First published on December 9, 2019 in observance of the COPH’s 35^th anniversary celebration.

In 2018, the USF College of Public Health (COPH) resurrected its Public Health Executive Leadership Program, which had been dormant for 10 years.

The program aims to bring rising leaders in the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) together to “collaborate and improve upon their own as well as their agency’s effectiveness,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, a COPH professor and co-director of the program along with Dr. Anthony Masys, an associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security. “We revived the program not to teach public health skills, but to bring out leadership skills.”

Last year’s program brought 28 FDOH professionals—everyone from bureau chiefs to doctors and nurses to lab executives—to the USF Tampa campus several times over the course of nine months to attend workshops and presentations. In between the sessions, the group performed online work and discussions.

“The students evaluated their own leadership skill growth at the beginning and end of the program,” explained Levine. “Based on this, we saw a significant increase in self-assessed leadership skills. In addition, each student completed a capstone project relevant to their work at their base of operations. Each project was impactful and some had the potential for state- or national-level effectiveness.”

As an added bonus, many students in the program who did not initially know each other created professional relationships. “That will not only help them personally, but it will also enhance the work and impact of the department,” noted Levine.

Hurricane season pushed back the start of this year’s program, but in November 30 FDOH workers came to campus to open the 2019 program and begin fine-tuning their leadership skills. 

“This is another dynamic group who we will meet again in person four more times between now and May. Next month we will be exploring leadership in a political context and will convene in Tallahassee where we will view committee meetings and learn about all levels of government budget and policy making,” said Levine.

The Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice, the COPH group that puts on the program, has an annual contract with the FDOH. According to Levine, the group is looking to expand its offerings to engage other public health professionals. “We’re disseminating information to our graduates and others interested in leadership so that we can create a robust resource for leaders working to collaboratively improve health and well-being,” said Levine

.Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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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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What do USF College of Public Health (COPH) students feel they need to help them make more of an impact in public health? It’s a question that was addressed to members of the COPH’s Incubation Hub, a group of students, staff and faculty working together to find solutions to today’s public health problems.

Director of the Incubation Hub, Dr. Anthony Masys, associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security, got together with codirector Deidre Orriola, MPH, and others in the group at the beginning of the semester to brainstorm ideas about what skills they thought needed to be explored.

“Almost everyone said technology was a weakness that they wanted to improve upon over the course of the next five weeks,” said Orriola, a COPH alumna and an adjunct faculty member.

Technology has certainly become important in every field of work, including public health, so with that in mind, students and faculty in the Incubation Hub made it a goal to learn how to develop their own web-based applications during the five-week span. To help with that process, Orriola brought in Charles Burgess, a friend and local software engineer. Burgess volunteered to teach everyone involved how to go about creating apps.

“We literally started from scratch,” said Orriola. “We began with the very basics of coding and worked our way though more complicated processes throughout the five-week course.”

While it was certainly a challenge for students and teacher alike, Burgess saw firsthand how quickly they learned and how valuable his insight was.

“In a total of just eight lecture hours and two lab hours per group, the students emerged with a solid understanding of how software is conceptualized, planned, built and delivered in a modern context,” said Burgess.

Eventually, participants broke into three groups and were each tasked with creating their own apps. The ideas varied, but all addressed public health dilemmas in the local Tampa Bay area.

App #1: Locating Cooling Centers and Homeless Shelters

Purpose: to help the homeless find shelter and resources and to locate cooling centers for the elderly and others in need. These sort of shelters can help people avoid sunburn, dehydration and heat stroke.

Problem addressed: It’s not easy to locate homeless shelters or cooling centers accurately on the internet, and it’s also difficult to see what services or preferences are offered. For instance, are the shelters gender specific? Do they allow children, people with special needs and/or pets? Is food available?

App # 2: Latched 24/7

Purpose: to connect breastfeeding moms to lactation experts/physicians

Problem addressed: It’s recommended that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and continue to be nursed for the first year (along with complimentary foods), but these guidelines are often difficult to adhere to because of lack of support and resources and societal expectations. The app connects parents via phone or video call to credentialed lactation professionals who can counsel them on any breastfeeding-related issues, day or night.

App # 3: Pet Emergency Services

Purpose: to provide location and contact information for local emergency veterinarians—similar to calling 911, but for animals. The app can be used for dogs or cats, but also stray or injured animals.

Problem addressed: The app allows users to access emergency care for animals in need. It works by displaying the nearest animal hospitals and contact information based on their listed office hours.

The app-building process gave students a greater appreciation of the usefulness that technology can play in helping to solve the many public health issues faced by our community. It also demonstrated how the COPH and community can work together to solve problems of mutual concern.

“By bringing tech skills to the students, we open opportunities for creativity and collaboration between different disciplines,” said Masys.

Students learned how this type of collaboration and innovation can assist them as they move forward in their public health careers.

“I loved how the Incubation Hub gave COPH students, faculty and staff a common space to discuss and create innovative ways to address public health issues,” said Patricia Useche Santana, a second-year MPH student with a concentration in global disaster management, humanitarian relief and homeland security.

Brian Richardson, a second-year MPH student with a concentration in epidemiology, said much of the decisions on what apps to develop revolved around increasing access to services and care that are vital to our local population’s well-being.

“It’s no secret that modern web and mobile apps can aid us in achieving a healthy life for everyone,” said Richardson. “Access to care is of paramount importance and having the ability to quickly acquire health information and connect to [health care providers] is crucial, so that’s exactly what our app set out to accomplish.”

All involved saw the benefits provided by technology when working to solve some of the most complex public health issues within communities.

“I looked forward to the workshop at the beginning of each week,” said Arshiya Patel, a second-year MPH student with a concentration in epidemiology. “Charles [Burgess] did a phenomenal job of keeping us engaged, and I’d have never thought app-building would be so fun, exciting and doable!”

Story by Cody Brown, USF College of Public Health

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In June, the USF College of Public Health’s (COPH) newly revived Public Health Executive Leadership Program graduated its first cohort of students in 10 years.

“In those 10 years, it was my understanding that there was a paucity of leadership training and formal programming for Florida Department of Health professionals,” explained Dr. Marissa Levine, a COPH practice pathway professor and one of the faculty organizers of the program. “We resurrected the program not to teach public health skills, but to bring out leadership skills.”

The program, designed for rising stars in the Florida Department of Health, brought public health executives across the state to the USF campus. Twenty-eight bureau chiefs, doctors, program administrators, lab executives, nurses and even IT professionals graduated the nine-month course that required five in-person, on-campus sessions with online work and discussion in-between.

At the end of the nine months, participants presented their capstone projects, which covered things like decreasing turnover by increasing morale and succession planning.

“The response from our participants has been excellent,” said Levine. “These are busy professionals who are working on this program in addition to their usual responsibilities and activities. And judging from the quality of their capstone projects, I think the program’s been important to them.”

Lylah Seaton, the chemical threat program administrator at the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories in Jacksonville, said she was drawn to the program because, as a newly appointed supervisor, she was interested in learning how things operated around the state.

“The Bureau of Public Health Labs, where I work, is different from how the county health departments work. What I really liked about the program was sharing information and perspective with the other participants and learning how things operate in their areas.”

While they learned from each other, participants also learned from a variety of expert speakers, including some from the CDC. Key topics covered were conflict resolution, effective communication, engaging employees and responding to the media.

“I think the most important thing I took away from the program was how to be a more open and approachable leader,” said Seaton. “If your staff knows that about you, it goes a long way.”

While this was a pilot program, Levine says its contract has been renewed by the Florida Department of Health. It will be back for a second year with just a few minor tweaks, such as starting midday instead of early morning to accommodate the travel schedules of people coming from all parts of the state.

“The basic tenets of the program are set and have been well received,” said Levine. “We’ll just be making logistical changes to make it easier for public health officials who lead very hectic lives to take part in the program and still have time to take care of their job duties and personal responsibilities.”

The next Public Health Executive Leadership cohort will be welcomed in September.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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“We must be efficient. Lives are on the line.”

Those are the words of Amanda Catarzi, an anti-sex trafficking prevention specialist and a panelist at the Global Innovation to Disrupt Human Trafficking forum, held March 26 at the Marshall Student Center and attended by about 100 USF students, faculty and community leaders.

The forum was co-presented by the USF College of Public Health (COPH), USF Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships and Triumph Over Trafficking, a USF student organization with the mission of raising awareness of human trafficking.

The keynote speaker was Marina Colby, a human rights lawyer and international development professional working to advance inclusive and sustainable development practices and initiatives around the world.

“What is the scope and scale of human trafficking? The best data we have is that over 40 million people from every part of the globe are currently victims of modern-day slavery,” said Colby. “Sixteen million are forced into labor in the private sector [construction, manufacturing, domestic work, etc.] and five million are forced into commercial sex exploitation. Four million are in state-sanctioned forced labor. Fifteen million are in forced marriages.”

Colby put a face to the statistics when she talked about a Burmese migrant worker who was one of 2,000 working on a Thai fishing boat that ultimately ended up on a remote Indonesian island. The worker had one finger ripped off from a fishing net and three others that were crushed. When he and his fellow fishermen were finally rescued from the island, he received care for his fingers and was then sent back to the ship to work. The majority of those rescued, said Colby, had papers that were falsified by the Thai government.

“There’s rampant corruption,” said Colby, “from recruitment to employment that leads to enslavement.”

What innovations can be used to disrupt human trafficking?

Colby emphasized holding corporate actors accountable for their human rights violations and pressing governments to inspect for these wrongdoings. She also noted the development of mobile apps that empower workers by allowing them to share information about legitimate and illegitimate employment recruiters and workers’ rights.

“I can’t overemphasize the importance of community engagement work to identify both sex and labor traffickers,” commented Colby. “It begins in your own community. Be engaged. Keep up with emerging trends. And immerse yourself in the study of all forms of human trafficking.”

After presentations from student leaders of Triumph Over Trafficking and Dr. Jill McCracken, a USF St. Petersburg associate professor of rhetoric and gender studies, there was a panel discussion involving law enforcement and intelligence and another one focused on community innovation. Both were followed by table workshops.

The third panel discussion of the day centered on innovation and academic research and featured a number of USF faculty members, including Dr. Anthony Masys, a COPH associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian relief and homeland security.

Masys gave an overview of the USF Interdisciplinary Academic Task Force on Human Trafficking, launched in January. The task force brings together people from across USF, including those in the social sciences, computer science, public health, criminology and intelligence studies.

“The purpose of the task force,” said Masys, “is to share our information and consolidate it.”

The task force is actually a byproduct of a COPH human trafficking project that examined what Masys calls “complexity theory and systems mapping.”

“We looked at human trafficking from three different views,” he explained. “First was the strategic view—what is the trafficker’s motivation and goal? Next was the capability view—what does the trafficker need to operate the business? Lastly, we looked at the operational view—how does the trafficker operationalize the business model in terms of advertising, recruitment, etc.?”

Other innovations presented included training medical students on how to identify victims of human trafficking; program evaluations of groups like Selah Freedom, a national organization fighting sex trafficking; and a broader view of what a person who is trafficked looks like (i.e., not only a runway teenage girl abusing drugs).

“The purpose of this forum is to go beyond human trafficking 101,” said Maria Trogolo, of the USF Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships and one of the organizers of the event. “It is to explore familiar problems from new vantage points and bring new voices to the table. It is in coming together as a community that we can work toward solving this problem.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health (COPH) recently co-hosted the first inaugural Global Health, Diplomacy and National Security Symposium, held at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions on Feb. 28.

About 100 public health professionals, military personnel, academics, students and others attended the symposium, sponsored by WUSF Public Radio and Premier Eye Care.

While the brainchild of COPH founder Sam Bell and Dr. Anthony Masys, COPH associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security, the symposium was a collaborative effort between the COPH and the Morsani College of Medicine, USF Health, the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies and the Global Citizens Project.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohsen Milani, a political scientist and executive director of the USF Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, set the stage for the daylong event, which featured commentaries from government leaders, USF faculty and public health experts.

“Global health threats [such as SARS, Ebola and H1N1] have both diplomatic and foreign policy implications,” said Milani. “They can undermine economic growth and threaten the political security of nations, including the United States. Global health diplomacy emerges as a nontraditional soft power that can contribute to the diffusion of conflict and instability.”

USF President Judy Genshaft was next to speak and touched on a recurring theme of the day: developing partnerships.

“Collaboration makes all the difference,” Genshaft emphasized. “Respect for one another makes all the difference. Coming together with great ideas can really help our society.”

One of the featured speakers of the symposium was Dr. Stephen Redd, a rear admiral, assistant surgeon general and a director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Redd outlined the main factors that drive disease and threats, namely population growth and poverty.

“In 1970, there were three cities with a population over 10 million,” said Redd, “and in 2030, there will be 43 cities. This population growth, combined with poverty and increased travel, means that a disease that occurs in a city in Africa or South Asia can be in the U.S. in a matter of hours.”

While a scary thought, Redd pointed out that there is reason to be optimistic. In addition to more and more drugs and diagnostic tests being developed for diseases like Ebola, the issue of global health and political stability is gaining international attention.

“A lot of work is being undertaken by the private sector and nongovernment entities,” Redd said. “There are many more players now than in years past. The more effectively these countries and groups can work together, the more effective the work can be.”

Redd’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion that looked at diplomacy as a “soft power” that can support national security by addressing global health issues.

Panelists like Caryle Cammisa, of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), stressed the need for collaboration.

“I am mindful of Colin Powell’s statement that when you have a hammer in your hand, everything looks like a nail. But when we think more analytically, we can choose from an array of tools,” stated Cammisa. “Through diplomacy, we can create opportunities to discuss, negotiate and plan.”

“You need allies and advocates on the Hill,” added Rachel Karioki, a former senior advisor to the U.S. State Department. “You need people not only sitting on committees that relate to public health, but also on committees that relate to foreign policy.”

Dr. Marissa Levine, a COPH professor, urged the audience to look at diplomacy from a public health perspective.

“What if diplomacy, at its very root, is a public health intervention?” she asked. “And why wouldn’t it be, if ultimately what we’re talking about is the health and well-being of populations and people? Perhaps that’s the dialogue and debate we need to have to help identify other champions.”

The afternoon session featured a panel discussion on innovations and inspirations in global health, the highlight of which was an impassioned presentation given by Dr. Ben Jacob, a COPH global health research professor, who described his work fighting the eye disease onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, in Africa.

Jacob detailed his use of global information system (GIS), an emerging technology that uses computer applications to map and analyze geographical data—in this case the habitats of the flies that cause river blindness.

Jacob was able to ascertain that the larva of the flies are located in the trailing vegetation of the rivers, and by employing what he calls a “slash and clear” method of removing the vegetation, the fly population, and thus the disease, can be limited.

“We’re fighting a war here,” he said, “and when you’re fighting a war you need ammunition and weapons and tools. That’s what this technology is, it’s a tool, and one that’s revolutionizing things.”

Dr. Donna Petersen, dean of the COPH and a senior associate vice president of USF Health, capped off the symposium with her closing remarks about the interdependency between global health, economic prosperity and global development.

“If we want national security,” said Petersen, “then we have to address health. And if we want health, we have to think about diplomacy and taking a multisectorial approach to achieving it. Public health,” she concluded, “is a diplomacy tool.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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 H1N1. H5N1. Ebola. Zika.

Outbreaks of these infections demonstrate that the world’s global health security, is, at best, fragile.

To help public health students and leaders prepare for and respond to global health security issues, Dr. Anthony Masys, a USF College of Public Health associate professor and director of  global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security, has co-edited the upcoming book, “Global Health Security: Recognizing Vulnerabilities, Creating Opportunities.”

“Global health security is a well-known topic,” Masys said. “But this book will look at some topics not being addressed while consolidating information we already have.” According to Masys, reducing global threats posed by infectious-disease outbreaks, whether they’re caused naturally or by accidental or deliberate release, requires efforts that involve mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Topics to be covered in the book include emerging infectious diseases, biosecurity, food safety, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, climate change, public health intelligence and natural disasters, among others.

“The book will be comprised of four sections,” Masys explained. “The first will be emerging threats—things like food security and infectious diseases that transcend borders. The next section will look at mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. We’ll examine how we identify and handle emergencies.  In the third section, we’ll discuss how simulation and modeling can help us find solutions. Lastly, we’ll delve into leadership and partnerships.”

Masys called on his COPH colleagues and students to contribute to the book.

Two COPH global health professors, Dr. Ricardo Izurieta, an expert in tropical and infectious disease, and Dr. Miguel Reina, who specializes in global communicable diseases, are co-editors with Masys.

Dr. Benjamin Jacob, a COPH research assistant professor, wrote a chapter on technology and innovation, while Dr. Marissa Levine, a practice pathways professor and former Virginia state health commissioner, gave insight into how effective leadership can help control pandemics. Several graduate students also contributed.

The book, to be published by Springer, is expected to be available in the spring.

Related media:

https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/health/publichealth/news/coph-takes-part-in-first-usf-global-health-diplomacy-and-national-security-symposium-2/

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health, in collaboration with other university entities—the Morsani College of Medicine, USF Health, the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies and the Global Citizens Project—will co-host the first annual USF Global Health, Diplomacy and National Security Symposium on Feb. 28 at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions. A pre-event VIP reception will be held Feb. 27 at the Lifsey House.

The symposium, free to the public, is sponsored by Premier Eye Care, a Tampa-based company that provides managed medical and routine eye care, and WUSF Public Media.

The aim of the symposium, the brainchild of COPH founder Sam Bell and Dr. Anthony Masys, a COPH associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security, is to gather world-renowned experts in the fields of infectious disease, defense, immigration and public health to explore the role of diplomacy and public health on national security.

According to Masys, using diplomacy and foreign policy to support public health goals can promote stability and peace. “Anything that happens overseas can affect the United States,” he cautions. “Look at H1N1, H5N1, SARS and Ebola—all of those pandemics can have national security implications. By using diplomacy to manage public health issues, we can help prevent national security problems.”

Masys expects about 250 people, many of them public health officials, government officers and military personnel, to attend the one-day event.

USF President Judy Genshaft will give a welcome address and Dr. Stephen C. Redd, a rear admiral who is director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Center for Preparedness and Response, will deliver the keynote speech.

Other speakers will include Dr. John Sinnott, chairman of internal medicine at the Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Steve Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies and Dr. Jim Stikeleather, a professor at the Muma College of Business and former chief innovation officer at Dell.

Both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to present research posters at the event. Poster topics can range from bioterrorism and biodefense to the economic impact of trans-border health threats. Top-rated posters could be awarded between $50 and $500 in prize money.

One topic of discussion at the symposium will be using diplomacy as a “soft power” to help support countries dealing with public health crises like Ebola. Another topic will be the role of innovation and technology on global health issues. After each speaker, panel discussions will take place.

“The trans-border nature of health threats makes defense at the border alone problematic,” Masys said. “Health threats pose a danger to international stability and security. Focusing on how diplomacy and foreign policy can be used to support global health is an important area of discussion.”

For more information about the symposium or to register for the event, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health (COPH) recently hosted 30 up-and-coming Florida Department of Health professionals to the first segment of its Public Health Leadership Institute.

The program, which was held Oct. 1-3 on the USF Tampa campus, is getting a re-boot after a 10-year hiatus.

“The USF COPH has a mission to support the Florida Department of Health—it’s our job,” commented Dr. Marissa Levine, a COPH Practice Pathway professor who is one of the faculty organizers of the program. “And career advancement training is a big need they have identified. The public health workforce is graying, and problems such as Zika and the opioid crisis are representative of how public health issues are becoming more complex. The need to train visionaries who can tackle these problems is extremely important.”

Public health professionals from around the state gathered with COPH Dean Donna Petersen, Anthony Masys, PhD, and Marissa Levine, MD, MPH, for the first segment of the USF COPH Public Health Leadership Institute. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

Event speakers included COPH Dean Donna Petersen, Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health Celeste Philip and Karen DeSalvo, a professor of population health at Dell Medical School and former acting assistant secretary for health.

A range of topics, including self-knowledge, “emotional intelligence” and “authentic leadership,” were covered. The latter two involve identifying and assessing one’s management style and its impact on others.

“In order to provide authentic leadership, you have to know yourself and how to regulate your emotions,” Levine explained.

Associate Professor Dr. Anthony Masys explains the concept of authentic leadership. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

“The words we use and convey affect everyone,” added Dr. Anthony Masys, a COPH associate professor and director of global disaster management, humanitarian assistance and homeland security who is also involved in the institute’s resurrection. “We can focus on the negative and create what is known as a deficit model, or we can change the vocabulary and focus on what is going right and create a more positive vision and environment.”

Ana Barrera Goold, program administrator-records registration section for the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, said the session was “informative, insightful and relevant.”

“Learning about ourselves and ways to deal with others was very helpful,” Goold said. “I learned how strengths and weaknesses can impact the team/organization and that trust is vital among leaders and staff.”

The other learning modules, five in all that will be spread over a nine-month period, will deal with topics such as organizational management, relationship building and managing complexity. At the last module, participants will present a project taken directly from their work at their health department work sites.

Levine and Masys say the program can be expanded, in both size and scope. “We can involve more people by staggering the cohorts,” Masys said. “And we can use the program anywhere around the country or the world where leadership skills need to be upgraded.”

The next meeting with take place in Tampa in December. For more information about the program, contact Dr. Levine at mjlevine@health.usf.edu.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post COPH revives Public Health Leadership Institute appeared first on College of Public Health News.

On Aug. 8 the University of South Florida College of Public Health officially adopted a new organizational structure removing the five department model and reorganizing into four strategic areas, which Dean Donna Petersen says will allow for greater faculty collaboration.

(Photo by Anna Mayor)

“What we have created is different ways to align ourselves in the spirit of faculty and college success,” she said.

According to Petersen, in 2011 ASPPH created the Framing the Future Taskforce to rethink education in public health.

“Things were heading away from the five core disciplines model,” she said. “In fact, this college, in 2012, started reframing the core curriculum in the MPH in light of these conversations.”

Petersen said this prompted her to think about how the department structure was impacting the COPH.

“At the end of the day, I still came down to the fact that we would be a stronger faculty and college if we were just one college,” she said.

Instead of departments, there are now four strategic areas at the COPH, each with their own strategic area leads and administrative approvers:

Policy, Practice and Leadership
Dr. Karen Liller, strategic area lead
Dr. Kay Perrin, administrative approver

Population Health Sciences
Dr. Russell Kirby, strategic area lead
Dr. Tricia Penniecook, administrative approver

Global and Planetary Health
Dr. Thomas Unnasch, strategic area lead
James Evans, administrative approver

Interdisciplinary Science and Practice
Dr. Anthony Masys, strategic area lead
Dr. Ellen Daley, administrative approver

Dean Petersen said she will conduct all faculty assignments and evaluations and assure equitable distribution of resources to support faculty success.

“Students apply to concentrations and we’ve identified the faculty affiliated with each one,” Petersen said. “The goal now is  to encourage and support faculty working across disciplines and focus on strategy.”

The COPH has also moved toward a centralized service model for all administrative processes. The Business Operations Support Services team (BOSS), provides support to faculty and staff. They serve the entire COPH community and assist with a range of administrative needs from ordering office supplies to arranging travel.

BOSS staff include:
Pamela Mclean (CPH 2029)
Kristina Hamp (first floor of COPH)
Donna Rodandello (second floor of COPH)
Katherine Small (IDRB 311)
Sara de la Cantera (Chiles Center)

“We always want to be looking ahead and be as agile as we can,” Petersen said in regard to why the change was necessary. “This will enhance the student experience and facilitate faculty working strategically and working together.”

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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