Fwd: UMass Amherst SPHHS May eNews

[Margot Malachowski]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Patrick Freeman <pfre...@schoolph.umass.edu>
Date: Fri, May 29, 2020 at 10:15 AM
Subject: UMass Amherst SPHHS May eNews
To: Patrick Freeman <pfre...@schoolph.umass.edu>

Virtual graduation celebrations, coronavirus response efforts, and more featured in the SPHHS May eNews.

The SPHHS E-Newsletter - May 2020     Dean's Message As this academic year comes to a close, I want to step away from the ongoing pandemic and the uncertain future that comes with it, and take a moment to celebrate all the extraordinary accomplishments of this past year. Read more     Celebrating the Class of 2020     Virtual Celebrations Honor Class of 2020 The School of Public Health and Health Sciences joined the university and academic units across campus in a series of virtual celebration events to recognize its graduating class of 2020. Read more   VIDEO: Congratulations to the Class of 2020 Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz leads faculty and staff from across the School of Public Health and Health Sciences in heartfelt congratulations to the graduating class of 2020. Watch the video   VIDEO: A Special Tribute to the Class of 2020 The School of Public Health and Health Sciences celebrates its students from the graduating class of 2020 in this special tribute video.  Watch the video     Responding to COVID-19     Reich Lab Issues Weekly Projections from COVID-19 Forecast Hub Nicholas Reich has been releasing the COVID-19 Forecast Hub's updated projections, four weeks out, for number of COVID-19 deaths nationally and by state. Read more   Peltier Receives Grant for Face Mask Research The National Science Foundation has awarded a fast-track grant to Richard Peltier to expand his research into whether face masks can be safely reused by medical workers after repeated sterilizations. Read more   Faculty Participate in COVID-19 Town Hall Nicholas Reich and Andrew Lover participated in a COVID-19 Town Hall – a virtual event featuring short presentations from a number of UMass Amherst clinical and research leaders. Read more   Student Efforts Aid the Public Health Response to COVID-19 Students spanning all disciplines across the SPHHS, led by faculty and staff, are finding ways to serve their community during the pandemic. Read more   VIDEO: Elder Companionship Project: A Message to Residents SPHHS students share words of comfort with the residents of nursing homes, rehab and assisted-living facilities, and retirement communities. Watch the video   VIDEO: Elder Companionship Project: A Message to Staff SPHHS students share words of encouragement and appreciation with the staff caring for the residents of nursing homes, rehab facilities, and assisted-living communities. Watch the video     From Our Alumni     Grossman '12 Documents Crisis in Photo Essay Kinesiology alumnus Dr. Duncan Grossman ’12, a medical resident in NYC, documents the progression of COVID-19 at his hospital in a photo essay published in The Wall Street Journal. Read more   Pozner '84 Pens Washington Post Op-Ed on Medical Directives Public health alumnus Dr. Charles Pozner '84, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the co-author of an opinion article published in the Washington Post. Read more   Verma-Agrawal MPH '02 Discusses Inequities in Public Health Response In a new podcast, health promotion and policy alumna Meenakshi Verma-Agrawal MPH ’02 discusses how the “design of public health” creates inequities in coronavirus response efforts. Read more   Vaughn Grooters MPH '08 Interviewed About Rome Under Quarantine Epidemiology alumna Susan Vaughn Grooters MPH '08, who has lived in Italy since 2016, was interviewed for a Boston Globe story on life in Rome during quarantine. Read more     We Want to Hear Your Stories     The ongoing public health crisis caused by the coronavirus has made abundantly clear the importance of our public health and health sciences workforce. In these unprecedented times, we all find inspiration in the work being conducted by our health care workers. Many of our alumni are among those individuals working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — and we want to hear your stories.   Tell us your news using this online form or by emailing us directly at sphhs...@umass.edu.     In the Media: Coronavirus Response Roundup     • PBS NewsHour: What Computer-Based Models Can Tell Us About Coronavirus — and What They Can’t • Washington Post: Coronavirus Hot Spots Erupt Across the Country; Experts Warn of Second Wave in South • Boston Globe: UMass Model Predicts Death Toll Will Rise Over 8,100 • NPR: How to Make Sense of All the COVID-19 Projections? A New Model Combines Them • The Africa Report: Coronavirus: North Africa Must Develop its Own Strategy to Ease Lockdown • Tampa Bay Times (via PolitiFact): Fact-checking ‘Plandemic,’ a Documentary Full of False Conspiracy Theories on the Coronavirus • New York Times: With New Hot Spots Emerging, No Sign of a Respite     Recognizing Faculty Excellence     Sibeko Honored for Community Engagement Lindiwe Sibeko, extension assistant professor of nutrition, has received the 2020 Distinguished Community Engagement Award for Research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Read more     Newsmakers     Spracklen Helps Identify New Genetic Markers of Type 2 Diabetes In the largest study of its kind in any non-European population, an international team of researchers has identified new genetic links with type 2 diabetes among East Asian individuals. Read more   How Scholars Can Better Share Research With a Non-Academic Audience Lisa Troy and colleagues with the Public Engagement Project chart a new pathway for researchers seeking to share their work with non-academic audiences. Read more     In the Spotlight     DiFulvio and Whitmal Selected as TIDE Ambassadors Gloria DiFulvio and Nathaniel Whitmal have been selected as 2020-21 TIDE Ambassadors (Teaching for Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Equity) faculty fellows. Read more   Delta Omega Inducts New Members The UMass Amherst Rho Chapter of the Delta Omega Honor Society inducted its 2020 cohort of new members into its ranks this past spring semester. Read more     Student News     Lemere Selected as JCOIN Scholar Health promotion and policy doctoral student Susan Lemere has been selected for the Justice Community Opioid Intervention Network (JCOIN) Scholar Program to support her work in justice settings. Read more   Kinesiology Students Receive AKA Awards Four kinesiology students received awards from the American Kinesiology Association, including Colleen Chase, who earned the association’s 2020 National Master’s Scholar Award. Read more   Nutrition Student Hsiao Receives Dissertation Award Bi-sek Hsiao, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Nutrition, has received a Dissertation Award from the UMass Amherst Center for Research on Families. Read more   BIO-EPI Graduate Students Selected for Grant Writing Program Jennifer Carroll, Susan Park, and Lindsey Russo are among the six students selected to participate in the 2020 cohort of the Graduate Student Grant Writing Program. Read more   EHS Lab Members Receive Undergraduate Honors Class of 2020 graduates Christopher Clark and Joseph McGaunn have received recognition for their accomplishments in the areas of leadership and creative scholarship. Read more   SPHHS Students Receive 2020 Alumni Association Awards Nine students from the School of Public Health and Health Sciences recently won UMass Amherst Alumni Association scholarship awards for 2020. Read more     SPHHS Creates MPH Task Force     Task Force Will Examine MPH Core Curriculum The SPHHS has convened an MPH Task Force to review its current MPH core curriculum and explore whether changes to its current core courses and/or organizational structures are needed. Read more     In Pictures       Nearly 30 prominent public figures – including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry – joined Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and UMass President Marty Meehan, as well as actor Ben Affleck, TV host and political commentator Rachel Maddow, SNL comedian Rachel Dratch, and a slew of other famous alumni and celebrities, to pay tribute to the Class of 2020 in a special streaming video presentation. Look closely and you'll even see our very own Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz and Professor Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson among the cheering crowd!   Are you following us on Instagram and Facebook? Have a photo of your own that you'd like to share? Tag us @umasssphhs or use the hashtag #umasssphhs.     UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences 715 N. Pleasant Street Amherst, MA 01003

Please email Patrick Freeman at pfre...@schoolph.umass.edu if you wish to be removed from this distribution list.

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Margot G. Malachowski

413.522.8323