Division of Public Health 
Spring 2019 Newsletter

Update from the Interim Division Chief, Jim VanDerslice, PhD
 

It is hard to believe that Spring semester of the 2018-19 Academic Year is almost over!  We look forward to our Graduation Celebration for students and families on May 16 at the Rice Eccles Tower followed on May 17 by the School of Medicine Commencement. The end of a year is a good time to reflect on some of the Division’s accomplishments.  

There will be a new MPH program in Ghana this Fall - The University of Utah has received Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of Ghana enabling it to begin its Extended Master of Public Health (MPH) Program at Ensign College of Public Health (ECOPH). Students from around the world will soon have access to the University of Utah’s amazing faculty, staff, and academic culture while earning their Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited MPH degree at ECOPH. Students enrolled in the program here at the Salt Lake City campus may also attend classes at the Ensign College of Public Health in Kpong, Ghana or the University of Utah Asia Campus in Songdo, South Korea.

The search for the new Division Chief is proceeding. Ads were placed on national job sites earlier this month and several individuals have applied. The Search Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Trent Honda and Rod Handy, will begin the review of applicants soon. I expect to see a lot of progress over the remainder of the semester, and we will keep you aware of opportunities to attend their talks.

I want to acknowledge the extra work everyone has done over the last few months to keep the Division running smoothly. This has made my job as Interim Chief so much easier, and shows what a great team we have.

If you have any feedback for me, from student opportunities to ideas about how to improve our curriculum, I encourage you to contact me, or any member of our division leadership team, directly.

Sincerely,
Jim VanDerslice
Interim Chief
Division of Public Health

Alumni Spotlight: Carrie Butler, MPH, MPP

 

Carrie Butler earned her MPH and MPP degrees in 2018 from the University of Utah and transitioned in to a full time role as the Policy Director for Action Utah (AU). Action Utah is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that seeks to boost civic engagement through education and policy development at the state level in areas such as public health, environmental stewardship, families and communities and education. She credits her public health coursework and her role as a research assistant in helping her prepare for the work she is currently doing.

Carrie is currently involved with work on a slate of health care policy bills such as: price transparency in both medical procedure and pharmaceuticals, Medicaid expansion, 12 month continuous eligibility for children on Medicaid, a vehicle emissions reduction bill and a number of other environmental bills that focus on clean air and clean water.

Action Utah has a leadership development program and have been pleased to have some talented fellows join from the public health program this year for their practicum work. Click here to learn more about current internship and fellowship opportunities with AU. 

Research Update
 

Over the past few months we have seen some great achievements in research. Three exceptional grants have been awarded to our faculty.

Dr. Sunday Azagba, PhD, Associate Professor in the Division of Public Health, was recently awarded a three year grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project titled, “Assessing the Effects of State Alcohol Exclusion Laws on Alcohol-Related Behaviors and Outcomes.”

The National Cancer Institute has awarded Dr. Charles Rogers, PhD, MPH, MS, CHES, Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Health, a grant for $878,365. This K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to Promote Diversity was given for his project titled, “Developing a Barbershop-Based Trial on Masculinity Barriers to Care and Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake among African-American Men using a Mixed Methods Approach”.

Finally, Dr. Kelly Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM, Associate Professor in the Division of Public Health, received R01 grant funding totaling $2,124,939 for her five year project titled “Circadian and sleep pathways to cardiometabolic disease risk: role of neurobehavioral processes” by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Our faculty’s research efforts during 2018 resulted in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine being ranked 3^rd in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research national ranking of the 43 departments of Family and Preventive Medicine that had NIH funding. Five of our very own Division of Public Health faculty members –as well as Department Chair Kola Okuyemi - appear on the principal investigator list as top researchers with NIH funding; Sunday Azagba, Mia Hashibe, Christy Porucznik, Charles Rogers and Joseph Stanford. 

 

Fall 2019 Admissions Cycle Update
 

We are pleased to announce that the Division of Public Health will be adding two new concentrations to the program, starting Fall 2019.  In addition to our existing student focused, individualized MPH curriculum, students will be able to choose from a concentration in Community Health Sciences or a concentration in Global Health.  In Community Health Sciences, student will gain the competencies to apply the methods of the social and behavioral sciences to improve the health of people in the communities where they live, work, and play.  In Global Health, students will additionally consider international comparisons, resources, and cross-cultural context of public health.