2007/2008 CPH Magazine - College of Public Health - University of ...

Public HealthTh e Un i v e r s i t y o f Ge o r g i a Co l l e g e o fWinter 2007MakingGeorgiaHealthierWinter 2007 1

Letter from the DeanCollege of Public HealthMagazine 2007/2008Vol.1, N.1Phillip L. Williams, Ph.D.DeanEric Dahl, Ph.D.Associate Dean forHealth Science InitiativesRobert S. Galen, M.D., M.P.H.Associate Dean forResearch and OutreachValerie Hepburn, Ph.D.Assistant Dean for AcademicAffairsContributing writerMary Jessica HammesDesignLindsay RobinsonContactKate LindseyDirector of DevelopmentCollege of Public HealthN122C Coverdell CenterUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, GA 30602706-542-2590krl@uga.eduwww.publichealth.uga.eduThe University of Georgia is a unit of theUniversity System of Georgia. The University ofGoergia is an equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.In compliance with federal law, including the provisions ofTitle IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI ofthe Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sections 503 and 504 of theRehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with DisabilitiesAct of 1990, the University of Georgia does not discriminateon the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnicorigin, age, disability, or military service in its administrationof educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissionspolicies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or otherUniversity-administered programs; or employment. In addition,the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexualorientation consistent with the University non-discriminationpolicy. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the directorof the Equal Opportunity Office, Peabody Hall, 290 SouthJackson Street, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822In 2005, the College of Public Health was establishedwith our highest priority being to improve the healthof the citizens of Georgia, and for the last two years, wehave been doing just that. In addition to providing highquality, affordable public health education and trainingto Georgians, the College of Public Health also isserving the state by:• Studying the effect of the recent wild fires on the air quality inSouth Georgia;• Investigating the Clean Indoor Air Act’s impact on outdoor airquality in Athens;• Conducting a mass casualty exercise simulating pandemicavian flu to test the readiness and response of Georgiahospitals to a large-scale mass casualty crisis;• Implementing and evaluating a program in North Georgiamiddle schools to prevent violence;• Evaluating wellness policies to address childhood obesity inAtlanta Public Schools;• Studying the human pathogens found in Georgia’s estuariesand shellfish and their affect on the health of Coastal Georgiapopulations.The cover story in this issue of the College of Public Healthmagazine dives deeper into our commitment to serve the stateand examines not only what we’ve already done but also theimpact we can have on the state’s health in years to come. We haverapidly evolved over the past few years, and this fall we enrolledour first Doctor of Public Health students. Heather Edelbute, amember of this first cohort, is highlighted in the Health Policyand Management section of the magazine. Meanwhile, our Masterof Public Health program continues to grow, and I hope you willenjoy reading about some of these students in the departmentalsections. Another important feature in this issue is an updateon the Institute for Health Management and Mass DestructionDefense, which joined our college last summer.As alumni and friends of the College of Public Health, you arevery important to us, and we hope to hear from you often. Thankyou for supporting our commitment to making Georgia and theworld a safer and healthier place.Sincerely,Phillip L. Williams, Ph.D., Dean2 College of Public Health

Dahl Galen HepburnAssociate and AssistantDeans Appointed at theCollege of Public Healthu The College of Public Health announcedthe appointments of Dr. EricDahl and Dr. Robert S. Galen as associatedeans and Dr. Valerie Hepburn asassistant dean for the College of PublicHealth.In addition to his appointment asassociate dean, Dr. Eric Dahl will serveas a clinical professor in the Departmentof Health Policy and Management. Hewill also manage the College’s activitiesin the health sciences as he continues hisrole in the university’s medical educationinitiatives.Dahl has a long history in highereducation administration. At UGA, hehas assisted the provost and faculty informing the College of Public Health,UGA’s Biomedical and Health SciencesInstitute, the Faculty of Engineering,the New Media Institute and other programs.Dahl, who is a Rhodes Scholar,also works with the UGA Honors Programin selecting and preparing UGAcandidates for the Rhodes and otherscholarships. In additon to a B.A. andM.A. from Oxford, he holds a Ph.D.from the University of Washington.As associate dean, Dr. Robert S.Galen will oversee the College’s outreachand research activities and willmaintain his faculty appointment as aprofessor in the Department of Epidemiologyand Biostatistics.Galen received his medical degreefrom Boston University Schoolof Medicine, completing his internshipand residency in clinical pathology atColumbia-Presbyterian Medical Centerand his Master of Public Health degreefrom Columbia University. Priorto coming to UGA, he served on themedical school faculties of Columbiaand Case Western Reserve University.His research interests have focused onbiomarkers of chronic disease and thenewly emerging field of telemedicine.Galen is particularly interested in underservedpopulations in public health,especially indigenous populations in thedeveloping world, and is the director ofthe College’s study abroad programs inVietnam and China. He also serves aschair of the Division of Public Healthof the Biomedical Health Science Institute.Dr. Valerie Hepburn will jointhe College of Public Health as assistantdean and assistant professor ofhealth policy and management in January.Hepburn will be responsible for allacademic matters other than promotionand tenure, and will lead the College’sCouncil on Education for Public Health(CEPH) accreditation effort.Hepburn earned her Ph.D. in publicadministration and policy from theUniversity of Georgia’s School of Publicand International Affairs and has over25 years experience in state government,including a long tenure in the departmentsof Community Health and HumanResources. She recently served asprincipal investigator for the state’s TaskForce on Health Professions, chaired bythe president of the Medical College ofGeorgia, and is the program consultantfor the Board of Regents’ AdministrativeCommittee on Public Health. Sherecently returned from Australia, where,as one of two 2006 Packer Policy Fellows,whe spent six months researchingcomparative health workforce policy.Hepburn was associate director of GeorgiaState University’s Institute of PublicHealth.“Drs. Dahl, Galen, and Hepburnwill make significant contributions toour college as skilled educators, researchersand administrators,” said PhilWilliams, dean of the College of PublicHealth. “Their strong commitment tostudents, combined with extensive publishedresearch and knowledge of Georgia’spublic health concerns, will help uscontinue to develop and provide exceptionalservice to the state.”Winter 2007 3

Impact in Athensand BeyondThat spirit of collaboration acrossdepartments is echoed in the college’swork with community groups—likeFisher’s TCE sampling project in Winterville.“Athens presents the perfect opportunityfor the College of Public Healthto get involved with the community; thecity is home to some of the best medical,research, and public outreach programs,”says recent graduate Kevin Caspary, whois now a chemical and radiation plannerfor the Georgia Division of PublicHealth’s Office of Preparedness. “I thinkthe CPH can help link the medical andacademic communities to address healthdisparities that exist in Athens. As theflagship university for the state, a majorgoal of UGA is to address public healthand healthcare needs in Georgia. Whynot start close to home?”“The ‘public’ in public health meanswe have to be good communicators especiallyin these times of great uncertainty,”says Cham Dallas, director of theInstitute for Health Management andMass Destruction Defense and an expertin addressing public health concernsacross the globe. He has given addressesat the United Nations and regularly discusseshis research on Fox News, but healso chose a Georgia focus for a series oflarge hospital exercises simulating a masscasualty event to predict impacts on thehealth system. A resulting publication ofhis spent four weeks as the most accessedpaper on the BioMed Central Website.By providing students with firsthandexperiences, community collaborationis also beneficial to College of PublicHealth students, says Doug Skelton, directorof Georgia’s Coastal Health Districtand a member of the CPH Dean’sAdvisory Council. He says that he canimagine a group of UGA graduate studentsvisiting his health district to observerestaurant inspections, tattoo parlors, rabiescontrol, septic systems, economicimpact issues, beach water advisories andshellfish samples.“Environmental health issues area major concern in the Coastal HealthDistrict—lead contamination in Savannahand Brunswick, beach water qualityin Jekyll, St. Simons and Savannah anddeclining oxygen content in coastal waterswith major ecological shifts ahead ifchanges don’t occur upstream,” he says.“And, of course, avian flu and the risk of apandemic. We have a lot of preparednessefforts ongoing.”“A College of Public Health atGeorgia’s flagship university must playa huge role in focusing and advancingpublic health, from a dynamic studentassociation to field research, to perhapsdeveloping a teaching/learning healthdistrict or county health department,”Skelton says.Farther away from home, the Collegereaches out internationally with severalstudy abroad programs, addressinghealth issues specific to the communitiesoverseas. Carol Cotton, an academic professionalin Health Promotion and Behavior,teaches a special topics class in thatsubject for the Croatia Maymester StudyAbroad Program; Bob Galen, a physicianand one of CPH’s associate deans, leadsstudents to Vietnam every Maymester,where they can attend the Hanoi Schoolof Public Health; and Luke Naeher, assistantprofessor in environmental healthscience, has traveled often to Peru tostudy air quality.Graduating expertsIn its three years of existence, theCollege has already built a heady reputation.“We’re the only purely academicunit on campus that from the beginninghas brought in more annual researchdollars than state budget support,” saysWilliams. “We’re really rather proud ofthat.”Also, demand for CPH degrees ishigh. There were 150 applicants vyingfor the 45 spots in the first Master ofPublic Health class, and 15 applicants appliedfor the three spots in the Doctor ofPublic Health programs, which debutedthis fall.The college offers bachelor degreesin environmental health and health promotion;master degrees in public health,environmental health and toxicology;and doctoral degrees in health promotionand behavior, toxicology and the recentlyadded Doctor of Public Health. Studentscan also pursue a graduate certificatein gerontology; a health promotionand behavior certificate, either throughWomen’s Studies or Gerontology; orcertificates in atmospheric sciences, environmentalethics, international agricultureor water resources through EnvironmentalHealth Science.Just as faculty and staff use their expertiseto aid Athens, the state and othercountries, CPH students are alreadymaking their marks in the world.6 College of Public Health

Caspary received his bachelor’s degreein Environmental Health Sciencein 2004 and his Master of Public Healthdegree in 2006. As an undergraduate, hewas a research diver for associate professorErin Lipp, tracing the source of microbialthreats in the coral reefs of theFlorida Keys. As a graduate student, hestudied exposure to dust and endotoxinamong poultry workers, examining thelink between high levels of dust and respiratoryhealth. He also spent a summerin rural Ecuador, working in Quitoand Lago Agrio, helping the local healthprogram director find grant opportunities,develop an electronic database andestablish a water treatment program.Now, in his position in the state’sOffice of Preparedness, Caspary worksto ensure Georgians know what to do inthe face of hazardous materials.“My focus ranges from industrial andtransportation accidents to acts of terrorism,but the goal is always the same:to ready public health and health carepersonnel to quickly and competentlyrespond to events involving chemical orradiological materials,” he says.The importance of giving UGA studentsthe opportunity to study public healthcould not be more clear for Caspary.“I remember (Environmental HealthScience adjunct professor) Dr. DarylRowe telling us that the problem withworking in prevention is that few peoplerecognize the benefits of these efforts,”“A College of Public Healthat Georgia’s flagshipuniversity must play ahuge role in focusingand advancing publichealth, from a dynamicstudent association tofield research, to perhapsdeveloping a teaching/learning health district orcounty health department.”he recalls. “It’s only when the system isbroken that some people start paying attention.The truth is that public healthand health care in the U.S. have accomplishedgreat things in the last century,and people expect it to stay that way. Butas with any other system, there are realcosts associated with its maintenance, letalone its improvement. I’m not sure peopletruly understand that public health isa long-term investment, and that it is notsomething that can be turned on and offas funding permits. “Jill McElheney is one of those citizenswho does understand that publichealth is a long-term investment. Shealso understands that magical momentwhen research, grants, papers, professorsstudents all come together to provide andtangible improvements in public health.In short, it’s about the community, peopleyou haven’t met and never will, andkeeping them all healthy.Though McElheney runs a religious-influencedmission, and Fisher isa scientist, she says that they aren’t thatdifferent.“Ministry work is about people,putting the needs of families as a priority,”she says. “I look for resources thatwill benefit the sick and suffering fromenvironmental health diseases. Dr. JeffFisher is a TCE scientist, but his purposeis to protect the health of the public. Sohe and I share common values.”Alit er sum exerius cipissed ea feum nisit augue dionullut del elisi eu facin vel ullaadiatio nsenisse molobore eugait.Winter 2007 7

Environmental Health ScienceBeyond AcademiaUptatum qui eu feummodignaacincil essectemincilit in ver illaore faciduitatin henibh eugait iuremagnit wisci tin etum ditIn Environmental Health Science, the professors andtheir students are detectives, often examining the smallerdetails—whether it’s Prozac in frogs or Listeria in guineapigs—to get the big picture. The results have impact beyondthe academic community, perhaps best illustrated by NakanishiMotor Corporation’s recent decision to alter productionat their Athens’ plant, all prompted by a student study of airbornetoxins (see cover story).Air pollution is not the only environmental public healthconcern. Assistant professor Erin Lipp is researching waterbornesalmonella in a toxic hotbed that sorely needs help.“We’ve consistently been the top for salmonella cases inthe country,” she says.Indeed, in 2002, the national average of salmonella caseswas 11.5 per 100,000 people. The Georgia average for thatyear was 23.5 per 100,000, and in the Valdosta area, it was80.5 per 100,000.As the salmonella strains in south Georgia aren’t commonlyassociated with food production, Lipp’s team is studyingthe Little River watershed in Turner and Tift counties.So far, they’ve found that salmonella cases rise with peakingsummer temperatures and increased rainfall, and their findingshave big potential for the residents of that area.Such work “is satisfyingbecause you know what you’redoing has an impact.”- Erin Lipp“The state is interested in putting together educationalinformation on this, because it’s such a burden to the area,”says Lipp. Her research will help educate residents abouthow to avoid contamination, and it may trigger more intenseinvestigation from the state to hone in on actual sources ofsalmonella.Such work “is satisfying because you know what you’redoing has an impact,” she says.Marsha Black, Associate professor and EHS interim departmenthead, also works with water. Her recent researchhas found that Prozac in the water supply has significant impacton aquatic animals. Gambusia affinis (or mosquito fish)exposed to Prozac take a significantly longer time to reachreproductive maturity; Xenopus laevis (African clawed frogs)exposed to Prozac experience delays in undergoing metaphorphosis,and are smaller once they do reach metamorphosis,which increases their risk for predation—as smallerfrogs, they can be eaten by smaller animals, increasing thepool of predators.There are several human implications beyond just theinterest Black’s research holds for aquatic health.The aquatic animals “are early warning signals for chemicalsthat might ultimately harm humans,” she says. Knowingthat the chemicals are in the water in the first place can leadto improved water treatment processes. Also, as frog metamorphosisis cued by the thyroid, Black can study relationshipsbetween Prozac and human thyroid production.Associate professor Mary Alice Smith’s research of Listeriacontamination in monkeys and guinea pigs may one daylead to vaccines or new treatment therapies for the toxin’s8 College of Public Health

susceptible targets: pregnant women,older adults and people with compromisedimmune systems.Pregnant women infected withListeria can have stillbirths. “Fortunately,it doesn’t happen a lot, butwhen it does, it’s a devastating thing,”says Smith. Older people or thosewith compromised immune systemsare also susceptible to the toxin.Smith’s research may reveal if there isany amount of Listeria exposure thatis safe.Like all of her colleagues, Smithoften works with other researchesacross campus. The College of PublicHealth’s interdisciplinary nature iscrucial, Smith says.“To really tackle the big problemsin terms of a disease, you have to collaborate,”she says. “No one personhas all the expertise to do all that has tobe done. My success with the Listeriawork has been because I’ve collaboratedwith microbiologists, pathologists,primatologists, immunologists…It reallytakes a whole team of people tounderstand that disease process.”And in the end, Smith, like hercolleagues, takes satisfaction knowingthat her work serves the interests ofpublic health.“I really enjoy doing researchthat has potential for outside of academics,”she says.—Mary Jessica HammesFrom left to right: John Pearce, Megan Williams, Gordon Martin, and David BrownOh, the Places You’ll GoLooking back at his experience at the College of Public Health, JohnPearce remembers taking air samples in Peru, fine-tuning cutting-edge geospatialtechnology and winning first prize in a poster competition in Paris.“I can honestly say that the College took me places I never thought I wouldgo,” he says.Pearce graduated last spring with a master’s degree in environmental healthand certification in geographic information systems and plans to pursue a Ph.D.He found his taste for science as a boy in Clayton, Ga.“My mom was a science teacher,” he says. “When I was a kid, I was alwaysreading guide books and National Geographic. I was like, ‘This is so cool!’ Andthat’s when I first became interested in science.”While getting his bachelor’s degree in ecology at UGA, Pearce was introducedto a branch of geospatial technology called geographic information systems,or a computer-based system that handles spatial information and can createmaps. The technique is adaptable to many fields, including forestry, ecology,geography and urban planning. He found it “fascinating and revolutionary.”Between undergraduate and graduate studies, he familiarized himself evenmore with the technology while working for a local planning company.“I was impressed with what the technology could do, and wanted a challengingproblem to apply it to,” he says.He found that challenge in Cusco, Peru. In summer of 2005, Pearce waspart of a student team who traveled to Cusco with Luke Naeher, assistant professorin Environmental Health Science, to research air pollution there. Naeher,who was recognized as the 2007 Outstanding Teacher for the College of PublicHealth at last spring’s Honors Day, directed the project, along with ManuelAguilar Villalobos of Environmental Air Association, Lima–Peru, Cusco’s cityhall and Cusco’s department of health and transportation.The researchers found that air pollution levels were relatively high both onthe streets congested with traffic and in homes, where cooking is fueled by openfires—sometimes made from toxic plastics. Another concern is the combinationof thin air and increased rates of respiratory illness, as 800,000 tourists visitCusco yearly to explore ancient Incan ruins in the mountains.In October 2006, Naeher and others traveled to Cusco to share the teams’findings with city officials, thus ensuring future collaboration between UGAand Peruvian universities with the hope of developing policies and regulationsto control the pollution.As for Pearce, his poster on the project went to the International Society ofExposure Analysis 2006 Conference in Paris. He won first place in the studentcompetition.“I was very surprised to win the award and was quite honored,” he recalls.—Mary Jessica HammesWinter 2007 9

Epidemiology and BiostatisticsDr. Claire Robb (right) metwith Dr. Martine Extermannand Dr. William Haley atMoffitt Cancer Center inTampa, Fla, to discuss hercontinuing research in thearea of cancer and aging.Life After Breast CancerThere’s no need for aging adults toresign themselves to illness. After all,aging is natural, but disease is not”, saysClaire Robb, assistant professor of Epidemiologyin the Department of Epidemiologyand Biostatistics.“Sometimes illness is thought togo hand-in-hand with aging,” saysRobb. “It doesn’t, and it is importantfor health care professionals workingwith older adults to distinguish the differencebetween normal age-relatedchanges that occur in the elderly andthose changes that are a direct result ofillness and disease.”Robb’s mission is simple: “Drawsome attention to the plight of the oldercancer patient and survivor,” she says.Her initial interest in this field wasin the area of older breast cancer survivors.Although 70 percent of breastcancer cases occur in women age 65 orolder, some of the most aggressive casescan be found in young women—so thatdemographic has had much of the researchfocus. It’s only in the past decadethat researchers have started paying attentionto older cancer survivors, partlybecause there are simply more oldercancer survivors alive these days as cancertreatment has improved.Even though older breast cancersurvivors are living longer, they are notnecessarily living well, as Robb’s researchreveals.Robb co-authored two papers thatwere published in the Critical Reviewsin Oncology/Hematology journal lastApril: “Impact of Breast Cancer Survivorshipon Quality of Life in OlderWomen” and “Individual Differencesin Well-Being in Older Breast CancerSurvivors.” Working with principalinvestigator William E. Haley ofthe University of South Florida, Robbsurveyed 127 survivors who had beenpatients at the H. Lee Moffitt CancerCenter and Research Institute in Tampa,Fla., as well as a control group of 87cancer-free women. The cancer survivors,whose mean age was 78, were onaverage five years from initial diagnosiswithout recurrence—a benchmark oftenthought of as a sign that the patientis cancer-free.“We thought we might see a littlemore functional disability in the survivors,”says Robb. “We weren’t surewhat we’d find.”What Robb and her colleagues didfind was that, on the average, older patientsfare worse in physical function,general health and mental health.Part of that can be due to the factthat older women take a longer time torecover from the primary treatment—a10 College of Public Health

lumpectomy or mastectomy—followedby radiation therapy, chemotherapyor, more recently, hormonal therapy.While younger women treated forbreast cancer usually recover fully withintwo years, “It just takes older peoplelonger to recover,” says Robb.Some of this may be due to alessening of reserve capacity in olderadults, she explains. In other words,it takes older adults a longer time to“bounce back” from a physical assaulton the system than it does in youngeradults.Also, the women who were survivorsdid not report more depressionthan the control group, but did reportsignificantly less satisfaction in theirlives than their cancer-free counterparts.The ultimate goal of Robb’s researchis to design interventions andspecial therapies that will help womenrecover more fully, and bring the researchshe and colleagues have done ina cancer center into the community.“Everyone has a right to live theirlife the best they possibly can,” shesays.In the meantime, Robb continuesto research “the next frontier” in cancerpatient support: the community setting.In September, Robb brought MartineExtermann, the research director of theMoffitt Center’s Senior Adult OncologyProgram, to speak at the Cancer andAging Salon sponsored by the Instituteof Gerontology. Robb also representedthe College of Public Health as a memberof the planning committee—alongwith Georgia Comprehensive CancerPrevention and the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention—for the state’sfirst Cancer Survivorship Conference,held in Peachtree City, GA.Her inspiration is simple. “A greataffinity for courageous older adults—that’s what got me interested in this,”she says.—Mary Jessica HammesPalm Pilotsto HelpPeople QuitSmokingThere are lots of reasonswhy people smoke,and everyone knows it’s hardto quit. But if researchers can analyzepatterns of quitting and relapse, then bettertherapies can be created for smoking cessation.Enter Steve Rathbun, associate professor of biostatistics,who is studying smokers’ habits using a new technology: PalmPilots. Test subjects record when they light up and can giveresponses in the moment regarding how they’re feeling, describetheir surroundings or note whether they’re alone. Datais collected while following subjects in their own environment.It’s called ecological momentary assessment data—real timeresponses, as opposed to vague memories recorded later.“One of the problems with previous studies is they weredone with paper surveys, where they asked smokers to recalltheir memories,” says Rathbun. “When you try to recall yourmood from two weeks ago, you may not remember correctly.”Patterns in the study are still emerging, but there havebeen a few observations already, some expected and somenot: Subjects tend to smoke when restless and alone; thewomen in the study are more likely to be affected by beingalone; the men, meanwhile, seem to be more affected by moodvariables.As a biostatistician, Rathbun’s job is to come up with a newmethodology to find unbiased results that can be mathematicallyproven valid. When he’s not doing that, Rathbun keepsbusy with an online course offered in collaboration with theCollege of Pharmacy’s regulatory affairs department, teachingstudents the statistical principles and issues involved in clinicaltrials. The course was first offered last summer.Rathbun is not new to collaboration. He often works withother departments on campus, an opportunity common inbiostatistician programs, he says: Grant proposals are morelikely to be funded with a statistician on board. And there arealways more collaborations on the horizon.“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity to be in on the groundfloor of a new college,” he says.—Mary Jessica HammesWinter 2007 11

Health Policy and ManagementPublic Health Policy Was What Made Me Tick“Life has not been a straight road forme, to say the least,” says Heather Edelblute,who this fall became the College ofPublic Health’s first doctoral student inHealth Policy and Management (DrPH).Indeed, she started with an informationtechnology degree from the Collegeof William and Mary—study somethingthat will get you a job, her father alwayssaid—and ended up as far away from atraditional IT job as she could.“So, what did I do with this great ITdegree after college?” she recounts. “Notgo to D.C. or New York like most IT majors—Iended up packing up my compactcar with my dog and moving to a bordertown in Arizona to fulfill a dream andwork on a ranch.”It was a serendipitous choice. Livingin a remote area near the Sonoran desert,she’d find the echoes of the nightly activityof undocumented immigrants makingthe dangerous trek across borders: footprintsof bare feet in the sand, or discardedwater bottles.“All of this opened my eyes to the realitiesand inequities present in the world,through the lens of a barren desert wheresurvival was always a factor,” she says.She decided that she needed to exploreher writing and critical thinking skills, soshe picked up another degree, arriving atUGA’s Grady College of Journalism andMass Communication in 1999 for graduateschool.While in school, she worked in theCollege of Education’s Public InformationOffice. After graduating in 2001, shemoved to San Antonio and balanced twoseemingly disparate activities: working inSpanish radio while maintaining a steadystream of freelance work for the Collegeof Education.“Working in radio made me realizethat I am a ‘non-profit kinda girl,’ and“All of this openedmy eyes to therealities andinequities presentin the world”- Heather Edelblutedidn’t get the benefit I was looking for byworking in radio,” she says.So, she returned to Athens and theCollege of Education to work as a grantwriter and public relations coordinator forthe Center for Latino Achievement andSuccess in Education. Edelblute helpedsecure funding to give international experiencesto U.S. educators of Latinostudents in Costa Rica. She also was ableto fund her own global learning communitybetween teachers and students inCosta Rica and Georgia, in which the studentslearned about the global economythrough projects on coffee.Edelblute enjoyed her work, she says,but “I had known for quite some time thatI wanted to move into public health.”In 2005, she began working as awriter and editor at the National Centerfor Chronic Disease Prevention andHealth Promotion at the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention. There, sheworked with grantees across the countryon marketing materials for how states, Indiantribes and territories used PreventiveHealth and Health Services Block Grantfunds.“All of this made me realize that publichealth was where I wanted to be, andspecifically, that public health policy waswhat made me tick,” she says. “I also realizedthat I needed to get a graduate degreein public health to go anywhere withit. I didn’t want to get another master’sdegree and was at a point in my life whereI was ready to move forward and pursuemy doctorate.”She wasted no time. Before the semesterbegan, she had already worked ona grant and visited Costa Rica and Nicaraguafor three weeks on a study abroadprogram, visiting clinics and learningmore about the two health systems.After a number of life experiences,Edelblute says her career goal is now clear:to work for an international public healthorganization doing policy research.“This is an important goal for me,because it gives me purpose in what Ido. Over the years, I have realized thatis what I want from a job and from life ingeneral,” she says.—Mary Jessica Hammes12 College of Public Health

Researching to Impact PolicyAngela FertigAs a new faculty member atIndiana University, a newspaperarticle caught the attention of AngelaFertig. The story speculated thatpoorly nourished children visiting ahealth clinic were not, as some mightassume, children who lived in publichousing.The article spoke to Fertig whois now an assistant professor in healthpolicy and management at UGA andalso a public service assistant in theCarl Vinson Institute of Government.As a health economist, thewell-being of low-income families hadalways been a professional interestof hers. And at the time she saw thearticle, she had been talking with acolleague—David Reingold, an associateprofessor in Indiana’s School ofPublic and Environmental Affairs—about how there had been few studiesexamining the relationship betweenlow-income housing policy andhealth.So, the two decided to collaboratein writing the paper “Public Housing,Health, and Health Behaviors:Is There a Connection?”, publishedin September’s issue of the Journal ofPolicy Analysis and Management.The results were interesting. Fertigand Reingold at first posited thatsubsidized rent may free up incomesfor healthier food and health care andthat public housing may give easieraccess to health clinics and socialsupport networks willing to serve thepoor.But their findings painted a morecomplex picture, revealing that publichousing residency has mixed resultson health. In fact, the only detectableconnections between public housingand health are mothers’ overall healthand overweight status, and domesticviolence. They are more likely to behit by fathers (but are less likely to beseriously injured) and more likely tobe overweight. Fertig and Reingoldsuggest this may be due to a host offactors, including limited access togrocery stores, peer effects and crime.Fertig’s research may well playa part in sparking change for thesefamilies.“We hope that this article raisesawareness about these issues amongother researchers as well as policymakersand housing administrators,”says Fertig. “More research needsto be done using other data sets andmeasures before we can be confidentin what we are seeing. In the meantime,if those who determine policiesand procedures in public housing realizethat a connection may exist, theymay be able to take steps to improvethe health of their residents.”The paper may already be published,but Fertig isn’t through withthe research.“David and I are studying thedeterminants of homelessness amongfamilies with children using this samedata,” she says. “We are trying tofigure out what makes a family vulnerableto homelessness, whether it ishealth problems, domestic violence,losing a job or being disconnectedfrom a community.”—Mary Jessica HammesWinter 2007 13

Health Promotion and BehaviorLighten Up: Weight Management in the WorkplaceOne in four adult Georgians is obese.That’s what the Georgia Department of Human Resourcesfound in a 2006 study. The study also showed that the percentageof obese adults in all areas of the state has skyrocketed since1993, that only two in five adults are regularly active and thatobesity costs Georgia around $2.1 billion a year in both directand indirect healthcare costs.What to do? Well, you can’t change genetics, but you canchange behavior, and that’s what the Workplace Health Groupin the College of Public Health is trying to do.Along with principal investigator Ron Goetzel of CornellUniversity, Group director David DeJoy and MarkWilson, head of the Department of Health Promotion andBehavior, are in the middle of a $4.5 million grant projectthat has designed interventions to help people managetheir weight in the workplace.“This project focuses not only on the individual butalso the environment in which they live and interact,” saysHeather Bowen, project manager for the Workplace HealthGroup. “We have realized that we can’t just tell them whatto do. We must also make their surroundings conducive tothe changes that we are recommending.”OBESITY costs Georgiaaround $2.1 billion a yearin both direct and indirecthealthcare costs.In other words, it’s hard to preach the virtues of healthysnacking when an employee’s only option is the high fat,high sugar snacks lurking in the vending machine down thehall.Tested by over 6,000 Dow Chemical plant employeesin Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia and New Jersey, the interventionsincluded healthier vending machine, cafeteriaand catering choices; signage addressing physical activity,nutrition and weight management; on-site walking paths;an individual weight management tracking program; and,of course, rewards and recognition for healthy progress.Results are still being analyzed, but Bowen says thatmost of the interventions could easily be used in other settings,such as schools. While the workplace was chosenfor the ability of reaching a large group of people, Bowenhopes that the interventions’ influence will filter to homeand beyond.“Although the home environment is a very importantpiece of the puzzle, most of us eat more than two of ourthree meals away from home,” she says.—Mary Jessica Hammes14 College of Public Health

Student Spotlight:Alex WrightSimply put, Alex Wright knowswhat she wants to do.She knew she wanted to work inmedicine, and had planned on majoringin biology. But a Swahili class at theUniversity of Georgia sparked her interestin Africa, and a Maymester spent inTanzania through the African StudiesInstitute gave her an epiphany.“To see a picture of a child withno shoes and tattered clothing pulls onone’s heartstrings,” she wrote in The Africanist,the Institute’s magazine, “but toactually hold the hand of a child whosefamily can hardly afford to clothe himoffers a totally different perspective.Little did I know exactly how much thistrip would change my life.”Somewhere in the middle of mountainclimbing, camel riding, caving,snorkeling, rainforest hiking and evenwatching a tree frog lay eggs in her hand,Wright’s idea of adventure changed fromclimbing Mount Kilimanjaro to keepingAfrican families safe from the ravagesof malaria. Back in Athens, she quicklychanged majors.Wright, who graduates this Decemberwith a bachelor’s degree in healthpromotion and behavior and was namedthe College’s Outstanding UndergraduateMajor, spent last summer in Zanzibar—thistime to immerse herself inSwahili with the aid of a Fulbright-Haysscholarship.“Out of respect for people, youshould really be able to speak their languageso you can help them,” she says.“They say it’s the same difficulty ofspeaking Spanish, but there’s nothinglike it in the English language.”With her eye on studying tropicalmedicine in graduate school at the LondonSchool of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine, she focused her senior projecton malaria prevention.“They need a lot of help there withmalaria. I’m really interested in the educationalaspect of it,” she says. “It’s sokey in preventing diseases.”“Alex stood out from the beginningbecause she was so focused,” says KatieDarby Hein, a faculty member in theDepartment of Health Promotion andBehavior. “She stood out to me becausestudents often do not know what theywant to do, and she certainly did know.“Alex has also prioritized good experiencesover speedy graduation,” sheadds. “Her certificate is one example ofthis, and her current intensive course inSwahili is another. She could have finishedher coursework to graduate lastsummer.”Wright’s curiosity, creativity anddetermination made her the perfect fitright in the College of Public Health,Hein says.“This college is a great place to bepassionate, and I think such passion isfostered, encouraged, and rewarded.Students truly can focus on their interests,or stretch and try something new.Alex did both.”Eventually, Wright would like towork with the CDC’s infectious diseaseprogram in Tanzania or Zanzibar.“It’s a lifelong commitment,” shesays. “I’d really like to live and workthere for as long as I can.”—Mary Jessica HammesWinter 2007 15

Institute of GerontologyElderSpiritAnneGlassAnne Glass keeps a framed photo of her great aunt Bettyin her office. In the photo, her silver hair in a sleek topknot,the older woman laughs uproariously with a younger Anne.It’s because of her great aunt that Glass pursued her career,she says.“She was just really wonderful,” she says. “She lived tobe 105. She stayed interested in people and was very positive.Even at the nursing home, everyone called her Aunt Betty. Shegave me a positive idea about aging.”Now, Glass, who is assistant director and graduate coordinatorof the Institute of Gerontology and an assistant professorof health policy and management, is conducting researchat ElderSpirit Community, the nation’s first elder co-housingcommunity, located in Abingdon, Va.The concept began in Denmark in the 1980s, says Glass,but it’s new to the United States. At ESC, the community isdesigned to encourage older people to come together and interactwith each other. The community is unique for severalreasons, Glass says, including a focus on mutual support and aspiritual component. It is also affordable for people of moderateand low incomes,.In a setting like that, residents are able to make friends andcope togetherwith the challenges they face as they age. Glassremembers two women she interviewed separately last sum-16 College of Public Health

Alumni Spotlight:Linda Samuelmer who were both losing their hearing.Each mentioned how they loved toget together after meetings to “discusswhat they thought they’d heard,” andlaugh about it.“I haven’t laughed this much inyears,” one of the women told Glass.When Glass was interviewing subjectslast summer, she asked what theywere looking for at ElderSpirit, whythey had come and what were their expectations.When Glass was interviewingsubjects last summer, she asked whatthey were looking for at ElderSpirit,why they had come and what were theirexpectations. She will be presenting herresearch at national conferences such asthe Gerontological Society of America’sconference this November.Glass has received a grant from theRetirement Research Foundation tofund a three-year longitudinal study onthe ElderSpirit Community.—Mary Jessica HammesFor more information:The Institute of Gerontologyhttp://www.geron.uga.eduGifts to the Institute of Gerontology atUGA can be made by contactingKate Lindsey, director of development,UGA College of Public HealthN122C Coverdell CenterAthens, GA 30602;706-542-2590; krl@uga.edu“When I was 40, I thought I was too old to go back toschool,” says Linda Samuel. “Then a friend told me, ‘Youcould be a 45-year-old woman with a Ph.D, or a 45-year-oldwoman without a Ph.D.’ That motivated me.”Samuel is currently pursuing her Ph.D in social work fromClark Atlanta University and also researching the influencesof religiosity and spirituality among caregivers and on end-oflifeissues for elder African Americans at the College of PublicHealth’s Institute of Gerontology. Samuel, a licensed minister,already holds a master’s degree in social work, and has beena social worker for 20 years, the last five spent working withthe elderly as a medical social worker.Samuel worked with the Family Relations in Late LifeProject, which began in 1997 and studies the well-being ofcaregivers and care recipients. In her research, she’s foundthat African-American women are more likely to use positivereligious coping (“God helps me” instead of “God is punishingme”) to lessen stress. There is a long tradition of womentaking on caregiving roles in the African-American community,she notes.“It can be traced back to the tribes in Africa. You have totake care of the elderly, and women are traditionally caregivers,”she says.Samuel eventually sees herself as a college professor,but she’s not ready to be finished with her own education yet.She will soon be a Post Doctoral Associate at the Instituteof Gerontology, working with the Georgia Geriatric EducationCenter and conducting end-of-life research with Anne Glass.“I came in as a social work veteran, but I hadn’t been toschool in 15 years,” she says. “I want to continue to researchand increase my research skills.”—Mary Jessica HammesWinter 2007 17

Alumni & DevelopmentHonor Rollof DonorsGifts from these donors directlybenefit the academic programs, faculty,and students of the College ofPublic Health. The College of PublicHealth proudly recognizes the followingalumni, friends, corporations, andfoundations who have supported ouracademic programs, faculty and studentsover the past fiscal year. We thank youfor your support!If your name is not included and youthink it should be, or if it is included,but not at the level you believe to beappropriate, there may be severalreasons why:1. You made your gift either before July1, 2006 or after June 30, 2007.2. You gave more during this timeperiod than you realize. Check thenext giving level for your name.3. You made a pledge instead of anoutright gift. This listing includes onlygifts received. If you made a pledgeduring this time period, but electednot to begin paying it until after June30, 2007 your name will not be listed.4. You made a gift to the GeorgiaEducational Enhancement Fund(GEEF). These gifts are not reflectedin the UGA Arch Foundation HonorRoll.5. Your contribution was directed towardmembership in the UGA AlumniAssociation. Although dues paymentsare a vital part of the AlumniAssociation and enable it to pursueprojects in support of the University,dues are not tax deductible and havenot been included in this list.6. We have omitted your name in error.If we have made a mistake, pleaselet us know.Questions? Please contact KateLindsey in the College of Public HealthDevelopment Office at 706-542-2590 orkrl@uga.edu.Benefactors ($10,000 or more)ACMPE Scholarship Fund, Inc.Athens Regional Medical CenterBlue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, LLCFellows ($5000-9,999)Fortson, Bentley, & Griffin, PAAssociates ($1,000-4,999)Dr. Kimberly Cheryl BrannenGeorgia Emergency Medicine SpecialistsDr. Frank LisellaNelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P.Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Inc.Pettigrew Medical Business ServicesRiverbend Environmental, Inc.Capt. Leonard J. Sapera and Mrs. Eileen W. SaperaDr. R. Glen Wiggans and Mrs. Mary Louise WiggansDr. and Mrs. Phillip L. WilliamsDr. A. Fred Young$100-$999 DonorsAmerican Hospital AssociationMr. & Mrs. John S. Bowling, Sr.Mr. Norman Dewitt Burkett, Sr.Mr. Robert Frank CarouselMr. Kevin Marc CasparyMr. Raymond Brian ChildressDr. Marsha A. DavisDeborah F. & Lance B. DukeMr. Kirk R. Dunham and Ms. Chantel DunhamEnvirotech, Inc.Dr. Ngoc-Cam Pham EscofferyMs. Marilyn FarmerDr. Stuart Feldman and Mrs. Renee FeldmanMr. Edward Jeremiah Fentress, III and Mrs. Hilary HerrisFentressDr. Chad D. Fertig and Dr. Angela R FertigDr. Jack E. Fincham and Mrs. Melinda K. FinchamDr. Jeffrey William Fisher and Ms. Cathianne WatkinsDr. Robert S. Galen and Dr. Lorilee SandmannDr. Monica Marie GaughanMr. Daniel Robert GilleskiMr. Allen Russell Green and Mrs. Rebecca Sexton GreenMr. Stanley H. Henderson and Mrs. Martha HendersonThe Home DepotDavid & Kelley JohnsonMs. Shannon Lloyd KehoeMr. Maxim Joseph KieferMr. William Larry Lee Jr.Ms. Katherine LindseyMr. Brian LloydMr. James Robert LowryDr. Randall Oliver Manning and Mrs. Rita BlackManningMr. Brandon McEachern and Ms. Heather IveyMcEachernDr. Charles A. McPeake and Mrs. Sandra H. McPeakeDr. Jessica Legge Muilenburg and Mr. Wesley E.MuilenburgDr. William Britton MurrillMr. Bobby Russell Ray Jr.Ms. Karen Austin RossiDr. Daryl E. Rowe and Ms. Linda S. RoweMs. Kathy H. Shelnutt and Mr. William D. ShelnuttMrs. Wanda Wetlesen-Shepherd and Mr. Michael HaroldShepherdMr. John Edward ShortMr. Jeff John Skahill and Ms. Kara Schuller-SkahillMAJ Andrew Quin SmithMr. Dwayne Sutton SmithStarbucks Coffee CompanyMr. Luther VanBuren Tow and Ms. Elizabeth M. TowMr. Benjamin Hayes UnderwoodMr. Edson Walea UnderwoodMrs. Michele P. S. WalshMr. Andrew Lee Weyenberg and Ms. Jamie JonesWeyenbergMs. Terri Grogan WhiteMr. Timothy Keith WhiteDr. Mark G. Wilson and Dr. Katherine Mallender WilsonDr. Su-I Hou and Mr. Ji Yan Wu$1-$99 DonorsAnonymousMs. Katherine Michelle BayletBridgette J. & Brian A. BinfordDr. Marsha C. BlackMs. Jayne S ClampMr. Jeffery Devin Corbitt and Ms. Elizabeth ZgutowiczCorbittDr. Phaedra Shaffer CorsoMs. Lauren Anoff CoxMs. Pamela J. CoxMr. Michael James Crowe and Ms. Stephanie JoyceCroweMr. John Christopher DanielMr. William Whilden DukesMs. Ashlee Walker DuncanMr. Byron Harrison Dunn Jr.Mr. Calvin Lee ElmoreMs. Myah Malana FalkMr. Charles Edwin Folendore Jr.Mr. Derrick R. GableDr. Dionne GodetteMr. Mark Evan Hein and Dr. Katherine Darby HeinMs. Rebecca Ann HoltMr. Harry John Jue Jr.Mr. David Endris KannapellMr. Lewis O'Neal KentMs. Sandra Keith KreamerMs. Tina Jones LankfordDr. Erin K. LippMs. Andrea ManningMrs. Anne Wesson MurphyDr. Luke Peter NaeherMs. Katherine Eileen NoonanMr. Chris Ravotti and Ms. Michelle R. HueyMr. Richard Martin Rehm and Mrs. Lynn Smith RehmMs. Leigh Ann RichardsonDr. Claire RobbDr. Dawn L. Wannamaker SatterfieldDr. Mary Alice SmithMs. Patricia L. SmithMrs. Amy Adcock SpencerMs. Jenny Lynn TroutMr. Jeffery Loran Turner and Mrs. Bonnie Bowen TurnerMs. Ashley Carpenter Wells and Mr. William David WellsMs. Deanna Denise WhiddonMrs. Ellen Harris Wilson18 College of Public Health

Building a Constituency toRespond to Georgia’sImportant Health ConcernsUd dionsequis nis essit auguefeugait alis nit ip eratet lor sendreeum zzriurem vel ut irit iure magnaThe CPH presentsan unprecedentedopportunity for UGAto address the publichealth needs in thestate of GeorgiaGeorgia is:36th in obesity28th in per capita public healthspending39th in children in poverty49th in high school graduation rate41st in cardiovascular deaths41st in total mortality47th in infectious disease rates25th in cancer deathsIn his 2007 State of the UniversityAddress, University of GeorgiaPresident, Michael Adams, chargedthe College of Public Health with theresponsibility of “creating the avenuesnecessary to improve the entirety ofthe state’s health.” By expanding ourfaculty, pioneering innovative research,recruiting remarkable students and increasingour constituency of friendsand alumni who support our mission,we are building the infrastructure necessaryto respond to Georgia’s importanthealth concerns.We invite you to become a part ofour constituency of friends and alumniwho are making financial gifts to supportour mission. Your gifts will help usfocus on critical areas such as scholarships,professorships, graduate fellowships,international study, and researchfacilities. By providing this type of supportto the College of Public Health atits earliest stages of development, youwill help us further develop the infrastructureneeded to address the publichealth issues within the State of Georgia,the region and beyond.Annual gifts to the College ofPublic Health Support Fund are unrestrictedand meet the College’s mostpressing need. You can choose to becomea member of The President’sClub by making a gift at one of thelevels listed below, or you can make agift at the amount suitable for you.The Presidents ClubBenefactors $10,000+Fellows $5000-9,999Partners $2,500+ ($1,000minimum designated to thePresident’s Venture Fund)Associates $1,000-4,999You can also earmark your gift fora special fund within the School.The College of Public Healthpresents an unprecedented opportunityfor the University of Georgia toaddress the public health needs in thestate of Georgia, and our outreach isadvancing scientific discovery into theprevention, causes and cures of ourmost pressing public health concerns,and our graduates are taking leadershiproles in corporate, academic andgovernment institutions and providingexpertise in efficient and practicalapproaches to improve public health.Your gift to the College of PublicHealth is a gift of confidence andloyalty in our institution and our students.Please know each gift makes adifference, and your commitment toour progress is greatly appreciated.To learn more about our fundsand ways to give, please contact KateLindsey at 706-542-2590 or krl@uga.edu.—Kate LindseyWinter 2007 19

Alumni Spotlight:Ud dionsequis nisessit augue feugaitalis nit ip eratet lorsendre eum zzriuremvel ut irit iuremagnaDenise & Lauren FlookMother and Daughter Graduate from the College of Public HealthDenise Flook had already had a successful careeras a nurse. She’d worked more than 20 yearswith increasing responsibilities, culminating withbeing named the chief nursing officer at NorthlakeMedical Center in Atlanta. But there was morework to be done.“My goal was always to get my master’s degree,”she says. And so, in 2003, she enrolled inthe College of Public Health’s Department ofHealth Promotion and Behavior—the very samedepartment where her oldest daughter, Lauren,was studying as an undergraduate. Lauren receivedher bachelor’s degree in 2004. Last spring,Denise got her long-awaited MPH.The mother-daughter pair occasionallyshared professors (for different courses) andwould cross paths on campus. “Sometimes I’dhave a late class so I’d spend the night at herplace,” she says.Denise admits sharing a campus took somegetting used to by lauren’s high school friendswho had come to UGA, but the Flooks to it allin stride.Denise Flook’s path to a graduate degreestarted in 1976 from the University of Maryland.Immediately after graduation, she joinedVolunteers in Service to America, a now-defunctdomestic version of the Peace Corps and forerunnerto today’s AmeriCorps. Through VISTA, shecame to Georgia to work with the Department ofHuman Resources and lived in Athens, where sheworked on teen pregnancy prevention.“I was ahead of Jane Fonda.” she says, with alaugh, referring to Fonda’s Georgia Campaign forAdolescent Pregnancy Prevention (GCAPP).Working with those nurses piqued her interestin the profession, and she followed her futurehusband to Albany, Ga., to study nursing at DartonCollege. In 1980, she got her nursing degreeand the Flooks moved to Atlanta, where sheworked in the telemetry unit at Northside Hospitaland treated Atlanta’s first AIDS patients at theformer Georgia Baptist Hospital (now the AtlantaMedical Center). Although they didn’t know thedisease by name then, it still carried an immensestigma. The AIDS patients were often abandonedby families and partners, and “the nurses reallybecame their families,” Flook recalls.After the birth of her two daughters, Flookwas later recruited to the newly opened NorthlakeMedical Center to develop their infectioncontrol program.When she decided the time was right forgraduate school, she took a flexible position as anursing consultant for the Georgia Hospital Associationin Marietta and commuted to UGA.In graduate school, she studied workforcedevelopment and its effect on the state’s nursingshortage. In addition to researching healthyworkplace environments, she returned to familiarterritory: infection prevention. Last year, the federalSurgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP)was launched to help prevent healthcare-associatedinfections, and through her work with thehospital association, Flook helped state hospitalsimplement the SCIP initiatives.“I got to see a lot of my old friends in infectioncontrol,” she said.Since graduating, she’s taken a permanentposition with the Hospital Association, and willcontinue to work in infection prevention andworkplace environments. She also keeps an eyeon future teaching opportunities.And her influence has rubbed off once againon both her daugters. Lauren and her youngersister, Katherine are both studying to becomenurses.20 College of Public Health

A Life Long Commitmentto Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity and Helping the Underserved and UnderprivilegedIn July, Stuart and Renee Feldman established the Stuartand Renee Feldman Health Disparities Awareness Fundto support the students, faculty and staff of the College ofPublic Health in developing a greater understanding of healthdisparities in health care and the underpriviledged. Dr. StuartFeldman, a former dean of the College of Pharmacy atUGA and professor emeritus in the College of Public Health,is the founding dean of Touro College of Pharmacy located inthe historic urban community of Harlem in New York City.Renee Feldman studied to become a teacher at Boston Universityand taught at an inner city school in Buffalo, N.Y. andis an advocate for individuals with autism and developmentaldisabilities. The Feldmans have a life long commitment toequal rights, equal opportunity and helping the underservedand underprivileged.The need for an increased understanding of the determinantsor causes of health disparities in Georgia and for disseminationof this knowledge to its citizens has never beengreater. According to reports released by the Georgia Officeof Minority Health, death rates from infant mortality, heartdisease, stroke, and cancer are all 1.5 to 2.5 times higher forAfrican Americans than for Georgia’s white population, andthe health challenges that minorities experience are threateningto the entire population, not just a particular segment ofthe population.Through their gift, the Feldmans are supporting The College’sefforts of taking the longtime problem of health disparitiesand addressing it in new and innovative ways. If you wouldlike to support this fund, please contact Kate Lindsey at 706-542-2590 or krl@uga.edu.Winter 2007 21

The College ofPublic Health atthe University of Georgiapromotes health in humanpopulations throughinnovative research, exemplaryeducation, and enagagedservice dedicated to preventingdisease and injury within thestate and around the world.N122C Coverdell CenterUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, GA 30602Nonprofit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDAthens, GeorgiaPermit #??22 College of Public Health