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Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health

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May 18th ADH Public Health Grands Rounds; “The Body Clock: Biological Rhythms and Their Impact on Health”

Thursday, May 18th 2017
8:00am – 9:00am
Public Health Grand Rounds
Arkansas Department of Health
Auditorium

“The Body Clock: Biological Rhythms and Their Impact on Health”

Presented By

E. Robert Burns, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences
Professor, Division of Interdisciplinary Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology
Pharmacology
College of Medicine
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

UAMS Celebrates National Public Health Week

UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH) celebrated National Public Health Week April 3-9 by hosting events to promote healthy behaviors. The national theme this year, “Healthiest Nation 2030,” calls on individuals to ensure conditions — such as access to safe, healthy food — in which everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. Arkansas’ theme, “Healthiest Arkansas 2030,” aims to make Arkansas the healthiest state in the nation by 2030.

On April 3-4, the Arkansas Blood Institute held a campuswide blood drive in the College of Public Health. Those who donated received a “blood donor hero” t-shirt. Also April 3, the college hosted the movie, Living on One Dollar, as a part of a IPE event University wide. The movie aimed to reveal the lives of those in other countries who are poor. It follows the story of four young American friends who set out to live on just one dollar a day for eight weeks in rural Guatemala. They battle hunger, parasites and the realization of the differences that exist around the world in the way in which people live. Friends are made and life lessons are learned.

“As a public health student, I was able to see the whole picture and not just the situation defining the people living in the rural Guatemala town. To me, this movie shows that we can all learn compassion together and that as public health practitioners, we must strive to understand the people we are serving,” said Kailyn-Marie Bostic, first year Master of Public Health student. Alesia Ferguson, Ph.D., an associate professor, co-facilitated the question and answer discussion after the movie.

“There are some takeaways from this movie for our students. First, UAMS students observed the resilience of people living in poor communities like the one displayed in the movie and how they strive as a cohesive community to help one another. Second, the simple things of life must be appreciated. Third, any help we provide to such communities must be practical, suitable and sustainable in the long-term.,” said Ferguson. The college’s Student Council gave back to the community by providing, preparing and serving lunch at Our House shelter in Little Rock.

The college’s Office of Student Affairs held a career fair on campus featuring entities that are hiring health- related positions. Vendors included Centene Corporation, the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency, the Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program and others.

April 6, the college welcomed four alumni for an Alumni Panel Discussion. Participants heard about their career paths since graduating and were able to ask questions. Panelists included Master of Public Health graduates Brian Delavan, a statistician for the federal government; Morgan Uchtman, an epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality; and Micheal Knox, assistant director of population health at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement; and Doctor of Public Health candidate Amanda Philyaw Perez, a program associate in policy and education at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center.

Also, the UAMS Fitness Center offered a free week trial to any College of Public Health student, faculty or staff not already a member. The Student Council also began hosting a food drive that will last until April 14, and is selling college t-shirts and pullovers until May 1. All proceeds from both of these will benefit the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center.

Faith, Community Leaders Address Health Disparities

The importance of partnerships and networking to reduce health disparities was emphasized April 7 at the Community Campus Partnership Conference to address health disparities held at the Four Points by Sheraton in Little Rock. The conference, presented by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), brought together over 200 faith and community leaders, educators, health care providers and researchers to discuss health equity in Arkansas.

“This is an opportunity for us, as researchers, to explain to community leaders what community-based participatory research is, as well as an opportunity to share the research we’ve been working on with the faith community and what we have found along the way,” said Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the UAMS College of Public Health’s Health Behavior and Health Education Department and conference planning committee chairperson. Attendees are able to utilize the conference to identify potential partners, as well as tie already existing community programs to ongoing research.

Keynote speaker Joshua Dubois, former White House director of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships under President Barak Obama, discussed how effective it is for people in health care to partner with hospitals, the community and other leaders to reduce health disparities. Dubois offered the “Memphis Model,” as an example of a community working together for health equity. The model shows that by engaging faith-based communities in partnerships, health care providers can build relationships with communities and determine how to reduce those existing health disparities.

The morning session featured Wana Bing, project manager for the UAMS Office of Community Health and Research; Nia Aitaoto, Ph.D., co-director of the UAMS Center for Pacific Islander Health; and Sheldon Ricklon, M.D., associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Northwest Arkansas is home to the largest population of Marshall Islanders outside of the country itself. The panel gave an overview of the history of this population coming to Arkansas and discussed the importance of the Marshallese community engaging in research.

The Marshallese in northwest Arkansas have high rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases, as well as disparities such as access to health care and healthy food options. This makes it even more important for them to engage with researchers so these disparities can be addressed.

The afternoon closed with breakout sessions on six main topics: service learning, brainstorming on addressing health issues in the community, community-based participatory research training, faith and government collaborations for health equity, mental health in faith communities, and best practices to engage faith communities.

The conference was supported by grants from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nursing Workforce Diversity grant, the UAMS Translational Research Institute, and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. It was held in collaboration with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Arkansas Department of Health and Baptist Health Physician Partners.

COM/COPH Students Awarded Bourne Scholarships

Two UAMS College of Medicine (COM)/College of Public Health (COPH) students were awarded the David Bourne Public Health Physician Memorial Scholarship in February. Brian Kennedy and Collins Scott were presented their $1,000 scholarships on Feb. 7 at the UAMS COPH.

The David Bourne Public Health Physician Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a medical student or resident who exhibits an interest and aptitude in public health policy through study in obtaining an MPH at the COPH. David Bourne, M.D., was a public health advocacy leader in Arkansas who worked successfully to ensure that all tobacco settlement funds awarded to the state went toward health promotion and disease prevention programs.

Kennedy is a fourth year COM student and will finish his MPH later this year. “I was fortunate enough to live in Southern Africa for two summers. I helped build a health clinic, taught English at a university, and played soccer with children living in government apartments that are plagued by gang violence,” Kennedy said. “While there I recognized a desperate need, relief from HIV/AIDS. The epidemic exists largely because women lack basic rights, are often prevented from receiving an education, and are subsequently forced into prostitution in order to provide for their children.” This experience helped Kennedy see the importance of public health.

“As a public health physician, I plan to empower and educate the women of Southern Africa by teaching in and continuing to build clinics. I’m especially interested in obstetrics and infectious disease transmission during childbirth,” said Kennedy.

Scott is a third year COM student with an interest in general surgery. “I am hoping to use the knowledge I acquire in the MPH program to identify areas for improvement in the field of surgery,” Scott said. “I am specifically interested in outcomes-based research and identifying barriers that patients face to access surgical care.”