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IU School of Public Health-BloomingtonNews and Updates

Stephen Moore, M.D. receives Founding Dean’s Medallion

Posted on by IU School of Public Health-Bloomington

For his commitment to improving public health, Stephen Moore was recently honored with the Founding Dean’s Medallion by Dean Mohammad Torabi.

Given to public health leaders at the Dean’s discretion, the medallion honors those who have made a significant impact in the field of public health. Medallion recipients are those whose careers and personal efforts have been dedicated to rigorous public health research, education, and practice by preventing disease, promoting health, and enhancing quality of life.

Stephen Moore, M.D. has been focused on impacting public health since he began his career as a physician and earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins. Since 2000, he has served as president and chief executive officer of CarDon & Associates, a group of 16 senior living communities throughout central and southern Indiana founded by his parents in 1977. Stephen is board-certified in preventative medicine and public health, and has a special interest in working to prevent child sexual abuse.

With a generous donation to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Moore and his wife, Julia, founded the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. This academic research center applies the tools and methodology of prevention to the issue of child sexual abuse. The center’s goal, according to its website, “is to help stop the cycle of abuse, and thereby prevent the lifelong pain and injury created by [child sexual abuse].”

“Through your generosity and dream of a world without the trauma of child sexual abuse, you are impacting public health on a daily basis,” Torabi said during the medallion presentation. “Your leadership in this area as well as your work to creating a family-centered care environment for seniors in south central Indiana represents a commitment to and deep knowledge of the importance of enhancing lives locally and nationally.”

James Laughlin, M.D. honored with Founding Dean’s Medallion

Posted on by IU School of Public Health-Bloomington

For his commitment to improving public health, especially among children in our community, James Laughlin, M.D. was recently honored with the Founding Dean’s Medallion by Dean Mohammad Torabi.

Given to public health leaders at the Dean’s discretion, the medallion honors those who have made a significant impact in the field of public health. Medallion recipients are those whose careers and personal efforts have been dedicated to rigorous public health research, education, and practice by preventing disease, promoting health, and enhancing quality of life.

As a primary care pediatrician in Bloomington for more than 30 years, Laughlin has had numerous positive impacts on the health of our community’s children. He set out on a mission of building a practice that was open 365 days a year, had built in urgent care, and operated with strong business practices and principles. Today, this practice is an example to all other pediatric practices, and, in 2005, earned the National Practice of the Year award.

Having completed a fellowship in Pulmonology, Laughlin is passionate about caring for kids with asthma and other respiratory conditions. His work resulted in Monroe County reporting the lowest rate of asthma hospitalizations in the state among five- to 17-year olds between 2007 and 2011.

In addition to his clinical work and expertise, Laughlin believes strongly in and feels a personal responsibility for giving back to the community. He is the volunteer medical director for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, served on the IU Health Bloomington Hospital and Bloomington Hospital Foundation Boards of Directors, and held committee appointments with the American Academy of Pediatrics on Administrative and Policy development.

“The scope and influence of Dr. Laughlin’s work on behalf of children in our community is tremendous. The health of the children in our community is better because of Dr. Laughlin’s expertise and dedication to taking good care of kids,” Torabi said during the medallion presentation. “It is my honor to bestow upon you the Dean’s Medallion in recognition of your positive and lasting influence on public health in Indiana.”

Laughlin graduated from the IU School of Medicine, completed his residency in Pediatrics and a Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Chest Physicians and a member of the American Thoracic Society.

Doctoral student earns top prize in sport management research competition

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Indiana University School of Public Health first year doctoral student Kyungyeol (Anthony) Kim earned the top award in the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Student Research Competition and will present his paper during the President’s Luncheon at the NASSM Annual Conference in Denver this week.

Kim, who is studying sport management under the guidance of Dr. Kevin K. Byon, submitted his original research paper entitled “A Mechanism of Mutually Beneficial Relationships between Employees and Consumers: Dyadic Analysis of Employee-Consumer Interaction.” In his research, Kim studied the interactions between 190 pairs of employees and consumers in fitness centers to determine how frontline employees’ behaviors influenced consumers’ subsequent behaviors through perceived service quality and satisfaction.

The NASSM is the largest scholarly community in the field of sport management, and the Student Research Competition award is the highest honor for student research in the sport management field. According to the NASSM, “papers should reflect a student’s analytical and/or theoretical research interest.” All submissions go through a blind review process by four different judges before a winner is selected.

In addition to Kim earning the top award in this competition, Minkyo Lee, a doctoral student in sport management at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, was selected as a finalist for his paper “The Effectiveness of Advertising Embedded in Televised Sport Programming: How Team Performance Influences Attitude Formation.”

Announcing our newest promotions and tenure

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We’d like to extend our congratulations to the following faculty members for their successful completion of our latest promotion and tenure cycle.

 

Dr. Hsien-Chang Lin
Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure

Dr. Lin holds a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Pharmacy Administration as well as completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. He also earned an M.A. in Economics from National Taiwan University as well as an M.A. in Applied Economics from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Lin’s research focuses on the application of quantitative methodologies in examining issues related to patient health care utilization, physician decision making, patient health and economic outcomes, and the effectiveness of medical care delivery.

 

Dr. Antonio Williams
Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure

Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science degree from Indiana University.

Dr. Williams’ research focuses on branding and social marketing in fitness and sport, specifically how marketing theories and concepts related to consumer behavior can enhance the marketing strategies employed by sport and fitness organizations.

 

Dr. Jennifer Piatt
Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure

Dr. Piatt holds a Ph.D. from the University of Utah and Master of Science degree from California State University.

Dr. Piatt’s research is focused in the area of mobility impairments, primarily spinal cord injury and community participation. In addition, she’s worked in the health care field for more than 18 years as a recreational therapist in acute mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, community recreation, and adapted sports camps.

 

Dr. Debra Herbenick
Promotion to the rank of Professor

Dr. Herbenick holds a Ph.D. and Master of Public Health degree from Indiana University.

Dr. Herbenick’s research focuses on better understanding how contemporary women and men experience their bodies and sexual lives. Since 2008, she, along with Dr. Michael Reece, has led the National Survey of Sexual Health Behavior, which is a nationally representative survey of Americans focusing on their sexual behaviors and experiences.

Faculty member authors book on local food movements

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In an era bustling with international trade and people on the move, local food has become increasingly important as American consumers turn to simple, quality, and organic foods. Selling Local, co-authored by Indiana University Department of Anthropology Professor of Practice Jennifer Meta Robinson and Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington Assistant Professor James Farmer, is an indispensable guide to community-based food movements, showcasing the broad appeal and impact of farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs, and food hubs. This book explores both the idea of selling local—its appeal and promise—and the practical ways this happens in the dynamic context of the twenty-first century.

Drawing on prodigious fieldwork and research, experts Robinson and Farmer unlock the passion for and promise of local food movements. This book examines the benefits to a community from local produce, the compelling charm of multi-generational farmers’ markets, and the response of the grocery store giants. Selling Local persuasively shows how much these food movements deeply matter to all of us.

James Farmer is Assistant Professor of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies in the School of Public Health at Indiana University where he focuses his scholarship and service on community food systems and natural resource sustainability.

Jennifer Meta Robinson is Professor of Practice in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University where she teaches courses in communication, culture, and pedagogy. She has been formally studying local food since 2005, publishing numerous articles, book chapters, and The Farmers’ Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community.

Faculty member authors book on local food movements

Posted on by IU School of Public Health-Bloomington

In an era bustling with international trade and people on the move, local food has become increasingly important as American consumers turn to simple, quality, and organic foods. Selling Local, co-authored by Indiana University Department of Anthropology Professor of Practice Jennifer Meta Robinson and Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington Assistant Professor James Farmer, is an indispensable guide to community-based food movements, showcasing the broad appeal and impact of farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs, and food hubs. This book explores both the idea of selling local—its appeal and promise—and the practical ways this happens in the dynamic context of the twenty-first century.

Drawing on prodigious fieldwork and research, experts Robinson and Farmer unlock the passion for and promise of local food movements. This book examines the benefits to a community from local produce, the compelling charm of multi-generational farmers’ markets, and the response of the grocery store giants. Selling Local persuasively shows how much these food movements deeply matter to all of us.

James Farmer is Assistant Professor of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies in the School of Public Health at Indiana University where he focuses his scholarship and service on community food systems and natural resource sustainability.

Jennifer Meta Robinson is Professor of Practice in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University where she teaches courses in communication, culture, and pedagogy. She has been formally studying local food since 2005, publishing numerous articles, book chapters, and The Farmers’ Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community.

Faculty member earns award for ‘scholarship of engagement’

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This year, Indiana Campus Compact introduced its Awards Gala audience to an incredible group of faculty, staff, students, and community partners who have changed the way service engagement is done. Award winners were honored for their exceptional drive, passion, advocacy, action, and compassion resulting in improving their communities, their state, and the nation.

Among this year’s honorees was IU School of Public Health-Bloomington Assistant Professor Priscilla Barnes who won the Brian Douglas Hiltunen Award for the Outstanding Contribution to the Scholarship of Engagement. Dr. Barnes clearly places community engagement at the center of her work as a teacher and a scholar. She is succeeding in building creative and authentic partnerships that enhance student learning opportunities and strengthen local health systems.

Barnes is committed to scholarly research, and is steadfast in her devotion to creating a community of scholars committed to community-based research. But, perhaps more importantly, she uses her knowledge to help community organizations conduct their own program assessment. She fosters genuine community partnerships and engages students in hands-on, skill-oriented, community-based research that will benefit the community for years to come.

Barnes provides a brilliant example of what is possible when faculty direct their teaching, scholarship, and service toward the public good.  She has worked as a teacher and a scholar. She has worked with her students to build mutually beneficial, authentic relationships. She places the highest value on providing students and community partners with the knowledge and the skills required to improve healthcare access and quality. Through her outreach, Dr. Barnes is easily able to engage community members who are minimally trained in research, and make a partnership fun – teaching in an indirect way through her leadership.

Barnes earned a B.S. in 1997 and a Master of Public Health degree in 1998 from Indiana University. She then completed a doctoral degree at Western Michigan University in 2010. Her research interests are in public health systems and services and community health improvement. She examines organizational factors that influence the use of partnerships among community-based organizations and coalitions to improve population health.

For the past ten years, Barnes has worked for several public and private organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regional and local health departments, professional associations and foundations, and the U.S. Air Force. Her primary role, while working for these organizations, was developing and evaluating public health initiatives as well as advocating for programs and policies that improve quality of life for individuals and families.

New online course in public health leadership to be offered this summer

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The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington just announced a new, online course, open to the public, focused on public health leadership. The course, P650: Seminar in Public Health Administration, will guide students in creating a powerful, compelling vision for organizational and personal growth, help students navigate and negotiate organizational change, and gain the trust and support necessary to execute a vision.

Leading the class will be one of the most well-known leaders in public health, Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society for 25 years. Under his leadership, the American Cancer Society became the world’s largest voluntary health organization. Dr. Seffrin is an expert in making an organization’s voice heard nationally and internationally; particularly when the foe was the tobacco industry. Under his leadership, the Society celebrated its historic 100th birthday in 2013, and is poised to help finish the fight against cancer in its second century.

This course addresses four Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) core competencies in leadership and communication.  As Dr. Seffrin addresses the principles of leadership, students will be able to create a vision, empower others, foster collaboration, guide decision making, and help organizations transform. Students will learn effective communication, negotiation, and mediation skills, critical to the unique complexities of leading public health organizations. The course considers the contemporary environment of transparency and accountability, and recognizes the importance of civil society in achieving public health goals and outcomes.

In addition to teaching this course, Dr. Seffrin is a professor of practice at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. He served as a professor of health education and chair of the Department of Applied Health Science from 1979 to 1992, and was also the director of the Center for Health and Safety and chair of the Hazard Control Program Advisory Board.

Dr. Seffrin has a B.S. degree from Ball State University, an M.S. degree from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from Purdue University, as well as honorary doctorates from the Medical University of South Carolina, Mercer University, the State University New York, Ball State University, Purdue University, Thomas Jefferson University and Indiana University.

For more information about the course or to register, visit one.iu.edu and search for P650: Seminar in Public Health Administration.

Shawna Girgis honored with Founding Dean’s Medallion

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For her work in advancing public health, and especially public health in rural communities, City of Bedford Mayor Shawna Girgis was honored today with the Founding Dean’s Medallion by Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington Dean Mohammad Torabi.

Given to public health leaders at the Dean’s discretion, the medallion honors those who have made a significant impact in the field of public health. Medallion recipients are those whose careers and personal efforts have been dedicated to rigorous public health research, education, and practice by preventing disease, promoting health, and enhancing quality of life.

Girgis, who has served as Mayor of Bedford since January 2008, started her career in social work after earning both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in the discipline from Indiana University. She served as program director of a residential group home in Indianapolis and offered counseling to individuals, groups and families. She came back to southern Indiana and joined Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation as the director of the Southeast/South Central Area Health Education Center; a job she held for six years.

Girgis then went on to become the executive director of the Indiana Rural Health Association from June 2005 to December 2007. In this position, she spearheaded the development of the Indiana Telehealth Network, which received $16 million in grant funds from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to develop a dedicated broadband network that would connect rural health care providers and bring fiber infrastructure to rural communities in Indiana.

“Shawna has provided remarkable leadership to improve health not only in Bedford, but across southern Indiana,” Torabi said. “It’s through your constant advocacy for the most vulnerable, Shawna, that you have truly made a difference in the lives of many.”

As an example, Torabi discussed Girgis’ partnership with the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, Lawrence County Judge Michael Robbins, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in developing a domestic violence prevention program aimed at combatting a severe increase in violent crimes related to domestic issues.

“Shawna has worked tirelessly to develop partnerships to improve public health in the community and confront emerging health issues,” Torabi said. “The Dean’s Medallion is given to the ‘best of the best’ in recognition for their positive and lasting influence on public health. Shawna, you are the best of the best.”

Dean Mohammad Torabi honored with Provost’s Medal

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Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington Founding Dean Mohammad Torabi was recently honored with the university’s Provost’s Medal. This award recognizes outstanding service that builds and enhances the impact of Indiana University, and is the highest honor bestowed by the Office of the Provost.

“As founding dean of the School of Public Health, Dean Torabi achieved accreditation in record time, and positioned the school to be competitive at the highest levels for research support in the health sciences,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel. “His work has provided essential support for our faculty and students, whose work in turn is a force for tremendous good in our state and around the world. Even though his time as dean is coming to an end, I am so pleased that Mo will continue his terrific work as a faculty member.”

The Provost’s Medal is reserved for individuals who exemplify the virtues of rendering distinguished service to the university and community, giving freely of their talents in the promotion of human welfare and community wellbeing, and serving as an exemplary role model for students and alumni through their integrity, leadership, and commitment.

As Torabi prepares to step down as dean of the school this summer in order to return to teaching and research, his legacy and impact on the School of Public Health, the university and the field of public health can be clearly seen. Most notably, Torabi led the school’s transformation from the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation to an accredited School of Public Health.

This transformative journey began in September 2012 when the school officially became the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. Over the next two years, Torabi led the school through an extensive self-study process which was then submitted to the Council on Education for Public Health with a request for official accreditation. CEPH awarded the school full accreditation in June 2015.

Over the last five years, under Torabi’s leadership, the school’s undergraduate enrollment and graduate student credit hours are up, and total credit hour production has increased. In addition, the school developed an online graduate curriculum and, since its inception, has seen enrollment and online credit hours nearly double.

Torabi’s impact as founding dean of the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington will continue to be felt in the years to come as the school educates the next generation of public health leaders, scholars, and researchers.

Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention awards research grants to doctoral students across the nation

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The Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, part of the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, recently awarded four doctoral students in public health from around the nation with grants to help them further their research into specific public health topics.

“These two annual, nationally-competitive, endowed grants will be given in perpetuity to honor the lives and careers of two exceptional public health figures – Dr. Doug Kirby and Dr. C. Everett Koop,” says William L. Yarber, senior director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, professor at the IU School of Public Health, and senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute. “The grants are meant to encourage and support research by emerging investigators from a wide range of disciplines.”

Doug Kirby Adolescent Sexual Health Research Grant

First awarded during the 2014-2015 academic year, the Doug Kirby Adolescent Sexual Health Research Grant is a $1,000, endowed grant awarded annually to support doctoral student research related to the sexual health of adolescents and youth. Dr. Kirby was an internationally-renowned authority on adolescent sexual health through his research on the impact of school and community-based programs designed to reduce sexual risk behavior among youth. During his lifetime, he authored more than 100 scientific articles, chapters, and books.

The 2017 recipients of the Doug Kirby Adolescent Sexual Health Research Grant are Malachi Willis from the University of Arkansas, and Riley J. Steiner from Emory University.

Willis, a doctoral student and Distinguished Academy Fellow in the Community Health Promotion program at the University of Arkansas, is working on a study entitled The Dynamics of Sexual Consent and Sexual Precedent: A daily diary study. He earned master’s degrees in forensic psychology from Marymount University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and broadly researches the sexuality of college students with a focus on the role of consent communication.

Steiner is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She is completing a qualitative study looking at the differences in condom use by contraceptive type. Steiner earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and focuses her research on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Grant

The Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Grant, first awarded during the 2012-2013 academic year, is a $1,250 annual endowed grant to support doctoral student research related to HIV/AIDS prevention. As early as 1986, Dr. Koop completed a report on the growing AIDS epidemic and urged the expansion of age-appropriate sexuality education for young people, including a campaign about the importance of using condoms to prevent HIV transmission. He received the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award from the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention in 2010.

The 2017 recipients of the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Grant are Joyell Arscott from Duke University, and Tiara C. Willie from Yale University.

Arscott is a Ph.D. candidate in Nursing at Duke University and is working on a study entitled Likely Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Young African American Men who have Sex with Men. She is a registered nurse and earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Upon graduation, Arscott plans to continue her program of research focusing on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQ health, HIV/STI prevention, and health disparities.

Willie, a Ph.D. candidate in Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, is a predoctoral fellow in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Interdisciplinary HIV Prevention Training Program at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Her study, She’s PrEPared: The impact of intimate partner violence on women’s engagement in PrEP care, continues her research focus on the etiology and health consequences of gender-based violence, domestically and globally.

For more information about the grant recipients and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, please visit www.indiana.edu/~aids/student-funding/.

Researcher finds areas in U.S. at highest risk for Zika virus

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In a recently completed study, Indiana University School of Public Health Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Erik Nelson, Ph.D., along with colleagues from Saint Louis University, identified areas in the U.S. with the highest likelihood of Zika transmission. The group found that 507 counties in the southern U.S., along the Atlantic coast, and in southern California were at most risk for exposure and transmission of the Zika virus, which equates to about one third of the population in the contiguous U.S.

Knowing that Zika can be transmitted in two ways—from a mosquito (specifically the Aedes aegypti species) or via sexual transmission—the researchers used an ecological study to quantify the population most at risk with a special focus on women of childbearing years or who are currently pregnant. Nelson, who was responsible for the study’s method and statistics, and his colleagues reviewed population data, sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, socioeconomic data, and information on mosquito distribution, among other statistics to determine the populations and areas at highest risk.

With the number of people potentially at risk for Zika infection, the study highlights the importance to public health of prevention and thorough communication and education to those in the high-risk areas. The researchers indicate, “timely strategies to communicate risk, control mosquito populations, and prevent disease transmission are imperative to preventing a large scale Zika epidemic in the United States.”

Read the full study – http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303670

Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington
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