First published on June 4, 2015 in observance of the COPH’s 30^th anniversary celebration.

It was January 1998, and the Florida Board of Regents had just promoted one of USF’s fledgling entities to major status with sublimely understated efficiency.

Following authorizations for a BS in dance education, a degree of undetermined level in occupational therapy and an MS in physical therapy, it was the last of four single-sentence items in the typically dry language of officialdom, replete with redundancy and excessive capitalization, on a State University System memo to Dr. Thomas Tighe, then USF provost: “Established the Type I Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies as a Type I Center (sic).”

The rationale for the Center’s status elevation cited the state’s “tremendous progress in improving the health status of pregnant women and infants, largely through the leadership of Gov. and Mrs. Chiles and Charles Mahan,” who was then USF College of Public Health dean.  Marked improvement in the state’s infant mortality rate was among the leading factors, along with the Center’s performance the previous two years as a Type IV center.

Mahan had envisioned a research, program and policy institute for maternal and infant health as early as 1988, according to the Center’s official timeline.  The Center’s originally intended location was the University of Florida, Mahan said, but that was before the state had established its first college of public health at USF.  By the time the Center was created a few years later, USF, with the only COPH in the state, had become the obvious location, and Mahan had been named COPH dean.

Charles Mahan, MD, former USF College of Public Health dean

“Gov. and Mrs. Chiles had a lot of allegiance to the University of Florida, where they met and where he got his law degree,” Mahan said.  “I was state health officer on loan from the medical school at Florida, and I was supposed to go back there, and the Chiles Center was supposed to be there.”

But having served in the same administration, Mahan was friends with Betty Castor, who had been state secretary of education under Chiles and had since become president of USF.  Mahan said she called him and personally asked him to be the dean of COPH.  He accepted, and the first “steal” from the University of Florida only naturally led to the second.

USF was the better location for the Chiles Center, Castor told the governor, as it had the only college of public health and was headed by a dean who had served him as state health officer.  It also had a Healthy Beginnings program in place that arguably was already doing some of the work the Chiles Center would do.

Dr. Betty Castor, former USF president and Florida secretary of education.  To her left is her husband, former Florida state Rep. Samuel P. Bell III.

The Florida Healthy Start Program had been created by the legislature in 1991, under the urging of Chiles, and from its inception, had included a Healthy Beginnings Program at USF.  So when Mahan was appointed COPH dean in February 1995, he was at the right place at the right time to begin realization of his vision.  A year later, the Board of Regents established the Center, and Mahan served as its founding director in addition to his duties as COPH dean.

A $2-million federal grant followed in 1997 that was specifically aimed at reducing infant mortality in Hillsborough County.  In December of that year, a gala event at Busch Gardens honored the governor and his wife and formally launched the Center.  Additional state funding came in 1998 for construction of a building and a $600,000 annual operating budget.

Former Florida first lady Rhea Chiles (third from right) and her and the late governor’s daughter, also named Rhea (fourth from right), and son Ed (center) at the Chiles Center’s groundbreaking ceremony.

“President Castor invited Gov. and Mrs. Chiles down to USF, and we toured the campus and got them to put their names on the Chiles Center,” Mahan recalled.  “And then, Gov. Chiles was great about taking me to Washington and meeting all the senators who were his friends and raising money for the building.”

That journey for federal support brought home another $800,000 for the building.  The governor and first lady then spearheaded a series of fundraisers in Daytona Beach, Lakeland, Pensacola, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach.

“The Center was originally housed in office space near Tampa International Airport on Mariner Drive,” recalled Dr. Linda A. Detman, research associate for the Center.  “I believe that was from 1996 to 1998.  The Center’s first on-campus location was in FMHI, what is now labeled on maps as the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences building.  We also had a pair of temporary trailers for added office space between FMHI and the Westside Conference Center.”

Gov. Lawton Chiles (right) and daughter Rhea with Dr. Harold Varmus, then director of the National Institutes of Health, at the dedication of Lawton Chiles House (not related to the Chiles Center).

The Center’s impressive home since 2001 puts plenty of inspiration on display for visitors and staff alike:  A photo gallery of Gov. and Mrs. Chiles, including framed moments with presidents Clinton, Carter and Bush the first; a replica of the governor’s Tallahassee conference room for his use whenever he visited; even a bronzed pair of “Walkin’ Lawton’s” famous shoes.

After all, inspiration is what it’s all about.  Over the years, the Chiles Center’s health care initiatives have racked up impressive victories, to say the least.

“At the Chiles Center, Florida Covering Kids and Families and its collaborators across the state exceeded the federal goal for Florida in enrolling people for health care coverage in the federal health insurance marketplaces,” said Dr. William M. Sappenfield, Chiles Center director and Department of Community and Family Health chair and professor.  “During the first open enrollment, about 500,000 more individuals enrolled over the initial target and reached more than 1.6 million after the second enrollment period.  Moreover, because of the success of projects like this, Florida now enrolls more people through this important health insurance program than any other state.”

William M. Sappenfield, MD, MPH, director of the Chiles Center

Sappenfield also points to one of the Center’s most recent projects, the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which has radically reduced elective early deliveries (before 39 weeks of gestation).

“Babies electively delivered before 39 weeks are at higher risk of poor outcomes, including respiratory troubles and difficulties feeding, and are at higher risk of learning, behavioral and school-related problems in childhood,” explained Detman, who oversees the project.

“It continues to make a measurable difference in the quality of health care that mothers and babies are receiving,” Sappenfield said, “through improving newborn health care at birth and reducing death and morbidity to obstetric hemorrhage.”

Another recent Chiles Center project is the Obstetric Hemorrhage Initiative begun in October 2013 with 31 Florida and four North Carolina hospitals.  The participating Florida hospitals represent more than one-forth of the state’s delivery hospitals and nearly two-thirds of all births statewide, Detman said, adding that maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the state.

Linda Detman, PhD, program manager for the Chiles Center’s Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative

“We are fortunate to have the enthusiasm and dedication of perinatal professionals across the state who want to be engaged in improving outcomes for mothers and infants, and we plan to grow in the number of hospitals actively engaged in one or more of our projects,” she said.

Though funding issues put an end to the Center’s branch office in Tallahassee years ago, the original main office – now an imposing office building – on the USF Tampa campus continues to thrive and achieve.

“As was initially dreamed, the Chiles Center continues to improve the health and health care of women, children and families in Florida,” Sappenfield said.  “We will continue to build upon and expand these successful collaborations to succeed in our mission of improving their health and health care.”

Gov. Chiles visits COPH and its dean, Dr. Charles Mahan, in 1995.

“We worked with Gov. and Mrs. Chiles for many years to devise and implement programs and ideas to improve the pregnancy outcomes for women and babies,” Mahan said.  “The LRCC is designed to carry out these efforts and continue to design and improve new ones for future generations.”

Story by David Brothers, College of Public Health.

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The University of South Florida today announced that it is naming its College of Public Health Building after the Honorable Samuel P. Bell, III.

Bell, who passed away on March 14, is considered the “father” of USF’s College of Public Health and was a longtime champion of USF and Florida residents.

“Sam Bell was a passionate champion for the University of South Florida, and we are proud to honor his profound legacy by dedicating the College of Public Health building in his name,” said USF President Rhea Law. “His influence and impact on public health policy will continue to benefit our university, region and state for generations to come.”

A House leader from Volusia County from 1974 to 1988, Bell identified a growing need for public health professionals in the U.S. He sponsored legislation to create Florida’s first college of public health at USF in 1984 due to the university’s unique combination of having an urban setting and a medical school. 

“There would be no college of public health, no building to name, without a Sam Bell,” said Donna J. Petersen, senior associate vice president of USF Health. “He was a tireless advocate for public health and used his passion, his position and his powers of persuasion to create out of nowhere, the first college of public health in the state of Florida, at USF.”

Petersen, who also serves as dean, added that it was the only college of public health in the state for many years, and that Bell served as the first and only chair of its advisory council for nearly 40 years.  

“He was a huge presence in this building. All of us convene and learn in the Sam Bell auditorium,” she said. “Students benefitted from his generosity in the scholarships he supported and from his wisdom when he guest-lectured in the classroom. He came to our events and he enthusiastically supported new initiatives like the Salud Latina program. We know and love Sam inside the college. Naming the building proclaims to the outside world how much Sam meant to us.”

Bell laid the groundwork for Florida Healthy Kids, a government-subsidized insurance plan that became the model for the national Children’s Health Insurance Program. His work led to Florida leading the nation in regulating tap water temperature to prevent scalding deaths, improved the process for subsidized adoptions for children with special needs, established a network of neonatal intensive care units and fought to ensure passage of the bill requiring child restraints in automobiles.

“We are so grateful to Sam Bell, whose determination and passion for public health laid the groundwork for the USF College of Public Health to become the national leader that it is today,” said Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “We are delighted that we can rename the college’s headquarters as the Samuel P. Bell, III Building to honor his legacy and reflect his many contributions to improving the lives and health of all Floridians.” 

In 1989, Bell married then-Florida Education Commissioner Betty Castor, who would become USF’s fifth president. Bell met Castor when both were serving in the state Legislature. They created a family of six children, and now, 10 grandchildren. Castor today announced an additional legacy gift to the College of Public Health. 

“Sam had a deep passion for serving the citizens of this state and this university in so many ways,” Castor said. “He would have been humbled and honored knowing his legacy will live on through his beloved college because of the students, faculty and patients he cared about so deeply.”

The university also announced a $100,000 gift from Florida Healthy Kids to establish an endowed fund focused on future discoveries in child health insurance and health policy, which will be used to offer scholarships to masters- and doctoral-level College of Public Health students.

The couple’s philanthropy continues to have a major impact on USF. In addition to the College of Public Health, Bell served on the advisory boards for WUSF Public Media and the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies. He also served on the USF Foundation Board of Directors, and along with Betty, endowed scholarships for USF’s College of Public Health, School of Music and women’s athletics.

“Sam Bell’s contributions to the University of South Florida are immeasurable,” said USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman. “Through their philanthropy, service and advocacy, Sam and Betty have forever changed our USF community for the better. There is no one more deserving than Sam Bell for this honor and his legacy will endure for generations to come.”

Bell’s previous recognitions from the university include a 2009 USF honorary Doctor of Public Health as well as the university’s highest honor to a non-alum, the Class of ’56 Award, presented in 2018. He was posthumously awarded USF’s Distinguished Citizen Award at the university’s 2023 spring commencement in May.

Story reposted from USF Newsroom

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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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Samuel P. Bell III, a former legislator in the Florida House of Representatives and founder of the USF College of Public Health (COPH), was posthumously awarded USF’s Distinguished Citizen Award at the university’s 2023 spring commencement held May 7.

Bell died on March 14, 2023, at the age of 83.

USF’s Distinguished Citizen Award is one of the university’s highest honors and recognizes a U.S. citizen—usually a Floridian—who has rendered distinguished public service to those in the USF community and the state as a whole.

Bell was honored for his tireless support of USF and the people of Florida.

He served in the Florida House from 1974 to 1988. He lobbied the Florida Legislature to create a college of public health to train the next generation of public health officials and serve the health needs of Floridians.

In 1984, the USF College of Public Health (COPH), the first college of public health in the state, opened its doors.

Bell laid the groundwork for such public health initiatives as Florida Healthy Kids, a government-subsidized insurance plan, as well as the subsidized adoptions of special-needs children and regulation of tap water temperature to prevent scalding deaths.

He also served on numerous USF boards, including the advisory boards for WUSF Public Media, the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies and endowed scholarships to the COPH, USF’s School of Music and the women’s basketball team.

“Sam Bell was a champion for USF and an advocate for making our communities better places to live,” commented USF President Rhea Law. “Not only did I have an opportunity to see Sam’s impact on the university, but I was also fortunate to work with him during my legal career and benefit from his smart, effective approach to creating good public policy.  We’re proud to honor Sam’s legacy as a very deserving recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award.”

Betty Castor, Bell’s wife and former USF president, accepted the award, presented by COPH Dean Donna Petersen, on his behalf.

Noting that his “dedication, loyalty and love belonged to the University of South Florida,” Castor reminded the audience of the many accomplishments of Bell, his vast service to USF and the accolades the college he founded has garnered.

 “The trajectory of the college has been nothing short of miraculous. Sam was always the number-one champion, cheering every step of the way. Not one to sit on the sidelines, he was personally involved in the college serving as an affiliate professor. He met with faculty and students, traveled to the global office in Panama and visited with master’s degree students in faraway Uganda. He was eternally grateful when Dean Donna Petersen presented—err—negotiated a parking space close to the building. That was a gift! Sam established endowments for public health students and most recently established a new endowment in public health policy.”

Castor concluded her comments by noting that Bell “understood USF more than most and was immensely proud of its history and accomplishments. Sam Bell was a proud Bull!”

To view the commencement ceremony and Castor’s comments, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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The University of South Florida community is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Samuel P. “Sam” Bell, who is considered the “father” of the USF College of Public Health. He and his wife, former USF president Betty Castor have been deeply connected to the University of South Florida’s growth and success for decades.

“Sam Bell was a champion for USF. From his strong advocacy that led to the creation of our College of Public Health to his generous philanthropy that supports many of our students and programs, Sam’s impact is felt every day at USF. On behalf of the USF community, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife Betty Castor, a former USF president, and their entire family,” USF President Rhea Law said. “I was also fortunate to work closely with Sam during my time with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. His smart, thoughtful and caring approach to public policy was tremendously beneficial to our law firm and our community. He will be missed.”

Bell represented Volusia County in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1988, where he was instrumental in pushing legislation that created the state’s first accredited public health college in 1984.

During his time in the legislature, Bell recognized a dual problem. He saw there were public health issues affecting Florida communities, such as infant mortality, tuberculosis and the need for clean drinking water. He also saw employees in the state’s county health departments were aging with no one in line to continue their work.

He lobbied to create Florida’s first college of public health to train a new generation of public health professionals, with USF chosen as its home due to its unique combination of having an urban setting and a medical school.

Over the next four decades, Bell watched the college grow from his words on a page to an internationally respected entity. According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings, the USF College of Public Health is now the No. 1 public health college in the state and No. 16 nationwide. Bell served as the first and only chair of the dean’s advisory board.

“The College of Public Health exists because of Sam Bell. Everything we stand for is because of him. Sam Bell was a champion of champions. Everything he did, he did for good,” said Donna Petersen, dean of the College of Public Health and the university’s chief health officer.

The College of Public Health was the first of many USF projects Bell took an interest in. His contributions have played a crucial role in lifting USF to become a major player on the national and international stage.

An avid public radio listener, Bell served on the board for WUSF Public Media. He was a board member for the USF World Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, bringing prominent international speakers to campus, and the Center for Urban Studies. Bell also served on the USF Foundation Board of Directors.

Among his many philanthropic contributions to the university, he endowed scholarships for the USF School of Music, the College of Public Health and women’s basketball. In conversation about the dozens of students who benefitted from his generosity, he spoke with pride about “our students” and “our graduates.”

An avid supporter of all USF women’s intercollegiate athletes, he and his wife, Betty Castor, could be seen cheering for the Bulls at nearly every women’s basketball home game.

In recognition of his distinguished service to USF and its community, Bell was awarded an honorary degree in 2009 as well as the university’s highest honor to a non-alumnus, the Class of ’56 Award, in 2018. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of law from Flagler College and the Outstanding Member of the House Award from the Miami Herald.

“It is hard to describe the sheer magnitude of Sam Bell’s contributions to the University of South Florida,” said USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman. “Through his philanthropy, his service and his advocacy, Sam Bell leaves a legacy that will endure for generations. We couldn’t be more appreciative of his unwavering commitment to leave this world a better place than when he entered it.”

Beyond USF, Bell was at the forefront of progressive policies, programs and laws that ensure Floridians, particularly children, have access to quality, affordable health care. His work with the nonprofit Institute for Child Health Policy resulted in Florida Healthy Kids, a government subsidized insurance plan that became the model for the national Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Thanks to Bell, Florida led the nation in efforts to regulate tap water temperatures to prevent scalding deaths. His work resulted in subsidized adoptions of children with special needs and established a network of neonatal intensive care units to ensure the youngest, sickest patients had the very best care.

Bell was born in West Virginia, moving with his parents and younger brother to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just as he began high school.

He attended Dartmouth College and Duke University School of Law, then joined a Daytona Beach law firm. He spent the next four decades practicing civil law, becoming partner in several firms, including Pennington Moore Wilkinson Bell and Dunbar, now Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney.

Bell met Castor when both were serving in the state Legislature. They married in 1989, creating a family of six children and, now, 10 grandchildren.

“We were so fortunate to be the beneficiary of his foresight, his wisdom, his passion and his generosity,” said Petersen. “Our hearts are broken, but in his honor and memory, we will honor his legacy every way we can. We are forever indebted to this amazing human being.”

Reposted from USF Foundation

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USF Health hosted its virtual 5K, “Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay,” from April 17-18. With 107 registrants, the effort raised more than $7,200 that will go to directly support the The USF College of Public Health (COPH) Harrell Center’s priorities.

The 5K was endorsed by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and news of the event was distributed through multiple social media channels. Participating leaders included former USF President Betty Castor, former Florida House representative Samuel P. Bell, III, COPH board members, faculty and community organization leaders such as Mindy Murphy from the Spring of Tampa Bay. The Harrell Center also thanked Lennar Homes and many of their other donors for contributing to the event’s success.

The Harrell Center serves as an intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence across the life span. To address this mission, the center connects the technical assistance needs of community organizations with USF students and faculty who have the skills to manage these needs.

However, one challenge the center faces is trying to meet the needs of the community through academic solutions, such as research, evaluation, training and advocacy, without an allocated budget.

“We rely on student volunteers and the faculty’s orientation toward community engagement,” Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center, said. “All the funds raised from the 5K are being utilized for community-based projects that don’t have a funding stream through USF. Our students can learn while working with projects that advance evidence-based practices. The community can address challenges that they have not been able to address.” 

Salinas-Miranda said that one of the things he liked most about the event was the sense of connection with family, friends and the community who were all supporting their cause.

“I think it’s really amazing that despite this being our first 5K and the COVID-19 pandemic causing the race to be virtual, we had over 100 participants. The community response to the event was really inspiring,” Salinas-Miranda said. “We would like to thank everyone who participated and donated! We will make sure to put every penny to good use to address family violence in our community.”

Click here to see more photos from the event.

Related media:
LifeLine video playlist on YouTube

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health’s (COPH) Activist Lab will hold its third annual boot camp on advocacy. The 2021 event will be held virtually on Jan. 29 and will focus on advocacy and pandemics, particularly COVID-19.

“These exciting boot camps allow participants to not only learn about advocacy and policy changes, but to focus on particular public health issues and change,” said Dr. Karen Liller, director of the Activist Lab and a COPH professor. “This is a true hands-on experience. Boot camp participants will work in groups to create issue papers for the legislators and/or policymakers that will help improve the public’s health.”

The COPH’s Activist Lab provides seminars, webinars and other educational opportunities for faculty and students—both undergraduate and graduate—to learn public health advocacy skills and competencies. 

After a welcome kickoff from the COPH’s Dean Dr. Donna Petersen and Liller, the audience will hear presentations from those in the thick of COVID-19 prevention, control and research, including the COPH’s Dr. Tom Unnasch and Dr. Marissa Levine. New this year will be a panel discussion that follows the presentations; this will allow for questions and answers from the audience about the pandemic.  

Following the panel discussion, participants will be instructed by representatives of the Shimberg Health Sciences Library on how to research pandemic strategies and advocate for change. 

“This is important,” commented Liller, “as after presentations the participants will break into groups to develop an issue paper for policymakers and/or legislators about pandemic topics. The topics include contact tracing, rapid response to pandemics, mental health issues, and firearms and violence during pandemics. Each group will present their issue paper to all participants and it will be critiqued by present and/or past legislators and public health officials.”

Some of the legislators and public health officials scheduled to take part in the boot camp are Samuel P. Bell III, a COPH affiliate faculty member, advisory board chairman and former Florida state legislator; Ronald Glickman, staff attorney with the Second District Court of Appeals and former Florida state legislator; and US Rep. Kathy Castor (tentative). 

“COVID-19 and pandemics are critical issues to address now and into the future,” said Liller. “Public health professionals will need strong advocacy skills to make their voices heard. I believe strongly that all public health students and others should attend these boot camps, as advocacy and policymaking are critical skills for all to learn so that public health efforts succeed.

To register for the event or to learn more, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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From the film festival to Delta Omega to a fun night out, the USF College of Public Health’s presence at the 2019 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo was a trifecta! Bulls descended on Philadelphia from Nov. 2-6.

This year’s annual meeting marked the third time in the college’s history that a video was selected for the APHA Global Public Health Film Festival. USF COPH: The world is our classroom is one of a handful of videos that aired in the “Sick Planet” category.

In observance of the college’s 35^th anniversary, this year’s APHA reception was also ramped up a notch.

More than 120 Bulls and public health colleagues showed up for the festivities at Lucky Strike. “The bowling alley and game room provided the perfect setting for a fun celebration,” said COPH Dean Donna Petersen.  “Friends old and new mixed and mingled while playing pool, ping-pong, oversized Connect Four and even bowling!”

Special guests included COPH founder The Honorable Sam Bell and former USF System President Dr. Betty Castor. Retired COPH Dean Charlie Mahan and wife Dee Jeffers were also in attendance. In fact, the reception fell on Dr. Mahan’s birthday.

“The college is the recipient of a $35,000 anonymous gift,” announced Kara Steiner, USF Health’s director of annual giving & alumni engagement. “Because it’s a match opportunity, any gift amount to any COPH fund counts!”

Steiner challenged attendees to make a gift of $35, $350 or $3500. Giving Tuesday, an annual day of giving celebrated the day after Cyber Monday is one way to do so.

Before closing out the night, Petersen introduced the newest addition to the COPH family—gourmet dark chocolate direct from Ecuador. Attendees were given an opportunity to sample dark chocolate varieties with and without almonds.  Watch for new product lines to be available on campus and in local stores, all in support of the college, Ecuadoran farmers and chocolate producers through our latest global venture.

This initiative is part of the USF College of Public Health’s yearlong 35th anniversary celebration.  To learn more about giving to the COPH, contact Kara Steiner ’06 at ksteiner@health.usf.edu or (813) 974-3023.

Story by Natalie D. Preston, USF College of Public Health

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The University of South Florida Women’s Health Collaborative held its sixth annual Leading the Way Awards Luncheon during National Women’s Health Week at the Bryan Glazer JCC. The annual luncheon, sponsored by PNC Bank, sold out with more than 300 leaders and health researchers in attendance and raised over $80,000 to help improve the health of women in the Tampa Bay community and beyond. In partnership with USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy, the Women’s Health Collaborative awarded around $50,000 in research seed grants and recognized past USF President, Betty Castor, as the 2019 Remark-a-Bull Award Honoree for her work in advocating for women’s health.

2019 Remark-a-Bull Award Honoree: Betty Castor

Catherine Lynch, associate vice president for women’s health and faculty development at USF Health, presented Betty Castor with the 2019 Remark-a-Bull Award for her many years of service to women’s health. Castor is recognized as one of Florida’s most accomplished women in politics and a strong advocate for education and health care. During her time as USF President, she founded the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. In May 2018, the Tampa Bay Lightning awarded Castor with a Community Hero Award; she shared part of the proceeds with USF Health by awarding it as a seed grant at this year’s luncheon.

Faculty Research Award Presentations

The Leading the Way Awards Luncheon supports seed grants for interdisciplinary team-based research that will advance women’s health. In the last six years, the Women’s Health Collaborative has funded 34 research projects and 100 researchers across the colleges of USF Health and partners inside and outside of the USF System.

“The University of South Florida is at the forefront in so many areas affecting the health of women across all stages of their lives. As Tampa Bay’s only academic medical center, USF Health understands the power that results from the confluence of education, research and clinical innovation,” said Dr. Lynch.

USF presented five research awards to USF Health faculty at the luncheon:

• PNC Bank, the presenting sponsor of the event, awarded a $15,000 seed grant for “Mothers of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Chronic Stress and DNA Methylation Modifications at 3 years Postpartum.” The research team included Adetola Louis-Jacques, Thao Ho, Jessica Gordon, and Monica Uddin, who will investigate the relationships between maternal stress symptoms, child neurobehavioral symptoms and maternal DNA methylation patterns.
• Thanks to Betty Castor’s Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award, $15,000 was awarded to the “Testing feasibility and acceptability of an early childhood nutrition intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder” research team – Drs. Heewon Gray, Stephanie Marhefka, Heather Agazzi, and Eun Sook Kim. The research team will examine perspectives of Early Steps educators on intervention feasibility, acceptability, overall intervention process, and activity details to determine parents’ perspectives on the intervention experience.
• Tampa General Hospital awarded its $7,500 seed grant to Drs. Vanessa Hux, Ronee Wilson, and Kristen Salomon for “Experiences of Racial and Gender Discrimination Among Non-Pregnant and Pregnant Women.” The objective of this study is to characterize everyday discrimination, perceived ethnic discrimination, and ambivalent sexism in non-pregnant and pregnant women using the well-validated Williams Everyday Discrimination Scale, the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire, and the Experiences in Ambivalent Sexism Scale.
• The Women’s Health Collaborative seed grant for $10,000 was awarded to “Social Determinants of Health in Women with Heart Failure: Impact on Hospitalizations.” The research team included Drs. Joel Fernandez, Janice Zgibor, and Theresa Beckie. This trial will characterize how social differences in women with heart failure impact hospitalization rates, and how identifying social determinants in women with heart failure can provide a more holistic approach for secondary prevention strategies.
• Valerie Riddle, physician executive and USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy lifetime member, presented Dr. Dinorah Martinez-Tyson, an assistant professor for community and family health at the USF College of Public Health, with $5,000 as the recipient of the 2019 WLP Valerie D. Riddle, MD Award in Health. Dr. Martinez-Tyson has earned both her MPH and PhD from the University of South Florida, specializing her research in health disparities, Latino and immigrant health, and cancer survivorship and chronic disease management. She co-founded a non-profit organization that provides support to Latinos diagnosed with cancer.

Reposted from USF Health Office of Development and Alumni Relations

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National Women’s Health Week is May 12-18

As National Women’s Health Week begins, the USF Women’s Health Collective will present former USF President Betty Castor with the 2019 Remark-a-Bull Award. The award, which will be presented at the sixth annual Leading the Way Awards Luncheon at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC on May 15, recognizes Castor for her work advancing women’s health issues in Tampa Bay.

Castor has been a steady advocate for women’s health even before she became a familiar face at the USF College of Public Health (COPH).

During her time in the Florida State Senate, Castor continuously passed laws and fought for programs that would create a more equitable atmosphere for women. “I recognized the importance of physical education and health for young women and girls and the inequities that often prevent them from advancing [in society],” said Castor.

This work continued as Castor moved into the position of Florida Commissioner of Education, where much of her focus centered on the affordability of health care for children across the state. 

In this role, she helped develop Healthy Kids—a program that provides children age 5-18 with insurance if their families cannot afford health coverage.

“That effort grew from a pilot into a statewide program,” said Castor. “The results were so impressive that the Clinton administration adopted children’s health as a priority, and today [the program] has become part of the [federally-authorized] Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), in which hundreds of thousands of children are enrolled.”

When Castor became the first female president of USF in 1994, she made sure to keep women and the health barriers they often encounter at the forefront of the university’s agenda.

She made USF a mecca for maternal and child health in Florida by founding the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies in the COPH. She also founded the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences.

While pioneering women’s health issues has clearly taken Castor to many places and positions throughout her career, she feels most at home here in Tampa, as a part of the USF community.

“On a personal level, I am a long-time patient of many of our medical school clinical faculty, and I’m grateful for the care I’ve received there,” said Castor. “I’m proud of the USF colleges and graduates who continue to make our communities healthier and prosperous.”

As for the award, Castor appreciates the recognition and sees the important role that USF and the COPH play in creating a healthy community.

“I am very pleased to be recognized for my efforts, especially considering those who have been recognized in the past,” said Castor. “There is a vital intersection between education and health, and I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in both.”

Story by Cody Brown, USF College of Public Health

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