USF is well represented at FPHA
It’s official!
The 2016 Florida Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting was a huge success! The theme for this year’s meeting was “Challenges and Strategies for a New Age of Public Health.” It was held July 27-29 in Orlando, Fla.
On Wednesday, July 27, the USF College of Public Health hosted its annual luncheon with more than 150 attendees. COPH 2015 Outstanding Alumni Awardee Rachel Nuzum was the guest speaker. Nuzum is vice president of federal and state health policy for The Commonwealth Fund in Washington, D.C. She engaged the audience in a conversation about national health policy and the role of local and state government.
Rachel Nuzum was the keynote speaker at the college’s annual luncheon. She participated in a health policy dialogue with Dr. John Petrila, COPH professor and department chair. (Photo by Natalie Preston)
Nuzum was joined at the annual meeting by a cadre of Bull alumni, students and retired faculty. Some presented their research, while others were recognized with an FPHA award. All united under the common theme of sharing knowledge and resources in an effort to advance the health of Floridians and visitors to the state.
COPH alumna Alyssa Moffitt, MPH, received the 2016 Homer D. Venters Award from fellow COPH alumnus and FPHA president Dr. Rick France. She was recognized for her professional achievements in a public health laboratory. (Photo courtesy of FPHA Facebook)
Alumni Maureen Guthke, MPH, CHES, CHWC, and Paul March, BSPH, were conference exhibitors representing Tobacco Free Florida’s AHEC Cessation Program. (Photo by Natalie Preston)
COPH alumna Dr. Nancy Lashway presented “Major food sources of vitamin D in home food inventories of seniors receiving home-delivered meals in S. Carolina.” (Photo by Natalie Preston)
Graduates of the COPH’s Public Health Leadership Institute of Florida were also well represented at the annual meeting.
Emeritus Associate Professor Dr. Michael Reid reported visiting with more than a dozen graduates of the program. For 12 years, he directed the COPH-based institute in addition to teaching in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Reid also noted that of FPHA’s 19 past-presidents, nine of them (plus himself) are graduates of the Public Health Leadership Institute of Florida.
FPHA leadership took time out for a USF COPH photo shoot. (from left) FPHA president Shannon Hughes, past-president Dr. Greg Danyluk and president-elect Dr. Richard France. Ms. Hughes is a current COPH graduate student and Drs. Danyluk and France are COPH alumni. At the conclusion of the annual meeting, France assumed the presidency for 2016-17. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Danyluk)
Reid wasn’t the only former faculty member in attendance. Dr. Robert J. McDermott, retired community and family health professor, was presented with the 2016 Meritorious Service Award. According to the FPHA website, this honor is presented “annually to a FPHA member who has a record of outstanding contributions to FPHA in the field of public health for several years.”
Student presenters and attendees strike a bullish pose during a conference break. (Photo by Natalie Preston)
Several public health students shared their practice and their passion via poster presentations at the annual meeting. Accepted posters included:
Shana Geary, BS, MPH student— “Decision tree analysis of intimate partner violence amongst Florida Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program participants.”
Kimberly Hailey, BS, MPH student— “Measuring perceived neighborhood safety among participants enrolled in the Florida MIECHV program.”
Jessica Ryan, BA, doctoral candidate— “Evaluating changes in emergency department visits for concussion among youth following Florida’s Return to Play Law.”
Humberto López Castillo, MD, MEd, MSc, CPH, doctoral candidate— “Without 15 tortillas for breakfast, I will have no energy! Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding of diet and physical activity of adult Hispanics living and working in a rural community in Florida.”
Pamela Birriel, MPH, CHES, doctoral candidate— “Measuring perceived neighborhood safety among participants enrolled in the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program,” and “Association between sociodemographic characteristics and breastfeeding among participants in the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.”
(far right) Dr. Humberto López Castillo exchanges business cards with interested listeners after a successful poster presentation. (Photo by Natalie Preston)
To learn more about FPHA and their efforts to advance the health of Floridians, visit www.fpha.org.
Related media:
Photo gallery on Facebook
Story by Natalie D. Preston, USF College of Public Health