College of Nursing titled Occupational Exposures and Workplace Prenatal and Postnatal policy: an opportunity for intervention.
• David O. Garcia, PhD, FACSM, was elected to the Board of Trustees for the American College of Sports Medicine.
  • acsm.org/about/leadership/2024-election-results
• Purnima Madhivanan, MD, PhD, MPH, was selected for funding from The University of Arizona LGBTQ+ Institute Faculty Research Grant Program for her study Barriers to and Facilitators of Acceptance and Uptake of Vaccines to Prevent Hepatitis and STIs among Sexual and Gender Minorities in South India.
• Sheila Soto, DrPH, MPH, who leads our Mobile Health Units program, is featured in this profile story from Health Sciences Connect about her journey to public health and her determination to help farmworkers.
• The groundbreaking book on the ecological consequences of pesticides, The Chemical Age, written by Frank von Hippel, PhD, and published by University of Chicago Press, is now out in paperback. The book has also been translated into Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Spanish.
• Amanda Wilson, PhD, is a Co-Investigator on a recent award of $2,157,277 (PI: Kerry Hamilton, PhD) from the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR), for a project titled, ADEQ Opportunity Statement: Evaluate Contaminant Fate and Transport in Biosolids.
• Amanda Wilson, PhD was elected as an Academic Councilor on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Exposure Science, starting her term in January 2024.

Gratitude for Our Community
I thank all of you for your ongoing support of the College and our public health mission. We live in troubling times, and so often public health offers solutions to the widespread suffering in this world.  As we continue through the spring semester, 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

Arizona Medicaid changes could give health coverage to 10,000 more kids. Here's how

Dan Derksen, MD, director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health, is quoted in this article about Arizona’s expanded parameters for children to get Medicaid coverage via its KidsCare program, which health care advocates say is a positive move for a state with consistently high rates of uninsured children.

Finding and blocking infection routes in hospitals

Onicio Leal Neto, PhD, MPH, helped develop a wearable tracking system for healthcare facilities that can identify infection risks, and tests in Switzerland, Kenya, and Ivory Coast show its potential, as covered in this news story.

The greatest successes and misconduct of humanity have emerged

Frank A. von Hippel, PhD, is interviewed about the Spanish-language edition of his book, “The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth,” in Spanish.