School of Rural Public Health inducts members into honor society

The Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) School of Rural Public Health inducted an honorary member, faculty member, 12 students and 10 alumni into the local Alpha Tau chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health on May 14 at a luncheon in their honor at the school.

The Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health was founded in 1924 at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health as the honorary society for graduate studies in public health. Honorary members are those possessing exceptional qualifications and having attained meritorious national or international distinction in the field of public health. Faculty members are nominated for outstanding performance in teaching and research, while students are chosen for scholarly performance. Alumni are nominated for actively engaging in public health work.

“Membership in Delta Omega is intended not only to recognize merit but also to encourage further excellence in and devotion to public health work,” said Antonio René, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate dean for academic affairs in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health and Alpha Tau chapter chair. “Delta Omega members reflect dedication to quality in the field of public health and to protection and advancement of the health of all people.”

The honorary inductee and luncheon guest speaker was Lucina Suarez, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the environmental epidemiology and disease registries section of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Dr. Suarez also serves as an adjunct professor at the school.

Faculty member Thomas McDonald, Ph.D., was inducted with the following students: SangNam Ahn, Patricia Billingsley, Jeffrey Bowman, Jeffrey Buck, Vanessa Cantu, Emma Dishner, Amy Hansen, Ololade (Lola) James, Chelsea Mounce, Michelle Nip, Joshua Vest and Chen Zhang. Inducted alumni were Sarah Carson, Suman Challa, Olga Gabriel, Steve Griesenbeck, Jay Jezierski, Wendy Moreno, Alicia Novoa, Rasul Ramji, Bryan Sisk and Holly Ulbrich.

Dr. Ory part of team examining physical activity, environmental policies in Brazos Valley

Marcia Ory, Ph.D. (above), Regents Professor in the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) School of Rural Public Health, is part of a team headed by the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency that recently received $150,000 from the Texas Department of State Health Services to establish Umbrella Partnerships – BE Active in our Town (UP-BEAT).

Dr. Ory will work with Ashley Wilson, M.P.H. (below), research scientist at the HSC-School of Rural Public Health, to evaluate physical activity and environmental policy changes for the UP-BEAT project in the Brazos Valley.

“We are thrilled that support is available to bring together partners from diverse sectors who can make a difference in reducing obesity in our community,” Dr. Ory said.

Julie Ribardo, Ph.D., director of health education and prevention at the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, will lead the team that includes Judith Warren, Ph.D., Texas AgriLife Extension Service; Theresa Manthei, Brazos Valley Health Department; Corliss Outley, Texas A&M University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences; and Klaus Koyer Madsen, Texas Health Institute.

ASSE Conference

The Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health hosted during Public Health Week the ASSE Region III Student Professional Development and Leadership Conference. Students from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas attended the two-day conference, which included a fashion show of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Personal Sampling Devices modeled by some of the School’s students. Ann Marie Boklemann, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, helped organize the conference.

2010 Fun Run

The School of Rural Public Health ended National Public Health Week with the third annual 5K Fun Run on the morning of Saturday, April 10, 2010. This year’s theme coincided with National Public Health Week’s theme, “A Healthier America: One Community At A Time.” The purpose of this year’s Fun Run was to raise money for the School of Rural Public Health’s student scholarship and special project fund as well as provide an opportunity for the Brazos Valley to “kick start” healthy living initiatives thought the run/walk. We had a great turnout with a total of 104 participants ranging from 9 to 60+ years old. The entry fee was $15.00 prior to the race and $20.00 the morning off the race. Each participant received a race bag that included a t-shirt with the national public health week logo, a CCHD aluminum water bottle, hand sanitizer, and many other coupons to local businesses. Each participant was divided into age categories designed to give runners a chance to win a medal. The age groups were as follows: 25 and under, 26-35, 36-49, 50 and over for both males and females. Medals were awarded to the top three finishers in each age group, along with a plaque given to both the overall male and female finisher. The Fun Run committee consisted of Dr. Jane Bolin, Ashley Wilson, Harlan Johnson, Jessica Pierce, Thomas Hunt, Mario Castillo, Nick Reale, Christina Ly, Budi Yunanto and Christopher Grunkemeyer. Thanks to the committee, the 30 plus student volunteers, and the many businesses in our community who donated to the event, the SRPH 5K Fun Run was another huge success.

See the results of the run at http://srph.tamhsc.edu/fun-run/!

Scholarship for Chen Zhang from International AIDS Society

Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health student Chen Zhang was recently awarded a scholarship from the International AIDS Society to attend the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, 2010. The paper she will present is “Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Risks Among Female Sex Workers in China.”

Public Health Week declared in Bryan & College Station

The mayors of Bryan and College station joined together to proclaim this week "National Public Health Week." Mayor Ben White of College Station and Bryan's Mayor Mark Conlee stopped by the Texas A&M Health Science School of Rural Public Health to read the declaration. The school is set to host a panel addressing issues facing cancer patients and their caregivers.

National Public Health Week poster contest winners announced

In honor of National Public Health Week (April 5-11), Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health students participated in the fifth annual research poster symposium and student poster contest.

Posters were judged Monday, April 5 at the HSC-School of Rural Public Health complex.

First place went to Amy Hansen (picture above with Dr. Brender and Dr. Blakely) for “Dietary Intake of Choline and Neural Tube Defects in Mexican Americans” (co-authors Jean Brender, Hongwei Zhao, Anne Sweeney, Lucina Suarez, Mark Canfield, Marilyn Felkner).

Jeff Bowman (pictured left with Dr. Blakely, Dr. McDonald, & Marc Adams) placed second for “The Detection of Sublethal Concentrations of Cyanide in Drinking Water: Using Reliability of the Eclox® Enhanced Chemiluminescense Assay” (co-authors M.J. Adams, L.K. McLeroy, V.R. Nathan, C.C. Mathewson, T.J. McDonald).

Third place was Santosh Nazare (pictured right with Marc Adams, Dr. Brender, & Dr. Blakely) for “Diastolic Prehypertension: A Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease” (co-author Marc Adams). Hansen and Nazare are in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Bowman is in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

The winners have been invited by the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health to submit abstracts for the 13th annual Student Poster Session through the Academic Public Health Caucus at the next American Public Health Association meeting, Nov 6-10 in Denver.

McAllen Campus faculty and staff interviewed on local news show

Watch McAllen faculty and staff members talk about their Master of Public Health program on KRGV's local news segment "Inside The Valley" here.

SRPH faculty recognized by The American Academy of Health Behavior

Yan Hong, Ph.D., assistant professor of social and behavioral health at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, was selected as the 2010 Judy Black Early Research Award winner by The American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB) during its annual meeting in Clearwater, Fla.

Dr. Hong was chosen for her paper, “Care Arrangements of AIDS Orphans and its Relationship with Children’s Psychosocial Well Being: Evidence from Rural China.” Co-authors include Li Xiomind, Fang Xiaoyi, Zhao Guoxiang, Zhao Junfeng, Zhao Qun, Lin Xiuyun, Zhang Liying and Bonita Stanton.

The Judy K. Black Early Career Research Award commemorates the life of the wife of one of the AAHB’s founders and past presidents, Dr. David R. “Randy” Black. It recognizes early-career health behavior research that is innovative, rigorous and makes an important contribution to science or practice.

The research poster by Matthew Smith, Ph.D., and Marcia Ory, Ph.D., on “Implementation and Delivery of an Evidence-based Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults in Texas” was selected as a 2010 Research Poster of Distinction by the AAHB. Co-authors were Yichen Cheng and Angela Hochhalter.

Dr. Zuniga leads McAllen Asthma Coalition

A new organization, the McAllen Asthma Coalition (MAC), is pioneering a unique education program in elementary schools to help children learn how to manage their asthma.

“During the past two decades, asthma has increased across the United States and in Texas,” said Genny Carrillo Zuniga, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.P.H., assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) School of Rural Public Health in McAllen. “Childhood asthma rates are highest among minorities. Increasing numbers of children with asthma are found in families with low education attainment and those who reside in low-income communities.”


Two years ago, Dr. Carrillo Zuniga (pictured left) decided to address the problem of increasing numbers of childhood asthma cases in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). She was awarded funds by the Texas Asthma Control Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to organize MAC, and it launched in August 2008. Some MAC partners are Betty Chang-Menard of South Texas College (STC) Nursing and Allied Health, Nancy Nadeau of The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA), and Dora Hernandez of the Texas Asthma Control Program.

A unique aspect of the asthma education program involves students at STC and UTPA. These students visit RGV elementary schools to work directly with children who suffer asthma attacks.

“This is the first time local higher education institutions have cooperated in addressing asthma as a public health improvement project,” said Dr. Carrillo Zuniga.

Respiratory therapy majors at STC and nursing majors at UTPA were trained to carry out a special open airways curriculum developed by the American Lung Association, a founding partner of MAC. The open airways program teaches children to identify indoor environmental factors that trigger asthma and how to use an inhaler with medication to clear congested airways.

During the first visit to an elementary school, the STC respiratory therapy majors administered an asthma control test to establish a baseline for each child. Children with asthma then were taught how to use their inhaler and a peak flow meter at home.

Asthma education training is also offered to parents and elementary school personnel based on information provided by the American Lung Association and the National Healthy Homes Training Center and Network.

UTPA nursing majors have organized health fairs for children and parents at several Rio Grande Valley public schools.

“Senior students studying for a B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) participated in the health fairs as part of their community health course,” Nadeau said. “The goal was to provide health education to empower the asthmatic children and their parents to take better care of themselves.”

Another program by the McAllen Asthma Coalition is aimed at adult education among Spanish speaking communities. Promotoras are trained to instruct families about healthy indoor environments and environmental triggers that cause asthma. The promotoras then visit families in colonias whose children have asthma and provide them with individual training.

Financial grants awarded to Dr. Carrillo Zuniga have funded the promotoras education efforts, which she also organized and coordinated.

“We are evaluating the training programs in order to expand the asthma education efforts to an additional four elementary and middle schools in the Rio Grande Valley this year,” Dr. Carrillo Zuniga said.

Olga Gabriel appointed new director of Texas A&M Health Science Center McAllen campus

Olga Gabriel, M.P.H., has been appointed director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center McAllen campus. She is a past director of the Children’s Defense Fund Texas-Rio Grande Valley and was the founding director for U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s district office in McAllen.

“Ms. Gabriel’s education and experience in developing, supporting and implementing community-based programs made her an outstanding candidate for this position,” said J. Steven Moore, M.D., M.P.H., executive associate dean of the HSC-School of Rural Public Health. “We look forward to her providing direction, focus and energy to the educational, research and outreach programs of the School of Rural Public Health in a way that meets the needs of the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.”

Gabriel received an undergraduate degree in health education from The University of Texas-Pan American and a Master of Public Health degree from HSC-School of Rural Public Health in Community Public Health and Management.

“Having received my master’s degree from the school, I know firsthand how passionate the faculty are to not only train the next generation of public health professionals, but also to impact the lives of Texans,” Gabriel said. “I look forward to forging collaborations between the school and this community in hopes of improving the lives of South Texas families.”

Dr. McLeroy Selected as Research Laureate by American Academy of Health Behavior

Dr. Kenneth R. McLeroy, professor of social and behavioral health in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, has been selected the 2010 Research Laureate for The American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB). The annual award honors an individual who has made a significant, enduring contribution to health behavior research, and is the highest award bestowed by the AAHB. The process is highly competitive and based on a comparative review of finalists’ lifetime records of research productivity and national and international impacts on the field. The award was made recently during the academy’s annual meeting in Clearwater, FL.

Dr. McLeroy said he is honored and gratified by the award from such a distinguished group of scholars.

“Being rewarded for participation in an ongoing discussion about interesting ideas is a bit disconcerting,” Dr. McLeroy said. “Many of the ideas with which I have been engaged and for which I am being rewarded have come from a variety of sources, and while I think I have contributed to them, they are ideas emerging from conversations with colleagues over a number of years that belong to all of us. I have been extraordinarily fortunate to work with a very productive group of colleagues across the years, and much of the credit for this award belongs to them.”

The American Academy of Health Behavior’s mission is to promote excellence in research and in the application of research to improve public health.

“Valentines for Vets”

SRPH students conducted their annual “Valentines for Vets” drive by collecting notes of appreciation and thanks for injured veterans’ service and sacrifice for our country. “Valentines for Vets” is a national drive to support and promote National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week, Feb. 6-13. The students collected money and supplies from other students and faculty, and received some donations from local hotels to present 88 Valentines bags to the veterans at the Veterans Administration hospital in Temple. Each bag included basic toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and lotion, cookies and other supplies.

Dr. Donnelly Honored by The Children’s Environmental Health Institute

The late Dr. K.C. Donnelly, head and professor of environmental and occupational health at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health since 1999, was honored for his work Tuesday, February 16 by The Children’s Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) with a resolution and framed photo collage. With more than 30 years of experience in basic and applied research, Dr. Donnelly’s research included environmental exposure studies in Azerbaijan; the Czech Republic; Shanxi, China; and numerous U.S. locations.

Dr. Donnelly also conducted animal and human population studies on population exposures and the genotoxicity of complex chemical mixtures.

Based in Austin, CEHI was established to identify, validate and develop solutions to address adverse health effects to children occurring as a consequence of exposure to hazardous environmental substances

Congratulations SRPH Professors!

Dr. Barbara Quiram was the workgroup chair for “Planning and Improvement” during the recent Public Health Preparedness and Response Core Competency Development Project held Feb. 2-4.

Dr. Ken McLeroy has been invited to participate in the first working meeting of the International Collaboration on Participatory Health Research to be held in Berlin, Germany on 22-24 March. The International Collaboration is a joint project of the Research Group Public Health of the Social Science Research Center in Berlin, Germany, the Wellesley Institute based in Toronto, Canada, and the Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool, England.

Dr. Joe Sharkey has been appointed to the Texas Health Foods Advisory Committee by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Dr. Jane Bolin has been invited by the National Rural Health Association to join the editorial board for the Journal of Rural Health.

Dr. Marcia Ory and Dr. Matthew Smith will have several articles related to falls prevention in the Feb/March Texas Public Health Association Journal including “Falls Prevention: Public Health Approaches at the Local, State, and National Levels.”

Dr. Mark Benden has been awarded $105,500 from the University Transportation Center for Mobility for an 18-month study on “Teen Driver Cell Phone Blocker.”

SRPH Center for Community Health Development helps launch Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment

The Brazos Valley Health Partnership (BVHP) and the Center for Community Health Development (CCHD) at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) School of Rural Public Health are conducting a population health status assessment in the Brazos Valley.

The assessment process depends upon community participation in a household survey and community discussion groups. Community members in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, Washington and Waller counties will begin to be contacted by mail about taking the survey the week of Feb. 8, followed up by a phone call the next week.

The BVHP and CCHD will conduct their third Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment this spring. The assessment will measure the health of Brazos Valley residents and identify factors contributing to the health of local communities. It consists of a household survey, community discussion groups and an examination of existing data from various other sources.

From Feb. 8 through mid-March, letters from CCHD and BVHP will be mailed to randomly selected local residents requesting participation in the household survey. ETC Institute, a survey administrator contracted by CCHD, will make follow-up phone calls after the letters are sent to directly ask residents about their willingness to participate in the survey. If the resident agrees to take the survey, the survey will be mailed to the resident and include a self-addressed stamped envelope for its return.

In addition to the survey, CCHD will conduct community discussion groups beginning in March and concluding in May. These discussions will be in several communities in each county to capture information difficult to obtain in a survey format, and more information will be made available in March.

Following the 2002 and 2006 health assessments, Brazos Valley organizations and communities used the assessment data to build community support and bring in significant funding to develop and improve health infrastructure and access to care. Local initiatives have focused on issues like rural transportation options, mental health services, health technology, service coordination, small business health coverage, and medication assistance.

Assessment findings will be released in September 2010 at a community regional health summit.
Sponsors include the CCHD, HSC, HSC-School of Rural Public Health, Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, College Station Medical Center, Trinity Medical Center, St. Joseph Health System, United Way, Workforce Solutions, Burleson St. Joseph Health Center, Madison St. Joseph Health Center, Waller County, City of Bryan Community Development Program and City of College Station Community Development Program.

Dean's Announcement Concerning Murray Cote and Tiffany Radcliff

Please join me in belatedly welcoming Murray J. Côté, Ph.D. to the Health Policy

and Management Department. Dr. Côté was hired last year and deferred arrival until January for a number of reasons. Dr. Côté earned a B.A. in political science and an M.B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada and a Ph.D. in management science from Texas A&M University. He has held faculty appointments at Florida and Colorado. His primary research interests are in health care operations. Professor Côté has obtained extramural funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Education and Research Foundation of the American Production and Inventory Control Society. He has also consulted for a variety of health care organizations. He is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Also joining SRPH in a part-time capacity is Tiffany A. Radcliff, Ph.D., who earned a B.S. in economics from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Her primary research and teaching interests are in health economics, health policy, and health services research, with topical areas of interest including long-term care, access to care for rural and underserved populations, improving care processes and outcomes, and economic evaluation. Professor Radcliff’s research is currently funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

School of Rural Public Health Dr. Sumaya named among most influential Hispanic leaders by Latino Leaders magazine

Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M., professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, has been named by Latino Leaders magazine as one of the 101 Most Influential Leaders nationwide in the Hispanic community.

“His record in helping Latinos overcome poor social and health conditions is second to none,” stated the magazine’s editors. “If he continues to serve the Latino community in the same way, he will become a true icon legend of the medical field.”
Dr. Sumaya is the founding dean (1997-2008) of the School of Rural Public Health. He currently serves as chairman of the National Hispanic Medical Association, member of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, and the board of directors of Ascension Health health care system.

Previously, he was a Presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, first serving as the administrator of the Health Resources and Service Administration and later as deputy assistant secretary of health. He also is a distinguished alumnus at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

“I am humbled by this distinction and thank the very many individuals that had a meaningful influence on my course in life,” Dr. Sumaya said.

School of Rural Public Health Rae Lynn Mitchell elected chair of communications for Association of Schools of Public Health

Rae Lynn Mitchell, director of communications and institutional advancement in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, has been elected chair of the Marketing and Public Relations Council for the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) following its national annual meeting in Philadelphia.

“Rae Lynn has demonstrated dedication and thoughtfulness to her efforts on ASPH communications activities,” said Allison Foster, ASPH deputy director. “We are pleased that she was selected as chair of ASPH’s Marketing and Public Relations Council, and we look forward to her leadership.”

Prior to her current position, Mitchell taught public relations and media relations classes at Texas A&M University. She also served as communications director for the first Texas A&M capital campaign.

Texas Deans Met with State Health Services Commissioner to Discuss Academic-Practice Collaboration

Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, met Friday with Dean Roberta Ness of the University of Texas School of Public Health, Dean Richard Kurz of the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, and Dean Craig Blakely of Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health to discuss opportunities and review collaborative accomplishments as academic and practice partners in public health



Dr. Harrison Spencer, president and CEO of ASPH, attended the meeting and participated in the day’s discussions.This is the third year the deans of Texas’ schools of public health have met to take a unique approach to academic-practice collaboration. The group shared and collaborated on current projects and prospective activities in public health academic practice linkages.


[Photo caption (left to right): Dr. Harrison Spencer, Dean Richard Kurz, Dr. David Lakey, Dean Roberta Ness and Dean Craig Blakely]

SRPH Recruitment Videos

Click on the link below and see three videos of current students explaining why SRPH is a good place to be!

http://srph.tamhsc.edu/prospective-students/who-we-are/students.html