The University of Nebraska Medical Center and co-sponsors in 14 cities
across Nebraska invite the public to participate in a free health educational
series titled, New Disease Threats: How Science Is Responding. The series
will run on Wednesdays, April 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
(CDT).
The series will be broadcast live from Omaha via satellite to 12 Nebraska
communities: Chadron, Columbus, Grand Island, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney,
Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, ONeill, Red Cloud, Rushville, Sidney and
Scottsbluff. Other communities that are interested in down linking this
program can contact UNMC Public Affairs at (402) 559-4353. The series will
be transmitted on Nebraska Satellite System 2 Channel 102 (NebSat 2 Channel
102). If facilitators have questions regarding the transmission, they can
contact Brenda Jeter at (402) 559-9049.
Over the course of the weekly Mini-Medical School the public will learn
about new disease threats, such as West Nile virus, monkey pox, SARS and
mad cow disease, what health professionals and scientists are doing to
combat them and what Nebraskans can do to decrease their risk of getting
these diseases.
Participants will also learn about: the new strains of flu; antibiotic
resistance and the danger that poses; food borne illnesses and how to prevent
them and about Hepatitis C. For this series, UNMC has brought together
experts in infectious diseases, public health and biosecurity.
The goal of UNMC Mini-Medical School is to educate Nebraskans on health
issues that affect them, as well as highlight the strides being made in
research and treatment at UNMC.
Many people want to know why we are seeing an increasing number of
new diseases, said Steven Hinrichs, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Microbiology
at UNMC. Dr. Hinrichs will lead off the series with an overview of the
diseases and the threats they pose.
It seems like every time we pick up a newspaper there is another new
disease threat occurring somewhere in the world whether its the monkey
pox virus from prairie dogs or West Nile virus from mosquitoes. Much of
what we are seeing is due to the impact of a global economy, Dr. Hinrichs
said, where not only are people moving around the world more often and
more quickly, but we are also hearing about news events in parts of the
world that were never discussed in the news media before.
According to Dr. Hinrichs, a disease that has been present for many
hundreds of years in the Middle East is now transported to the United States
for the first time and begins moving across the country. In addition, he
said, exotic animals are being imported from places in the world that were
never allowed to export these animals previously.
Dr. Hinrichs said another contributing factor might be that the density
of humans in certain parts of the world is reaching greater numbers than
ever before allowing for rapid transmission of diseases.
We have all learned that the world is changing, and if we want to make
sure we take every precaution against being caught off guard, said Dr.
Hinrichs, we need to continually learn more about the world in which we
live.
Seating is limited. Registration is required. To get more information
about the series, go to: www.unmc.edu/diseasethreats. While the program
is free to the public, Nebraska and Iowa nurses who wish to receive eight
contact hours of continuing nursing education credits can do so at a cost
of $40 through the UNMC College of Nursing.
UNMC Mini-Medical School dates, topics and presenters:
April 7: 21st Century Plagues: Is the Potential There? presented
by Steven Hinrichs, M.D., director of the Center for Biosecurity and professor
in the department of pathology and microbiology at UNMC; Antibiotics:
Too Much of a Good Thing, presented by Mark Rupp, M.D., associate professor,
infectious diseases and department of internal medicine, UNMC.
April 14: Whats New with the Flu? presented by Jose Romero,
M.D., associate professor, pediatrics and pathology/microbiology, and chief
Latino recruitment officer for UNMC; Stopping SARS, presented by Anne
Mardis, M.D., MPH., medical epidemiologist, Nebraska Health and Human Services
System, Bioterrorism Response Section of the division of Public Health
Assurance; Hepatitis C: Whos at Risk? presented by Mark Mailliard, M.D.,
associate professor, internal medicine and director of the Comprehensive
Hepatitis C Clinic, UNMC.
April 21: West Nile Virus: Addressing the Threat, presented
by Richard A. Raymond, M.D., chief medical officer Nebraska Health and
Human Services System and Wayne Kramer, medical entomologist, Nebraska
Health and Human Services System; Star Wars in the Laboratory: New Technology
in Diagnostic Testing, presented by Tony Sambol, assitant director, Nebraska
Public Health Laboratory.
April 28: Preventing Food-borne Illnesses, presented by Andre
Kalil, M.D., assistant professor, infectious diseases, UNMC; Mad Cow Disease,
presented by Howard E. Gendelman, M.D., director of the Center for Neurovirology
and Neurodegenerative Disorders, UNMC.
Locations of free UNMC Mini-Medical School series and registration
information:
Chadron
Chadron State College, Student Center, Scottsbluff Room, 1000 Main
St.
Chadron, NE 69337 308-432-6422
bfillmore@csc.edu
Sponsored by Chadron State College
Columbus
Central Community CollegeColumbus, North Education Building, Room
925
4500 63rd St.
(402) 562-1409, toll-free (800) 642-1083, smahlin@cccneb.edu
Sponsored by: Central Nebraska-Area Health Education Center and Central
Community College
Grand Island
College Park, Room 201
3180 West Highway 34
(308) 385-6677, mary@cn-ahec.org
Sponsored by: Central Nebraska-Area Health Education Center and Central
Community College
Hastings
Central Community College Platte Building, Walnut Room
East Highway 6
(402) 461-2429, rlurk@cccneb.edu
Sponsored by: Central Nebraska-Area Health Education Center and Central
Community College
Holdrege
Central Community College Holdrege Center at the Phelps County Ag Center
1308 Second Ave.
Persons attending Mini-Medical School in Holdrege must register on
the Monday before each Wednesday session.
(308) 995-8133, dwatson@cccneb.edu
Sponsored by: Central Community College Holdrege Center and Phelps
Memorial Health Center
Kearney
UNK Center for Distance Education, Communications Building, Room 241
1910 University Drive
(308) 865-8503, holoubeckja@unk.edu
Sponsored by: University of Nebraska at Kearney
Lincoln
College of Dentistry Dixon Lecture Hall
40th and Holdrege Streets
(402) 472-9993, gtmason@unmc.edu
Sponsored by: UNMC College of Nursing and UNMC College of Dentistry
Norfolk
Northeast Community College Lifelong Learning Center
601 East Benjamin Avenue
(402) 844-7000
Sponsored by: Northern Nebraska Area Health Education Center and Northeast
Community College
North Platte
McKinley Education Center
301 West F St.
(308) 696-1201, shirleensmith@alltel.net
Sponsored by: West Central District Health Department and McKinley
Education Center
ONeill
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Courthouse Annex
128 N. Sixth St.
(402) 336-2760, rkulm1@unl.edu
Sponsored by: University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Red Cloud
Webster County Historical Museum Exhibit Hall
721 West Fourth (West Highway 136)
(402) 746-3417, drose2@unl.edu
Sponsored by: University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension at Webster
County
Rushville
Sheridan County Cooperative Extension
105 Loofborrow
(308) 327-2312, scarson1@unl.edu
Sponsored by: Sheridan County Cooperative Extension and the Gordon
Memorial Hospital
Sidney
Western Nebraska Community College
gentrym@wncc.edu
(308) 254-7401
Sponsored by Western Nebraska Community College
Scottsbluff
UNMC College of Nursing University Complex Panhandle Station, Room
201
4502 Avenue I
(308) 632-0410, bhartsho@unmc.edu
Sponsored by: UNMC College of Nursing West Nebraska Division
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