This story originally published on July 15, 2015 in observance of the COPH’s 30th anniversary celebration.

“USF was chosen as the place for Florida’s College of Public Health,” Dr. Peter Levin wrote in 1984, “because of the broad base of knowledge found in the many colleges of the University and the unique Tampa location.”

Levin, the college’s first dean, expounded further, noting that not only faculty from the colleges of medicine and nursing, but from business, education, engineering, natural sciences and social sciences were “key to the development of the college.”

Three decades of growth and innumerable success stories later, former Fla. Rep. Samuel P. Bell III shed more light on the founding of COPH.

Like many created entities of any kind, it all started with one person’s idea and another person’s decision to act on it.

The idea person was Robert Hamlin, a graduate of the Harvard University College of Public Health. He brought his idea to Bell, dubbed “the godfather of the college” by Charles Mahan, another founder who was COPH dean from 1995 to 2002.

“He had retired to Florida and realized that there was not a college of public health in Florida,” Bell recalled of Hamlin. “He contacted my staff director, John Phelps, with the idea, and John and I discussed the idea and decided that we should pursue the project. When we began the effort, we discovered that there had not been a college of a public health created anywhere in the country for more than 20 years, and most emphasis was on clinical health.

From left: Dr. Donna Petersen, dean of the USF College of Public Health, the late Robert Hamlin and Rep. Sam Bell, “the godfather of COPH.”

“As a member of the Florida Legislature, I could see the results of public health problems – mental health issues, alcoholism, child abuse, heart attack and stroke brought on by lack of exercise and obesity, infant mortality, etc. – yet there was no focus to address these issues. In addition,” Bell said, “there was a shortage of trained public health workers as problems grew and population increased.”

Where to establish the college as a physical entity turned out to be fairly obvious. Logic dictated that the state’s first college of public health had to be part of a public university that had a medical school and was located in an urban area, and USF was the only institution in the state that met all three requirements.

“There was no bill,” Bell said of the necessary legislative action that followed. “The college was first created by a line item in the state appropriation. Of course, we had to work the proposal through the Board of Regents and the USF administration.”

All of it moved with surprising quickness and ease, he said, underscoring an idea whose time had come. Naturally, it didn’t hurt that its biggest proponent was in prime position to do it the most good.

“The College’s success must first recognize the man who made it all possible,” said Dr. Heather Stockwell, the first faculty hire in the college’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

“Without Sam Bell,” she said, “there would be no COPH.  Before our college was formed, there were no schools of public health in Florida. It was through the vision and leadership of Sam Bell that our college was formed and its funding secured in its early years so that it could grow and develop into the College we are all so proud of today!”

From left: Dr. Martha Coulter, Dr. Heather Stockwell and Dr. Peter Levin, first dean of COPH, ca. 1988.

“Sam Bell was absolutely committed to the idea that there needed to be a strong college of public health in this state,” Dr. Martha Coulter agreed. “He single-handedly got absolute support for us from the state legislature, so that we were not dependent completely on federal funds and training grants.”

“There was not much opposition to the effort,” Bell said. “It really flew under the radar. I was in leadership during all of this time and was chair of the appropriations committee in the House for the years 1985 through 1988, for four sessions. Before that, I had chaired the rules committee and was majority leader, so I was in a position to get support. After the College was initially approved, I was able to guide funding.”

If founding the college had seemed relatively easy, running it in the early days was not. Being the only college of public health in Florida created a heavy work load at the same time it underscored the demand for what a college of public health delivers.

The first year, Coulter and the other two faculty members in the Department of Community and Family Health traveled regularly to teach at the Florida Department of Health offices in Tallahassee and at USF-Sarasota, as well as in Tampa, said Coulter. There simply was no one else to do the job.

From left: Jennifer Harrell, filmmaker and documentarian Frederick Wiseman, Dr. Marti Coulter and the late James Harrell in an undated photo.  The Harrell Center is named for Harrell and his wife, Jennifer.

“Of course, this was before you could take things online,” she said, “and it certainly was a lot easier for us to go there than for all of them to come here.”

Simply finding space was another challenge. Originally housed on the first floor of the present Continuing Education building, the fledgling college wouldn’t see its own building for another seven years.

Community and Family Health had a particularly hard time finding a permanent home, Coulter said. It would reside alongside the college’s other departments in the present Continuing Education building, then move to the first floor of the University Professional Center, then find space in the Florida Mental Health Institute (now Behavioral and Community Sciences) building.

“I had to bend my head down to get into the attic to get into my office,” recalled Dr. Paul Leaverton, first chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

“Then we took over the auditorium. It used to be a basketball auditorium – just wherever we could find room, and that was where we were ’til ’91, when we moved into this building. We kept moving around in funny little quarters, so this building was really nice – and it still is.”

COPH groundbreaking ceremony for it’s $10-million building, March 1990.

Artist’s rendering of the COPH building.

A royal opening

Almost everyone expects fanfare at any major debut, the opening of a new building at a major university posing no exception, but probably no one expected the kind of pomp and circumstance that played at the USF College of Public Health’s opening of its own building in 1991.

A month before the building’s official dedication, two weeks before faculty and staff even began moving in, the first lecture was delivered by a scientist, and yet the affair was literally regal.

With an entourage of attendants by her side, Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand, a biochemist, arrived in a police-escorted motorcade of limousines to speak about her research on medicinal plants.

Leaverton talked recently about how the building’s unusual opening came to pass.

“In the late ’80s, I had done a lot of work in Thailand with NIH and Thai scientists on the epidemiology of aplastic anemia,” Leaverton said.

Thailand had an unusually high rate of the rare but serious blood disorder, Leaverton said, and the group set out to investigate why.

“My colleague over there was probably the top scientist in Thailand. He was a really good medical scientist,” he said, “and he was also the king’s doctor.”

The king was a believer in education, Leaverton said, and his four children eagerly shared that belief. All earned advanced degrees, and two earned doctorates. Leaverton’s Thai counterpart was a friend of Princess Chulabhorn’s, having done post-graduate work with him in Germany.

“So even though she’s a multimillionaire as the king’s daughter, they took it to heart that they should give back to the community. So she got an education in science and directs her own research institute, mostly in cancer.

“I had not met her, but I had heard of her and knew she liked to give lectures occasionally, so I asked my friend, ‘Do you think she’d ever like to give a lecture at USF?’ He said, ‘I’ll ask her.’

A short time later, back at USF and ready to re-settle into his routine, Leaverton had a surprise waiting for him.

“The next thing I know, my phone’s ringing, and it’s the ambassador from Thailand asking if I’d like the princess to speak at USF.”

The answer was yes, and the ambassador personally flew down from Washington to make the arrangements.

“He sounded pretty upset,” Leaverton said, “but they have to handle the royal family with kid gloves. Turned out he was a wonderful man, and he came down a couple of times. We had to meet with the mayor of Tampa and the chief of police to make sure the princess got a motorcade from the airport to her hotel – she took over three floors at the new Wyndham – and from her hotel to USF and back again, no stopping at red lights. So it was quite a show.

“The building wasn’t scheduled to open until December, but to make her schedule, she could only come in November, so the dean opened the building just to accommodate her, which I thought was nice.

News story on Thailand’s Princess Chulabhorn’s royal visit for the COPH opening, November 1991.  Pictured with the princess (left) are Drs. Peter Levin (second from left) and Paul Leaverton, who watch as a student from Thailand extends a greeting.

“It was a packed audience. She gave a very technical lecture that no one understood except the biochemists, but it was a big show, and we got to have lunch with the president of the university. It was a royal opening for the college.”

When the college first opened for classes, Leaverton said, a few students were admitted even before the departments were created. After they were created, the departments didn’t last long initially.

Dean Levin created the initial four of COPH’s present five departments and recruited four professors from other institutions to chair them.

From left: Dennis Werner, senior research coordinator, Jan Marshburn, research assistant, and Lesley Bateman, PR and development coordinator, move into the new COPH building in November 1991.

Leaverton was brought in from the National Institutes of Health, and before that, the University of Iowa, to head Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Stewart Brooks would leave the University of Cincinnati to lead Environmental and Occupational Health. Dr. Stan Graven came from the University of Missouri to direct Community and Family Health. Dr. Tom Chirikos from Ohio State University would take the reins in Health Policy and Management.

“In early ’85,” Leaverton recalled, “the dean got to thinking maybe we didn’t need departments. We could just follow what he called the Texas model – no departments, just one big happy family. But the four chairs who had been recruited to be chairmen of departments objected mightily, and besides, I tried to convince the dean, students tend to think of themselves along discipline lines anyway, whether you call them departments or not. So he relented and re-created the four departments.”

Typical of the new departments, “Epi and Biostats,” as Leaverton calls it, consisted of two people. He and Stockwell were it for the time being, but that was about to change, although maybe not as quickly as they would have liked.

“The legislature was wonderfully generous,” Leaverton said. “They gave us a lot of tenure-track lines, almost unheard of in the creation of a new school. As chairman of Epi and Biostats, I had six tenure-track lines. Two of them were filled by Dr. Stockwell and me, but we had to recruit for the other four.

“Dr. Stockwell and I both had pretty high standards – she had been at Hopkins. We had a file of about 30 people. We rejected all of them. We didn’t think they were good enough to be on our faculty.

“So we had to start the recruiting process all over again, and she and I did all the teaching for that first year, because we were a two-person faculty. We did have a few adjuncts, maybe, here and there, and we eventually filled the faculty positions for the next year.”

Leaverton chaired the department until 1995, then remained as a professor for another six years. He retired as an emeritus professor in 2001.

Memories

The founders and early leaders of COPH have more memories than just those that deal with the college’s inception and its early operation, more memories than space could ever allow, including a few on the lighter side.

“When she was president of the university, she knew everybody on campus,” Coulter recalled of Betty Castor, “and when I got the funding to start the Harrell Center, I was walking across the campus behind the administration building, and she was walking back to her office from somewhere. She saw me all the way across the grounds and yelled out, ‘Hi, moneybags!’

Sam Bell and Betty Castor, former USF president and Florida Secretary of Education, at the COPH 25th anniversary gala, December 2009.

“She knew everybody and supported everybody, and no matter that I was an associate professor in the College of Public Health, she knew.”

“I recall conducting a final exam in epidemiology one evening in which two unusual events occurred,” said Leaverton. “First, a student came to me in obvious pain. She had accidentally put the wrong kind of eye drops in her eyes, which were nearly swollen shut. Okay, she was excused.

“Then, another lady went into labor. We called 911 and sent her to the hospital. It turned out to be a false alarm – she delivered two weeks later. Maybe my exams were too frightening.”

“Being a fan of Chevy Chase and SNL, especially his take-offs on the clumsiness of President Gerald Ford, I purposely stumbled up the auditorium stairs and fell against the podium on the stage, scattering papers everywhere,” Mahan recalled. “This was at one of our graduation convocations. Instead of the audience laughing at my parody of Chevy, they all thought it was real and rushed to the stage to help me – very embarrassing! I think it’s funny now, but I have a very bizarre sense of humor.”

The particulars vary from person to person, but the size, scope and overall success of the college are unanimous themes for the people who were there in its earliest days. In one way or another, all said they could not have foreseen in 1984 what it is on its 30^th anniversary.

“I don’t think we could have imagined,” Coulter said, “the ability to move as strongly as it has in the direction of being a research one university – USF as a whole and the College of Public Health as a leader in that regard. I don’t think we quite envisioned it that way. That has been very exciting.

“Also, the expansion of the whole global health department, the global health focus, and the ability to do international public health work with researchers that are in the global health unit. That really hadn’t been anticipated,” she said.

“I think Donna Petersen coming here was a huge milestone,” she added. “I think she is absolutely extraordinary. Without Donna’s leadership, we could not have gone as far as we’ve gone. She’s given us a lot of support for community-based research, and that’s been critical in terms of the direction that we’ve gone.”

“I’m very pleased with how well our students have done,” Leaverton said. “It’s kind of shocking, in a way. As I look back, we must have organized the curriculum pretty well, Heather [Stockwell] and I. We had to basically design it from scratch. We set up some pretty good courses, and they essentially stayed the same for a long time. We had some good faculty who kept the standards high.

COPH student Sherri Berger as a model for a National Public Health Week poster, March 1996.  She now is chief operating officer at the Centers for Disease Control.

“I actually saw some memos that said, ‘Don’t take Epi and Biostats at the same time, it’s too hard. You have to take them separately,’” Leaverton said. “Sometimes I would take some pride in that. We never made soft courses. Our courses were tough.”

Past, Future and Present

The few shortcomings the college’s founders can think of actually only further reflect the college’s success.

“If I could change one thing,” Stockwell said, “it would be to have a much larger building. The college’s rapid growth has resulted in a need for more space. Maybe we could add a floor?”

“Our beautiful building should have been built to be able to add additional stories,” Mahan concurred.

For Leaverton, it would be an epidemiology laboratory, something he said he and Dr. Doug Schocken, a cardiology professor, tried twice to get funded by NIH.

“If I could do that over, I would pursue that even more vigorously. But we tried,” he said.

Mahan said he sees the college’s future dependent upon “a stronger marriage” between the college and the state and local health departments.

Former COPH Dean Dr. Charles Mahan (above left, below right) participates in an exercise with the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Hazardous Materials Unit, April 2000.

“What if you got your medical degree or nursing degree but never saw a patient and never went into a hospital? Well, why are we giving people public health degrees, and they never set foot in a health department, and they don’t work in the community, which is where the problems are?”

Mahan believes that national accreditation of health departments should be as universal as accreditation for colleges and universities, and that closing the gap between public health education and practice is the way to achieve it. COPH would help a health department earn accreditation, with the understanding that once it became accredited, it would become an “official outpost of the USF College of Public Health.”

“I hope the emphasis on a strong research program will continue,” Leaverton said. “Public health programs need to be based upon sound science, of course. I hope that never changes.”

“What I would like to see the college do is continue on the path that it’s on in terms of really being a leader in the country in community-based research,” Coulter said, “increasing its role as an intermediary between research and practice, and having a committed sense of responsibility to community service providers.”

“Over the next five years,” Stockwell said, “I think – or at least I hope – that public health in general will focus on a positive approach to health, not just disease prevention but improving the quality of health and health maintenance for all our citizens. To do this there will need to be a strong interdisciplinary approach to developing strategies that focus on primary prevention and sustainability at the community level.

“I think our college is uniquely positioned to address these issues,” she said. Its interdisciplinary educational focus positions it as a leader in public health education, and our emphasis on the development of high-quality, collaborative, community-based  research seeks to provide critical information to policy makers to address current and future public health concerns locally, nationally and internationally.”

From left: Susan Webb and Drs. Michael Reid and Phillip Marty establish the Public Health Leadership Institute with a grant from the CDC and ASPH, January 1995.

Stockwell remained with COPH until 2014, when she retired as professor emerita.

But between all the memories of COPH’s beginnings, all its history, successes, scarce shortcomings and envisioned futures stands the here and now.

“If imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” he said, “then we should be flattered, because every university in the state wants a college of public health.

“The College is having impact around the world. I had thought it would be a mecca for public health in Florida and a source of information and advice for state decision-makers. It has done that and much more. We now have graduates working on every continent. Our faculty are internationally recognized. Our students are studying and doing internships around the world. We are attracting major grants, and the research continues to grow.

“I am very proud of what the College has become and what it has done to touch lives around the world,” the college’s “godfather” concluded.

“It has far exceeded my hopes and expectations.”

The USF College of Public Health solves global problems and creates conditions that allow every person the right to universal health and well-being. Make a gift today and help the COPH to advance the public’s health for the next 30 years and beyond. 

Story by David Brothers, USF College of Public Health; photos courtesy of COPH and various faculty.

Related media:
30th anniversary website

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November is International Education Month

How does health care differ in industrial versus nonindustrial countries? In socialist versus capitalist societies? In rural versus urban settings? What health inequities do different populations in different parts of the world face?

USF College of Public Health (COPH) students can get answers to those questions by participating in a study abroad program.

In 2024, the COPH will be offering international study programs to Panama, Canada, London and Japan. These for-credit programs are open to both undergraduate and master’s students and generally last about a week. They give students the opportunity to study public health with a cultural context, examining how different countries handle things such as disaster preparedness, preventative health measures and public health policy. Students are also given time to tour and engage in community service projects and research.

Students who have been on the programs say the experience has been eye-opening.

“Personally, I plan to pursue a career in global health and program management, so gaining experience traveling with a public health mindset and learning about different sites that are conducting public health work, such as the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), was super important for me,” said Nupur Kothari, a BSPH student who traveled to Panama. “Being able to participate in research and data collection in Panama helped translate the education I have gained in the COPH to actual practice.”

Hannah Harburg, an MPH student concentrating in epidemiology, said her experience in Japan was “transformative.”

“Exploring Japan for the first time altered my outlook on life,” Harburg said. “Gujo Hachiman is an area I found so beautiful, I cried. As I explored the quiet river town, I knew this was going to be a moment I would cherish for the rest of my life. The storm drain water was so clean you could feed the carp that swam in it. This trip reaffirmed my commitment to researching public health. I gathered ideas and learned problem-solving skills through active information synthesis, diversified group work and insightful debates.”

Erin Millsapps, a Coverdell Fellow who served in the Peace Corps in South Africa as a community HIV/AIDS outreach coordinator, recently returned from a summer international field experience (IFE) in Gqueberha, South Africa.

The Peace Corps Coverdell Fellowship program at the COPH is a graduate fellowship program awarding financial assistance to selected returning Peace Corps volunteers who are pursuing an MPH or MSPH.

“During my IFE, my peers and I focused on addressing health disparities in ENT [ear, nose and throat] health through community engagement,” said Millsapps, who is an MPH student concentrating in epidemiology and global health. “These endeavors, emphasizing interdisciplinary teams and cultural competency, not only achieved project goals but also strengthened my ability to meet COPH competencies. Grateful for the opportunities provided by the Coverdell Fellowship and USF/COPH, I am empowered to make a meaningful impact in the field of public health.”

For more information about COPH international study programs and Peace Corps requirements, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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USF College of Public Health (COPH) alum Marie Denis-Luque, who was born and raised in Haiti, came to the U.S. with her family just before she turned 17, settling in Tallahassee, Fla., where she resides today.

“I learned English in high school and was the first in my family to even entertain the idea of going to a university,” she recalled. “It was because of a teacher in high school who wanted me to go to college. I didn’t know what college was, but she helped me to get into a university.”

Denis-Luque visited other campuses, but felt they weren’t her place. When she got to USF’s campus,  she fell in love with it. “USF felt like home.” she said. “I felt comfortable being in the company of other Haitian students.”

Initially inclined toward medical school, Denis-Luque soon discovered her true passion was public health. Her involvement in the Haitian Club Creole on USF’s campus and learning about public health from a fellow club member played a significant role in this shift.

Denis-Luque realized that public health was aligned with her aspirations and what she wanted to achieve in her life.

“I did not have a perfect GPA, but the COPH made room for me, and in return I was able to help others through the work I’ve ultimately been able to accomplish.”

Despite facing challenges, including the responsibility of caring for her sister and the need to work multiple jobs, Denis-Luque’s enthusiasm for public health never waned.

“When I found public health, it was exciting. I think some of my classmates thought I was a total nerd because every semester I was in awe of everything I learned. I took my first course, then I took another, then I applied to the college,” she said.

Denis-Luque credited her mentors and the welcoming nature of the college as invaluable in her educational and career path.

”When I see Dean Petersen, I still say, ‘Oh, that’s my dean.’ When I see Natalie Preston, director of the Office of Engagement and Constituent Relations, I say, ‘Those are my people.’ “

Denis-Luque’s journey wasn’t confined to the classroom. Her commitment to public health extended to her homeland, Haiti.

Her perspective on Haiti was transformed during a health education trip with USF. She was challenged by her mentor to view Haiti through the eyes of a public health official, prompting her to see her home country in a new light. She said this experience fundamentally changed the way she approached her work in Haiti, making her more attuned to public health hazards and necessary interventions.

“I viewed everything through that lens,” commented Denis-Luque. “As I got off the plane, I noticed several unworking planes on the runway, some rusted. Getting off the plane was borderline dangerous for those not strong enough. As we headed to our hotel from the airport, there was garbage on almost every street corner. Of course, watching the dangers of public transportation, people hanging from bus doors, and sitting on top of vehicles drove me crazy, too.”

Now Denis-Luque said she wants to be someone who helps challenge students’ thinking, just like her mentor challenged her to think through that lens.

Denis-Luque said it was during her visit to Haiti as a graduate student when she met a little girl with HIV that led her to become the founder of the nonprofit organization Caring for Haitian Orphans with AIDS .

“The little girl was living in the hospital courtyard with no one caring for or loving her,” she said.” I decided I could do something to express love for her. Though acting on this feeling to help this child was more significant than anything I had ever done, I had no idea what I was signing up for. Engaging in this work has been more fulfilling than anything I have ever done.”

She said the work of the organization has touched the lives of nearly 70 children, providing them with opportunities and support they might not have otherwise had.

“My nonprofit assumes the role of parents for these children,” Denis-Luque said. “We provide food and shelter, cover the cost of hospital care, recreation, and education, including vocational training. At this time, close to 50% of our staff were once our residents. Since unemployment is very high in Haiti (estimates ranging from 50-80%), locating employment for our young adults is unattainable. Once they get to a certain age, we make sure they receive the education needed to work for us for them to be able to sustain themselves. Then we hire the women to play the role of mothers to the children.”

“December will be 20 years since we started,” she said. “Many lives have been impacted. Children who would otherwise not be here. Women who are positive who work for us, whose life–God knows what it would be today–if it were not for being in the program.”

Denis-Luque graduated in 2005 from the COPH with a MSPH with a concentration in epidemiology and an MPH in community and family health.

Now Denis-Luque is working on her PhD from Florida State University Askew School of Public Administration and Policy. “I’m in the dissertation phase at the moment, and I am looking at how to improve non- governmental organizations that work in Haiti,” she said.

Looking ahead, Denis-Luque envisions staying in academia and said she is hopeful to eventually return to the COPH. “That would be a dream come true. A professor. I want to put it out into the universe,” she said.

In the future, Denis-Luque aspires to work on grant-funded projects and to involve students in her work. She said she believes in challenging students to step out of their comfort zone and discover their passions.

Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?
Working as a medical doctor in a small hospital in a little province in France where I’d be the only doctor in town and everybody would come to me.

Where would we find you on the weekend?
Probably at Costco.

What’s the last book that you read?

“Just Another Emperor? The Myth and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism,” by Michael Edwards.

What superpower would you like to have?
Invisibility.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
“Dirty Dancing.” I love Patrick Swayze.

Story by: Liz Bannon, USF College of Public Health

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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

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

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

And its results were surprising.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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A team of researchers led by USF College of Public Health (COPH) doctoral student Justin Swanson has found that although people under age 65 born with birth defects make up just 4.1% of inpatient hospitalizations, their medical treatment accounts for nearly 8% of total hospitalization costs.

The study, “Inpatient Hospitalization Costs Associated with Birth Defects Among Persons Aged <65 Years — United States, 2019,” was published in July in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Swanson, a PhD student concentrating in epidemiology, was lead author. His co-authors were COPH professors Drs. Russell Kirby, Jason Salemi and Jean Paul Tanner, as well as researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Utah.

According to the study, approximately 3% of infants are born each year in the U.S. with birth defects (ones affecting the heart are most common). What’s more, birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the cost of medical treatment related to birth defects can be astronomical over the span of a lifetime.

“By our conservative estimate, the cost of inpatient hospitalizations associated with birth defects was $22 billion in 2019,” Swanson reported. “This is an objectively large chunk of the nation’s total inpatient hospitalization costs, and it falls disproportionately on individuals with birth defects.”

While the researchers didn’t look at why that is, they theorize that the increased cost burden may be attributed to the number and types of services required to diagnose and treat birth defects. They also note that keeping track of such statistics is important, as knowing where costs are high helps health care professionals and policymakers better allocate financial resources in the future.

“Birth defects research (especially those involving the cost component) requires continual assessment and refinement of techniques. Our hope was to inform and assist policymakers, researchers and providers with the strategic use of health care resources,” Swanson said. “Our work finds and reinforces the fact that individuals with birth defects are disproportionately burdened by inpatient hospitalization costs, which is just one aspect of morbidity associated with these disorders.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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According to a new study led by USF College of Public Health (COPH) PhD student Zailing Xing, premature menopause (defined as menopause occurring before age 40) increases the risk of all-cause death by 53 percent and reduces lifespan by nearly two years compared to women without premature menopause.

The study, “Premature Menopause and All-Cause Mortality and Life Span Among Women Older Than 40 Years in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study: Propensity Score Matching Analysis,” was

co-authored by COPH professors Drs. Amy Alman and Russell Kirby and published in July in the Journal of Women’s Health.

The female hormone estrogen, Xing noted, can have a protective effect on the body, helping to protect women from cardiovascular disease, bone loss and high cholesterol. What’s more, said Xing, the drop in estrogen that occurs with premature menopause can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life.

 “All of these may contribute to the shortened lifespan of women with premature menopause,” she said.

While premature menopause and its connection to mortality have been studied extensively, Xing, who is concentrating in epidemiology, said the study’s use of a statistical method known as propensity score matching analysis (PMS), makes the results more convincing.

“By matching individuals with similar propensity scores, the exposed and unexposed groups become more comparable, making the study design closer to randomized experiments,” she explained. “The application of this method strengthens the persuasiveness of our findings.”

Xing said studying the physical and mental effects of premature menopause emphasizes a woman’s need for comprehensive care and support to help navigate the challenges associated with early menopause.

“Premature menopause can significantly impact a woman’s reproductive and psychological well-being,” Xing said. “Studying the effect of premature menopause on mortality and lifespan sheds light on physical health outcomes and addresses broader aspects of women’s health and quality of life.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Matthew Strohhacker had an early introduction to public health.

“When I was 16, “ Strohhacker said, “I was an intern at University Hospital in Cleveland working closely with their head of colorectal surgery.”

While midway through his undergraduate degree at the University of Cincinnati, Strohhacker reconnected with a mentor through his time at University Hospital who pointed him in the direction of public health.

“I was at a crossroads since the Affordable Care Act had just passed and I had some concerns about what that would mean if I pursued my original goal of becoming a medical doctor. I was given great advice that I pursue public health because the ACA would undoubtedly shift the focus of the American healthcare system from an individualistic approach to a population health approach. This advice has proven to be incredibly insightful over the years as population health has certainly grown leaps and bounds over the past decade.” 

During his final year of undergrad, Strohhacker worked on research projects in adolescent bariatric surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  

“The epidemiologist I was working with recommended the USF College of Public Health (COPH) program, so I flew to Tampa to check out the school and city. I fell in love with both and never looked back. I knew as soon as I stepped foot on campus that I wanted to get my degree at the COPH.” 

In 2014, Strohhacker earned his MPH with a concentration in epidemiology from the COPH and a graduate certificate in applied biostatistics. 

“I am honored to have been a part of the USF Health in The Villages study. It was a great challenge for me as I got to work on mixed methods research, which was a new approach for me at the time.”

USF Health, in partnership with The Villages, a 55 and older active adult retirement community, completed a formative health assessment to understand barriers and facilitators to successful, healthy aging to achieve longer, healthier and more productive lives.

“I learned so much from my mentors and my peers throughout that project and ultimately wrote my master’s thesis from the research I conducted as a part of that work.”

After graduating, Strohhacker held many roles, but it was his time at a health insurance company that he said was most eye-opening.

“My role was a senior clinical strategy specialist at Medical Mutual, a large payer in Cleveland, where I grew up,” he explained. “It was during this time I learned something life-changing that drastically changed my view of the health care system. In the traditional fee-for-service health care system in the U.S., the health insurer is incented to keep the population healthy and out of the hospital, while the hospital is incented to keep people chronically ill and seeking services since the hospital is getting paid off of volume. This felt so incredibly backward to me. Since that time, I knew that being a part of tangible change in the healthcare system was something I wanted to be a part of.”

In December of 2022, Strohhacker started his current role as vice president of systems of CareNu, located in Tampa.

“In my current role, I oversee population health analytics, health care finance analytics and information systems,” Strohhacker said. “We are cutting through the traditional finance systems and creating an innovative model of care delivery focused on delivering the right care to the right patient at the right time in a way that is equitable and affordable.”

In doing so, Strohhacker has had a part in changing the way health care is delivered in our community.

“I get to use a combination of all my degrees [Strohhacker also has an MBA], but, admittedly, my COPH degree is the most valuable. I can genuinely say that I use my COPH degree every single day in my job.”

It was a fellow COPH graduate who attracted him to his current role.

 “I was truly impressed by Paola Delp, our president at CareNu. She is a pioneer in the health care space, particularly with innovative models of care. She has immense knowledge of the health care industry.”

And those aren’t the only Bulls at CareNu.

“Earlier this year I hired Tiantian Pang, who just received her PhD with a concentration in epidemiology from the COPH, to join my health analytics team—and she has been AMAZING! I knew the second I saw her resume that she was going to knock it out of the park, and she has.”

Strohhacker said that what he’s always loved about the COPH is its sense of family.

“When I would periodically travel back to Tampa, I would stop by the COPH to walk around and reminisce,” he said. “I observe students collaborating and professors interacting with students and I can tell that family feel is still strong. Throughout the years, I’ve kept in touch with some of my mentors and peers during my time at the COPH and it feels like I’m reconnecting with family when we have a chance to meet or chat again.”

Fast Five: 

What did you dream of becoming when you were young? 

The first thing I remember wanting to be was an architect, but I also played baseball at the time and decided my dream was to become the first baseball player to play a game in a stadium I designed.

Where would we find you on the weekend? 

My wife, Karena, and I are big foodies and love wine. You’d find us at a restaurant or wine bar around Tampa trying new and exciting food and sipping on a glass of wine (my research while on the USF Health in The Villages study showed that four drinks a week was protective for dementia). I’m also fully enjoying living in Florida again and taking advantage of the pool and beach, especially with my 3-year- old daughter, Elle, and 2-year-old son, Carter. 

What is the last book you read? 

The most recent was “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There,” by Marshall Goldsmith. Which lends itself well to some of my biggest beliefs in our healthcare system. If we keep approaching healthcare in the same way we always have, it can never reach its full potential. We have to think differently, challenge ourselves to be innovators, to take risks in order to be a part of the change we want to see. 

What superpower would you like to have? 

It would be so nice to be able to fly or teleport anywhere in the world instantly. 

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

I love most any comedy from the late ‘80s to late ‘90s. Movies like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Uncle Buck” and “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

Story by: Liz Bannon, USF College of Public Health

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Everyone was certain Dr. Michelle Crozier would grow up to be a veterinarian.

After all, Crozier, who grew up in Deland, Fla., and attended Stetson University, raised Belted Galloway cattle and even once won a cow in an essay contest.

But everyone was wrong.

“I was more interested in understanding how the human body worked,” Crozier stated.

As a biology major at Stetson, Crozier was taking pre-med courses and shadowing physicians. “But I didn’t feel much passion toward the field once I began learning about its realities,” she said. “During my junior year, I selected a book from the Health and Science shelf at Barnes & Noble called “Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC.” I was introduced to the exciting career of epidemiology, and I talked to my faculty advisor about how to become one just as soon as I learned how to say it. He helped me look into MPH programs, and the rest is history!”

Crozier enrolled at the USF College of Public Health (COPH) right after college and graduated with her MPH in epidemiology in 2009. In 2017, she received her PhD from the college.

“As a practical person, I love the emphasis on prevention in public health,” Crozier said. “I’m always looking to prevent bad things from happening and promote the good in life, and I’m a natural fit for a field with the same description.”

Crozier started out in public health as a communicable disease epidemiologist for the Volusia County Health Department—a job she started just a few months before the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic hit.

“I was the go-to person for the epidemiology response, and talk about baptism by fire,” Crozier said. “I learned more in the subsequent six months than I would have learned in five years on the job in non-pandemic times.”

Crozier took what she learned into the classroom. She’s held teaching positions at the University of Central Florida (UCF), USF (where she was the online epidemiology MPH coordinator from 2013-2017) and was most recently director of the Health Sciences Collegiate Academy at Lake-Sumter State College.

Today, Crozier is a lecturer at UCF in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics. She also serves as program director of the Health Care Informatics MS Program. 

“I spend my days handling admin stuff related to students and program accreditation, teaching, prepping classes, meeting with students and finding time to write a little on research projects. I like that it combines two of my childhood dream jobs, teaching and medicine, with a public health focus.  It’s also in my hometown where I can be close to my family,” Crozier said.

Crozier sees herself staying at UCF, building on the knowledge and skills she learned at the COPH.

“I’m diligently working on creating my niche at UCF so I am successfully promoted to associate lecturer in a few years,” she said. “I see myself retiring from here, but I wouldn’t mind doing it a little early so I can travel extensively, especially to cooler places during the hot Florida summers!”

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I wanted to become a teacher, architect or medical doctor.

Where can we find you on the weekends?

Swimming at the beach or pool, seeing a traveling Broadway show or concert and/or eating a scrumptious meal.

What’s the last book you read?

“Florida Woman,” by Deb Rogers.

What superpower would you like to have?

Invisibility

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

It’s a toss-up between “The Sound of Music” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”

To view the awards ceremony, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post Michelle Crozier receives Outstanding Alumni Award appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Ana Scuteri felt compelled to make a difference in the health of the public after she watched two of her sisters die of a heart condition.

“I knew working in this field would provide an opportunity to help improve people’s quality of life,” said Scuteri, a native of Peru who is fluent in Spanish. “My professional goals were driven by the desire to serve, teach, inform and work in a team, and public health was the perfect fit. Public health has given me everything I have hoped for. I enjoy being a public health professional, doing community service and sharing the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout the years.”

Scuteri is the assistant county health department director at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Seminole County. She is a trained epidemiologist who has worked in the field of public health for over 20 years and held leadership positions with the FDOH for more than 15 years. Scuteri, who earned both her bachelor’s and MPH from Florida International University, is responsible for managing the community health operations, services and programs of Seminole County.

In her current role at the FDOH-Seminole, Scuteri oversees the Community and Population Health Division, making sure the department’s mission is achieved and that it promotes wellness, disease prevention, access to care and emergency response related to health and medical services. Under her leadership, Seminole County ranked as the third healthiest county in health outcomes in Florida in 2022.

“I love that I get to do something different every day,” she said. “And it’s exciting to see that our work has such a positive effect.”

Scuteri was nominated for the award by her coworkers and community leaders, who called her “passionate,” “inspirational” and “determined.”

“The characteristic of Ms. Scuteri’s that amazes me is her determination to make ideas come to life through her energetic optimism, consensus-building skills and keen understanding of what makes sense, yet always within the bounds of regulations and guidelines,” said Monica Araujo, program director of Catholic Charities of Central Florida. “I have personally seen the result of her work: Our community is a much better place to live because of her.”

Scuteri said it’s the community she serves that feeds her public health passion.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to make an impact on someone’s life,” she said. “Whether it’s helping a mom not to give up on breastfeeding, teaching a lesson to kindergarteners about nutrition, educating college students about STIs, promoting bicycle safety, assisting older adults with a fall-prevention program, helping a refugee learn about our health care system—the list goes on. Public health professionals touch people’s lives in so many ways.”

Scuteri said she’s “deeply honored and humbled” to receive the Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award, presented by the college each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership contribute significantly to the field of public health in Florida.

“Public health professionals usually work behind the scenes, and sometimes people don’t really know the extent of the work we do. I am very grateful the University of South Florida has such a great recognition for the work many of us do, especially for women working in this field. I believe those of us who have chosen public health as a career do it because we care, we want to make a difference.”

To view the awards ceremony, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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