SPH E-NEWS
June/July 2009
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Special Alert
UC facing deep budget cuts
California is facing one of the nation's most severe state deficits with projected shortfalls ranging above $24 billion. Like everyone in California, UC will inevitably share in the pain of this dismal budget outlook.
The campus budget picture darkened further in the past month with the defeat of five state ballot initiatives and the relentless downward spiral of California's finances. Berkeley's anticipated shortfall, which stood at $94 million at the time of the May 19 special election, ballooned to $145 million as a result of additional cuts proposed by California Gov. Schwarzenegger to deal with the gaping hole in the state budget. That hole was widened by the failure of the suite of propositions that were designed to ease the state's fiscal crisis. The School of Public Health, like other units on the UC Berkeley campus, has had to face these unprecedented budgetary challenges.
To receive updates on this important issue and additional information regarding opportunities for you to become involved, go to Cal Advocacy.
Check out our new UC Berkeley School of Public Health web site
In June, we launched a new, more inviting, easy-to-navigate School of Public Health web site. Come explore, and don't forget to bookmark it if you haven't already. Better yet, set it as your home page! You'll want to return often for the latest news from the School. If you have any feedback about our web site, please email sphweb@berkeley.edu.
View web site
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter: "Should You Be a Locavore?"
One of the hot issues in food shopping these days is locally grown food. According to the strict definition, a "locavore" is one who eats only food grown within a radius of 100 miles. That's the so-called 100-mile diet: Make sure that everything you eat is grown within that distance from your home. Proponents of this plan say that locally grown produce is not only tastier but also more nutritious. You will be supporting your local farmers, your local economy, and your community. By saving the cost of long-distance transport, you will save fossil fuel and reduce the carbon footprint of the food you eat—that is, the amount of greenhouse gases put in the air by producing, harvesting, processing, and transporting the food. How true is all this? The answers are not always clear.
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Commencement 2009 in Pictures
The School's 2009 Commencement, held May 16, celebrated the accomplishments of the future public health leaders who will be going out into the world to find solutions to health challenges. Former CDC director Julie L. Gerberding inspired the graduates with her keynote address. Michael Bird, a champion for Native American health, and Carol D'Onofrio, a community health educator and professor emerita, were honored as Alumni of the Year.
View photos
School launches $5 million Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars Program
On Tuesday, May 12, the School announced the launch of the Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars Program, an ambitious initiative designed to meet the increasing need for highly educated public health workers. Funded by a $5 million grant from a fund established in 2004 by Kaiser Permanente at the East Bay Community Foundation, the program is expected to expand California's public health workforce, with an emphasis on recruiting students from underserved communities and placing them in health departments and other organizations that serve vulnerable populations.
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School study bolsters cost effectiveness of publicly funded managed care programs
Private business in California saw health care premiums increase by 138 percent between 1999 and 2008. Over a similar time period, Medi-Cal premiums for family enrollees increased by 23 percent, and Healthy Families premiums by 38 percent, according to a new study funded by the California Program on Access to Care (CPAC), part of UC Berkeley's School of Public Health.
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Computer-based smoking cessation programs work, finds metanalysis
Trying to quit cigarettes but don't know how? A new analysis led by researchers at the School of Public Health suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.
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Sexual and reproductive health symposium: Resources now available
A symposium at UC Berkeley last spring provided a rare opportunity for more than 140 experts from 11 countries to share research on the development and deployment of multi-purpose technologies for sexual and reproductive health. "Advancing Prevention Technologies for Sexual and Reproductive Health" assembled leading basic scientists, clinicians and socio-behavioral researchers, and advocates working on microbicides, vaccines, and devices with multi-purpose potential. The symposium was developed over two years by a group of experts led by SPH faculty members Susan L. Ivey and Bethany Young Holt with the support of Graduate Division Dean Andrew Szeri, and SPH faculty member Martha Campbell. If you missed the symposium, you can view proceedings, presentations, and poster abstracts online.
View symposium materials
Shortell advises White House on health reformDean Stephen Shortell, Blue Cross Professor of Health Policy and Management, was among a group of invited health economists, health policy researchers and thought leaders who met in May with Obama administration officials on health care reform. The focus of the discussion was on ideas for moderating the rate of increase in cost, both in the short and long run, to provide greater value in health care delivery and to make expanded health insurance coverage affordable.
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Patricia Buffler honored for lifetime achievements fighting childhood leukemia
Professor and dean emerita Patricia Buffler's long career at UC Berkeley has been distinguished by her dedication to researching the causes and prevention of childhood leukemia and brain tumors. On June 24, 2009, her body of work will be recognized when she receives the 2009 Children with Leukaemia Science Award for her "lifetime contribution in the field of childhood leukeamia research."
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Graduate Explorations: Dominique Kerouedan, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. '91
In the Spring 2009 issue of The Graduate, a magazine produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate Division, SPH alumna Dominique Kerouedan describes her experiences working in international public health in Africa, Asia, and Europe. She writes about her time at Berkeley: "...for the first time in our academic lives, we found professors who believed in us. Their doors were open, which was so different from our student years in Paris."
Read the article (PDF)
Rachel Morello-Frosch discusses climate change and American poor on Living on Earth
Climate change will hit the poor and disadvantaged the hardest, not just in developing countries abroad but also here at home. A new study from UC Berkeley has found that low-income communities and people of color in the United States will suffer the most from the health and economic consequences of rising global temperatures. Study co-author Rachel Morello-Frosch talks with host Jeff Young about how this climate gap works and how we can close it.
Listen
Read transcript
Dishing diversity at the dinner table
Abby Rincón and her daughter, Erika, have a great deal in common … including campus jobs helping Berkeley to become more diverse. Abby Rincón is director of diversity for the School of Public Health. Her job for the last 3 and a half years has been to recruit undergraduates and graduate students from underrepresented groups and advise them on everything from admissions through graduation. Erika Rincón Whitcomb works for the Educational Guidance Center, part of the Center for Educational Partnerships. Assigned to Richmond High, she provides students with information on college—when to take the SATs, how to fill out applications, and, perhaps most important, that they really can qualify if they try.
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Upcoming Events and Educational Programs
View the complete SPH calendar
California Public Health Association-North: Volunteer Public Health Internships
If you've been unable to find suitable employment due to the current economy, you may want to take advantage of the California Public Health Association-North's volunteer public health internship program while you conduct your job search. Although unpaid, the internships provide opportunities to work on a variety of public health-related programs and services, including assisting with committee activities. Interns will benefit from one-on-one mentoring sessions with members of CPHA-N's governing council. In addition, the program involves networking opportunities and experience that will help advance your career goals.
Information
Global Health Leadership Forum
June 28-July 4, 2009, Barcelona, Spain, and January 10-16, 2010, Berkeley
The Global Health Leadership Forum is currently accepting applications and nominations for the sixth year of its program, the best vehicle for health care executives to update themselves on the latest in health care policy, systems, and management. Topics addressed at the Barcelona session will include recent designs and improvements in health systems; measuring and assuring the performance of health systems; managing the benefits, purchasing, and egulation of pharmaceuticals; how to prioritize: making choices in the financing and provision of health care; coverage and delivery challenges in mental health; and chronic care management. As always, a global group of leaders will be attending the upcoming sessions. Countries that will be represented include the United States, Spain, United Kingdom, India, Qatar, Nigeria, Romania, and Malawi. Although most participants have chosen to go to both the Barcelona and Berkeley sessions, applicants may choose to go to one only.
Information
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CIDER Summit 2009
Monday-Tuesday, August 3-4, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, San Francisco International Airport
The Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Readiness (CIDER) Summit 2009 is a 2-day educational conference highlighting (1) the advances in the epidemiology and control of emerging infectious diseases; (2) the recognition, investigation, and response to recent large foodborne outbreaks; (3) the state of electronic disease reporting and surveillance in California; (4) updates on pediatric and adult immunization practices; (5) selected updates in the prevention and control of high priority infectious diseases; and (6) the science behind the legal reporting of health-care-associated infections. Take advantage of early bird registration until July 10.
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Make a gift to the UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Giving to the School of Public Health has never been easier. When you click on this link to make a gift to the School, you can direct your secure gift to the priority area of your choice.
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