Newsletter

First Alumni Reunion A SuccessThe College of Public Health Alumni

Chapter marked the five year anniversary

of the Chapter in 2014. After spending the

past five years building the organization,

the COPH Alumni Chapter hosted its first

all school reunion on October 10, 2014.

The reunion enabled alumni to: reunite

with fellow College of Public Health

classmates and faculty; celebrate the five

year anniversary of the alumni chapter and

learn about the Chapter’s future; and give

alumni the opportunity to network with

COPH leadership, including the college’s

new dean, Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H.

The event was attended by alumni

from almost every College of Public

Health graduating class spanning 2003-

2014. “Our alumni network has grown

substantially over the past five years,”

said Valeriya Kettelhut, M.D., M.P.H. ’07,

president of the College of Public Health

Alumni Chapter. “Our organization has

an exciting future ahead and there will

be many opportunities for alumni to get

involved in supporting the College, current

students, and the alumni chapter.”

More pictures from the reunion are

available on the Chapter’s Facebook page.

for alumni and friends of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health

Volume 2, Issue 2 | April 2015

Alumni Chapter Raising Money for Student; Alumni ProjectsIn 2014, The College of Public Health

Alumni Chapter (COPHAC) Board of

Directors established two funds with the

University of Nebraska Foundation to meet

the COPHAC’s mission to promote and

support the College of Public Health at

UNMC.

The funds are:

• The COPHAC Student Support Fund

(to enhance student college experience

through scholarships for study, research,

and projects and to promote student

professional development)

• COPHAC Sustaining Fund (to support

the Alumni Chapter by sponsoring student

and alumni activities and promoting public

health professions)

To see one example of how the funds

have been put to use, see page 4 of this

newsletter.

To date, 75% of COPHAC board members

have donated to one or both of the funds

with a goal of 100% participation. As the

Capital Fundraising Campaign continues,

please consider making a donation to help

reach our common goals! Together, we

have already raised almost $2,000.

Click this link to make a contribution.

From the President As President of the College of Public Health Alumni Chapter for the past two years, I have good reason to express my genuine thanks to the Board of Directors, alumni, and friends of the Chapter. We have accomplished much together in these years that passed so quickly.

First, I would like to thank our board members for their strong support and energy in promoting our Chapter. Together we piloted the new structure of the three Sub-Committees that allowed us to work through these years smoothly. We have worked on the exciting newsletters, organized great events for the alumni and students, hosted our first outstanding alumni reunion, and launched several initiatives that will have a lasting positive impact on the alumni and students. At the end of 2014, we successfully celebrated our fifth anniversary. With the support of our alumni and friends, we established the two funds in 2014 and have already sponsored our students.

I would like to thank the College of Public Health for allowing us to use their facility, facilitating our outreach to new graduates, collaborating with us for our first community service event in October 2014, and providing other support to our Chapter. I especially would like to recognize Shawn Gibbs, Ph.D. for his great contribution to our Chapter’s mission. My most fun memory goes back to our work together on the Public Health Quiz for the COPH students when Shawn’s question about the zombie epidemic won the students’ appreciation.

I also want to thank the Alumni Relations Office for doing a great job of keeping all our records and finances in order.

I thank all friends of the Chapter for keeping in touch.

Best of luck to president-elect Justin Frederick; I know that you will continue to support him. It is my hope that our Chapter can continue to be very active. I have no doubt that under Justin’s leadership COPHAC will continue to be a strong organization.

It has been my pleasure to serve our Chapter as President.

Valeriya Kettelhut, M.D., M.P.H.’ 07 President College of Public Health Alumni Chapter University of Nebraska Medical Center

Newsletter

April 2015

Volume 2, Issue 2

This Newsletter is produced

by the College of Public Health

Alumni Chapter at the University

of Nebraska Medical Center.

Editor: Catherine Mello

For additional copies, please

contact:

UNMC Alumni Relations Office

985200Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, NE 68198-5200

402.559.4385

www.unmc.edu/alumni

Newsletter | 2

“Whenever there is a project ahead of us, I know Michele is willing to take a leadership role to make all our events a success.”Valeriya Kettelhut, Alumni Chapter President

Michele Kassmeier to Receive Spirit of Service AwardThe COPH Alumni Chapter has selected Michele Kassmeier as

the 2015 Spirit of Service Award recipient.

The Spirit of Service Award is presented each year to the

COPH Alumni Chapter member or supporter who most greatly

embodies a spirit of service to the chapter membership. This

spirit may be shown through their actions, the resources they

provide in time, talent, or contributions they provide, or their

outward dedication to the chapter and its continued success.

Michele Kassmeier is a 2012 MPH graduate of the College

of Public Health. She is currently an enthusiastic Program

Coordinator/Communications Specialist with the Center for

Preparedness Education in the College of Public Health at

the University of Nebraska Medical Center. A member of the

Alumni Chapter Board of Directors since 2012, Michele leads the

membership efforts, social event planning, strategic planning,

and oftentimes serves as a liasion between the alumni and the

students. She consistently goes above and beyond to make

Alumni Chapter events successful and brings new ideas and

enthusiasm to everything she does.

“Michele Kassmeier is an outstanding leader for the alumni

chapter,” said Valeriya Kettelhut, Alumni Chapter President.

“Whenever there is a project ahead of us, I know Michele is

willing to take a leadership role to make all our events and

activities a success. In addition, her enthusiasm is contagious

and extends to the rest of our board members.”

In the fall of 2015, Michele will begin her studies to become a

Phyisican Assistant. However, Public Health will always remain a

passion.

The first Spirit of Service Award was presented in 2011 to James

R. Anderson, PhD. A former faculty member and associate

dean at the College of Public Health, he is considered one of the

alumni chapter’s earliest and most committed supporters. Other

recipients include Alice M. Schumaker, PhD, MPA, MS (2013

recpient) and Kathleen T. Brandert, MPH, CHES (2014 recipient).

Michele Kassmeier.

Newsletter | 3

Alumni Chapter Supports Two Students at PHAN ConferenceNiodita Gupta, Rohan Jadhav Attend PHAN

Two College of Public Health students were awarded $100 each to defer their costs of attending the Public Health Association of Nebraska Annual Conference in Grand Island, Neb. in October 2014. The students applied for the award and were selected by the board of directors. The PHAN Conference enables public health professionals to gain information, skills, and resources to advocate for opportunities to improve public health in their communities. “The alumni chapter takes great pride in supporting learning opportunities for current students,” said Valeriya Kettelhut, alumni chapter president. “This is just one small way we can help the students to learn more about their chosen field and to make them the best public health practitioners possible.” The awards were made possible by the Alumni Chapter’s recent fundraising efforts in partnership with the University of Nebraska Foundation. In 2014, the chapter created the College of Public Health Alumni Chapter Student Support Fund. The two students selected were Rohan Jadhav and Niodita Gupta. Here is the student reaction to their experience: “I was delighted to be one of the poster presenters at the PHAN. I have attended APHA conferences before and wasn’t much aware of what’s happening at my own backyard.

Niodita Gupta (left), College of Public Health student, with Joyce Gaufin, immediate past president of the American Public Health Association.

Newsletter | 4

I am glad that PHAN made that happen. I would like to thank the organizers for their efforts to bring public health personnel in the state of Nebraska together where they could learn and educate.” -Rohan Jadhav “I am very grateful to the UNMC College of Public Health Alumni Chapter for providing me an opportunity to attend the Public Health Association of Nebraska (PHAN) meeting last Fall. Because of the scholarship I received I had an opportunity to meet Joyce Gaufin, now ex-president of APHA. Joyce was the president of APHA during the PHAN conference. I was able to interact with her on a one-on-one basis which gave me the chance to ask a lot of questions about future careers in public health and receive career tips. I also had a chance to meet local health department directors which was very informative. I was impressed by the variety of projects in which they are involved. One project that stood out to me was getting local restaurants to ban e-cigarettes. I met with a public health nurse who worked for the Nebraska MIECHV home visiting program. This meeting gave me a chance to discuss my ideas and ask for assistance on my research projects.

The sessions at PHAN were very diverse and very thought provoking. There is so much accomplished in Nebraska by grassroots level organizations helping to improve public health.

This conference also provided me with an opportunity to interact with members of the College of Public Health in an informal setting helping me to develop a personal rapport with them. This conference proved to be a great learning and networking experience. - Niodita Gupta

COPH Alumni New Grad Social April 30 | 7 p.m. Brix at Midtown Crossing. Appetizers provided.

UNMC Alumni Showdown In O-Town

April 28 | 4:30 p.m. Nebraska vs. Creighton baseball 4:30 p.m. Dinner at The Bullpen 6 p.m. Baseball game at TD Ameritrade Park Tickets $25/person

For more events, visit: www.unmc.edu

Public Health Week Activities Research Day Mix & Mingle April 10 | 2-4 p.m. Maurer Center for Public Health (3rd floor) Students will present posters - Alumni invited to attend. Volunteer Day April 11 | 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Meet at Maurer Center for Public Health Carpool to Habitat for Humanity site. COPH Alumni Chapter Board Meeting

April 30 | 5 p.m. Maurer Center for Public Health

Upcoming Events

College of Public Health NewsCOPH Faculty & Staff Lead the Effort to Develop Ebola Treatment Training Courses

Article courtesy of The Groundbreaker.

College of Public Health faculty and

staff spearheaded the launch of free

Ebola online courses, in association

with Apple, available on both iTunes

and Moodle. One course is directed

at clinicians, while the other course is

for lay audiences and available in both

English and Spanish. Developed in

collaboration with University of Nebraska

Medical Center (UNMC) faculty and

its primary clinical partner, Nebraska

Medicine, “The Nebraska Ebola Method

for Clinicians” and “The Nebraska Ebola

Method for General Public” provide

online instruction and information on

Ebola and caring for an Ebola patient

through videos and printable documents.

“The Nebraska Ebola Method for

Clinicians” provides videos, documents,

and guidelines along with information

used in Nebraska to care for Ebola

patients. The dynamic and evolving

course will be updated frequently to

share up-to-date processes used to

safely care for Nebraska patients.

The clinician’s course is available via the

iTunes U app for iPad and iPhone, through

this direct link (iPad or iPhone only), or by

searching in iTunes U.

“The Nebraska Ebola Method for

General Public” course explains the

disease in terms that are easy to

understand and helpful to patients,

families, and community members.

Some topics included in the course are

signs and symptoms of Ebola, how

it is spread, coping with stress, and

talking with children during infectious

disease outbreaks. All Nebraska Ebola

Method materials were developed with

high standards for health literacy and

accessibility. Along with the English

materials, materials for Spanish-speaking

individuals have been developed into

an additional iTunes U course and are

also available on the UNMC webpage.

The courses for the general public

are available at unmc.edu/ebola, and

through the iTunes University app

for those with iPads or iPhones.

Follow Dean Khan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNMC_DrKhan

Newsletter | 5

Newsletter | 6

College of Public Health Research NewsUsing Information Technology to Improve Health & Safety

Content courtesy of the Groundbreaker.

Dr. Aaron Yoder, assistant professor in the

College of Public Health’s Department

of Environmental, Agricultural &

Occupational Health, has always liked

to fix things, which led to his education

in engineering. He was taught early

on that he could use his engineering

skills to protect and improve the

well-being of others. Now Dr. Yoder

uses his passion for engineering and

information technology to improve

the health and safety of individuals.

Most recently Dr. Yoder has been

exploring ways to use new technologies

like smartphones, smartphone

accessories, fitness trackers, smart

watches and other wearable technologies

in this area of health and safety.

Dr. Yoder is working with researchers

across UNMC, as well as private

corporations, to investigate the

applications of these types of

technologies. The technology allows

researchers to collect real-time data

from a large group of individuals, also

known as crowdsourcing, and provide

both real-time and delayed feedback to

the users. Applications of this technology

include monitoring of environmental

factors like noise and dust exposure

to monitoring biometrics such as

heart rate and skin temperature.

Dr. Yoder is also the Education Core

Director for the NIOSH-funded Central

States Center for Agricultural Safety

and Health. In this role he conducts and

manages educationally based research

projects that are aimed to reduce the

number of injuries and illnesses in the

agricultural workforce. This includes

managing the National Agricultural Safety

Database, the largest online source of

agricultural safety and health information

in North America. This database is used

by a wide range of individuals from

public health practitioners to educators

at all levels to support them in their

research and educational efforts.

As an occupational safety and health

expert, Dr. Yoder works with investigators

across UNMC, the University of Nebraska

system and the world to improve the

health and safety of individuals. This

work is done through various research

projects and professional organizations

that set the standards and priorities

for research and outreach in his field.

Master of Public Health Graduates, Fall 2014 Chioma Amadi Christiana Atsu Cole Boyle Cynthia Bush Salomon Compaore Shirley Delair Karmen Emanuel Jillian Fickenscher Bartlett Hamilton Emily Hanigan Amy Houser Cheng Lin Caitlin Pleas Caryn Vincent PhD Graduates Samuel Opoku Teresa Smith Certificate in Public Health Sonia Bomzon Megan Essay Nithal Kuwa Latevi Lawson Erin Maxwell Junqun Xiong

Certificate in Emergency Preparedness Leslie Omoto Heidi Wheeler

Welcome New Alumni

Aaron Yoder, Ph.D.

Newsletter | 7

Alumni Chapter Board Members 2014-2015President *Valeriya Kettelhut ‘07 Vice President Justin Frederick ‘11 Secretary/Treasurer Laura Vinson ‘12 Membership/Social Chair Michele Kassmeier ‘12 Past President *Stephen G. Jackson ‘06

Board Members *Nizar Wehbi ‘06 Ellen Duysen ‘10 *Brandon Grimm ‘05 *Kristina Volkmer ‘06 Christine Ross ‘09 Aja Kneip Pelster ‘12 Heather Nutsch ‘12 *Designates founding board members

Now Seeking Board Member Nominations

New Graduate Memberships

0

5

10

15

20

25

Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15

# of New Graduate Memberships

# of New GraduateMemberships

The College of Public Health Alumni Chapter’s new graduate membership program is supported by a contribution from a generous donor. Thanks to this support, new graduates have to opportunity to purchase a discounted two-year membership. The table above shows the success of this program since its inception in 2012. “New graduate” is defined as someone who graduated in the last calendar year.

The College of Public Health Alumni Chapter is now seeking nominations for the Board of Directors.

Nominees should meet the following eligibility criteria: be a COPH alumnus and either a member or planning to become a member of the COPH Alumni Chapter. The Board meets four times per year and hosts several other activities outside of regular board meetings. A telephone conference line is available if you cannot attend the board meetings in person. Terms of those elected will begin July 1, 2015.

Please send nominations to Catherine Mello in the Alumni Relations Office at catherine.mello@unmc.edu by Friday April 17, 2015. Self-nominations are accepted. Include with the nomination: the individual’s full name, class year, contact information (e-mail address/telephone number), and a short, 1-2 sentence bio of the nominee.

Join Today! Memberships available for all alumni.

College of Public Health Alumni Chapter dues may be paid online at www.unmc.edu/alumni, or call 402.559.4385 to pay your dues over the phone!