First published on February 10, 2020 in observance of the COPH’s 35^th anniversary celebration.

The USF College of Public Health become one of the first public health programs in the nation to transform the core curriculum to meet 21^st century public health needs and to meet changing Council for Education in Public Health (CEPH) competency requirements in 2014.

“This curriculum was designed to reflect the true, interdisciplinary nature of public health. While, historically, schools and colleges of public health have introduced students to the core curriculum of public health in the first year of the master of public health (MPH) program from independent perspectives, this approach lacked an interdisciplinary and integrated approach required to address public health problems,” said Dr. Jaime Corvin, associate professor and director of the MPH program.

Faculty at the COPH were charged with addressing this problem, rethinking our curriculum and developing a program to prepare the next generation of public health professionals. 

Today, more than 700 students have successfully completed the new core at USF and have earned the Certified in Public Health (CPH) designation, a requirement of the new program. 

“People often ask, why change the core?” Corvin said. “Simply put, our MPH program was a strong program. But it was no longer addressing the realities of 21^st century public health problems. We deal with complex problems, we come together as multidisciplinary teams to address these issues, and we don’t act in silos. There was a need to teach traditional content but in an integrated fashion and to ensure that our students were receiving practical, hands-on-training.” 

The COPH’s MPH program now integrates rigorous public health training with broad exposure to the breadth and depth of the field, according to Corvin.

Students learn the traditional public health content but are required to apply those skills through case studies, communications assignments, and the analysis of public health data in History and Systems, Population Assessment I and Population Assessment II, as well as the development of public health promotion campaigns in Translation to Practice. 

“Students work in groups, they debate, they write – a lot – and they synthesize public health problems, coming together to develop innovative strategies to address the problems poised,” Corvin said.  

The MPH core courses are taught by a team of faculty and leaders within the college, including Dean Donna Petersen and Drs. Anna Armstrong, Jason Beckstead, Tom Bernard, Joe Bohn, Jaime Corvin, Rita Debate, Zac Pruitt, Troy Quast, Tom Unnasch, Kate Wolfe-Quintero, Ronee Wilson and Janice Zgibor.

In addition, each cohort is supported by a team of doctoral and masters level teaching assistants. Together, this team strives to provide the best experience for students as they learn and practice the foundational public health concepts. 

Corvin also shared how, as the student body changed and as CEPH competencies were revised, revisions were required to ensure students were graduating with the tools and skills needed to be successful in the workforce. 

Such revisions included a renewed focus on communication and leadership, the importance of writing and the need for enhanced professional development skills.

“In fact, Dr. Anna Armstrong, who leads the USF BullPEN initiative, recently conducted a study to assess professional development needs of our students as perceived by our students and the local workforce,” Corvin said.

Armstrong found that students felt they needed job readiness skills and employers believed students needed help with communication and professional development.

As a result, the USF BullPEN was launched and elements of professional development were incorporated in the Core curriculum. 

Corvin and Armstrong believe that the focus on professional development will help our students to be better prepared as they enter the workforce. They also hope that this will instill a culture of continuing education, lifelong learning, and professional development, all important tenants of the field.

“It’s a lot of work and it takes a commitment. A commitment to your studies and to the field. But we hear back from our graduates about how prepared they feel in their new careers. To me, there is nothing more rewarding,” Corvin said when asked how students receive the program.

The faculty often receive feedback that the strength of USF’s MPH program is its focus on integration of core subject areas and real-world application.

Hari Venkatachalam, a recent graduate of the program, shared “when I joined the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Health Science Research Specialist, I found myself initially overwhelmed with the diversity among the research staff: There were nurses, anthropologists, physical therapists, and biostatisticians. They each brought such unique skills. But that’s what the USF’s MPH program prepares its students for. It prepares us for real world public health work, whether it’s by giving us the analytical skills to perform data management, honing the investigative skills to perform reviews of literature, or the fine-tuning of our writing and oratory skills to defend a program’s implementation. The program is built in a manner that when a student joins the workforce, they find themselves jumping into the position like riding a bike; The skills have become second-nature.” 

Other students have gone on to continue their education, USF’s MPH serving as a strong foundation for the next step in their career path.

“I found that I entered the program vastly more prepared and comfortable than my peers, and have bragged about my integrated MPH on more than one occasion,” said Amina Zeidan who is now a doctoral student in a translational science program at the University of Texas. “These courses were more realistic and relate-able to real life work experiences.”

Corvin said the MPH committee will continue to evaluate and revise the core, striving for a more rigorous foundation for the next generation of public health professionals. 

“Our graduates are the future – public health professionals poised to bring people together and to be the change!” Corvin said.

Story by USF COPH Staff Writer

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“I would ask you as you’re watching, listening and reading about COVID-19, ask your graduate to explain to you how what they have learned and studied is applied. Everything that we do in public health can be applied to the current pandemic and situation we are in right now,” said USF College of Public Health’s Dean Donna Petersen.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s graduation ceremony was presented virtually to family, friends, students, faculty and staff. Petersen delivered her address and congratulated the Spring 2020 graduating class of in front of a camera instead of an audience. (To watch the ceremony, click here).

This semester, 145 undergraduates, 117 masters and 11 doctoral students graduated and entered the public health profession.

“Everything, from the data we collect, the way we analyze it, how we use the tools of biostatistics and epidemiology, how we approach very important policy issues, how we engage the public in conversation and finally how we address environmental/behavioral issues, your students have studied,” Petersen said. “Our graduates are prepared to go out and help fight this great fight.”

Every year the COPH Excellence in Teaching awardee offers words of inspiration to the graduating class. This year’s speaker was COPH alumna and visiting instructor Elizabeth Dunn.

“This disruption in our society may feel unprecedented as uncertainty looms, but I want to share with you this anonymous quote that may help you navigate through the challenges ahead and what I live by in my own life,” Dunn said. “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”

“As you start your journey in the height of a pandemic, you might think that many plans and celebrations that you earned and deserve have been ruined. However, in the long run you may in fact change your mind,” Dunn continued. “Just remember this is what great stories are made of, stories that you may someday tell your younger colleagues eager to get into the field of public health, stories that you will share with grandchildren. You will be able to share with conviction: we made history.”

Dr. Claudia Cooperman, assistant dean of undergraduate studies, also presented her end to the year address to the graduating class.

“The future is more vibrant for you than it has ever been and you are ready for it. We need people educated in all areas of health more than ever. We need leaders to make sure that the public is educated, that communities are taken care of, and the right information is presented in the right way,” Cooperman said. “I know that you are those leaders.”

“USF has prepared you, you are ready for what is going on in the world right now and we need you. We all need you,” Cooperman said. “You will be the health leaders of tomorrow and we at the COPH will be your cheerleaders all the way.”

Here are some of the stories from the Class of 2020:

Justin Weiner, BSPH

BSPH graduate Justin Weiner is the COPH’s King O’ Neal Scholar due to his cumulative GPA of 4.0. Along with this honor, Weiner has also been the recipient of the Student Health Services Trainer of the Year and Student Health Services Administrative Awards, a member of the Delta Omega Honor Society, and has presented at the 2018 USF Undergraduate Research Fall Expo and the 2019 Spring USF Undergraduate Research Conference.

“When coming into college, I planned on completing the pre-med track and applying to medical school,” said Weiner. “I decided to become a public health major so that I could learn a different viewpoint on health care and utilize that experience as a physician when treating my patients.”

Weiner said that he chose the USF COPH due to the wide range of opportunities available to volunteer at hospitals and the connections and programs through the COPH’s numerous connections with Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay community.

“Overall, I highly enjoyed the undergraduate program at the College of Public Health. I think this program is especially unique as there are not many undergraduate public health programs throughout the nation,” he said. “Additionally, the incorporation of interprofessional events and opportunities through the county provides many resources for students to gain more experiences.”

Weiner said that his proudest accomplishment at the COPH was his time as a research assistant working with instructor Elizabeth Dunn. As her research assistant, he was able to work on Hillsborough County’s Local Mitigation Strategy and Hillsborough County’s Community Needs Assessment.

“These experiences allowed me to engage with individuals in the local community and to assist with improving the disparities that are present,” he said.

Weiner will be attending the University of Florida’s College of Medicine after graduation to continue to pursue his goal of becoming a physician.

“I hope to learn how to be a good doctor and a caring physician. I think that learning how to be there for a patient in their time of need is vital,” he said. “Through the University of Florida College of Medicine’s medical student research program, I hope to continue performing public health research in healthcare.”

Yingwei Yang, PhD

Dr. Yingwei Yang was born and raised in a small town in the northeast of China. In 2004 she moved to Jinan, China for her BMSc degree in preventative Medicine from Shandong University and then moved to Beijing in 2009 to earn her MSc degree in maternal, child and adolescent health from Peking University.

“I chose to attend the USF COPH for my PhD program for the following reasons: there were wonderful professors with expertise in the areas of violence and injuries, which matched with my research interests; I was not only offered a university fellowship for the first two years of my study, but also opportunities to get involved in research activities from the very beginning, which was a very important factor for me to choose USF;  I did several rounds of interviews with faculty and students in the previous Department of Community and Family Health, familiarizing me with the department and convincing me that it would be  great to be part of,” Yang said.

As an international student, Yang said that she faced challenges with the language barrier and the cultural differences.

“In the first semester of my PhD program, I was neither able to follow the instructions in class, nor actively participate in group discussions. Meanwhile, I had to learn to communicate with diverse groups of people outside of class in a culturally appropriate manner.  It was a very stressful situation and I had to improve my language ability and culture competency quickly,” she said. “It was a remarkable and unforgettable journey studying and working in the USF College of Public Health. In the past 5 years, I was able to gain sufficient support from faculty, staff and other students in COPH, which helped me a lot in completing the program.”

During her time at the COPH, Yang lead the USF Activist Lab Student‘s Advisory Board since its inception in 2018, founded journal clubs and writing groups, coordinated boot camps, seminars, tabling events and participated in outreach activities. She also served as the co-chair for Doctoral Advisory Committee in the previous Department of Community and Family Health in 2016, facilitating communications between PhD students and the department.

Yang has accepted a postdoctoral offer at Duke University responsible for project management of an NIH grant in the area of sports injuries, grant writing and submission, teaching and supervision of student researchers.

“This position matches well with my PhD training and research interests,” she said. “Moreover, it will provide me opportunities to participate in a nationwide research project and join an interdisciplinary research team, which will be beneficial to my career development.”

Yang said that in the future she hopes to work in academia and continue her research on violence and injuries, support students’ success in public health education and training, and promote health and well-being for diverse groups of people, especially children and adolescents.

Emily Zapf, MHA

“Until I arrived at USF, I had very little experience in the field of public health. I was always interested in the business side of healthcare because my strengths include data analytics and finance,” said graduate Emily Zapf. “The MHA program at USF is so unique because it not only provides students with the management skills to become great leaders in healthcare, but it also allows students to gain a comprehensive view of the interconnected system of the healthcare industry.”

During her time at the COPH, Zapf was involved in numerous organizations, serving as the president of the Healthcare Management Student Association, working as the finance committee intern for the American College of Healthcare Executives, and mentoring two high school students at Tampa Bay Tech.

“I am the proudest of my time served as president of the HMSA. I worked with the rest of the executive board to organize monthly professional development and guest speaker events for graduate students interested in healthcare administration,” Zapf said. “We also worked very hard to coordinate the career fair for MHA and MPH students who were searching for a summer internship or full-time job. Mentoring the first-year MHA students who represented the future of the program at USF was so rewarding.”

This fall, Zapf begins a two-year administrative fellowship with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. In the meantime, she will also be working for the State of Florida and helping with COVID-19 response efforts.

Year one as the SMHCS Administrative Fellow will include shadowing opportunities as she rotates through each department or service of the health system. The second year will be spent completing ad hoc projects according to her interests and strengths.

“I plan to apply all of the core competencies that we developed during our time in the USF MHA program to my future career. They include analytical thinking, strategy and leadership, community engagement, economic and financial management, and professionalism. I was able to develop these skills inside the classroom through coursework and projects, and outside the classroom at my internship positions,” she said.  “In addition, I will be able to demonstrate the time management skills that I developed while working and going to school full-time these last two years.”

Zapf said that her dream job is working as a hospital administrator specializing in operations and finance.

“I hope to improve price and information transparency in the healthcare industry and help patients navigate the complex system to receive the highest quality care at the most affordable price,” she said. This is so important in the United States, especially for vulnerable patient populations who may not have the same resources as others when trying to keep themselves or their families healthy.” 

Public health heroes from the Class of 2020 on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Trang Chitakone, MPH

Chitakone is helping Pasco County at the Emergency Operations Center and working as part of the Florida Department of Health’s incident management team. She helped their epidemiology staff come up with processes for monitoring, ramped up staff for county investigations and worked closely with the county on communications related to COVID-19.

Jolie Dobson, MPH

Dobson works at Florida Department of Health- Miami-Dade in the epidemiology program. She conducts surveillance, identifies clusters and does site investigations at facilities affected by COVID-19 to stop the spread.

Linh Duong, PhD

Duong has recently been hired to assist the Florida Department of Health with the COVID-19 response. She’ll be an OPS Biological Administrator II assisting county health departments with epidemiological investigations relating to contact tracing and other surveillance activities onsite.

Kevin Shullick, MPH

Shullick helps facilitate the Hillsborough Hope tent city that was formed to safely shelter Tampa’s homeless population in response to the COVID-19 virus.

Megha Patel, BSPH

Patel has been testing the community for COVID-19. She also has been giving individuals the proper information by educating them not only about the COVID, but how to prevent others from getting the virus as well.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health’s online master of public health program has been ranked number one on the list of the top 50 best online MPH programs across the country, according to the Master’s Programs Guide.

Master’s Programs Guide, an online guide to helping students discover master’s programs in any specialty, ranked the programs based on school reputation, affordability, program accreditation and accessibility/flexibly.

The USF COPH’s program ranked first place ahead of programs at the University of Nebraska, University of Illinois at Chicago, Michigan State University, University of Florida, Johns Hopkins University, and Emory.

The COPH has been offering distance-based MPH programs for nearly 30 years, according to Dean Donna Petersen, and offers seven distinct specializations, including a DrPH program and 13 online graduate certificates.

“We recognize that our students’ time is valuable and also that we have an obligation to provide the best educational training possible for those interested in public health careers, regardless of the delivery modality,” Petersen said. “Our faculty embraced this technology early on and we’ve built an exceptional team of instructional technology and design professionals. Students in our on-line programs often tell me that they have been able to use what they learned in class immediately in their work settings or that they could never have obtained the MPH degree if an online option weren’t available.”

Students may customize their degree experience by focusing on the following specializations: epidemiology, public health practice, global disaster management, humanitarian relief and homeland security, infection control, social marketing, nutrition and dietetics, and health, safety and environment.

“This recognition affirms what we, our students and our alumni already know–that the USF College of Public Health online MPH programs are a great value and provide an excellent learning experience,” Petersen said.

To learn more about the COPH’s accredited distance-based MPH programs, visit the admissions website.

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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“I found I loved public health policy almost as much as social marketing,” said MPH graduate, Julie Hentz.

Hentz graduated May 6 with a master of public health degree from the USF College of Public Health.

She made the jump from advertising to public health after working for years in advertising with companies, such as J. Walter Thomas, Mayo Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hentz said her interest in public health stems from its potential for prevention of human suffering and mortality from disease.

“I owned my own small advertising company,” said Hentz. “I was offered a position at CDC, which sounded very interesting and attractive. There I was able to move my knowledge and experience in corporate marketing theory, and my practice to health prevention awareness and behavior change.”

Hentz pictured (middle) while working with New Mexico Dept. of Health and Indian Health Service of Navajo. (Photo courtesy of Julie Hentz)

Hentz’s introduction to academic life began early on—born in Raleigh, N.C. she spent her childhood moving to whatever college town her father’s career as a professor happened to take them. From North Carolina State, Hentz went to Princeton University to the University of Notre Dame.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing, as well as her bachelor’s in fine arts, from Indiana University, in 1983. Hentz later completed her associate’s degree in visual communications from the Art Institute of Atlanta, before landing at the University of South Florida, where she completed a graduate certificate in social marketing in 2013.

Her journey as a student definitely would not be characterized as easy—between family responsibilities, death, working and life in general, Hentz seemed to have curveballs thrown at her left and right.

“I lost both of my parents during this time, I sold the house that I raised my children in, and moved to D.C. with two dogs and three birds,” she said.

Despite the challenges and full schedule, Hentz still found the time to participate in professional activities and associations, including the International Association of Social Marketing.

Hentz also returns to USF every other June, despite living in D.C., for the Social Marketing Conference, where she has the opportunity to catch up with staff and colleagues.

When selecting a university for her public health education, she said it was a clear choice for her—USF was not only rated within the top 20 public health universities in the U.S., but boasted many benefits she could utilize.

“CDC had an agreement with USF that provided CDC staff with in-state tuition to pursue their MPH,” said Hentz. “I also knew they were the leader in social marketing in this country.”

Currently, Hentz works with IQ Solutions, a Washington-based public health organization, as the director of social issue marketing. There, she applies her education from COPH to real time projects, directs all corporate and social marketing activities, and utilizes her education about epidemiology, infectious disease and policies.

“I value having the opportunity to work on a variety of public health topics,” said Hentz. “We work with the FDA on dashboards related to youth tobacco cessation and prevention, AARP and Healthy People 2020 on web development and design work, NIDA and NIAMS, NICHD on maternal child health, Robert Wood Johnson on Human Capital Campaign; my days are full of a broad array of health promotion and prevention efforts.”

Outside of her academic pursuits, Hentz likes anything related to the outdoors or new adventures—bike riding, gardening, traveling, you name it—just give her some fresh air and a map!

Hentz (pictured lower right) with family on a four-day hike with children through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of Julie Hentz)

“I’ve been a runner and competitor in races around the country for 32 years,” she said. “Learning new things is fulfilling to me. I will study Italian at the Center for Italian Studies here in D.C. when I have free time.”

Once she masters Italian, Hentz has no intention of stopping.

“I plan to move toward creating a consultancy in social marketing approaches to native health promotion in the near future,” she said. “I am devoted to health equity.”

Backed by a wealth of education, motivation, and experience, Hentz is more than prepared to leave her mark on the world—both social marketing and public health.

Story by Shelby Bourgeois, USF College of Public Health

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It was her freshman year and USF College of Public Health alumna Jamilla Cooper was still not quite sure what she wanted to major in.

However, she reached an epiphany after enrolling in her first public health course: Sex, Health, and Decision Making.

“It awakened my interest for public health because the topics covered presented an open, honest and exciting view of public health,” Cooper said.

It was so intriguing that she decided to declare public health as her major twice and enrolled in the 3+2 dual bachelor’s and master’s degree program.

The Honor’s College student made history when she graduated in Dec. 2015 as the first ever student in the COPH to graduate with a bachelor of science in public health and master of public health in the epidemiology and global communicable disease concentration simultaneously.

(From left) Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dr. Kathleen O’Rourke, Assistant Professor, Dr. Jamie Corvin, Jamilla Cooper, and Dean Donna Petersen. (Photo by Ellen Kent)

“The journey to becoming the first dual BS, MPH in epidemiology and global communicable diseases took a lot of hard work over several years to achieve,” Cooper said. “Many of my peers were unaware of what I was doing and it felt so amazing to have Dr. Perrin acknowledge my hard work at the fall graduation celebration. I’m still on a high from it all.”

The 3+2 program is intended for honor’s college students who are nearing 90 credit hours.

Once accepted, the student’s upper elective courses become part of their graduate work, according to Dr. Kay Perrin, assistant dean of undergraduate students.

Cooper began her graduate coursework while a junior in the undergraduate program, after being admitted with a nearly perfect GRE score, Perrin said.

“Every time she came in she always had all of her questions written down. She always had any form that needed to be signed all filled out and ready and she knew exactly where to take it; she was never late for an appointment and she just was perfect,” Perrin said. “Everything was always organized and she had already investigated what she thought the answer was instead of coming in asking, ‘What do I do?’”

Jamilla Cooper at the December 2015 commencement ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Jamilla Cooper)

“The graduate program at USF was challenging but extremely rewarding,” Cooper said. “I had the help of three advisors to guide me along the way: Dr. Kay Perrin, Dr. Aurora Sanchez-Anguiano and Dr. Kate Wolfe-Quintero.”

As a dual degree seeking student, Cooper stayed involved with both extracurricular and academic activities to strengthen her public health experiences.

She became one the first officers in the Undergraduate Public Health Student Association, participated in three study abroad programs and joined the business and professional sorority, Gamma Phi Delta.

“The biggest challenge I faced in attaining my degree was finding a good balance between work, school and my own personal life,” she said. “I have had many proud moments at USF but one of my proudest achievements as a student was being selected as one of ten students nationwide to participate in the Hurricane REU, which was funded by the National Science Foundation. It was a great opportunity for me to learn research methods in the field and I learned information during that time that I still use this day.”

During her time as a student, Cooper also worked at the Florida Center for Community Design and Research, a research center that aims to create more sustainable communities, and participated in the National Science Foundation’s Hurricane Research Experience for undergraduates, where she examined hurricane preparedness among those who use meal services in Hillsborough County.

“It might sound cliché but juggling several things at once is physically draining and a jack-of-all-trades can quickly become a master of none,” Cooper said. “I had to learn early on to be gentle to myself.”

But her efforts endured and Cooper was also awarded the Claudia McCorkle Scholarship through the Honors College in 2013 and made the COPH Dean’s List in both the fall and spring semesters in 2011.

Reflecting back on her time as a student, Cooper said she was encouraged greatly by many COPH faculty and staff.

Dr. Kay Perrin shares some words about Jamilla Cooper (second from left) during the COPH graduate student graduation celebration. (Photo by Ellen Kent)

“Dr. Perrin is the first person that comes to mind. I am so grateful to her because I truly believe I would not have graduated if not for her ever present help and support. She is a great resource and never stopped believing in my abilities even when I doubted myself. She is truly remarkable,” Cooper said. “Ms. Mary at the front desk and Ms. Erica Parris in the undergraduate studies department are two amazing members of staff who always had a warm smile and an encouraging word for me.”

Cooper will continue her employment as a disease intervention specialist at the Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office in Tampa, where she has been for the last two years conducting educational classes on infectious diseases, hepatitis C and HIV testing and counseling.

“I chose to become an epidemiologist because I have a passion for investigating the factors that contribute to outbreaks of infectious diseases. I like examining the factors that contribute to infectious disease outbreaks, particularly the ones that are often the last to be considered,” Cooper said.

Cooper said she hopes to continue her public health journey as an infectious disease epidemiologist working abroad.

***

Fast Five for COPH Alumni:

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I dreamed of becoming a doctor! I was always pretending to treat my dolls when they were sick. Around the time I turned 16 I decided that I wanted to work for the WHO in HIV. Not sure how I came to decide on WHO, but I had begun to learn a lot about HIV in the Caribbean and it really intrigued me. That goal has stuck with me ever since.

Where would we find you on the weekend?

My church, catching up with my friends and trying out new restaurants.

What is the last book you read?

“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

What superpower would you like to have?

I would like to have the power to read minds. It would give me an insight to what the people around me were thinking and would clear up misunderstandings before they even happen. Plus, I’d get to learn the formula used to calculate the lottery numbers!

What’s your all-time favorite movie? 

Shawshank Redemption

 Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health.

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Just one year past its 30 year anniversary, the College of Public Health continues to kick things up a notch, as Dean Donna Petersen showed during her State of the College Address on October 13.

COPH Dean Donna Petersen

From moving up five spots to number 16 in the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings to an expanding global reach, the COPH continues to meet its goals.

Petersen discussed how overall non-federal funding is on a rise and that six COPH investigators rank in USF’s top 25 including: Jodi Ray (4), Dr. John Adams (7), Dr. Yehia Hammad (12), Dr. Dennis Kyle (20), Dr. Tom Bernard (21), and Dr. Jay Wolfson (25).

“A number of the faculty have been taking their research and applying them immediately,” Petersen said, in regard to the COPH’s goal of translating translational research.

Other significant endeavors this year included:

• A perfect 10 scoring from the National Institutes of Health for a grant to identify a brain-eating amoeba.
• Receiving the nation’s largest Navigator grant, 5.9 million dollars, to continue leading the nation in total number of people enrolled in health care coverage.
• Grants to support the eradication of river blindness in Zambia, Cambodia and Haiti.

Petersen noted that outreach efforts have also expanded globally with 55 faculty and students conducting research in 17 different countries.

The number of students admitted this past year also increased, particularly, the COPH’s DrPH degree, which moved up from seven to 19 enrolled students for the fall semester.

“This fall we had a huge increase in applications for the DrPH program, we couldn’t believe it,” Petersen said. “We admitted more than twice the number than we admitted last fall. We are extremely excited about that program.”

Petersen also took a moment to recognize new staff and faculty to the COPH and highlighted the COPH’s new approach to recruiting faculty members.

“We did something different this year; for the first time in our history, we recruited a cohort of new folks,” she said. “We got together and we came up with common criteria; things like people who like interdisciplinary research, who aren’t afraid of team teaching, and who like being engaged out in the community; all these things that are extremely important to us.”

The COPH’s transformed master of public health core curriculum saw an increase in the number of enrolled students, moving up to 43 total students.

In July, the first group made their final presentations for their community-based projects before moving on to the concentration coursework.

The graduation trend is also upward for bachelor’s and master’s degrees the COPH has awarded.

“We’ve been able to really build our portfolio, support our faculty, and recruit great students and fantastic staff,” Petersen said.

The COPH is also on the forefront of embracing new technologies.

Petersen unveiled the COPH’s involvement with Appian, a cloud-based software the College is utilizing to streamline the student advising experience. The COPH will work with its faculty and students to utilize this new app and provide feedback on areas of improvement to USF’s Health Information Systems, with whom the COPH has partnered to run the pilot test.

The COPH is the first college in USF to pilot this program.

“This is really going to simplify faculty life,” John Petrila, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, said. “Instead of shuffling paper around, having to be at the office to complete a task, you can log on from anywhere with minimal effort and move on to something else for your day; you can find a list of all your advisees, you can fill out check sheets online. I believe it will revolutionize the way we spend our time at work.”

The COPH will also launch two new degree programs including one in nutrition and an interdisciplinary MSPH degree program with the Morsani College of Medicine in genetic counseling.

“We believe we have all the elements in place to create a really dynamic and wildly cutting edge degree program here and we hope to be enrolling students next fall,” Petersen said.

While there are new obstacles the COPH will face in the coming years, including shifting state funding models and a CEPH re-accreditation site visit in 2018, Petersen remains confident in the COPH’s ability to achieve its goals.

“We’ve got much to look forward to; this is a strong college,” she said. “We have outstanding people, outstanding facilities, outstanding vision, and you are all what makes this college wonderful. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you do to contribute to the College and its reputation, how you invest in the community, and how you really practice your passion and devotion to public health.”

Related media:
SOCA Presentation Slides

Story and photo by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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USF researchers Dennis E. Kyle, PhD, and Bill J. Baker, PhD, are the recipients of a $399,913 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The two-year award allows the investigators to apply their skills in natural products drug discovery to identify new compounds with potential to treat leishmaniasis.

(l,r) Dr. Dennis Kyle, professor of global health, and Dr. Bill Baker director of USF’s Center for Drug Discovery and Innovation

Leishmaniasis is a devastating protozoan parasitic disease transmitted by sand flies. The disease can cause disfiguring skin lesions or the potentially fatal chronic disease known as Kala Azar, a form of visceral leishmaniasis. New drugs for treating leishmaniasis are urgently required since the current therapies are toxic and losing efficacy due to parasite resistance.

This project combines the expertise of the Baker and Kyle laboratories. First, Baker’s Lab identifies secondary metabolites in unexplored sources of biodiversity, such as microbes from Antarctica, endophtic fungi from mangrove plants, and terrestrial slow growing fungi. Second, extracts from these sources are assessed in validated screens for leishmania drug discovery in the Kyle Laboratory. The process identifies new chemical entities to spur drug discovery for this neglected disease that affects more than 350 million people in 88 countries.

Dr. Bill J. Baker directs USF’s Center for Drug Discovery and Innovation and is a professor of chemistry, marine natural products.

Dr. Dennis Kyle is a professor in the USF College of Public Health.  In 2011, he was named USF Health Distinguished Professor, the highest honor bestowed on a member of the USF Health faculty.  Dr. Kyle currently serves as president-elect of the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists, an active regional affiliate of the American Society of Parasitologists.

The Department of Global Health is Dr. Kyle’s academic home. The department offers more than 10 concentrations that lead to MPH, MSPH, DrPH, and PhD degrees, as well several dual degrees, graduate certificates, and special programs. Most recently, Global Health added an online master of public health degree in infection control to its academic offerings.

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Since 2009, a team of researchers and social marketers at the Florida Prevention Research Center (FPRC) collaborated with the Tweens Nutrition and Fitness Coalition in Lexington, Kentucky to develop and test the Community Based Prevention Marketing for Policy Development framework. The end result is a healthier menu in concession stands at public pools and other parks and recreation venues in the Lexington community.

The revised menu options, known as Better Bites, features healthier items.  It is growing in popularity, not only in Lexington, but throughout other parts of Kentucky as well.  This expanded popularity is an important development because youth gain weight three times faster during the summer than at other times of the year.

Recent data from the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, found that almost 40% of Kentucky children and youth are overweight or obese. The startling revelation of these data is why the Kentucky Department of Parks changed its food policy and adopted Better Bites, using it at all 17 state park restaurant locations.

Although the healthier food options have not completely replaced traditional menu items, children and their parents can now select fun, flavorful, and nutrient-rich food alternatives.  The Better Bites initiative was recently featured on a local news broadcast in Kentucky. View it at http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/State-parks-offer-better-food-options-to-keep-kids-healthy–214811681.html

The FPRC has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 1998.  Prior to creating this policymaking framework, FPRC team members deployed their research and social marketing capabilities to reduce the uptake of tobacco and alcohol among middle school youth, increase participation in physical activity among tweens (youth ages 9-13), and reduce risk of eye injuries among citrus harvesters by increasing their adoption of eye safety glasses. The FPRC is truly unique among CDC’s 37 funded academic research centers, as it is the only one to devise and use a specific program planning and policymaking framework as its principal core research for combatting challenging public health problems.  Dr. Carol Bryant directs the FPRC at USF.

The USF College of Public Health is the parent organization for the Florida Prevention Research Center. Its mission is to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based approaches to strengthen community capacity for sustained disease prevention and health promotion. The Florida Prevention Research Center is designated as one of 37 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Centers in the nation funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Department of Community and Family Health is the academic home for the FPRC and offers more than 10 concentrations that lead to MPH, MSPH, DrPH, and PhD degrees. Additionally, the department offers several dual degrees, special programs, and an online graduate certificate in social marketing

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University of South Florida researcher Yangxin Huang, PhD, was recently named to the editorial board for the two journals AIDS & Recent Advancements and Annals of Biometrics and Biostatistics. AIDS & Recent Advancements encompasses recent trends and research in epidemiology, physiological and psychological aspects and clinical manifestation in this area. This journal is determined to provide information & elucidation on various issues and concepts in AIDS-related areas. Annals of Biometrics and Biostatistics aims to promote the development of mathematical and statistical methods with applications to Biological Sciences, Clinical and Public Health Research.

Dr. Huang is an associate professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The department offers concentrations in biostatistics that lead to MPH, MSPH, and PhD degrees, as well as an online graduate certificate in applied biostatistics.

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University of South Florida researcher Amy Alman, PhD, is the recipient of a 3-year grant from the American Diabetes Association.  Her project, is entitled “Epicardial fat and inflammatory mediators in the excess risk of coronary artery calcification among women with type 1 diabetes.”

The study uses CT scans and data collected from a prospective cohort study, the Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 1 Diabetes study, to examine the moderating and mediating effects of epicardial fat, inflammation, diabetes, and gender on coronary artery calcification, a subclinical measure of cardiovascular disease.  Epicardial fat is a visceral fat depot located on the surface of the coronary arteries and has been shown to exhibit a high amount of metabolic activity.

Research suggests that epicardial fat is an important regulator of vascular function and pathogenesis, but little is known about its role in the excess risk of cardiovascular disease seen in those with diabetes.  Dr. Alman’s work will increase understanding of the diabetes and gender-specific mechanisms of adiposity and vascular disease.

The project is a collaborative effort involving Alman’s peers in the College of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, along with faculty from USF’s Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, Florida Hospital’s Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, and the Barbara Davis Center in the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Public Health.

Dr. Alman is an assistant professor of epidemiology. Her home department offers concentrations in epidemiology that lead to MPH, MSPH, and PhD degrees, and recently launched an online MPH in epidemiology.

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