Spring 2012
From the Dean
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Dear Colleagues,
It's hard to believe that we are already coming to the close of another academic year. As many of you heard at our State of the School assembly, it's been a momentous and highly productive year for the School, despite some financial challenges. Amazing things are truly happening here! Our success is a reflection of the remarkable energy, commitment, and creativity all of you bring to your work every day.
With Commencement around the corner, it is a good time to reflect on our accomplishments and look toward future opportunities. While these are many, I want to focus on one area that will be increasingly central to our work and to public health efforts everywhere: chronic disease prevention.
Chronic diseases, or non-communicable diseases—as they are called by the World Health Organization—are by far the leading cause of mortality worldwide, representing more than 60% of all deaths. Prevalence continues to rise at an alarming rate here in the U.S. and around the world. Obesity, now a pandemic, is a grave threat to health worldwide and a significant contributor to a range of chronic diseases.
In 2009, we formally adopted chronic disease prevention as a priority in our Strategic Plan. This commitment was carried forward through the work of a School-wide taskforce led by Moise Desvarieux. One result was a white paper published in conjunction with a United Nations summit on non-communicable diseases that took place last fall. Notably, we were the only school of public health to contribute a paper for the conference. This leadership was further evident when, a short time later, the NIH announced a strategy for chronic disease that was a near-perfect reflection of the ideas we outlined. We can all be proud of this. Read more >>
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New Faces
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Please join us in welcoming new faculty, staff, and researchers.
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Faculty
Chun Zhou, MD, PhD, has joined the School as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Environmental Health Sciences. His research focuses on the influence of environmental factors in neurological diseases.
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Staff
Jill Barkan
Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement
Dean's Office
Sherry Davidson
Training Officer, Early Childhood
National Center for Children in Poverty
See all new faculty and staff >>
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Kudos
Here's a snapshot of promotions, honors, and achievements some of our faculty members have recently earned. If we overlooked you, please contact us. Visit our faculty awards page for more information.
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Appointed/Elected/Selected
Melissa Begg, ScD, Professor of Biostatistics and Vice Dean for Education, was selected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the field of statistics' highest honor.
Neil Boothby, EdD, Allan Rosenfield Professor of Clinical Forced Migration and Health, was named the U.S. Government's Special Adviser and Senior Coordinator for Children in Adversity, effective March 3.
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, Director of ICAP and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Medicine (P&S), was selected to give the prestigious University Lecture, hosted by Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger and Provost John H. Coatsworth. Dr. El-Sadr's talk on April 5 was titled "The HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Global Tragedy, Lasting Triumphs."
Wafaa El-Sadr was also appointed on March 7 to The Commitee on Global Thought, a Columbia University organization that brings together highly distinguished faculty to explore global issues from an innovative, interdisciplinary perspective.
R. Todd Ogden, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics, was selected as an American Statistical Association (ASA) Fellow, the field of statistics' highest honor.
Kenneth Ong, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, was elected to the Board of Directors of Health Information Management & Systems Society, a not-for-profit organization that provides global leadership for the optimal use of health information technology.
Irwin Redlener, MD, Clinical Professor of Population and Family Health and Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, was named Commissioner for United States National Commission for UNESCO by the U.S. Department of State, effective in April.
Awards
Jennifer S. Hirsch, PhD, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and Deputy Chair of Doctoral Studies of Sociomedical Sciences, received a Guggenheim Fellowship to further study the connection between gender, sexuality, and intimacy in rural Mexico. Dr. Hirsch is one of 181 fellows selected from a group of almost 3,000 applicants, and the only awardee in the category of Medicine and Health.
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2012 Dean's Excellence in Leadership Award Goes to Anthony Pramberger
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The 5th annual Dean's Excellence in Leadership Award went to Anthony Pramberger, Vice Dean of Finance and Administration. The award "recognizes an individual who sets a standard for the leadership that secures our aspirations and stature as a school," noted Dean Fried, who presented the award at the May 8th State of the School Assembly to loud cheers and a prolonged standing ovation.
A selection committee headed by Melissa Begg received numerous nominations for Dean Pramberger. He was praised for his leadership in reorganizing the School's accounting system and for sagely guiding departments to fiscal stability. "He is extraordinarily competent, he is a wise mentor…, he is unflappable, and he is a wonderful colleague," wrote one nominator. Concluded another: "I cannot think of anyone more competent and more important to the School, particularly in these uncertain fiscal times."
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Accolades for Mailman's Extraordinary Staff
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From left: Dean Fried, Clare Rosenfield, Betsey Asher, Justine Herrera, Olgica Balac, Elizabeth Ferrari, Toya Smith, Telly Valdellon, Anthony Pramberger and Carmen DeLeon
At the State of the School assembly on May 8, seven Mailman School staff members were recognized for their outstanding work and tremendous dedication by being given a 2012 Staff Award in Excellence. Nominees for these awards, given annually since 2006, are submitted by the candidates' supervisors. Winners are then chosen by a committee with representatives from all academic departments and the Dean's Office. In addition to being recognized at State of the School, each recipient receives a cash award, made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous donor. Read on for highlights from the nomination letters of this year's recipients.
Betsey Asher, Admissions Recruiter, Office of Student Affairs—"Betsey was instrumental in helping to manage the new systems that were implemented this year for admissions and financial aid review… Without her dedication, commitment and the graceful manner in which she promotes our school, recruiting our students would be a challenge. Her tireless recruitment efforts have contributed to a 10% increase in applications as well as a 5% increase in yield."
Olgica Balac, Staff Associate, Department of Environmental Health Sciences—"Olgica is a model employee who is highly devoted to the School's mission of excellence in research and teaching... Our NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program was recently ranked first in our competitive renewal and will be funded for another five years due in part to her achievements in the Trace Metals Core Laboratory since May 2000."
Sara Casey, Senior Program Officer, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health— "Advising on the management of reproductive health programs is challenging in any setting; doing so in the extremely resource-poor and unstable zones in which Sara works requires clarity of purpose and tenacity. She embodies the values of respect, equality, and partnership in the content and manner of her work."
Elizabeth Ferrari, Manager for Academic Programs, Department of Epidemiology— "Elizabeth is flexible, hardworking, reliable, organized, and highly skilled…. Elizabeth is very proficient in using the online systems for faculty reviewing applications in both the doctoral and master's programs in the Department of EPI. This is a seamless process, due in large part to Elizabeth's ability to remain calm, be helpful and because she so well understands the process."
Justine Herrera, Assistant Director, Academic Programs, Department of Biostatistics— "Justine's skills, abilities, and contributions to the department are outstanding, and add to the productivity, happiness, and well-being of the departmental faculty, staff, and students. When a decision has to be made, 1000 times out of 1000, Justine's judgment is right on, fair and correct in every sense of the word."
Toya Smith, Administrative Assistant, Department of Sociomedical Sciences— "Over the past 5 years, Toya's role has expanded, from helping on office relocations to, most recently, taking on responsibility for all procedures related to human resources and monitoring compliance with the University's HR policies. Toya graciously steps up every time and is always eager, reliable, courteous with other staff and faculty, steady, and unflappable."
Telly Valdellon, Production Associate, National Center for Children in Poverty, Department of Health Policy and Management— "Telly has devoted the past 21 years to layout and production of all NCCP publications and the clean, accessible look that is the hallmark of NCCP publications is all Telly…. Because of Telly, we were able to stay on track to meet critical deadlines for grant-funded projects in our Early Childhood, Family Economic Security, and Health and Mental Health areas."
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Students Win First Prize for Essays
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Two MPH students won first-prize awards for essays initially written for class.
Haruka Morita, MPH '12 in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, won a 1st prize Goldmann Student Merit Award in a contest sponsored by Public Health Association of New York City. The title of her paper is "Climate Change Impacts on Plant Phenology." It was written for Dr. Patrick Kinney's class, Public Health Impacts of Climate Change, which she took during the Spring 2011 semester. Haruka gave the keynote speech at a May 5 PHANYC event.
Ashley Schuyler (pictured), MPH '13 in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, is the graduate-level 1st place winner of this year's kaiserEDU.org essay contest. Her winning essay, "Basic Health Programs: Bridging the Gap," looks at an aspect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Ashley has a particular interest in the dynamics of sexual relationships and how they influence HIV risk and is hoping to continue in the field of HIV prevention.
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The ILC's Age Boom Academy Debuts at Columbia
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In March, 21 journalists from across the United States and Canada gathered at Columbia's Morningside campus for the Age Boom Academy. Hosted jointly by the Mailman School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Journalism, the Academy is a five-day intensive seminar to educate journalists about today's most challenging issues and new research related to aging and longevity, with the goal of raising public awareness through informed media coverage. For the past decade, Age Boom has been a signature event of the International Longevity Center, which moved to the Mailman School in 2011.
Visiting journalists heard from leading scholars, who presented on topics such as the science behind the aging brain, the importance of family and social relationships to older adults, and case studies for age-friendly livable communities. Dean Linda P. Fried; Jack Rosenthal, President-Emeritus of the New York Times Company Foundation and co-founder of ReServe; and Cheryl Matheis, Senior Vice President in AARP's Policy Strategy and International Affairs Group, were among the nearly two dozen speakers.
The journalists took a field trip to the Hebrew Home in Riverdale for a glimpse of the latest innovations in residential care and for tips on what to look for when reporting on nursing and retirement homes. They also visited The New York Times headquarters for a luncheon discussion of aging and demographic trends with reporters and editors. Participants gave the 15 sessions high marks and an overall rating for the Academy of 4.6 out of 5.
In the two months since the Academy's conclusion, alumni have published nearly 15 articles and blog posts exploring aging topics. At the urging of speaker Jack Rosenthal, Rebecca Nappi challenged readers of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, to suggest new names for aging baby boomers, who will likely rebel against the term "senior citizens." Many of the responses – Boomerangs, Elderbooms, Midcenturions – were humorous. While the challenge did not yield a winning phrase, it got across a valuable point: our societal conceptions and language about aging haven't yet caught up to the reality of older adults who remain active and engaged in their communities.
Writing in her blog Staying Vertical, Ashton Applewhite explored our culture's ambivalence about aging – as individuals we desire to live longer lives yet as a society we view aging with collective apprehension. Applewhite suggested we should reframe the conversation to look at the opportunities of this demographic shift and to counter the ageism that drowns out positive messages about growing older. "I'm not a policy-maker," she wrote, "but I know my target as a writer: unreasoned fear of growing old and the ageism that feeds is. Push back. It's fascinating, it's important, and it's a lot more fun."
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On Campus: LEEDing the Way and Other News
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The newly renovated 11th, 12th, and 13th floors in the School's Allan Rosenfield Building have earned a coveted LEED "Gold" certification for environmentally sensitive design and construction. It is a first for Columbia University Medical Center, and according to Benjamin K. Suzuki, director of capital project management for CUMC, "represents a key milestone in our sustainability initiatives." (See related story and slideshow.)
Recent months have brought additional improvements to the Allan Rosenfield Building. Chairs and tables (pictured) now grace the Wi-Fi-rich foyer outside the 8th Floor Auditorium—one of the most used spaces for classes, seminars and events in the building. This new space adds to the growing number of locations for students to study, work in groups, and socialize between classes. A new handicapped-accessible lift to the lobby, just outside the School's Lounge, will be ready for use next week.
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Bringing Comprehensive Health Services to 3,000 Bronx High School Students
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A brand-new health center opened this winter on the Kennedy High School campus in the Bronx. The 3,000 sq. ft. facility, which will serve more than 3,000 students, is the eighth and largest opened by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in collaboration with the Mailman School. It will provide comprehensive primary care and preventive care, including physical exams, asthma care, diabetes monitoring, comprehensive reproductive healthcare, teeth cleanings, and crisis counseling. Research conducted at the Mailman School shows that the school-based centers improve access to primary and mental health care for the students they serve, along with improved use of contraception. At a March 30 ribbon-cutting event, Dean Fried noted that more than 6,000 New York City students visited the seven school-based clinics during the 2010-11 academic year. With an eighth clinic, even more will benefit.
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The Fourth Annual Alumni Summit for Public Health Leadership
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Join alumni and faculty on Thursday, June 7, for the fourth annual Alumni Summit for Public Health Leadership.
The event kicks off with "Obesity: A Complex Systems Problem," a panel that will look at the contributing factors to the obesity epidemic from a wide range of perspectives and make recommendations on how public health leaders can stem the tide of this global threat. Panelists include Tiffany L. Gary-Webb, PhD, MS, Heather Greenlee, PhD, MPH, Andrew Rundle, DrPH, MPH, Claire Wang, ScD, MD.
The event culminates with dinner and the presentation of the Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence. The recipient, David Michaels, MPH '81, PhD '87, Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is currently responsible for the workplace health and safety of over 130 million Americans.
All are welcome to attend, but due to limited space, registration is required. Visit the Alumni Summit webpage for more more informaiton and to register.
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In the Neighborhood - May is National Bike Month!
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Have fun, save money, go green, and get healthy – joining cyclists across the country in taking your bike for a ride this month. In honor of National Bike Month, we have compiled a list of resources for commuters, avid cyclists, and weekend riders alike.
Campus Resources
- View this map for the bike rack locations at CUMC.
- Visit the Public Safety Office in the Black Building (650 West 168th Street, room 109) to purchase discounted Kryptonite bike locks. See a list of available locks and prices here.
- Make an appointment with public safety to register your bike with NYPD and Columbia University. Call 212-854-8513 for more information.
Additional Resources in NYC and beyond
- Find bike routes, safety tips, and information about events in New York City at nyc.gov/bikes, nycbikemaps.com, transalt.org, bikenyc.org, and now in beta, Google Maps for bikes.
- Give your old and broken bikes a new life. Donate them to Recycle A Bicycle. Visit www.recycleabicycle.org for more information.
- Don't have a bike? A bike share program will launch in NYC this summer. Learn more at nycitybikeshare.com, and suggest station locations by visiting the NYCDOT webpage.
- Want to track your trip course, calorie count, or miles traveled using your smart phone? Browse the Apps for your iPhone and Android phone, or learn about popular GPS applications, such as Strava, Endomando and MyTracks.
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Help Us Draw the Picture of Public Health for Our New Magazine!
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Share your photos and help us celebrate the various ways that members of the Mailman School community work to improve the health of people around the corner and around the world. Upload pictures taken in the past two years (no older than Jan. 2010) that represent the field of public health and your photo could be featured in the inaugural issue of the Mailman School's annual magazine!
A new Flickr™ group, launching this week, has been set up as a space for Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health students, alumni, faculty, and staff to share images of Columbia Public Health Around the World – near and far. The 2012 photo collection will feature images that depict public health in the making, focusing on two themes – "making a mark" and "what drives/inspires me."
Submit your photos and bring public health stories to life.
Learn more on the rules page for this group, or by clicking here, or go directly to the Flickr group page to start sharing your pictures today.
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In The News
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Our faculty members make news almost every day. Below are some recent examples. If you have a study coming out or a newsworthy event to promote, please contact Stephanie Berger (sb2247@columbia.edu) for help with media relations.
May 8, Business Week, Madonna's Secret Seen Aiding Bacteria Boom Ian Lipkin
May 7, The Atlantic, Why Nurses Need More Authority Jack Rowe (Byline)
May 3, BBC News Online, Aspirin is as 'good as warfarin' for most heart failure patients Seamus Thompson
May 3, New York Daily News, Study: Blacks, Hispanics more likely than whites to have colon polyps Benjamin Lebwohl
May 3, New York Times, Your Road Buddies: Zillions of Germs Catherine Richards and Andrew Rundle
May 3, Crain's New York Business, Training the administrators who run city hospitals Tom Ference
May 1, CNN, As childhood obesity improves, will kids in poverty be left behind? Shakira Suglia
April 30, Bloomberg News, Pesticide Exposure in Utero Linked to Brain Concerns Virginia Rauh
April 29, WNYC, Groups Looks to FDA to Tweak Staple of Latino Cuisine to Benefit HispanicWomen Mary Gamble
April 27, Wall Street Journal, U.S. Defends Safety of Nation's Beef Stephen Morse
April 24, Reuters, Texts prime parents to get kids a flu shot: study Melissa Stockwell
April 24, USA Today, Young people's health is not keeping pace John Santelli
April 20, NPR, 2 Years On, Gulf Families and Businesses Holding On Irwin Redlener
April 17, TIME, Exposure to Air Pollution in Pregnancy May Boost Chances of Obesity in Kids Andrew Rundle
April 10, TIME Online, 64 Calories a Day: What Kids Need to Cut to Reverse the Obesity Trend Y. Claire Wang
April 9, ABC NEWS, Are Temperature Swings Killing the Elderly? Patrick Kinney
March 29, CNN Online, Nature: More flu surveillance needed Ian Lipkin
March 27, Yahoo Finance, Obamacare Takes Hits from SCOTUS Michael Sparer
March 23, Los Angeles Times, Tax Refunds=More Bankruptcy Filings Tal Gross
March 22, ABC News Good Morning America, Prenatal Pollutants Linked to Later Behavioral Ills Frederica Perera
March 22, Associated Press, Bloomberg to give $220M to world tobacco control James Colgrove
March 20, NY1, NY1 at 20: 1995 Report Examines City's Preparedness in Wake of Tokyo Subway Attacks Michael Reilly
March 19, UPI.com, More Suicide During Economic Low Point Sandro Galea
March 18, Associated Press, How do you know if someone's too stoned to drive? Guohua Li
March 7, Scientific American, Japan's Post-Fukushima Earthquake Health Woes Go Beyond Radiation Effects Richard Garfield
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Select Upcoming Events
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Visit the Events Calendar for events hosted by Mailman School departments, centers and programs, and the Student Digest for student-run events.
Preventing Chronic Diseases Next Steps in a School-wide Initiative
Monday, May 14, 2012 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Allan Rosenfield Building, 722 West 168th St., Hess Commons
Speaker: Jeremiah Barondess, Linda P. Fried, Sandro Galea
Sponsored by The Chronic Disease Initiative at the Mailman School of Public Health
Commencement 2012
Mailman School of Public Health Graduation Ceremony
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
New Balance Track & Field Arena, 216 Fort Washington Ave. at 168th Street
Speaker: Michelle Bachelet, Former president of Chile and head of U.N. Women
Sponsored by The Mailman School of Public Health
The "Doctor Shopper": Historical Reflections on Medical Consumerism & the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Faculty House Columbia University 64 Morningside Drive
Speaker: Professor Nancy Tomes, Stony Brook University
Sponsored by The Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health and The Columbia University Seminar on Narrative, Health and Social Justice
Alumni Summit for Public Health Leadership
Thursday, June 7, 2012 from 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Morningside Campus, Faculty House, 64 Morningside Drive
Speakers: Andrew Rundle, Heather Greenlee, Claire Wang, Tiffany L Gary-Webb
Sponsored by Alumni Affairs
Surveillance and Forecasting of Emerging Infectious Diseases
Epidemiology Department Seminar
Friday, June 8, 2012 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Allan Rosenfield Building, 722 West 168th St., TBD
Speaker: Stephen Morse
Sponsored by The Department of Epidemiology
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