Each April, the American Public Health Association brings together communities across the country to observe National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation's health.
For National Public Health Week 2021, the College of Public Health is hosting a series of virtual events showcasing our work in public health.
Virtual session from 5 to 6 p.m.
Learn how to use public health advocacy to support community priorities. Laurie Friedman, associate professor in the School of Social Work, will explain public health advocacy and its impact. A panel of North Philadelphia residents will discuss the most pressing public health issues they see facing their neighborhoods. The group will explore specific advocacy actions that individuals can take to support and improve the health and well-being of their neighbors.
Virtual session from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Representatives from several Temple University student groups will discuss their organizations’ work and efforts related to representation and social justice. Participating organizations include the Temple Black Student Union, Bloody Bitches (which aims to end period poverty), and several others.
Join us to hear about the work being done by your peers, and learn how you can get involved!
Virtual session from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Gun violence may be one of the most physically, emotionally, and financially devastating forms of trauma there is. Making matters worse, those who are most likely to become victims of gun violence often have the fewest resources to deal with its aftermath. Panelists, whose lives intersect with the topic of gun violence, will discuss what meaningful advocacy looks like to them and how they have sought to address the unique challenges that gunshot survivors face:
- Jalil Frazier is a founding member of A Wheel Family, a support group for paralyzed gunshot survivors formed in 2019. In 2018, Frazier, a father of two, was shot as he attempted to protect three children during a robbery at a North Philadelphia barbershop.
- Helen Ubiñas is an award-winning columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. Her work regularly focuses on gun violence and those impacted. Every year since 2016, Ubiñas has called on Philadelphians to fill the Art Museum steps in a show of solidarity against violence.
- Scott Charles is the trauma outreach manager for Temple University Hospital (TUH). He directs TUH's violence prevention and intervention programs, including Cradle to Grave, which educates young people about the medical realities of gun violence; Fighting Chance, which trains community members to administer first aid in the wake of gun violence; Safe Bet, which distributes free gun locks to city residents; and the Trauma Victim Support Advocates program, which links violently injured patients to crime victim services.
- Melany Nelson is executive director for Northwest Victim Services, where she has worked for 27 years. Prior to becoming executive director, she served in various roles, including court room volunteer, community outreach member and volunteer coordinator. Today, in her role as the agency’s lead, she visits violently injured patients at Temple University Hospital and Albert Einstein Medical Center, conducts home visits for families of murder victims, and attends trial hearings with victims and their families.
Virtual session from 12 to 1 p.m.
The well-known link between food security, nutrition status and health has been brought to the forefront during the COVID pandemic. The notoriety has led to robust conversation, collaboration and a renewed interest in the public health implications of food and nutrition, especially as a level for health equity among communities of color. Advocating for access to food is one component of nutrition security, but the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity require healthcare policies that support medical nutrition therapy.
This session will describe efforts underway to advance food and nutrition policy for both prevention and treatment across the lifecycle.
Virtual session from 4 to 6 p.m.
Philadelphia is experiencing an epidemic of opioid use and, in 2018 alone, an estimated 1,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the city. It is an issue that impacts individuals, families and communities in every part of our city. But the number of opioid overdose deaths in Philadelphia decreased in 2018 for the first time in five years—partly thanks to the fact that more people are carrying Narcan and know how to use it. You can take action to address the crisis. Giving Narcan to someone who is overdosing on opioids can save their life.
Attendees will learn how to identify the signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer the overdose reversal drug Narcan (naloxone), which blocks the effects of opioids on the body.
Virtual session from 12 to 1 p.m.
This panel will include speakers with public health backgrounds currently working at pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations in the Philadelphia area. Learn more about the application of public health training in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Claire Fox, senior specialist in the Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE) at Merck. She holds an MPH in epidemiology from New York University and a BS in neuroscience and a BS in psychology from Allegheny College.
- Alexandria Kachurak, study manager in the Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE) at Merck, specifically supporting the Pharmacoepidemiology department. She holds an MS in epidemiology and a BS in public health from Temple University.
- Matthew Phillips, senior specialist in the Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE) at Merck. He holds an MPH in social and behavioral sciences and a BS in public health from Temple University.
Virtual session from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD, Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, will present his documentary, The Skin You’re In. The film explores the health inequalities that African Americans face, including an overview of why these inequities exist and what can be done about them. After viewing the documentary, attendees will have the opportunity to ask Dr. LaVeist questions about his film.
Virtual sessions from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Research and Evidence Based Practice Day is a collegewide event that showcases scholarship across the College of Public Health's academic disciplines, led by students who are working in collaboration with faculty advisors. The event also serves as a great training experience for students, since a critical element of research is dissemination of findings and interaction with professional colleagues. There will be citation awards for meritorious posters and a Dean’s Award for Research Excellence.
Instructions for viewing: At the link below, first watch the "Welcoming Remarks" from Dean Siminoff and Associate Dean Sarwer by clicking into each of their boxes. Then, scroll through the page to locate the presentation you want to view. You can also type a title keyword or author name in the search box, or use the "Sessions" and "Departments" drop-down menus at the top of the page to narrow your search. To view, click on the presentation, then click "Join" to attend.
Click here on April 9 to join Research Day sessions via Zoom.