Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Faculty honored with Trustees Teaching Awards

"A university cannot render distinguished service to its constituency without a distinguished faculty; therefore, the selection of faculty personnel is of first importance," legendary IU President Herman B Wells told trustees in 1942 when he spoke of his vision for the university and his aim to attract the best and brightest faculty to Indiana University.


In support of President Herman B Wells goal to facilitate the recruitment and recognition of outstanding faculty, the Trustees Teaching Awards were established to honor individuals who have a positive impact on learning through the direct teaching of students, especially undergraduates. Award recipients must have demonstrated a sustained level of teaching excellence and are required to submit a teaching dossier in support of their nomination.


This year's recipients of the Trustees Teaching Award from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington are... Read More >>

Friday, April 25, 2014

SPH Alumni Named 2014 Health Teacher of the Year at the AAHPERD/SHAPE Conference

In early April, SHAPE America, formerly the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) honored the elite of the physical education, adapted physical education, school health and dance education profession by announcing the National Teachers of the Year (TOY). The winners were announced during the 129th annual AAHPERD National Convention & Expo in recognition of their outstanding teaching performance and the ability to motivate today's youth to participate in a lifetime of physical activity.

Among the recipients was Heidi Stan, BS’02, who received the Health Teacher of the Year award for her work at Riverside Junior High School in Fishers, Indiana. Stan’s health education programming for which she was recognized is designed to improve the “health literacy” of the students ensuring they’re able to obtain, interpret and comprehend basic health information, as well as products and services in order to enhance personal, family, and community health.   From activities focused on endurance, flexibility, and coordination to lessons on portion control and reproduction, Stan’s curriculum is mapped out to ensure that students are lifelong learners and participants. Stan pushes her students to understand the principles of health promotion, disease and injury prevention and incorporate their new-found knowledge into making positive health decisions.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Eta Sigma Gamma Recognizes Two SPH Faculty Members

Eta Sigma Gamma is dedicated to the promotion of Health Education by elevating the standards, ideals, competence and ethics of professionally prepared men and women in the field. From supporting the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health educators programs to disseminating scientific research, the organization continues to be a leader within the field.
This year, two distinguished faculty members from the School of Public Health-Bloomington have been selected by Eta Sigma Gamma to be recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions.

 
Dr. Mohammad Torabi
Dean, School of Public Health-Bloomington

 
Dr. Mohammad Torabi is the 2014 recipient of the Presidential Award. The award honors Dr. Torabi’s remarkable record of teaching, service, scholarship and leadership activities that have earmarked his professional career.

 A review of Dr. Torabi’s vitae reveals a man of many titles: Dean- School of Public Health-Bloomington; Chairperson – Department of Applied Health Science; Director – Center for Health and Safety Studies; Co-Director - Institute for Drug Abuse Prevention; Co-Director – Rural Center for Study and Promotion of HIV/STD Prevention; and Chancellor’s Professor of Public Health Education.  For over twenty years he has served as Editor of Eta Sigma Gamma’s Health Education Monograph Series.  He has also been involved in directing the editorial work of six other Professional
Health Education Journals.

He has published over 125 refereed articles, book chapters and monographs as well as delivered hundreds of presentations at State, National and International Conferences; and will soon exceed the two million dollar level in funded research projects.  Today he continues to make substantial contributions knowledge through his health promotion and disease prevention research addressing tobacco and other drugs use prevention, cancer, and HIV/AIDS infection.
 
Dr. David Lohrmann
Professor and Chair of the Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Health-Bloomington

 
Dr. David Lohrmann is the 2013 recipient of the Honor Award.  The award is presented to individuals or organizations that have made major contributions to the health education profession through service, education, and/or research.
 
His 42 year career includes 17 years of public school teaching and administrative experience, including as a district-level health coordinator, and 10 years of service as a national school health evaluator for CDC.   Over his career, he has authored or co-authored over 95 scholarly works including professional journal articles, books, book chapters, technical reports, and executive summaries, has delivered more than 250 presentations at local, state, national, and international conferences and has been instrumental in the accrual of over $21 million in grants and contracts. Additionally, over the past 20 years he has provided technical assistance on school health issues to numerous state education and public health departments throughout the United States, including recent service on strategic planning and accreditation committees of the Indiana State Department of Health.  

Friday, April 18, 2014

SPH Student Contributes to Little 500 Tradition


Ren-Jay Shei is a life-long Bloomington resident, and as part of the local community developed a love for cycling early on. Having ridden since high school, it was a natural transition for Shei to become involved in the Little 500 when he became an IU student. “I grew up watching the race and knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of.  It turns out that it was one of the best decisions I made.  The people I met through Little 500 are amazing and most of my best friends (and my fiance) from college are former Little 5 riders,” he said.

As an undergraduate student, Ren-Jay rode for the Black Key Bulls, a men’s independent team. He transitioned to coaching the team his senior year and serving as the assistant coach for the  Alpha Xi Delta sorority team when his USA Cycling category transitioned to “semi-pro”, making him ineligible to participate in the race as a competitor.

As a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology, pursuing a PhD in Exercise Physiology, Shei has remained involved with both teams, currently serving as the Head Coach for the Alpha Xi Delta sorority team and Assistant Coach for the Black Key Bulls. He noted that his experiences and education from the School of Public Health has significantly contributed to his understanding of the sport.

“The most obvious contributions have been what I've learned about all aspects of sport science ranging from basic physiology and training program structure to motor learning and practice schedules, and sport psychology.  Every day I get the chance to apply the concepts and content that I learn in the classroom to two functioning, real-world cycling teams, which is incredible.  As an undergraduate student, I received a minor in coaching through the School, which really helped me recognize things that I could improve and gave me the tools to succeed as a coach.  It'd be fair to say that my education at the School of Public Health has had a positive and defining role in shaping me as a coach.”

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

IU School of Public Health-Bloomington Recognizes Outstanding Alumni



The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington honored several distinguished alumni on Friday, April 28, 2014 with honorees including past university department chairs, leaders in sports management, and individuals who have been instrumental in policy development both domestically and abroad.

“We could not be more pleased to honor these exceptional alumni,” said Dean Mohammad Torabi. “Their dedication and commitment in their chosen fields is a true inspiration to all of us and we are thrilled to have them as part of the school’s family.”

The school has been presenting awards since 1976 to the most prestigious graduates, those who excel professionally and personally.  Recipients this year are Kathleen Cordes, Professor Emerita of Miramar College; Talal Hashim, Professor of Public Health Safety and Education at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia; Kalen Irsay, Vice Chair and Owner of the Indianapolis Colts; Scott Chakan, Director of Operations for Cassady Neeser & Brasseur a member of The Horton Group, Inc.; Thomas Templin, Professor at Purdue University; and Eugene Monahan, retired Head Athletic Trainer for the New York Yankees.
“Our 2014 alumni award recipients are some of the most distinguished and dedicated alumni,” said Natalie Kubat, director of Donor and Alumni Relations. “We are proud to be recognizing them and their accomplishments.” 

Read More >>

Monday, April 7, 2014

Indiana University to expand public health partnership aimed at promoting sexual health research, education, and training activities in India

Reducing the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STI), along with the broader promotion of sexual health and well-being, remain global public health priorities.

In India, a country of 1.24 billion people, of whom nearly 2.5 million are currently living with HIV, the need is even more urgent for public health interventions that are evidence-based, culturally congruent, and high impact in terms of their ability to promote sexual health. In India, sexual risk behavior remains the main mode of HIV transmission and men who have sex with men (MSM) are characterized by disproportionately high rates of HIV prevalence (ranging between 7% and 24%). Relatively high rates of bisexual behavior have also been found among Indian men. Traditional gender roles and segregation, cultural expectations of marriage, and stigma surrounding same-sex behavior may influence sexual norms and behaviors. Men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW), who may or may not self-identify as a “bisexual,” face unique psychosocial challenges but they remain understudied and underserved. Researchers have not explored how individual, social and community level factors associated with Indian bisexual men’s sexual risk behaviors with both male and female partners may be made “safer” using public health interventions.

“Based on our previous research with bisexual men in the United States, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to explore sexual health among bisexual men in India – and this has been the perfect starting point for what we intend will be a much broader agenda of public health research and action between our team at Indiana University and our academic and community partners in India,” said Dr. Brian Dodge, associate professor in the Department of Applied Health Science and associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.

Read more.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

IU experts: NLRB college football ruling a potential game changer

Indiana University experts in sport communication and marketing and in labor law react to the ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that football players at Northwestern University are employees and have the right to form a union. They discuss the following issues:

A potential game changer for college athletics model

Galen Clavio, a sports communication and marketing expert at Indiana University, described the ruling by the National Labor Relations Board allowing Northwestern University football players to unionize "potentially a game changer."

“This ruling is potentially a game changer for the college athletics model as a whole. The primary things that the National Labor Relations Board ruled were that the football players at Northwestern were not 'primarily students'; that their football coaches exercised strict control over their schedules; and that their athletic scholarships were, in effect, compensation in exchange for work at school, with the work in this case being their football duties. This was a bit of a surprise ruling, as many in the legal profession thought that the players were going to lose this ruling.

“Northwestern has already announced that they are going to appeal, so there is still more to come in this case. But this is a major step toward a change in the way college athletics is treated by the courts and could lead to a system where football players -- and potentially other college athletes -- could form their own unions and collectively bargain with college athletic departments on a range of issues, from salary to health benefits to other items.”

Clavio is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. He can be reached at gclavio2@indiana.edu or  812-855-3367. For additional assistance, contact Tracy James at  812-855-0084 or traljame@iu.edu.


If upheld, decision could raise Title IX questions

Kenneth Dau-Schmidt, a professor and labor law expert at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, said it appears the ruling may "have legs" under the law. Although Northwestern has indicated it will appeal, he believes there's a good chance the entire NLRB and perhaps even the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will confirm the decision.

"The definition of 'employee' under the National Labor Relations Act is fairly broad," Dau-Schmidt said. "There are exceptions, but none of them apply to this case. There is a prior decision that university research assistants and teaching assistants are not employees under the NLRB, but that decision is very weak and can be distinguished because there the activity was part of the student’s educational program. The football players are directed to perform for the benefit of the university and receive compensation in the form of scholarships and stipends, so there is a pretty good argument they are employees for the purposes of the act."

Dau-Schmidt said it's important to note, however, that athletes at public universities would not be covered by the National Labor Relations Act. State employees are governed by state law, not the federal labor act. In Indiana, the general rule is that it is a criminal act for state employees to collectively bargain, although university employees are exempted from this prohibition and teachers, police and firefighters have separate statutes.

"Under Indiana common law, a public university would have no obligation to negotiate with its athletes; but if they did sign an agreement, it would be enforceable," he said. "From a practical perspective, if private universities began giving student athletes better insurance or stipends as a result of collective bargaining, public universities would have to follow suit to compete for athletes. Some of the money that now goes to pay large coaches’ salaries might go instead to pay for medical of disability insurance for college athletes."

If this decision is upheld and college football players at private universities begin to organize, Dau-Schmidt added, there is a good question of how this system would work consistently with the Title IX requirement of equal athletic opportunities for women.

"Where there is a positive cash flow in college athletics, it's usually associated with men’s football and basketball, not other sports. At the bigger schools, men’s football and basketball revenue supports the other athletic programs. Would Title IX mean that the football players have to negotiate benefits for all athletes and not just themselves? That would make for a very curious system of collective bargaining."

Dau-Schmidt is the Willard and Margaret Carr Professor of Labor and Employment Law at the IU Maurer School of Law. He can be reached at  812-855-0697 or kdauschm@indiana.edu. For additional assistance, contact Steve Hinnefeld at  812-856-3488812-361-2121 or slhinnef@iu.edu.