News Release

Annual poster day highlights field experiences of students in three SPH departments.

November 1, 2007, release from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

main room of posters ANN ARBOR, Mich.--More than 130 second-year M.P.H. students from the University of Michigan School of Public Health shared photos and findings from their summer internships and field experiences at an afternoon poster session on October 22, 2007. Three of the school's five academic departments hosted the event throughout the first floor of UM SPH's new Crossroads building. Students, faculty, and members of the public sipped punch, browsed the aisles of posters, and discussed the fieldwork carried out in far corners of the globe, as well as rural and urban areas throughout Michigan and the United States.

The Department of Epidemiology marked its 17th annual research forum, with 52 students participating. Top accolades went to:

Multi-level neighborhood effects in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA), Cinthia Blat, Irina Mordukhovich, Kari Moore, Mary Haan.
Trends in West Nile Virus surveillance in Washtenaw County, MI, 2003-2007, Michelle Martinchek.
Social epidemiologic characteristics of cervical cancer in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Lisa Peters.
Determinants of participation in a large population-based HIV surveillance in rural South Africa, Katie Van Bemmelen, Till Barnighausen, Rachel Snow, Marie-Louise Newell.

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences had 24 student research posters on view. Top award presentations included:

Health Homes University: A program to reduce childhood asthma symptoms in Michigan, Carina Gronlund.
Assessing Macomb County's beaches for recreational water quality, Katie Butler.
Children's understanding of healthy eating: Ashley Hurst.
Abbott Laboratories Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development Centrifuge Safety Program, Jennifer Hsu.

The Department of Health Behavior and Health Education had 56 students participating in its poster session this year. Awards for research presentations included:

Washtenaw County Public Health Department Health Equity and Social Justice Project, Ypsilanti, MI, Marie Tillema.
Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Melissa Wilson.
Webster House Youth Services, Muskegon, MI, Lauren Bailey.
Building healthy communities through partnership, Kisumum, Kenya, Sara Schmidt.

Contact: Terri Mellow, director of communications
Phone: (734) 764-8094
E-mail: twm@umich.edu

Photos from SPH's session

Washtenaw County Public Health Department Health Equity and Social Justice Project, Ypsilanti, MI: Marie Tillema.

Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons: Melissa Wilson.

Assessing Macomb County's beaches for recreational water quality: Katie Butler.

Determinants of participation in a large population-based HIV surveillance in rural South Africa, Katie Van Bemmelen (pictured), Till Barnighausen, Rachel Snow, Marie-Louise Newell.

Epidemiology students discussing their projects.