University of Memphis School of Public Health | Annual Report 2022-2023

A VISION TOWARD BUILDING AN IMPACTFUL SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

SPH CARES

Ashish Joshi, PhD, MBBS, MPH | Dean & Distinguished University Professor

“SPH CARES is an Innovative Model to translate excellence in public health education toward greater community impact.”

RE-AIM Public Health IDEAS is a framework toward building an impactful School of Public Health

CARES

Community-Engaged

Anchor Institute

Research-Based Solutions

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Student-Centric

Data driven, evidence-informed academic and administrative decision-making

RE-AIM PUBLIC HEALTH IDEAS

Research

Entrepreneurship

Analytics

Informatics

Management

Inclusivity

Diversity

Equity

Accessibility

Sustainability

A Model for Public Health Education IN HIGH SCHOOLS

Youth should gain exposure to the skills of population thinking through public health education.

However, it has yet to become an essential component of high school curricula.

Public health education focuses on critical thinking, science literacy, youth empowerment and community-based participatory action research.

UofM School of Public Health launched a new Initiative

“RE-AIM Public Health IDEAS through the Lens of the Youth” as a model for public health education in high schools.

The initiative is built upon the relevance of transforming ideas into implementation for solving pressing public health challenges of the 21st century through Research, Entrepreneurship, Analytics, Informatics and Management, (RE-AIM) along the pillars of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Sustainability (IDEAS).

Our goal is to build an impactful School of Public Health that is committed to being a Community-engaged, Anchor Institute, offering Research-based solutions, supporting Entrepreneurship and innovation while remaining Student-centric (CARES).

Ashish Joshi, PhD, MBBS, MPH | Dean & Distinguished University Professor

Aims to instill Leadership and

Educational Advancement among youth to solve Public Health (LEAP) challenges of the 21st century.

PUBLIC HEALTH DUAL ENROLLMENT

INTERDISCIPLINARY PUBLIC HEALTH CERTIFICATE

RE-AIM PUBLIC HEALTH IDEAS HACKATHON

RE-AIM PUBLIC HEALTH IDEAS CLUBS

RE-AIM Public Health IDEAS Through the Lens of the Youth INITIATIVE IN HIGH SCHOOLS

PUBLIC HEALTH DUAL ENROLLMENT

• Opportunity for high school students in Tennessee and across the U.S. to take college level public health courses at the UofM School of Public Health.

• Provide youth with public health skills and knowledge in: environmental and climate Health, social determinants of health and health disparities, health data analytics and informatics, global health crises and milestones and an experiential learning, public health in action course.

• Option to transfer credits earned from these courses toward their Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health at the University of Memphis.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PUBLIC HEALTH CERTIFICATE

• Prepare high school and undergraduate students as the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders and learners in public health who can influence population health.

• First of its kind global initiative for high school and undergraduate students providing essential skills, knowledge and expertise translating public health research into practice.

• Program with an opportunity to transfer credits towards public health education at the University of Memphis and to study at the University of Memphis Campus during the Summer.

RE-AIM PUBLIC HEALTH IDEAS HACKATHON

• Bring together youths’ ideas on how today’s problems in public health can be addressed across diverse local and global settings.

RE-AIM PUBLIC HEALTH IDEAS CLUBS

• Become public health change makers by organizing public health campaigns, conducting public health research across diverse community settings and create new knowledge to address public health challenges in the 21st century.

Enhance and Expand Academic Programs and Curriculum Innovation

• Achieved having all MPH programs STEM designated.

• Integrating job skill analyses and competencies toward curriculum innovation design to prepare employment ready public health workforce.

• Applying the SPH CARES framework toward refining the undergraduate curriculum in public health.

New Academic Programs Established

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN POPULATION HEALTH INFORMATICS

With the rapid pace of technological advancements, public health professions require a core set of informatics skills. Population health informatics tools and technologies are rapidly enhancing the capacity to translate growing population data into meaningful information that can inform actionable insights. Expertise in population health informatics is critical in supporting the activities of public health agencies toward building and sustaining information capabilities that meet evolving population health needs.

MS IN BIOSTATISTICS (CONCENTRATION IN DATA SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH)

36

Biostatisticians who pursue the MS with a concentration in Data Science in Public Health (DSPH) apply biostatistical data analysis methods with machine learning expertise to efficiently analyze data in biomedical research.

15 credit hours | Online program

credit hours | On-Campus

Two New Federally Funded Research Centers Established

PH-IDEAS

Center for Public Health Informatics, Data, Equity, Analytics and System

The Center brings together a multidisciplinary team with a wide range of expertise in public health research, practice and health informatics and data analysts, policymakers and evaluation experts along with co-participation of community-based organizations.

Addresses the issues of health inequities through the lens of human-centered design approach combined with principles of learning, behavioral, humanistic and information processing theories all through the three areas of: workforce development, foundational capabilities and data modernization.

5-year CDC funded collaborative center between UofM | SPH & Shelby County Health Department.

MCHEER

Memphis Climate Health Environment Equity Research

Expand collaboration, build capacity and engage communities to conduct transdisciplinary and translational research addressing complex health impacts from climate change and environmental pollution on vulnerable populations in the greater Memphis area and beyond.

Part of the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center funded for 5 years by EPA.

The center will provide:

• Training and assistance to build capacity for navigating grant application systems.

• Support for writing strong grant proposals.

• Guidance on community engagement.

• Facilitation of meetings, translation and interpretation services for non-English-speaking participants.

OFFICES OF REAP

Office of Recruitment and Admissions

Office of Enrollment and Advisement

Office of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness

Office of Practicum and Experiential Learning

STUDENT CENTEREDNESS

Student Engagement to Support Student Success

DATA-DRIVEN, EVIDENCE-INFORMED, DIGITALLY-ENABLED STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Student memberships to American Public Health Association (APHA)

Initiated Scholarships for new, incoming students

Student Ambassador initiative

Opportunities for doctoral students

Public Health Innovation Lab (to be established)

Initiated membership to American Public Health Association for all Public Health students

Initiated Scholarships for new, incoming students

Launched teaching assistantships for doctoral students

Launched School of Public Health Student Ambassador initiative

+ 233 STUDENTS

+ 15 Scholarships

Total of $75,000

(Student Average GPA 3.7)

+ 10 PhD Students

3 Student Ambassadors

Office of Recruitment & Admissions

SPH STUDENT AMBASSADORS

The student ambassadors attend community and university events to talk about the School of Public Health.

Serena Gonzales BS in Public Health Class of ’26

Aniya Bonds BS in Public Health Class of ’25

Ricky Ogburn, Jr. BS in Public Health Class of ’24

Briana McNeil, MEd Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator

PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Collaborated with the UofM SPH students to review, revise and refine Public Health Student Association (PHSA) bylaws to encourage equal and greater participation of all students across all public health programs in a cohesive, coordinated and collaborative manner.

PHSA STUDENT MEMBERS

DATA-DRIVEN RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN

DEDICATED OFFICE OF RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS

ENHANCED COMMUNITY OUTREACH

ESTABLISHED RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE

WEEKLY ADMISSION REPORTS

LAUNCHED

VIRTUAL CHATS

DIGITALLY-ENABLED PLATFORM

INITIATED INFO SESSIONS ON CAMPUS

Info Sessions: 75 attendees

New Student Orientation Participation: 20

SPH Community Exhibits: 8

Graduate School Virtual Fairs: 3

SPH Communication in ASPPH Friday Letter: 5

Office of Communications & Events

CONTENT:

RE-AIM INITIATIVE BROCHURE

SPH PROGRAMS BROCHURE

UofM SPH Global Partnerships

COLLABORATING COUNTRIES

Portugal: University of Minho

Malta: University of Malta, Dept. of Public Health

Jordan: International Academy of Public Health

Saudi Arabia: College of Public Health & Health Informatics

King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Science

India: Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai, India

GLOBAL EXPERTS AS SPH SCHOLARS

Accomplished leaders from academia, industry, policy and practice whose insight and expertise aligns with the public health mission of UofM SPH.

Dr. Daniel F. Sarpong Executive Director Office of Health Equity Research Yale School of Medicine

William Yotive Model UN Coordinator

Yonette F. Thomas, PhD President of UrbanHealth360

Rakesh Kumar, MD CEO WISH Foundation

Dr. Emmanuel Tsekleves Professor Global Health Design Innovation Lancaster University

Elisabeth Wilhelm Senior Social Behavior Change Advisor

Tina Purnat Unit Emergency Preparedness, WHO Former Team Lead Infodemic Management

Neville Calleja Professor and Head Department of Public Health University of Malta

INITIATED DEAN GRAND ROUNDS

MARCH | TOPIC

“Sickle Cell Anemia: Through the Lens of a Physician, Public Health, and a Parent.”

APRIL | TOPIC

“Priorities and Activities of the Shelby County Health Department.”

SPEAKER SERIES SPRING SEMESTER 2023

Dr. Tobi Amosun Assistant Commissioner Tennessee Department of Health Director of the Division of Family Health and Wellness

Dr. Michelle Taylor MD, MS, DrPH, MPA Director and Health Officer Shelby County Health Dept. (SCHD) Lt. Co.l in the TN Air National Guard

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

SPH Faculty & New Hires

Briana McNeil, MEd Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator

Dr. Stella Lartey Assistant Professor Health Economics (HSMP Division)

Dr. Onoja Akpa Associate Professor of Teaching Biostatistics (EBE Division)

Makeda Porter-Carr Pre-Award Coordinator

SPH Faculty in New Roles

Satish Kedia, PhD, MPH Associate Dean of Administration & Faculty Affairs Interim Director/Program Coordinator SBS

Meredith Ray, PhD Associate Professor of Biostatistics  Program Coordinator for Biostatistics

Xinhua Yu, MD, PhD, MS Associate Professor of Epidemiology, PhD Program Coordinator for Epidemiology

Mark Hendricks, MHA Assistant Professor of Teaching Interim Program Coordinator for MHA

Rajesh Melaram, PhD Interim Coordinator, Academic Affairs

Rebecca Kronenberg, MPH Interim Undergraduate Advisor

Strategic Framework Committee

Fawaz Mzayek, Chair, Associate Professor

Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health

Meredith A Ray , Co-Chair, Associate Professor

Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health

Courtnee E Melton-Fant, Assistant Professor

Division of Health Systems Management and Policy

Briana McNeil, Coordinator Recruitment and Admissions

Abu Mohammed Naser Titu, Assistant Professor

Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health

Satish K Kedia, Associate Dean

Administration & Faculty Affairs

Division of Social Behavioral Sciences

Xinhua Yu, Associate Professor

Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health

Marian C. Levy, Associate Dean

Office of the Dean

Makeda Marie Porter

Pre-Award Coordinator

Ayesha Mukhopadhyay Doctoral Student

Asos Mahmood Alumni

PH-IDEAS Center New Hires

Dr. Nichole Saulsberry-Scarboro PH-IDEAS Center Program Director

Stella Dockery PH-IDEAS Center Program Coordinator

Greeshma Chowdavaram PH-IDEAS Center Software Programmer

Xianqiang Fu PH-IDEAS Research Analyst

Nidhi Mittal PH-IDEAS Health Informatics Analyst

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

12 Month Priorities Plan

• Finalization and implementation plan for the SPH strategic framework.

• Hiring of all open faculty and staff positions.

• Ensure all academic processes, policies and procedures are in place.

• Expand academic pipeline programs and implement innovative curriculum changes.

• Review of faculty workload effort including teaching, research and service.

• Develop a framework of course offerings, class sizes and additional instructional assistance.

• Strengthen student engagement, advisement and experiential learning opportunities.

• Initiate inaugural junior research mentorship grant.

• Increase student scholarships at undergraduate and graduate levels.

SPH DATA

FALL 2023 ENROLLMENT

INCREASE IN NEW STUDENTS

INCREASE IN TOTAL ENROLLMENT

36% 14% 14%

INCREASE IN FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT

SCHOLARSHIP

RECIPIENTS AVG. GPA

MASTER OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MHA)

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOSTATISTICS (MS)

3.6

3.7

3.9

DUAL ENROLLMENT

80 3

STUDENTS FOR THE INAUGURAL LAUNCH

SCHOOLS REPRESENTED

RESEARCH GRANTS

14%

INCREASE IN GRANTS SINCE LAST YEAR (2022)

337% 345%

INCREASE IN TOTAL AVG. GRANT FUNDING

INCREASE IN TOTAL RESEARCH FUNDING