Tulane Names Director of Center of Excellence in Women’s Health

WHELTON RECEIVES LEADERSHIP AWARD

Anti-Malarial Drug Developed by Tulane Is Tested in Humans

TULANE LEAD POISONING PREVENTION PROGRAM OFFERS FREE BLOOD TESTS DURING CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING PREVENTION WEEK

Krousel-Wood Named Assistant Dean at Tulane

TULANE RECEIVES CDC FUNDS FOR RESEARCH ON COMMUNITY STRENGTHS AND RESILIENCY

Usdin Family Endows Professorship In the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine

Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke Is Associated with 25% Increase in Heart Attack Risk

Tulane University Department of Health Systems Management Launches Executive Doctoral Program

TULANE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH & TROPICAL MEDICINE CELEBRATES "A TRIBUTE TO COMMITMENT"

Tulane Names Interim Chair of Epidemiology Department

Tulane Hosts U.S.-Soviet Meeting on Transferring Cold War Technology to Public Health

Tulane Peace Corps Program Honored

Tulane Names Director of Center of Excellence in Women’s Health

Jeanette H. Magnus, MD, PhD,
was named Director of The Tulane/Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. Dr. Magnus, a clinical professor of public health in the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, joined the Tulane faculty in June.

“We are indeed fortunate to have someone of her caliber take on the senior leadership role for the Center,” says Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, Interim Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences at Tulane. “Jeanette brings many talents to her position, including a well established focus on women’s health issues, strong administrative and leadership skills, extensive experience as a clinician, advanced training and experience as a basic and applied scientist, and a well defined vision for the future of the Center.

” The Tulane-Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, located in the Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, has the mission to develop a “center without walls” model that offers clinical services and health education to all women at all stages of life. The center was recognized as a National Center of Excellence by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health in October 1998. As one of 18 national centers for women’s health in the country, and the only center in the Deep South, it serves as a model to provide an array of integrated clinical services. The center also emphasizes research in women's health, community collaboration, education, and advancement of women in medicine and science.

Dr. Magnus graduated from medical school in 1983 at the northernmost university in the world, University of Tromsų, located on 70° north in Norway. She earned her PhD in basic science at the University of Tromsų in 1992, and has more than 20 international publications on topics in human connective tissue research. Dr. Magnus has been working clinically in the fields of internal medicine, neurology and rheumatology and has published various clinical papers in Norway and internationally. Since 1997 she has been a fully certified specialist in rheumatology, satisfying the requirements of the Council of the European Community. Dr. Magnus has been Scientific Secretary of the Board of The Norwegian Society for Rheumatology and the Board of The Scandinavian Society for Rheumatology and is a member of the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Magnus has a keen interest in education. She has been involved in curriculum planning, teaching and mentoring medical students and health professionals at all levels at the University of Tromsų since 1986, on topics ranging from clinical biochemistry to preventive medicine and community health. Furthermore, Dr. Magnus has been extensively engaged in postgraduate medical education, and was a member of the EULAR Standing Committee of Education and Training for more than 10 years.

Dr. Magnus was one of the founding persons for The Tromsų Osteoporosis Study; a population-based epidemiological study on osteoporosis and fractures in 8,000 males and females. Dr. Magnus continues to serve as mentor for doctoral students connected to that study. She has been an active promoter for increased awareness of osteoporosis both in national and international arenas, and has more than 20 publications on this topic. Dr. Magnus has been a board member of The Norwegian Osteoporosis Society and is a member of The American Society of Bone Mineral Research, and The National Osteoporosis Society, England.

In recent years, she has been increasingly engaged in women’s health. Dr. Magnus was a member of the Norwegian Department of Health and Social Services’ Reference Group for Women’s Health, the Advisory Board of The Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association and The Norwegian Research Council’s Standing Study Section for Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Services Research.

Dr. Magnus came to New Orleans in 1998 with three children, following her husband, Rev. Dagfinn Magnus, who had been appointed Director of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in the Crescent City. Dr. Magnus recently received an award from The Unger-Vetlesen Medical Fund, established to provide funding for Norwegian physicians to enhance their academic qualifications in English-speaking countries.

WHELTON RECEIVES LEADERSHIP AWARD

Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, received The Hoechst-Marion Roussel/COSEHC Excellence in Leadership Award given by the Consortium of Southeastern Hypertension Centers (COSEHC) and underwritten by a grant from Hoechst-Marion Roussel at a dinner in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The award recognizes a physician, administrator, public figure of health care professional who has, through leadership and insight, made major contributions to promote increased awareness of cardiovascular health issues in the southeastern United States. Dr. Whelton came to New Orleans as Dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in January 1997 and he was appointed Interim Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences at Tulane University in August 1999.

Dr. Whelton was honored for his principal leadership in the understanding of the epidemiology of hypertension and renal disease, along with his key role in primary prevention of hypertension. He has published several books, more than 40 book chapters and 200 peer-reviewed journal articles on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular and renal diseases. He has led numerous collaborative efforts to prevent and control high blood pressure: he chaired the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Working Group on Primary Prevention of Hypertension, and was a member on the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Joint National Committees for Prevention, Detection, Treatment and Control of High Blood Pressure.

Dr. Whelton studied medicine at the National University of Ireland, University College Cork. After training in internal medicine and nephrology at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he trained in the public health sciences at the London University School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit in London. Dr. Whelton joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 1976, where he rose to the rank of professor of medicine in the medical school and professor of epidemiology in Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. At Johns Hopkins he served as Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research; Director of the Outpatient General Clinical Research Center; Director of the Medical Institution’s Program in Clinical Epidemiology; and founder and Director of the community-based PRO-Health Research Center.

Anti-Malarial Drug Developed by Tulane Is Tested in Humans

The first human studies of a novel, candidate antimalarial drug (AQ-13) have begun at the Tulane-LSU-Charity Hospital General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). Almost half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of contracting malaria. Over 300 million people develop clinical cases of malaria each year, and one to three million of them die. Many of these are children living in sub-Saharan Africa. The clinical trial underway at the GCRC seeks to determine safety in humans before AQ-13 can be given to humans who have malaria in West Africa at the Mali-Tulane Tropical Medicine Research Center.

Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by parasites conveyed via mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites the human host, she injects the parasites along with her saliva. The parasites develop first in the human’s liver cells, and then infect red blood cells. Unless appropriately treated, malaria can produce life-threatening complications including kidney failure and coma.

“The testing of this novel anti-malaria drug for safety is a major landmark in the development of a new drug for human use,” says Donald Krogstad, MD, principal investigator, who is Chairman of the Department of Tropical Medicine at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He also is Director of the Tulane Center for Infectious Diseases.

“The story of AQ-13’s development provides a vivid illustration of the ways in the facilities available at Tulane can contribute to basic science as well as the development of practical disease control strategies.

Explains Dr. Krogstad: “ In this case, the original basic science studies of anti-malarial action and resistance were performed at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Tulane Center for Infectious Diseases. These studies led to the synthesis of 80 candidate compounds at the Department of Chemistry, followed by structural confirmation at the Boggs Center. The compounds were screened for in vitro activity at the Center for Infectious Diseases, and by in vivo testing in two monkey models of human malaria at the Tulane Regional Primate Research Center.

” The development of new anti-malarial drugs is important, Dr. Krogstad says, because malaria parasites have become resistant to the widely used drug chloroquine and other anti-malarial drugs. At one time, malaria was a serious health problem in the U.S. Malaria was prevalent in this country well into the 20th century, when it was eradicated as a result of improved water management and better access to effective insecticides and drugs.

In recent years, between 1200 and 1400 cases of malaria have been reported in the U.S. annually - most acquired overseas. However, because vector mosquitoes capable of carrying malaria still inhabit the U.S., cases have been reported in California, Texas, Michigan, New York and New Jersey, where people who have never left this country have been diagnosed with malaria.

TULANE LEAD POISONING PREVENTION PROGRAM OFFERS FREE BLOOD TESTS DURING CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING PREVENTION WEEK

NEW ORLEANS - Despite efforts at education and prevention, children in New Orleans continue to be poisoned by lead from peeling lead-based paint, lead-contaminated dust and other sources in their homes and neighborhoods. To draw attention to the problem, the Tulane Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (part of the CDC Prevention Research Center of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine) is participating in National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week October 24 - 30.

Nationally, almost one million preschool age children have enough lead in their blood to harm them, says Felicia Rabito, PhD, an environmental epidemiologist. This includes up to 40% of the children in some neighborhoods in New Orleans’ inner-city who have elevated levels of lead in their blood.

“Thanks to the commitment of our many wonderful partners and volunteers, we’ll be bringing messages on lead safety to the people who are in the communities where we need to protect children who are at risk still,” Dr. Rabito says.

FREE lead screening (a simple blood test) conducted by the Tulane Lead Poisoning Prevention Program in a mobile van will be available for children at the following locations:

• Tuesday, 10/26 2 - 5 p.m. Derbigny Street and Washington Avenue Wednesday, 10/27 2 - 5 p.m.
• Philips Street and Loyola Avenue
• Thursday, 10/28 2 - 5 p.m. Sixth Street between Loyola Avenue and Saratoga Street

Free information on how to prevent lead poisoning and the health risks of lead poisoning will be available during the community screening programs.

The Louisiana Office of Public Health has received $1.5 million over three years from the CDC to develop a statewide lead toxicity surveillance and prevention program for children. Tulane’s Center for Applied Environmental Public Health participates in the program, in close cooperation with the City of New Orleans Health Department.

In addition, the Tulane Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has trained five “Leadbusters,” individuals hired from the community at risk, to assist in implementing the strategies that were custom-designed to work in that community. The project will identify and validate intervention methods to lower lead levels in the inner city through environmental and nutritional intervention strategies that involve the community. National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week kicks off a major awareness initiative of the Campaign for a Lead-Safe America (www.lead-safeamerica.net). The Campaign for a Lead-Safe America is a national public awareness initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To receive materials on lead poisoning prevention, call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.

Krousel-Wood Named Assistant Dean at Tulane

Marie Antoinette “Tonette” Krousel-Wood, MD, MSPH, has been named Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education in the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In this part-time position, Dr. Wood will assume overall direction of the joint MD/MPH Program within the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She continues in her role as Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Training Program, which she has overseen since 1992. In both these positions she will play an important leadership role in strengthening the academic partnership between the two schools. In addition to her Dean's Office responsibilities, Dr. Krousel-Wood plans to participate in health services research within the Department of Health Systems Management.

Dr. Krousel-Wood is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Tulane School of Medicine, and she is clinical associate professor in the Department of Health Systems Management in the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She received her medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine, and her master’s degree in public health from Tulane, followed by a preventive medicine residency at Tulane. She is board-certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. A member of the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation scientific staff, Dr. Krousel-Wood also serves as Director of Outcomes Measurement for Ochsner Health Plan.

TULANE RECEIVES CDC FUNDS FOR RESEARCH ON COMMUNITY STRENGTHS AND RESILIENCY

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine received a grant of nearly $900,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate a four-community study of community strengths that foster change.

The three-year project, entitled “Development of Practical Measures of Social Factors and Social Capital in Racial and Ethnic Communities,” will be lead by Robert M. Goodman, PhD, MPH, the Usdin Family Professor of Community Health Sciences at Tulane, in partnership with Xavier University’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Dr. Beverly Wright, Co-Principal Investigator. In addition to New Orleans, communities will be studied in Illinois, Missouri and New Mexico. All four locations have a university-affiliated CDC Prevention Research Center. A community advisory board will help select the area communities that will be involved in the study.

“There have been many studies of community concerns and challenges, but we’re taking a different approach to community change and improvement, by looking at community capacities and other indicators of community resiliency,” Dr. Goodman says. The indicators of community resiliency are dynamic, changing over time and varying by issue. Examples are:

• Strong informal and formal leaders in the community
• Knowledge of how to access or leverage power
• Understanding of the community’s history
• Citizens who are active and involved in community betterment
• A clear sense of values

“This is a great opportunity for us to take research knowledge out into communities, to help develop their capacities for improvement in public health and other key issues. When a community builds upon its capacities, it tends to be more enabled to manage challenges and opportunities, like a resilient person who is in good health can ward off illness better.”

Dr. Goodman also developed the evaluation process for the Tulane-Xavier Center of Excellence in Women’s Health in New Orleans, and he has a contract to devise an evaluation model for the other national centers for women’s health. In addition, Dr. Goodman is developing the evaluation of the National Diabetes Prevention Center in Gallop, N.M., that serves native Americans.

As part of its new strategy to strengthen and expand the nation’s public health research programs at universities, the CDC announced grants of $12.5 million to fund 50 research projects at academic health centers, research centers and university-affiliated programs across the country.

The funding is part of the CDC’s Prevention Research Initiative, an effort to link the talents and skills of university-based scientists with the resources of health departments, community-based programs and national organizations. The grants cover a range of subjects, including prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, asthma, and home, workplace and recreational injuries. Activities include centers of excellence in prevention research, research projects to inform public policy, and research investigator training and development.

“The awards ensure that public health research activities address problems affecting the nation’s communities,” says Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, director of the CDC. “The grants will help CDC and its partners conduct research that can directly improve community health and reduce the need for medical care. We are able to harness the best talent, expertise, and experience of university-based programs and other research partners. The benefits are great as we continue our efforts to fight the causes of disease and disability. We are determined to continue our commitment to work with partners in neighborhoods, government and in the research community of our nation and the world.”

Hero of Yellow Fever Epidemics Honored

Sherwin Named to Copes Chair in Epidemiology at Tulane

 

NEW ORLEANS -- Roger W. Sherwin, MD, is the first Joseph S. Copes, MD, Professor of Epidemiology and the first Chairman of the Department of Epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, announces Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, Dean of the School. Dr. Sherwin formerly was Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. An expert in preventive cardiology and cardiovascular disease intervention, including stroke, Dr. Sherwin's main research interest lies in studying risk factors and lifestyle modification regarding coronary heart disease. From 1972 - 83, Dr. Sherwin was principal investigator of the Baltimore Center of MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial), a major national study that was conducted at 22 centers.

The Copes Chair is funded by the Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation. The chair is established in honor of Dr. Joseph Slemmons Copes, great-grandfather of Collins C. Diboll who graduated from Tulane in 1926 with a degree in engineering. He was a generous supporter of his alma mater and a founding member of the Tulane University Medical Center Advisory Committee.

"The Trustees of the Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation are extremely pleased with Dr. Sherwin’s appointment, and we are pleased that Dr. Whelton has appointed someone with such impressive credentials to be the Copes Professor and to Chair the Department of Epidemiology," says Tom Keller, trustee of the Collins Diboll Foundation. "Collins Diboll, whose Will established our Foundation, would be proud of this."

Dr. Copes served New Orleans tirelessly for four long months during the yellow fever epidemic of 1853, and then went to Jackson, Miss., to minister to victims there. During the Civil War, he treated many troops who were stricken with yellow fever. He helped establish the cotton industry in Mississippi and wrote the Mississippi law requiring vaccination against smallpox.

After receiving his medical degree from the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, Dr. Copes became successful in treating the tropical fevers of the Gulf Coast in Holmes County, Miss. He established a plantation and became one of the founders of the first Mississippi State Agricultural Society. In 1839, Dr. Copes moved his practice to Jackson. In 1846, Dr. Copes went to New York to help establish the American Medical Association. In 1849, Dr. Copes moved to New Orleans and became a charter member of Charity Hospital’s Board of Physicians and Surgeons. He took charge of wards where epidemics of cholera and typhoid raged.

"Dr. Copes was one of the first champions of better sanitation and vaccination to prevent disease, and an important influence on the practice of medicine as it evolved in the last century," says Dean Whelton. "Dr. Sherwin is one of the leading investigators and educators in the field of epidemiology, a cornerstone of public health. I am delighted that Dr. Sherwin has agreed to help build the Department of Epidemiology at Tulane."

Dr. Sherwin received his medical degree from Cambridge University, followed by residency training in internal medicine in London and a fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He pursued graduate studies in biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. He is a member of the American Epidemiological Society and a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology.

Due to a nationwide shortage, opportunities abound for specialists trained in epidemiology, the systematic study of the distribution and determinants of disease or disability in population groups, according to the Association of Schools of Public Health.

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine offers several programs of study in epidemiology. These include a master's degree in public health (MPH) in epidemiology, a combined MD/MPH program, and two doctoral programs -- a DrPH in epidemiology or a PhD in epidemiology. Research projects include investigations focused on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, cancer and kidney disease.

Tulane University pioneered the teaching of population sciences in the United States, bginning with formal instruction in hygiene in 1881 . The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is the oldest school of public health in the USA, established in 1912. It is one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the USA.

The School is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. Currently, more than 1300 students are enrolled in the School from 54 different countries, and the School conducts research in 60 countries around the world.

The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative service to the local, national and international public health community. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in seven main areas of discipline: biostatistics, community health sciences, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health systems management, international health and development, and tropical medicine.

Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine Launches Study to Stave Off Tuberculosis in New Orleans Homeless with Ultra-Violet Light

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine launched a five-year study designed to control the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in the underserved, homeless population. New Orleans is one of three cities (including New York City and Birmingham, Ala.) to test ultraviolet germicidal irradiation as a safe and inexpensive preventive measure to lower the incidence rate of TB in homeless shelters. Participating in the study are Brantley Baptist Center, Bridge House, and New Orleans Mission. Unity for the Homeless is providing support for the project.

At a news announcement today, Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, Dean of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, turned on the UV lights in the cafeteria at Bridge House, a private, non-profit organization which provides treatment for homeless/indigent, substance-dependent men, women and adolescents while providing shelter and direction to assist in their recovery.  “As public health workers we are committed to the local community, and appreciate the support of governmental, public health, and social service agencies within the Greater New Orleans area,” says Mark A. James, PhD, Associate Professor of Tropical Medicine and Principal Investigator.

Prevention of TB by exposure to low-level UV light is an idea that was proposed in the 1960s but never scientifically tested in natural conditions (outside of the laboratory), Dr. James says. Combined with proper ventilation, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation works by cleansing the air of TB bacteria, which is often spread unknowingly by people with the active disease. Room disinfection may be accomplished with specially designed, ceiling-mounted UV light fixtures. The study will determine if these fixtures, when placed at least seven feet above the floor, provide safe room disinfection with no significant risk to occupants.

“We hope that the UV light will curtail TB, including newer, multi-drug resistant strains, in the homeless population which is particularly susceptible to this disease,” Dr. James explains. “If effective, this same technology could be useful in other settings such as prisons, health care institutions, etc.”

Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is a very dangerous form of tuberculosis. Some TB germs become resistant to the effects of some TB drugs. This happens when TB disease is not properly treated. These resistant germs can cause TB disease that is much harder to treat because the drugs do not kill the bacteria.

A potentially fatal disease, TB can be spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Historically, TB has been associated with cities, poverty and dense population. Brief exposure to a few TB germs rarely infects a person. Usually it is day-after-day close contact that does it.

“The homeless population is at high risk of contracting TB and other diseases because of the circumstances in which these people live,” says James Wright, PhD, Professor of Sociology at Tulane University, who is performing data analysis for all three cities in the study.

“The resurgence of TB has hit hard in many parts of this country,” says Philip W. Brickner, MD, Chairman of the Community Medicine Department at Saint Vincents Hospital in New York City, the architect and head of the national study. “In cases of drug-resistant TB, 50 percent of infected individuals die. For people with impaired immunity, such as those infected with HIV, the risks are even greater. We cannot afford to treat TB as a silent partner,” he warns.

NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane University President Scott S. Cowen will preside as Prescott L. Deininger, PhD, receives the first Marguerite Main Zimmerman Chair in Basic Cancer Research at Tulane today at 2 p.m. in the Tulane School of Medicine Auditorium.

The Marguerite Main Zimmerman Chair in Basic Cancer Research was established in 1993 through the generous bequest of Rodger F. Zimmerman in honor of his mother. The chair will support basic cancer research to further cancer prevention and treatment programs that translate basic discoveries to clinical applications.

Dr. Deininger is director for basic science programs and associate director for the Tulane Cancer Center. In addition, he serves as a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. An internationally-renowned expert in molecular genetics and cancer research, Dr. Deininger also serves as the director of the laboratory of molecular genetics at Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation in New Orleans. 

In honor of the investiture, a special lecture on "Development of Human Gene Therapy" will be given at noon Monday in the medical school auditorium by Theodore Friedmann, MD, under whom Dr. Deininger served as a postdoctoral research associate. Dr. Friedmann is professor of pediatrics and director of the gene therapy program at the University of California - San Diego.

Dr. Deininger served as associate director for basic science at the LSU Medical Center’s Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center before joining Tulane in July 1998. He was a visiting associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the Harvard University School of Medicine. Author of about 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Deininger received the Bronze Medal for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the Russian Military Academy of Sciences in 1993.

 TULANE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH & TROPICAL MEDICINE

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine recognized 431 degree candidates at the School’s annual spring commencement ceremony held May 14 in Dixon Hall on the uptown campus of Tulane University.

Presiding at the commencement ceremony was Paul K. Whelton, M.D., M.Sc., Dean of the School. Commencement speaker was Dr. Nafis Sadik, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, who was honored with a Doctor of Science degree from Tulane University by University President Scott Cowen.

"You, too, have chosen to work in the field of public health," Dr. Sadik told the graduates. "You are medical specialists, but your field is much wider than medicine. You have a unique chance to change the lives of the people and the communities you will serve. . . What is needed is a more holistic approach to health. Health is the keystone to human development. The highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being, and each and every one of us have a responsibility with regard to our personal health, and also to the health of the community to which we belong."

"For me it was a distinct honor to participate in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, as well as the university-wide ceremonies," says Dean Whelton. "To be a part of the oldest school of public health in the United States, with what is arguably the most diverse and international group of faculty and students, is a special privilege. Nothing symbolizes the accomplishments of the SPHTM better than our graduates and this year’s 431 degree recipients are an outstanding cohort whose achievements reflect their own dedication to excellence and that of their teachers at the school.

"To know that our training programs are not only unusually large (we will probably train about 1,400 graduate students this year) and innovative but increasingly being recognized as national/

international models of excellence is also extremely gratifying. Coupling this with the increasing success of SPHTM faculty in peer-reviewed competition for sponsored projects funding (the school's research budget has increased more than five-fold in less than a decade) makes it easy for me to take great pride in being a member of the faculty," Dr. Whelton adds.

For the first year, the Elizabeth A. Bennett Award for Excellence In Maternal and Child Health was awarded. Kara Nicole Driver, B.S., M.P.H., was the recipient of this award, which was

presented by Judith LaRosa, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Community Health Sciences

in memory of Dr. Bennett, an associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences. Over her 32 years at Tulane, Dr. Bennett was actively involved in working with others to enhance the quality of students’ educational experiences. Last year, Dr. Bennett was honored as the first recipient of one of the highest awards at Tulane University Medical Center, the Chancellor’s Teaching Scholar Award.

Newly Elected Members of the Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society were presented by Dr. Paul Whelton.

Tulane University pioneered in teaching hygiene and the health of populations in the United States. The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, was established in 1912. The School is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. Currently, more than 1300 students are enrolled in the School from 54 different countries, and the School conducts research in 60 countries around the world.

The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative service to the local, national and international public health community. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in seven main areas of discipline: biostatistics, community health sciences, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health systems management, international health and development, and tropical medicine.

Usdin Family Endows Professorship
In the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine

The family of the late Cecile Usdin, a noted local sculptress and philanthropist, prior to her death donated funds to establish the Usdin Family Professorship in Community Health Sciences in the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

“Community Health Sciences is an area of particular interest for our family,” says Gene. Usdin, MD, her husband. “We’ve had a long-term commitment to seeking ways to improve the lives of the less fortunate in the Greater New Orleans community.”

The Usdins see their mission as dovetailing with the mission of the Department of Community Health Sciences, “to prepare health professionals for leadership in community health practice through education, research, and practice directed at health promotion and disease prevention among individuals and their communities,” says Judie LaRosa, PhD, chair of the department.

Linda Usdin, DrPH, daughter of Cecile and Gene Usdin and an adjunct assistant professor of community health sciences, who received her doctoral degree from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, emphasizes that, “It’s very important for institutions such as Tulane to develop capacity to work within the community. This is a way to build both individual and institutional capacity for community partnerships.

Tulane is applying to the Louisiana Educational Quality Support Fund for matching funds from the state to fully fund the professorship. Once the professorship is fully funded, Robert Goodman, PhD, a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, will be installed as the first Usdin Family Professor.

“Dr. Goodman brings an extensive background in research and participation in community coalitions, partnerships and needs assessment,” says Dr. LaRosa. “He believes that it is essential to shift from a focus on merely identifying a community’s needs to an emphasis on determining the community’s capacity to meet its needs. Dr. Goodman is well known for his rigorous evaluation techniques, ensuring the effectiveness of community-based programs. We are doubly honored by the Usdins’ commitment to excellence and by having Dr. Goodman as the Usdin Family Professor.”

Dr. Goodman currently is working on “Turning Point,” a project administered by the Louisiana Office of Public Health that is intended to mobilize the community using partnerships in developing approaches to restructuring health care. Dr. Goodman and the Department of Community Health Sciences are playing integral roles in the development of the Tulane-Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, says Dr. LaRosa, who is director of the center. The Tulane-Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health is the first center in the Gulf South and one of six centers nationwide named this past fall to receive an award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Usdins also are donating one of Cecile Usdin’s sculptures for the new Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.

Tulane University pioneered in teaching hygiene and the health of populations in the United States. The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, was established in 1912. The School is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. Currently, students enrolled on campus in the School come from 54 different countries, and the School conducts research in 60 countries around the world. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in seven main areas of discipline: biostatistics, community health sciences, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health systems management, international health and development, and tropical medicine.

Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke Is Associated with

25% Increase in Heart Attack Risk

NEW ORLEANS – In the first-ever comprehensive quantitative review of studies measuring the risk of heart attack due to exposure to passive (second-hand) cigarette smoke, researchers at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine concluded that non-smokers exposed to passive smoking have an approximately 25 percent increased risk of heart attack. The findings, reported in this week’s The New England Journal of Medicine, are based on a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiologic studies.

Heart attack remains the Number 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, representing one out of every five deaths (over 476,000 every year). An estimated 48 million American adults smoke cigarettes.

"According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking kills a half million people in this country every year. Approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year are due to passive smoking. We estimate that passive smoking results in many more coronary heart disease deaths each year," says lead author Jiang He, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

"Because we’re looking at a highly prevalent disease and a common exposure, these findings have substantial relevance for both the public health community and non-smokers in the general public," says Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, Dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and one of the study’s authors.

About 43 percent of non-smoking children and 37 percent of non-smoking adults are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in the United States, according to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Because of the high prevalence of passive cigarette smoking at home and in the workplace, a substantial number of coronary heart disease events seem to result from exposure to passive smoking, the authors conclude. "Many children are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke at home or in other environments, such as child-care facilities and schools. The only safe way to protect non-smokers from exposure to cigarette smoke is to eliminate this health hazard from public places and workplaces, as well as from the home," Dr. He says.

Dr. He adds that there is a strong dose-response relationship between passive smoking and subsequent coronary heart disease. Non-smokers exposed to a greater amount of second-hand smoke (20 or more cigarettes per day) have a higher relative risk of heart disease (31 percent) than those exposed to a lesser amount of second-hand smoke (1 to 19 cigarettes per day; 23 percent increase in risk).

The 18 studies in the meta-analysis consisted of 10 prospective cohort studies and eight case-control studies. Both published studies (15) and unpublished dissertations (3) were included in the analysis. Overall, the 18 studies provided experience from 643,750 individuals. The researchers controlled for potentially confounding factors for coronary heart disease, including age, sex, blood pressure, body weight and serum cholesterol level. The meta-analysis was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and a Center Development grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Tulane University in New Orleans pioneered teaching hygiene and the health of populations in the United States. The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, was established in 1912. The School is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. Currently, more than 1300 students are enrolled in the School from 54 different countries, and the School conducts research in 60 countries around the world.

The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative serviceto the local, national and international public health community.

NEW ORLEANS - The Russian President's advisor on nuclear physics and other senior Russian scientists met at a U.S.-Russian workshop hosted by Dr. James L. Regens of Tulane University Medical Center to discuss a project to design and develop new chemical compounds for decontaminating radioactive wastes. The two-day workshop on December 16 – 17 focused on "plans to reduce radiological risks associated with remediation of nuclear weapons production facilities and submarines," said Dr. Regens, Freeport-McMoRan Professor and Director of the Entergy Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory (ESARL) of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

At the opening session of the high-level meeting, Dr. John C. LaRosa, Chancellor of Tulane University Medical Center, welcomed the delegation by saying, "It's appropriate that you are meeting in the Health and Environmental Research Building here at Tulane, because this building was built for environmental research."

Dr. Paul K. Whelton, Dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said, "Disease knows no boundaries, and I believe that health is an inalienable right in all of our countries. We can learn a lot from each other, and we will help in any way possible to make this collaboration a productive one. The programs led by Dr. Regens are central to the mission of our School, in research, teaching and practice."

The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), headquartered in Moscow, is funded by the U.S., the European Union, and Japan. It was established after the end of the Cold War to support collaborative research projects involving leading scientists and engineers from the former Soviet Union with senior Western scientists and engineers. ISTC projects are

designed to foster the transition from work on nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. These ISTC projects play a key role on the U.S. government's cooperative threat reduction program.

Other participants at this high-level meeting included:

• Dr. Evgeny Avrorin, Advisor on Nuclear Physics to the Russian President and Director of the Russian Federal Nuclear Research Center (Snezhinsk), and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences

• Dr. Alexandre Tsvetokhin, Project Manager, Russian Federal Nuclear Research Center

• Dr. Elena Kourbatova, Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences

• Dr. Alexandre Ksenofontov, Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics

• Dr. Alvin Young, Director, Center For Risk Excellence, U.S. Department of Energy

• Dr. Donald Johnson, Assistant Director, Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory

• Pat Wilkey, Director, Center For Environmental Restoration Systems, Argonne National Laboratory

• Dr. Eric Zimmerman, Team Leader, Engineering and Technology Evaluation, Argonne National Laboratory

• Dr. Donald Hodges, Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

The Entergy Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory (ESARL) of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, provides a full range of state-of-the-art modeling, spatial analysis and relational database management and integration capabilities to address complex environmental problems.

 ESARL draws on the expertise of multidisciplinary teams with backgrounds in environmental health sciences, statistics, modeling, spatial analysis, geology, forestry, economics, engineering and policy analysis.

Since its founding in 1994, the ESARL has managed $26 million in funding sponsored by public and private sector clients, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, NASA, and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology.

Tulane Names Interim Chair of Epidemiology Department

NEW ORLEANS -- Roger W. Sherwin, MD, has been named interim chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Sherwin formerly was Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. An expert in preventive cardiology and cardiovascular disease intervention, including stroke, Dr. Sherwin's main research interest lies in studying risk factors and lifestyle modification regarding coronary heart disease. From 1972 - 83, Dr. Sherwin was principal investigator of the Baltimore Center of the MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial), a major national study that was conducted at 22 centers.

"Dr. Sherwin is one of the leading investigators and educators in the field of epidemiology. I am delighted that he has agreed to help build the Department of Epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine," says Paul K. Whelton, MD, MSc, Dean of the School. Previously, Tulane had a combined Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. "It's important that we have a free-standing Department of Epidemiology because epidemiology is a core discipline in the field of public health," Dean Whelton says.

Due to a nationwide shortage, opportunities abound for specialists trained in the systematic study of the distribution and determinants of disease or disability in population groups, according to the Association of Schools of Public Health.

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine already offers several programs of study in epidemiology. These include a master's degree in public health (MPH) in epidemiology, a combined MD/MPH program, and two doctoral programs -- a DrPH in epidemiology or a PhD in epidemiology. Research projects include investigations focused on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, cancer and kidney disease.

Dr. Sherwin received his medical degree from Cambridge University, followed by residency training in internal medicine in London and a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He pursued graduate studies in biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. He is a member of the American Epidemiological Society and a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative service to the local, national and international public health community. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in seven main areas of discipline: biostatistics, community health sciences, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health systems management, international health and development, and tropical medicine.

CELEBRATES "A TRIBUTE TO COMMITMENT"

NEW ORLEANS – More than 300 people celebrated the commitment of professionals to the field of public health at The Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine’s black tie gala in the Blue Room in the Fairmont Hotel on the evening of December 3.

The School's Dean, Paul Whelton, MD, MSc, presented the first Dean's Medal to John J. Walsh, MD, chancellor of Tulane University Medical Center from 1972 until 1989. Dr. Walsh is Chancellor Emeritus and a Professor Emeritus of Health Systems Management. Dr. Walsh also served as an interim dean of the School during a period of transition.

"In an era when public health schools throughout the United States were struggling for their very existence, Dr. Walsh demonstrated his strong commitment to the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and secured its future by providing strong scientific and administrative leadership," says Dr. Whelton. "He provided the first permanent home for the School and built many unique programs, including Tulane's stellar combined MD/MPH degree.

"The Dean's Medal is a new award intended to recognize an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the development of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. It is the highest honor that I, as Dean of the School, can bestow on an individual."

John C. LaRosa, MD, Chancellor of Tulane University Medical Center, paid tribute to Dr. Walsh, saying, "From the time I arrived in New Orleans, he and I have had a very warm, close working relationship. His wisdom has been invaluable."

Dr. Walsh received his medical degree in 1948 from the Long Island College of Medicine in Brooklyn. He interned at the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Hospital in Staten Island and served as a medical officer in the United States Coast Guard. Following residency training in medicine at the USPHS Hospital in Seattle, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the USPHS Hospital in New Orleans and trained as a fellow in cardiology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He was subsequently chosen to be Medical Director and Officer in Charge at the USPHS Hospital in New Orleans, and Assistant Surgeon General in Bethesda before retiring from the USPHS at the rank of Rear Admiral.

Dr. Walsh returned to New Orleans in 1968 as Professor of Medicine, Dean of the Tulane University School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Public Health. In 1972, he was appointed to the newly created position of Chancellor of Tulane University Medical Center and served in this role until 1989. During his tenure as Chancellor, Dr. Walsh embarked on an ambitious program of development at the Medical Center. Under his leadership, The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine developed progressively to become one of the most admired schools of public health in the world.

Dr. Walsh saw the wisdom of building a strong school of public health at Tulane, investing in the academic programs of the School. He played a leading role in creating the much-celebrated combined MD/MPH degree opportunity -- a program that to this day is recognized for its innovation and distinctiveness.

Over and above his many accomplishments in building the school, Dr. Walsh is remembered for his humanity as a leader -- visiting faculty members and staff when they were hospitalized, quietly setting up funds for public health students in need of financial aid, and spending countless hours advising junior colleagues and stimulating them to achieve their full potential as leaders in the health professions.

At the Gala, Scott S. Cowen, MBA, PhD, President of Tulane University, bestowed the School's Annual Alumnus of the Year Award to Sambe Duale, MD, MPH, Research Manager of the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) Project. In this capacity, he provides technical guidance for planning, conduct, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of all SARA-supported projects.

Dr. Duale received his medical degree from the National University of Zaire in 1979. Subsequently, he was awarded a scholarship from the USAID to study at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He received an MPH in International Health and Development in 1985. Dr. Duale has used his training at Tulane to benefit not only his fellow countrymen in Zaire but populations throughout the entire continent of Africa. Dr. Duale has consulted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the World Health Assembly and many other organizations on issues of primary health care, child survival, and prevention and control of the human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS.

From 1988 to 1992, Dr. Duale served as Director of the SANRU rural health project for Zaire. During a period of political strife and deteriorating economic and social conditions in Zaire, he molded SANRU into one of the most effective and highly regarded public health networks of its kind in the world. Subsequently, he served as Chief Medical Officer for the Karawa Health Zone Primary Health Care System, with responsibility for a large general hospital and more than 30 satellite health centers serving a population in excess of 300,000.

A Research Assistant Professor in the Department of International Health and Development at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Dr. Duale is an important voice for advocacy of public health needs in the African continent.

"His accomplishments in applying the public health knowledge gained while a student at Tulane to improvements in the health of populations throughout the African continent make Dr. Sambe Duale an ideal choice as the 1997-98 Alumnus of the Year for the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine," says Dr. Cowen.

Also honored at the festive evening were Champions of Public Health, selected by each department in the School:

Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Louise McFarland, MPH, DrPH, Chief of the Epidemiology Section at the Louisiana Office of Public Health, Department of Health and Hospitals

Community Health Sciences

Ted Chen, PhD, Professor of Community Health Sciences and Director of the Office of Asia-Pacific Health Promotion and Development

Dean's Office

Cynthia Hayes, Program Manager

Environmental Health Sciences

William Hartley, ScD, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and co-principal investigator of the Tulane CDC Prevention Research Center

Health Systems Management

Joseph Kimbrell, MSW, MA, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Office of Public Health

Denese O. Shervington, MD, MPH, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Public Health

Tropical Medicine

Antonio D'Alessandro, MD, MPH&TM, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Tropical Medicine

New faculty members, who joined the School this year, were recognized at the gala:

Adam Atherly, PhD, Research Instructor, Health Systems Management

Thomas Bishop, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

Neil Boris, MD, Assistant Professor, Community Health Sciences

Prescott Deininger, PhD, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

Erin Eckert, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, International Health and Development

Robert M. Goodman, PhD, Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences

Bradley Gray, PhD, Assistant Professor, Health Systems Management

Jeanette Gustat, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Guang Jin, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

Preston Marx, PhD, Professor, Tropical Medicine

Scott F. Michael, PhD, Assistant Professor, Tropical Medicine

Halet Poovey, ScD, Research Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

Felicia Rabito, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Joseph White, PhD, Associate Professor, Health Systems Management

Thomas Wiese, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative service to the local, national and international public health community. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in seven main areas of discipline.

Tulane University Department of Health Systems Management

Launches Executive Doctoral Program

NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane University has inaugurated an Executive Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) Degree Program in Health Systems Management (HSM) through its Department of Health Systems Management in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The program is the first of its kind in the South and only the second in the United States to be offered by an accredited school of public health. A comparable program has been in operation at the University of Michigan since 1987.

The Executive Doctoral Program is designed to accommodate health care professionals who are working clinicians or administrators. During the first two years, students will come to New Orleans once a month for intensive, three-day weekends of core curriculum coursework. This core curriculum will emphasize studies in health outcomes, cost/benefit analyses applied to health, and disease management. In the third year, students will meet in New Orleans for one weekend session once every four months for research development and dissertation preparation.

"This is an innovative approach to executive education for health administrators and policy makers," said Richard Culbertson, Ph.D., Director of Doctoral Programs. "We’ve designed a degree that will be relevant to health practice in the 21st century. The program’s focus on mid-career students should ensure lively interaction around the application of cutting-edge research to current and future challenges in health systems management. We find that people pursue a doctorate for many reasons --to gain new skills, for promotion, or for self-satisfaction-- but few people are willing to give up their jobs to undertake full-time studies."

"The material is at the same advanced level as the doctorate that we offer on campus and meets all the standard requirements for the school’s doctoral degree, but the Executive Program does not require residency here," Dr. Culbertson added.

Welcoming the first class of 22 students was Paul K. Whelton, M.D., M.Sc., Dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. "Because of the high demand among health care professionals for advanced training in health care management, we expect that this program will become very popular," Dr. Whelton said. "American health care has failed to control costs through traditional approaches to cost containment, so we must examine treatment options relative to their impact on health outcomes in order to contain costs."

Enrolled in the first class are three physicians, three CEOs, and 14 other health care professionals. Tulane University President Scott Cowen commented on this executive doctorate program as an early example of the kind of high quality, innovative educational programming that will continue to distinguish Tulane University in the United States and overseas. He recognized the Department of Health Systems Management, now in its 28^th year, as an innovator and leader in its field.

Regents Professor and Health Systems Management Department Chair David Fine initiated planning for this program in 1995. On the occasion of ceremonies marking the inauguration of the new program, he stated, "This new executive curriculum reflects the manner in which leading American universities will transfer knowledge to new generations of executives. I believe the on-campus, at-home and in-the-workplace learning that the executive format permits will prove to be an effective and efficient learning model for mid-career professionals in many disciplines.

"I also believe this innovative teaching model will support rapid dissemination of information gained in the combination of traditional and virtual classrooms to the immediate benefit of the workplace organization," Fine added.

The next class for Executive Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) Degree Program in Health Systems Management will begin in 2001. For more information, call 504 - 588-5859 or check the program’s web page at www.hsm.tulane.edu/edoc.

The Department of Health Systems Management at Tulane University is a leader in graduate health care management education, and the Department’s graduates occupy key roles in health care delivery systems throughout the United States and the world. The University has awarded graduate degrees in health administration since 1971.

Tulane University pioneered in teaching hygiene and the health of populations in the United States. The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, one of 28 accredited schools of public health in the United States, was established in 1912. The School is dedicated to the development of outstanding professionals who will address public health problems in the next millennium. Currently, students enrolled on campus in the School come from 54 different countries, and the School conducts research in 60 countries around the world.

The mission of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, disability and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, and creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health and innovative service to the local, national and international public health community. Tulane public health students learn health promotion and disease prevention technologies in six main areas of discipline in addition to health systems management: biostatistics, community health sciences, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, international health and development, and tropical medicine.

In the words of C. Everett Koop, MD, former U.S. Surgeon General, "Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time."

###