Mental health anti-stigma project kicks off IU Bloomington outreach with launch party

A student-led Indiana University initiative aimed at combating the stigma of mental illness will kick off its campus outreach with a launch party at IU Auditorium.

The event Thursday, November 13, will feature a performance by the iO Chicago Theater improv group, along with giveaways and opportunities for students to win prizes such as Pro Bowl and Super Bowl tickets.

The initiative, the U Bring Change 2 Mind College Toolbox Project, is designed to encourage students with mental health issues to get the help they need.

“With our goal in mind to end the stigma of mental illness, we invite all IU students and employees to join us for this night of fun and unlimited opportunities,” said Susan Barnett, a doctoral student in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington and the manager of the project.

Doors to the auditorium will open at 6 p.m. Thursday, and volunteers will be staffing booths that provide free giveaways and information about an upcoming campus-wide, anti-stigma campaign. The performance by iO Chicago Theater of its popular “The Improved Musical” starts at 7 p.m.

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Lecture: Indoor Burning of Biomass Fuels: The Number One Environmental Cause of Death in the World

William J. Martin II

Join us for the upcoming talk, part of the Public Health Lecture Series, with speaker Dr. William J. Martin II, Dean and Professor, Ohio State University College of Public Health. 

November 21, 2014, 12 noon, in the Tony A. Mobley Auditorium (PH C100)

William J. Martin II joined Ohio State University’s College of Public Health from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he served as associate director for disease prevention and health. Prior to serving at the NICHD, he served as associate director of NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and as its director of the Office of Translational Research, where he led the Head-Off Environmental Asthma in Louisiana (HEAL) study of asthma outcomes in children in post-Katrina New Orleans.

As a physician-scientist in lung injury and repair, he has authored more than 160 research and clinical papers and was an NIH-funded researcher for 24 years. His professional service includes being president of the American Thoracic Society, president of the American Lung Association of Indiana, a member of the Advisory Council for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and a health policy fellow for the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.

Faculty selected for HIV intervention research program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health

LaDonna BlueEye

Dr. LaDonna BlueEye and Dr. Brian Dodge, both of the Department of Applied Health Science, have been selected as fellow and mentor in the HIV Intervention Science Training Program for Underrepresented New Investigators (HISTP) at Columbia University. The HISTP is a highly prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded training program that aims to promote the growth of scientists from underrepresented groups conducting HIV dissemination and implementation research.

The HISTP is based on an innovative set of multidisciplinary mentored training activities, aimed at facilitating the development of a new generation of faculty from underrepresented groups who will conduct dissemination and implementation research to ensure that effective and culturally-congruent HIV prevention and treatment interventions reach underserved HIV vulnerable populations. 

The fellowship includes two years of support via innovative dual mentorship structure (at both Columbia University and the fellow’s home institution, monthly training seminars and workshops, support to attend conferences, biannual week-long intensive training institutes for fellows and mentors, grant writing assistance including peer review and production support, and access to the HISTP’s library of NIH-funded grants, protocols, instruments, articles, and presentations.

In addition to programmatic activities, Dr. BlueEye will receive a $20,000 pilot research grant from NIH, for which she has proposed an exploratory study of American Indian bisexual men. Dr. Dodge, who is a nationally recognized expert on bisexuality, will serve as her local mentor throughout the duration of the fellowship. In addition to having an impact on a dramatically understudied and underserved population, both Dodge and BlueEye are grateful for the opportunity to represent Indiana University in the Ivy League.

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Ewert Appointed chair of the Department of Environmental Health

Alan Ewert

In May of 2013, Dr. Alan Ewert took over as interim chair for the Department of Environmental Health, and since then has played an instrumental role within the department as the school continues the accreditation process. In October of 2014, the faculty of the department unanimously recommended that Ewert be appointed the department’s permanent chairperson. 

“Dr. Ewert has done an outstanding job in leading this department during the past several months, and he will continue to do so in a joint appointment with the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies,” said School of Public Health-Bloomington Dean Mohammad Torabi. “He has been very helpful as the school continues through the accreditation process; his expertise in the natural environment and human health has made him a good fit at this point in time to lead our Department of Environmental Health, and maintain his commitments in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies.”

Shei receives President’s Diversity Doctoral Scholar Award

Ren-Jay Shei

Ren-Jay Shei, Ph.D. student in the Department of Kinesiology was recently awarded the President’s Diversity Doctoral Scholar Award. 

The President’s Diversity Doctoral Scholars Program is designed to prepare more minority Ph.D. students who seek careers as college faculty. The program provides multiple layers of support including career counseling, job postings, counseling and advocacy, a scholar directory for networking and recruiting, invitation to attend the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, and career support for pre-candidacy doctoral students.

Shei, whose research interests include human performance, fatigue, and respiratory physiology, will specifically explore the implications of exercising with a load on the chest cavity (such as while wearing a backpack or protective vest) on performance for his dissertation.

Dr. Aurelian Bidulescu elected Fellow of the American Heart Association

Aurelian Bidulescu

Dr. Aurelian Bidulescu, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association for his outstanding dedication and achievement. Dr. Bidulescu will be honored at a reception during November where he will receive an official letter of election and FAHA certificate to commemorate his achievement. 

American Heart Association Fellowships conferred by the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention are reserved for professional members who are scientists, physicians, clinical professionals and academicians with a major and productive interest in CV disease epidemiology and/or CV disease prevention, and whose accomplishments support the stated objectives of the AHA/ASA and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.

Fellowship provides a means to recognize and award premium professional members for excellence, innovative and sustained contributions in the areas of scholarship; practice; and/or education; and volunteer service and/or leadership within in the AHA/ASA.

Eppley Institute protecting natural resources in Yellowstone and Everglades

The Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands has been selected to partner with two major national parks, Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) and Everglades National Park (Florida), to produce mandatory park user education programs that protect natural resources and enhance park user safety. 

Everglades National Park

Eppley will partner with Everglades National Park to provide an online boater education program for the park’s marine waters as a key part of the park’s general management plan. The need for this boater safety program is based on strong public concern for marine resources protection, the quality of visitor experiences in these areas, as well as scientific information gathered about park conditions and levels of use. The online course will increase power boaters’ understanding of the challenges of navigating the Everglade’s marine waters, and ensure that boaters will be aware of laws, regulations, and policies that affect marine resources and visitor use.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is utilizing the Eppley Institute to implement an online Snowmobile Education Certification that allows private snowmobilers to enter Yellowstone National Park with the training they need to be safe, and to protect the park’s wildlife and natural resources. As the park transitions to allowing select snowmobile groups to be able to enter Yellowstone National Park without a commercial guide, emphasizing resource protection and visitor safety, along with educating snowmobile operators about unique conditions they will encounter on Yellowstone’s groomed over-snow roads during extreme winter condition becomes imperative. 

About the Eppley Institute

Established in 1993 Indiana University’s Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands is an national award winning program offering online learning for park, recreation, and protected areas management to over 30,000 individuals annually at www.eppley.org. The Institute was recently awarded over $750,000 in contracts and grants for the National Park Service including these two important projects, as part of its 20 year history of research, education, and consulting efforts nationally. 

Celebrating faculty promotions and tenure

In October 2014, the School of Public Health-Bloomington recognized those faculty members who were promoted or tenured with a reception. Those honored included:

• Dr.  Joseph Chen, Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, promoted to Full Professor
• Dr. Brian Dodge, Applied Health Science, Associate Professor with Tenure
• Dr. Noy Kay, Applied Health Science, promoted to Full Clinical Professor
• Dr. Susan Middlestadt, Applied Health Science, promoted to Full Professor
• Dr. Dong Chul Seo, Applied Health Science, promoted to Full Professor
• Dr. Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, Applied Health Science, promoted to Full Clinical Professor
• Dr. Kevin Slates, Applied Health Science, promoted to Associate Clinical Professor

Those in the picture include: Dr. Brian Dodge, Dr. Noy Kay, Dr. Susan Middlestadt, Dr. Dong Chul Seo, Dr. Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, Dr. Kevin Slates, Dean Mohammad Torabi, Dr. David Lohrmann, and Dr. Kathy Gilbert

McCormick receives Distinguished Fellow Award from American Therapeutic Recreation Association

Bryan McCormick

Bryan McCormick, professor and chair of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, has received the American Therapeutic Recreation Association's 2014 Distinguished Fellow Award. McCormick was presented with the award during the association's annual conference in Oklahoma City.

"Dr. McCormick is such a great asset to the school and to Indiana University," said Mohammad Torabi, dean and Chancellor's Professor at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. "His selection as a recipient of this prestigious award is highly fitting given his dedication to innovation in teaching and learning at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington."

The award is the highest level of recognition given by the American Therapeutic Recreation Association and recognizes exceptional accomplishments within the field of recreational therapy.

Focusing on the social and community functioning of people with severe mental illnesses, McCormick's research examines elements such as daily physical activity, mood and social context as well as recreation and support networks and their impact on overall mental well-being.

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IU Foundation magazine features Academic Diving Program

Charlie Beeker

Dr. Charlie Beeker and the IU Office of Underwater Science and Academic Diving were recently featured in the IU Foundation’s fall issue of Imagine. The article highlights Dr.  Beeker’s investigation of the newly discovered remains of a shipwreck believed to be the famed Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus’ flagship vessel, in the Dominican Republic.

Beeker, director of the Office of Underwater Science and Academic Diving and associate clinical professor of kinesiology in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, said recent investigations look promising, based on scientific diving and visual inspection of the site and evaluation of remote sensing data and historic records.

"The evidence looks very compelling, and Indiana University will conduct a full investigation to determine whether this is the Santa Maria, hopefully as early as this summer," Beeker said. "We are very excited about the potential of this discovery and very pleased to help protect sites such as the Santa Maria for future generations as Living Museums in the Sea."

Dr. Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin receives Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award

Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin

On October 29th, Dr. Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, clinical professor of the Department of Applied Health Science, received the prestigious Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award at the annual recognition dinner of the Indiana Public Health Association (IPHA).

The award was established in cooperation with The Indiana Public Health Foundation, Inc. by Mary F. Hulman and inaugurated on October 1, 1985 as Indiana's premiere health award in recognition of Indiana citizens and organizations whose efforts have resulted in a significant improvement to the human race.  

The purpose of the awards is to create a positive image of health and to provide a forum through which a greater awareness of the contributions of health leaders is made known.

Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin is being recognized for her efforts involving increased public health awareness of HIV/AIDS and sexuality education in the public schools. Specifically, she’s being recognized for helping to design sexuality/HIV prevention workshops which have provided middle and high school students, and their teachers, with valuable health instruction that incorporates active learning and skill-building activities.
   
“Her work has enabled students to acquire the knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and specific risk-reduction behaviors that they can employ to protect themselves from negative health consequences of sexual and drug use behavior that could put them at risk for contracting HIV and other STIs,” said School of Public Health-Bloomington Dean Mohammad Torabi. 

School of Public Health-Bloomington to Sponsor 25th Anniversary of Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Program

Each year twenty to twenty-five outstanding women are selected to be part of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service program. The Lugar Series is a political leadership development program designed for fast tracking and mainstreaming outstanding Hoosier women into positions of influence in the public arena. The success of the Lugar Series led to the implementation of 19 similar programs across the country. 

To date, there are 421 alumni of the Lugar Series and more than 2000 graduates of the Series nationwide. Founded in 1990, the organization will be celebrating 25 years of service in the coming year and will commemorate the anniversary with supporters at a luncheon in early March of 2015. 

With sponsorship from the School of Public Health-Bloomington the event will feature keynote speaker Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and co-founder and CEO of Global Health Corps. “A milestone such as this calls for a keynote speaker of unparalleled success who has earned the respect of women and men around the world,” said Gretchen Gutman, Lugar Series Board Member. 

International HIV/AIDS prevention and research pioneer Joep Lange presented posthumous Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award

Joep Lange

The Indiana University Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention (RCAP) presented the posthumous 2015 Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award to Joep Lange, M.D., Ph.D., on October 14, 2014 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Dr. Lange was professor of medicine and head of the Department of Global Health at the University of Amsterdam and was a passenger on the Malaysian Airlines Flight ML 17 that tragically crash in eastern Ukraine, July 17, 2014. 

“Dr. Lange was a world-renowned leader in HIV/AIDS prevention and the architect of several pivotal trails on antiretroviral therapy and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in both the developed and developing countries. The world lost a pioneer and ‘giant’ in global efforts to combat AIDS; certainly he is a worthy recipient of the prestigious Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award,” said Dr. William L. Yarber, RCAP senior director. 

Dr. Lange published more than 400 papers in peer-reviewed journals and guided more than 30 doctoral students. Not only was he a scientist and clinician, he advocated for affordable AIDS medication to African countries. Dr. Yarber and Jeanne White Ginder, Ryan’s mother, will present the award to Dr. Lange’s family at an internationally-attended academic forum on HIV/AIDS conducted in honor of Dr. Lange. 

Former recipients of the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award include former U. S. Surgeon Generals David Satcher, MD, and C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D., James Curran, M.D., of the Rollins School Public Health at Emory University, and Jeanne White Ginder.  
RCAP is housed in the Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.