PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AUDITORIUM
October 19, 2017
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Presented By
Katrina Betancourt, DHEd, AGM, CPM
President
Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention
PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AUDITORIUM
October 5, 2017
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Topic:
New methods in molecular
microbiology for faster results…
The Microbiology Renaissance
Presented By
Eric Rosenbaum, MD, MPH, FCAP
Medical Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Sept. 15, 2017 | Developing an action plan for emotional wellness was the goal for leaders who gathered Sept. 9 at the FAITH Network Summit held at the Centre at University Park in Little Rock.
The FAITH (Faith-Academic Initiatives for Transforming Health) Network is a collaboration between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and faith organizations in Arkansas to provide an infrastructure that supports research with faith-based organizations. They work to deliver health programs and health education to faith communities across the state.
The conference, presented by the FAITH Network, brought together over 150 faith and community leaders, students, educators, social workers, researchers, health care workers and stakeholders to discuss mental health disparities and ways to address them through the faith community.
“The main objective was for the faith community to not only hear about what they can do as an individual, but also as organizations and a community to address mental health,” said Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health and summit planning committee chairperson.
The theme for the summit was “Emotional Wellness: What can the faith community do?”
During the day, participants developed an action plan for addressing mental health and emotional wellness. In the coming months, summit planning committee members will follow up with attendees to ensure that their plans are being executed.
Speakers talked about tips on supporting others, how to connect the faith community with resources to address mental health, health policy issues in mental health, and what the faith community’s role is in mental health.
“Those who suffer from mental health disorders have to know that we’re here to help them,” said Billy Burris, pastor at St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock and director of Forensic Sciences in the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services.
Burris discussed the role the faith community plays in mental health and the importance of making a connection with those with mental illness.
“Are we going to do what I believe is our responsibility?” said Burris. “We must have a plan for dealing with mental illness and know what we’re dealing with in our congregations.”
Sponsored by the FAITH Network and the Baptist Health, this conference is partially funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award. It is in collaboration with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and Baptist Health.
If I knew then what I know now: A look back into my undergrad days
By: LaTonya Bynum, MPH, CHES
I was the first in my immediate family to graduate from an accredited college. I attended the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) and graduated in 2004 with my Bachelor of Science in Health Education with an emphasis in Community Health and Spanish. I then earned a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. In undergrad, I changed my major several times before finding out about the field of HEALTH EDUCATION – teaching people about behaviors that promote wellness. Save lots of money by documenting what you love to do the most then go into a field that aligns with what you love to do. This is your calling or PURPOSE. Your job should be fun and not work. The health care industry is projected to add over 4 million more jobs between 2012 and 2022, making it the fastest growing industry. There’s a lot of opportunity in this field!!!
Use what makes you different to be a stand out in the crowd. I always loved math, language and science in high school. I used my skills to put me into places where most of my peers could only imagine going, seeing, and doing. Upon graduating from UCA, I took my first job as a secretary with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The supervisor that hired me loved the fact that I could interpret language. This later helped me to excel in learning SAS programming language which is a software program that ADH uses to analyze health data to report statistics. These skills helped me to move from secretary ($6/hr) to senior rural health analyst ($25/hr). The youngest and highest paid analyst in the department. It is not only about who you know BUT more so about who knows you and your work!
You are most like the 5 people you hang around the most. Their behavior, attitude, and spirit will rub off on you. If you want to be an EAGLE you must hang with EAGLES. If you want to live in a chicken coop then hang with chicken’s every day. If there are no EAGLES in your circle – be that ONE EAGLE and SOAR HIGH. Stay focused and write down plans for your success.
Employers are looking for employees who have experience and skill. Be sure to use your class assignments to network with local businesses and organizations in the community who are potential employers. Always introduce yourself and tell people what you are learning in school, then explain how what you know can help them with their business – GOOGLE ELEVATOR SPEECH. YOU ARE AN ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY. Always look for ways to develop or improve your skillset. This will pay off in big DIVIDENDS soon. THINK BIG and DREAM BIGGER.
Use what you know to do what needs to be done to solve local and statewide problems- use your job and school as a foundation to build your network. Knowledge is power only if you learn to apply it. For the longest time, I always thought I needed to graduate so that I could get a good job. Now at the age of 35, I am thinking differently about the importance of building grassroots initiatives that provide solutions for what I see as constant problems in the communities I am a part of. Take what you have learned and use it to your benefit. Currently, I own acres of land and one day soon I plan to become a healthy housing properties manager. It is important to generate multiple income streams for early retirement purposes and overall life enjoyment.
Sponsored By: UAMS College of Public Health and Arkansas Department of Health
PUBLIC HEALTH SEMINAR
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN COMMERCIAL DRUG SPENDING FOR ANTIDEPRESSANTS: DOES HIGHER SPENDING OFFSET THE USE OF OTHER MEDICAL SERVICES?
Mir Ali, MS, PhD(c)
Health Systems and Services Research
Department of Health Policy and Management
RAHN (formerly COPH) G232
Tuesday, September 12th
Noon – 1:00pm
You are welcome to bring your lunch!
PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AUDITORIUM
June 27, 2017
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Topic:
Community Water Fluoridation
Presented By
Lindy Bollen, Jr., DDS
Director, Office of Oral Health
Arkansas Department of Health
OBJECTIVES
PHACS, or Public Health in Arkansas’ Communities Search, is a one stop shop for community health data broken down by county in Arkansas.
The web-based repository of maps and reports allow community members to visualize social-economic and behavioral factors for health, access to health care, and outcomes focusing on chronic diseases prevalent in Arkansas. It focuses on public health indicators by county and other local regions that can be used for program planning and finding health care resources.
Since PHACS first went live in 2010, it has been used by hundreds of people across Arkansas to find county level public health data. PHACS is designed for community groups, college and high school students, researchers, and lay community. The tool gives maps for over 100 health indicators, including demographics, social or economic factors, access to care, preventive behavior, and health outcomes. It also provides health profile reports for each county in Arkansas.
The system includes over 3,000 health care facilities across the state. The goal is not only to display health related conditions geographically to identify disparities, but also to relate the same information for access to health care facilities provided in those areas. People within the communities can use this resource to find providers that offer free or sliding scale services, accept Medicare or Medicaid, or offer translators.
To begin searching in PHACS, click here.
Sean Young, Ph.D., has accepted a assistant professor position in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. He began on June 19 and comes to the COPH from Iowa City, IA.
After completing his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, Young earned a Master of Arts in geography from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a doctorate in geography from the University of Iowa.
Health and medical geography uses geographic concepts and methods to investigate health and disease topics. This includes looking at spatial patterns and spatio-temporal trends created by interactions between the host, the environment, and a pathogen or external agent. By incorporating population, behavioral, and environmental characteristics, medical geography and disease ecology are uniquely positioned to examine relationships between the environment and health outcomes.
Young will serve as a Medical Geographer for the college. His background is in geospatial mapping, GIS, and remote sensing. Young’s interests are in a number of areas. Specifically, he studies numerous infectious diseases in the Unites States and abroad, including influenza, MRSA, and MERS; and other health topics such as allocation of and access to health care services, environmental justice, and area-level covariates of newborn health.
Mohammed Orloff, Ph.D., associate professor in the epidemiology department will be collaborating as a visiting associate professor at Aga Khan University in Nairobi. He will be working with the university to study the behavior of cancers in Kenya compared to the United States and South America.
Orloff and colleagues have also recently presented his research a numerous conferences in the form of a oral presentation, poster presentation or panelist. These include:
Jing Jin, MPH, doctoral student in epidemiology, presented her research at the annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research in Seattle, Washington, June 21-24. Her research was under the supervision of Mohammed Orloff, Ph.D., associate professor.
Mofan Gu, MPH, doctoral student in epidemiology, presented findings from his research at the annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research in Seattle, Washington, June 21-24.
