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]