FACULTY, STUDENTS & ALUMNI

Student News

Public Health Student Association officers for 2002-2003 Heidi Britton, MPH '03, and Ilana Brown, MPH, David Amarathithada, MPH '03, Jennifer Anderson, MPH '03, and Jennifer Tsang, MPH '03, were honored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association with the 2003 UIC Student Leadership Award. All five students were also co-recipients of the Illinois Public Health Association Student of the Year Award. Among other accomplishments, the Public Health Student Association held crafts and bake sales to raise funds for Heifer International, put on an International Night that attracted coverage by the Chicago Tribune, and contributed a chair to the School of Public Health auditorium in the name of the Class of 2003.

Officers elected to serve the Public Health Student Association for the 2003-2004 academic year are: President Jeannette Tandez, an MPH student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division; Co-Vice Presidents Eniola Are-Latosa and Aviva Walker, MPH students in the Health Policy and Administration Division; Treasurer Sara Zamor-Norr, an MPH student in the Community Health Sciences Division; and Secretary Dan Fortney, an MPH student in the Health Policy and Administration Division.

Students serving on committees of the School of Public Health for 2003-2004 are: Cynthia Summers, a DrPH student in the Health Policy and Administration Division-Executive Committee; Jaspal Arora, an MPH student in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Division, and Rebecca Ngalande, a PhD student in the Health Policy and Administration Division-Committee on Academic Progress; Elizabeth Tarlov, a PhD student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, and Winna Taylor, an MPH student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division-Committee on Educational Programs; and Michelle Choi, a DrPH student in the Community Health Sciences Division, and Rosaella Washington, an MPH student in the Health Policy and Administration Division-Committee on Student Affairs.

Hilkka Abicht, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, spent two years, from June 2001 to June 2003, in Nigeria as a Population Fellow through a program administered by the University of Michigan School of Public Health and funded by the United States Agency for International Development and other donors. She was placed at the Centre for Development and Population Activities, where her work focused on improving women's health through advocacy and empowerment.

Marsha Bievre-Baker, MD, MPH '03, was named as the recipient of the 2003 Paul Q. Peterson Scholarship Award for excellence in the practical application of public health delivery and research. Her research project, entitled "Project PACE: Postpartum Adolescent Contraceptive Education," is designed to determine the effectiveness of a one-to-one counseling approach in informing adolescent mothers about their contraceptive options in the immediate postpartum period. Dr. Baker was also awarded a Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories Prize in Women's Health by the National Medical Association. The award recognizes the outstanding talents and future potential of a graduating female student who will practice or conduct research in the field of women's health. Only two awards are offered each year to students across the nation.

Lezah Brown-Ellington, an MS student in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Division, was named as the first recipient of the Michael Bruton Workplace Safety Foundation Scholarship Award. Established in memory of Chicago Federation of Labor President Michael Bruton, the annual scholarship supports a student within the division whose work will contribute significantly to the improvement of workplace safety.

Rudell Christian, a DrPH student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, was selected to be part of a 140-member Degree Ironman Team, a group of triathletes who will participate in triathlons, marathons, and endurance events throughout America. An Ironman triathlon features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a complete 26.2-mile marathon, which must be completed in succession in a seventeen-hour period.

Philip Coleman, an MPH student in the Community Health Sciences Division, was appointed to serve as the director of Hospice Education for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, where his responsibilities include working with churches to expand awareness of and access to hospice services in African-American communities throughout the nation. He is a founding board member of The Nehemiah Foundation, a member of the Initiative to Improve Palliative Care in the African-American Community, and a member of The Chicago End of Life Care Coalition. The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., said that Mr. Coleman's appointment "will help us reach the goal of sharing health stewardship with our member churches."

Greg Finlayson, a PhD student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, was first author of an article on "The Relative Cost of Inpatient Care in Manitoba's Largest Hospitals" in Healthcare Management FORUM, published by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. He also contributed to an article that appeared in the same publication entitled "Comparing Apples to Apples: The Relative Financial Performance of Manitoba's Acute Care Hospitals."

Linda Groetzinger, AM, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, contributed a chapter on "HIV and AIDS" to a monograph entitled A BROWN PAPER-The Health of South Asians in the United States, published by the South Asian Public Health Association.

Annann Hong, MPH, a PhD student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, was named as a fellow of the Ford Foundation-funded Sexuality Research Fellowship Program of the Social Science Research Council. The program seeks to contribute to a more thorough understanding of human sexuality. Ms. Hong's research focuses on "Toying with Sex: The Missing Discourse of Pleasure in Female Sexuality." Ms. Hong's advisor is Judith A. Levy, PhD, associate professor in the Health Policy and Administration Division.

Lara Jones, a PhD student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, and Philip Ricks, a PhD student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, were recipients of Abraham Lincoln Graduate Fellowships. The fellowships are offered by UIC's Graduate College and are designed to expand the overall breadth of background of the UIC graduate student body by providing support to individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in graduate education. The award is one of the most distinguished that UIC offers to promising graduate students.

Jennifer Layden-Almer, PhD '03, while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in epidemiology and an MD, received the 2003 Haenszel Award for excellence in epidemiologic research on "Viral Dynamics and Response Differences in HCV-infected African Americans and Caucasians Treated with IFN and Ribavirin."

Beverly J. Parker, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, assumed responsibilities as director of the national hotline for the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization.

Italia Rolle, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, received the 2002 Loretta Pratt Lacey Scholarship Award, which provides assistance to African-American doctoral students who are committed to working on women's health issues.

Mark Sanders, DC, JD, MBA, an MPH student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, published an article on "The Autopsy and the Affidavit" in Chicago Medicine.

Rachel Seymour, MS, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, serves as project manager for the Center for Research on Health and Aging within UIC's Health Research and Policy Centers. The center is conducting a year-long impact study to measure the health benefits achieved by ten organizations selected by the National Council on the Aging as offering exceptional physical activity programs for seniors.

Mensah Shah, an MPH student in the Health Policy and Administration Division, was the subject of a student profile in UIC News. The article highlighted his work as a recipient of a Jack Rutledge Fellowship to work on grassroots initiatives with the American Medical Students Association in the areas of providing universal health care and eliminating health disparities.

Cynthia Summers, MPH, a DrPH student in the Community Health Sciences Division, gave a presentation on "Exploring the Male Component of Pregnancy Intention in African-American Couples" at the Midwest Qualitative Research Conference. Ms. Summers serves as the chair of the American Public Health Association's Student Caucus's National Mentoring Program in Public Health, highlighted in the Nation's Health for its ongoing service to students in search of mentoring.

Jan Warren-Findlow, MBA, a PhD student in the Community Health Sciences Division, was first author of an article on "Challenges and Opportunities in Recruiting and Retaining Underrepresented Populations into Health Promotion Research" in The Gerontologist.

Angeline A. Widmer, MPH, MBA '03, received the Alan W. Donaldson Memorial Award, presented annually to one graduating student who is selected for academic excellence, quality of leadership, and community service.