Advances - Fall 2007

Advances Remembering Judy Peterson • page 13

FALL

2007

from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Community Partners for a

HEALTHIER MINNESOTA

BLOOD DONOR POOL SHRINKING SPH LEADS LARGEST STUDY EVER ON CHILD HEALTH GENETIC CLUES TO ORGAN REJECTION SAINFORT HEADS HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends,

Photo: Richard Anderson

Each fall, as many of you know, we celebrate with our many Minnesota-based colleagues at our Community Partners event. The event is designed to recognize and show our deep appreciation to the hundreds of individuals from across the public health spectrum who in some way contribute to the vitality of our research and education programs. This issue of Advances showcases some of the work we are currently undertaking with those partners.

As a University we realize the importance of investing in Minnesota, and as a school we see it as a fundamental part of our outreach mission to protect the health of Minnesotans.

I hope you enjoy reading our cover story starting on page 2, which describes the many ways we are doing this.

The fall issue of this magazine carries an insert featuring our annual report. In it, you will see numbers showing the tremendous growth we are experiencing as a school, both in terms of our research enterprise and our education programs. I’m particularly proud of the career journeys our graduates embark on each year. Four of 2007’s brightest stars are featured in the annual report.

I am delighted to welcome the newest member of the school’s leadership team, Dr. François Sainfort, the new head of our Division of Health Policy and Management. Dr. Sainfort comes to us from Georgia Tech, where he was the senior associate dean for interdisciplinary research in the College of Engineering. Dr. Sainfort is joined by his wife, Dr. Julie Jacko, who has appointments at the School of Nursing and the SPH. Dr. Jacko will head the University’s new Institute for Health Informatics.

Thanks for reading, and as always, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to drop me a line at sphdean@umn.edu.

In health,

John R. Finnegan Jr., Ph.D. Dean and Professor Assistant Vice President for Public Health

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP

Advances

John R. Finnegan Jr. Dean

John Connett Head, Division of Biostatistics

Editor Diana Harvey

Judith Garrard Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs

Bernard Harlow Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health

Managing Editor Kristin Stouffer

Debra Olson Associate Dean for Public Health Practice Education

François Sainfort Head, Division of Health Policy and Management

William Riley Associate Dean for Student Affairs

William Toscano Head, Division of Environmental Health Sciences

Diana Harvey Assistant Dean for External Affairs

Joe Weisenburger Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Financial Officer

Contributing Writers Nicole Endres Toya Stewart Art Direction Todd Spichke Riverbrand Design

Contents Table of

Advances

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2

Feature: Community Partners for a Healthier Minnesota

FALL 2007

School of Public Health researchers are teaming up with partners in all corners of the state on projects designed to improve the health of Minnesotans.

7

Division News

The proteins behind oral cancer, health disparities expert

9

speaks at the SPH, how alcohol ads influence kids, and more.

12

School News

The SPH welcomes new faculty and remembers a dear friend.

14

Student News

SPH student becomes an emerging leader in D.C., while back home students lead a neighborhood clinic.

15

3

Philanthropy

A career in health care inspires John Pfrommer to create scholarships for SPH students.

16

Alumni News

Alumni board calls for committee volunteers, alumni take Community Partner Star awards, mentor program kickoff a success, and more.

Special Insert 11

14

2006-2007 Annual Report

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Stars mark the Minnesota communities partnering with the SPH on research, education, and outreach.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS For a Healthier Minnesota

With the push to think globally, it can be easy to forget that public health starts at home. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health has a long history of partnering with local agencies and organizations to improve the health of Minnesotans. This commitment to community partnerships offers unique insight into the health of our state. It has resulted in a powerful public health workforce. And it keeps the school connected to community needs while forging new ways to serve the state’s most vulnerable populations.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

F E AT U R E S TO RY

Iron ore shipped by railroad

Environmental Health The Minnesota Taconite Workers Lung Health Partnership is one of the school’s largest partnerships. Led by the SPH, the partnership formed in early 2007 out of a statewide concern for the health of Minnesota’s Iron Range taconite workers and their families. Nearly 50 partners have joined, including the Natural Resources Research Institute, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), mining companies, unions, health care providers, legislators, and government agencies.

disease, examine the 52 deaths attributed to mesothelioma, and conduct a respiratory health assessment of active and retired miners. Findings will be posted on the partnership’s Web site at www.sph.umn.edu/lunghealth.

“We’re aiming for full transparency here,” says Finnegan.

“This is a very personal, emotional, and political issue for many on the Iron Range, and we’re committed to communicating with all stakeholders in a timely and consistent manner.”

In 2003, the MDH completed a study of 72,000 people who had worked in Minnesota’s iron mining industry between the 1930s and 1982. At that time, MDH identified 17 diagnosed cases of mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. In the following years, the MDH identified 35 more cases in the group. The sudden increase of cases sounded alarms.

“It was about that time that Rep. Tom Rukavina called University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks and asked if the University could head up a full-blown lung health research project,” says SPH Dean John Finnegan. The president agreed to fund the initial stages of the project, with the understanding that Rukavina would seek additional funding during the 2008 legislative session.

The initial stages of the three-year project are underway.

SPH associate professor Jeffrey Mandel is leading a study on the health of the workers. The research team will also recommend strategies to minimize worker exposure to taconite dust, offer advice to individuals who have lung

Washing produce curbs pesticide exposures for the family of photovoice participant Sara Habermann.

continued on page 4 3

Photo: Sara Habermann

Northern Minnesota is also the site of a different type of environmental research partnership, one that uses photography to educate on the potential risks of pesticides. SPH professor Pat McGovern and doctoral student Maggie Stedman-Smith collaborated with the University’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and communities of the Red River Valley, an agricultural area in the northwest part of the state.

FEATURE STORY continued from page 3

The University team partnered with local agencies to reach women in three groups: those who live on or near a farm and are clients of the federal WIC program or members of the White Earth Band of Chippewa and immigrant families from eastern Africa who are exposed to pest control products.

Fourteen mothers and grandmothers participated in the project, funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Academic Health Center Program in Health Disparities.

Aerial spraying is a source of pesticides in the Red River Valley, as documented by a photovoice participant.

Photo: Elizabeth Mehrkens

The University team used a method called photovoice in which the women were given cameras and asked to take photos showing their concerns about how their children are exposed to pesticides. Crop spraying, pest control products, and residue on fresh produce were just some of the exposures the women identified. The photos were compiled in an exhibit for local government, health care providers, and tribal councils. “This is a way for communities to get their voice heard by decision-makers,” says McGovern.

Have Toxics Course Will Travel Headed to a school gymnasium, community center, or VFW near you—a customized course on the toxic dangers that lurk in your own backyard. SPH professor William Toscano has traveled the state to offer the free course “Toxics in Your Community” to groups of all ages. He speaks on the harmful chemicals that permeate the environment, from water and air, to household products and food. The course is funded through a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. To learn about scheduling a course, contact Lois Harrison at harri162@umn.edu.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

With the project just completed, the SPH’s Center for Public Health Education and Outreach will step in to work with public health nurses to help the families learn how they can curb exposures. “The project went very well,” says McGovern. “We had a lot of good input from the community.

The women want to be engaged in addressing this issue.”

Improving Quality Improving the quality of local public health is the goal of a collaboration among the SPH, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and the Local Public Health Association. Led

by SPH associate professor and associate dean William Riley, the Minnesota Public Health Collaborative for Quality Improvement is the first project of its kind nationally.

Other organizations have received funding for similar projects from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but Minnesota is one of the few states—if not the only one—where a school of public health is teaming up with a state health department to combine efforts and funds. “We learned after receiving funding that the Minnesota Department of Health also received funding to do similar work. So we decided to work together,” says Riley. “By combining forces we’ve been able to achieve what none of the partners could do alone,” says Debra Burns, who directs the MDH Office of Public Health Practice. “It’s a collaboration that has huge potential to improve the practice of public health.”

Local agencies from throughout the state were invited to submit proposals on a process or service they would like to improve. Agencies that identified similar projects were combined to maximize resources. Eight projects encompassing 28 counties are underway throughout the state with the aim of improving a range of services, including disaster response, immunizations and screenings, access to mental health care, and preventive dental care for children.

Each project involves a team made of up staff from the local agency, two MDH staff members, an SPH faculty member, and an SPH student. “The collaboration is built on everyone’s strengths. MDH has strong connections to local public health departments and the school has the quality improvement expertise,” says Burns. Plus, students are able to apply classroom concepts to a real-world project, and the job pays for school.

Joyce Mueller is a public health nurse manager in Crow Wing County. Her agency is the lead for a project that includes eight other counties in central Minnesota. The team is working to cut down on missed appointments at WIC clinics, which support low-income women and children by providing food and information on healthy eating.

Appointment attendance has been shown to reduce health care costs, chronic disease, low birth-weight, and infant mortality. “The project will have far-reaching effects in the community,” says Mueller. Other pluses: bringing local agencies together to learn from each other and that the improvement tools can easily be applied to other initiatives.

“You don’t have to be a scientist to use them,” says Mueller. “We could use [the tools] on all of our programs.”

Tracking Health SHAPE represents one of the many partnerships the University has with its home county. SHAPE—which stands for Survey of the Health of All the Population and Environment—tracks trends and offers insights into the health of Hennepin County residents. In size and scope, it’s one of the few local surveys of its kind. The Center for Survey Research in Public Health (CSRPH) conducted data collection for SHAPE in 1998, 2002, and 2006. SHAPE 2006 surveyed more than 10,000 households, 8,000 adults, and 4,000 children. SPH associate professor Todd Rockwood and CSRPH managing director Karen Virnig see SHAPE as one of the most important studies that their center has ever done. This is in large part due to their partnership with colleagues at Hennepin County.

Honoring Community Partners Every year, the SPH recognizes community partners at an event in their name. This year, Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group and Neighborhood House, a community center in St. Paul, were awarded for their commitment to building connections with the SPH. Read about the individuals who received Community Partner Star awards on page 16.

granting purposes. “It’s really their data, not just some national data,” says Sheldon Swaney, supervisor of assessment at Hennepin County.

Swaney and Rockwood view SHAPE as a model partnership.

“It’s a true collaboration in how we plan the survey process,” says Rockwood. “[Hennepin County] doesn’t just turn the project over to us. It’s not just a ‘vendor/vendee’ relationship.”

The collaboration has proved beneficial when surveying the Latino population, a group that has been hesitant to offer information to surveys. Swaney’s team connected the SPH to local churches and community groups that could help build trust. “They understand the county better than we do,” says Rockwood of Swaney’s team. “That input is critical to successfully implementing a study such as SHAPE.”

School Partners The SPH is in the second academic year of partnering with the Mayo Clinic to offer courses to staff members in the clinic’s division of biostatistics. The courses, offered through interactive television (ITV), offer Mayo staff an efficient way to learn from one of field’s top experts in clinical trials, SPH professor James Neaton. The ITV technology allows the Rochester-based Mayo students to interact with Neaton and fellow students in the Twin Cities campus classroom.

SHAPE 2006 gathered information on Hennepin County children.

SHAPE has evolved throughout the past decade. The 1998 survey included just adults, while SHAPE 2002 added information on race and ethnicity. New to the 2006 survey: information on children. That piece of the puzzle came about when the University of Minnesota committed funding for the project. “Without the University, the county would not have had the resources to collect data on children,” says Kathie Doty, liason in the Hennepin-University Partnership, who adds that the survey data will be beneficial to both University researchers and county practitioners.

The data is also proving useful to community organizations, which have come to rely on it for planning, tracking, and

The SPH partnered with Mayo professor Dan Sargent on the offering. Sargent, who is director of statistics at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, earned an M.S. and Ph.D. from the SPH. The partners are hoping this first course offering will strengthen the existing research collaborations between the two organizations. The ultimate goal is to offer biostatistics degree programs to Mayo Clinic employees.

SPH professor Mary Story and project director Sara VeblenMortenson are leading a partnership with four St. Paul elementary schools on PALA+Peers, a new program to enhance the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). In the longstanding PALA program, schoolchildren complete physical activity goals to earn a blue badge and a certificate signed by the President. The six-week PALA+Peers program centers continued on page 6

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FEATURE STORY

Sixth-graders show their audition numbers at a PALA+Peers casting call. continued from page 5

on a toolkit of physical activities. The activities are designed so that students build confidence and gain support from others at home and at school. The General Mills Foundation is funding the project.

The program takes a peer leadership approach to instilling healthy habits. The idea is that leaders, nominated by their classmates, motivate fellow students by setting a positive example. This method has been proven to be effective during early adolescence, a time when kids are highly influenced by each other. “We wanted to try peer leadership because it has been successful with tobacco and alcohol use prevention with adolescents,” says Veblen-Mortenson.

Another innovative concept involves a series of six interactive DVDs in which kids are asked to “find their best move” to increase physical activity. The SPH team worked with an exercise specialist and Twin Cities-based Intermedia Arts to produce the series, and they cast sixth- graders to narrate and appear in the DVDs. Each student receives one DVD per week during the program. The series has a number of strengths, says Veblen-Mortenson. Kids are able to relate to the peers they see onscreen. They’re able to use the DVDs with adults or on their own. And they don’t have to be outside to exercise—a key for kids who live in neighborhoods where safety is an issue. “The reception has been positive,” says Veblen-Mortenson. “The kids really like the activities.”

John Garcia agrees. He’s the principal of Galtier Magnet Elementary School, which is in its second year of PALA+Peers. “The program has been phenomenal for our sixth-grade boys and girls. It reinforces the work we’re already doing by putting students in the limelight of leadership,” he says. “Sara and the team have been great to work with, and they’re very engaging with our students. We appreciate that.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Disaster Relief Public health professionals proved critical in two recent Minnesota disasters: the I-35W bridge collapse (above) and massive flooding in the southern part of the state. Many of the first responders and public health officials involved with these disasters were trained at the SPH’s Center for Public Health Preparedness.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) staffer Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber holds a certificate in Preparedness, Response, and Recovery from the SPH. She assisted with the establishment of a state-level telephone hotline for flood victims. The hotline was staffed by people from a wide range of public health disciplines, since callers had questions about everything from mold decontamination, to water and well safety, to whether they should receive tetanus shots.

“The incident management systems focus of the certificate I received from the school proved to be the most critical component in the response to recent disasters,” says Petersen-Kroeber.

Petersen-Kroeber’s boss, Aggie Leitheiser, director of the MDH Office of Emergency Preparedness, is an SPH alumna and community faculty member. She credits the SPH’s efforts in preparedness and response training with playing a major role in the recent successful disaster response. “The school provides the only focused educational opportunity for public health and health care professionals to learn about the broad range of emergency response components,” says Leitheiser. “Emergency response is a growing discipline within public health and public health professionals are seen as leaders in this area.”

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

Health Disparities Expert Speaks at the SPH Studying health disparities is about correct science, not “politically correct” science, said Nancy Krieger at the school’s annual Carl J. Martinson Lectureship in Preventive Medicine.

Krieger, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, is a widely noted authority on how race, class, and other socioeconomic factors affect health. She drew on her own work to illustrate some of the challenges of accurately accounting for health disparities in America.

For example, Krieger cited a study of menopause to show the shortcomings of measuring socioeconomic position at only one point in time. Prior research had found no connection between socioeconomic position and early onset of menopause, a risk indicator for cardiovascular disease. But that research measured status only at the time of menopause. When accounting for socioeconomic status of earlier adult and adolescent years, Krieger’s team was able to make the connection, indicating that women of lower socioeconomic position were indeed at higher risk for poor heart health.

“Use the wrong class measure from the wrong time period Nancy Krieger and you get the wrong answer,” said Krieger. “Thinking clearly about class trajectory matters.”

To address the notion that health disparities are inevitable, Krieger offered her study finding that the disparities gap in America actually lessened from 1965 to 1980. While noting that reasons for this trend need more examination, she hypothesized that federal initiatives like the War on Poverty and civil rights legislation played a vital role.

“The basic point is that our results refute the view that widening health disparities necessarily accompany improvements in population health,” said Krieger. “As our data shows, these inequities are neither inevitable nor intractable,” “If addressing social injustice and its embodied health WEB EXTRA WEB EXTRA consequences becomes a priority, we can make progress.

Otherwise the inequities will continue to grow.”

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Neighborhood Alcohol Ads May Boost Kids’ Drinking Neighborhood ads extolling alcohol may make adolescents more likely to want to try drinking, according to a new study.

In their research, a team from the School of Public Health and the University of Florida analyzed 931 alcohol ads— including billboards, bus stop signs, and logo displays— that were within a 1,500-foot radius of 63 Chicago elementary schools. They also surveyed sixth-graders about their attitudes toward alcohol and followed up with them again two years later.

Although more than 75 percent of the ads featured the alcohol’s brand-name or price only, students exposed to them were significantly more likely to exhibit increased intentions to drink.

“It’s not just ads that are designed to be appealing to youth that influence children’s intentions to use alcohol,” says SPH research associate Keryn Pasch, first author of the study. “The findings provide further evidence of the influence of alcohol advertisements on children. Even those students who had not tried alcohol at the start of the study were influenced by the advertisements.”

Twenty-two of the schools had no alcohol advertising in their neighborhood. There was an average of 28 alcohol ads in the neighborhoods around the remaining 41 schools, with the highest count topping 100 ads in one neighborhood.

Previous research shows that adolescents’ views on alcohol generally predict their future behaviors. Youth who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking after age 18.

“Restrictions on alcohol advertising around schools are needed to reduce the influence that this type of advertising has on children,” Pasch says.

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To hear a Public Health Moment on this study, go to http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/moment/.

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BIOSTATISTICS

New Study Takes Aim at Oral Cancer Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and with a long-term 50 percent survival rate, it’s also one of the more deadly cancers. To make matters worse, survival rates haven’t improved in the past 30 years.

A University of Minnesota research team is working to change oral cancer statistics by studying the proteins found in saliva. The goal is to identify the proteins that lead to oral cancer—and, in doing so, create a method to diagnose the disease in its earliest stages. The National Institutes of Health is funding the four-year study.

Timothy Griffin, in the University’s department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, is head of the study team, which includes researchers from medicine, dentistry, computer science, and public health. The team includes SPH assistant professor Baolin Wu, who is responsible for study design and data management.

Using complex statistical models, Wu will determine how many proteins—of the thousands found in human saliva— to pinpoint for study. He’ll also analyze data on how the proteins interact with each other to potentially lead to cancerous cells.

While it’s uncertain how many proteins might prove to be culprits, it is certain that prevention is key to reducing rates of oral cancer. Studies have shown that when oral cancer is diagnosed in early stages, the survival rate jumps to 80 percent.

“Survival depends on early diagnoses,” says Wu. “Our study takes a novel approach to improving survival rates that haven’t changed for 30 years.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

U Team Looks for Genetic Clues to Organ Rejection Why do some patients experience kidney transplant rejection while others are able to live with the new organ? That’s the question behind one of the latest genetic studies at the University of Minnesota.

The project is a collaboration of William Oetting, an associate professor in the College of Pharmacy, and SPH professor Wei Pan. Over the past four years, Oetting’s lab has collected genetic samples from kidney transplant patients. That data has been handed over to Pan, who will analyze the genes to see which are related to kidney rejection.

Similar studies have analyzed anywhere from 30 to 100 patient samples, while this study includes the DNA of more than 500 patients. “It’s probably the largest study of its kind,” says Pan. Another “first” will be how the data is analyzed. Pan will create a new statistical method to single out the genes behind organ rejection. Too many statistical possibilities exist to examine every gene and every possible combination of genes in the DNA samples. “So the question becomes how do you find the relevant genes?” says Pan. “We’ll work to develop smarter search methods.”

A study challenge involves epistasis, the interaction of genes in the genetic representation of a problem. The higher the epistasis, the harder it is for a statistical model to solve the problem. Because organ rejection is a complex process, there are many genes that lead to it, and thus, a high level of epistasis.

While the researchers will uncover clues to kidney rejection, their findings could also prove useful in identifying genetic variations that contribute to other complex health problems and diseases.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

SPH Faculty Members Appointed to State Environmental Panel

SPH Leads Largest Study Ever on Child Health The School of Public Health has been awarded $14 million over five years to lead a landmark study on child health. It will be largest and most comprehensive child health study ever conducted in the United States.

The SPH will become one of 22 research centers to join the National Children’s Study, a federal project that will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21. The project sets out to answer how genes and the environment attribute to pressing health problems such as asthma, autism, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and birth defects. This is the first time a study will document exposures prior to and during pregnancy and into childhood and adolescence.

“What we learn will help not only children and families in Minnesota but children across the country,” says SPH professor Pat McGovern, who will lead the study of 1,000 Ramsey County children. McGovern and the University research team will work in tandem with other study centers across the United States. The centers were selected to cover 105 study locations that together are representative of the U.S. population.

McGovern’s team will start recruiting families in 2009 in various Ramsey County neighborhoods. By collecting information from parents before conception, during pregnancy, and beyond—as well as information about air quality, food intake, and other environmental conditions—researchers hope to identify factors that influence health as children grow.

The study is part of a collaborative effort from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National WEB EXTRA WEB EXTRA Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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To hear a Public Health Moment on this study, go to http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/moment/.

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School of Public Health associate professors John Adgate and Bruce Alexander have been appointed to the State of Minnesota’s Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring Scientific Advisory Panel.

The panel was established as part of legislation passed last year to help health officials make the link between harmful pollution and chronic diseases in Minnesota children and Minnesota State Capitol adults. The legislation also puts Minnesota in line to receive federal money for health tracking and bio-monitoring.

“There is a growing body of scientific evidence finding that pollutants found in air, water, and soil cause health effects,” says Adgate. “Health tracking and bio-monitoring will help determine where and how environmental pollutants are affecting the health of Minnesotans.”

Health tracking directs state agencies to collect data on human exposures to hazardous chemicals and then compare them to data showing where people are suffering from diseases associated with those pollutants. Researchers could then do further analysis to see whether it is just coincidence or if the chemicals are causing the afflictions.

Bio-monitoring sets up a pilot project where researchers will target certain areas and ask for volunteers to be tested for arsenic, mercury, perfluorochemicals (PFCs), or other chemicals in their bodies.

As members of the scientific advisory panel, Adgate and Alexander will help craft recommendations to the commissioner of health on how to proceed with monitoring and prevention efforts.

“This is an exciting first step in examining the link between environmental pollutants and disease in Minnesota,” says Adgate. “It’s still a pilot, but getting data from local populations will help decision-making and may allow for more effective prevention efforts down the road.”

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HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

Sainfort Heads Health Policy and Management François Sainfort has been named head of the school’s Division of Health Policy and Management. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, he has also been named a Mayo Professor of Public Health.

Prior to coming to the SPH, Sainfort was senior associate dean for interdisciplinary research in the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech, director of the Health Systems Institute, and the William W. George Professor Estimates of the number of Americans eligible to donate of Health Systems at Georgia blood are off by as much as one-third, according to new Tech and the Emory University research from the University of Minnesota.

School of Medicine.

Only 37 percent of Americans are considered acceptable “Dr. Sainfort is highly donors, although it has long been believed 60 percent were regarded for his leadership eligible, say the authors in Transfusion, the journal of the skills and commitment to American Association of Blood Banks. In actual numbers, interdisciplinary research,” about 111 million people are eligible to donate, 66 million says SPH Dean John fewer than originally believed.

Finnegan. “His work in The pool of potential blood donors traditionally has medical decision-making been calculated based on the population from ages 18 to will add to the school’s 65. But many of those people are screened out because François Sainfort scope of expertise. His vision of high-risk behavior, disease, medications, or travel to for attracting endowments and large multi-investigator grants other countries. will bolster our reputation and create new opportunities for “The rules were created to ensure that the blood supply faculty and students.” is safe, but they also make it tougher for blood banks to Sainfort’s research focuses on helping individuals and meet their goals,” says SPH associate professor William organizations make decisions, often under circumstances of Riley, one of the study’s authors. risk and uncertainty. These issues include patients facing Riley, along with co-researcher Jeffrey McCullough, of choices about cancer treatment, health care administrators the medical school, used the criteria of the American deciding whether to invest in costly medical technology, and Association of Blood Banks to determine who would be policymakers weighing issues of how to best invest taxpayer eligible. They estimate that about 183 million Americans money for prevention strategies. would be excluded by current rules.

Sainfort received a doctorate in industrial engineering Riley says the research team will determine further who and management from the École Centrale in Paris, France. is eligible to donate and pass that information on to bloodBefore his tenure at Georgia Tech, he was on faculty at the banking organizations.

University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Blood collection organizations can develop recruitment “I’m looking forward to working with a very forwardstrategies to encourage those who don’t currently donate to thinking group of people, whose work combines traditional consider doing so,” he says. “These strategies are essential public health with new approaches,” says Sainfort of his because the size of the eligible donor population is SPH colleagues. “The future of the field calls for projected to decrease over the next decade.” researchers to embrace different disciplines to address WEB EXTRA WEB EXTRA public health issues in the United States and globally.”

To hear a Public Health Moment on this study,

Blood Donor Pool Shrinking

Photo: Eric Miller

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go to http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/moment/.

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PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

SPH Roundtable: Environmental Threats to Children How to protect children from the toxic agents that permeate our environment was the topic of the latest SPH Roundtable.

The event featured a keynote address from Philip Landrigan, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Landrigan is known for his work in protecting children from environmental threats to health, most notably lead and pesticides. He has been a leader in developing the National Children’s Study, the largest study of children’s health and the environment ever launched in the United States.

Landrigan spoke of the unprecedented rates of cancer, autism, asthma, birth defects, and developmental disabilities that afflict American children today. And he outlined the growing body of research that links hazardous chemicals to these diseases.

To address the problem, we must draw on the power of major epidemiologic studies, said Landrigan, who cited the country’s plummeting rates of heart disease and stroke over the past decades as a “great triumph” of public health and an example to follow in reducing the diseases linked to toxic exposure.

In following 100,000 American kids from conception to age 21, Landrigan said the National Children’s Study has the potential to improve children’s health in a similarly profound way. (To learn about the SPH’s role in this study, see page 9.)

Outside of the research arena, action must be taken at the federal level. “There’s no other way to do it,” said Landrigan. “We need to have legislation in this country that requires that chemicals be tested for their toxicity. . . .We WEB EXTRA need to have representatives in Washington who think it’s important to protect the next generation against toxic hazards.”

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Global Outreach is Focus of New SPH Team More and more these days, public health means packing your bags.

The school has launched a new initiative to support the increasingly global scope of SPH research, education, and outreach. The Global Outreach, or “GO” Team, will work with SPH faculty, staff, and students to foster global networks.

The GO Team will partner with faculty on developing online and on-site courses for students in other countries.

And it will serve as a resource for international students here and abroad and for the faculty who teach and mentor those students. The team, made up of SPH staff members, is collaborating with the School of Nursing and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“We hope to create a community of global learners,” says SPH education specialist Sharon Vegoe, who leads the team. “The key to this process is partnerships.”

Some of those partnerships are happening in India, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Planning is underway for a weeklong public health institute to take place at the University of Iceland in 2008. The team is also recruiting international faculty to teach at the SPH’s Public Health Institute, which annually draws hundreds of students to the Twin Cities. Also in development: a Web-based seminar on international leadership.

“Public health is global health,” says Debra Olson, SPH associate dean for public health practice education.

“Fostering global partnerships is integral to the school’s mission and to addressing our most pressing public health challenges.”

To watch a video of this presentation, go to www.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/events/roundtable.

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SCHOOL NEWS SPH Welcomes New Faculty Julie Jacko, professor, environmental health sciences, is also a faculty member of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Her research activities focus on health informatics, emphasizing human-computer interaction, universal access to electronic information technologies, as well as other technological aspects of health care delivery.

Sonya Brady, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, researches health risk behavior during adolescence and young adulthood, developmental influences on risk-taking, mechanisms linking stressful life circumstances to health risk behavior, and factors promoting resiliency, promotion of health protective behavior, and public policies affecting adolescent health.

Nancy Sherwood, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, is also a research investigator at the HealthPartners Research Foundation.

Her research interests include obesity prevention and treatment in children and adults, with a particular emphasis on how weight management interventions can be most effectively delivered in the context of health care delivery systems.

Toben Nelson, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, has research interests in health policy, organizational change, health behavior during developmental transitions, influence of sports participation on health, social determinants of health, program evaluation, prevention of alcohol-attributable harm, physical activity promotion, obesity prevention, and motor vehicle safety.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Hongfei Guo, assistant professor, has a joint appoint in biostatistics and the University’s Office of Clinical Research. He has research interests in multivariate data analysis, statistical methods and analysis for longitudinal data and survival data, design and analysis of clinical trials, and application of Bayes methods to clinical research.

Keith Horvath, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, researches Internet-based public health interventions, HIV prevention interventions, online survey methodology, and minority sexual health. He teaches e-Public Health: Online Intervention Design and is a member of the HIV Intervention and Prevention Studies Center.

Alvaro Alonso, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, has research interests in the epidemiology of hypertension, nutritional epidemiology, and neuroepidemiology, with a focus on multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Pinar Karaca-Mandic, assistant professor, health policy and management, is also an adjunct economist at RAND Corporation. Her research covers topics in health economics, and law and economics. She is particularly interested in health insurance benefit design and health care regulations and markets. She teaches the course Health Economics and Policy.

Ellen Demerath, associate professor, epidemiology and community health, works in the area of cardiovascular disease epidemiology.

Her research interests include the developmental origins of chronic disease, with an emphasis on obesity, body composition, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in infancy and childhood.

Jeffrey McCullough, assistant professor, health policy and management, researches health care finance and economics, with a focus on the role of technology and innovation in health care. He also has interests in pharmaceutical and information technology markets. He teaches a course on health care finance.

Jeffrey Mandel, associate professor, environmental health sciences, is an occupational physician and epidemiologist. His consulting and research interests focus on health issues linked to occupational and environmental exposures, including asbestos, benzene, and other environmental pollutants. Prior to joining the SPH, he served as director of occupational medicine at 3M.

Heather Nelson, associate professor, epidemiology and community health, is also a member of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. Her research efforts focus on understanding cancer susceptibility and etiology using both laboratory and epidemiologic tools. Specific disease areas of interest include non-melanoma skin cancer, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

Ruby Nguyen, assistant professor, epidemiology and community health, researches women’s health, etiology of reduced fertility, infertility and later disease, intersection of genital tract infections on reproduction, pregnancy-related morbidity, and epidemiologic methods in studies of fertility.

Remembering Judy Peterson The School of Public Health lost a dear friend when longtime Dean’s Office staff member Judy Peterson passed away on August 23 after a brief battle with lung cancer.

During her 40 years at the SPH, Peterson worked with all seven deans in the school’s history. In the course of her tenure, she served in numerous roles, including office manager, communications director, editor, facilities manager, human resources director, and senior administrative director. More importantly, she was also confidant, mediator, valued colleague, and friend to countless faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

“What I miss most is Judy’s wit, which lightened even the heaviest of burdens we sometimes carry as administrators, and her ability to accomplish anything she set her mind to,” says SPH Dean John Finnegan. “She instilled immense confidence because she had the most amazing track record of success.”

In addition to her “can-do” approach to work, Peterson had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the SPH and served as the school’s unofficial historian—and her office, the defacto archive. Colleagues often joked that it was easy to believe that Peterson’s cluttered office could hold 40 years worth of history.

It is fitting that someone who gave so much of herself to the school is permanently remembered at the SPH. The school is working to establish the Judy Louise Bartz Peterson student scholarship. Given that Peterson was born, raised, and had close ties with Fosston, a small town in the northwest corner of Minnesota, the scholarship will be for students who either are from a rural area or seek to practice public health in a rural area.

If you would like to learn more about the scholarship, contact Adam Buhr at 612-626-2391 or a.buhr@mmf.umn.edu.

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STUDENT NEWS SPH Student Embarks on Emerging Leaders Fellowship

Photo: Tim Rummelhoff

Melissa Boney’s passion to improve American Indian health has led her to work with local agencies in Minnesota, to pursue a degree at the SPH, and to embark on a fellowship with the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Washington, D.C. Melissa Boney at SPH commencement She’s working at the federal agency under the Emerging Leaders Program, an initiative that trains exceptional interns from a variety of backgrounds. Over the next two years, Boney will work at the IHS office of health promotion and disease prevention and rotate through a variety of positions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Working at the Minneapolis American Indian Center helped the SPH student understand what her next career step should be. “I knew I needed to get more skills and develop the knowledge to better serve my community,” says Boney, a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.

Boney completed her coursework in public health administration and policy last spring and is putting the finishing touches on her master’s thesis. Looking through the lens of environmental justice, the project focuses on arsenic contamination in a Minneapolis residential area.

The transition from local public health to an agency that serves 561 tribes in 35 U.S. states is interesting, says Boney, who’s looking forward to learning about the federal budget and contracting processes.

While Boney knows she wants her career to be focused on American Indian health, she’s not sure what path she’ll take after the Emerging Leaders Program. “There are a lot of options. There’s a huge need for American Indian public health researchers and professionals on the local and national levels,” she says. “Right now I’m figuring out my strengths and where I fit best.”

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Matt Eggebrecht, Christie Martin, and Kirsten Klevan

SPH Students Lead Neighborhood Clinic Every Monday night the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic opens its doors for business. Operating out of a church basement a couple of miles from downtown Minneapolis, the clinic has a twofold mission. The first is to provide culturally appropriate health care to those who are underinsured and underserved. The second is to provide a real-world service learning experience to University of Minnesota students.

Among those students are clinic co-chairs Kirsten Klevan and Matt Eggebrecht and operations chair Christie Martin.

The three SPH students—along with peers from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and other schools at the University—oversee all aspects of the clinic.

The volunteer position offers Klevan an inspiring way to contribute while in school. “I like the community of students that comes together to work where our efforts are needed,” she says. “It fires me up for a career in health care.”

This year, the board received 110 applications for the clinic’s 60 volunteer positions. The volunteers work closely with University of Minnesota physicians.

The opportunity to work with the Latino community and the interdisciplinary learning environment is what drew Martin to the clinic. “It’s amazing to see the big picture, how physical therapy, pharmacy, medicine, and administration can come together,” she says.

The clinic recently implemented an electronic records system, a feat that many traditional clinics have not yet accomplished. A possible next step: expanding hours to a second night. “Our goal is to give the same quality of care as any clinic,” says Eggebrecht.

Learn more at www.phillips.neighborhoodclinic.com.

PHILANTHROPY Reducing Financial Barriers to Education through Scholarships Photo: Shane Harbolt

Photo: Tim Rummelhoff

Ever since his medical school days at the University of Minnesota in the 1940s, John R. Pfrommer has believed that public health just makes sense.

Pfrommer remembers listening to Hubert Humphrey, then mayor of John Pfrommer Minneapolis, talk on the radio about President Harry Truman’s ideas for a national health program. “It seemed eminently sensible,” Pfrommer says.

So a few years after he finished his medical training—he specialized in preventive medicine—Pfrommer also decided to get a master of public health (M.P.H.) degree.

Pfrommer enjoyed a long and successful career as a flight surgeon and later as an administrator of hospitals in the U.S. Air Force. After traveling throughout the world, he believes he gained a population health perspective that made him a better physician.

Pfrommer feels fortunate that the government paid for all of his education through the U.S. Army and Air Force.

Today, he wants to give other students opportunities like he had. To reduce financial barriers to education, he’s supporting scholarships at the School of Public Health.

“I feel very strongly that anyone who has the ability and is willing to work hard has the right to be educated,” Pfrommer says.

Although he earned his M.P.H. elsewhere, he chose to give back to the University of Minnesota. “I felt I owed the University something for my medical training,” he says.

In the past six years, Pfrommer has established three scholarship funds totaling $170,000 in the SPH: the Dr. John Pfrommer Scholarship; the James Pfrommer Memorial Scholarship, in honor of his brother, who was also his best friend; and the Heidi Pfrommer Benson Scholarship, in honor of his daughter. He contributes annually to each of these funds.

And after the University initiated its President’s Scholarship Match program, through which the University matches the payout on qualifying scholarship funds worth $25,000 or more, Pfrommer brought two of his three scholarships up to the match level, making an even bigger difference for students.

Pfrommer, who is now retired and living in Lafayette, Indiana, says he enjoys learning about the SPH scholarship recipients he’s supporting.

Diana Brostow

Diana Brostow is one of those students. Brostow, who received the Dr. John Pfrommer Scholarship this year, is a first-year student in epidemiology. After several years in the film industry, Brostow in 2005 started pursuing her interest in nutrition by training in holistic nutrition and volunteering as a nutrition and lifestyle consultant in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I love the idea of healing with food and learning about how it relates to chronic disease,” she says.

Now as a student in the SPH, Brostow has a part-time job collecting data at the school’s Nutrition Coordinating Center. She eventually hopes to earn a Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology.

That makes her scholarship even more important, she says.

“It’s made a substantial difference for me. I’m very grateful.”

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ALUMNI NEWS

2007 Community Partner Star Award recipients gather at an event in their honor. From left, sitting: Annie Young, Lea Foushee.

Standing: Gretchen Taylor, Laurel Briske, Dawn Bazarko, Linda Halcon, Patricia Splett, Mark Muller, Starr Sage, Debra Burns, and Carol Greenwood.

Alumni Win Community Partner Star Awards

Photo: Cory Ryan

Six SPH alumni received 2007 Community Partner Star Awards from the School of Public Health. The awards recognize individuals who partner with the SPH on research, education, and outreach initiatives. Eleven people were presented with awards at the school’s recent Community Partners celebration.

Dawn Bazarko (M.P.H. ’03) is the senior vice president of Clinical Innovation at Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare (UHC). She collaborates on research projects of the SPH and UHC, facilitates field experiences for SPH students at UHC, and serves as a SPH mentor. She is an expert on quality improvement and performance assessment and has lectured at the school on this topic.

Linda Halcon (M.P.H. ’86, Ph.D. ’98) is a faculty member of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Her expertise is in public health nursing leadership and complementary therapies. She has taught holistic approaches to emergency preparedness and researches issues of stress and coping in refugee populations and botanical treatments for infectious diseases.

Starr Sage (M.P.H. ’04) is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the SPH’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences. Her research interests include injury and 16

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

violence prevention and occupational epidemiology in low-income populations and communities of color. She has been actively involved with recruiting diverse students to the SPH through her involvement with the Office of Recruitment Services Campus Ambassador Program.

Joni Scheftel (M.P.H. ’01) is the State Public Health Veterinarian at the Minnesota Department of Health. She mentors students of the Veterinary Public Health Program (for D.V.M./M.P.H. degrees) and M.P.H. students in environmental and occupational health with an interest in infectious disease epidemiology. She co-teaches a course on the epidemiology of zoonoses.

Patricia Splett (M.P.H. ’76) is president of Splett and Associates, a firm that evaluates health promotion and disease management programs. She is also an SPH adjunct associate professor and the author of The Practitioner’s Guide to Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Nutrition Interventions. She has provided students field experience opportunities in program evaluation.

Gretchen Taylor (M.P.H. ’84) is supervisor of the Diabetes and Health Behavior Research Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health. She collaborates on research with the SPH to improve the eating and physical activity habits of preschool and elementary school children. She has mentored students, facilitated field experiences, and been a guest lecturer in the SPH.

ALUMNI NEWS Alumni Board Calls for Volunteers Would you like to help shape SPH alumni programs? If so, please consider joining a newly formed SPH alumni committee.

The committees were created during a recent SPH Alumni Board retreat, and they reflect the strategic planning initiatives put forth by the board. Committee members will determine how often to meet and can be SPH alumni, faculty, staff, or students.

‘Hats Off’ to SPH Alumni Three SPH alumni have won Hats Off Awards from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. Cynthia Kenyon (M.P.H. ’03), (pictured with her son) Andy Nelson (M.P.H. ’87), and Deborah Plumb (M.P.H. ’77) (not pictured), were recognized for their leadership in reestablishing the SPH Alumni Board.

• Annual Meeting Committee – will plan an annual meeting for SPH alumni, which will feature a keynote presentation from a major public health figure and poster sessions from current SPH students. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund SPH student scholarships. The annual meeting will take place during National Public Health Week and the school’s annual film festival, April 7-11, 2008.

Photo: Tim Rummelhoff

• Mentor Advisory Committee – will work to enhance the mentor/student relationship as part of the school’s mentor program. And it will prepare the program for continued growth by developing mentor recruitment efforts.

• Governance and Nominating Committee – will revisit the constitution and bylaws of the SPH Alumni Board, review board recruitment and nomination materials, and create training materials for board members.

Erica Fishman (M.P.H. ’91) talks with Nicole Steege, a public health administration and policy student.

Mentor Program Kicks Off New Year The SPH Mentor Program got off to a great start at this year’s kickoff event. Mentors and students met for the first time and discussed their goals for the coming months. This year, 164 students were matched with mentors. The mentor program is the largest of any housed at a U.S. school of public health.

One-Stop Alumni Shop

• Membership Committee – will partner with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) to recruit new members. (Members of the UMAA also become members of the SPH alumni society.)

• Alumni Engagement Committee – will develop new ways for alumni to connect with each other and with current SPH students.

• Communications Committee – will identify ways the SPH can best communicate with alumni, and it will develop initiatives to encourage alumni to share their news and opinions with the school.

To sign up for a committee, or for more information, contact Michelle Lian-Anderson at 612-626-5536 or liana001@umn.edu.

You can share news, join the alumni networking directory, subscribe to Alumni News e-mails, and update your contact information at www.sph.umn.edu/alumni.

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Upcoming Alumni Events

SPH Blogs, Podcasts, and Vodcasts Real people, real stories, real public health

Minne-College Naples, Florida – Saturday, January 26 Minne-College offers a series of lively and informative discussions on a variety of topics, including SPH professor Deborah Swackhamer’s presentation, “A Thirst for Tomorrow: The Future of Minnesota’s Waters.”

The event is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association; the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences; the Institute of Technology; the Medical School; and the School of Public Health.

All SPH alumni are invited. Visit www.alumni.umn.edu for more information.

Winter College Tempe, Arizona – Thursday, February 28 Winter College is an educational and networking opportunity co-sponsored by the SPH and the Arizona State University School of Health Management and Policy.

Winter College will feature SPH professor Jon Christianson, who will discuss, “Designing and Reacting to Pay for Performance in Health Care: What the Research Tells Us.” HPM, HSRP, MHA, and PHAP alumni are invited. Visit www.sph.umn.edu/wintercollege for more information.

Born in Vietnam, Thuy Doan understands well the issues of respect, dignity, understanding, and support that are at the root of a healthy multicultural school climate.

The environmental health sciences student is using her wisdom and leadership skills to help the school’s efforts in multicultural recruitment services. Eventually, Doan plans to return to Vietnam to complete her M.P.H. field experience.

• Learn more about Thuy by watching her in “My Life: Featuring Thuy Doan” at www.sph.umn.edu/sphere/thuy.

• What is it really like to live in the Twin Cities and study public health at the University of Minnesota? Let our seven student bloggers tell you in their own words. Go to http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/sphere/.

• If you want our side of the story, watch “Minnesota, the Place to Be” at www.sph.umn.edu/pro/why.

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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. ©2007 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to SPHnews@umn.edu.

Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with at least 10 percent postconsumer material.

Permit No. 155 Minneapolis, MN

2006-2007

Annual Report

Photo: Eric Miller

From top, left to right: WHAT’S INSIDE: Points of Pride---------2 Faculty Awards--------4 Fiscal Information-----5 Graduates--------------6 Donors------------------8

Bernard Harlow, Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Joe Weisenburger, Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Financial Officer William Toscano, Head, Division of Environmental Health Sciences Diana Harvey, Assistant Dean for External Affairs Debra Olson, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice Education

William Riley, Associate Dean for Student Affairs John Connett, Head, Division of Biostatistics François Sainfort, Head, Division of Health Policy and Management John R. Finnegan Jr., Dean Judith Garrard, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs

Points of Pride

• In a fiscal year 2007 ranking, the SPH remains— as it has for several years—in the top three units within the University of Minnesota in terms of the research grants and contracts it is awarded.

For the third consecutive year, the SPH ranks number one per capita (meaning grant monies awarded per faculty member), making the school the most fiscally productive unit on campus—and the most productive per capita school of any school of public health housed at a public university.

1

The 2007-2008 academic year marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment for the SPH, with 1,343 students enrolled in all.

Minority student enrollment rose by 15 percent over the last academic year.

3

• Alumni and friends of the school establish four new endowed scholarships with gifts exceeding $1.1 million.

These new scholarships are doubled by University scholarship matching programs.

• The SPH begins partnering with the Mayo Clinic to offer its employees clinical research courses via interactive television.

1

2

3

4

• The SPH faculty body is the largest in the school’s

• For the fourth consecutive year, the SPH ranks third

history. During the past two fiscal years, 31 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members have joined the school, bringing faculty ranks from 71 to 102.

of all public university schools of public health in the amount of research funding it receives from the National Institutes of Health.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Laurie Garrett delivers the 2007 commencement address to 189 graduates.

The Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy (CIDRAP) hosts a second national summit to prepare businesses for a flu pandemic. Speakers include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

2

• The school’s Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program ranks second in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of similar programs.

2

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

4

Points of Pride

The annual three-week Public Health Institute offers a record 51 courses to more than 302 students from 28 U.S. states.

5

• With a new scholarship gift from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the SPH builds a nearly half-million dollar endowment to support graduate education for underrepresented students in public health.

• A newly re-established SPH Alumni Board convenes and begins to create a variety of initiatives for the school’s alumni.

5

• The school invites experts from around the world to participate in the 2006-2007 SPH Roundtable Series: International Health Issues and Human Rights. The series includes discussions of genomics, global tobacco use, and HIV/AIDS. The University of Minnesota is selected to be one of six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. SPH faculty and staff head up the center, which will create strategies for preventing pandemic influenza.

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6

7

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• The SPH partners with the Minnesota Department

• The SPH launches the State Health Access Reform

of Health to lead a study of cancer among taconite workers in Minnesota’s Iron Range. The school is working closely with Range communities and the state Legislature to analyze the lung health of miners and their families.

Evaluation (SHARE) project to coordinate state health care reform initiatives nationwide.

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Preeminent epidemiologist Mervyn Susser delivers the 2007 Gaylord Anderson Lecture.

• The school is part of a University of Minnesota delegation that visits the University of Iceland to mark the 25th anniversary of a cooperative agreement between the two schools. SPH faculty members begin advising Iceland faculty on establishing a center for public health.

• The school’s weeklong National Public Health Week Film Festival draws a record audience of nearly 400 people. The school also launches a public health film contest, which draws submissions from throughout the country.

For their summer field experience, SPH students travel the world to work with communities on five continents, taking on pressing public health challenges like air pollution, maternal health, and malaria.

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Faculty Awards and Appointments

John Adgate served as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar to Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Paul Allwood, Timothy Hanson, B.R. Simon Rosser, and Randall Singer were inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.

James Begun was elected secretary-treasurer of the board of directors of the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. He was also appointed to the Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Advisory Board of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Lynn Blewett was appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brad Carlin took over as editor-in-chief of the journal Bayesian Analysis.

Jon Christianson was appointed research chair of AcademyHealth’s annual meeting.

John Connett was awarded the SPH’s highest teaching honor, the Leonard M. Schuman Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Lynn Eberly served as a visiting scholar in the Department of Biostatistics of the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Jean Forster was invited to participate in the Tobacco Research Network on Disparities by the National Cancer Institute and the American Legacy Foundation.

Gordon Mosser was presented with an award by the Minnesota Medical Association for contributions to quality health care in Minnesota.

Nancy Nachreiner received the Faculty Excellence Award from students of the SPH’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences.

James Neaton was named head of the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT).

Charles Oberg was awarded the Charles N. Hewitt Creative Teaching Award from the SPH. Debra Olson was inducted into the Class of Fellows of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.

Michael Osterholm received an FDA Commissioners Special Citation award. He also received the National Excellence in Public Health Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Gurumurthy Ramachandran was appointed to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Board of Scientific Counselors. He was also appointed to a National Academies’ Institute of Medicine committee, Making Best Use of the Agent Orange Exposure Reconstruction Model.

Kim Robien was awarded the George Santos Award for the best clinical science article by a new investigator from the editors of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

James Rothenberger received the University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award.

Susan Goodwin Gerberich and David Jacobs were named Mayo Professors of Public Health, the SPH’s highest recognition of its faculty members.

Pamela Schreiner was named a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Cardiovascular Disease and Sleep Epidemiology study section.

James Hart was named president-elect of the Minnesota Public Health Association.

Jamie Stang was elected to serve on the House of Delegates for the American Dietetic Association.

Rosalie Kane received the University of Minnesota Distinguished Women Scholars Award for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts.

Mary Story was named to the University of Minnesota Academy for Excellence in Health Research.

Harry Lando received the University of Minnesota Award for Global Engagement. He was also named vice president of the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health.

DeAnn Lazovich was elected vice chair of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance.

Alan Lifson was appointed to the board of directors for the Minnesota AIDS Project.

Russell Luepker was appointed as a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute T32 study section. He was also appointed to the Defense Health Board, which advises the Secretary of Defense on health matters in the military. And he was named the American Heart Association Seasoned Advocate of the Year.

George Maldonado was named co-editor-in-chief of the journal Epidemiologic Perspectives and Innovations.

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Deborah Swackhamer was appointed to serve as the Higher Education Representative to the Clean Water Council established by the Minnesota Legislature. She also received the Harvey G. Rogers Environmental Health Leadership Award from the Minnesota Public Health Association. And she was named a fellow in the Royal Chemical Society of the United Kingdom.

William Toscano was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Robert Town was named the James A. Hamilton Professor of Health Economics. He was also appointed research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Melanie Wall was appointed to the Biostatistical Methods and Research Design study section of the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health.

By The Numbers

The 2006-2007 fiscal year brought an increase in revenues, enrollment, and faculty ranks. This marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment for the SPH. The school’s faculty body is also the largest it has ever been, with 31 new members joining in the past two years. The graphs below show trends in

student growth and that a robust research portfolio accounts for the majority of school revenues. The school also remains, as it has for several years, among the University of Minnesota’s top three units in a ranking of incoming grants and contracts.

Revenue Sources

2005

2006

2007

Tuition and Fees

6,139,854

8,709,276

10,307,442

State Support (includes State Special)

5,017,087

5,346,076

12,090,220

Indirect Cost Recovery

5,637,080

5,697,512

12,003,444

Other - Sales, Fees, and Gifts

7,200,913

8,921,570

7,449,153

Grants

68,749,735

66,023,330

76,870,626

Total Revenue

92,744,669

94,697,764

118,720,885

Applications

979

1,193

1,463

Students

1,065

1,177

1,343

Graduates

158

192

260

Tenured/Tenure-Track

71

92

102

Other

35

23

26

Faculty

Revenue Sources

Student Trends

100%

1500

90%

1350

80%

1200

70%

1050

60%

900

50%

750

40%

600

30%

450

20%

300

10%

150

0% 2004

2005

2006

2007

Grants Other - Sales, Fees and Gifts Indirect Cost Recovery State Support (includes State Special) Tuition and fees

0 2004

2005

2006

2007

Applications Students Graduates

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Graduates

Shujun Gao

Photo: Tim Rummelhoff

Emily Zylla learned years ago while working for

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University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Photo: John Keating

the University of Minnesota’s Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center that getting someone to quit smoking is difficult to do. But if she could convince them not to begin smoking then the likelihood was greater that they’d leave tobacco alone.

That lesson took hold and led Zylla to pursue a degree in public health administration and policy. “I’ve always been interested in policy,” says Zylla. “Getting people not to start smoking…that’s where policy comes in.”

Since graduating with an M.P.H., Zylla has been in the thick of policymaking as a consultant with Halleland Health Consulting in Minneapolis. “One of my main roles is to help different health associations, coalitions, and organizations develop health policy positions,” she says. “I assist them in relations with public officials and legislators.”

Her specialty area is developing health reform strategies and increasing access to health care for underserved populations. Zylla says the SPH gave her the tools she needed to do her job effectively. “I learned about policy analysis, and it’s a skill I use everyday,” she says.

As a student, Zylla was awarded Most Outstanding Master’s Presentation for her thesis, Health Reform in Minnesota: A Policy Analysis of the 2007 Legislative Session.

“Many people think of the health care system as a sick care system,” she says. “Others are starting to realize we need to focus more on working with people to stay healthy in the first place. We have a system that is unsustainable, and we need to develop something better.”

When decided to come to the United States from Beijing, China to pursue his doctorate degree he looked for a university that had a stellar reputation both nationally and internationally.

He says he found just what he wanted in the School of Public Health’s epidemiology and community health program.

“I’m so proud of what I learned in epidemiology,” says Gao, who earned a Ph.D. “And Minnesota is a really nice place. I love it.”

Since graduating, Gao has left Minnesota for a job as a manager in global pharmacovigilance and epidemiology at Sanofi-Aventis, headquartered in New Jersey. “I basically do scientist work,” says Gao. “I’m interested in the association of drugs and their side effects, so I do all kinds of work to support drug safety.”

Some of his work at Sanofi-Aventis examines how drugs work for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. As a lead epidemiolgist, he designs studies to maximize the efficiency of drug research to ensure the timely and accurate epidemiolgoical support for SanofiAventis products.

Gao, who earned his M.P.H. from the Chinese equivalent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a medical degree from Shandong Medical University, says he also has a longstanding interest in nutrition, particularly in the fight against obesity.

Gao credits several SPH faculty members for his success.

“I learned a lot from them. . .from nutrition to physical activity to cardiovascular disease and cancer,” he says.

“The education there was excellent.”

Graduates

Benjamin Schulte is involved in a project Photo: Jeff Janowski

that many Minnesotans can appreciate. He’s working at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on an “insect repellent efficacy project” that someday could tell consumers how effective their bug spray is through a rating system similar to that used on sunscreens.

Schulte, who graduated with an M.P.H. in environmental health sciences, says the project focuses on reducing the impact of vector-borne disease in the United States. And he says his job at the EPA gives him a way to use the knowledge and skills he learned as a student, as well as further develop those skills.

Schulte, who began a one-year fellowship with the EPA in September, credits the SPH for giving him a strong public health foundation and preparing him for real-life applications of that knowledge. “The risk analysis course was a fantastic help,” he says. “I kept my notebook from that course and have referred to it about 10 times already.”

As a student, Schulte received an outstanding academic achievement award from the Division of Environmental Health Sciences and the Alexander Dubcek Award, which encourages academic and cultural interactions between the United States and Eastern Europe.

Before coming to Minnesota, Schulte, who has a biology degree from Portland State University, spent close to three years in Prague teaching English. He plans to pursue his doctorate degree in environmental health sciences.

“The M.P.H. curriculum gave me the technical skills I rely on—It’s an excellent background,” he says. “Plus, the reputation of the school is just fantastic.”

Vaughn Barry worked as a graduate assistant

Photo: Jati Linsay

researching an HIV clinical trial during her time in the SPH. She helped analyze and interpret data and learned how to problem-solve.

“I do the same thing now and that’s why I’m really grateful for my experience as a student,” Barry says.

Barry, who graduated with an M.P.H. in biostatistics, is an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta through a fellowship with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. She collects, analyzes, and interprets data for national hepatitis studies.

At the CDC Barry says she’s been able to build on what she learned at the SPH, while continuing to grow professionally. The position also gives her an opportunity to work on a variety of projects—something she desired in her career. “All of the studies I work on, including the epidemiology of hepatitis, are so different from each other,” she says.

Barry is grateful that her time at the University of Minnesota allowed her to participate in a wide scope of research. “I can’t speak highly enough about the research opportunities I had during my time there,” she says. “I was really happy with the program.”

Barry says two professors were significant in her success as a student: Lynn Eberly, who was her advisor, and John Connett, head of the Division of Biostatistics. She notes the excellent feedback they provided on her master’s project, which examines the relationship between body mass index and mortality in men who are at high risk for heart disease. She now hopes to submit her findings for publication in a medical journal.

7

School of Public Health Donors 2006-2007

Heritage Society The following individuals have committed future gifts through their estate plans or through other planned giving programs to benefit programs within the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. +Luella M., M.P.H. ’60, and +Leon S. Afek Bequest for the School of Public Health +Marie and +Henry Bauer, Ph.D. Gift annuity for the Dr. Henry and Marie Bauer Fund for the scholarship and research priorities of the School of Public Health and Medical School +Dr. Betty Wells and +Richard Bond Gift annuities for the Richard G. Bond Professorship at the Center for Environment and Health Policy at the School of Public Health and the School of Public Health Dean’s Discretionary Fund +Nancy Mills Boyce Gift annuity for the School of Public Health Lester, M.D. ’38, M.P.H. ’41, and Devra M. Breslow, M.A. Gift annuities for the Lester Breslow Scholar Award and the School of Public Health Dean’s Discretionary Fund, and charitable trust and living trust designations for the Lester and Devra M. Breslow Endowed Scholarship for the School of Public Health Bright M. Dornblaser, M.H.A. ’52 Trust designation to support the Program in Healthcare Administration

Aldo G. and Peggie Toomey Notarianni Bequest for the Aldo G. and Peggie Toomey Notarianni Scholarship for the School of Public Health for students in the Community Health Education program +Dorothy W., M.P.H. ’77, and Ferdinand R. Ohnsorg Gift annuity and trust designation for the Dorothy and Ferdinand Ohnsorg Scholarship for the School of Public Health +Catherine E. Reilly, M.P.H. ’59 Bequest for the Catherine E. Reilly Memorial Scholarship Fund for the School of Public Health Jean Roberts, M.S. ’53 Bequest for the School of Public Health Dr. Leon S. and Nancy A. Robertson Pension assets for the Nancy A. Robertson Injury Prevention Scholarship and for the Leon S. Robertson Professorship in Injury Prevention at the School of Public Health Drs. Manuel RodriguezNavarro and Maria Jose Villadeatuigo Bequest for the School of Public Health Diane Klein Smith, M.S. ’82 Bequest for the School of Public Health +Professor Ruth E. Stief, M.P.H. ’55 Trust designation for the Ruth Stief Public Health Nutrition Fund and the Ruth E. Stief Scholarship for students in the Public Health Nutrition program

+Vivian V. Drenckhahn Trust designation to endow the Vivian V. Drenckhahn Scholarship in Public Health

+ Deceased

Sarah Gomez Erlach, M.P.H. ’62 Bequest for the School of Public Health

The School of Public Health gratefully acknowledges the following individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations that have generously contributed to the school during the 2007 fiscal year (July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007).

Dr. Richard A., M.P.H. ’82, and Kathleen M. Huset Bequest for the School of Public Health Edith D. Leyasmeyer, Ph.D. ’68, and Archibald I. Leyasmeyer, Ph.D. Bequest for the School of Public Health Dr. Theodor J. and Brendalee Litman Bequest for the Program in Healthcare Administration Elsie J. Nelson Gift annuity for the School of Public Health

8

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Donors 2006-2007

$10,000 plus 3M Company 3M Foundation General Mills, Inc. The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Robert W. and E. Elizabeth Johnson Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Merck & Co., Inc. Merck Company Foundation

John R. Pfrommer, M.D., M.P.H Dr. Janet E. Porter, ’93, and James O’Sullivan Drs. William J. Riley, ’82, and Alvina M. Janda The Charles Schwab Corporation Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving +Prof. Ruth E. Stief, ’55 Dr. Robert L. and Karen A. Veninga, ’76

$5,000 – $9,999 AARP Abbott Laboratories Dr. Henry W. Blackburn and Stacy L. Richardson Judith Hassig and Max D. Smith Roe H. and Beverly T. Hatlen, ’95 Dr. William D. Hueston and Pamela J. Hand Minnesota Department of Health Dr. Corydon W. Siffring

$2,500 – $4,999 Karl E. and Kristin A. Bennett Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Dr. John E. and Jane Y. Connett Discovery Institute of Medical Education Federal Cartridge Company Dr. John R. and Janice M. Finnegan Dr. Aaron R. Folsom Drs. William W. and Susan Goodwin Gerberich, ’78, ’80 Metropolitan Council Tennant Company Tibotec Therapeutics

$1,000 – $2,499 Dr. Robert K. and +Winifred C. Anderson Dr. James L. and Roberta A. Craig The Eleanor Crook Foundation Dr. Stanley L., ’63, and Darlene Diesch Dr. Bryan E. and Susan Dowd Emerald Crest Assisted Living and Memory Care Ruth E. and Robert E. Foster Dr. Frederick C. and Mary R. Goetz Dr. Russell V. and Ellen T. Luepker, M.S.W. Dr. Patricia M. McGovern, ’93 and David A. Cossi Minnesota Environmental Health Association National Pork Board Dr. James D., ’84, and Linda D. Neaton Dr. Geary W., ’81, ’85, and Gail Olsen Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, ’78, ’80, and Barbara Colombo Perry C. Plank Alice M. Stang, ’69 Lee D., ’56, and +Donna L. Stauffer, ’87 Dr. Douglas R. and Dolores J. Wholey

Donors 2006-2007

$1 – $999 Kenneth J., ’77, and Marylynn H. Aalderks Prof. Alfred and Dorothee M. Aeppli Steven H. Ahrenholz, ’78 Barbara J. Albright-Mathees, ’77 Alderwoods Group Inc. Deborah and Jeffrey Alexander Jean H. Allan, ’85 Dr. Kirk C. Allison, ’06 Catherine Jo, ’79, and John J. Ameel Dr. Daniel M. Anderson, ’96, ’01, and M. Elizabeth Gyllstrom, ’97, ’05 Donna M. Anderson, ’71 Jon E., ’78, ’91, and Chlene L. Anderson Dr. Kristin E. Anderson, ’91, and Robert W. Reilly Teresa Asper, ’92, and Joel Peter Anderson Dr. V. Elving and Carol R. Anderson Animal Medical Center Dr. Thomas J. Arneson, ’91 Dr. Mila A. Aroskar and Ronald Newhouse Cynthia Arts-Strenke Peter C. Ashbrook, ’76, and Amanda H. Shepherd Dr. Diana A., ’71, and David Aston Lila M. Atkisson, ’48 Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Evelyn A. Ayers, ’80, and Timothy J. Looby Margaret L., ’87, and Dr. Ben R. Bache-Wiig BAE Systems Matching Gift Plan Dr. Barry K. and Sandra L. Baines, ’81 Dr. Annie P. Baldwin, ’66 Michael E. Bales, ’99 Julie and Dean Balvance Dr. Carl L., ’68, and Mary R. Bandt Dr. Sudipto Banerjee and Sharbani Chattopadhyay Marlyn Barber Arlene Q. and Blaine B. Barker Jr., ’61 Jennifer S. Barrows Susan Barrows Donald R. and Theresa S. Battles Dawn M., ’03, and George Bazarko Kenneth D. Bearman and Karla J. Larsen James W. Begun and Jean Wyman Lonna J. Beilke, ’06 Marcia F., ’80, and Gary D. Belisle Carl J. and Linda M. Bendorf Dorothy L. Berger Dr. Everett D. Besch, ’56 Geoffrey B. Betsinger, ’97 Dr. J. Maria Biernot, ’62 Brenda M., ’84, and Alan Birkholz Dr. Amanda S. Birnbaum, ’00 Charles A., ’67, and Anne M. Bish Karyl R. and Edward A. Blair Rita Blasius Mary Ann Blechinger, ’86

Dr. Marvin J., ’72, and Shirley K. Block Jean E., ’92, and Gary K. Blosberg Dr. James R. Boen and Dorothy F. Boen Lynn A. Boergerhoff, ’85 Sharon K., ’94, and Gary F. Borg Kenneth R. Botilla George W., ’78, and Catherine L. Bowlin Dr. Raymond G. Boyle, ’03, and Susan H. Tuck Dr. Michael, ’83, and Deena Bradley Patricia L., ’00, and Jay Brahe Janet L. Braun, ’80 James J., ’71, and Mary Ann Brinda Terrell A. Brock, ’83 Steven K., ’81, and Cynthia M. Broste Carol S. Brown Elsie E. Brown, ’53 Jeffrey A. Brown, ’90 Merilys P. Brown, ’49 Elsie E. Brown Beverly E. and Michael A. Brucciani Linda B. Bruemmer, ’77 Willis C., ’70, and Dolores R. Bruton Patricia J. and John V. Bucher Jr. Barbara and David Burandt Dr. Keith D., ’80, and Monika R. Burau Burkart Associates Timothy D. Burkhardt, ’93, and Kirby Anne Pitman George, ’77, and Kristine Byrns Katherine A., ’77, and Jeffrey P. Cairns Dr. Kathleen Thiede Call and Gregory R. Call Traci R., ’02, and Jacques L. Capesius Drs. Bradley P. and Caroline S. Carlin, ’05 Major Dayton C. and Gwen K. Carlson Lawrence L. and Linda S. Carlson Jeanette R. and Dr. Claude W. Carraway Jr., ’74 Madeline M. Carrier, ’88 Nancy E. and Lewis M. Casey Kristine E., 03, and Brandon L. Casto Benjamin Y., ’97, and Chun-Lin G. Chan, ’93 Shun An Chang, ’60 Mary C. Chesney, ’83 Donald K. H., ’82, and Cissie Y. Chock Jai W., ’80, and Grace P. Choi Mary Lou Christensen, ’76 Dr. Jon B. Christianson Dr. Timothy R. Church, ’79, ’80 Barbara and Karl Clothier Kelly P. Coleman, ’05 Dr. Thomas P., ’53, and Elaine D. Coleman, ’54 Cheryl J., ’92, and Craig E. Colton Community Shares of Minnesota Steven J. and Barbara L. Cook Susan L. Cooper, ’83 Dr. Glenn A. Corliss Gregory E. Crawford, ’94 Dr. John P. Cronin, ’85

Dr. Richard A. Culbertson, ’73, and Susan M. Leary Leo P. Cullen Rebecca Cultra Caroline A. and Julian W. D’Andrea Jr. Dennis V. and Anita B. D’Andrea Nancy V., ’75, and Charles C. Dagg Gretchen S. Dale, ’91 Dr. Kathleen A., ’85, ’89, and Joseph Daly, J.D. Dr. Mary E. Darling, ’69 Col. Karl J., ’69, and Shirley Ann Daubel Alice B. Daugherty Sherwood, ’58, and Marjorie B. Davies Sharrel E. Davison, ’72 Barbara J., ’84, and Thomas De Lorenzo Gary L. and Jean C. Dean Frances Anne Decker, ’61 Arnold D. Delger Dr. David L., ’70, and Kathryn J. DeMets Karol K., ’67, and Roger L. DeRoos, ’73 Joseph, ’69, and June A. De Santis Kay L. Dickison, ’82 Dr. Robert A. and Mary Ann Dietl Susan Erickson J., ’85, and Dennis Dobbelstein Kathleen Dooley and John F. Boline Beverly L., ’85, and John M. Dorsey Mary Kathryn Dozier, ’77 Arthur E., ’85, and Diane M. Dunn Edward R. and Elvina Eberhardt Frederick J., ’56, and Nancy Eckfeld Grace Mary Ederer, ’62 Joan B., ’84, and David L. Edin Dr. Edward P. and Sally J. Ehlinger Kristen R., ’90, and Dr. Daniel Ehresmann Carol J. Eisenmann, ’85 Gordon W., ’73, and Lynnette K. Engdahl Carol E. Engler The Environmental Quality Organization, LLC Jared A. Erdmann, ’03 Beverly A., ’78, and Wayne J. Erickson Cecelia D., ’89, and Peter V. Erickson Dr. James H., ’75, and Shirley A. Erickson Sara J. Ethier, ’86 Beverly J. Evans, ’84 Steven M. and Julie Evans Virginia A., ’76, and Michael L. Evans Joel D., ’90, and Susan P. Fagerstrom Elizabeth R. Fait, ’94, and Erik Rennan Darryll D., ’72, and Karen F. Farmer Susan F. Farrell, ’98 Sharon Farsht, ’93, and Bill Torodor Amy A. Fehrer, ’99 Craig S. and Andrea F. Fell-Moody, ’78 Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Gary L. Filerman, ’61 James A. Fisher Robert B. and Marilyn R. Fisher Rebecca S. and Thomas J. Flynn Jr., ’78, ’84

9

Donors 2006-2007

$1 – $999 continued Ray O. and June A. Folland Christine E. Follett, ’96 Robb and Lisa Foote Dr. Jean L. Forster Dr. John Gordon and Ruth Freymann Dr. Alan S., ’93, and Ellen Friedlob Dr. Susan M. Gapstur, ’93 Joan L. and James P. Gardner Robb M., ’06, and Stephanie L. Gardner Dr. Judith M. and Bill Garrard Jennifer J., ’84, and Michael J. Gassman General Mills Foundation Rita E. Gengler, ’73 Deborah K. Gerber, ’97 Sandra L. Giovinazzo-Yates, ’04, and Eugene W. Yates Nancy M., ’92, and Maurice Giunta Dr. John P., ’84, and Denise D. Glaser Bernadette D. Gloeb Janice R., ’80, and Dr. Barry R. Godes Ira H. and Shelly G. Golden Nancy L. Goldstein, ’76, and Phil Geller Dr. Barbara F., ’86, and Fairley Gooch Diane L., ’78, and Mark S. Gorder Warren Y. and Ki Ki K. Gore Katherine Graff William B. and Mary Jo M. Graham Drs. Leslie A. Grant and Sandra J. Potthoff Dr. Ian A. Greaves Dr. Michael N., ’73, and Patricia K. Gregerson M. Emilia and Angelo J. Griego Jr. Daniel W. and Tacy Y. Griess Gretchen A., ’82, and Thomas M. Griffin Judy K. and James D. Griffin Jr., ’75 Marjorie J. Griffin, ’70 Sherri L. and Michael D. Grimmer Gregg L., ’84, and Catherine A. Grunenfelder Melanie A. Gust Rosalyn H. Haase, ’95 Mary Jane Haemig Dr. Mylo M., ’73, and Lucille D. Hagberg Dr. William H. and Sarah W. Hague John W. Hajlo Nina M. Hakanson, ’76, and Mark J. Peschel Barbara and A. W. Halweg Cheryl P. Hample, ’80 Mary M., ’80, and David J. Hand Bill Handschin and Deborah Goff Handschin Peter J. and Nancy E. Hannan Walter and + Alice Hannes Katherine W., ’99, and Tom Hansen Dr. Wade P., ’93, and Tabitha K. Hanson, ’95 Kathleen Tue, ’79, and Chet Harrison Jane M. Harwood, ’84, and Robert D. Petrosik Dr. Joel R., ’79, and Debra L. Haugen, ’81 Jena J., ’96, and Kevin L. Hausmann Judith A., ’83, and John M. Haviland

10

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Libby Hazen Steven E., ’89, and Catherine P. Heaston Gregory M., ’79, and Linda K. Heck Dr. Craig W. Hedberg, ’84, ’93, and Dorothy M. Jung Thomas L. and Mary M. Heenan James L. and Margaret Ellen Heglund Drs. Barbara J. Heideman and Duane K. Hasegawa H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Steven A. Heiskary, ’78 Osmond J. Hellen Jonathan, ’80, and Margaret Hellerstein Jane M., ’99, and Frank Hennessy Vonna J., ’86, and Richard W. Henry Gene R. Herrick and Clarice A. Thorwick Leonard B. and Lorraine M. Hertz Nelly T. Hewett Julie M. Heyd, ’97, and Michael F. Weber Tammy and David Hillestad Michael W. Hinz, ’72 Linda, ’75, and Robert D. Hofstad Dr. Richard G. Holcomb, ’80 Dr. Mary C. Homan, ’99, and Kevin M. Holzer Wendy Joy and Dr. Edward P. Horvath Jr., ’75 Patricia House, ’73 Philip C., ’60, and Lois G. Hoyer HSBC Community and Philanthropic Services Ann D. Hueller, ’76 Audrey L. Huset Lt. Col. Timothy C. and Diane R. Ihry Duane M., ’70, and Diane E. Ilstrup Dorothy O., ’84, and John S. Jackson Dr. Gerald A., ’60, and Naomi J. Jacobson Nancy Karras and + Lynn A. Jacobson Carole A. James, ’70 Dr. Kenneth E. James, ’67, ’69 Ronald G., ’71, and Deborah E. Jans Dr. Robert W. and Betsy Jeffery Timothy J. Jenkins, ’01, and Erika Vazquez Salazar Donna M. Jensen, ’81 Dr. Theodore T. and Deborah Bearman Jewett, ’79 Bradley J., ’86, and Pamela Joern Ann M., ’99, and Eric M. Johnson Dr. Brenda G. Johnson, ’78, ’98 Bonnie N. Johnson Gary R., ’78, and Cynthia A. Johnson George E. and Stella A. Johnson Marion L. Johnson Dr. Rebecca A., ’93, and Jeffrey C. Johnson Rosalind E. Johnson, ’84, and Jerry R. Fruetel David B. W., ’88, and Ann K. Jones Merryalice, ’79, and C. Robert Jones David B., ’85, and Jill C. Jordahl Dr. Neil, ’02, and Rachel L. Jordan LaVohn E., ’85, and Richard Josten Roger W. Kaercher

Kathy Y., ’92, and Douglas D. Karsting Matthew Katz, ’93 and Tammara Lovett Alison L. Kaufman Nancy A., ’76, and Kenton R. Kaufman Geoffrey L. and Judith A. Kaufmann Shiela S. Ugargol Keefe, ’93, and Michael J. Keefe Robah Kellogg Eugene R. Kelly, ’51 Richard S. Kerr Roberta J. King, ’88 Mary J. Kirkland, ’72 Andrea and Joe Kish Tomas G. Klaseus, ’76 Dr. George G., ’73, ’74, and Marjorie G. Klee, ’72 Bernard A. and Mary F. Klein +Wilfred G. Klein Dr. Susan E. Kline, ’88, ’95, and Nirmal K. Bhattarai Dr. Genell L. Knatterud, ’63 Dorothy Belgum Knight Erin K., ’98, and Christopher A. Knight Karen A., ’76, and Robert J. Knoll Kathryn H. and Edwin W. Knowles Jr., ’81 Judith K., ’75, and David O. Knutson Annetta and Duane Kokkinen Ting J. Kong, ’95 Peggy L. Kopf, ’66 Dr. Richard A. and Susan C. Kopher, ’81 Laurie A., ’94, and Michael J. Kozlak Kristian R. and Sarah A. Krentz Dr. Ursula B., ’86, ’98, and Douglas M. Krinke Dr. Thomas D., ’78, and Janice Kummet Harold P. and Grace J. Kurtz Dr. Lawrence A. Kutner Emilios and Geraldine Kyriakides Dawn E., ’78, and Donald R. Laine Cristina R. Lammers, ’97, and Alvaro Garcia Lara S. Lamprecht, ’99 Gwyn E. F. Lang, ’82 Chris Laszcz-Davis, ’73 Peter S. and Martha Laudert Donald J. and Mary Helen Lawrence Doris M. Lawson Dr. Gordon M. and Betty K. Lee Tzuo-Yan, ’69, and Jean C. Lee Cecile L. Lefebvre-Burgert, ’85, and Mark E. Burgert Elizabeth M., ’87, and Richard L. Leighton Esther M. Lenhert, ’71 Drs. Richard D. and Joan E. Lentz Drs. Arthur S. and Gloria R. Leon Shawn D. Lerch Carlan and Edith Lesch Marlys J., ’89, and Dr. John W. Lester Dale W. LeSueur, ’00 Seymour Leventhal Drs. Edith D., ’68, and Archibald I. Leyasmeyer

Donors 2006-2007

Chenping Lin Rebecca E., ’99, and David G. Lindberg Kathryn M., ’99, and James A. Linde Linda L. Lindeke, ’78 Dr. Theodor J. and Brendalee Litman John S. Loida Esther A. Ludewig, ’69 Kathleen E. Lum, ’85 Emily A., ’62, and Paul Lundberg Ann M. Lynch Irene L. Lynch, ’58 John H. and Marlene M. Lynch Dr. David V., ’69, and Mary C. Maas Thelma C., ’74, ’97, and Pawan Madhok Patricia E. Magnuson, ’72 Joan M. Mailander, ’88 Darrell R. and Shelly A. Maki Nancy G. Maloney, ’86 Lori L., ’00, and Dr. Craig J. Malvey Janice D. and Robert E. Manary II Dr. Jack S., ’73, ’81, and Terri R. Mandel Rita Petty, ’93, and Gerald B. Manninen Robert E., ’74, and Mary Ellen Manske Major Ruth Holje, ’95, and Gary M. Manuele Vina L. Marquart, ’83, and Karl A. Nilsson Edward J. and Mary A. Martens Leslie V. Martens, ’69 Major Bonnie J., ’97, and Dr. Michael K. Martin Sandra Chandler Martin Dr. Elmer J. and Peggy J. Martinson John M. Mc Lean, ’72 Hugh M., ’74, and Betty A. McAlear Laurie A. McBane, ’87 William M. and Claudia M. McClannahan, ’81 Sylvia McCollor, ’71 Alan V., 83, and Suzanne M. McEmber Mary and James J. McGovern Drs. Warren A. and Brenda J. McGuire, ’03 Richard B. and Rosemary McHugh Daniel J., ’75, and Patricia S. McInerney Dr. Charles E., ’65, and Mary Kay McJilton Georgine F. and John R. McMartin Jr. Patricia D. Mees Amy M., ’04, and Joshua M. Meinen John T., ’68, and Helen M. Melbourn Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, Inc. Carl Michaud, ’80 and Linda L. Ehlers Paul L., ’75, and Barbara A. Mikelson Anna M. Miller Dr. Jeffrey S. and Susan M. Miller, ’96 Leo J. Miller III Pamela J. Mink, ’95 M. Frederick, ’00, and Paula T. Mitchell Dr. Milica Mitterhauser, ’89 Rosemary Moneta Rosengren, ’90 Eugene J. and Joyce L. Montag Gunilla A. Montgomery, ’91 Bliss, ’72, and Shirley G. Moore Ann Moorhous

Sandra Z. and David J. Morey Douglas N., ’72, and Susan A. Mormann Shana L., ’93, ’97, and Michael Morrell Kathy, ’81, and Mike Morring Rosanna D. and Dr. Michael C. Morris Dr. Ira S. Moscovice Diane Mountain, ’91 Dr. Donald H., ’78, and Ruth F. Mueller Mary J. Mueller, ’86 William R., ’71, and Janice Mura Helen R. Murray, ’64 Robert L., ’70, and Connie M. Murray Gretchen G. Musicant, ’86 Barbara A. and John Muzic Max H., ’71, and Deane P. Myers Donald T. and Ladonna M. Naiberk Dr. Mark A. Nammacher, ’77, and Mary Kay Stranik Nicole L., ’04, and Karl K. Neeser Andrew, ’87, and Kelly Nelson Helen A. and Perry M. Nelson Dr. Terry F., ’88, and Constance J. Nelson Dr. William S., ’03, and Pamela S. Nersesian Dr. James D., ’78, and Susan Nordin Edith L. Norris Harriet O., ’45, and Robert L. Nutty Robert J. Nygren Mavis C. Nymon, ’60 Barbara V. O’Grady, ’73 J. M. O’Leary, ’79 and John Sommerville Ellen A. O’Neal, ’71 Dr. Shigeru, ’69, and May K. Ochi Dr. Francis G., ’86, and Nancy R. Ogrinc +Dorothy W., ’77, and Ferdinand R. Ohnsorg Kirsten A. Ohnsorg, ’88 Amy J. Okaya, ’94, and Michael McPhee Dr. Thomas H., ’79, ’86, and Charissa Oliphant Debra K., ’83, and Gary G. Olson Muriel S., ’59, and Roger D. Olson Dr. Joseph E. Orthoefer, ’68 Agnes A. Otieno, ’96 Alison H., ’96, and David Page Dr. James S. Pankow, ’93, ’97, and Megan Bard-Pankow William J. Parkhurst, ’75 Celia N. Paster John M. Patten, ’72 Brenda C. Paul, ’03 Sheryl A. Paulson, ’92 Dr. Theodore P. Peck Dr. Cheryl L. Perry and Sushil Kriplani Richard A., ’83, and Barbara L. Person Bonnie Jane, ’81, and Scott E. Peterson Dr. Lisa A. Peterson and Larry Grab Kathleen M. Pfaffinger, ’78, and David D. Jones A. Jeanne Pfeiffer, ’88 Joanna R. L. Pierce K. Lisa Pogoff, ’82, ’85, and Jeffrey J. Zuckerman

David R. and Bette L. Preston Primary Behavioral Health Clinics, Inc. Judith A. Punyko, ’90, ’04 Kay F. Quam Janet M. Quarn Richard D., ’82, and Cynthia C. Ragan Dr. J. Sunil Rao, ’91, and Darlene Rebello-Rao Stephen J., ’04, and Jennifer Rapatz-Harr Dr. Otto H., ’58, ’62, and Barbara Ravenholt Dr. Reimert T., ’51, and Betty B. Ravenholt John P. and Sherry L. Rawlins Robert G., ’68, and Elrita G. Raymond Dr. Timothy J., ’80, and Michelle M. Regan, ’86 Dr. Christopher J. Reif, ’78, ’84, and Carolyn E. Mitchell Timothy J. and Denise A. Reitmeyer Mary Beth, ’78, and Keith A. Rensberger Helenbeth R., ’90, and John M. Reynolds Elaine E. Richard, ’72, and Donald F. Manguson Brigid E. Riley, ’98 James R. Riley, ’76 Arthur V. and Charlotte M. Rimmereid Cecilia R., ’93, and Clifton E. Roberts Jean Roberts, ’53 Lisa M. Roche, ’86, ’90 Immanuel F., ’62, and Lola Roesler Bernice and William Rosen Kay A., ’79, and Thomas J. Rowntree Dr. Marcia A., ’77, and Richard Rubin Linda and Richard R. Ruble Leonard E. Rudie, ’78, and Veta M. Pennie Rudie Dr. Desmond K., ’75, ’76, and Carol W. Runyan, ’75 Dr. Orlando R. Ruschmeyer, ’65 Michael E. Russell, ’82 David Saltzman and Diane Bearman Sandra K. Savik, ’87, and Joseph H. Tashjian Gary G. Schaefer Dr. Joni M. Scheftel, ’01, and Paul Maravelas Anne M. Schloegel, ’95, and Stephen M. Madsen Peter M., ’84, and Barb Schmitt Henry and Phyliss Scholberg Loretta and Harold Scholten Patricia M., ’75, and David J. Schoon Grace H. and Douglas H. Schroeder Scott Monica M. Schultz, ’97 Delphine L. and James W. Schuman David J. Schweer, ’91, and Cheryl Lloyd Richard S., ’92, and Deborah A. Scott Stephen A., ’00, and Laura K. Scott Scott and Karen M. Sebastian Marie M. and Paul A. Sessa David K., ’73, and Trudy A. Severson Patricia J., ’94, and Dr. Scott W. Sharkey Mary K. Sheehan, ’85 Ann C. Shepard, ’74

11

Donors 2006-2007

$1 – $999 continued H. Edwin, ’76, and Signe F. Shepherd Kevin S. and Carmen N. Sheppard Lenora J., ’75, and James D. Sherard Shelley Sherman, ’06 Rev. Bruce M. Shipman Richard P. Shipman Patricia A., ’79, and Gregory J. Showers Tracy L. Sides, ’95 Loren and Rea Siffring Joan P., ’95, and John N. Simpson Catherine S., ’88, and Christopher A. Sims Marcy J. Singer, ’62 Dr. Duane C., ’87, and Carmel M. Skar, ’88 Alison K. Skoberg Daniel S. Slattery, ’84 Anne M. Smith Barbara J. Smith, ’80 Dr. Daniel F. Smith, ’76, and Margery Lackman Joan M., ’81, and Richard L. Smith Judith Ann Smith, ’85, and Howard A. Tomar Phebe F. Smith William A. Smoger, ’92 Dr. Patricia L., ’76, and Philip J. Splett Splett & Associates Roberta C. Sposato-Walls, ’98, and Thomas Walls Barbara A. Spradley and Neil P. Kittlesen Dr. J. Michael, ’80, ’82, ’86, and Lynn K. Sprafka Theo and Nancy Springer Stability Consulting, LLC Dr. Jamie S. Stang and David A. Kusner Joan L. Staub, ’82, and Andrew J. Mitchell Kristian A. and Julie A. Stauffer Lisa Stauffer Owen J. Stearns Bernita M. Steffl, ’60 Carol M. Steinberg, ’92 Linda M. Stewart, ’01 Philomena M. Stewart, ’60 Donald F. Stiepan, ’85 Laurence A. Stolow, ’00 Andrew J., ’78, and Barbara J. Streifel Lucille B. Strohbeen Richard R. and Romona Strope Jeanine J., ’70, and G. Alan Stull Lih-Chyun J. Su, ’95, and Tung-Chin Chiang Dr. Amy S., ’79, and Judry L. Subar Sarah E., ’93, and Brian P. Sullivan Larry B. Sundberg, ’81 Capt. Timothy F., ’76, and Renee L. Svoboda Ann D. Swagman, ’77 Nancy J., ’91, and Robert Gerald Swanson Jo Anne Swart John H., ’96, and Deborah L. Sweetland Dr. Marc F. and Beth E. Swiontkowski

12

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Margaret M. Talbot, ’49 Dr. Douglas B., ’75, and Karen L. Tang Weihong, ’01, and Sheng He Tang Dr. Guoyu Tao, ’95, and Qian Li Ernest E., ’81, and Dorothy J. Tate Ahmed H. Tewfik Dzung T. Thai, ’98, ’00 Dr. Nancy R. and Stephen J. Tich Gordon W. Tjosvold William M. Toenies, ’76 Ramses B., ’80, and Rosette R. Toma Dr. William A. and Diane L. Toscano Jean K. Tracy, ’97 F. G. and M. K. Tramp Bruce T. and Rebekka M. Trippet Marie B. Tromiczak Daniel J., ’98, and Heidi N. Trube United Way of Tri-State Lilian K. Vang Dr. Donald, ’68, and Catherine Vesley Elizabeth A. Vieth, ’79 Thelma H., ’99, and John T. Vinson Elizabeth J. Virant, ’84 Dr. Beth A. Virnig, ’93, and Jonathan B. Levy Dr. Wendy A. Visscher, ’87 Brenna J. Vuong, ’04 Dr. Bailus Walker, ’75 Jonathan M. and Katherine Wallace Betsy A. Walton, ’94 Paul F. Wambach Doris J., ’87, and Lloyd Wang Hallie E. Wannamaker Lyman B. and Mary Jane Warren Janet S. Weaver Todd W. Weaver, ’95 Beth L. and Vinson L. Weber Dr. Vernon E., ’63, and Joanne D. Weckwerth Candace A. Wegerson, ’84 Gary Weiby, ’97 Joseph G. and Suzanne M. Weisenburger Karen J. Wennberg Joaquima Wertheimer-Serradell, ’83, and Albert I. Wertheimer Dr. Mary Sue, ’64, and Donald R. Wester Daniel J. Westrum, ’90 Karen E., ’82, and Robert S. White Martha A. Wick, ’71 Wanda L. Wiik Stephen R. and Khristina J. Wilbur Kaye R., ’74, and Roberta M. Wildasin Anne F., ’82, and Peter E. Wildenborg Ann D. Williams Carol J. Wilson, ’81 Dr. Mary M. Winnett, ’96 Harriet J. and Col. Nat R. Wisser Steven, ’86, and Barbara Witz Mary Wong, ’65

Bettylou Woods Dr. Anthony C., 81, and Rochelle E. Woolley, ’78 April F. Wyncott, ’84 Alice A. Yamada, ’69 Dr. Chiao, ’70, and Sheria Yeh Brian J. Zamora, ’78, and Kathleen Faubion Dr. David C., ’65, ’74, and Suzanne Zanick Mary Wagner Zbaracki, ’75 Carol B. Ziemer, ’62 Charles F. Zipprich, ’60 Dr. Larry R. Zobel, ’78, ’82 Jacqueline V. Zschokke, ’78

+ Deceased School class years appear names for graduates of the School of Public Health and Medical School.