Advances – Summer 2005

A Visit from Homeland Security • page 15

Advances SUMMER

2005

from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

SPH Students Report on their Summer Field Experiences

GUM DISEASE LINKED TO HEART DISEASE

Tsunami Exposes Toxic Dumping in Somalia HARLOW TAKES EPIDEMIOLOGY HELM

Why Radiation Leads to Rectal Cancer

FROM THE INTERIM DEAN Photo: Richard Anderson

Dear Friends, Reading this issue of Advances, I couldn’t be more proud of our students and their dedication to making the world a better place. A great many of our students are required to engage in a “field experience,” to put their classroom and textbook learning to work in the real world. As you’ll read beginning on page 2, our students don’t shy away from a challenge and are engaged in helping to find solutions to some of the thorniest public health issues facing our communities and our world today. The cover photo is an example of a student of ours who was so moved by his field experience working with AIDS orphans in Africa that he has continued his work there as the first step in his career path following his graduation in 2003. I give a great deal of credit to our faculty members who make it part of their mission to inspire students, in the words of Gandhi, to be the change they wish to see in the world.

Speaking of students, we are gearing up for another academic year and I am delighted to report that we have a record number of incoming students this fall (390), contributing to the largest student body (some 800) in the School’s history. This is testament to the exciting career opportunities that currently abound in the field of public health and to the broad and innovative education and research programs in place at this School.

This spirit of innovation is helping us to forge relationships internationally to further the study of public health in all corners of the world. Later this fall, I will lead a delegation from the School of Public Health to India to formalize an education and research agreement with Kasturba Medical College in Manipal. From there, we’ll travel to Hong Kong to sign a similar agreement to formally launch the healthcare administration independent study program. We’ll share more about those programs in a future issue of Advances.

Meantime, I join you in savoring the rest of the summer.

Yours in health,

Professor and Interim Dean

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP John R. Finnegan, Jr. Interim Dean

John Connett Head, Division of Biostatistics

Judith Garrard Associate Dean for Research

Roger Feldman Acting Head, Division of Health Services Research and Policy

Debra Olson Associate Dean for Public Health Practice Education Mary Story Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs

Bernard Harlow Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health William Toscano Head, Division of Environmental Health Sciences

Advances Editor Diana Harvey Managing Editor Kristin Stouffer Contributing Writers Adam Buhr Mark Engebretson Catherine Jacobs Art Direction Todd Spichke Riverbrand Design

Table of

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Advances

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SUMMER 2005

Feature: Notes from the Field

SPH students tackle the world’s most pressing public health challenges at home and abroad. Take a roundthe-world tour of their summer field experiences.

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Division News

‘I’m, Like, SO Fat!’ aims to help teens, new findings on Alzheimer’s disease, medical technology group moves to the U, and more

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Philanthropy

Veterinary Public Health celebrates 50 years and launches new scholarships

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School News

Michael Osterholm named to national biosecurity board, a visit from the Department of Homeland Security, remembering Leonard Schuman, and more

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Student News

One student fights toxic dumping in Somalia while another takes top honors from 3M

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Alumni News

Scientist reports on scientific misconduct, ‘Hats Off’ to

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SPH alumnae, and reunion news

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

F E AT U R E S TO RY

Summer to some students means a break from books, fun with friends, and maybe a job at the local mall. To School of Public Health students, summer is a time to put classroom smarts into action, a time to live in a new community or culture, and a time to take on issues like water pollution, health disparities, and infectious disease.

Every summer SPH students hop on planes or head to local agencies to embark on a summer field experience.

Lasting from a few weeks to four months, the summer field experience helps students hone the public health skills they’ve acquired in their graduate studies, while making contributions to communities throughout the world. The school supports travel expenses for some students with awards and scholarships.

This summer, the work of SPH students spans five continents. The proliferation of the Internet means even students in remote villages are just a click away from home. It also means they can report on their experiences as they happen. Here’s the latest news from the field, starting in the Far East and moving west.

Take a Global Tour Akiko Tanaka is helping to develop a program to treat victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) at the Mae Tao Clinic in northern Thailand. The clinic serves migrants from Burma and others who fall outside of the refugee camp, Thai, or Burmese heath care systems.

Tanaka’s work will lead to recommendations on how the clinic should care for victims of domestic abuse, rape, and other SGBV cases. Tanaka, a maternal and child health major, says she’s seeing how the well-being of men—or lack of it, as is often the case with refugees and migrants—affects the health of women. “When constrained by lack of resources, security issues, and culture, how can we work to promote the well-being of women, which is part of a community’s overall health,” she says.

“This experience really makes me think of health in a larger context.”

Akiko Tanaka, at left, with staff of the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand. The clinic was founded in 1989

by Cynthia Maung, third from left, a physician who fled Burma after the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations and subsequent crackdown by the Burmese military regime.

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FEATURE STORY Bhavana Anand is working with the Global AIDS Program (GAP) in Chennai, India. An initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GAP helps prevent HIV infection and improve care to address the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Anand is evaluating a GAP program at the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine. She meets with HIV/AIDS patients at the hospital and at neighboring counseling centers to assess their social, psychological, and economic needs. “I’m trying to understand if the target population is receiving information about GAP services and if so, how it’s working,” she says.

In India’s capital of Delhi, Kimberly Milbrath is working with the MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child. MAMTA, a Hindi word for motherly affection, was established to address the health disparities faced by women and children in India. Milbrath is working on a policy initiative in the state of Rajasthan, focusing on early marriage and early pregnancy— cultural practices that are prevalent in several Indian states. Up to 60 percent of girls ages 14 to 19 are forced into marriage and, for many, a life of sexual and domestic servitude. “Health consequences can be severe for young brides who are expected to give birth, preferably to sons, but whose bodies have not yet completely developed,” says Milbrath. “These early pregnancies result in competition for nutrition between the mother and fetus, obstructed labor, babies of low birth weight, and high rates of maternal death.”

Allison Heinzeller is in Dharamsala, in the northern tip of India—home to the Dalai Lama and his exiled Tibetan government—educating women about infectious and chronic disease and teaching them to care for themselves with breast exams and other prevention practices. Heinzeller says she’s struck by how the concept of prevention there differs so greatly from that of the developed world. “When I speak to women about seeing a doctor for preventive care, they laugh and say if they did the doctor would scold them for wasting his time,” she explains. “The irony, of course, is that this community desperately needs preventive care.”

Closer to Home Take a look at what SPH students are doing stateside this summer.

• Alina Evans is studying pink eye in reindeer in Nome, Alaska.

• Ariela Freedman is creating an outreach program for the Minneapolis Red Cross to teach Latino and Hispanic teens how to prevent emergencies.

• Sing-Wei Ho is investigating arsenic contamination in the soil of Minneapolis residential yards for the Green Institute.

• Rick Jansen is sampling beach water to improve E. coli testing for the Hennepin County Health Department.

• Tony Kouba is working at Fairview Health Systems, helping to increase flu vaccination rates among health care workers.

• Peri Periakaruppan is at the CDC, helping to investigate indoor mold contamination, exposure to chemicals at nail salons, and lead exposure at firing ranges.

• Nick Rabe is helping to study how mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) improves the health of organ transplant recipients for the Minnesota Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clinical Research.

• Amy Thornton is working in the Public Policy and Governmental Affairs department at Allina Hospitals and Clinics.

Darlisha Williams and Andrea Petersen are studying the impact of improved water sources on the health of communities in southern Tanzania. Williams is comparing rates of waterborne diseases in villages that recently installed public water pumps with villages lacking pumps. Using primary school attendance as a measure of impact, Petersen is making similar comparisons with the health of children.

Allison Heinzeller talks to women in Dharamsala, India about preventive health care.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Victoria Nichols is in Croatia, developing an abstinence education curriculum for a camp attended by adolescents ages 13 to 18. Nichols, who is also serving as an instructor at the camp, is working with the interdenominational faith group SEND International. Working abroad is giving Nichols a new perspective on how public health functions in other countries. “It’s very different here,” she says. “You have to have a medical degree before you can ‘specialize’ in the field of public health.”

Amy Becker is working as a senior program associate for RiSci, the London- and New York-based Royal Institution World Science Assembly. In July, RiSci held a three-day global workshop in London to develop strategies for countering the impact of pandemic influenza—a pandemic experts say is inevitable, if not imminent. As a result of the workshop, RiSci is pursuing programs involving medical interventions, pandemic preparedness, surveillance, and communications. Becker will help develop those programs and help create a series of domestic and international policy briefings on pandemic flu. A highlight of the workshop for Becker was witnessing a process that could reduce the impact of global flu. “It was inspiring to see all these great minds talking about how to make a difference,” she says.

Community health education students Sarah Tramel and Lea Howard are in Argentina, developing programs for families with disabled children. They’re working with El Trapito, a multidisciplinary organization of lawyers, psychologists, and social workers to promote children’s rights. Tramel and Howard are creating workshops on health issues, hygiene, communication skills, and how to gain access to other local resources. While El Trapito is a non-governmental organization, the staff often works in tandem with government agencies to provide services for vulnerable populations. Tramel and Howard are grateful to be working with the staff at El Trapito, which is located in La Boca, one of the oldest and poorest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. “Lea and I have benefited from the years of experience our co-workers have in this neighborhood, as we have faced many challenges both linguistically and culturally,” says Tramel.

SPH students Lea Howard and Sarah Tramel, front row from left, with the staff of the Argentine agency El Trapito, which took its name from a cafe once housed in the same building. The waiter statue is the unofficial mascot of El Trapito, the Spanish word for “little rag.”

Environmental health students Ele Scherman and Oriana Raabe checked in from their lab in Concepción, Chile, where they’re working with water samples to determine if there is a prevalence of genes in the bacteria that confer antibiotic resistance in E. coli. Their work aims to determine how human sewage and agriculture affect those resistant genes. Their results will be used by Chile’s department of health to design better strategies for maintaining safe water.

Shelley Sherman and Susan Dicker are in Nicaragua, working with Casa Materna, a group that offers support to women with high-risk pregnancies. At the request of the Casa Materna staff, the students are creating an evaluation to establish a baseline for a nutrition education program.

Women who live in remote villages are able to stay at Casa Materna during the final weeks of their pregnancy, so that they can deliver at a nearby hospital. The staff follow-up with the women, going into their communities to conduct health education on topics like family planning, nutrition, and domestic violence. “This work is really exciting in the context of empowering rural women, who have very little education and lead very isolated lives,” says Sherman, a maternal and child health major. “The staff at Casa Materna are doing some tremendous grass roots public health. Collaborating with them has been a privilege.”

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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 in 10 of those older than 65.

Study Suggests New Approaches to Diagnoses and Treatment of Alzheimer’s University of Minnesota researchers have released a study questioning the dominant theory of what causes Alzheimer’s disease and suggesting new approaches to the diagnoses and treatment of it.

The study, conducted in the laboratory of SPH adjunct professor in Environmental Health Sciences Jordan Holtzman, challenges the theory that the dementia in Alzheimer’s is caused by plaque deposits in the brain. Instead, the researchers suggest that the disease may be caused by a defect in the brain’s ability to produce the proteins that are necessary for memory. They offer evidence that the presence of beta-amyloid—the primary component of the plaque deposits—is only a marker of dementia, rather than its cause. The findings appear in the June 24 issue of Biochemical Biophysical Research Communications.

The researchers outline several flaws in current approaches that link Alzheimer’s disease to beta-amyloid. They reference studies of elderly participants that found up to 40 percent of those with plaque deposits were not demented at the time of death. And, despite that everyone produces beta-amyloid, the deposits are only seen in the elderly, indicating that the beta-amyloid is bound to carrier proteins. The study suggests that the failure to produce these carrier proteins may cause Alzheimer’s.

The researchers hope their findings will lead to new ways to detect and treat Alzheimer’s. “Determining the level of the carrier proteins in cerebrospinal fluid may be a useful test to diagnose and monitor the disease,” says Holtzman.

“New agents should also be developed that enhance the production of the proteins necessary for memory.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Book Gives First Comprehensive Look at Measuring Occupational Air Contaminants When School of Public Health professor Gurumurthy Ramachandran set out to teach a course on measuring air contaminants in the workplace, he couldn’t find a comprehensive textbook on the subject. So he wrote one himself. Occupational Exposure Assessment for Air Contaminants is the first book to cover air contaminant properties, measurement techniques, human exposure assessment strategies, and the statistical interpretation of those assessments.

The book gives a thorough overview of the physical and chemical properties of airborne contaminants like vapors, gases, and aerosols. Knowledge of these properties allows researchers to design appropriate measurement methods.

For example, pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease, in miners is caused by fine coal dust that deposits deep in the lung. So a sample of coal dust should measure the concentration of fine particles only.

Ramachandran also offers a comprehensive look at the statistical and mathematical modeling used to estimate exposures among groups of workers—exposures that could have happened recently or years ago. “Estimating exposures of a group of workers helps determine what percentage of them are overexposed to a contaminant,” says Ramachandran. “It can also determine in each individual the cumulative health burden of a chemical after working several decades in a given industry.”

While Ramachandran now has a book for his own course, he says he wrote it with another audience in mind: professionals. “My main reason for doing this was to offer a resource for industrial hygienists,” he says. Industrial hygienists are charged with measuring worksite exposures and keeping them to a minimum through interventions like ventilation systems, respirator masks, and other practices. “They’re on the front lines of making the workplace safe,” he says.

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH AND POLICY

Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer Doubles Risk for Rectal Cancer

Susan Bartlett Foote

National Medical Technology Group Moving to the U The Medical Technology Leadership Forum (MTLF), a national nonprofit policy group, will move to the University of Minnesota this fall.

Since it began nine years ago in Washington D.C., MTLF’s participants—a broad mix of bioengineers, physicians, researchers, and manufacturers—have issued a host of reports with the aim of developing policy alternatives to emerging medical technology issues.

University of Minnesota professor and former president Kenneth Keller will co-direct the MTLF with School of Public Health associate professor Susan Bartlett Foote.

The group will be based at the University’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, where Keller directs the Center for Science and Technology Policy.

Sen. Dave Durenberger, along with a distinguished group of physicians, device industry executives, and biomedical researchers, will serve on the board of advisors.

The move comes with recently pledged support from major medical device companies including Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, 3M, Zimmer, and the Cook Group.

Foote and Keller are confirming partnerships with three other universities that will serve as rotating hosts for MTLF meetings, enhancing the group’s national presence.

“This move elevates the University of Minnesota’s profile in the field of medical technology policy and brings together its expertise in science, medicine, engineering, policy, and entrepreneurship,” says Foote. “The MTLF’s national reputation will bring more focus to the University.”

The official Minnesota launch will be announced at MTLF’s October 20-21 invitation-only conference, “The Changing Post-Approval World for Medical Technologies.”

To learn more, go to www.mtlf.org.

A University of Minnesota study finds that men who undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer have nearly double the risk of developing rectal cancer when compared to men who opt to have surgery to treat prostate cancer.

The study found that men who receive radiation for prostate cancer have about a 70 percent higher risk of developing rectal cancer than those who underwent surgery, a risk similar to that posed by having a family history of the disease. The study—which is the first to quantify rectal cancer risk associated with prostate radiation—was published in the journal Gastroenterology and led by Nancy Baxter of the Medical School.

“We’re not suggesting that prostate cancer treatment should change,” says senior study author Beth Virnig, associate professor in the School of Public Health.

“But we are recommending that doctors inform patients of the increased risk for rectal cancer when discussing radiation treatment.”

Researchers used data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry to evaluate the effect of radiation on the development of cancer in the rectum. More than 85,000 men were included in the study. A total of 30,552 men received radiation, of which 1,437 developed rectal cancer.

The research team recommends that men should be regularly monitored for rectal cancer starting five years after prostate radiation. “We hope these findings lead to more aggressive screenings and better long-term care,” says Virnig.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States.

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EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

Gum Disease May Clog Arteries Dentists have long said that brushing and flossing were good for your teeth, but they’ve never said that dental care might save your life. Now, for the first time, School of Public Health researchers at the University of Minnesota and Columbia University have found that people with a higher level of gum disease-causing bacteria are more likely to have clogged arteries.

“Other studies have found evidence for this link before, but this is the first to examine the microbiology of periodontal infection and relate it to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” says SPH epidemiologist David Jacobs, the Minnesota co-investigator of the study.

The study of nearly 660 elderly individuals is the first to count and categorize specific populations of oral bacteria, according to their known role in gum disease, then compare that data to ultrasound measurements of carotid arteries, which may indicate partial blockage of heart arteries.

Findings of the NIH-funded study, led by Moïse Desvarieux, recently of the University of Minnesota and now of Columbia University, were published in the journal Circulation.

The researchers found that participants with higher levels of oral bacteria also tended to have thicker, more narrowed carotid arteries—a known risk for stroke and heart problems.

What’s more, this association was only found with the four oral bacteria known to cause gum disease.

“What’s important here is the specific association to these same four gum-disease causing oral bacteria,” says Jacobs. “Our next step will be to follow the participants over time to determine which comes first—the bacteria or the clogged arteries.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

‘I’m, Like, SO Fat!’ Aims to Help Parents and Teens In a world where television and school cafeterias alike push super-sized meals while magazines feature pencil-thin models, many teens feel pressured to starve themselves while others eat way too much.

But instead of solely worrying about problems at one end of the spectrum or the other, SPH professor Dianne Neumark-Sztainer urges parents to think about the bigger picture in her new book “I’m, Like, SO Fat!”: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World (Guilford Press). Neumark-Sztainer draws from her experiences as a mother of four and as the head researcher on Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)— one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of adolescent eating behaviors to date.

“I wrote this book with the aim of bringing my research to the public in a way that is useful,” says Neumark-Sztainer.

“I wanted to provide scientifically sound ideas for parents and professionals so they can make informed decisions.”

Project EAT’s five years of tracking 5,000 Minnesota adolescents highlights a troubling reality where teenage obesity and eating disorders are not mutually exclusive.

“We found that overweight teenagers are at a high risk for using unhealthy weight-control practices,” says NeumarkSztainer. “Teens can—and do—cross over from one condition to the other.”

The key lies in reinforcing positive messages at home while looking for ways to counteract negative influences from society. “Modeling behaviors you’d like your child to adapt is crucial,” explains Neumark-Sztainer. “The best policy is to create a home environment where your child feels accepted and secure, where physical activity is the norm, and healthy food choices are always available.”

Harlow to Become Head of Epidemiology and Community Health

Tsunami Relief Leads to Educational Development in Sri Lanka When SPH associate professor Joän Patterson packed her bags for Sri Lanka this spring, she was hoping to spend a month there helping families cope with the psychological aftermath of the tsunami. Now it seems her experiences with the country and its people have just begun.

Patterson, a family clinical psychologist, helped train Sri Lankan community health workers to treat those suffering from mental trauma caused by the natural disaster. “We did a lot of active listening,” says Patterson, who worked in the village of Moratuwa. “We normalized people’s stress reactions—helping them understand that fear is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.”

She urged those still living in fear to maintain supportive contact with family and friends, to return to as many every-day activities as possible, and to use positive ways of coping, like meditation. “These very basic principles of psychological first aid are very powerful,” says Patterson.

Through the connections she made while there, Patterson was invited by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health to conduct life skills training for teachers to use in the classroom. The aim is for youth to develop skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, and self-awareness— skills that are needed by youth globally, whether living in Sri Lanka or Minnesota. Patterson hopes to later return to Sri Lanka to pilot the training, test its efficacy, and possibly develop field experiences for SPH students.

Patterson says she hopes good things can come from the resources pledged to Sri Lanka for tsunami relief.

“There were so many needs before the tsunami even hit,” she says. “This is an opportunity to accomplish what wasn’t possible a year ago.”

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Photo: Joän Patterson

Bernard Harlow has been named to head the School’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Harlow is currently on the faculties of the Harvard schools of public health and medicine. He will join the SPH in September as professor and division head. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, Harlow has also been named a Mayo Bernard Harlow Professor of Public Health.

“Bernie has fine leadership skills and a deep appreciation of the breadth of research traditions in our division of epidemiology. He will also add to the breadth of expertise at the School and University,” says Interim Dean John Finnegan. “His knowledge of women’s health and his vision for growing this research area will raise the profile of the School, create new opportunities for faculty and students, and forge new lines of collaboration across the University and community.”

Harlow joined the Harvard faculty in 1987. He researches adverse reproductive health outcomes in women and was the first to report that a history of medically treated depression may lead to early menopause. He has published widely on environmental factors related to the risk of ovarian cancer and unexplained vulvar pain.

Harlow earned an M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota in 1977, and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Washington in 1987. He had not planned a return to Minnesota until he learned about the posting for division head.

“The division has always had a very strong national reputation,” says Harlow of the School’s largest unit with 40 primary faculty, some 300 graduate students, and more than $30 million annually in sponsored research grants.

“The diversity of the faculty and their level of productivity are very exciting to me.”

BIOSTATISTICS

An ion accelerator and decelerator used in mass spectrometry

Proteomics: The Next Step?

With the sequencing of the human genome now virtually complete, attention is turning to the large-scale study of the proteins produced by these genes. Proteomics, a term coined to make an analogy with genomics, is seen as the next step in developing a molecular understanding of disease. But proteomics is much more complicated than genomics. And if analyzed correctly, proteomics offers a more promising approach for identifying and treating disease.

Cavan Reilly, an assistant professor of biostatistics, is working with colleagues in the University’s Medical School to analyze large proteomics datasets produced by mass spectrometry. An established technique in the field of chemistry, mass spectrometry bombards molecules with an electron beam. The molecule breaks up, and the fragments are then sorted by their mass and charge, producing a molecular fingerprint of a tissue or fluid for a given patient.

By studying patterns in these fingerprints, researchers hope to pinpoint the proteins that lead to disease or malfunction. In this case, Reilly is analyzing patterns in molecule fragments taken from lung fluid. The goal is to determine which proteins are associated with chronic organ rejection in lung transplant recipients.

“Right now we don’t know which proteins are the culprits,” says Reilly. “The fragment patterns are extremely complicated.”

Proteomics is a field still in its early stages and much work remains to be done, especially the development of the necessary bioinformatics tools. But studies like these are laying the groundwork for what may be the next significant step to improving human health.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Biostatisticians Contribute to Study of Pesticides Environmental health researchers at the School of Public Health are collaborating with colleagues in the Division of Biostatistics on a major study of the pesticide levels found in farmers and their families.

To get an accurate picture of these levels, the researchers measured traces of pesticides found in sequential 24-hour urine samples provided by 95 families. But a problem arose: Some of the samples were most likely inaccurate because participants didn’t collect every void. The researchers didn’t know how to identify the samples in the dataset that were incomplete or, in other words, unusually low in volume.

Enter the role of the biostatistician. “Identifying observations that are unusual, relative to all the other observations, is an area where biostatisticians can really contribute to a study,” says SPH associate professor of biostatistics Lynn Eberly, who collaborated on the pesticide project.

Eberly and her student Wanling Xie used a statistical method called Conditional Cook’s Distance to determine which samples were incomplete. The method measures the influence one particular sample has on the overall results for each person in a study. In this case, if one urine sample had an unusual influence on a person’s results, the sample was most likely too small.

The method was successful and the environmental health researchers were able to continue with the project.

For Deanna Scher, an environmental health doctoral student charged with analyzing the pesticide data, the collaboration proved essential. “If we couldn’t identify the incomplete samples, we ran the risk of underestimating the level of pesticides these families actually received,” she says. “This is a case where collaboration was integral to improving our results.”

An SPH team is investigating the health affects of pesticides on agricultural families.

PHILANTHROPY

Founders of the VPH program assemble to be honored and support the newly endowed scholarships. From left, Robert Ashley Robinson, Stanley Diesch, R.K. Anderson, and James Libby. Not pictured: Michael Pullen.

New Scholarships Celebrate More than 50 Years of Veterinary Public Health

John Kaneene, at left, visits with R.K. Anderson.

visited with John and Frances Kaneene, a couple who benefited from the Emersons’ support and friendship while John Kaneene pursued his master’s in public health some 30 years ago. Kaneene is now a Michigan State University Distinguished Professor.

Gifts and pledges have been made by VPH founders, faculty, and alumni totaling $62,000. Awards of these new scholarships will be doubled by the new matching program of University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks.

If you would like to learn more about this scholarship initiative, please call Adam Buhr at (612) 626-2391.

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Photos: Bill Alkofer

The Veterinary Public Health Program celebrated more than 50 years of contributing to the interface of human and animal health with a special luncheon during the American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention in Minneapolis on July 18.

Alumni, program founders, faculty, and students assembled to hear about the program’s history, the exciting momentum surrounding the current program, and new endowed scholarships. VPH Program Director Will Hueston served as emcee, and Dean Jeffrey Klausner, of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Interim Dean John Finnegan, of the School of Public Health, were present to speak about their commitment to the program.

In addition to offering a chance for alumni to reconnect, the event announced the new Veterinary Public Health Endowed Scholarship. In honor of the foresight of the program’s founders and the success of alumni, the new scholarship will provide permanent support for VPH students.

An additional new scholarship has been created by John and Mildred Emerson. While in the VPH program, John was a teaching assistant who mentored international students and helped them adapt to life at the University.

He and Mildred served as a host family for the students, frequently inviting them to their home for social gatherings.

The new scholarship will honor this legacy by helping international veterinarians pursue a master’s in public health at the SPH. At the event, the Emersons

SPH Interim Dean John Finnegan presents John and Mildred Emerson with the Presidents Club plaque in honor of their $25,000 gift to establish a new endowed VPH scholarship.

PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Students in a Global Food Systems course learn about milk production at the Emerald Dairy near Baldwin, Wis. The tour highlighted animal health and environmental issues related to the safety of dairy products.

Photo: Heide Ehalt

Institute Attracts Instructors and Students From Throughout the United States The numbers behind the 2005 Public Health Institute are impressive. In just four years, the University of Minnesota’s three-week event has grown to include 39 courses, 46 instructors, and 386 students from 22 U.S. states. More than just growing in size, the Institute also is rising in reputation—a trend that brings opportunity to both students and instructors.

“The fact that the Institute has grown, and grown so successfully, means that we can collaborate with top experts from throughout the country to offer the latest and best in public health education,” says Debra Olson, associate dean for public health practice education and an Institute founder.

These collaborations give students the opportunity to learn from a range of instructors from private industry, state health departments, and health care organizations such as HealthPartners and Regions Hospital, as well as other universities like Michigan State, University of Miami, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“Our University of Minnesota faculty have taken advantage of their professional networks to partner with colleagues and enrich the expertise of the Institute,” says Sharon Vegoe, Institute organizer and continuing education specialist.

Donald Schaffner, a food scientist from Rutgers University, belongs to those networks. He was invited

by University of Minnesota School of Public Health professor Craig Hedberg to team teach a course on the 12

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

PHI at a Glance The Public Health Institute allows students to immerse themselves in a chosen course of study—for a single day or for three weeks. 2005 focus areas included: • • • • • • • • •

Applied Biostatistics Culturally Responsive Public Health Practice Evaluation Methods Food Safety and Biosecurity Infectious Disease Epidemiology Maternal Child Health and Nutrition Occupational Health and Safety Public Health Leadership Public Health Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

Stay tuned for new focus areas for the 2006 Public Health Institute.

risk assessment of food-borne diseases. “Teaching at the Institute gave me a chance to know a group of students in this field,” says Schaffner. “I was really pleased by their level of engagement.”

Other instructors echoed those sentiments: They, like their students, came away from the Institute with newfound knowledge and resources. “I was able to interact with people from across the country, from a variety of disciplines, who shared an appreciation for collaboration,” says Assistant Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health Aggie Leitheiser, who taught a course on planning for urgent threats. “I left the experience with new energy and new ideas.”

Institute Offers Mix of Hands-on Activities The following are just a few of the many hands-on activities offered at this year’s Public Health Institute.

Global Food Systems Institute instructors Will Hueston and Kevin Elfering offered day-long field trips to commercial farms, rendering plants, and retail establishments to help students understand the complex chain of events that occurs when food goes from farm to table.

“The majority of our students have never been on a farm and never been to a food processing plant. It is very hard for them to put these systems in context,” says Hueston.

“We want to replace the unknown with understanding.”

This year, the duo put two systems under the spotlight: dairy and pork. Students visited the Hormel rendering plant in Austin, Minn. Donning white coats, rubber boots, and goggles, they went on a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive facility, which processes 18,000 hogs a day.

“It honed my expertise and changed my perspective,” says John Zentgraf, community health environmentalist for the city of West Allis, Wisc. “The tour helped me become a better public health professional.”

For the students responsible for outfitting their co-workers at large industrial companies with personal protective gear, the class offered a chance to test and compare a range of suits, goggles, gloves, and hats.

“Since 9/11, there’s been an increased interest in understanding respiratory protection and what products exist,” says Raynor.

For students unfamiliar with personal protective gear and respiratory masks, the chance to suit up in the equipment offered a new perspective. “When you put on an air-tight, fully enclosed suit and move around in it, you have a whole new understanding of what a worker experiences on the job,” says Raynor.

Suiting Up for Safety Institute students were able to test the latest in personal protective equipment and respiratory protection in a course taught by environmental health professor Peter Raynor. The equipment ranged from simple dust masks to the self-contained breathing apparatus suits worn by firefighters and those who clean up chemical waste sites.

Vector Patrol and Control

Photos: Heide Ehalt

Institute students got up-close and personal with the blood-sucking bugs most people try to avoid during a visit to mosquito breeding sites and deer-tick habitats. They learned about surveillance strategies and control methods for the infectious diseases transmitted by those vectors.

Those illnesses include Lyme disease and West Nile virus, major public health problems in the United States. “There is a shortage of people who really understand the field ecology of these vector-borne diseases. Anything we can do to increase that knowledge base, the better,” says David Neitzel, Institute instructor and infectious disease epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health.

D.V.M./M.P.H. candidate Margaret Perala agrees. “I now know how to differentiate between types of mosquitoes and the diseases they can transmit,” she says. “I can pass that information on to concerned pet owners.”

Peter Raynor demonstrates gloves used for handling materials at extremely hot temperatures.

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SCHOOL NEWS Photo: Heide Ehalt

Leonard Schuman

Remembering SPH Pioneer Leonard Schuman Michael Osterholm

Osterholm Named to National Biosecurity Advisory Board School of Public Health professor Michael Osterholm has been appointed to the new National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) of the National Institutes of Health. Osterholm began serving a three-year term in June.

The NSABB is a critical component of federal initiatives to promote biosecurity in life science research. The board will provide advice and recommend specific strategies for efficient and effective oversight of federally conducted or supported dual-use biological research, taking into consideration both national security concerns and the needs of the research community.

Osterholm, an internationally recognized expert in infectious diseases and public health, is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). He has been at the forefront of addressing local, national, and international issues related to public health preparedness, pandemic influenza, infectious disease, bioterrorism, and agricultural and food biosecurity.

“I am honored to be a member of this board and to assist in defining the potential risks and benefits of our nation’s research agenda,” Osterholm says. “Never in our country’s history has it been more important to anticipate the possible intentional or unintentional harm to society that can occur from such research.”

“Dr. Osterholm is widely recognized for his knowledge of the science and the risk associated with biosecurity,” says University President Robert Bruininks. “As both a researcher dedicated to advancing knowledge, and a strong advocate for public health and safety, he is uniquely suited to help this panel succeed in its work.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

When Leonard Schuman was asked to be on the first Surgeon General’s Committee on Smoking and Health in 1962, the epidemiologist accepted because as a pack-aday smoker he didn’t want to believe a link existed between cigarettes and cancer.

When he joined the committee to create the U.S. government’s first formal declaration that smoking causes cancer in 1964, Schuman not only quit smoking cold turkey but went on to become an internationally recognized scholar, researcher, and teacher in the area of cancer prevention.

Schuman joined the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in 1954 and launched the country’s first doctoral program in epidemiology. His longtime research highlights include a major finding on the early detection of colon cancer and the discovery that nitrogen dioxide was the agent that killed farmers when they entered freshly filled silos. He served on the original polio vaccine trial that led to the first population vaccination program.

Schuman retired from the University in 1983, but not before serving on 50 committees for some of the world’s most prestigious public health organizations and writing 150 articles on a host of subjects. He died in Minneapolis on May 31 at the age of 92.

“Doctor Schuman’s contributions to the areas of cancer prevention and infectious disease have made monumental impacts on human life throughout the world,” says John Finnegan, interim dean of the School of Public Health. “The University of Minnesota and the world of epidemiology have lost one of the greatest leaders, researchers, and educators of our time.”

Schuman is preceded in death by his wife, Marie, and is survived by his son, Lowell Schuman; daughter, Judy Cairns; nephews Kevin Hughes and Patrick Hughes; and several grandchildren.

To contribute to the Dr. Leonard and Marie Schuman Endowed Scholarship Fund, please call Adam Buhr at (612) 626-2391.

Will Hueston Photo: Heide Ehalt

Hueston Receives Top Veterinarian Award Will Hueston, director of the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, has received one of the most prestigious awards given by U.S. veterinarians.

Hueston, a School of Public Health adjunct professor and internationally known expert on animal health and zoonotic disease, was presented with the Karl F. MeyerJames H. Steele Gold Head Cane Award at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) annual meeting, held this year in Minneapolis.

The award is in recognition of his significant achievements in advancing human health through veterinary epidemiology and public health. Created in 1964 by the American Veterinary Epidemiology Association, the award is sponsored by the Hartz Mountain Corporation.

Hueston has advised governments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada on how to prevent and contain bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease. At the University, he leads a faculty team that addresses surveillance, risk analysis, and policy issues related to food-borne illnesses and emerging infectious diseases. He is a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Division of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by colleagues from throughout the country and the field of veterinary medicine,” says Hueston. “There is no better time to be working toward a better understanding of the interrelation between animal and human health.”

Homeland Security Head, U Experts Discuss Food Safety Could terrorists contaminate a major ice cream manufacturing plant with toxins that cause botulism? If so, how long would it take before people became ill? Would people die? What are public health officials doing to prevent or decrease the impact of such a scenario?

That’s what University of Minnesota researchers discussed recently with Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who was in town to meet with leaders of the University’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD).

Shaun Kennedy, associate director of the center, demonstrated a predictive tool for potential attacks. He said the contaminated ice cream would show up in grocery stores in just a few days and the first cases of botulism could be reported within the first week. The first death? Within two weeks.

School of Public Health professor Michael Osterholm, associate director of the NCFPD and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), called the contamination scenario realistic. If such an event does occur, he asked, “Can we better define what is happening, when it is happening, and what are the steps we need to take?”

That’s what the NCFPD aims to do. Vivek Kapur, a center member and a microbiologist in the Medical School, provided Chertoff with a real-time demonstration of FASTMAN, a model device to detect potentially catastrophic, intentional contamination of our food supply. The team’s goal is to develop rapid and accurate methods for detecting biological and chemical agents in food products and enable efficient monitoring and testing in food production, processing, and retail settings.

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Photo: Richard Anderson

Michael Chertoff, center, learns about FASTMAN, a device that detects food supply contamination.

STUDENT NEWS

McCollum and a handful of SPH professors, including Bill Toscano, head of environmental health sciences.

“The faculty here are truly world citizens,” says Farah.

“Their support has made me feel part of this community, and their expertise has given me a good sense of direction.”

This winter, Farah will travel to Somalia to perform a low-tech environmental assessment to obtain data on the health of those living amidst the waste. Despite the vast observational evidence of the toxic dumping—including the countless barrel-like containers littering miles of beaches— no data exists on its effect on the Somali environment or people.

After she completes her studies in public health administration and policy, Farah hopes to return to Somalia permanently—a move she has always planned to make.

But now, since launching MAEHP, she has a newfound sense of how to help her country when she returns.

“I can see myself working on this issue for the rest of my career,” she says.

For more information about MAEHP contact Farhiya Farah at fara0054@umn.edu.

Farhiya Farah

Photo: Amy Becker

SPH Student Launches NGO to Fight Toxic Dumping in Somalia

Carmody Receives 3M Industrial Hygiene Scholarship

When the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in December 2004, it brought mass destruction to the Somali coast, killing hundreds instantly and damaging thousands of homes.

But the mammoth wave also exposed a problem in the troubled nation that may prove deadlier than the natural disaster: leaking containers of toxic waste dumped illegally by multinational corporations.

While the tsunami unearthed the waste, it’s been estimated that foreign ships have been dumping hazardous materials along the Somali coastline and inland for up to 20 years.

Earlier this year, Somalia’s environment minister asked the United Nations to investigate the waste, which has likely contaminated the ground water. In the meantime, Somalis are suffering from unusual health problems like mouth bleeding, skin afflictions, and respiratory infections.

School of Public Health student Farhiya Farah has been all too aware of the troubles caused by toxic dumping in her native country. When the tsunami brought the crisis to the surface, she decided the time was right to lead an international effort to fight the problem.

In June, Farah launched the Minnesota Africa Environmental Health Partnership (MAEHP), a non-governmental organization that will pool the expertise, financial support, and political backing needed to forge ahead. She’s since enlisted the help of Minnesota Congresswoman Betty

Tricia Carmody, a master’s student in environmental health sciences, is one of six students nationwide to receive a 2005 Industrial Hygiene Scholarship from 3M Corporation.

As a winner of the $5,000 scholarship, awarded by the 3M Occupational Health and Safety Division, she was recognized for academic excellence and related work experience. 3M awarded the scholarships to five domestic students and one international student.

Carmody is interning this summer at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, where she works with the emergency response team. This fall, she will begin work on a master’s project analyzing homes that were once the site of methamphetamine labs. She will work to determine costeffective methods of removing meth residue left in residences, protecting future occupants from potential contamination.

“I’m excited and honored to be one of six people to receive this award,” says Carmody. “The financial support will allow me to focus on my master’s project, and the prestige of the award will be a great asset to me when I enter the job market.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

‘Hats Off’ to SPH Alumnae and Film Festival Three School of Public Health alumnae and the SPH Film Festival have received awards from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA).

From left, Shelly Feaver, Heather Day, Heather Day (M.P.H. Michelle Hanson, and Michelle Lian’02), Shelly Feaver Anderson at the SPH Film Festival.

(M.P.H. ’01), and Michelle Hanson (M.P.H. ’01) received the Hats Off Award in recognition of their exceptional support of SPH alumni events. They were recognized for contributing to the SPH mentor program and helping to organize the school’s film festival, co-sponsored by the Minnesota Public Health Association, which takes place annually during National Public Health Week.

“Their creativity, service, and commitment were crucial to the success of the film festival,” says Michelle Lian-Anderson, SPH associate director of alumni relations and events management. “I can’t thank them enough for their leadership and dedication.”

The SPH Film Festival was selected for a Program Extraordinaire Award among the special events of UMAA’s 18 collegiate and three affiliate societies, eight alumni interest groups, and 66 geographical chapter contact areas.

“It’s an honor to be singled out amidst the impressive events of the many chapters and societies of the UMAA,” says Lian-Anderson, who took the lead in planning the festival.

The event, which spanned four nights and attracted two hundred people, featured films and discussions centered on public health themes like tobacco, sexuality education, and addiction.

Save the Date for SPH Reunions A reunion of Public Health Administration and Policy students will take place Oct. 13, 2005 at the Campus Club in the University’s Coffman Memorial Union. If you would like to receive more information about the PHAP reunion, please contact Gita Uppal at guppal@gmail.com.

The first Community Health Education reunion and networking event will take place Jan. 26, 2006. Come back to campus to greet old friends, meet new ones, and celebrate the unveiling of a CHE alumni scholarship.

More details will be sent to CHE alums and students in the coming months.

ALUMNI NEWS One-Third of Scientists Admit to Misconduct School of Public Health alumus Brian Martinson has been making headlines for a nationwide survey that reveals up to a third of scientists have engaged in ethically questionable practices.

Martinson, a former SPH postdoctoral fellow, is a sociologist at the HealthPartners Research Foundation in Bloomington, Minn. His team found that 33 percent of the survey participants admitted that they had committed acts like claiming credit for someone else’s work, changing study results because of pressure from a sponsor, or ignoring observations they felt were inaccurate.

While most of the actions reported fall short of outright fraud, fabrication, and plagiarism, as defined by federal regulators, they do signal problems in the world of science, says Martinson. “I think our data show this is about more than just fraud, and we shouldn’t be looking for a few ‘bad apples,’” he says. “It may be that competition for resources has reached dysfunctional levels.”

Data yet to be published from the study show significant associations between scientists’ perceptions of injustice in the procedures used to allocate funding and their propensity to report engaging in questionable behaviors, says Martinson.

The anonymous surveys were mailed to some 7,700 biomedical scientists. Of the 3,247 who responded, just 0.3 confessed to faking data, and only 1.4 admitted to plagiarism. The study results were published in the journal Nature.

“Fraud cases are explosive and can be very damaging to public trust,” says Martinson. “But these other kinds of misconduct can be more corrosive to science, since they’re so common, and they damage trust within the scientific community.”

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Join Us in New Orleans at APHA Planning to attend the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association? If so, you are invited to a reception for SPH alumni and friends, Monday, November 7, 6:30-8 p.m., in the Azalea I & II rooms at the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place, 100 Rue Iberville. Be sure to stop by the SPH booth (#2019/#2118) in the exhibit hall.

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