Dr. Meister Receives Henry and Phyllis Koffler Award
Joel Meister, PhD, professor and director of the MPH Public Health Policy and Management concentration at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, has been selected to receive the Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize for outstanding accomplishments in Public Service/Outreach.  

This UA Award of Distinction, established through the generosity of Henry and Phyllis Koffler, recognizes outstanding accomplishment in the areas of teaching; research/ scholarship/creative activity; or public service/outreach.

"I thank Joel for his leadership in this College, for demonstrating our commitment to many communities, and for being an outstanding role model for everyone," said Dean G. Marie Swanson. More...

Arizona Epi Forum Call for Abstracts, Due March 28
Organizers of the Epidemiology in Arizona Forum 2007 are making a call for abstracts to present at this year's forum hosted by the Epidemiology Graduate Program at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and the Cancer Prevention and Control Division of the Arizona Cancer Center, on Friday, April 6, 2 to 5 p.m.

Everyone is encouraged to submit an abstract based on current research or projects. Posters presented at recent conferences are welcome. Abstracts must be submitted by Wednesday, March 28. There is no registration fee. Online abstract submission is now available here.

There will be a $100 prize for the best graduate student poster and a $50 prize for the best undergraduate student poster. The forum provides an excellent opportunity to 

• interact with other epidemiologists working and studying in Arizona;
• view the broad scope of research currently being conducted in Arizona;
• bring together potential employers and job seeking students; and
• learn more about the field of epidemiology.

The Epidemiology in Arizona Forum is scheduled for the afternoon of the same day as the Master’s in Public Health (MPH) Internship conference. For more information, please email Claire Venker or Dr. Robin Harris.

MPH Internship Conference to Focus on Reaching Out to Arizona's Refugee Community, April 6
The theme for this semester's MPH Internship Conference, set for Friday, April 6, 8:45 a.m. to noon, in Drachman Hall, is "A Call to Action: Opportunities for Public Health to Reach Out to Arizona's Refugee Community."

Keynote speakers include Chris Koor Garang, CPN, CPhT, one of the first "Lost Boys of Sudan" who came to Tucson in 2001, Paula Hughes, RN, BSHS, CHES, senior program coordinator of the Commitment to Underserved People program at the UA College of Medicine, and Barbara Eiswerth, PhD, coordinator, Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network. The keynote address will be followed by MPH Internship presentations from about 30 students.

For more information about the conference, email Erin Peacock or contact Linda Dobbyn at (520) 626-3204. A lunch will follow the internship conference. Please RSVP for the lunch by Thursday, March 29, to Kathy Ott.

Faculty and Graduate Student Receive Yuma Young Investigator Research Awards
Christina Cutshaw, assistant professor at the College, and Shaylan Zanecki, an MPH student, have received the Young Investigator Research Awards from Yuma Friends of the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

Cutshaw received $1,500 for research on exploring recovery and parenting challenges among women completing substance abuse treatment and working with the child welfare system in Pima County.

Zanecki received $1,000 for her work on a binational telemedicine/telepublic health feasibility project, which is in the preliminary stages of potentially becoming a pilot program.

For Zanecki, the award would allow her to accomplish more through her internship, which she hopes to share with the larger health community in both Mexico and the United States. “I want to give my knowledge and expertise to a great project that no one else really had time to do,” she said. “I also want to help bring resources from two different countries and unite them in the most positive, innovative, and successful way possible.” 

The awards are given to clinical and basic investigators who are full-time students or junior faculty on the promise of their projects and to stimulate quality research. Along with Cutshaw and Zanecki, recipients from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy also received Young Investigator Awards.

Dr. Kenyon to Speak on Global HIV/AIDS, March 19
Dr. Thomas A. Kenyon, principal deputy coordinator and chief medical officer for the Office of US Global AIDS will speak on “Global HIV/AIDS and the U.S. Government’s Response: The Power of Partnerships,” Monday, March 19, Noon to 1p.m., Drachman Hall Room A116. Read Dr. Kenyon’s bio here.

People planning to attend the presentation are encouraged to watch the full version of an online documentary to learn more about PEPFAR before his visit.  "Voices of Hope" features community leaders and recipients of services from seven PEPFAR countries: Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia. These people talk in their own words about how PEPFAR's diverse prevention, treatment and care strategy is making a difference in their lives. The film can be viewed here.

For more information, call (520) 626-8375 or email Doug Taren.

Gabrielle Giffords to Speak on 'Veterans and Public Health' at Partners in Public Health Luncheon, April 12
U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords will speak about "Veterans and Public Health: Caring for Our Heroes in the 21st Century" at the annual Partners in Public Health luncheon, set for Thursday, April 12, at the Arizona Inn, Tucson Room, 2200 East Elm Street, Tucson, Ariz.

For more information about the Partners in Public Health luncheon or to register, please contact Donna Knight, Office of Development, UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, at (520) 626-2948 or knight@coph.arizona.edu.

College One of the Top UA Cares Participants
The UA Zuckerman College of Public Health received an award for being one of the top two colleges to raise money for the UA Cares campaign, an easy and convenient way for UA employees to donate to the programs that matter the most to them.

After the College campaign coordinators kicked off the UA Cares campaign with a Halloween potluck, 59 College employees gave more than $15,500. The funds, which were a 60 percent increase from last year, were designated to the College and/or United Way. More than $12,000 was raised just for public health student scholarships. 

Donna Knight, senior program coordinator in the Development Office at the College, received the UA Cares award recognizing the College for its "outstanding effort and commitment." The award was presented by Nina Daldrup, Development Director, UA College of Education and Jaime Gutierrez, Assistant Vice President, Office of Community Relations, at the UA Cares campaign culminating event, Feb. 9.  

Donna also was invited to have lunch with UA President Robert Shelton for her dedicated efforts and leadership in helping make the College campaign one of the most successful at the UA.

This year’s UA Cares division coordinators were:

• Nancy Casady, Community, Environment & Policy
• Rachel Gideon, Health Promotion Sciences
• Donna Knight, Administration
• Leah Kobayashi, Financial Affairs
• Sonia Medina, Administration
• Kathy Ott, Student Services
• Donna Peterson, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Laurie Shapiro, Arizona Smoker’s Helpline

Symposium to Address How Social Justice and Human Rights Affect Communities of the Southwest, April 20
A Social Justice in Health Symposium, organized by Center for Health Equality/Project EXPORT fellows at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, will address how social justice and human rights affect the health of communities of the Southwest, Friday, April 20.

As an innovative strategy to address health disparities, the Symposium will help increase awareness and build a strong community for inclusive dissemination and discussion of recent research and community activities. This one-day symposium will bring together diverse groups of UA students, faculty and staff to collectively address social justice and health in the Southwest. The specific outcomes of the symposium will be to:

• Raise awareness, expand consciousness, clarify assumptions and exchange critical analysis about how social injustice impacts health outcomes.
• Demonstrate how cross-sectoral partnerships can effectively address health disparities in the Southwest.
• Engage students and faculty to inspire action for addressing ways in which social inequality harms and how social equality improves the public’s health.

For more information about the symposium, please send an email to Fellows Selena Ortiz or Rachel Paz Rivera.

Save the Date and Get Involved in the Arizona Rural Health Confence, July 31 - Aug. 1
Mark your calendar for the 34th Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference, July 31-Aug. 1, in Fountain Hills, Ariz. The conference will bring together a spectrum of rural, border and tribal participants from around the state to address specific issues related to:

• Rural Hospitals and Healthcare Networks
• Healthy Living
• Rural Community Development
• Jobs into Careers

The conference offers an outstanding opportunity to network with up to 200 attendees and 25 exhibitors.  In addition, it offers multiple educational events: 20 concurrent workshops, general sessions, an awards luncheon, exhibitor’s reception, a pre-conference workshop, and much more. There a several ways to get involved:

• Be sure to respond to the Call for Workshop Presentations and Poster Sessions, available this week. 
• To become part of the planning committee, contact Rebecca Ruiz at (520) 626-2243. Help is needed for program planning, marketing or resource development. In addition, there are still exhibit and sponsorship opportunities available.
• To learn about opportunities for groups and networks to meet and conduct business at the conference, contact Jennifer Peters.

Major conference sponsors are the Rural Health Office at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health in partnership and the Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc. For conference updates, visit the RHO Web site here.