Introduction to disaster epidemiology for public health personnel

There has been a renewed interest in disaster epidemiology after the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks of 2001, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the overwhelming loss of life that resulted from the tsunami that originated in the Indian Ocean and struck Indonesia and other adjacent countries on December 26, 2004. Institutions that have accepted the challenge of training the next generation of public health professionals as well as to continue the education of the dedicated professionals already serving in public health fields have a responsibility to train practitioners in the basic principles of disaster epidemiology as well as in practical applications of these principles. This culminating experience project involved developing an on-line course complete with the background information as well as relevant case studies that can be used as a curriculum for an introductory course in disaster epidemiology. ^

A report on public and community health personnel : prepared for the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, as required by section 793 of the Public health service act

"December 7, 1979."

Aboriginal public health and education : has it made a difference in practice?

Over the years, public health in relation to Australian Aboriginal people has involved many individuals and groups including health professionals, governments, politicians, special interest groups and corporate organisations. Since colonisation commenced until the1980s, public health relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was not necessarily in the best interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but rather in the interests of the non-Aboriginal population. The attention that was paid focussed more generally around the subject of reproduction and issues of prostitution, exploitation, abuse and venereal diseases (Kidd, 1997). Since the late 1980s there has been a shift in the broader public health agenda (see Baum, 1998) along with public health in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (NHMRC, 2003). This has been coupled with increasing calls to develop appropriate tertiary curriculum and to educate, train, and employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people in public health (Anderson et al., 2004; Genat, 2007; PHERP, 2008a, 2008b). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been engaged in public health in ways in which they are in a position to influence the public health agenda (Anderson 2004; 2008; Anderson et al., 2004; NATSIHC, 2003). There have been numerous projects, programs and strategies that have sought to develop the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Health workforce (AHMAC, 2002; Oldenburg et al., 2005; SCATSIH, 2002). In recent times the Aboriginal community controlled health sector has joined forces with other peak bodies and governments to find solutions and strategies to improve the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (NACCHO & Oxfam, 2007). This case study chapter will not address these broader activities. Instead it will explore the activities and roles of staff within the Public Health and Research Unit (PHRU) at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO). It will focus on their experiences with education institutions, their work in public health and their thoughts on gaps and where improvements can be made in public health, research and education. What will be demonstrated is the diversity of education qualifications and experience. What will also be reflected is how people work within public health on a daily basis to enact change for equity in health and contribute to the improvement of future health outcomes of the Victorian Aboriginal community.

Integrating LGBTIQ health personnel in the workplace: A literature review

Aim Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBTIQ) issues have attracted attention in the popular media. The purpose of this study was to explore the workplace acceptance and experiences of LGBTIQ health and medical practitioners. Methods A systematic search of academic databases and reference lists from selected papers were the sources of the data. Inclusion criteria were research papers published in English, which focused on workplace acceptance and experiences of LGBTIQ health personnel. Both authors abstracted data from all eligible papers. Results Thirty-three papers were included in this review. Evidence indicated that LGBTIQ health personnel experienced discrimination from their patients, heterosexual colleagues and within the LGBTIQ community. Positive contribution of LGBTIQ health personnel include improved patient care and role models for LGBTIQ peers. Inclusive policy is required for LGBTIQ health personnel workforce retention. Conclusions There has been improvement in the acceptance and experiences of LGBTIQ health personnel in recent times. An inclusive workplace policy of LGBTIQ embraces and celebrates the value of diversity.

Food Literacy: Key Concepts for Health and Education

Globally, the food system and the relationship of the individual to that system, continues to change and grow in complexity. Eating is an everyday event that is part of everyone’s lives. There are many commentaries on the nature of these changes to what, where and how we eat and their socio-cultural, environmental, educational, economic and health consequences. Among this discussion, the term "food literacy" has emerged to acknowledge the broad role food and eating play in our lives and the empowerment that comes from meeting food needs well. In this book, contributors from Australia, China, United Kingdom and North America provide a review of international research on food literacy and how this can be applied in schools, health care settings and public education and communication at the individual, group and population level. These varying perspectives will give the reader an introduction to this emerging concept. The book gathers current insights and provides a platform for discussion to further understanding and application in this field. It stimulates the reader to conceptualise what food literacy means to their practice and to critically review its potential contribution to a range of outcomes.

Guidelines on the standards for the training of specialised health professionals dealing with breast cancer.

According to EUSOMA position paper 'The requirements of a specialist breast unit', each breast unit should have a core team made up of health professionals who have undergone specialist training in breast cancer. In this paper, on behalf of EUSOMA, authors have identified the standards of training in breast cancer, to harmonise and foster breast care training in Europe. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the increase in the level of care in a breast unit, as the input of qualified health professionals increases the quality of breast cancer patient care.

Medical education as moral formation: an Aristotelian account of medical professionalsim.

The medical professionalism movement, bolstered by many influential medical organizations and institutions, has in the last decade produced a number of conceptual definitions of professionalism and a number of concrete proposals for its measurement and teaching. These projects, however laudable, are misguided when they treat professionalism as a unitary descriptive concept rather than as a contested and therefore primarily evaluative one; when they conceive professionalism as a domain of medical practice separable in principle from other domains; and when they treat professionalism as, in principle, a specifiable goal or product of sufficiently well designed educational curricula. The logic of professionalism-as-product corresponds to the logic of techne (art or practical skill) in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle provides a cogent argument, however, that the moral excellences denoted by "professionalism" cannot be "produced" or even prespecified in the concrete; rather, they must be acquired through long practice under the careful concrete guidance of teachers who themselves embody these moral excellences. Phronesis (practical wisdom) rather than techne must therefore be the guiding logic of educational initiatives in medical professional formation, with particular emphasis on close mentorship and on the moral character both of students and of those who teach them.

Social Media Use in Medical and Health Professional Education: Role of the Librarian on a Faculty Steering Committee

Objective: An interprofessional steering committee was created at Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine to examine how social media are integrated in medical and health professional education in universities across the globe, and to propose a strategic plan for integrating social media in the Faculty’s various curricula. This presentation will summarize the steering committee’s work and describe the librarian’s contribution. Methods: The Committee’s project leader first conducted a literature search on best practices of social media in medical and health professional curricula. A reference website was then created (mse.med.umontreal.ca) to provide easy access to a large number of the articles and resources reviewed. A steering committee was constituted and 11 meetings were held over a 9-month period. The Committee comprised 18 members and included assistant deans, academic program directors, professors, communication advisors, undergraduate and graduate students and a librarian. An online survey on social media use by students and professors of the Faculty was conducted, ten pilot projects were put forward and a three-year strategic plan was proposed. Results: A total of 1508 students and 565 professors participated in the survey. Results showed that both groups had a strong interest in learning how social media could be integrated in academic and professional activities. Participants reported concern with risks associated with social media use and expressed the need for a Faculty policy and guidelines. The librarian’s contribution to the steering committee included: writing posts on the website’s internal blog, assisting in the design of the survey questionnaires and writing the final report’s survey results chapter. She also proposed two pilot projects: creating a social media learning portal and an altmetrics workshop. Conclusions: Based on the literature review and the survey results, the Committee affirmed the importance of integrating social media in the various study programs of the Faculty of Medicine. Despite the restricted timeline, this interprofessional steering committee was able to carry out its mandate because of the leadership and expertise of each of its members. As the librarian had the most experience with the use of social media in a professional context, her knowledge was instrumental in assisting the project leader in a group mainly composed of social media non-users.

Evaluation of sugar maple dieback in the Upper Great Lakes region and development of a forest health youth education program

Acer saccharum Marsh., is one of the most valuable trees in the northern hardwood forests. Severe dieback was recently reported by area foresters in the western Upper Great Lakes Region. Sugar Maple has had a history of dieback over the last 100 years throughout its range and different variables have been identified as being the predisposing and inciting factors in different regions at different times. Some of the most common factors attributed to previous maple dieback episodes were insect defoliation outbreaks, inadequate precipitation, poor soils, atmospheric deposition, fungal pathogens, poor management, or a combination of these. The current sugar maple dieback was evaluated to determine the etiology, severity, and change in dieback on both industry and public lands. A network of 120 sugar maple health evaluation plots was established in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and eastern Minnesota and evaluated annually from 2009-2012. Mean sugar maple crown dieback between 2009-2012 was 12.4% (ranging from 0.8-75.5%) across the region. Overall, during the sampling period, mean dieback decreased by 5% but individual plots and trees continued to decline. Relationships were examined between sugar maple dieback and growth, habitat conditions, ownership, climate, soil, foliage nutrients, and the maple pathogen sapstreak. The only statistically significant factor was found to be a high level of forest floor impacts due to exotic earthworm activity. Sugar maple on soils with lower pH had less earthworm impacts, less dieback, and higher growth rates than those on soils more favorable to earthworms. Nutritional status of foliage and soil was correlated with dieback and growth suggesting perturbation of nutrient cycling may be predisposing or contributing to dieback. The previous winter's snowfall totals, length of stay on the ground, and number of days with freezing temperatures had a significant positive relationship to sugar maple growth rates. Sapstreak disease, Ceratocystis virescens, may be contributing to dieback in some stands but was not related to the amount of dieback in the region. The ultimate goal of this research is to help forest managers in the Great Lakes Region prevent, anticipate, reduce, and/or salvage stands with dieback and loss in the future. An improved understanding of the complex etiology associated with sugar maple dieback in the Upper Great Lakes Region is necessary to make appropriate silvicultural decisions. Forest Health education helps increase awareness and proactive forest management in the face of changing forest ecosystems. Lessons are included to assist educators in incorporating forest health into standard biological disciplines at the secondary school curricula.