Public health grants awarded

Seven projects that tackle a wide range of public health issues received a total of $110,000 in funding through the Mutual Fund and Collaborative Projects Programs in the College of Public Health.

The grants, awarded in August by Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, M.B.B.Ch., M.D., M.P.H., and the Great Plains Public Health Training Center, support projects that stimulate collaborative projects between faculty, students and the community.

Pictured from left are Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dr. Jim Stimpson, Nicole Carritt, Erin Porterfield, Andrea Mulvenon, Dr. Chandran Achutan, Theresa Tonozzi, Brandon Grimm, Cassandra Greisen, Raees Shaikh, Dr. Adi Pour, Laura Peet-Erkes from Alegent Creighton Health, Dylan Zaner, Dr. Christopher Fisher and Abbie Kretz.

“These start-up funds encourage meaningful and mutually beneficial initiatives to advance community health and well-being through trustworthy relationships between academia and the community” Dr. El-Mohandes said. “By leveraging these resources, communities locally and statewide will receive the greatest impact.”

The projects were selected following a review process and reflect a diverse portfolio of joint campus-community initiatives.

Mutual Fund grants were awarded to these projects:

• Characterization of Occupational Hazards and Social Justice Issues among Latino Workers in Omaha — which will identify occupational hazards Latino workers face in order to tailor interventions with the long term goal of improving the health of Latino works in Omaha.
  
• Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density to Reduce Excessive Alcohol Consumption — which will discover problem areas in Omaha and Nebraska City associated with excessive alcohol consumption. The goal is to develop a public health policy to reduce alcohol-related problems.
  
• MACCH Cost Study — which will categorize how permanent housing initiatives for the homeless impact the community and public systems (hospitals, detoxification centers, correctional facilities, and mental health institutions).

Great Plains Public Health Training Center grants went to these projects:

• Characterization of Indoor Air Quality in Residences and Schools on the Winnebago Reservation — which will measure indoor air quality on the Winnebago reservation and provide hands-on research training to senior college students as a way to increase research capacity on the reservation.
  
• Nebraska Adult Sexual Literacy Project — which will research the sexual literacy of adults in several Nebraska cities.
  
• Douglas County Department of Corrections HIV Opt-In Testing Pilot Project — which will reduce the local epidemic rates of sexually transmitted infections in Douglas County by targeting high risk individuals in the correctional system, incorporating interactive educational program to inform inmates about STIs, and offering rapid HIV screening and counseling.
  
• Health Policy Short Course for Local Health Departments in Nebraska — which will offer a short course in policy for professionals across the state to prepare them for entry into the Health Policy Academy at the College of Public.