Students, staff and faculty from across the various University of South Florida and USF Health colleges gathered at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) for the USF Health 6th Annual Interprofessional Education Day. 

In the wake of a global pandemic, burnout and a variety of other mental health problems are contributing factors to hospitals being understaffed. This year’s theme “Caring for Caregivers: Fostering Mental Health and Wellness in Interprofessional Teams” focused on solutions to help combat those issues and improve the quality of patient care across the profession.   

“Our USF IPE Day working group felt it was critical to focus on this topic given the current challenges that our health care system is facing with health care professionals leaving their professions, increased provider burnout and high rates of mental health issues, including depression and suicide,” said Haru Okuda, MD, FACEP, FSSH, executive director of CAMLS and associate vice president of the USF Health Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice.

Approximately 700 people (500 virtually, 200 in person) attended the morning presentations by industry experts.  Jennifer Bickel, MD, FAAN, FAHS, chief wellness officer at Moffitt Cancer Center and professor of oncologic sciences in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was the first featured speaker of the morning. Her presentation “Organizational Wellness: Expanding the Horizon of Well-being” highlighted key statistical data on the volume of patients seen by a provider experiencing burnout and steps the National Academy of Medicine is taking to increase wellness across the workforce.  

Richard Westphal, PhD, RN, FAAN, PMHCNS/NP-BC, followed Dr. Bickel.  Dr. Westphal is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and co-director of the Wisdom and Wellbeing Program at UVA Health.  His presentation “Stress First Aid: Nurturing Resilience in Health Care Professionals” focused on sources of mental stress, how the mind reacts to the stress and team-based solutions centered around well-being. 

Judy Davidson, DNP, RN, MCCM, a nurse scientist at the University of California-San Diego, was the final featured speaker of the morning. Her presentation “Saving Lives: Suicide Prevention and Health Care Interventions” focused on the suicide rates of health care professionals, re-imagining some of the available interventional tools and changing the mental health-related questions on licensing boards. 
 
The morning sessions ended after Donna Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, dean of the USF Health College of Public Health, senior associate vice president of USF Health and chief health officer of USF, led an interprofessional panel discussion themed “Unlocking Wellness: Exploring a Toolkit for Inner Balance and Resilience.”  Panelists gave their perspectives on the importance of health care professionals working with a healthy work-life balance and how a better work-life balance will lead to better work environments and more positive patient outcomes. 
 
Panelists: 
–        Kelly Allegro, PT, DPT, board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy, co-director of clinical education at the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
–        Kristin Kosyluk, PhD, assistant professor of Mental Health Law and Policy in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, director of the STigma Action Research (STAR) Lab
–        Abraham A. Salinas-Miranda, MD, PhD, MACE, CDVS, assistant professor, director of the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence, associate director of the USF Health College of Public Health Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education Science and Practice
–        Chris Simmons, PhD, LCSW, associate director and associate professor, USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences School of Social Work

Anthony Masys, CD, PhD, associate professor at the USF Health College of Public Health.

Kicking off the afternoon was Anthony Masys, CD, PhD, associate professor at the USF Health College of Public Health and an international expert in applied systems thinking, design thinking and futures thinking. He gave his presentation titled “Strength-Based Approach: Appreciative Inquiry.” Appreciative inquiry is more commonly known as a strength-based approach to systems change as it emphasizes generating positive ideas instead of identifying negative problems.  

Part of the appreciative inquiry model is using rich pictures to help diagram a way of relating personal experiences and perceptions to situations by linking a series of concepts.  
 
Dr. Masys’ presentation provided the foundation of the group activity and team competition for the event. 

Students split into interprofessional teams of nine to put the concept of appreciative inquiry into practice. Students shared good and bad examples of well-being in their workspaces and colleges and offered solutions on how to enhance the good examples and improve the bad examples.  
 
With the guidance of their faculty preceptors, teams used rich pictures to generate mind maps that illustrated how they plan to improve the overall provider well-being of an organization. Using a “Shark Tank” format, the teams presented their concepts to the sharks in hopes they will buy their concept. 

Sharks (judges):
–        Karen Aul, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, USF Health College of Nursing
–        Jennifer Bickel, MD, FAAN, FAHS, Moffitt Cancer Center
–        Somer Burke, EdD, MPH, CPH, USF Health College of Public Health
–        Joe Ford, JD, USF Health Shared Student Services
–        Vickie Lynn, PhD, MSW, MPH, USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences
 
The IPE Day group activity was designed to encourage interprofessional collaboration among learners through hands-on activity. Teams worked together to conceptualize a strategic vision for how wellness can be operationalized to support organizational and personal wellness. The goals of the activity were to:
–        Understand the application of appreciative inquiry as a strength-based approach to navigating various solutions in the health care domain.
–        Apply a system-thinking approach via rich pictures to support ideation in exploring the problem space from an interdisciplinary perspective.
–        Translate insights from the rich pictures into a mind map to develop a strategic implementation strategy supporting wellness. 
 
One by one, teams presented their concept to the sharks. Teams had three minutes to make compelling arguments about why their concept is the best. 

The sharks narrowed down the field to three teams who then had to prepare a one-minute elevator pitch of their concept to give to the audience. Audience members voted for the winner electronically at the end of the pitches. When the votes were counted, Team Five emerged as the winner. The team’s approach focused on a solution that centered around employees finding balance within their work environment. 

Winning team:
Erini Serag-Bolos, PharmD, associate professor at the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (Preceptor)
Camilla Cardona, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program
Hayden Euper, USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
Christopher Guskie, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Rebekah Minter, USF Health Athletic Training Program
Madison Moua, USF Health College of Public Health
Paul Munoz, School of Social Work, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences
Amiah Price, USF Health College of Nursing
Jenna Sabbagh, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy

The names of the winning team will the engraved on the IPE Day trophy.  As the team preceptor, Dr. Serag-Bolos will keep the trophy in her office until the USF Health 7th Annual IPE Day. 

Story reposted from USF Health

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Three USF College of Public Health (COPH) students presented research abstracts at the Delta-Omega-sponsored Student Poster Session at the annual American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Meeting and Expo held in Atlanta in November.

Delta Omega is a national honorary society for public health students with more than 20,000 members. Each year, 29 students are selected to present their research during the Delta Omega Student Poster Session at the APHA’s annual meeting. While students do not need to be members of Delta Omega to compete, they must attend schools and programs with active chapters and be approved by the respective chapter to compete.

Doctoral student Rafaella Stein Elger presented research titled “Examining the sources, utilization and needs of support among caregivers of children with special health care needs in Florida.”

“This study showed that the main barriers to accessing services and resources are geography, families’ eligibility and the type of insurance families have,” Stein Elger said. “Our study also showed that caregivers need more support, and many times they’re navigating health care and education systems that are not collaborating. I think this study gives us an overview of what it means to be a caregiver for a child with special health care needs in Florida.”

Isabella Abbondanza, a senior BSPH student, presented her research titled “Experiences of Spanish-speaking participants in the Positive Parenting & Partnership (P3) Program.”

“Understanding if there are cultural differences between parenting styles can lead to more culturally appropriate material offered to parents who want to learn better parenting techniques,” Abbondanza explained. “Parents can have a huge impact on a child’s health outcomes in adulthood, and if we are able to understand cultural differences within parenting, we can better prepare parents of all backgrounds.”

Paula Hernandez, the third COPH Delta Omega presenter, shared her research on parental attitudes toward HPV vaccinations for adolescents.

“There are still many negative stigmas and misconceptions around sexual health that can impact health care decision-making and one’s health in general,” Hernandez, an MPH student, said. “Additionally, reproductive health is an integral part of women’s health and well-being, which makes it important to work toward creating equitable and effective care for all individuals.”

In addition to receiving a $500 monetary award, all the students said one of the most rewarding things about presenting was engaging with session participants.

“I was able to work on my public speaking skills while also being given a great platform to advocate for the HPV vaccine,” Hernandez said.

“My favorite part of presenting was engaging in meaningful conversations with people who also found this research important,” Abbondanza added. “Some people were interested because the research was related to their career field, and some people were interested because they come from different cultural backgrounds and felt like they could relate to the topic. I loved that I was able to practice my networking skills because good networking skills are valuable in any career field.” 

Story by Donna Campisano for USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health (COPH) Activist Lab recently received an American Public Health Association (APHA) Student Champions Climate Justice Award.

The APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity presents the Student Champions for Climate Justice Awards each year to student groups across the country. Students receiving the award are tasked with creating an academic community experience on their campuses to raise awareness about climate justice.

According to Rolando Trejos, a COPH PhD student who also serves as the project lead for the grant, climate justice recognizes the unfair, unequal and disproportionate effects of changes in the climate among communities of color, older adults, children and people with lower incomes and encourages the input of the uplifting community when attempting to tackle its effects.

“As an international student from Panamá, I have observed firsthand the catastrophic role of human-made emissions and contamination in accelerating the rate of climate change in the region I am originally from, called Azuero,” Trejos said. “In this region, pesticide exposure and atrazine contamination of one of the main rivers are hypothesized to play a role in the steep increase in the number of new cancer cases, with little to no attention to this issue. It is hoped that programs such as ours will enhance advocacy.”

The months-long project has been performed in several stages.

In September, Activist Lab members visited Liberty Middle School in Tampa and provided an interactive presentation on climate justice for 22 students.

In October, they released a podcast on climate justice and Latino health that featured COPH professors and Salud Latina members Drs. Arlene Calvo and Ricardo Izurieta and Dr. Joseph Grzywacz, associate dean for research and faculty, from San Jose State University. The third and main event was a climate justice workshop for undergraduate and graduate students held at the COPH at the end of October.

The final events, said Trejos, will be an oral presentation given at the APHA 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo within the APHA Emerging Scholars program and an “Instagram takeover” of the official Instagram of the American Public Health Association.

“Bringing awareness to the importance of climate justice and promoting health equity among Latinos has been exciting,” Trejos said. “On a personal note, as a Latino public health professional and cancer researcher, I aspire to continue to work toward envisioning equity in cancer among Latinos, which will necessitate an understanding of the roles of both the social and built environments.”

Trejos said he and the other Activist Lab members feel “honored” to have received the APHA award.

“It is an honor to collaborate with our Activist Lab director and principal investigator of the grant Dr. Karen Liller and student advisory board members Jenny Ho, Amadeo Brandon, Hannah Harburg and Farshid Faizee in the planning and implementation of this project,” Trejos noted.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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In October, USF College of Public Health (COPH) Dean Donna Petersen traveled to Panama, meeting with Panamanian public health professionals, COPH alumni and health ministry officials.

The trip’s aim was to renew existing partnerships and forge new ones ahead of the 20-year anniversary of the Panama Program, housed within Panama’s City of Knowledge. The anniversary will be recognized next year.

The college’s Panama Program, led by Associate Professor and COPH alum Dr. Arlene Calvo, provides the COPH with study abroad programs, international field experiences and internships, service learning, faculty and student exchange and multiple types of research activities. The City of Knowledge is a non-profit community of academic institutions, technology companies and nongovernmental organizations.

The COPH has multiple partners within Panama, and it is in the process of developing and renewing 11 agreements of collaboration with agencies such as the Universidad de Panama, APLAFA-Panamanian Family Planning Society, the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Institute for Scientific Research and Technology Services (SENACYT).

The college also recently partnered with the Universidad del Istmo, where COPH alum Dr. Arturo Rebollon is the dean of health sciences and where Petersen addressed attendees of a scientific symposium held during her visit. Other alumni of the Panama Program were also in attendance. “They are all doing incredibly well in their positions as leaders in the Panamanian health system,” Petersen said. “I cannot express how gratifying this is—to know that through these efforts, we are truly making the world a better place for public health.” 

Petersen noted that having these partnerships has afforded the college a plethora of opportunities—from hosting study abroad courses, student interns, student and faculty researchers and international conferences in the country to creating professional development programs and recruiting emerging leaders to study public health in Tampa.

The COPH has also taken a supportive role in the establishment of a simulation center in Panama, modeled on USF Health’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), as well as a new vaccine research/production center, currently being built.

Next up, said Petersen, will be an international academic conference on migration and human health in Latin America, to coincide with the Panama Program’s 20^th anniversary.

“In the U.S., we are acutely aware of our migration issues, but we sometimes forget that migration includes many people traveling many miles through fragile ecosystems and small communities, presenting threats to security, health and the environment while also presenting opportunities for those with ill intent to capitalize on the vulnerabilities these populations present,” Petersen said. “We look forward to a rich discussion, which will undoubtedly lead to other ideas that we will nourish, together. We will continue to engage as true partners with Panama, optimizing what each of us brings to the relationship.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Food insecurity affects up to 50% of college students, with African American and Hispanic/Latino students experiencing it 1.5 times more often than their non-Hispanic White and Asian counterparts. That puts them at greater risk for not just health problems, but also depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, stress and poorer academic performance.

Researchers from the USF College of Public Health (COPH) along with colleagues from USF’s College of Education, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, Department of Anthropology and other universities and organizations, studied food insecurity among racially and ethnically diverse college students and were surprised to find differences in the factors that limit their access to food.

Their research, “Multi-Level Determinants of Food Insecurity among Racially and Ethnically Diverse College Students,” was published in the journal Nutrients in September.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the predictors of food insecurity among a racially and ethnically diverse population of college students using a multi-dimensional model,” said Rashida Jones, PharmD, a COPH doctoral student concentrating in epidemiology and one of the coauthors of the study.

While the researchers expected to find the same predictors of food insecurity among all students of color, they instead discovered differences, particularly between non-Hispanic Black students and their Hispanic and non-Hispanic White peers. Pharm

For example, the single greatest predictor of food insecurity among non-Hispanic Black students was experiencing major discrimination (for instance, being fired from a job unfairly or being stopped by law enforcement unjustly).

“The mechanism through which discrimination impacts food insecurity is intricate and closely linked to social and economic disadvantages, which are established drivers of food insecurity,” Jones said.

Conversely, things such as savings, body mass index (BMI) and food intake were the biggest predictors of food insecurity among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White students.

“Students who employ multiple saving strategies or make many attempts to cut down on their food expenses might have higher BMIs because they are consuming less healthy, cost-effective foods,” Jones explained. “Additionally, these students are more likely to experience food insecurity, as they lack access to an adequate quantity or quality of food to meet their basic nutritional needs.”

Jones said that because discrimination was the sole predictor of food insecurity among non-Hispanic Black students, a qualitative follow-up study examining more precisely the types of discrimination these students face should be conducted.

“Our findings can be used to inform the development of multi-component interventions aimed at reducing disparities in food insecurity,” Jones noted.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Nine USF College of Public Health (COPH) students—from undergraduate to master’s to doctoral students—currently serve on the USF Health Executive Student Leadership Board (ESLB).

The ELSB is comprised of students across USF Health. They act as student advisors to USF Health leadership, represent USF Health on committees, in focus groups and at special events and are invited to social and professional events throughout the year. Students apply for the position, which they hold for one academic year (although students in good standing can re-apply each year).

“Together with the other students, we give feedback for upcoming USF events and present suggestions for resources and programs that would benefit the USF Health student body,” John Whelan, an MHA student serving his second term on the ESLB, said. “I look forward to working on the Capital Improvement Project as we plan allocating funds for improving student resources.”

Chinyere Reid, a COPH doctoral candidate, has served on the board since 2019 and has taken an active role in the renovation of the WELL and planning USF Health activities such as USF Health IPE Day and Homecoming Week.

“Serving on the ESLB is important because it allows me to make a meaningful contribution to the USF Health community by providing a valuable student perspective and input,” Reid said. “I have absolutely enjoyed the experience, which is why I continue to return. It has provided me with the opportunity to network with fellow USF Health students, faculty, staff and leadership, fostering interprofessional connections and contributing to my professional development.”

Whelan credits his experience with ESLB with building his professional network.

“I have made friends and professional connections that will last a lifetime,” he said. “Notably, I met my friend Hemal Prasad, a former MHA student, through ESLB. In June, I will be joining Hemal at Cleveland Clinic. I likely would have never had that connection with Hemal or learned about the potential job opportunity if it wasn’t for our collaboration in ESLB.” 

Truc (Jenny) Ho, a BSPH student, said her experience on the board has been both “eye-opening and collaborative.”

“It has allowed me to establish valuable connections across various health care fields, providing me with diverse perspectives and insights into the needs of students,” she said. “Serving on this board enables me to contribute to the betterment of the USF Health community and advocate for the students’ interests. My aim is to foster a supportive and inclusive environment for students, as well as to facilitate their professional growth. I hope to accomplish enhanced student engagement, academic success and a sense of unity within the USF Health community during my tenure.”

Whelan had similar sentiments.

“I hope to leave USF Health even better than I found it, and I hope my involvement with ESLB will improve the experience for the next generation of Bulls,” he summed up.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by snail-transmitted flatworms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease—which can cause scarring and inflammation of the liver, intestines and bladder, leading to anemia, malnutrition and learning difficulties, particularly in children—affects some 200 million people worldwide.

The disease is most often seen in parts of Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Asia where people use contaminated freshwater for bathing, drinking and cooking.

“Infected humans pass eggs of the Schistosoma parasite in feces or urine, and in areas that do not have adequate sanitation, those eggs often find their way into local bodies of water,” explained USF College of Public Health doctoral student Caitlin Wolfe, who recently co-authored a study examining how removing vegetation that acts as a habitat for the snails can reduce rates of the disease.

“Once in the water, the microscopic eggs hatch into miracidia that infect the snails,” she added. “The parasites then grow and mature into their next life cycle phase, cercaria, in the snail. Infected snails release the cercaria into the water, and the cercaria swim through the water and infect humans when they use infested bodies of water.”

Wolfe and her coauthors, including the principal investigator Dr. Jason Rohr, a former USF professor of integrative biology who currently teaches at Notre Dame, published their study, “A planetary health innovation for disease, food and water challenges in Africa,” in July in the journal Nature.

Wolfe and her colleagues performed their research in Senegal, where 99% of host snails are captured in the freshwater plant Ceratophyllum demersum. Because of the region’s arid soil, fertilizer is often used on crops, and that fertilizer gets into the water supply during heavy rains and subsequent surface runoff.

“More fertilizer in the water leads to more plants and more algae, which leads to more snails, which leads to more schistosomiasis,” she said.

Wolfe and her study co-authors hypothesized that if they could remove vegetation from the waterways and then compost that vegetation to be used as animal feed (the vegetation is safe for the animals; worms need a human host do their damage), they could reduce rates of schistosomiasis and create better access to waterways while increasing food production.

And, it turns out, they were right.

In the villages where the floating vegetation was removed (by hand), schoolchildren had nearly a 1.5 times lower rate of schistosomiasis, waterways stayed clearer and the composted vegetation-turned-animal feed turned out to be 41 to 179 times cheaper than traditional feed. 

“Thankfully,” said Wolfe, who’s concentrating in global communicable disease, “the findings of this study supported the hypothesis! We’ve known that certain snail species have an affinity for specific plants in specific locations (in northern Senegal, it’s the floating vegetation called ceratophyllum), so the notion of removing the plants that these snails like to feed on is something that has been suggested and discussed previously. But this study was one of the first to demonstrate concrete evidence for this intervention. The hope is that because there are additional benefits beyond just reducing transmission of a parasitic disease—such as increased agricultural output when the vegetation is composted and used as animal feed—there will be enough buy-in at local levels to support this intervention.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health (COPH) announced it has received a $100,000 gift from Florida Healthy Kids to establish an endowed fund in honor of the late Samuel P. “Sam” Bell, the college’s founder.

The gift will fund scholarships for doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows at the college studying child health policy.

Bell, who died in March, was a former Florida state legislator who tirelessly championed many public health causes, especially those that benefitted children.

Among some of his many initiatives, he advocated for the regulation of tap water temperature to prevent scalding injuries and death; rallied for subsidized adoptions for special needs children; and fought for the passage of a bill requiring child restraints in cars.

One of Bell’s enduring legacies is the establishment of Florida Healthy Kids, a government-subsidized insurance plan that has become the model for the national Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

At a ceremony held Oct. 10 naming the building housing the college after Bell, Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, chair of Florida Healthy Kids, announced the $100,000 gift.

“To compound his good work and innovative ideas for the CHIP program for years to come, we, as a board, decided to create for the COPH the Sam Bell Memorial Endowment Fund in the amount of $100,000,” Haridopolos said to the crowd of roughly 200, which included USF President Rhea Law and former USF President Betty Castor, the wife of the late Bell.

After the gift’s announcement, Dr. Donna Petersen, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the college, spoke to the crowd and made note of Bell’s passion for both students and the welfare of children.

“For the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation to create this endowment with a $100,000 gift to the College of Public Health brings Sam’s legacy full circle,” Petersen said. “It is extraordinary because it reflects Sam’s enduring legacy in promoting the health of children, and his unwavering trust in us, the College of Public Health, to develop the next generation of scholars and leaders to ensure we continue to advocate for the best policies for children.”

Dr. Steve Freedman, a COPH professor of health policy and pediatrics and Florida Healthy Kids ad hoc board member, said earmarking the funds for doctoral students studying child health policy made sense, given Bell’s ability to use policy to bring public health initiatives to fruition.

“Focusing the doctoral fellowship on child health policy was a reflection of Sam’s commitment to the health of Florida’s children and his success using the policy process to achieve those ends,” Freedman said. “Advanced work in connecting public health to public policy is so clearly manifest in Sam’s public and private history.”

Chinyere Reid, a COPH doctoral student and a recipient of one of several scholarships endowed by Bell and Castor, told gatherers that scholarships such as hers not only lighten the financial load of a student, but they also act as an inspiration.

“Sam Bell’s generosity has touched the lives of countless individuals, including mine and many public health students here at USF,” Reid said. “As I’m about to graduate and transition into a public health career, I aspire to follow in his footsteps promoting the well-being of families and the community at large, just as he did. Sam Bell’s legacy will continue to shine brightly through the lives of scholarship recipients like myself, who are committed to making a positive impact on the world one small step at a time.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their same-age heterosexual or cisgender peers, and experts say it’s not their sexual orientation or gender identity that ups their suicide risk but the isolation and stigma they feel because of discrimination against it.

Kelli Agrawal, a USF College of Public Health (COPH) PhD student, decided to look at a form of resilience known as communicative resilience and its ability to curb suicides among LGBTQ+ communities. Her research, “Assessing Communicative Resilience in Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Communities: A Qualitative Analysis of Community Conversations,” was published in July in the American Journal of Health Promotion. Co-authors include the COPH’s Drs. Joe Bohn, Abraham Salinas-Miranda and others.

Communicative resilience relies on discourse and interaction to enable and promote resilience.

“It occurs when day-to-day communication enables people to adapt or transform through difficult times,” Agrawal said. “It doesn’t just happen in response to difficult times though, it is something we can experience in our day-to-day lives that can benefit us when we inevitably experience disruptions, challenges or crises.”

Agrawal, who has helped facilitate a COPH-initiated suicide prevention program called Growing Hope, said the idea to look at communicative resilience and its role in suicide prevention among the LGBTQ+ population was almost accidental.

“Upon initially reviewing the transcripts from community conversations [defined by Agrawal as problem-solving discourse among those interested in addressing a challenge in their community], I began to recognize processes of communication resilience described in the participants’ responses,” Agrawal noted. “At the time, the Growing Hope project had only facilitated one town hall on suicide prevention, and it was for the LGBTQ+ communities in Pinellas County. We had originally planned to only utilize open coding for the analysis, but the processes were identified so clearly (and repeatedly) that we decided to explore them further.”

Agrawal and her co-authors found that communicative resilience—which included identifying strengths, sharing stories of healing and offering strategies for hope—can be an effective suicide-prevention resource.

And while using communicative resilience in suicide prevention is under-utilized and under-studied, Agrawal hopes that will change.

“Public health needs to do more to address suicide with pro-active, strengths-based, community-level strategies,” Agrawal said. “Whether face-to-face, over the phone or virtually…we are in near-constant communication with others. I think there is power and hope in being able to recognize that there are strategies and actions we can all proactively take in our day-to-day lives that can help prevent suicide in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. The key is recognizing them, knowing how to effectively engage in them and realizing that they can make a difference. It’s not about individual resilience, it’s about collective resilience. It’s about how we interact with one another day-to-day, how we show up in our communities and how our communities show up for us.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Rain Freeman, a USF College of Public Health (COPH) PhD student concentrating in epidemiology, recently presented research about the effects of red tide on preterm birth at the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) conference held in Chicago in August.

She conducted the research, “Florida Red Tides and Preterm Birth,” along with COPH professors Drs. Catherine Bulka and Jason Salemi, as well as USF College of Arts and Sciences student Quynh Anh Nguyen.

Freeman, whose interests lie in perinatal and pediatric health and life course epidemiology, said this is the first study to look at red tide and pregnancy outcomes in humans.

And its results were surprising.

“We had hypothesized that red tides would be associated with a higher risk of preterm birth,” Freeman explained. “We based this hypothesis on the environmental health literature regarding air pollution, which has consistently found a greater risk of preterm birth due to exposure to various air pollutants. We also know from animal studies that the toxins produced by red tide can cross the placental barrier and are toxic to developing embryos. Our hypothesis, however, was not supported by the null results of our analysis.”

A null result is a result without the expected outcome. Freeman says there could be several reasons for this unexpected discovery. For example. It’s possible, she said, that exposures to red tide during pregnancy are rare enough or not substantial enough to cause harm.

“Null results occur often in studies,” Freeman commented, “and they’re still important to report. For a few reasons, we believe that this topic needs more study.”

One reason is because the study used aggregated rather than individual-level data. “That is,” she said, “we cannot conclude that the same individuals experiencing higher red tide exposure are the same individuals who delivered their infants preterm.”

Secondly, she noted, the researchers based their exposure assessment on where pregnant people live in relation to the coastline when they gave birth. They did not account for factors such as how much time they spent outdoors, whether they had moved prior to giving birth and exactly how much algae were airborne. “We believe there is an urgent need to create more sophisticated measures of human exposure to red tide,” she said.

Freeman said she is working on turning the research into a manuscript that can be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

 “I’m very intrigued by the topic of red tide and pregnancy and the distinct lack of information on exposure,” Freeman said. “Red tide is known to be harmful in terms of acute gastrointestinal and respiratory health in humans, yet it’s extremely unexplored in terms of long-term health impacts across many health outcomes. As this area of research becomes more solid, I hope the data will help clinicians and families better understand whether red tide exposure poses a risk to their health.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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