March 29, 2012

Since 1995, the American Public Health Association (APHA) has designated the first full week of April as National Public Health Week, developing campaigns to educate the public, policy makers and practitioners about issues related to a given theme. With the recent release of the National Prevention Strategy, APHA staff members decided this year to focus on prevention and wellness, selecting “A Healthier America Begins Today: Join the Movement!” as the name of the 2012 campaign.

 
Daily themes during APHA’s public health week include active living and healthy eating, prevention of substance use and communicable disease, reproductive and sexual health, and mental and emotional well-being. More information is available at www.nphw.org.
 
At UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the North Carolina Institute for Public Health is leading the School’s celebration of National Public Health Week April 2-8.

Dr. Anna Schenck

Dr. Anna Schenck

Staff members from the Institute’s Active Living By Design program will present “Collaborating for Healthier Communities: Putting Public Health Into Practice” on Tuesday, April 3, at 9:30 a.m. in 2301 McGavran-Greenberg Hall. Established and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Active Living By Design and its Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities National Program Office create community-led change by working with local and national partners to build a culture of active living and healthy eating.

“The North Carolina Institute for Public Health provides a bridge from the UNC public health school’s research and education to public health practice,” said Anna Schenck, PhD, director of the Institute and the School’s Public Health Leadership Program, “and Active Living By Design works with diverse community partnerships across the nation and within the state to build a culture of active living and healthy eating. Together, we’re identifying community-based solutions that address challenging social issues and ensure better health for all.”

More information about Active Living By Design and its work can be found in leadership profiles, case studies, resource guides and videos on the ALBD website.

Four other public health week events at the School are of note.

 
Kristin Black, MSC co-president

Kristin Black, MSC co-president

The Minority Student Caucus and Delta Omega Honorary Society for Public Health will sponsor an interactive board April 2-5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Michael Hooker Research Center Armfield Atrium. Participants are invited to complete the sentence, “Minority Health is…,” using words and pictures. For more information about the project, email minoritystudentcaucus@gmail.com.

 
Dr. Jen Horney and Bill Gentry shop at a recent farmers market in the atrium.

Dr. Jen Horney and Bill Gentry shop at a recent farmers market in the atrium.

The Nutrition Coalition, a student organization that plans and carries out volunteer, social and educational activities about health, will hold the third in a series of farmers markets on April 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Armfield Atrium. The group regularly sponsors seasonal farmers markets and other events that support healthy lifestyles.

Dr. Joe DeSimone

Dr. Joe DeSimone

On April 3 at 5:30 p.m., Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD, will give the 2012 Innovations in Public Health Lecture, “Co-opting Moore’s Law: The Cost-Effective Design of Vaccines and Therapeutics.” DeSimone is Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry at UNC and William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at N.C. State University. His talk will explore the impact of interdisciplinary approaches to public health problems and highlight his work with nanotechnology for vaccine development. More information is available on the UNC public health school website.

Prior to the innovations lecture, beginning at 4 p.m. on April 3, student researchers will exhibit posters and answer questions about their projects. The School’s Spotlight on Student Research poster exhibition is a highly anticipated annual event.

 
On Thursday, April 5, health behavior and health education students will host a bone marrow registry event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Armfield Atrium. The simple process, which involves having one’s cheek swabbed, enables a person potentially to be matched with someone in need of a bone marrow transplant.The test is conducted by the Be the Match organization.

“Two of us in the first-year HBHE class know three individuals in need of bone marrow matches,” said Elizabeth Hayward. “In addition to the registry’s being ‘the right thing to do,’ we have personal motivation to work on this project.”

For more information, contact Hayward at edhaywar@live.unc.edu.

 
Plans also are underway now for April 14, when two student teams will host tables at the UNC Science Expo and describe their displays about important public health issues. The Expo, part of the 2012 North Carolina Science Festival, will include hands-on activities and an “Ask a Scientist” booth. UNC’s Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, will present the keynote presentation.
 
“National Public Health Week gives us an opportunity to take stock of the many ways our school impacts public health every day,” Schenck said.

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UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Linda Kastleman, communications editor, (919) 966-8317 or linda_kastleman@unc.edu.

 

 

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