Congratulations to SPPH PhD student Imelda Wong who has been awarded the Mustard Fellowship by Institute for Work & Health.

The Fellowship is named in honour of Dr. J. Fraser Mustard, who was the founding Board Chair of the Institute for Work & Health. The Fellowship supports the development of outstanding new researchers in the field of work and health and aims to build capacity for innovative multidisciplinary research concerning the relationships between work environments and worker health. 

Imelda's current research focuses on shift work and psychosocial stress, and the project she will work on as part of the Fellowship will examines the risk of, contributing factors to, and consequences of work-related injury among single and partnered parents.

Imelda will be defending her dissertation in the fall of 2012 and, on successful completion, will being the Fellowship in January 2013.

Congratulations Imelda!

Congratulations to the 2011 cohort winner of the A.L. Riegert Award, Adam Norris!

This award is given to the MSc-OEH student with the highest grade point average in core OEH courses in the first year of study.

Established in 1992, this award was endowed by friends and family of A.L Riegert in recognition of his contribution to the field of occupational hygiene in Canada. Mr. Reigert was a tireless proponent of prevention in work settings and led the expansion of industrial hygiene at the Workers' Compensation Board of BC. His hygiene educational offerings to unions and employers inspired SPPH Professor Kay Teschke to choose a career in occupational health.

Every year UBC’s SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Program recognizes faculty members who have contributed to the Program's - and the University's - commitment to sustainability. This year the Program has recognized three SPPH faculty members and their projects: 

• Dr. Karen Bartlett and her student for "Fume Hood Implementation at UBC" 
• Dr. Murray Hodgson and his student for "Measured Noise Levels of Dyson Airblade Hand Dryers in UBC Vancouver Campus Washrooms" 
• Dr. Kay Teschke and her student for "Analysis of Main Mall Improvements for Bicycles and Pedestrian Users"

The SEEDS Program forges partnerships, offers educational opportunities and coordinates research opportunities related to sustainability on campus, in order to build a strong vibrant community that supports students as they become sustainability leaders. For more information about the Program visit www.sustain.ubc.ca/seeds

Jacquelyn's research topic is "Longitudinal analysis, with applications to neurological disorders" and focuses on longitudinal analyses with applications to neurological disorders (e.g. spinal cord injury). She hopes that elements of my research will translate into a better understanding of the natural progression of neurological disorders.

Jacquelyn is being supervised by Dr. Jaimie Borisoff and Dr. Hubert Wong.

Congratulations Jacquelyn!

SPPH Professor, Dr. Martin T. Schechter has been awarded the 2012 C.P. Shah Alumni Award of Excellence in Public Health by the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

The C.P. Shah Alumni Award of Excellence in Public Health was established to recognize graduates of any of the academic programs offered by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (and its predecessors) who have advanced the field of public/population health in Canada, or its provinces/territories by his/her contribution and/or sustained efforts in one or more of the following areas: practice, teaching and/or research in Public Health.

One of Dr. Schechter's nominators stated, “Although the criteria for the Award indicate that the nominee should display excellence in one of three areas, it is abundantly clear that Dr. Schechter is an outstanding contributor to all three areas: the practice of public health, teaching, and research. I cannot imagine an alumnus more deserving of this important award.”

Congratulations Martin!

Congratulations to SPPH PhD student, Anjali Mago, who has won the Graduate Student Stipend Award from the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. Anjali is pursuing her research on developing, evaluating and refining the dental courses to be offered through NextGenU.org (www.NextGenU.org) under the guidance of Dr. Erica Frank.

Information technology innovations have created an opportunity for blended learning in NextGenU.org, the world's first portal to free, accredited, higher education. There are no costs for registering, taking the courses or exams, or getting credit from its certified partners if qualified. NextGenU.org blends interactive peer activities (e.g., online chat rooms, creating and assessing peer-generated case studies, images, and multiple choice questions), hands-on mentored experiences (e.g., seeing and discussing patients), and high-quality online learning materials (e.g., text, videos, images from accredited organizations like universities, governments, and specialty societies). These same types of institutions cosponsor the trainings – in the case of the Head and Neck Anatomy course (created by Anjali Mago), for example, the Advisors and Cosponsoring Organizations are from the University of British Columbia and the University of Pittsburgh. Through the dental courses, NextGenU.org aims to deliver a high quality education for free to oral health professionals around the world, by utilizing information and communication technology.

Dr. Michael Law, Assistant Professor at the SPPH’s Centre for Health Services and Policy Research has won the 2012 CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research Article of the Year Award.

CIHR’s IHSPR is dedicated to supporting the advancement of health services and policy research in Canada. This award recognizes published research that has ‘significantly contributed to the advancement of the field of health services and policy research in Canada’. The award was presented May 30 at the Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research annual conference in Montreal.

Dr. Law received the award for his paper “The effect of cost on adherence to prescription medications in Canada”, which was published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The paper found that one in ten Canadians cannot afford to take their prescription drugs as directed. When first released, the paper garnered significant interest and national print and television media coverage.

To read the paper: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/3/297

Dr. Richard Mathias, Professor with the School of Population and Public Health has been awarded a 2012 Diamond Jubilee Medal.

These Medals, created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60^th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne, are given to worthy Canadians who have made significant contributions and achievements that bring credit to Canada

Dr. Mathias was awarded this medal for his significant contribution to the field of public health.