DPHS October 2021 Newsletter by UM Department of Public Health Sciences

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Department of Public Health Sciences

October 26, 2021

DEPARTMENT NEWS

Division of Environment and Public Health

Miller School Launches New Study to Evaluate COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness among Adolescents and Children The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has launched a new cohort study focused on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and incidence on pediatric populations.

The new Pediatric Research Observing Trends and Exposures in COVID-19 Timelines study — called PROTECT — will be especially valuable in the effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Division of Prevention Science and Community Health

New Study Will Examine the Effects of Depression on the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis Among People with HIV The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded a five-year, $5.4 million grant to investigators at the University of Miami and University of Missouri–St. Louis to conduct research on the microbiome-gut-brain (MGB) axis in people with co-occurring HIV and depression. The goal of the Treatment Research Investigating Depression Effects on Neuroimmune Targets (TRIDENT) study is to examine how decreasing depression alters MGB axis pathways in people living with HIV.

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Division of Epidemiology and Population Health Sciences

Dr. Paulo Pinheiro’s New JNCI Editorial Discusses Priorities for Future Cancer Surveillance Research Paulo Pinheiro, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences, has been invited to report on the latest cancer statistics in the U.S. in the prestigious Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). Dr. Pinheiro has over 15 years of experience in population-based cancer epidemiology and is also a member of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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NATIONAL AND LOCAL IMPACT

Contaminated site in University of Miami Puerto Rico could get and United Way special status Working Together to Curb Spread of Highly For years, the residents of Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico have been exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) -- used Contagious COVIDto insulate fluids and coolants in electrical 19 Variant equipment -- that have plagued the waters of the small inlet. Dr. Naresh Kumar, a professor of environmental health at the University of Miami, has documented these dangerous levels of poisonous chemicals and has spearheaded outreach efforts to have the EPA designate the area for management and cleanup.

As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread across the nation, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is working jointly with United Way Miami to reach and educate the unvaccinated in underserved communities. Moreover, the University of Miami and United Way initiative looks to effectively combat the pandemic for medically underserved communities who pose a higher risk of COVID-19 by distributing vaccines and providing accurate information on vaccine efficacy and safety.

FACULTY AWARDS

Dr. Alberto CabanMartinez Receives the Dean's Annual Faculty Award for Senior Educator The first annual Dean’s Faculty Awards was held to honor 11 faculty members at the Miller School of Medicine for their outstanding work in clinical excellence, mentorship, citizenship, community engagement, diversity, education, and research. From the Department of Public Health Sciences, Dr. Alberto CabanMartinez was granted the Senior Educator Award for his high impact in various areas of educational excellence, as well as being a leader in public health and medical school education to his students inside and outside the classroom.

Faculty members honored by American Academy of Nursing Dr. Felicia Marie Knaul, professor of public health sciences, director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, and a full member of the Cancer Control Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected for induction as an Honorary Fellow by the American Academy of Nursing. The official induction ceremony was held during the American Academy of Nursing’s 2021 Hybrid Health Policy Conference from October 7 to 9.

Prado elected to the National Academy of Medicine Guillermo “Willy” Prado, professor of nursing and health studies, public health sciences, and psychology at the University of Miami, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM), which is considered one of the highest recognitions in the fields of health and medicine. Prado was inducted for his scholarship in prevention science, and for his effective youth-and-familyfocused HIV and substance-use prevention interventions, which have been scaled throughout schools and clinical settings in the United States and Latin America.

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SEEN AT DPHS

The Don Soffer Clinical Research Center features the DPHS Tree of Life, which is dedicated to all who labor to improve the health of populations. Artist: Zammy Z. Migdal, Media: steel / polyurethane, Year: 2012 Photo by: Veronica Bustabad/University of Miami

Department of Public Health Sciences