Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012 Archives

Shawn Gibbs, PhD

by COPH Staff | August 15, 2012

Faculty Highlight – Dr. Shawn Gibbs serves as the College of Public Health’s associate dean for student affairs. He previously served as the College of Public Health’s director of master’s programs and chair of the Curriculum Committee. Dr. Gibbs currently teaches Foundations of Public Health, a required core course for all students in the College of Public Health. He also provides guest lectures on environmental health, water treatment, and waste management to several other courses. Dr. Gibbs serves as the academic adviser for many… Continue Reading

Posted in COPH Picks, Faculty Highlight, The GroundBreaker, Uncategorized, Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012

Sheetal Sawant

by COPH Staff | August 15, 2012

Student Highlight – Sheetal Sawant is a second-year MPH student in biostatistics. She was born in Mumbai (still known as Bombay to many), the biggest city in India, and went to school in a scenic suburb on the outskirts of Mumbai. Her journey in the field of health care began when her sister joined the School of Medicine to pursue bachelor’s degrees in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery. Four years later Sheetal followed her sister into the world of medicine and health care and joined the… Continue Reading

Posted in COPH Picks, Featured Stories, Student Highlight, The GroundBreaker, Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012

Preethy Nayar, MD, MPhil, PhD, Health Services Research

by COPH Staff | August 15, 2012

Spotlight on Research at COPH – Dr. Nayar’s research interests focus on performance evaluation and quality improvement in health care organizations; clinical outcomes research, including care of the chronic critically ill patient and pancreatic and head and neck cancer outcomes and costs; access to and outcomes of care for rural and frontier underserved populations; and health workforce planning. She was the principal investigator for several quality improvement projects funded by the Mid West Mountain Veterans Engineering Resource Center that aimed to improve the quality of… Continue Reading

Posted in Featured Stories, Research, Spotlight COPH Research, The GroundBreaker, Uncategorized, Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012

The Health Challenges of Community Gardening (part 2 of 2)

by COPH Staff | August 15, 2012

Public Health Community Advisory – Although community gardening is a wonderful way to promote healthy eating, exercise, nutrition education, and social capital, there are challenges we in public health should recognize. Most urban gardening takes place on lots that have had prior uses that may have contaminated the soil. Possible contaminants include lead, mercury, arsenic, pesticides, and hormonally active breakdown products of plastics. For the most part, vegetables absorb very little of these chemicals. But roots and leaves may be coated with dirt containing these…. Continue Reading

Posted in Community Advisory, COPH Picks, Featured Stories, The GroundBreaker, Uncategorized, Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012

Do I need antibiotics before going to the dentist?

by COPH Staff | August 15, 2012

Public Health in the National News – For the past 60 years, millions of individuals with certain heart or joint conditions have received antibiotic prophylaxis (premedication) before dental treatment. Antibiotic prophylaxis typically consists of taking a few antibiotic pills 30-60 minutes before the dental visit, regardless of any dental infections. This clinical practice is based on the theory that antibiotics could reduce heart and joint infections by blocking bacteria that travel from the mouth to the heart or joint through the bloodstream. However, is there… Continue Reading

Posted in Featured Stories, National News, The GroundBreaker, Uncategorized, Vol. 2 / Is. 08, Aug 2012