The Florida Public Health Advocate

A publication of the Florida Public Health Association

November 2017

From the President’s Desk...

Florida Public Health Association

14646 NW 151st Blvd.

Alachua, FL 32615

Phone: (386) 462-1551

Email: fpha@srahec.org

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The holidays are fast approaching. This is

the time of year that everyone gives

thanks to those people and things they

have in their lives. Good health is some-

thing people are often thankful. This

year, why not be thankful for what we do

in public health and for all the public

health professionals in Florida that are working to improve the

health of our State? I know I am grateful for everything our

FPHA members do day in and day out to make Florida better. I

want to take this time to thank some of our members in partic-

ular for their contributions to FPHA this year.

Suwanne River AHEC – Thank you for the role you have played

this past year in FPHA. You have spent so many hours on con-

ference calls with FPHA groups/committees and many more

reviewing documents for updates. Your experience and guid-

ance has been a tremendous help during our leadership transi-

tion time.

Rick France – Even though Rick’s year as President ended in Ju-

ly, he has remained active in our Board and a constant on many

committee conference calls. He has even helped to create a

membership map of our State to assist the Membership Com-

mittee. Thank you for your dedication to our organization

Lori Jordahl – Lori has always given me encouragement and

guidance as Board member since the beginning of my FPHA

membership. Thank you for the continued laughs, support and

ideas to make our group better.

Sandy Magyar – Even in her retirement, Sandy has provided assistance in

answering numerous questions I have had. Thank you for always being there

when you are needed.

The FIU Group ( Dr. Jenny Mccoy, Chintan Bhatt, Ari Hozman, and Jessica

Weissman) – Thank you for the roles you have filled recently on the Board and

heading committees. The four of you continue to take time to promote FPHA

and the values we stand for.

Linda Lacomb-Williams – Thank you for the passion you continue to have for

Public Health Nursing and educating future public health professionals. We

definitely need more of you in the world.

Sandon Speedling and Ethel Edwards - Thank you for leading two of our

biggest committees, Membership and AEC planning. Your time and effort are

greatly appreciated. Without you it would be hard to get our strategic plan

objectives complete.

The list could go on for pages, but I just wanted to highlight a few who have

been a tremendous help so far in my career as a public health professional.

Please take time out of your day to say thank you to those FPHA members and

public health professionals who have made a difference to you. I encourage

you to share your thoughts on our FPHA Facebook page and website to let all

know who you are grateful for.

-Jennifer Waskovich

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Every year come November, I see my social media pages

flooded with furry faced men. Usually they make some

sort of declaration like, “It’s NO SHAVE NOVEMBER!” I

then say to myself, ok sure, save a few dollars, skip buying

razors this month. But this year, I sent myself on a google

search and found out more.

The charity, “Movember,” is a men’s health organization

operating on a global scale to address three main issues in

men’s health; prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental

health/suicide prevention. In the past 13 years the

organization claims to have funded more than 1,200 pro-

jects globally.

Movember has large goals, specifically to reduce the

premature death of men by 25% by 2030.

Find out more here

USF COPH: Disaster management is public health

21 years of fighting the flu

Dr. Thomas Unnasch appointed chair of WHO committee

The USF College of Public (COPH) was founded in July 1984. Over the years, our graduates have gone on to make significant contributions to the field of public health. The Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes COPH graduates who improve the public’s health and do it exceedingly well. Nominees must have earned an academic degree (BS, MHA, MPH, MSPH, PhD or DrPH) from the COPH and not be currently employed by the college. Additionally, nominees must have significant domestic or global impact in two or more of the following areas: Leadership

Research

Teaching, scholarship and mentorship of health professionals

Impact on the community, college, university or society o nominate someone for the 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award, please submit the following scanned documents via

one email to COPHAlumAwards@health.usf.edu. All submissions will be acknowledged by email to the nominator. Nomination cover sheet

One nomination letter

1-3 letter(s) of support

CV, resume and bio sketch

The nomination and supporting letters should not be longer than 400 words each and should explicitly address the nominee's contributions to the field of public health as referenced above. Acceptable nominators include professional colleagues and university faculty. Self-nominations are not accepted The 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award will be presented in Tampa during National Public Health Week, April 2-8. Awardees will be notified by email or telephone by early February. The nomination deadline is 11:59 p.m. on December 1. For more information, contact COPHAlumAwards@health.usf.edu.