Increasing Physical Activity
A Network of Walking Groups Keeps Rural Pennsylvania Moving
Engaging in physical activity can be a challenge in rural areas, where sidewalks are scarce, fitness facilities are limited, and there's little access to public transportation. In western Pennsylvania, many residents are confronted with this issue on a daily basis. To combat this, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health created WalkWorks, a group-based walking program implemented in six counties: Cambria, Crawford, Greene, McKean, Venango, and Washington.
Public Partnership
by Christine H. O'Toole
Last summer, 10 interns from the Graduate School of Public Health detoured from their usual commutes to Parran and Crabtree halls to the nearby headquarters of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). The group was mining a trove of public health gold: the results of the recent Allegheny County Health Survey (ACHS) of local residents. They paused at some troubling results.
Dean's Day 2013
The Center for Public Health Practice is pleased to announce the following awards:
Center for Public Health Practice Award for Translation and Application of Research to Public Health Policy and Practice
Olivia Houck and Samantha Malone recently received the Center for Public Health Practice Award for Translation and Application of Research to Public Health Policy and Practice. The CPHP Translation Award honors the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) Dean's Day project best demonstrating a contribution to policy making and/or applications for improving practice. Ms. Houck, a student in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, received the award for her project, "Modeling Staffing Dynamics for POD Operations in an Infectious Disease Emergency." Ms. Malone, a student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, received the award for her project, "Public Health and High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing."
Catherine Cartier Ulrich Memorial Award: Public Health in Service to the Underserved
The Catherine Cartier Ulrich Memorial Award was established by the Center for Public Health Practice to honor the memory of Catherine Cartier Ulrich for her work improving the health of underserved populations. Tragically, Catherine and her husband were killed in a car accident on July 3, 2000. The Cartier Ulrich Memorial Award honors one Master's level and one Doctoral level student each year and is open to all Dean's Day projects that show a commitment to public health service to the underserved. In 2013, Ms. Leannea Adamson, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, was recognized for her Master's level work, "Group Engagement as a Complement to One on One Mentoring: Preliminary Data from a Longitudinal Study Designed to Reduce Repeat Teen Pregnancy," and Doctoral candidate, Ms. Lynne Marshall, Department of Epidemiology, was recognized for her work "A Comparison of Circulatory and Respiratory Hospitalization Rates of Coal Mining and Non-Coal Mining Counties in West Virginia: A Preliminary Analysis."
Helping Hospitals Address Community Health Needs Webinar Series
The Graduate School of Public Health is committed to improving the health of Pennsylvanians. Our team of public health experts can help hospitals comply with the requirements of community health under the new federal tax laws and make a difference in the health status of their service populations. Training is available through the federally funded Pennsylvania Public Health Training Center, a program of the Center for Public Health Practice. You, your staff and your consultants can learn how to align the new reporting requirements with your strategic goals and resources by utilizing our training opportunities and resources. Together, we can impact health outcomes in Pennsylvania by integrating health care and public health.
