NEWS

UNC’s School of Public Health has been awarded a $100,000 grant to strengthen public health infrastructure and to promote collaboration between public health schools and local health departments.

The grant, awarded by the Association of Schools of Public Health, will be used in three training areas.

The first, work force development, will involve creating specialty courses and certificate programs for competency accreditation and career promotion for public health workers.

The grant also will be used to put Team Epi-Aid, a volunteer group of 103 students in the school, to work in local counties. The team is for students who want outbreak investigation experience in the field. To date, students have helped in the Buncombe County hepatitis A investigation and the UNC norovirus outbreak.

The third area is a Gaston County program focusing on social and emotional health in child care. It will be coordinated by the school’s department of maternal and child health, and plans are under way to hire a child care health consultant, set up partnerships for resources and referrals with child care centers and homes and provide related training.

The Association of Schools of Public Health is a national organization representing the deans, faculty and students of the accredited member schools of public health and other programs seeking accreditation as schools of public health. It serves as a data center and a liaison among the schools, government, other professional bodies and the public.

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One week ago, some 153 graduating medical students at UNC learned where they'll spend the next several years completing their residencies.

The annual placement event – called Match Day – is when medical school seniors nationwide learn which residency program they will enter.

Match Day is eagerly anticipated by the graduating students, who bring their parents, spouses, children and friends with them to celebrate their good fortune or, in fewer cases, commiserate their disappointment.

"Traditionally, our students have done very well with regard to getting good residencies," said Dr. Georgette Dent, associate dean for student affairs in UNC’s School of Medicine. "That says UNC is doing a great job of educating these students, and as a result, they are considered excellent recruits by other programs. We are pleased that 53 percent of our students will enter a primary care field and that over one-third of our students placed in North Carolina programs."

Match Day is organized by the National Resident Matching Program, a private, not-for-profit organization sponsored by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Hospital Association and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.

Before they can provide direct patient care, medical school graduates in the United States are required to complete a three- to seven-year graduate program accredited in a recognized medical specialty.

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The recent fifth annual Women’s Health Research Day, sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for Women’s Health Research, marked the first time researchers received awards for their presentations at this event.

Following are the awards and recipients:

· The McMahon Young Investigator Award went to Dr. Laura Gaydos, a doctoral candidate in UNC’s School of Public Health, for her presentation on factors influencing the creation of contraceptive equity laws. The award, given to a young investigator whose work demonstrates great promise for leadership in advancing women’s health through research, is in memory of Dr. Michael J. McMahon.

· The Wolf-Hulka Innovators Award went to Dr. Kathryn Verbanac, an associate professor of surgery at East Carolina University’s School of Medicine, for her presentation on polymerase chain reaction detection of sentinel lymph node metastases in breast cancer. The award is given to a researcher who has made a novel contribution to advancing science by showing innovation in methods, population studies, study design or studied content area. The award honors Dr. Jaroslav Hulka.

· The Judges Award, which recognizes research in the field of women’s disabilities, was jointly awarded to Dr. Sandra Martin, professor of maternal and child health in UNC’s School of Public Health, and Dr. Susan Parish, assistant professor in UNC’s School of Social Work, for their work in disabled women’s health care access.

· The Center for Women's Health Research Award of Excellence was awarded to Dr. Anna Maria Siega-Riz, associate professor of nutrition and of maternal and child health in UNC’s School of Public Health, for her research in the relationship between a high glycemic load diet and the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

Award amounts ranged from $1,000 to $2,000 and support further research and professional activities. The Center for Women’s Health Research is a collaborative program of UNC’s schools of medicine and public health and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

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News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu