Words of Rembrance by Clarence B. Jones on MLK Jr. Day

Andy

“Silence in the face of violence, is evil itself.” Just an example of one famous quote paraphrased by Clarence B. Jones, who spoke at the University of Michigan this past Monday. It was an honor to hear Jones speak on the day of remembrance for his friend and ally of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. During that historic time period, Jones was considered one of the closest political and influential confidantes of Dr. King. Serving as adviser, lawyer, draft speech writer, and friend, few knew him better.

In a brilliant and authentic display of oration, Jones proclaimed, “Except for Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Martin Luther King Jr. in 12 years and 4 months from 1956 to 1968, did more to achieve political, economic, and social justice in America than any other event or person in the previous 400 years.” It seems almost inconceivable, that during a time of racial oppression, lack of social media or internet, and limited popular support, that one man could amass such a following that would change the course of history in this great nation.

Listening to first-person testimonials about the week leading up to the famous “I Have A Dream” speech, opposition to the Vietnam War, and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, would have seemed to be enough. However, Jones also weaved a story of anti-violence together, calling to arms action against inaction. He implored the audience to realize the world of violence has many faces, and lies beneath society’s eyes like molten lava. It does not have to be fatal to affect communities. The need for a fierce urgency to make investments toward improving the quality of life, a non-violent future. In the words of Dr. King, “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.”

Lastly, Jones reflected on his feelings when President Barack Obama was first elected as President of the United States in 2008. After succumbing to a rush of emotion, tears filled his eyes. Not for the electoral results, but tears for all those people who made that election possible. Without the collective work of the Civil Rights Movement and sacrifices of millions, we would have never seen such history made. I cannot emphasize enough the goosebumps that appeared on the audience’s skin when listening to the methodical, yet emotional reaction delved so rich in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. To think he stood side by side with arguably the most influential person from American history regarding civil rights was awe inspiring.

When asked, “Who today is most like Martin Luther King Jr?” Jones answered with a rhetorical question, “Who today is most like Shakespeare, like Leonardo Da Vinci, like Michelangelo? No one.”

Andy Mychkovsky is a first year HMP student at the School of Public Health.

Guide to being an effective graduate student

Andy

How to be an effective graduate student:

1. Be social, even if it pushes the boundaries of your comfort zone. Your peers not only represent the future of healthcare, but also your next two years. Draw on various personalities and backgrounds to enhance your overall experience.
2. Don’t take graduate school too seriously. Nobody gets out alive.
3. Despite what others say, I strongly suggest you work during school. Not only will it provide some income, but more importantly allow you to apply the knowledge gained. This will not only refine your own skills, but also reinforce your reasons for pursuing a degree in public health.
4. Please don’t research to just get published. Research, then use it to solve real problems. My single greatest critique of academia is the exorbitant amount of research that is never applied or implemented to solve a practical solution in the world.
5. Never underestimate your professional background. Literally everything is relevant in public health.
6. Your classmates will make or break your graduate school experience. I’m biased, but I think my friends are the single greatest reason I’m enjoying my experience here at Michigan.
7. Professors are people too. Talk to them.
8. If you were accepted into this program, you are smart. However, so is everyone else. Never underestimate anyone.
9.  DO NOT spend all your time at the School of Public Health. Attend football games, play intramural sports, take classes at the policy school, attend lectures across campus and actively seek out other students from various disciplines.
10. Don’t forget to vote! (Let’s move Forward…)

Andy Mychkovsky is a first year HMP student at the School of Public Health.

Driving? Turn the Phone Off!

Andy

Driving is debatably the biggest public safety and public health issue of our nation. It is the leading cause of death among Americans ages 1 to 34, and the leading cause of long-term disability for all (McMillin, 2010). Statistically speaking, it is the single most dangerous activity most of us will do today. Skydiving or flying are insurmountably much safer activities, despite what our society believes. So why as a nation do we allow any mobile phone use in the car by the driver, something that drastically increases the probability of an automobile accident to persist?

As noted in the NYTimes article, “AT&T Chief Speaks Out on Texting at the Wheel”, research has shown that texting while driving increases ones risk of a crash beyond that of even an impaired driver with a 0.8 blood alcohol level (Richtel, 2012). A large majority of the population believes the BAC legal limit driving law to be a necessary piece of legislation. It only seems obvious to ban something more dangerous than something that is already banned.

Now some of you will say, texting is regulated in some states. This is obvious, however I’m wondering if we need a ban of total mobile phone use by the driver in the car. Plain and simple, mobile phones distract a driver in numerous ways. Manual manipulation of the phone such as texting or dialing significantly detracts from the time spent viewing the road. Unless you were blessed with the ability to use your two eyes independently, this presents a huge problem. In addition, there exist many distracting effects of the phone conversation through emotion or cognitive reasoning. Studies have shown that splitting cognition between two events greatly reduces the efficiency of any single activity. This is evidence to support the ban of total mobile phone use in the car, since the duration of a typical phone conversation can be up to two orders of magnitude greater than the time required to dial or answer the phone (Strayer, 2003).

Someone dies in a highway crash every 13 minutes (American Osteopathic Association). We must pass legislation that bans mobile phone and other electronic devices use while driving. Is even one life worth a text or phone call? What if that life was yours or your loved ones? The phone call can wait, especially if it’s your last.

Andy Mychkovsky is a first year HMP student at the School of Public Health.

Grad School Orientation Recap

Andy

Disclaimer: This blog post is about a week old. However I felt it was still important to offer some insight into what all incoming HMP students encountered during our 4-day orientation week. Please excuse the tardiness (due to studying…) and enjoy:

Day 1:

Orientation breakfast starts at 7:15am and I have only one thought, “Why so early?” After deciding to walk, Sophia (HMP student) and I end up arriving just in time to inhale a bagel and sit down for opening statements. Despite the morning, majority of students excited to begin. A few introductions from SPH staff later and we’re off to algebra testing. One scantron sheet later and official events are over. Lunch with some fellow classmates at Ashley’s and day 1 is in the books.

Day 2:

All departments in the School of Public Health have Tuesday off. Well except HMP because we’re more hardcore (sarcasm). We start with a scavenger hunt that moonlighted as a self-guided campus tour and icebreaker in one. Not sure how team, “We’re not running” did, but our faculty led discussion on Atul Gawande’s book, “Better” leaves us no time to rest. On a side note, I would recommend it to anyone interested in healthcare.

Nighttime activities include a student, faculty and alumni social event. I am always impressed by the level of success achieved by Michigan alumni, but even more refreshed by their willingness to offer a helping hand to the next generation.

Day 3:

Everything today revolves around the Practice Plunge. A group field trip with other incoming students from the public health, focused on interdisciplinary learning and communication. The anti-silo or anti-HMP only hangs out with other HMP student’s effect. My bus is off to visit Wayne County Public Health Department.  Upon arrival, we are guided into a room of public health professionals to hear a day in the life. The intricacies of the public health department with respect to disease control, immunization and emergency preparedness are informative, with the most entertaining discussion revolving around food safety inspection. Just don’t expect to look at a restaurant the same ever again.

Day 4:

The University of Michigan School of Public Health administration starts the day with a rousing collection of speeches tailored to excite and motivate the incoming class. I specifically remember a point when each respective department must cheer when called. I think it’s pretty obvious the Health Management and Policy crew wins (I really hope you’re not taking me literally). With spirits soaring high, we break for lunch, followed by a brief informational session on career services and a meeting with my academic advisor.

Next blog post will either be about classes or the HMP social life. Also, I know some of you have questions, feel free to comment and I will respond best I can.

Andy Mychkovsky is a first year HMP student at the School of Public Health.

PHAST Biloxi Trip Recap! Better late than never!

Michelle

So over the past two weeks, I have been fortunate to sit down with three lovely ladies to talk about their experiences on the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, with the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) during Fall Break this past semester! Just another example of how you can put the knowledge you’re learning in the classroom into practice!

The PHAST group left for Biloxi on Thursday, October 13^th and came back to Ann Arbor Sunday, October 16^th. While in Mississippi, the team worked with the University of Mississippi and the nonprofit Visions of Hope. Here is the snippet about their trip:

“Students from the University of Mississippi and the University of Michigan partnered with Visions of Hope to qualitatively assess changes in the East Biloxi, Mississippi community. We inquired about change that has occurred over the past five years, notably since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005, with specific topics of interests including population shift, health care, education, employment, and housing. Students qualitatively interviewed residents of East Biloxi who were willing to participate. The results of the interviews will be used to develop a quantitative survey regarding change in the community that will be administered in the spring of 2012 in both Biloxi and the delta region of Mississippi. The final results of the quantitative survey will be shared with local agencies and service providers so that they may better address their clients’ needs.”

Here are a few of the highlights from the conversations I had with Alena Perez, Allison Yee, and Hillary Craddock:

Alena, 1^st year, HBHE:

M: The trip was during winter break?  How did that work for the students?

Alena: The trip was before winter break, during fall break.  Time management was key.  It was definitely manageable because it was a short trip and allowed for 3 days remaining of fall break to study.

M: Tell me about the people you met.

Alena: Everyone we partnered with was great, friendly, and easy to get along with.  I did not hear of anyone specifically having or encountering any negative people or situations within the community.  Of course not everyone agreed to interview, but many were open and very receptive.  It was overall a wonderful experience and I am curious how the project will proceed with the May trip.

Allison, 1^st year, EHS:

M: The trip was during Winter break? How did that work for the students?

Allison: I had just come out of undergrad – it was fine to keep going. While it would have been nice to have taken the break, the experience was worth it.

M: Did you get any downtime on the trip?

Allison: The group went out to dinner one night and it was fun. There’s not too much to do in Biloxi, the casinos are the major form of entertainment.

 Hillary, 1^st year, EPID:

M: Tell me about the people you met.

Hillary: We met a lot of people who were working to improve the community, both through Visions of Hope and out in the field. The people at VoH were dedicated to meeting the needs of the community, and they were eager to brainstorm with us on potential new programming. We heard many stories from people who helped recover after Katrina or were helping to clean up after the oil spill.

M: Did you get any downtime?

Hillary: We got some downtime in the evenings, and we were able to experience tasty local seafood and BBQ.

PHAST in Biloxi, MS

Thank you Allison, Alena, Hillary, and Dana!

And Happy Finals / Holiday Season Y’all!

An ELEGANT way to support those impacted by cancer!

Michelle

During my summer internship at the Cancer Support Community (CSC) of Greater Ann Arbor, I got involved in their latest initiative, The Brides Project. Based on a similar organization in Toronto, Canada, The Brides Project (TBP) is a non-profit run by volunteers dedicated to raising funds for the programs of the CSC through the resale of donated bridal gowns. Once-worn gowns donated by brides or unsold gowns donated by bridal shops are made available for purchase to brides-to-be at a considerable savings. All profits from the sale of the gowns go to the CSC to support programs and services for people touched by cancer.

The gowns are high quality and offered at costs of 50% below market prices. And the boutique is at 208 W. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor, thanks to Mark Hodesh of Mark’s Carts and Downtown Home and Garden fame!

Lovely Front Door of The Brides Project Boutique!

I have been a volunteer at the Cancer Support Community for two years and it’s been wonderful every minute- but this project has gone above and beyond and shown me how creative you can be when you put your mind to it! My involvement with TBP started with many different planning committees – helping with anything I could along the way. I helped create the inventory system for the donated dresses and inevitably I ended up working at a bridal show…

Might be bad luck, but it was fun nonetheless! This upcoming weekend – I’m so lucky to be going with fellow HBHEr, Leah Gacoich, to an appointment at TBP boutique. She’s going to look so beautiful in all of the gowns! I will try to update the blog with some of her thoughts about the project after the appointment on Sunday.

Hope everyone is having a productive, fun Fall Study Break! Don’t forget to stop by my poster this Friday to learn more about The Brides Project and the Cancer Support Community!

Taking Notice

Josh Havumaki

As part of the International Health track of the Epidemiology program, I often forget that direct impact can be made locally through simple means. In fact, anyone can “practice” public health through top-down or bottom-up approaches. Some examples of the different approaches are discussed in the first 3 paragraphs here.

Due to the struggling economy, tent cities are cropping up all over the states. In fact, just a short distance from SPH, is a homeless community called, Camp Take-Notice (CTN). Renown intellectuals, Cornel West and Tavis Smiley recently visited the camp as part of their Poverty Tour of America. Last week, a couple of friends and I decided to take an impromptu trip to the area to speak with the residents and understand their daily lives.

Travis (left) and Sabri (right) preparing to fix the stairway leading to CTN

The camp is cozily nestled in the woods between two major highways on the outskirts of Ann Arbor. Each of the fifty or so residents have private tents and sleeping bags. Heaters are provided in the winter – though most residents migrate somewhere warmer. There is a common area with a large tent complete with propane stove and kitchen supplies. Another tent on a wooden platform provides additional tools for maintaining the camp. Most of the residents are either working part-time or actively looking for work and a few have been able to save enough money for an apartment in town.

Once we arrived, introductions were made and we were put to work fixing-up a dirt stairway leading from the road to camp. Afterward, we were invited to join the residents for dinner – provided by a local church. When dinner was finished, we took a quick tour of the camp and joined their weekly meeting. The meeting is a chance for residents to air grievances, praise each other for helping out and make requests for necessities. Overall, it was fascinating explore this alternative to homelessness and how community can alleviate suffering.

Travis and I on the stairs

Most businesses in Ann Arbor don’t hire homeless people. The residents of CTN have stability, community and a semi-permanent place to live. Additionally, the skills they develop through their work maintaining the camp are transferable. However, the stigmatization of homeless people is difficult to contend with and employers will not consider hiring them without a proper address.

Regardless of background and future career goals, all of us here at SPH have the opportunity to look at both the global and domestic determinants of health. Public health issues exist everywhere - so stop by, help out and above all take-notice.

::Practice Plunge 2011:: New Places, New Faces!

Michelle

I cannot believe it has been a year since I started the HBHE program here at UMSPH! What a whirlwind.. About one year ago, I went on my first Practice Plunge and here I was again, taking “the plunge” with the newbies to SPH, except this time around I was a little less nervous!

Last year, I had such a blast visiting the Washtenaw County Public Health Department during which we heard about the all the different aspects of the local health department and Growing Hope where we got our hands dirty and learned more about their mission in creating a community garden and promoting healthy eating, community engagement, and positive socioeconomic change.

Practice Plunge 2010 at Growing Hope, Ypsilanti

This year, there were five sites that the students were assigned to in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne, and Genesee counties. I went along with the Detroit area project and my group visited the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion (DHWP) and Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women. DHWP gave us the background of the programs offered within the city of Detroit and we saw a number of alumni (many of who had internships through the Office of Public Health Practice while at SPH)! At Catherine Ferguson Academy, we learned about the urban organic farming component of the students’ education, beyond the life skills and college prep training. The women who go to Catherine Ferguson are pregnant and parenting teenagers and must be accepted into a two or four-year program upon graduation from this public high school. To learn more about Catherine Ferguson Academy – you can see the documentary, “Grown in Detroit” – it’s on my On Demand list!

Similar to my experience last year, I learned a great deal about working in the field of public health and met a bunch of wonderful people! I asked a few of the newbies questions and thought I would introduce you to them! I asked what words they used to describe citizenship (the theme of the 1st year orientation), why they chose UMSPH, and what the most memorable moment of the Practice Plunge day was.

Brian Frey, HMP

Brian:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community responsibility

Why @ SPH: Throughout my early career I have had the opportunity to work with many UMSPH Alumni whose values, knowledge, work ethic, and encouragement have pushed me to desire educational excellence.  UMSPH is, and has traditionally been, a leader in health care, so the decision was an easy one for me.  Besides, I am a Wolverine for life!

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: The best part of the Practice Plunge was getting the opportunity to work side by side with students and professors from other programs that I may see on a daily basis.  It was also great to see a side of Detroit that even I was not familiar with.

Hayley Getzen, HBHE

Hayley:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community & collaboration

Why @ SPH: I chose UMSPH because of the wide variety of courses offered and all of the different directions I could go within my degree. After I went to the Admitted Students Day, I knew I wanted to go to UofM because the faculty and staff were all so welcoming and knowledgeable. I just knew I would have a lot of great opportunities at UMSPH!

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: The Practice Plunge was a great opportunity for new students to witness how local health departments are run and experience the fundamentals of public health. My favorite part of the day was how thankful the employees of the farm were when we were finished in the garden. They were so appreciative and it was cool that all of us could come together and accomplish so much in so little time. It was nice to meet so many new people as well!

Bri Meek, EHS

Bri:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Be the change.

Why @ SPH: Because Danielle (friend & family member who graduated from HBHE last year) said it was awesome, because of its global outreach, and last but not least, the vast amount of study and research opportunity.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Shoveling chicken feces with my professor!

Josh Havumaki, EPID

Josh:

1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Community & identity

Why @ SPH: UMSPH has a great deal infectious disease and epidemiological modeling research something I have worked on in the past. Also, Michigan has a strong Southeast Asian studies department – I hope to do my internship in that part of the world.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Speaking to the local farmer who runs a community garden in inner-city Detroit. This emphasized that impact and change can be made from the community level.

Stacey Lee, HMP

Stacey:
1-2 words you used to describe citizenship: Equality & proactive

Why @ SPH: The faculty met at my interview for the HMP program were warm and committed to both my education and the field of public health.

Most memorable moment of Practice Plunge: Harvesting tomatoes with my fellow SPHers

 

 

Thanks everyone – It was wonderful working and speaking with all of you!

“Moving Public Health Forward in Challenging Times”

Michelle

Hi there! I’m Michelle and I’m a second-year student in the Health Behavior Health Education (HBHE) program at the School of Public Health (SPH).  I was approached by the Office of Public Health Practice to become the newest addition to the student blogger team and I’m excited to share my experiences at SPH with you!

One of the best ways to get directly involved in the field of Public Health while you’re in your program at University of Michigan School of Public Health is to join the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST). It’s on the Student “To Do” List for a very good reason! Because of my background in community service and in emergency preparedness through working at the American Red Cross, I was immediately drawn to this group. This last March, I went on spring break with PHAST to the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, right along the US-Mexico border, and worked with the Cameron County Department of Health and Human Services to assess local practitioners’ perspectives about the risk of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever in the valley. The team finished 15 qualitative interviews in about one week and came to some interesting conclusions about obstacles in the health care system and the education of health practitioners and the community.

Though I’m SUPER busy this summer with two internships at the Center for Managing Chronic Disease and the Cancer Support Community, this past week, I traveled to Hartford, CT, for the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Annual Conference. The conference’s theme was “Moving Public Health Forward in Challenging Times.” Along with Dana Thomas from the Office of Public Health Practice, Roman Abeyta, the Epidemiologist at Cameron County Health Dept., and Brian Davis, a fellow student and Epidemiology Ph.D. candidate, I presented our results from the study of dengue fever in February at a poster session.

Brian Davis, Me!, Roman Abeyta

The conference was overall a great opportunity to learn and network with public health professionals. I met some UMSPH HBHE Alumni too!

Roman and I speaking about our project, "Assessing Healthcare Providers’ Knowledge and Concern of Dengue Fever and Binational Health in the Rio Grande Valley, TX"

It’s amazing what joining PHAST did for me this past year! I went to Texas for the first time, met so many wonderful friends and contacts, and attended and presented at my first conference! Thanks to all involved!

Feel free to email me with questions/comments in case you don’t feel comfortable sharing them below. Hope you check out my posts again soon!

Internship at the Washtenaw County Health Department

Carrie Rheingans

You know you’re a public health dork when… you leave a two-hour meeting at your internship with your head buzzing about the possibilities of health promotion programs in your community. For my social work field placement this academic year, I’m placed at the local health department, Washtenaw County Public Health. On my first day of orientation to SPH, I remember hearing someone say that if you’ve seen one local health department, you’ve seen ONE local health department – meaning that each local health department is so different from the next that there aren’t many generalizations that can be made about them. WCPH is fortunate to be able to do many health promotion programs that are in addition to their mandated public health duties as required by state or federal regulations.

Our division meeting included updates on a number of health promotion programs, from smoking cessation and healthy eating to biking to work and substance use prevention. It was reassuring to hear a lot of terms I’ve been learning in my graduate studies, and to see how health programs operate in my local community – instead of just reading about it from research articles. One staff member gave a report from a presentation at  statewide conference she had recently attended in which a health communication campaign out of Jackson, Michigan was discussed. I had heard about this campaign before in my health communication course last fall – it was a final project option for some of the students in my class! It was nice to see it come to fruition and be lauded across the state. You can learn more about it on their website – Most Teens Don’t!

Most Teens Don't Logo

Another major topic of the meeting was a big grant we’ve been writing for the last couple weeks for the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). It’s been a fun process being part of this grant proposal. The MDCH has funded 16 community organizations and local health departments over the last year to do planning in their communities for addressing health disparities among various ethnic populations. Washtenaw County was funded to work with African-Americans and Latinos, and we just submitted our proposal for the next phase of the grant – implementation. Even if we don’t get funded, it was a great learning experience to be able to work on developing the programs for the Latino-focused part of the proposal, as well as the evaluation plan. I got to apply what I learned in HBHE 651 (Program Development) and what I’m learning right now in HBHE 622 (Program Evaluation), in addition to many of the theories I learned in HBHE 600 (Psychosocial Factors in Health-Related Behavior) and SW 502 (Organizational, Community and Societal Structures and Processes).