Taking time to celebrate Public Health

becky_hart@unc.edu (Becky Hart) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:29:58 PDT

Sometimes, public health practice is a little like the electrical grid or the landing gear on an airplane � people don�t think much about it until it�s not there. They take for granted that water will be clean and abundant, that school lunches will be nutritious, that the sources of disease and infection will be identified and destroyed, that public officials will be prepared to take care of us in an emergency.

But practitioners across the state know how much effort goes into protecting and improving the public�s health. And in April, for the past 35 years, the state has recognized the importance of

School faculty members take lead in reporting America�s Health Rankings

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:47:57 PST

Faculty members at Gillings School of Global Public Health at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill were instrumental advisers in the development and review of the recently released 2012 America�s Health Rankings�. First offered in 1990, the rankings analyze and report on the nation�s health on a state-by-state basis.

United Health Foundation, in concert with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, first commissioned the Gillings School of Global Public Health to undertake the ongoing review of the rankings in 2002.

Anna Schenck, PhD, associate dean for public health practice at the School, chaired this year�s health rankings Scientific Advisory Committee. She also served as chair in 2010 and 2011.

"We are proud to play a

Town hall meeting on the future of public health education

becky_hart@unc.edu (Becky Hart) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:08:26 PST

A town hall meeting on "Framing the Future: The Second 100 Years of Education for Public Health" will be held at the Gillings School of Global Public Health on Monday, December 3, 2012. Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, will conduct the meeting. She is the dean of the University of South Florida College of Public Health, and chair of the ASPH Education Committee.

Participants in the meeting will be able share their thoughts on the essential elements of a newly designed public health education system in the 21st century.

"This is an opportunity to help influence the training that will be offered to the public health workforce of the future," says Anna Schenck, PhD, MSPH, associate dean for Practice and director of the Public Health Leadership Program and the North Carolina Institute for Public Health.

The

Bill Friday, UNC president emeritus, dies at 92

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:23:51 PDT

William Clyde Friday, JD, who served as president of the University of North Carolina from 1956 to 1986, died on University Day, Oct. 12. He was 92.

So many will miss his loyalty to the state and University he loved, as well as his wit, compassion and ever-centered sense of justice.

Mr. Friday had a special relationship with the Gillings School of Global Public Health.

His wife, Ida Howell Friday, studied health education at the School and taught here for many years. Even recently, he graciously attended events here, serving as historian and cheerleader at events including the School�s renaming in 2008 and the 10th anniversary of the School�s N.C. Institute of Public Health in 2009.

School celebrates National Public Health Week

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:19:50 PDT

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

Foundation grant will help UNC study local-level public health services

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:06:27 PST

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received approximately $200,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine different types of local public health agencies in North Carolina.

The goal of the research, which began in December 2011 and will continue through May 2013, is to determine whether the way a local public health agency is organized affects public health service delivery or health outcomes in communities.

Coordinating the research are UNC School of Government faculty members Maureen Berner, professor of public administration and government, and Jill Moore and Aimee Wall, both associate professors of public law and government. Other

School holds photo contest to collect images of public health in NC

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:15:57 PST

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health has announced a photography competition that will celebrate public health in North Carolina. The contest is open to all current UNC students, faculty and staff members, alumni and friends.

Photographs must be taken in North Carolina and will illustrate some aspect of life and health in the state. Examples might include people working in their gardens, raising fresh fruits and vegetables; physical activity in our great outdoors; or public health research or service projects.

�We want to feature photographs of our state from

Helping children of incarcerated parents is goal of symposium

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:33:42 PST

What happens to the children of people in prison? And what can be done to protect them and improve their lives? Policy makers, professionals, students and others will gather for a symposium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to explore ways that policies and partnerships can help meet the needs of children of incarcerated parents.

The North Carolina Institute for Public Health, part of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has partnered with Our Children�s Place, a private nonprofit agency, to host �What About the Children?� on Feb. 14 at the William and Ida Friday Center

Melodi Thrift, NCIPH staff member, dies Jan. 9

kastlema@email.unc.edu (Linda Kastleman) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:43:59 PST

Melodi Ann Michael Thrift, a staff member at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health since May 2007, died of cancer on Jan. 9. She was 45.

Ms. Thrift joined the School�s North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH) in May 2007 as part of the Institute�s Accreditation and Evaluation teams. She worked with the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation program and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Multi-state Learning Collaborative.

During her time at NCIPH, said her supervisor, Mary V. Davis,

School well-represented at 2011 APHA annual meeting

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:34:02 PDT

Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health will be presented by faculty, staff and students at the 139th annual American Public Health Association meeting to be held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The theme of the 2011 meeting is �Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds & Bodies.�

The School's annual alumni reception will be held on Monday, Oct. 31 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Washington Convention Center, Salon A, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, in Washington, D.C. Alumni do not have to be registered for the conference to attend the reception.

NCIPH News ()