News: October 2004 Archives

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received $8.1 million in grant funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for three innovative public health research and training projects.

Three separate grants were funded:

Prevention of Disease

The Illinois Prevention Research Center at UIC received a five-year, $4.1 million grant from the CDC to help eliminate health disparities and create healthy communities through research, training and sharing knowledge. The grant will fund the center's largest research project, aimed at preventing and controlling diabetes in Latino and African-American populations.

News Release from UIC

Volume 10, Number 11—November 2004

The new issue is out!

Link

Morning Edition, October 28, 2004 ·

President Bush says that the nation's health care system should rely more on market forces. But some public health experts say this year's flu vaccine shortage illustrates that the free market and health care don't always mix

Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

Last Updated: 2004-10-25 13:23:21 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) - Biological weapons that can wipe out whole populations pose one of the biggest threats to the world today yet remain almost completely uncontrolled, the British Medical Association said Monday.

It urged the United States to stop blocking attempts to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) when it comes up for renewal in 2006.

Article from Reuters

For years, women who have been concerned about an increased risk of heart disease and stroke have shied away from using birth control pills, or they've worried about what effect The Pill would have later in life.

Now, as it turns out, The Pill is actually much safer than previously thought. In fact, it may actually lower the risk of these cardiovascular diseases - and it may even cut the risk of cancer.

Article from MaineToday.com

United Press International

By DEE ANN DIVIS, Senior Science & Technology Editor

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

WASHINGTON, Oct 20, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A majority of public health experts surveyed for a recent biodefense report thinks state and local public health departments should stop being a provider of last resort for medical care in the United States.

The reason, over 60 percent of study participants said, is the overall size of the public health workforce is insufficient to handle the job in the face of budget deficits and increasing demands -- particularly those made by biodefense programs.

About 30 percent of public health departments provide comprehensive primary care services, according to a survey of 694 local public health agencies done by the National Association of County and City Health Officials in 2000. Such care is the rough equivalent of going to a pediatrician or the family doctor and does not generally refer to care at public hospitals. Comprehensive primary care services were most often provided by agencies in large metropolitan areas, according to the survey.

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_20770.html (*this news item will not be available after 11/19/2004)

Last Updated: 2004-10-19 16:13:03 -0400 (Reuters Health)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aventis-Pasteur said on Tuesday it had squeezed out an extra 2.6 million doses of flu vaccine beyond what the company already has promised.

This will give the United States a total of 58 million doses of influenza vaccine this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told a news conference.

Article from Reuters

Hello,

Do you have a RSS News reader on your desktop? If you do you can now link to this blog. Simply create a new feed, add the title and insert the following

URL: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/gruwell/publichealthliaison/index.rdf

U of M students, faculty, and staff may contact me at gruwell@umn.edu if you have questions.

Current Medicine LLC is pleased to announce the latest updates to the images.MD library:

Our Heart Failure collection, one of our more popular selections, has just been revised with 160 brand new images, along with updates to over 140 more.

To keep your research and studies in infectious diseases current and relevant, we've extensively revised content throughout ten collections devoted to this specialty, including Pleuropulmonary and Bronchial Infections, Cardiovascular Infections, and Fungal Infections. Over 80 new images have been added with updates to more than 500 additional entries.

Finally, we've included an additional 500 images from the Current Reports and Current Treatment Options medical journals to enhance the value of every collection we provide.

We are committed to keeping our content and up-to-date as possible so you can get the information and resources you need for your study, lecture, or presentation. Please do not hesitate to contact our staff at info@images.md if you have any questions or comments about our image library.

Thanks for being a part of images.MD!

The Staff at Current Medicine LLC

Students, faculty and staff may access images.MD at:
http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/bmsabouts.html#imagesmd

PLoS Medicine

We are pleased to present the inaugural issue of PLoS Medicine, an international open-access medical journal from the Public Library of Science.

Please read our editorial "Prescription for a Healthy Journal" and message from the PLoS founders "A Medical Journal for the Internet Age".

PLoS Medicine: Table of Contents

Applications are being solicited for the Masonic/Dietz Family Award for Educational Travel. Recognizing that educational travel and sharing of knowledge is essential to successful cancer research the Charlton Dietz Family through the Masonic Cancer Center Fund has established this award for educational travel.

Award: Awards may be up to $1000 for educational travel. Up to four awards will be made. Educational opportunities may include but are not limited to conferences, courses and site visits.

Applicants: Graduate students, fellows, research-related staff and faculty within a cancer/cancer-related educational program or research area.

Application: No more than a one-page request will be accepted. The following information must be included:

· Applicant’s name
· Applicant’s research interest or educational focus
· Name, date and location of educational opportunity
· Budget for travel, may include transportation, accommodations, food and registration.
· Rationale for how attendance will contribute to applicant’s cancer/cancer-related education or research.

Applications should be received no later than Oct. 25, 2004. The awards will cover travel from January 1st, 2005 through June 30th, 2005.

Applications should be forwarded to:
Mary Sumpmann RN, MS
Associate Director of Administration
Cancer Center
MMC 806 or
sumpm001@umn.edu

Review Process: The Executive Committee of the Center will identify a committee to review requests. Awardees will be identified and notified by Nov. 15th, 2004.

Follow Up: Awardees will be asked to submit 1/3-1/2 page summary of the value of the educational opportunity

Last fall, more than 30 Cancer Center members participated in Minnesota’s first CancerPlan Summit. During the past year, about a dozen Cancer Center members helped draft Minnesota’s first comprehensive cancer control plan.

Now you have an opportunity to weigh in on this important initiative and support the contributions of your colleagues. We ask that you attend the second annual Summit, set for Nov. 16. The draft plan will be presented for discussion. Your comments will help shape the final plan that beginning next year will integrate and coordinate Minnesota’s approach to the entire spectrum of cancer control, including prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship and palliation.

•The Summit will be held 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nov. 16, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul
•Registration is $35 per person and covers conference materials, continental breakfast, lunch and reception. The Cancer Center will reimburse the registration fee for cancer center members. Registration deadline is Oct. 31, so please register as soon as you can.

For more information about the CancerPlan Minnesota initiative and to register for the Summit, visit www.cancerplanmn.org. Or contact DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D. (6-9099; lazov001@umn.edu) or Marva Bohen (4-2620; bohen001@umn.edu).

The University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics and The Cancer Center are offering a new training program that will provide opportunities for on predoctoral and three postdoctoral students to enhance their research training and experience in pediatric cancer epidemiology. Postdoctoral trainees may include medical fellows who have completed their clinical training and are beginning a research training period as well as recent Ph.D. recipients in health sciences. For more information contact the Program Director, Julie Ross, 626-2902, ross@epi.umn.edu. Click here for a pdf version of a flyer with more detail.

The CDC is providing information regarding the flu vaccine shortage.
Please go to the following address for the latest information.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccineshortage.htm

Application Receipt Date: December 7, 2004
Letter of Reference Receipt Date: December 31, 2004

The foundation provides five additional awards specifically for physicians engaged in translational science. Candidates must not hold R01 funding for the laboratory component of their cancer research. Applicants must demonstrate a significant personal involvement in the laboratory component of the translational project described. For more information click on

http://www.kimmel.org/cancerresearch

Applications are being solicited for the Masonic/Dietz Family Award for Educational Travel. Recognizing that educational travel and sharing of knowledge is essential to successful cancer research the Charlton Dietz Family through the Masonic Cancer Center Fund has established this award for educational travel.

Award: Awards may be up to $1000 for educational travel. Up to four awards will be made. Educational opportunities may include but are not limited to conferences, courses and site visits.

Applicants: Graduate students, fellows, research-related staff and faculty within a cancer/cancer-related educational program or research area.

Application: No more than a one-page request will be accepted. The following information must be included:

" Applicant's name
" Applicant's research interest or educational focus
" Name, date and location of educational opportunity
" Budget for travel, may include transportation, accommodations, food and registration.
" Rationale for how attendance will contribute to applicant's cancer/cancer-related education or research.

Applications should be received no later than Oct. 25, 2004. The awards will cover travel from January 1st, 2005 through June 30th, 2005.

Applications should be forwarded to:
Mary Sumpmann RN, MS
Associate Director of Administration
Cancer Center
MMC 806 or
sumpm001@umn.edu

Review Process: The Executive Committee of the Center will identify a committee to review requests. Awardees will be identified and notified by Nov. 15th, 2004.

Follow Up: Awardees will be asked to submit 1/3-1/2 page summary of the value of the educational opportunity.

CHILDREN'S CANCER RESEARCH FUND 24TH ANNUAL DAWN OF A DREAM "HALLOWEEN GLAM"

The 24th Annual Dawn of a Dream "Halloween Glam" will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2004 from 6:00 p.m - 12:00 a.m. at The Depot in Minneapolis. To date, Dawn of a Dream has raised more than $10.1 million for The Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.

Gala highlights will include: a glamorous Halloween Ball (no costume required), spectacular live and silent auctions, dinner, dancing, and entertainment. This year's entertainment will be provided by singer Alanis Morissette. Tickets are $250 per person and promise to sell out fast. They may be purchased at: http://www.childrenscancer.org/news_details_events_doad.jhtml

Nominations are now open for the outstanding contributor award in Basic Sciences. Persons working in Cancer Progression & Metastasis, Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer, Immunology and Research Core Facilities as well as other staff and faculty contributing to the Cancer Center in these areas are eligible for this award. Nominees do not need to be Cancer Center employees. The award is given to recognize employees for their performance. Examples might be: continued/sustained excellent job performance; contrThe submission deadline for nominations for this Basic Sciences award is October 8, 2004.

Nominations may be submitted on-line at http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/recogform.html. Hard copies of the nomination form also are available in the interaction areas of floors 4 through 7 CCRB or from cchr@ahc.umn.edu. Return the completed form to Cancer Center Human Resources at MMC 806.

The Basic Sciences Recognition Program will be held at 3:00pm Thursday, October 21, 2004 in 450 CCRB.

The percentage of children who are overweight continues to rise. Among children ages 6-19, 15%, almost 9 million are overweight. This is triple the amount in the 1980's. In addition over 10% of preschool children ages 2-5 are overweight.

One solution to this rising epidemic is to work together to help children make healthy eating a life long habit. Building upon last year's campaign to promote physical activity, the National Center for Health Education and the Society for Public Health Educators have announced that this year's theme for National Health Education Week 2004 is Healthy Eating: Every Bite Counts!

NCHE and SOPHE have developed a variety of free materials for schools, parents, public health professionals, and organizations to promote healthy eating nationwide.

Note from Geargia State Public Health Blog

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference on Preventing Violence and Related Health-Risking Behaviors in Adolescents, October 13-15, 2004 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

Many prevention and intervention programs to address violence and related youth behavior problems have developed out of need and have not been rigorously evaluated for their safety and effectiveness. Moreover, interventions with demonstrated effectiveness appear to be underutilized. Research has progressed at a rapid pace; it is now appropriate to assess the state of science with regard to interventions to reduce the risk for youth violence and related behavior problems, as well as to reduce problem behavior once it has been initiated. While research focused on what works is critical, it is equally important to assess what has been learned about interventions that do not work.

The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners from the many fields involved in violence prevention and related issues of adolescent health, to examine the evidence available to answer six key conference questions:

What are the factors that contribute to violence and associated adverse health outcomes in childhood and adolescence?

What are the patterns of co-occurrence of these factors?

What evidence exists on the safety and effectiveness of interventions for
violence?

Where evidence of safety and effectiveness exists, are there other outcomes
beyond reducing violence? If so, what is known about effectiveness by age, sex, and race/ethnicity?

What are the commonalities among interventions that are effective, and those that are ineffective?

What are the priorities for future research?

For more information go to NIH News

Monday, October 4, 2004 Posted: 11:55 AM EDT (1555 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- About a quarter of U.S. women who stopped taking hormone replacement therapy after it was found to raise the risk of heart disease and some cancers have gone back on it, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Friday.

That is appropriate for women who are having severe symptoms associated with menopause, such as debilitating hot flashes, so long as they take a small dose for the shortest time needed, the group said.

Article link from CNN Health