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Inside Public Health

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2023

Dear Friends of the College,
Here we are in August already! With the arrival of monsoon rains in Tucson, we can enjoy these last few weeks of summer. The Fall 2023 semester will soon begin. Welcome to new students and welcome back to our continuing students!

August is Diversity Awareness Month and we’re proud that we again have a diverse incoming class at both the undergraduate and graduate program levels. Our unwavering commitment to diversity and equity not only supports our students, it also prepares our graduates to work in diverse communities around the state and grow health services and access for everyone. At the end of the month our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will host a ‘Welcome Mixer’ event for students on August 30, and I encourage all our students to attend!

I want to remember and honor the outstanding contribution of Dr. David Alberts, a founding member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, a visionary leader, and a supporter of public health who recently passed away. Many of us in the college worked with Dr. Alberts, and he is survived by his daughter Sabrina Plattner who works for our college as a health educator and leads our Healthy Schools Tucson program.

Last month I mentioned the extreme heat in Arizona and around the world, heat that has broken records and endangered the health of millions of people. This is just one facet of the emerging threat to health from Climate Change. In the year ahead the college will focus on community resilience and environmental sustainability as we adapt to our changing world.

Upcoming Events
I’m happy to report that the pace did slow in the college during July, and I’m glad we were able to catch our breath. Many of our faculty and staff have returned to work after taking some time away. Now we are planning our events for this fall, and I hope you all will join us to connect, discover, and celebrate.

For incoming undergraduate students, the Destination Arizona event activities are planned for Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19. Our Office of Student Affairs staff will be participating in the Next Stop portion of the Destination Arizona agenda.

For our incoming graduate students, we will host an in-person Graduate Student Orientation event on the morning of Friday, August 18, from 8 to 11:30am.

Later in the month the college’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will host a mixer to welcome back students and bring us all together on Wednesday, August 30, in the Walkway of Wellness outside the Drachman Hall building. The mixer will provide food and music, representatives from campus support organizations, and a visit from Wilbur and Wilma!

In September, join us for the second annual Feast For Your Brain event, a healthy aging engagement event to promote the Precision Aging Network and mindcrowd.org , with performances, activities, food, and fun for the whole family on Saturday, September 23, in the HSIB building on the UArizona Health Sciences campus.

And later in September we are excited for the return of our annual Social Justice Symposium, organized by students, to advance social justice issues. The theme for this year’s symposium will be Mental Health: Bringing the Community and Its Resources Together and it will take place on Tuesday, September 29. Watch for more information coming soon.

Then I invite everyone to join our 2023 Homecoming Celebration and alumni awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 1. We’re excited to come together, connect in person, and honor our outstanding alumni this fall. You can register now; we’ll have more details in the weeks ahead.

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.

Bridget Murphy, DBH, MEd, received a Career Development Award from the University of Arizona Health Sciences in recognition for the Opioid Stewardship Program that she developed in collaboration with Center for Rural Health.
healthsciences.arizona.edu/connect/honors/0723/dr-bridget-murphy-recognized-career-development-award

Terry Urbine, PhD, teaches a financial literacy course for UArizona health sciences students that was highlighted in a story from Health Sciences Connect about the benefits of the course.
healthsciences.arizona.edu/tomorrow/0723/increasing-financial-literacy-health-care-professionals-2

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 always, 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

August Highlight

New NIH Funding to Support Worksite Sleep Health Coaching for Arizona Firefighters

Dr. Patricia Hayes will lead a program to improve firefighter health by evaluating methods for sleep health coaching in collaboration with Arizona firefighters, funded by a $4 million award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

More >

Arizona Farmworkers Enumeration Profiles Study Will Provide Baseline Data

A count of Arizona farmworkers and their families will provide a foundational knowledge base about where and how they work so that community organizations and state agencies can effectively provide health services.

More >

College Welcomes Lyn Duran as New Leader for Office of Student Affairs

Lyn Durán, the new Assistant Dean for the Office of Student Affairs, brings extensive experience as a team leader for student advising and support, in addition to a deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion that will benefit both staff and students in the college.

More >

On the Front Line of Climate Change

In Alaska, the warming climate has shifted the ecosystem and Dr. Frank von Hippel uses a One Health approach to address the threats to community health and wellness.

More >

MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS

Tips for staying safe in extreme heat

Heidi E. Brown, PhD, MPH, is quoted in this story about record-breaking heat around the world and how to stay safe from the life-threatening dangers that come with extreme heat.

PBS News Hour >

New UArizona environmental justice program could be game-changer, activists say

Paloma Beamer, PhD, the principal investigator for the new EPA funded WEST Enviromental Justice Center, and Nathan Lothrop, PhD, the new associate director for the WEST EJ Center, are quoted in this article about the potential for the new federal environmental and energy justice funding that the WEST EJ Center will work with communities to access.

Arizona Daily Star >

Top 10 healthcare design projects for 2023

Molly M. Scanlon, PhD '17, FAIA, FACHA, a MEZCOPH alumna and research collaborator with expertise in the built environment for health services, served on a six-person jury to select winners of the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health's 2023 Healthcare Design Awards.

BDC Network >

CALENDAR

AUG
18

Graduate Student Orientation

The MEZCOPH Office of Student Affairs is excited to welcome our incoming graduate students!
August 18, 2023 from 8:00am to 11:30am.

AUG
22

Classes Begin, Fall 2023 Semester

August 22, 2023

AUG
26

Women’s Equality Day

August 26th commemorates the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

AUG
30

ODEI Welcome Students Mixer

MEZCOPH students are invited to join our Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Office of Student Affairs for a Welcome Students mixer! Enjoy free food and refreshments, pick up fun swag, learn more information from campus organizations, dance with Wilbur and Wilma, and much more!
August 30, 2023 from 11:30am to 1:00pm. In-person at Walkway of Wellness, outside Drachman Hall

SEP
21

2023 Arizona Health Equity Conference

The annual Arizona Health Equity Conference (AzHEC) is dedicated to reducing health disparities and promoting health equity through the domains of research, prevention, clinical care, and policy.
September 21, 2023. In-Person at Desert Willow Conference Center, Phoenix, AZ and Online.
Learn more and register at: www.azhealthequity.org

SEP
23

Feast for Your Brain – Healthy Aging Engagement Event

Join us for the second annual Feast for Your Brain event, presented by the Zuckerman College of Public Health and Precision Aging Network. Learn more about healthy aging, brain health, and MindCrowd, the first online research project that will help us discover how to reduce cognitive decline and disease as we age.
September 23, 2023 from 10:00am to 3:00pm. In-person at Health Sciences Innovation Building
Free entry! Visit precisionagingnetwork.org to learn more.

SEP
29

16th Annual Social Justice Symposium

Join us for the 2023 Social Justice Symposium! The annual Social Justice Symposium facilitates dialogue surrounding the interrelationship of social issues and health between students, faculty, community partners, and other health professionals. The theme of this year’s Symposium is Mental Health: Bringing the Community and Its Resources Together.
September 29, 2023. In-person at Walkway of Wellness, outside Drachman Hall
Save the Date! More information coming soon.

NOV
01

2023 MEZCOPH Homecoming Celebration: Honoring Our Public Health Alumni and Community Leaders

Join faculty, alumni, staff and students at our 2023 Homecoming Celebration! During this event, we will highlight updates at the College of Public Health and honor recipients of our 2023-2024 Alumni and MEZCOPH Community Leaders Awards. Join us to celebrate these community advocates for their outstanding service and leadership in the field of public health during this past year.
November 1, 2023 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. In-person at Arizona Inn, Tucson AZ; Livestream also available.
Register here: events.trellis.arizona.edu/f44lNu67/5a3U3nIqSUE

NOV
13

2023 APHA Reception – Atlanta GA

Join faculty, alumni, staff and students at our University of Arizona APHA Reception! Connect and share with other Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health constituents. We will give updates from the College. This is a free event close to the APHA Meeting in Atlanta, GA
November 13, 2023 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Atlanta, GA
Register now at events.trellis.arizona.edu/f44lNu67/5a3U3nIqS7f

WAYS TO GIVE

Funding for Rapid Health Response

Dean's Fund for Excellence
The Dean's Fund for Excellence provides support for the most urgent needs and allows us to respond quickly to initiatives in the college or health crises in our communities.
You can support this targeted fund by going to our UA Foundation page and making a contribution.

Discover more ways to give to the College of Public Health by visiting
publichealth.arizona.edu/support/ways-to-give

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Land Acknowledgment

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.