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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story by David Brothers, College of Public Health.

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December is a month of endings and beginnings on college campuses.

Last December, in addition to graduating 263 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, the USF College of Public Health said goodbye to three longtime faculty, Drs. Barbara Orban, Kate Wolfe-Quintero and Aurora Sanchez-Anguiano, along with staff member, Mary Johnson.

“We have been fortunate over many years to have been joined by outstanding scholars and professionals who have chosen to make the COPH their home. But from every beginning comes an end and it is with mixed emotions that I share that three of our faculty have chosen to retire at the end of this calendar year,” said Dean Donna Petersen.

Dr. Barbara Orban, who tirelessly built and rebuilt the master’s of health administration program, led the former Department of Health Policy and Management for many years, engaged in cutting-edge research that informed important policy and mentored countless young faculty and students.  

Orban received her education for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), earning her BS in 1976, MSPH in 1980 and PhD in 1987.

She has more than 30 years of professional experience in health policy and management. This includes 12 years in hospital management at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. and Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., where responsibilities included quality management, accreditation and licensing, medical staff affairs, and strategic and business planning.

Orban was also a faculty member in Health Services Administration at the University of Florida from 1985 to 1997, where she served terms as department chair and program director of the nationally ranked graduate program in health and hospital administration. She joined the University of South Florida in 1997.

Her research primarily focused on emergency medical and trauma systems, quality improvement interventions, managed care, and hospital financial performance. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Florida Department of Health, and is published in journals such as Medical Care, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Journal of Healthcare Management and Journal of Trauma.

“Dr. Aurora Sanchez-Anguiano has been a major force in our epidemiology programs teaching courses at the graduate level in methods and in infectious disease, and at the undergraduate level introducing young minds to the wonders of epidemiology, led our faculty assembly during perhaps the most transformative moments in our history, and mentored countless students,” Petersen said.

Sanchez-Anguiano received her MD from the Mexican Autonomous National University, Mexico City, with two specialties: occupational medicine and field epidemiology. She earned her PhD in epidemiology from the USF COPH.

During her practical training as an epidemiologist, she served at the Ministry of Health in Mexico City, Mexico, which offered the official national training of epidemiologists in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She participated in the study and control of outbreaks of infectious and acute diseases all around the country.

Starting in 1976, Sanchez-Anguiano served as a medical doctor in specialization training at the Mexican Social Security Institute. In 1983 she became the medical sub- director with the Ministry of Labor for the Medicine and Industrial Safety Management Department and was responsible for technical consultation for the Mexican government at the national level.

Sanchez-Anguiano said that she arrived at the COPH in 1992 as a PhD student.

“I wanted to expand my knowledge in epidemiology to serve the community. As a physician, you help one person at a time, and I wanted to go to the population. I had done it as a field epidemiologist, but I wanted to learn more,” she said. “Life has many intricacies and when I graduated, I was offered to work for the J.A. Haley Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, as an epidemiologist and as a research assistant professor at the COPH. I decided to accept the offers and opened a new chapter in my professional career.”

In 2003, she was offered to work full-time at the COPH as an assistant professor and in 2012 she was promoted to associate professor.

At the college she taught courses in the epidemiology of infectious diseases and diseases of major public health importance, and co-taught core epidemiology courses. Since 2008, she has been a regular National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health grant reviewer utilizing her combined training in occupational medicine and epidemiology.

During her time at the COPH, Sanchez said that she’s most proud of three specific things.

“One is teaching epidemiology, it’s one of the basic stones of public health to several young generations of students coming to the COPH. Second, was being president of the Faculty Assembly and having helped to transform and renovate the structure of the college organization to what it is today. Lastly, very personal, but I became an American Citizen!” she said.

Sanchez said that some of her favorite memories at the COPH were the day of her doctoral defense, all of the meetings where she got to know everyone better and the social gatherings for the holidays.

“I’m going to miss the people: my colleagues and our collegiality, our wonderful staff and their kind personal behavior; and the students with all their energy.”

***

Dr. Kate Wolfe-Quintero joined the COPH in 2011 to help tackle the persistent problem of graduates not having sufficient skills in written communication. She ended up serving in a variety of leadership positions in the COPH’s academic affairs and student affairs areas, as well as the DrPH program.

“She has, without question, elevated the writing skills of our students not to mention the grading skills of our doctoral students,” said Petersen.

Wolfe-Quintero received her BA from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Mich. in 1982, her MA from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. in 1986 and her PhD from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

Wolfe-Quintero was a national resource fellow in African studies at Michigan State University from 1983-1986. For 17 years, she was the director of four academic programs for international students, at the University of Hawaii and then at the University of South Florida.

Prior to joining the COPH, Wolfe-Quintero was an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of South Carolina and an associate professor of second language studies at the University of Hawaii. In 2006, she came to USF as the faculty director of the English Language Institute in the Department of World Languages. From 2009-2010, she was vice president for Advocacy for the American Association of Intensive English Programs.

In 2011, she joined the COPH as an associate professor and director of professional communication. While at the COPH, Wolfe-Quintero provides courses and workshops designed to meet the scientific and professional communication needs of faculty, students and staff. Since 2015, she provided administrative support for the DrPH program, in which she taught courses on scientific writing and innovative education.

“All three of these individuals leave indelible marks on our college as they pursuit different avenues on their life journeys. Each has also expressed to me that while “it was time,” the timing helps the college at a difficult period. As has always been true of these three faculty members, their capacity for giving has no limits,” Petersen said.

***

After 14 years of service with the USF COPH, Mary Johnson retired as the college receptionist. She will be moving closer to her family.

Johnson moved from Manchester, N.H. to Tampa, Fla. in March of 2003 and began working at the University of South Florida on May 21, 2003 on what was supposed to be a temporary three-week assignment.

“Well, my three weeks will finally end on January 7, 2021, after more than 17 years!” said Johnson.

“During her time with us, Ms. Mary has welcomed friends and strangers alike, creating a warm family feel to our college,” said Jay Evans, senior associate dean and chief operating officer of the COPH. “I for one will miss seeing her each morning as I come into the college, and I am quite confident that feeling is shared by many.”

Many COPH alumni also shared their sentiments of Johnson.

“Mary’s presence will be missed,” said COPH alumna Candace Webb. “She was always so warm and inviting. Congratulations to her on her retirement!”

“All four years at USF and her smile always welcomed me even on my hardest days. I’m so excited for her!” alum Justin Ross said.

“Sweet Mary,” alumna Dr. Connie Mizak said. “She was always giving kind greetings as I entered the COPH building. Wishing her a wonderful retirement!”

“I have enjoyed working for the COPH over the years. I will miss seeing all the smiling faces coming through the front door. I could have never imagined all the love and support you have all shown me throughout my work,” Johnson said. “Life is a journey, and we have to keep moving forward. Thank you for being such an amazing part of my journey. You will all never be forgotten.”

The COPH this year has also said hello to a few new and a few familiar faces.

New faculty include:

Dr. Edwin Michael, professor of epidemiology, population biology, and computational disease dynamics

Earlier this year, Dr. Edwin Michael joined USF from the University of Notre Dame an epidemiologist studying the spread and control of global infectious diseases.

The overriding objective of his research is to address questions regarding the population ecology, epidemiology, dynamics and control of tropical vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, including lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, dengue and malaria, enteric diseases and more recently epidemic diseases, such as SARS-Cov-2/Covid-19.

A common theme running across his research is a primary focus on the development and implementation of novel analytical and computational approaches for providing a deeper understanding of the determinants, pathways and dynamics of disease transmission in endemic communities and using the insights gained for identifying and analyzing sustainable approaches to disease control.

Michael also studies the influence of global climate change on vector and environmentally mediated infectious disease transmission, as well as the increasingly important public health topic of the epidemiology of chronic and infectious disease co-occurrence and morbidity in developing populations.

Currently, he leads the development of the SEIRcast COVID-19 modelling portal for supporting population-level response and hospital surge planning to contain the pandemic at the county level.

Dr. Chengqi “Charley” Wang, research assistant professor of genomics

As a data scientist, Chengqi Wang has worked in multi-omics analysis for more than ten years.

During his PhD training, he successfully developed five algorithms in protein structure, function prediction, and drug target inference. In his postdoc research, Wang continued to develop algorithms to annotate the epigenetic regulatory element in the mammalian genome and collaborate with clinicians to study thrombotic diseases.

In collaboration with the researchers from USF Genomics program, he has published many papers, including the mechanism of parasite transmission and the essential genome annotation in the malaria parasite.

Wang’s current research focuses on understanding how the biological systems that underlie healthy life and disease react to variations in their makeup of their environment.

He employs statistical inference, numerical optimization and machine learning to discover patterns in large datasets to ultimately address questions in genomics and molecular medicine.

Dr. Christine McGuire Wolfe, teaching assistant professor with the infection control program

Dr. Christine McGuire-Wolfe, who earned her PhD in public health with a concentration in global communicable disease from the USF College of Public Health (COPH), retired from the Pasco County Fire Rescue in August and has now joined the COPH as an assistant professor.

During her career with the PCFR, McGuire-Wolfe designed and expanded infection control efforts to protect the health and safety of paramedics and EMTs actively engaged in providing patient care.

“In the beginning, crew members tended to be skeptical about the benefits of participating in screening and vaccination programs and reporting work-place exposures,” she said. “As the program’s credibility grew, crews respected the recommendations issued and participation rates increased exponentially.”

McGuire-Wolfe helped to successfully mitigate two large potential outbreaks using what she said were, “common public health approaches that were unusually proactive for the fire service.”

She became known throughout PCFR for her efforts advocating to improve firefighter health and safety, something she said she will always be proud of.

Read McGuire Wolfe’s full story here.

Dr. Chighaf Bakour, assistant professor of epidemiology

Teaching at the COPH the past three years, Dr. Chighaf Bakour begins a new appointment as a teaching assistant professor of epidemiology. 

“My role includes teaching epidemiology courses, mentoring students, serving as the faculty lead for the MPH and MSPH in epidemiology concentrations, conducting research, and engaging in various service activities,” she said.

Bakour is an alumna of USF COPH, earning her PhD in public health-epidemiology in 2016. She also has a MD from Damascus University and an MPH from Independence University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The most interesting thing about public health is that it is concerned with the health of the population, not just individuals, therefore any intervention applied at the population level can have a significant impact on a large number of people,” she said. “I like to research and find risk factors for negative health outcomes, which we can then target with appropriate interventions to prevent or mitigate these outcomes.”

Bakour said she plans to continue her research related to adverse childhood experiences, sleep and chronic health conditions. She also plans to continue working on updating her courses, creating new courses and helping to grow and improve the MPH and MSPH in epidemiology programs.

Dr. Ryan McMinds, research assistant professor with the genomics program

At the COPH, Dr. Ryan McMinds will be a bioinformatician, with half of his time spent with the USF Genomics Program and his other in the Department of Integrative Biology with the USF College of Arts and Sciences.

“I’ll be focusing on collaborations with faculty who want to add a ‘microbiome’ component to their research,” he said.

McMinds earned his PhD in microbiology at Oregon State University in 2018, where he conducted the Global Coral Microbiome Project, studying the distribution and evolution of coral-associated bacteria.

“My interest in public health is at the nexus with our environment,” he said. “Understanding how the microbiome contributes to healthy ecosystems lends insight into its contribution to human well-being in numerous direct and indirect ways.”

McMinds plans to develop collaborations within and outside of COPH that help connect diverse disciplines and departments.

***

New staff include Kristina Svatos as a statistical data Analyst with Dr. Linda Detman. Dr. John Adams will also be welcoming two new postdoctoral students, Drs. Surendra Kumar Kolli and Pradeep Subramani.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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The Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC), housed in the USF College of Public Health’s Chiles Center, has been on a mission of making sure Florida’s infants and mothers receive the highest quality health care and outcomes for the last decade.

Some improvements hospitals have made because of the FPQC’s efforts include responding more quickly and appropriately to obstetrical hemorrhage and acute hypertension, reducing unnecessary early term deliveries and cesarean deliveries to low risk women, and delivering more appropriate identification and care for mothers using opioids and their infants.

And, their list of quality improvement initiatives across the state goes on.

“Collaboration is key,” said Dr. William Sappenfield, USF COPH professor and director of the FPQC and Chiles Center. “FPQC only works through collaborations with others. I think of the FPQC as a car. Our leaders, hospitals and partners decide where we are going, how we get there and who is going with us. We just facilitate the journey.”

Sappenfield co-founded the FPQC alongside Dr. John Curran, an influential pediatrician, retired professor of pediatrics, and former associate vice president of USF Health and senior executive associate for the faculty and academic affairs at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Because of its collaborative partnerships with health professionals, policymakers, hospitals, advocates, individuals and organizations, the FPQC has continued to expand its reach of advancing the health and well-being of Florida’s mothers and infants since its inception ten years ago, according to Sappenfield.

“We have more partners, more volunteer leaders, more funding, more initiatives, more participating hospitals and more results,” he said.  “We have grown from six hospitals in our first pilot initiative to now supporting three quality improvement initiatives with 80 participating hospitals that serve 86 percent of mothers and babies in the state.”

The FPQC and their partners have been working on numerous data-driven, population-based, quality improvement projects focused on some of the most critical perinatal health issues in Florida.

Led by a steering committee and a leadership team, the FPQC engages its stakeholders to identify the priority perinatal quality improvement issues and to determine which initiatives are appropriate, feasible, engaging, measurable and supportable. Much of the FPQC’s work is possible through continuous funding and support from the Florida Department of Health.

“It is all about results; measurable improvements in health care and outcomes,” Sappenfield said.

The FPQC also holds an annual conference each year that draws hundreds of attendees from across the state from a variety of disciplines. The two-day educational program is intended to expand the knowledge and skill base for perinatal health-care practitioners and identify future quality improvement opportunities and collaborations.  

Dr. Maya Balakrishnan, associate professor of Pediatrics at USF Health, joined USF’s Division of Neonatology in 2010, just as the FPQC was forming, and eventually became FPQC’s director of quality in 2013 before advancing to associate director for clinical and quality management in 2016.

She guides teams in the use of quality improvement methodology and has worked with Tampa General Hospital to facilitate workshops across Florida.

“FPQC has blossomed under the leadership of Dr. Sappenfield, whose work here embodies our vision of partnering to improve health care quality of mothers and babies in Florida,” she said. “He took the framework and foundation that Dr. Curran built and collaborated with community leaders, state agencies, and other state perinatal quality collaboratives. He has increased our capacity and capability to make positive changes to the health care that we provide by supporting use of evidence based, data-driven practices and quality improvement methodology.”

She said collaboration of community partners, state agency stakeholders and other perinatal quality collaboratives is a major asset of the FPQC.

“By working together as a state perinatal quality collaborative, we are making a population-level impact,” Balakrishnan said. “Our focus on teamwork both internally and with our partners around the state serve our mission. Our efforts have positioned us to have Florida [rank] number one in states addressing health outcomes for mothers and babies.”

She said the FPQC has stayed true to its mission of improving the lives of mothers and infants in Florida by helping hospitals and health care providers to focus on quality and patient safety.

“Being part of FPQC has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional career,” she said. “As we implement maternal and infant health initiatives, the FPQC has successfully collaborated with community partners and state agencies. This has broadened our reach throughout Florida and brought us innumerable opportunities to further our mission.”

Dr. Judette Louis, chair of the USF Morsani College of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology and USF COPH associate professor, has been involved with the FPQC since 2013 and has served as a clinical lead for the hypertension in pregnancy initiative, as well as the obstetric hemorrhage initiative. She’s also currently participating in the maternal opioid recovery effort initiative.

“In the beginning our efforts centered around convincing members of the communities of the importance of this concept,” she said. “Not only are they now convinced, they seek us out for leadership and guidance. We have grown in influence when it comes to perinatal safety and quality.”

She said the collaboration of the FPQC with statewide partnerships has resulted in more comprehensive and effective initiatives.

“We bring one aspect of the situation to the table. However, we know that health care is a lot more complex. Our partners provide that knowledge of how to navigate patient, provider and systems challenges. They bring solutions to the table,” she said. “I am proud of the fact that they continue to grow in influence and impact change. Even when it gets hard, the FPQC pivots and continues to work hard to achieve their goal of healthy moms and babies.”

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health held a celebration and reception on Friday, November 18 to recognize and honor the contributions and work of faculty and staff at their 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 year service milestones.

Dean Donna Petersen with Dr. Boo Kwa celebrating his 30 years of service at the College of Public Health. (Photo by Ellen Kent)

“Whether we are faculty, staff, administrators or leaders all of us are part of the fabric of the College of Public Health which enables us to do the work that we do. That which helps us grow and improve lives. I’m very proud to be here and incredibly proud of USF Health,” COPH Dean Donna Petersen said.

A tradition for the COPH, the Annual Length of Service Awards, began as a simple gesture in 2009. This year 39 faculty and staff members were honored.

COPH staff enjoying the Length of Service reception. (Photo by Ellen Kent)

“We are all impacted by whatever you do.  Directly from those of us that get to work with you and then indirectly in what you do to contribute to the college,” Petersen said. “I end this day on a very positive and optimistic note for the future because we have great scholars, professionals and champions here to fight for what’s good and right in this community and around the world.”

Congratulations to all employees who celebrated milestone years of service in 2016!

5 Years of Service: Henian Chen, Megan Ditizio, Gabriel Garcia, Patrick Gardner, Benjamin Jacob, Anna Mayor, Manny Mayor, Lisa Mobley, Robert Novak, Donna Rodandello, Renee Salazar, William Sappenfield, Rosemarie Sledge, James Taylor and Min Zhang.

10 Years of Service: Jaime Corvin, Rita DeBate, Sonia Graham, Foday Jaward, Mary Johnson, Dennis Kyle, Anne Marie Little, Jill Roberts and Kate Wolfe-Quintero.

15 Years of Service: Ellen Daley, Anne Gallacher, Thelma Kamman, Steven Mlynarek, Hana Osman and Katherine Small.

20 Years of Service: Marilyn Batchellor, Getachew Dagne, Linda Detman, David Hogeboom, Ellen Kent, Kay Perrin and Jodi Ray.

30 Years of Service: Boo Kwa and Ira Richards.

Click here to view all pictures from the Length of Service Awards.

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“The intent of the grant offering is to develop faculty research collaboration across USF Health and other USF colleges on a subject related to women’s health,” said Catherine M. Lynch, MD, associate vice president for Women’s Health and Faculty Development.

The six awards funded for May 1-April 30 total $50,000. Public Health investigative teams will explore the following topics:

$9,593 Formative Development of an Oral Health Literacy Instrument among Pregnant Patients

• Cheryl A. Vamos, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, College of Public Health
• Judette Louis, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Morsani  College of Medicine
• Rasheet Chandler, PhD, MS, ARNP, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
• Ellen M. Daley, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Public Health
• Linda A. Detman, PhD, Research Associate, College of Public Health

$10,696 A Pilot Study of postpartum weight loss in obese women using a sleep intervention in a group prenatal care setting

• Jessica Brumley, CNM, PhD, Instructor, Morsani  College of Medicine
• Cheryl A. Vamos, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor, College of Public Health
• Marilyn Stern, PhD, Professor, College of Behavioral and Community Science
• Judette Louis, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Morsani  College of Medicine
• Mary Ashley Cain, MD, Fellow/Instructor,Morsani  College of Medicine

$6,350 Maternal Health among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder:  The effect of PCIT on reducing maternal stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Heather Agazzi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Morsani  College of Medicine
• Julia Ogg, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Education
• Kathleen Armstrong, PhD, Professor, Morsani  College of Medicine
• Russell Kirby, PhD, MS, Professor and Marrell Endowed Chair, College of Public Health

Other funded projects include “Assessment of Cancer Patients’ Satisfaction and Experience with Fertility Preservation”, “Knee Biomechanics and Muscle Activation Patterns during Gait in Female Dancers”, and Quantitative analysis of core performance following autologous breast reconstruction.

Drs. Ellen Daley, Linda Detman, Russell Kirby, and Cheryl Vamos have faculty appointments in the Department of Community and Family Health. The department offers more than 10 concentrations that lead to MPH, MSPH, DrPH, and PhD degrees, as well as several dual degrees, graduate certificates, and special programs.

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