Wednesday, June 25, 2014

2013 Garrett G. Eppley Alumni Recognition Award

Each year the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies presents the Garrett G. Eppley Alumni Recognition Award, the highest alumni award presented by the department designed to honor the contributions of Garrett G. Eppley (1896-1989) Indiana University’s first Recreation and Park Administration chairman and a key player in the establishment of the National Recreation and Park Association.

The 2013 award was recently presented by Dr. Bryan McCormick, Chair of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, to alumnus Dr. R. James Sibthorp. Dr. Sibthorp joins the exclusive rank of exemplary professionals in the field of recreation and leisure who have received the award since 1965. This award speaks well of Dr. Sibthorp’s local, state and national reputation, as well as his commitment to Indiana University and to the field of recreation and parks.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Exploring Summer Internships --- What our students are up to!

Brie Deka is majoring in Human Development and Family Studies, with minors in Sociology, Counseling Psychology, and Human Sexuality. She is currently spending her summer as an intern for Bloomington Area Birth Services (BABS), a non-profit resource center for new and expecting families dedicated to improving birthing outcomes through education, providing a safe, comfortable gathering space for clients and their children, and increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates.

As a BABS intern, Brie is involved in a variety of different projects ranging from data input and management to event planning. One of the main events she will assist with planning, “Latch On Indiana”, will occur in August, “…celebrating exclusive breastfeeding, there will be food, decorations, door prizes and much more for families to enjoy,” she said.

“Pregnancy and new babies are so interesting to me and I would love to continue my work on improving birthing outcomes, and for that first year and beyond to be successful as well. Wherever I end up after graduation I want to be improving these young lives, beginning even before their conception,” she noted.

Monday, June 16, 2014

IU receives Grand Challenges Explorations grant for research in global health and development

The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington has announced that it is a winner of the Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Debby Herbenick, co-director of the school's Center for Sexual Health Promotion, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled Development and Testing of the Female Pleasure Condom.

Grand Challenges Explorations funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges. Herbenick’s project is one of more than 50 Grand Challenges Explorations Round 12 grants announced Tuesday by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


To receive funding, Herbenick and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round 12 winners demonstrated in a two-page online application a bold idea in one of five critical global heath and development topic areas that included agriculture development, behavior change, and looking into animal and human health. Applications for the next round will be accepted starting September 2014.



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Friday, June 6, 2014

Public Health & YOU Launches

Looking for ways to earn continuing education credits? Simply want to learn more about the field of Public Health? 

Public Health & YOU is designed specifically for those whose work impacts the health of our communities. The initiative offers free online courses designed to promote the development of skills and knowledge associated with public health and encourage professionals to explore the area of study.

Five courses are currently being offered which can be taken alone, or in sequence to earn a Professional Development Certificate in Public Health from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington.

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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Where are they now? Tracking recent graduates as they embark on their professional careers.




Kathleen Chelminiak
IRHITEN Apprentice Coordinator
HealthLINC

Kathleen Chelminiak graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health majoring in Community Health. She joined the HealthLINC team in January of 2014 as an Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Indiana Rural Health Information Technology Education Network, or IRHITEN. HealthLINC is a local, not-for-profit Corporation, which supports health information technology (HIT) adoption, health information exchange (HIE), and innovative use of information for improved health care outcomes. HealthLINC governs a regional HIE that provides secure, clinical messaging system that delivers greater than 110,000 medical results per month between the hospital, private practices, and care clinics.

Having completed an internship with the organization during her undergraduate years, Kathleen was well versed in the needs met by her new company. “..the internship was very relevant, as my supervisor and I discussed my interests so we could tailor the internship to relate to an area I was passionate for. As a result, I worked with an electronic medical record (EMR) at a pediatric office in town.”

In her new role Kathleen oversees the development of IRHITEN, a workforce development program formed between Indiana Rural Health Association, Ivy Tech, & HealthLINC in response to an increased need of skilled IT workers in rural areas in Indiana. The program includes an online course provided by Ivy Tech, an apprenticeship portion in rural hospitals or practices provided by HealthLINC, and, finally, sitting for a certification exam

“The School of Public Health prepared me for my new position because it taught me to think outside the box. For me, SPH promoted free thinking and empowered students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to make a change. The professors guided us; they would seldom give an easy way out, or give the answer. Although it was frustrating at the time, it really taught me to look at a given situation and see the areas that could be improved or changed,” she said.