First published on July 13, 2015 in observance of the COPH’s 30^th anniversary celebration.

Founded in 1997 by a training grant supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Sunshine Education and Research Center at the USF College of Public Health stemmed from an industrial hygiene training program grant in the late 1980s.

“NIOSH has several charters,” explained Dr. Thomas Bernard, chair and professor in Environmental and Occupational Health and SERC (pronounced SIR-see) program director since 2008.  “One of them is to support and encourage the development of professionals in the field of occupational safety and health.  A mechanism for doing that is through training grants.”

After Bernard’s arrival in 1989, additional training program grants followed in occupational medicine and occupational health nursing.  Then the department began work on an occupational safety program.  Eight years later, the fledgling operation had grown enough to warrant centralization.

“In the mid-’90s,” Bernard said, “we decided that we would combine those training activities with a grant and ask for an education center.  The application required that it have training in at least three programs, and we had four: safety, industrial hygiene, medicine and nursing.  The application was accepted and funded under the leadership of Stuart M. Brooks and Yehia Hammad.”

Being headquartered at a university the size of USF naturally leads any interdisciplinary entity into an expansion cornucopia that Bernard is happy to enumerate, along with the USF colleges involved.

“Because they are multidiscipline programs, part of their value is the interdisciplinary training,” he said.  “We added, about seven years ago, occupational health psychology, so that’s now a funded program in Arts and Sciences.  We’ve expanded the safety program to include a degree out of engineering.  Obviously, we’re involved with the [Morsani] College of Medicine:  The clinical rotations and residency certificates come out of medicine, and then the academic training comes out of public health.

“With nursing,” he said, “we have three options.  One is a straight occupational health nursing degree, a second one is a dual degree in nursing and public health, and then we also have a third degree that’s strictly public health.”

Thomas Bernard, PhD

Another requirement under the grant from NIOSH, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a continuing education component,  which also has been added.  Additional expansion has stemmed from outreach activities, student recruitment and a pilot project in research training for doctoral students and junior faculty.

“We support these throughout the region,” Bernard qualified, “so they aren’t only for USF.  We have reached way beyond ourselves in terms of the arrangements that we have, but we engage the professional community more than the community at large.”

He added that the center is “very much engaged” in state and regional professional conferences, as well as in coordination with other ERCs in the state and the region.

“By and large, we have a very good national profile,” he said.  “There are just a couple of us that reach out globally, but those are more individual efforts.  The ERC is designed to serve primarily Florida, and in a larger sense, the Southeast region.  That’s our mission and our charter from NIOSH, not to go beyond that, but I think we have expertise in a number of areas that have national recognition.”

The highly technical nature of some of those areas probably help limit recognition to professional circles, but their significance would be difficult to deny. Respiratory protection from nanoparticles is one of them, but as Bernard pointed out, it’s not exactly a topic on most people’s minds.

“Few people are asking, ‘What happens when you breathe those in?’  Some of them have characteristics that are not unlike asbestos.  Others are easily transported across the air-blood barriers, so they move through the lungs into the blood and get transported elsewhere in the body.  So protecting individuals from nanoparticles is important,” he said.

And the list goes on.

“We have a major presence in the area of heat stress – how to evaluate heat stress, how to manage it, and especially, the effects of protective clothing.  We have fairly good recognition in Europe in the area of ergonomics,” he continued,  “and occupational health psychology clearly is one of our well-recognized programs.”

Workplace stress, safety climate and work-family balance are others, he said.

“And then,” he concluded with a nod that said he’d saved the best for last, “we turn out good students, and we’re recognized through the product of the quality of our students.”

SERC hosts a six-day Summer Institute for Occupational Health and Safety for students interested in exploring graduate studies.

Looking ahead is easy for Bernard, and he likes what he sees for his organization.

“I think that everything we do in public health, and everything we do within the SERC, is prevention – preventing people from being injured or having their health impaired,” he said.  “But I think our opportunity here at USF lies in translating research to practice and also expanding on the fact that a healthy workforce is healthy not only from controlling exposures to hazards in the workplace, but also from encouraging healthy activities outside the workplace.

“So, bringing these work and home lives together is an opportunity for us,” Bernard concluded, “and that’s where I see our future.”

Story by David Brothers, College of Public Health.

The post Sunshine Education and Research Center links multiple disciplines to improve the wellbeing of workers appeared first on College of Public Health News.

The USF Office of Graduate Studies presented its 10^th Annual Graduate Research Symposium on March 21 at the Marshall Student Center.

The event, sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Counsel and Research One, showcased graduate students across all disciplines. This year, 17 USF College of Public Health students participated.

The Graduate Research Symposium took place in the Marshall Student Center and included students from all disciplines across campus. (Photo by Caitlin Keough)

MPH student Katherine Lesser’s research, “Eliminating the Strain: Examining Immunization Policies at Accredited Florida Postsecondary Institutions” examined the discrepancies in immunization requirements for students at universities and colleges in Florida.

“I wanted to see if any of the Florida colleges had any of the same immunization policies,” she said.

Lesser, specializing in epidemiology and global communicable diseases, examined some of Florida’s laws stating that individuals at post-secondary institutes with on campus dwellings need to be vaccinated against meningococcal, meningitis, and hepatitis B unless they opt-out with a waiver.

“I thought that was interesting because another Florida statute for students entering daycare through post-secondary education, including childcare, daycare, pre-k and k-12 vaccines, require much more than meningitis and hepatitis B,” Lesser said.

Katherine Lesser. (Photo by Caitlin Keough)

Lesser segmented the universities and colleges in Florida by accreditation, looking specifically at those accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and split them even further between public and private institutions.

She conducted research of each institution’s vaccine requirements for incoming students.

“Most had immunizations forms, the only ones I found that didn’t were seminary schools,” Lesser said.

She found that Florida college systems had vaccination requirements, but that they were very specific to those in the health science professions.

“There is a lot of variation that exists between the schools,” Lesser said. “Not one institution has the same as the other, which I find very concerning especially because these are all highly contagious diseases that can be prevented by vaccines.”

She also found that the 12 Florida State University System institutions required hepatitis and meningitis by law, and that four required a TB screening for international students where TB is endemic.

“I suggest that the state of Florida create a cohesive immunization sheet that is used throughout all colleges and universities. From what I understand, no one institution has the same as the other and that is a huge issue,” Lesser said.

Vaccination is Lesser’s public health passion and in February, she, along with other classmates, went to Washington, D.C. to speak with Florida’s congressional members and senators regarding the need for continued funding and global support for the UN Foundation’s, Shot@Life, an organization advocating for childhood vaccines worldwide.

“Vaccines are such a vital part of public health, everyone should get them and support them,” Lesser said. “I want people to understand them, especially since they are like a ‘best buy’ of public health, as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation describes them. Most are affordable and with vaccines we’ve made so much progress, for example, Polio is only endemic in three countries. So, it’s clear that vaccines do so much good for the world and it’s an incredibly important topic.”

For environmental and occupational health graduate student Carli, her research, “USF Health Faculty & Staff Health & Well-being Assessment: Highlighting The Current” was driven by a personal experience.

“Occupational health and safety is my passion,” Carli said. “I have three years of experience working as a physician in my home country [Indonesia] where my best friend’s father developed thyroid cancer because of working in a fertilizer factory. Within two years of his retirement date, he found out he had cancer. He assessed that many of colleagues had the same issue. Occupational related diseases always happen near retirement, but after you end up with the issue there is not much that can be done because it’s already late.”

She decided to assess the health and wellness of USF Health’s faculty and staff.

“University workers don’t realize it, but they are workers too,” she said. “The University is a workplace and the federal government’s OSHA department says that it is an obligation for the employer to take care of the health and wellness of the employees.”

Using the CDC’s worksite questionnaire of 90 questions, Carli assessed the health and wellness of the workers and found that, overall, USF Health is taking strides in addressing employee wellness.

“Most of the workers of USF Health are entering their later years of life and are over age 50,” she said.

The four common complaints noted by USF Health employees were: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia—high blood glucose, and musculoskeletal issues.

Carli. (Photo by Caitlin Keough)

Carli assessed that staff also stressed the desire to have classes on physical activity, healthy eating, and ergonomics.

“This is the one department that allows its workers to access the recreation center at the WELL. In other departments at USF employees must pay to utilize the recreation center, but at USF Health it’s accessed for free. I really appreciate that USF Health thinks about the health and wellness of the workers,” she said.

She said she found that USF Health has done a great job addressing those desires and hopes the same wellness efforts will be offered to employees across campus.

“I hope that later USF as a whole will provide the opportunity its staff and faculty to use the gym,” she said.

(Photo by Caitlin Keough)

The complete list of College of Public Health participants include:

Student Affairs and Student Success

Taylor Grimm
Success and Wellness Coaching: Holistic wellness approach to student success

Environmental and Occupational Health

Carli
USF Health Faculty & Staff Health & Well-being Assessment: Highlighting The Current

Community and Family Health

Melody Chavez-Robben
Quality of Life among Hispanic Cancer Survivors

Alexis Barr
Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding in the Hospital: Factors Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding at One Month among WIC Participants

Janelle Barrera Ikan
School-level Factors Associated with Obesity: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Observational Studies

Tara Foti
Quality of Life is Associated With Glucose Control Trends Among Diabetic REMEDIES4D Trial Participants: A Secondary Data Analysis

Lydia Mezenghie
Colorectal Cancer Screening among African Americans

Chinyere Reid
Improving Florida’s Birth Certificate Accuracy: A Pilot Initiative

Acadia Webber
Food, Nutrients, and Diet Quality in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Florida

Global Health

Celina Flocks Monaghan
Navigating New Routes: Assessing Barriers to Medical Care in Congolese Refugee Populations of Tampa, Florida

Siriuk Changrob
Association of Immunologic Memory to Polymorphic Haplotypes of Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein in Low Malaria Transmission Area of Thailand

Muhammad Khalid
Heterologous expression and purification of Plasmodium falciparum protein kinase ABCk2 (PfABCk2) as a potential drug target

Asmita Mhaskar
Homeopathy: What are patients saying?

James Muncy
Perceptions of Zika Virus Among USF Students

Epidemiology and Global Health

Katherine Lesser
Eliminating the Strain: Examining Immunization Policies at Accredited Florida Postsecondary Institutions

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Linh Duong
Assessing Hepatitis C Screening Completion Rates Using Electronic Medical Records from the USF Health System in Tampa, Florida

Mitra Kothari
Trends in the Prevalence of Hypertension Among Those Who Have Diabetes in U.S. Adults: An NHANES Data Analysis

Related Media:
Photo album by Ellen Kent

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

The post From vaccinations to occupational health, students showcase their public health passion appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, USF College of Public Health alumna Adelmarie Bones started practicing industrial hygiene after graduating with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus in 2007.

After working in the field for five years, Bones wanted to gain more expertise in the area of industrial hygiene by obtaining her MSPH at the COPH, where many of her superiors and mentors earned their degrees.

“I have a very specific interest in environmental health and how the environment plays an important role in health overall,” she said. “I enjoy reaching out to the public and educating on conservation to the planet and at the same time prevent disease that could arise from the environment.”

Alumna Adelmarie Bones, MSPH (Photo courtesy of Bones).

Bones said that she has had an excellent experience during her time as a student and enjoyed the opportunity to learn.

One of her favorite memories at the COPH was when she went to Puerto Rico for an educational exchange with the University of Puerto Rico Medical Campus.

“I was able to show our interest in public relations about industrial hygiene and was able to show off my beautiful country to my peer students and faculty members!” Bones said.

A member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association student member, Bones was also able to cross train in the field of environmental risk.

Bones was inspired by Dr. Thomas Bernard, professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH).

“His contributions to industrial hygiene have been tremendous,” she said. “Thanks to him we have better knowledge and experience into how to promote occupational health, specifically in heat stress.”

Bones’ hard work and drive to learn made a lasting impression on those around her in the COPH.

“Adelmarie was always willing to work very hard. Throughout the program she showed intense effort – she was always prepared and always had questions,” said Dr. Steven Mlynarek, professor in EOH. “The knowledge and skills she learned in the program gave her the confidence and tools to start her own environmental consulting company.  We are very proud of Ms. Bones and wish her continued success.”

Outside of the COPH, Bones is a group fitness instructor. She teaches two or three classes per week in different formats including zumba, body works and boot camp.

“It is another way of promoting health using my skills,” she said.

After graduation, Bones will take her industrial hygiene skills to a new level by partnering with a Tampa Bay consulting firm. The firm, Air Analytics, LLC was founded by Edward Nuñez. In September 2017, Bones went into as partnership with him to expand the business with the new Tampa location.

In this new role, Bones offers professional services in the expertise of industrial hygiene. The company focuses on asbestos, mold, chemical fumes, water sample testing and recommendations based on OSHA and EPA regulatory limits of exposure. She also helps clients comply with OSHA and EPA regulation so that they can have a safe work environment for their employees.

“I feel both excitement and fear. It is very exciting to see what I am able to create,” she said. “I want to create jobs and become a respected firm where people call us when they need our help.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post Adelmarie Bones’ new titles, alumna and firm partner appeared first on College of Public Health News.

A new herd of Bulls entered the USF College of Public Health on Thursday, August 17. They arrived at orientation ready to learn and share their public health passions with others.

Epidemiology graduate student Marissa Estrada wants to explore zoonotic and infectious diseases in her MPH program. (Photo by Natalie Preston)

Marissa Estrada is one of the college’s 296 new students. At 7:40 a.m., she was the first student to arrive for orientation. Estrada is a military brat who earned a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Auburn University. When asked why she chose USF, Estrada asserted, “Because USF COPH is ranked #1 in the state and I wanted to move back to Florida!”

The rest of the class includes: 171 MPH, 14 MSPHs, nine MHA, 58 BSPH, and 12 PhD students.

The college also enrolled a record number of 31 new students into the DrPH program.

The incoming Class of 2017 (Photo by Natalie Preston)

Orientation day included small and large group sessions with academic and student affairs, departments, graduate and undergraduate studies, as well as a USF resource expo.

(From left) Behavioral health MPH student Rebecca joins her mom Karen in the Department of Community and Family Health. The senior Liller is a professor and director of the department’s academic graduate programs. (Photo by Caitlin Keough)

New graduate students in the Department of Health Policy and Management (Photo by Caitlin Keough)

USF hosts a Week of Welcome for all new students. This year, the COPH joined in the festivities to promote the college’s nationally ranked bachelor’s degree and new Health Scholars Program.

Despite the record heat temperature on Aug. 22, more than 800 students showed up on the Marshall Student Center lawn to test their knowledge with public health Jeopardy, It’s Your Health trivia, and reproductive health games like demonstrating the proper steps for using a condom (Hint: there are 12 steps!)! Incoming freshmen also enjoyed Kona Ice, corn hole, mini drones, magic card tricks, a rock climbing wall and Rocky D. Bull.

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

(Photo by Natalie Preston)

Story by Natalie Preston, USF College of Public Health

The post It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Back to school! appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Dr. Hana Osman joined the USF College of Public Health in 1997 as an eager and curious doctoral student, brand new to the field of public health.  Since gaining her doctorate in 2001, she has remained a part of COPH. Now, she is joining her husband, Everett Dameron, in retirement on August 31.

Dr. Hana Osman at her doctoral student commencement in 2001. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Osman)

Her professional background and educational training in social work fed her interest in the field of medical ethics. Then at a conference on the same topic, she ran into COPH’s Dr. Kay Perrin, her long-time friend, who is currently the assistant dean of undergraduate students. Perrin persuaded her to pursue a PhD in public health.

“This coincidental meeting changed my career trajectory from social work to public health,” Osman said.

As an associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Osman has taught public health ethics to more than 1,000 students. She also has served as director of the Sunshine Education & Research Center Continuing Education Program, a USF COPH center promoting graduate training and research in occupational health and safety. Her other accomplishments include participation in the USF and Jaeb Center IRBs, as well as ethics committees at Tampa General, Bayfront Health, and LifePath Hospice.

Osman earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Rochester in New York, then her master’s of science degree in social work from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She and Everett Dameron, now her husband of many years, moved from Columbia to Tampa in 1974, where both pursued careers in social work.

“Everett retired in 2016, so I had to catch up with him. I couldn’t let him have all the fun of retirement without me!” she said.

Dr. Osman with her husband at USF Health’s celebration of her service to the university. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Osman)

Osman said her career and training in social work provided a complementary framework to public health.

“One of the most attractive features of the discipline of public health is its diversity and its multi and inter-disciplinary approach to the people’s health,” she said. “Whether you are a veterinarian, an indoor air quality professional, a social scientist or an ethicist, there is a place for you in public health. That’s the uniqueness of public health.”

She earned her doctorate in 2001 from the COPH and started work as an assistant professor in the Department of Aging and Mental Health at the Florida Mental Health Institute at USF. There she conducted aging research and taught at Honors College students until she transferred to the COPH in 2003.

“My proudest professional achievement is teaching young students the value of personal ethics in their careers and in their private lives,” she said.

She said she hopes her students will remember her as the professor telling them to ‘Always do the right thing, no matter the consequences.’

Dr. Hana Osman (far right, second row) with honors students. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Osman)

“The students at the COPH are the rewards of our efforts,” she said. “The undergraduate, as well as the master’s and doctoral students, make this college what it is. Each one of these students has had a positive and unforgettable effect on me.”

She said she will miss her students, colleagues and friends at the USF COPH.

Dr. Osman with Catherine Silva, a colleague in EOH. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Osman)

In her retirement, Osman said she expects to take part in more of her hobbies: travel, tennis, exercise, skiing, body building and SCUBA diving. She said she and her husband look forward to exploring new adventures together.

“I do not see retirement from USF Health and COPH as the end of any of my relationships. I see retirement as a redirected focus rather than an end in and of itself,” she said. “The next chapter remains to be written.”

Dr. Hana Osman addresses the crowd with support from her husband Everett. (Photo by Natalie Preston)

“This is my Oscar night!” Osman said to a crowd of colleagues from across the university, former students and community partners who gathered in the COPH atrium on Friday, August 25. Attendees joined members of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health to celebrate Osman’s new title in life—retiree!

The occasion garnered lots of laughs, hugs and tears, especially when it was time for Osman to address the crowd. Unable to speak at first, her husband Everett Dameron highlighted the early years of her career in social work and public health.

When she regained her composure, Osman focused her words on those who matter the most at the end of the day—the people.

“Many people are here today and many are not here, but all have contributed to my professional growth and longevity at USF,” Osman said.

The list of thank-yous was long, but bears repeating:

“Thank you Dr. Perrin for all your support throughout the years.

COPH alumnae Drs. Mary Martinasek and Kay Perrin. (Photo by Natalie Preston)

Thank you Dr. Marion Becker, one of my professors and a very good friend, for introducing me to Dr. Larry Schonfeld who hired me for my first faculty position at FMHI after I earned my doctorate.

Thank you Dr. Hammad for recommending me to Dr. Stuart Brooks.

Thank you Dr. Bernard for your flexibility to allow me to pursue teaching ethics to all students as part of my assignment in the EOH Department.

Dr. Tom Bernard served as Osman’s department chair for about ten years. He said it was a pleasure to “have worked with someone who has been a pure joy.” He also addressed her commitment to education. “She would invite me to the classes and I was impressed with the amount of attention to her students. You helped make the department bigger than it was … So, we thank you very much!” (Photo by Natalie Preston)

Thank you Dean Petersen for leading the way and for creating a teaching career path at the COPH.

Thank you Dr. Aurora Sanchez-Anguiano for convincing me to apply for promotion!

Thank you Bob Nesbit and the OTI staff for supporting the CE program and ME – particularly 10 years ago!”

Staff kudos included shout-outs to Michael Spiegel, Melinda Tyler, Mary Johnson, Michael Haywood, Cedric Cato and Stephen Johnson for “the best support services in and outside the classroom,” Osman said. “Thank you Sandhya Srinivasan for all the support and for hiring the best people in the business to support our online teaching. The ETA staff and all the business office staff are beyond reproach!”

“The staff of the College of Public Health is just the best!” Osman said.

COPH’s June Lake, Dr. Hana Osman and Sandhya Srinivasan. (Photo by Natalie Preston)

Osman ended her remarks, just like she started—in tears.

“Thank you Cathy [Silva] for the last eight years that you’ve been with us here at COPH.”

Osman shared that in this time Silva had a son and she earned two masters degrees, “all while keeping meticulous records of all the data that she has analyzed for the continuing education program of the ERC. She will continue to perform her duties and many of mine after I leave.”

“I’m sure I’ve left out many friends and colleagues, but any omission is certainly unintended. So without further delay, please have a glass of wine and enjoy the delicious hors d’oeuvres,” Osman said.

Cheers!

Story by Anna Mayor and Natalie Preston, USF College of Public Health

The post Alumna Dr. Hana Osman embarks on her next chapter appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Dozens of colleagues and leaders gathered July 20 to celebrate the outstanding 27-year career of Phillip J. Marty, PhD, a consummate professional dedicated to the advancement of USF and USF Health.

Marty, professor of public health, internal medicine and psychiatry, held several administrative positions in the USF College of Public Health, Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health throughout his tenure at the University of South Florida, including 14 years as associate vice president for USF Health Research. Before retiring on Aug. 6, he led the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology as interim chair for five years.

Dr. Phillip J. Marty, professor emeritus of the USF College of Public Health (Photo by Eric Younghans).

Edmund Funai, MD, chief operating officer at USF Health and senior vice president of strategic development for USF, congratulated Marty on a well-deserved retirement.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude for all you have done over the past two plus decades to carry forward our missions of teaching, research, patient care and service,” Funai said. “You treated our university like home, and treat your colleagues and students as if they are family.”

Dr. Phillip Marty with some of the staff who assisted him at USF Health over the years — from left, Cheryl Lesko, Jo Ann Moore, Linda Lalli, Charmaine Disimile and Carolyn Mercurio Dove (Photo by Eric Younghans).

Marty arrived at the COPH in 1990 from the University of Arkansas College of Education, where he worked in the health sciences program at the Little Rock campus.  During his time in Arkansas, Marty’s collaborative research work on the use of smokeless tobacco was cited by the U.S. Congress and contributed to the passage of the Congressional Smokeless Tobacco Act of 1986.

The COPH was young and still expanding and he believed he could make a contribution with teaching, research and service.

“The COPH was so dynamic and eclectic with its varied faculty and backgrounds, as well as university,” he said. “I saw so much potential for my further personal and professional growth.”

Among his many accomplishments at USF:

• Often stepped up to fill vital interim roles during searches for a new dean or chair. Marty served as interim dean of the COPH before Dr. Charles Mahan arrived as dean in 1995, helping to advance the early distance learning program, the executive MPH program, and development of the public health practice program for working professionals. He was also interim director of the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, and interim chair of several COPH departments: Environmental and Occupational Health, Health Policy and Management, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Most recently, he served as interim chair for Pathology and Cell Biology in MCOM.
• Successfully championed, transitioned and expanded Research Day from the corridors of USF Health to the Marshall Student Center –– drawing record numbers of promising research presentations not only from USF Health, but also from across USF.
• Instrumental in helping rebuild USF Health’s research infrastructure.
• Helped secure state funding for cardiovascular and personalized medicine.
• His advocacy work in the Florida Legislature resulted in laws passed to protect young people and adults from starting smoking, reduce smoking rates and warn people of the dangers of smoking. In 1993, the COPH recognized his advancement of better tobacco control policies with the college’s Exceptional Community Service Award.

“I just hope that I have been able to further the teaching, research and service missions of these units and have made a bit of a difference at USF,” he said.

Marty’s favorite memory of the COPH was during his time in the COPH Dean’s Office as the interim dean and then executive associate dean when Mahan became dean.

“The next seven years working with Dean Mahan was intense, but also a great deal of fun,” he said. “The dean’s office was a great place to work at that time because many of the rapid advances of the COPH occurred under the leadership of Dr. Mahan.”

Dr. Charles Mahan and Dr. Phillip Marty serving at a COPH ice cream social (Photo courtesy of Marty).

Over the years he’s been at USF, the COPH has grown tremendously. Marty said that he is most surprised by the expansion of academic opportunities at all levels that are now available in the COPH from undergraduate to professional degree programs.

“Now undergraduate programs provide somewhat of a backbone for financial health of the COPH as well as feeders for its graduate programs,” he said. “Dean Petersen and her staff have provided excellent leadership in moving the COPH into one of the top tier public health schools in the country, something of which we should be immensely proud.”

Dr. Phillip Marty completing public health field work in Africa (Photo courtesy of Marty).

In retirement Marty, a professor emeritus at the COPH, hopes to return to some international public health work, especially in Zambia, Africa, where his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live.  He will also have more travel with his wife Marianne, volunteer, fish and “putter on small projects” at their Tampa home and cabin in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains.

Dr. Phillip Marty with his family (Photo by Eric Younghans).

Asked if he had any advice to leave current students, Marty encouraged them to consider unexpected opportunities to shift directions in their careers, even if it involves some risk.

“In my own case, I had no expectation of being a professor earlier in my youth.  I never expected to be selected for the various administrative roles I have had over the years.  However, I kept an open mind and saw these opportunities as challenges and areas for professional and personal growth,” Marty said.

“As a result, I have had tremendous experiences and worked with and met wonderful people throughout my career… I couldn’t have asked for a more rewarding 38 years in higher education, and 27 of these at the COPH, USF Health and USF,” he said.

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Communications and Marketing, and Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health. Reposted from USF Health News

The post Dr. Phillip Marty awarded professor emeritus with the COPH appeared first on College of Public Health News.

USF College of Public Health alumna Adrianna Woltman started her time as a MSPH student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) under difficult circumstances.

She lost both her father and best friend unexpectedly, but she said she never lost sight of graduating thanks to the mentorship of her EOH professor Dr. Steven Mlynarek and the camaraderie of her classmates.

“I loved it, it was nice to be in such a small program where I was able to work with my peers and have very experienced professors, it was like having a little family and we were all really close and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Adrianna Woltman with her fiancé, Dave Bricker. (Photo courtesy of Woltman)

Growing up in a military town in North Carolina, Woltman earned her bachelor of science degree in Occupational Safety Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

She said she was drawn to earn her MSPH degree from the COPH after realizing her love for industrial hygiene.

“I saw how big of impact it [industrial hygiene] could make in ways you couldn’t really expect,” she said. “As I was looking at other programs, I saw that the USF program was a little bit more well-rounded, we have a lot of opportunities to learn about everything.”

She graduated in summer 2015 and dove head first into her public health career as an industrial hygienist with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.

Sandia is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, something Woltman said she appreciates about working there.

“It’s nice to see that safety is put on a pedestal and it is ingrained in everyone that works here to do things safely,” she said.

Sandia focuses on ensuring the safety of national security programs including nuclear weapons, defense systems and assessments, energy and climate, and global security.

Woltman currently is the head of the hearing conservation program, co-leading the chemical safety program and also supporting two centers within the weapons divisions.

She was also part of the Sandia task force team sent to Sierra Leone to analyze Ebola treatment units in order to reduce patient waiting times for blood to reach the labs for testing, as well as overall streamlining of control of outbreaks.

Woltman and her Sandia team on the day they hit 10,000 on their total sample count at the lab. (Photo courtesy of Adrianna Woltman)

In March 2016, Woltman worked as a lab coordinator, taking samples, defining them into a database and reporting those numbers to various agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization.

Her work, along with her colleagues, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, something Woltman describes as the highlight of her professional career thus far.

Adrianna Woltman with the award she received from the U.S. Department of Energy for her work with Ebola. (Photo courtesy of Steven Mlynarek)

She and her team received The Secretary’s Appreciation Award for answering to the President’s call for an ‘all hands on deck’ response to the Ebola virus global health emergency.

“When I was asked to go to Sierra Leone, I didn’t think it would lead up to being recognized by a cabinet leader,” she said. ““I was a little apprehensive, I had never really traveled overseas before, but Sierra Leone was so friendly, it was a great experience.”

Woltman said she plans to take her new career day by day, but plans to expand her arsenal of knowledge to include becoming a certified industrial hygienist.

“Right now, I’m focused on being the best industrial hygienist I can be,” she said. “I never thought I would end up in this type of career, and I know a lot of people can say that, but it has treated me very well.”

***

COPH Alumni Fast Five:

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I wanted to be a lawyer because I argued a lot!

Where would we find you on the weekend?

We’re in the process of selling our home, so getting our home ready to sell.

What is the last book you read?

Probably a DOE manual.

What superpower would you like to have?

To be in ten places at once!

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

“Drop Dead Gorgeous.”

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

The post Alumna Adrianna Woltman flourishes as an industrial hygienist appeared first on College of Public Health News.

“My practice is industrial hygiene; my passion is teaching people about disease prevention, science and health,” USF College of Public Health student Katelynn Glisson said.

Glisson was recently awarded two scholarships from the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF). She was selected as the 2017-2018 recipient of the Florida Local Selection Scholarship for $1,250 and the 2017-2018 recipient of an AIHF Scholarship in the amount of $2,000.

AIHF is a charitable organization that operates exclusively for educational, scientific, literary, and research purposes. Its mission is to advance the profession by awarding scholarships for students in industrial hygiene and related disciplines.

“As a scholarship recipient, we are confident that you will carry on the tradition of excellence that has become synonymous with these awards,” said Thursa Percoraro, manager of Local Sections in the Professional Community and Foundation at the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

COPH graduate student Katelynn Glisson working as an environmental health intern at NASA Kennedy Space Center (Photo courtesy of Glisson).

While an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Glisson originally started out pursuing a degree in nursing but after researching the fast food industry for an informative speech she switched to the field of public health.

“It opened my eyes to the issues with nutrition, obesity and toxicology.  After this speech, I decided I wanted to work on the prevention side of healthcare instead of intervention,” she said. “It is empowering knowing that we are able to help others live longer and healthier lives with things as simple as education.”

After earning her BS in public health, Glisson joined the COPH to pursue an MSPH in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Glisson said she chose the COPH because she knew that she would be getting a quality education that meets the high standards of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and that the college would provide her with a challenge.

“Acquiring my masters is much more entertaining than an undergrad degree because you are continually studying a topic that is of interest to you,” she said. “As an industrial hygienist, I love a challenge. If I didn’t think USF was going to be a challenge, I would have chosen a different school.”

Glisson is currently working as an environmental health intern with NASA Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Fla. Her job duties include assisting the industrial hygienists and health physicists at all 14 NASA sites. She also works on health promotions and answers questions the sites might have.

“I get to learn about what NASA is currently doing as well as learn about all kinds of different topics in environmental health,” she said. “No day is ever the same while working here. I am able to travel to various locations and get to meet all kinds of people in many different fields and agencies.”

Glisson plans on graduating in December 2017. Post-graduation, she will serve three years as an industrial hygienist in the U.S. Navy.

“My time in the program has been extremely rewarding. I have been able to work alongside professionals in my field and gain a better understanding of what is expected of me in the “real world.”  The professors are easy to work with, but expect a lot out of their students,” Glisson said, “I have become not only a better industrial hygienist, but a better person since entering this program.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post MSPH student Katelynn Glisson earns two scholarships and NASA internship appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Three USF College of Public Health staff members, Megan Ditizio, Samantha Haylock and Tara Greer, were recipients of the 2016 Outstanding Staff Awards. Their achievements were celebrated at a ceremony in the USF School of Music Concert Hall on April 4, 2017.

The event was hosted by President Judy Genshaft. She spoke about the importance of the Outstanding Staff Awards, which recognizes employees who exemplify excellence through their daily commitment to USF.

During the awards ceremony, each employee was spotlighted as they received a plaque and a check for $500.

Outstanding Staff Award winners, Samantha Haylock, Megan Ditizio and Tara Greer (Photo by Caitlin Keough).

“To be nominated is a joy; Receiving it is an honor,” said Megan Ditizio, manager in the fiscal and business administration of the COPH’s Office of Research Administration.

Ditizio works with faculty and staff on proposal preparation and compliance, as well as management of awarded sponsored projects. She sees her role as a liaison between the college and funding agencies to assist faculty and program staff in research-related activities and achievements.

As a new faculty member at USF, Dr. Janice Zgibor, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, was under a tight timeline to secure grant funding. She said was pleased to know that we had pre-award support, something unheard of at her previous institution.

“To say Megan provides “support” does not do her justice. During my first six months on the faculty, she did the pre-award work for four investigator initiated proposals and three subcontracts. I would have not been able to rise to that level of productivity without Megan,” Zgibor said. “She not only is a wizard at budgets, but is exemplar in all details required for submission. Most importantly, when my stress is at its highest level, she knows just when to offer a coffee break in her office. Research faculty could not possibly function without her.”

***

Tara Greer, academic services administrator for the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, said that she was very appreciative of the award and grateful for the nominations.

“I nominated Tara because she is efficient, responsive, innovative, a great team player and works well with everyone,” said Dave Hogeboom, assistant director of programs and outcomes at the COPH.

Greer analyzes quantitative and qualitative data and report findings, administers surveys for the college, analyzes results and report findings, and maintains COPH guidebooks and syllabus/course inventories. She is also the academic affairs representative on the education committee. She reviews and processes all curriculum changes for the college, CPH exam and graduation certification, and supports the director of academic programs and outcomes.

“Tara Greer is brilliant, a pleasure to work with and enhances the quality of all projects that involve her,” said Dr. Steven Mlynarek, professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

***

Samantha Haylock, COPH alumna and assistant director of operations and strategic initiatives at the COPH was nominated by Jay Evans, associate dean of finance, operations and human resources at the COPH.

Over the past year, Haylock has been involved in three key initiatives to improve how the COPH works.

She led efforts to automate academic and business processes by facilitating the development and implementation of multiple applications focused on student success and the transition of the internal hiring processes for students, faculty and staff into the Archivum platform.

Additionally, she created initiatives to centralize support for travel and event management. As a result of these initiatives, other staff could focus on their primary duties. Travel submissions were improved in accuracy, events were standardized, and the COPH obtained cost savings through centralized food and supplies purchasing.

“Preeminence requires A-level players and everyone who works with her knows that she is clearly on that level. Never one to settle for ok or status quo, she pushes her peers in the College, her partners in IT, and me to be the best that we can be at what we do,” Evans said. “She is the type of person who constantly asks what more she can be doing, what she can be doing better, and what she can be doing to help, me or others in the College.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post COPH celebrates Outstanding Staff Award winners appeared first on College of Public Health News.

USF College of Public Health student Patricia Leandro-Reguillo was introduced to the field of public health while working as an architect. Through her experiences she found that there was a need to combine the two fields to help improve the health of future generations.

Born and raised in Spain, Leandro-Reguillo earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the college of Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid at the Technical University of Madrid. She specialized in bioclimatic architecture centered around sustainability, energy consumption and efficiency using passive energy such as solar and wind.

Leandro-Reguillo worked in Barcelona, Spain for 10 years as an urban planner and architect. There she joined Architects Without Borders (AWB) where volunteers collaborate with underserved communities to design and implement ecologically sensitive, culturally appropriate, life-changing projects.

“I had worked in private and also in public programs, so I was in different fields in architecture. But I was really disappointed because I realized that I needed something more,” she said.

During her time with the AWB, she traveled to Ivory Coast, Africa. She worked mostly in cities there where poverty can often be overlooked compared to more rural areas.

After five years of volunteering with AWB, Leandro-Reguillo moved to Manaus, Brazil for her husband’s postdoctoral program. There she had her first experience working directly in public health.

Patricia Leandro-Reguillo (fourth from the left) volunteering with a community organization in Manaus, Brazil (Photo courtesy of Leandro-Reguillo).

When the department where her husband worked realized she was an architect they asked if she would collaborate with them on a project centered on indigenous architecture and how it can affect malaria rates.

“I was interested because they asked me how the buildings and the environment in indigenous populations could be related to the incidence of malaria. It was really great and I realized that as an architect I could do a lot in this field of public health,” Leandro-Reguillo said.

According to Leandro-Reguillo the reality was different than she was used to. She realized that the problems were completely different and that the tools she had to work with were not sufficient.

“This was a period of open-mindedness for me,” she said. “From this point on is when I started to look for more knowledge about the field of public health and how I could mix it together with architecture.”

Patricia Leandro-Reguillo volunteering in Manaus, Brazil (Photo courtesy of Leandro-Reguillo).

Leandro-Reguillo was curious about how a built environment such as a neighborhood that is lacking in facilities could become impoverished over the years and how this environment can be improved in order to be more resilient to poverty.

“Maybe we can work together, public health professionals and urban architects, to hamper this absolution into poverty,” she said.

As Leandro-Reguillo was looking into schools for public health, she and her husband moved to Tampa, Fla. and enrolled in the COPH where she is a second year MPH student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

“I’m learning a lot and think this degree will be a main tool for me in the future not only as an urban planner but also as an architect,” she said. “During all of my studies for architecture the curriculum there was nothing related to public health.  I think that pursuing this master has been one of my best decisions in life.”

COPH student Patricia Leandro-Reguillo participating in USF Health’s 2017 Research Day at the USF Marshall student Center (Photo courtesy of Leandro-Reguillo).

Leandro-Reguillo believes that the time is now for the fields to work together again.

“We are facing problems in public health such as climate change and growing populations,” she said. “We failed as architects and as urban planners; urbanism has not solved the problems of the community, of the people in the cities. We need architects in the public health fields in order to advance forward.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post MPH student Patricia Leandro-Reguillo is changing the public’s health through architecture appeared first on College of Public Health News.