News & Publications
2008 News Archive
Fuortes Backs Former Weapons Worker in Compensation Case
(The Hawk Eye, Burlington, 12/7/2008)
Paul Bell, an 87-year-old cancer survivor, continues to work for
compensation for health problems related to his work with atomic
weapons at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. LAURENCE FUORTES, professor
of occupational and environmental health and Burlington Atomic Energy
Commission Plant-Former Worker Program project director, said Bell has
an abundance of supporting documents that should make him eligible for
compensation.
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Field Presents to President's Cancer Panel
R. WILLIAM FIELD, professor of occupational and environmental health
and professor of epidemiology, was one of ten experts who were
requested to present their work to the President's Cancer Panel in
Charleston, South Carolina, last week. The presentations addressed
environmental factors in cancer, with Field's focus on the adverse
health effects of radon exposure. Field stated, "because we are
building homes without radon resistant features faster than we are
mitigating homes to reduce radon concentrations, more people are
exposed to radon than ever before."
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Fuortes Receives UIHC Heart and Hands Award
LAR FUORTES, professor of occupational and environmental health, is
one of 11 UI faculty and staff who were honored with the Heart and
Hands Award for their community service. The Heart and Hands Award
recognizes outstanding and exceptional volunteer service to the
community or The University of Iowa.
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UI Injury Prevention Expert Earns Excellence in Science Award
Corinne Peek-Asa, Ph.D., UI professor of occupational and environmental health and director of the UI Injury Prevention Research Center, was honored by the American Public Health Association (APHA) with the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services' Excellence in Science Award at the APHA's annual meeting in San Diego, Calif. Oct. 26-29.The Award ecognizes an individual, at mid-career, for outstanding dedication and leadership in the science of injury control and emergency health services with contributions and achievements that have a significant and long-term impact on the field.
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Field Appointed to EPA Radiation Advisory Committee
University of Iowa professor R. William Field has been appointed to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board
Radiation Advisory Committee by the EPA's administrator Stephen L.
Johnson.
Read more...
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CPH Web Story Spotlights Wide-Reaching Certificate Program
A new story on the CPH homepage spotlights the Certificate in Emerging
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, a new program offered by the College
of Public Health, that has attracted international interest.
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International HIV/AIDS Expert to Speak Oct. 16
Roger Detels, M.D., professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of
Public Health, will deliver the 2008 Hsu-Li Distinguished Lectureship
in International Epidemiology at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in Room
E331 General Hospital (Medical Alumni Auditorium).
Read more...
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Welcome Pentella as CPH Clinical Professor
Mike Pentella, University Hygenics Laboratory’s associate director of
the Disease Control Division, was appointed as clinical associate
professor of epidemiology in August 2008.
Read more...
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NIH Selects UI and Polk County for National Children's Study
The University of Iowa, along with health and educational
organizations in Polk County, has been selected to participate in the
National Children's Study, a long-range comprehensive National
Institutes of Health investigation on the interaction of genes and the
environment on children's health. The investigation is the largest
child health study for the United States and is expected to benefit
the health of adults, as well. Participation for the UI and Polk
County partners includes an initial five-year $11.9 million grant.
Read more...
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Plastic Chemical BPA Resists Regulation
(The McGill Daily, Canada, 9/29/2008)
Firmer evidence is needed to convince regulators BPA should be
restricted even though a recent paper found a correlation between it
and human diseases. “It’s a scientific problem that has many
dimensions," said ROBERT WALLACE, professor of epidemiology. "What
we’d like to do from a human perspective is find a population of
people whose exposure to BPA is known and follow their health over a
number of years.”
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CPH Welcomes Ryan Carnahan to Faculty
Ryan Carnahan was appointed as clinical assistant professor of
epidemiology in May 2008. He brought with him a background in
pharmacoepidemiology and outcomes research.
Read more...
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Link Found Between Common Plastic Chemical and Heart Disease, Diabetes
Higher levels of urinary bisphenol A, a chemical compound
commonly used in plastic packaging for food and beverages, is
associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and
liver-enzyme abnormalities, according to a study by an international
research team that included a University of Iowa researcher.
Read more...
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Bisphenol A Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes
(Environment News Service, 9/16/2008)
For the first time, scientists have linked higher concentrations of
the chemical bisphenol A in human urine with diagnoses of
cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Bisphenol A is widely used in
epoxy resins lining food and beverage containers and in plastic. Led
by David Melzer, of Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, U.K., the study
was co-authored by ROBERT WALLACE, professor of epidemiology.
Read more...
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Study Finds Association Between BPA and Heart Disease, Diabetes
(The Gazette, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, 9/16/2008)
Higher urinary levels of a Bisphenol A, known as BPA, a common
chemical used in plastics, is associated with heart disease and
diabetes, according to a study which included ROBERT WALLACE,
professor of epidemiology. "This is not a crisis," he said. "But I think
we've offered evidence that more intensive research needs to be
done."
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Heart Disease, Diabetes Linked to BPA Levels in NHANES Population
(Endocrine Today, 9/18/2008)
Researchers discovered a possible link between the chemical bisphenol
A and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and abnormal concentrations of
liver enzymes. The study, by researchers from Peninsula Medical School
and other sites in the United Kingdom, along with the UI College of
Public Health, was published in JAMA on Sept. 16, the same day the FDA
held a hearing to assessing bisphenol A safety.
Read more...
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UI Study on Heart Attack, Stroke Invites Participants
People age 45 and older who have had a stroke, heart attack, chest
pain or heart-related surgery are invited to participate in a
research study on preventing these conditions led by JENNIFER
ROBINSON, associate professor of epidemiology.
Read more...
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'Know Your Cholesterol' to Reduce Heart Attack, Stroke Risks
September is national Cholesterol Awareness Month, a good time to
remind people that keeping cholesterol at healthy levels over a
lifetime dramatically reduces one's risk of heart attack and stroke,
according to JENNIFER ROBINSON, director of the Lipid Research Clinic
and associate professor of epidemiology.
Read more...
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Wallace Chaired Review of Great Lakes Region Health
(Chicago Tribune, 9/8/2008)
Substandard science has hurt a federal agency's seven-year effort to
document possible links between industrial pollution and health
problems in the Great Lakes region, said an independent review panel
chaired by ROBERT WALLACE, professor of epidemiology. "The problems we
found in the drafts would limit the ability of officials and others to
draw conclusions from them about whether any health risks are
associated with living in or near certain places around the Great
Lakes," he said. This AP story appeared internationally.
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Injury Report to Be Introduced at Injury Prevention Conference
The Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC) and the Iowa Department
of Public Health (IDPH) have completed the first Burden of Injury in Iowa
Report, including comprehensive state and county data. The report will
be introduced by CORINNE PEEK-ASA, IPRC director, and Binnie LeHew,
IDPH, at the Iowa Child and Youth Injury Prevention Conference on
Sept. 16.
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MRSA in Pigs Poses Health Risk to Humans
(NaturalNews.com, 7/30/2008)
International researchers have reported the prevalence of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pigs and the
risk of human contraction. For the first time, U.S. researchers, led
by TARA SMITH, assistant professor of epidemiology, tested 200 U.S.
pigs and found 70 percent carried a strain of MRSA that is known to
affect humans and almost half of 20 workers on the farms carried the
same MRSA strain.
Read more...
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Cancer Society Features Dennis' Sunburn Research
(American Cancer Society Research 2008 Update)
LESLIE DENNIS, associate professor of epidemiology, is studying the
effect of sunburns. With support from American Cancer Society grants,
Dennis is looking at the aggregate number of sunburns received in a
lifetime and the relationship to the potential for melanoma
development.
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College of Public Health Students, Faculty, Staff Honored
The University of Iowa College of Public Health honored the
achievements of students, faculty and staff at its annual Graduation
and Honors Dinner and Milford E. Barnes Awards Ceremony, held May 16.
Read more...
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UI Study Calls for More Rigorous Testing of Radon Detectors
Depending on environmental conditions, commercially available radon
detectors can vary substantially in their accuracy and precision,
according to a study led by Kainan Sun, a presidential graduate fellow
in the University of Iowa College of Public Health. The research was
performed in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
Read more...
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UI Faculty Members Receive Collegiate Teaching Awards
Twenty University of Iowa faculty members have received Collegiate
Teaching Awards for the 2007-08 academic year. The recipients include
YING ZHANG, associate professor of biostatistics.
Read more...
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Testing Done for Bacterium in Pork, Workers
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/4/2008)
TARA SMITH, an assistant professor in the CPH Department of
Epidemiology, and her graduate researchers have done what apparently
is the first testing of swine for MRSA (methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) in the U.S. They swabbed the noses of 209 pigs
from 10 Iowa and Illinois farms and found MRSA in 70 percent. Abby
Harper, one of Smith's graduate assistants, presented a study on 20
swine workers that found 45 percent of the workers carried the same
MRSA bacterium as the pigs.
Read more...
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Potentially Fatal Bacteria Found in Iowa Pigs, Farmworkers
(The Oregonian, 6/9/2008)
Federal food safety and public health agencies are being urged to
check meat sold across the country for the presence of MRSA,
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially fatal
bacteria. TARA SMITH, an assistant professor of epidemiology, and her
graduate researchers found MRSA in more than 70 percent of the pigs
they tested on farms in Iowa and Illinois. They also found the
bacteria among livestock workers.
Read more...
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UI College of Public Health to Honor Alumni Award Recipients May 16
Three prominent alumni have been chosen by the College of Public
Health to receive 2008 Outstanding Alumni Awards. The awards will be
presented at the college's annual honors dinner May 16 to Brenda M.
Booth, Shannon D. Putnam, and Colin P. West.
Read more...
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Study to Examine Older Drivers and Assistive Technology
Researchers at the National Advanced Driving Simulator -- a research
and teaching unit of the UI College of Engineering -- have received a
$604,432 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
to determine whether modern technology can help older drivers to drive
more safely. ROBERT WALLACE and JAMES TORNER, professors of
epidemiology, will direct the study, along with Dawn Marshall, researcher
at the NADS.
Read more...
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College of Public Health Honors Lynch for Community Engagement
Charles F. Lynch, professor of epidemiology, has received the College
of Public Health's award for faculty achievement in community
engagement.
Read more...
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Lynch Participates in Cancer Research
(Science Daily, 4/13/2008)
Smoking puts older women at significant risk for loss of DNA repair
proteins that are critical for defending against development of some
colorectal cancers, according to research based on data from the Iowa
Women's Health Study. CHARLES LYNCH, professor of epidemiology, was
one of the researchers.
Read more...
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Influenza Vaccination Rates in Hospital Health Care Workers
Charles M. Helms, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine in the
UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, will present
"Interpandemic Influenza Vaccination Rates in Hospital Health Care
Workers: Implications for Pandemic Preparedness" at 12:30 p.m. Monday,
April 28, in Room 2117 of the UI Medical Education and Research
Facility.
Read more...
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Report Ranks States' Federal Funding for Public Health
Trust for America’s Health released a report this week that reviews
key health statistics and federal funding for public health on a
state-by-state level. "Shortchanging America’s Health: A
State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars Are Spent,
2008" finds Midwestern states receive less funding from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) than other U.S.
states.
Read more...
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Cancer on the Rise in Iowa
(Iowa City Press-Citizen, 3/15/2008)
The 2008 report from the State Health Registry of Iowa projects 16,000
new cancer cases to be diagnosed this year, an increase of 300 cases
from last year, or about five cancer cases per 1,000 Iowans.
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State Health Registry Issues 2008 Cancer Report
This year, an estimated 6,300 Iowans will die from cancer and 16,000
new cancers will be diagnosed, according to a report released today by
the State Health Registry of Iowa, based in the Department of
Epidemiology.
Read more...
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Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Is Focus of New "Cancer in Iowa" Report
According to the newly issued State Health Registry of Iowa "Cancer in
Iowa: 2008" report, non-Hodgkin lymphoma will cause an estimated 270
cancer deaths in Iowa in 2008, accounting for 4.3 percent of cancer
deaths in both men and women.
Read more...
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Gray Discusses Horse Influenza in Queensland
(Buderim Chronicle, 3/3/2008)
As part of an international tour to promote research on the animal-to-
human transmission of influenza, GREGORY GRAY, professor of
epidemiology and director of the Center for Emerging Infectious
Diseases, visited the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
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Wallace Comments on WHI Follow-up Study
(Voice of America News, 3/4/2008)
The results of a follow-up investigation to the Women's Health Initiative study show that older women who used hormone therapy to ease the symptoms of
menopause and then discontinued it remain at an increased risk of cancer.
The story quotes ROBERT WALLACE, professor of epidemiology and one of
the study's investigators. Wallace is cited in similar stories on the web sites of
several other media outlets in Boston, Arizona, Florida, Maine,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and others.
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Nominations Now Accepted for Hsu-Li Distinguished Lectureship
The Department of Epidemiology is now accepting nominations for the
Hsu-Li Distinguished Lectureship in International Epidemiology.
The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2008. Complete details and a
nomination form can be found at the link below.
Read more...
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Lynch Explains Cancer Etiology
(WQAD-TV, Quad Cities, 2/16/2008)
In a story about cancer clusters, CHARLES LYNCH, professor of
epidemiology and medical director of the Iowa Cancer Registry, states, "It's
the lifestyle factors that are the primary risk factors for disease."
He says lifestyle is far and away the biggest cause of cancer, but it's
not where people usually look.
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Reminder: Research Week Poster Deadline March 3
Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students, and staff are all encouraged
to share their research during Research Week 2008 through a poster
presentation.
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Study: War Can Lead to Long-term 'Epidemic' of Firearms Injuries to Children
A study led by CORINNE PEEK-ASA, professor of occupational and environmental health, shows that high rates of injury and death may continue for at least five years following a war's end, illustrating the need for firearm prevention programs as part of war reparation efforts.
Read more...
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Gray, Smith to Present at Interdisciplinary Health Group Feb. 14
GREGORY GRAY, professor of epidemiology, and TARA SMITH, assistant
professor of epidemiology, will discuss research on emerging
infectious diseases at the next meeting of the UI Interdisciplinary
Health Group. The group will meet on Thursday, Feb. 14 from noon to 1
p.m. at the Public Policy Center Seminar room, 200 South Quadrangle.
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Snetselaar Keynotes Local Obesity Summit
(Iowa City Press-Citizen, 1/26/2008)
The Childhood Obesity Summit, held Jan. 25 at the Levitt Center,
brought together community leaders to discuss various approaches to
the growing obesity epidemic. LINDA SNETSELAAR, professor and interim
head of community and behavioral health, gave the keynote address
titled, "Youth Obesity: Potential Avenues for Prevention."
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Fourth Dean Candidate Interviews on Campus
The fourth candidate for the College of Public Health deanship, JAMES
TORNER, professor and head of epidemiology, met with UI leaders,
faculty, staff, students, and community members this week and shared
his vision for the future of the college.
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Field Comments on the Dangers of Radon
(The Daily Nonpareil, 1/19/2008)
An article on the hazards of radon in the home quotes R. WILLIAM
FIELD, professor of occupational and environmental health. "Deaths
attributed to radon and its decay products surpass even the number of
deaths each year from other dreaded diseases like brain cancer,
melanoma and bone cancer," he said. The Daily Nonpareil is located in
Council Bluffs.
Read more...
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Gray: Handwashing Reduces Transmission of Adenovirus
(Reader's Digest, 1/20/2008)
An article about Ad-14, a new strain of adenovirus that has caused
severe illness in three states quotes GREGORY GRAY, professor of
epidemiology and director of the Center for Emerging Infectious
Diseases. “There are no preventive treatments, vaccines, or therapies
specific to this strain,” Gray said. But good hygiene, such as
hand-washing, can reduce transmission.
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Snetselaar to Participate in Childhood Obesity Summit
(Iowa City Press-Citizen, 1/18/2008)
The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County is hosting a Childhood
Obesity Summit from 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 25 at the Levitt Center in
Iowa City. LINDA SNETSELAAR, interim head and professor of community
and behavioral health, will be a guest speaker. The summit is
co-sponsored by the College of Public Health.
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Gray Describes Bird Flu Impact on Agriculture
(Scientific American , 1/18/2008)
In an article about the spread of bird flu to North America, GREGORY
GRAY, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for
Emerging Infectious Diseases, points out that it could be disastrous
for industrial farm workers.
Read more...
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2008 Archived News Items