Scarletter
November, 2017
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As we prepare to travel to the annual APHA conference in Atlanta this weekend, we carry with us the values of the newly branded Rutgers School of Public Health and our adopted motto, “keeping the public in public health.” This slogan will appear in innovative, intelligent, and interesting ways at the conference. And so it makes sense that, in this issue of our newsletter, we briefly consider the multiple meanings of “keeping the public in public health.”
First, at the Rutgers School of Public Health, we conduct research with and for the populations we study, whether we are considering tobacco cessation among incarcerated men, as does Pamela Valera, or how innovations in policies and practices impact pediatric mental health services, as examined by Tom Mackie. One of many other examples of this commitment to the public is our Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Catalyst Program, led by Bernadette West. As part of the MCH initiative, students carry out community outreach, donation drives, and other service programs that impact mothers, infants, and children. Students have organized documentary screenings, a diaper drive, and a speaker series. Recently, the group also hosted a preconception peer education training program that provides students with opportunities to become certified peer educators through the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.
Second, we are a school in public service. We align ourselves with local and community organizations to conduct work, to disseminate findings in real time to those who are affected, and to advocate for important public health causes. I have recently joined with colleagues around the country in filing a brief as
amici curiae
to the Supreme Court case on Masterpiece Cakeshop. Our students are working with Mark Wade, MD, Director of the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness, to gather data on the impact of opioid use in Newark to inform treatment services, policy, and other efforts for the city’s residents. And on December 7, we will welcome thought leaders, advocates, and individuals whose lives have been affected by HIV to
Prepping for PrEP
, a community forum headlined by innovators from both the New Jersey and New York City departments of Health, as we consider the challenges we have faced realizing the great potential of this form of protection against HIV for the people who need it most.
Together, these first two elements speak to our commitment and directed initiatives at Rutgers to conduct public health research outside the ivory tower, at the intersection of theory and practice—not sitting solely behind a computer screen, but instead in partnership with the public. Over the last decade, public health as a discipline has veered away from its origins as a community- and public-embedded enterprise. Our goal at Rutgers is to help steer the discipline back where it belongs, conducting state-of-the-art and rigorous scholarship with and for the populations we study in partnership with the public and with a social justice framing.
Finally, we are a public university that serves many first-generation scholars who are highly diverse in numerous ways, such as race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic class, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As a public institution, we must maintain a curriculum that is representative of these diverse life experiences while remaining affordable and accessible to our students. We are confident that our curriculum achieves parity with the curricula of our more costly sister institutions, and we are proud of the fact that we remain accessible to all who seek this type of education. It is also why we have introduced our 21st Century Scholars program, which provides opportunities to promising students who might not be able to manage the cost of this education and creates additional opportunities for those in public health who are underrepresented in the field.
I look forward to seeing many colleagues and friends in Atlanta as we relaunch the Rutgers School of Public Health and spread the word of how we are “keeping the public in public health.”
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Sincerely,
Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH
Dean &
Professor
Director, Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS)
Rutgers School of Public Health
683 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08901
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"Keeping the Public in Public Health"
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Understanding Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals & Health
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Emily Barrett,PhD, associate professor of epidemiology, leads discussion that promotes a continued drive to understand the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health.
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Cancer Treatment: Hope & Challenges
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Judith Graber, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology, leads a study that suggests that psychologically stressful working conditions may contribute to work-related injury (WRI), both within and outside of the workplace.
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Combating Recall Bias with Texts
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Dean Perry N. Halkitis and his colleague from New York University, Dustin Duncan, ScD, have determined that text messages and phone calls may be acceptable modes of gathering insights into the behaviors of young men who have sex with men (MSM).
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Lindsey Milich, MPH alum, along with faculty, led a study that found that clients who frequent hair and nail salons have more instances of dermal and fungal symptoms, as compared to clients who use the same services less frequently.
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Mental Illness & Breast Cancer Survival
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Kristy Iglay, PhD, alum, along with faculty, leads a study that finds that elderly patients with breast cancer and mental illness face an increased risk of death due to a delay in initial treatment caused by patient anxiety and depression.
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Congratulations to Dean Perry N. Halkitis on being honored with the 2017 Carl S. Shultz Award for Lifetime Achievement given by the Population, Reproductive, and Sexual Health Section of the American Public Health Association. The award honors individuals who have made an outstanding lifetime contribution to the field of population and reproductive health.
Dean Halkitis will receive the award at APHA in Atlanta, on Monday, November 6, 2017 at the
GWCC, Room A 316.
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Joanna Diaz, veteran and Rutgers School of Public Health, Center for Workforce Development alumna, is successfully working as a Union carpenter doing what she loves.
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Associate Professor Michael K. Gusmano,PhD, along with colleagues, describes the impact of the first gene therapy for cancer approved by the FDA.
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The Center for Tobacco Studies, directed by Vice Dean Cristine Delnevo, along with colleagues from the Mailman School of Public Health, conducted a study that found that 52 percent of daily e-cigarette users had quit smoking in the past five years, compared with just 28 percent of adults who had never tried e-cigarettes.
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Rutgers Reflects: Five Years Since Sandy
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It has been five years since Hurricane Sandy claimed the lives of more than a
hundred people and upended the lives of millions more along the mid-Atlantic coast. Today, people are still rebuilding their worlds - literally and figuratively. Although there is little that can be done to heal the wounds Sandy has caused, the lessons we have learned from a storm so personal to us endure.
After the storm, New York City called upon the Rutgers School of Public Health to train residents on ways to safely deal with the aftermath. Dr. Mitchel Rosen, director of the Center for Public Health Workforce Development, created a program that educated thousands of New York City residents on ways to safely clean out and remove mold.
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Meet Your Student Government Organization
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The Rutgers School of Public Health Student Government Association (SGA) represents student interests at both the School's New Brunswick and Newark locations. SGA's goal is to address student concerns and serve as a liaison between students and faculty.
SGA meetings are on Wednesdays from 5:00PM-6:00PM in room 234 (683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854) and all students are welcome!
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Perry's Power Hour:
Chat with Dean Perry N. Halkitis over a delicious slice of pizza before evening classes! Share your opinions directly with the Dean.
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November 13
4:00PM-5:00PM
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21st Century Seminar Series:
“Credentialing Public Health Leaders: Updates & Goals of the Certified in Public Health Program,” presented by Allison J. Foster.
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APHA Dean's Reception:
Join us for our annual APHA Dean's Reception as we reveal the newly re-branded Rutgers School of Public Health and how we are "keeping the public in public health."
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December 7
9:00AM-12:00PM
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World AIDS Day Commemoration:
"Prepping for PrEP," with keynote speaker Demetre Daskalakis (NYC Dept. of Health) and a panel of health experts, researchers, PrEP users, and community organizers.
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APHA Annual Meeting: Atlanta
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Many of our faculty, students, and alumni will be presenting at this year's meeting. For a full list of Rutgers School of Public Health Presentations, click
here.
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Working Towards Enhancing LGBTQ Health at Rutgers?
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Dean Perry N. Halkitis is working with colleagues across several other Rutgers University schools to develop a database of Rutgers employees who address LGBTQ health issues in their work.
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Getting Social @RutgersSPH
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Follow and interact with the Rutgers School of Public Health (@RutgersSPH) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Tag us in your posts and show us how you're "keeping the public in public health," for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts and in
The Scarletter
.
Follow and interact with Dean Perry N. Halkitis (@DrPNHalkitis) on Twitter and Instagram.
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Have an idea for an editorial?
Do you want to tell your story?
Did you just win an award?
Have a cool job in public health?
Just publish?
We want to tell your story - email Michelle Edelstein (mse46@sph.rutgers.edu) to learn more.
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Donating to the Rutgers School of Public Health supports scholarships for students to be engaged in discovery based learning through research and practice activities working with populations who experiencing health disparities here in New Jersey, in our country, and globally. By giving, you are helping us further our mission – we thank you. To donate, follow the URL and type “School of Public Health” in the search box.
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Rutgers School of Public Health
Rutgers School of Public Health
683 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08854
(732) 235 - 9700
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