Guest Lectures and Special Workshop Opportunities

Orientation: Public Relations for Public Health

May 27, 2008, 8 a.m.
Auditorium 5, Blegen Hall

John R. Finnegan, Jr., PhD, Assistant Vice President for Public Health, Dean, School of Public Health, and Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota.

Angels and Troublemakers

A special presentation of the Colonel Patricia Greene Public Health Nursing Lectureship Series
June 5, 2008, 3:30-5:30 p.m. - Free
Location TBA
Register online

Whether they were called angels of mercy, reformers, or troublemakers, they were agents of enormous social change.  In this performance piece, actress Pippa White portrays three remarkable women in the Public Health field.  Using diaries, memoirs and letters, the audience will be introduced to Florence Nightingale, Lillian Wald, and Margaret Sanger.  The material is presented in a dramatic format, and chronicles the lives of these women, providing new information and insights into the hearts and minds of these courageous activists.  They fought to better the lives of everyone, and we are all the lucky beneficiaries of their outstanding contributions.

Pippa White is a professional actress with a number of one-woman shows that tour nationally.  She has performed in 27 states, at festivals, conferences, colleges and universities, historical societies, and performing arts centers, and has work suitable for a wide range of audiences.

Public Health Is a Team Sport: The Power of Collaboration

PubH 6299-101 Course #89466
May 31, 2008, 1-8 p.m. and June 1, 2008, 12:30-6 p.m.
Location TBA

Public health practitioners are at the crossroads of the science and art of public health as they seek to improve the health of the public. Designed for public health students at all levels of experience, this course will seek to demonstrate how innovative public health strategies can affect the health of populations by using collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to change. Participants must be enrolled in a Master of Public Health degree program in the Public Health Practice major in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Ethics in the Worst of Times: Rationing to Protect the Public's Health During an Influenza Pandemic

June 5, 2008, 1-5 p.m. - Free
J. Eline Garrett, JD, and Debra DeBruin, PhD
Snelling Office Park Building
1645 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul

Who should be first to receive scarce health-related resources in a severe pandemic? How should scarce resources such as antivirals, masks, vaccines and ventilators be rationed among us? How will you communicate a public health perspective to your community in support of rationing strategies to further the common good? How will you educate them and enlist their support of a statewide plan to ration these resources in ways intended to save the most lives, preserve public safety and order, and be fair?

Ethicists in Minnesota have worked with state and local public health agencies and a diverse community panel to develop an ethical framework to guide Minnesota Department of Health decisions, in the midst of a severe pandemic, for the statewide rationing of a range of critical health-related resources for prevention, treatment and personal protection.

Panelists will present their ethical framework of principles, goals and strategies. They will engage you in the vexing ethical issues associated with deciding which groups should be given priority to receive vital resources when everyone is, in varying ways and to varying extents, at risk. Due to the influenza, each one of us will face its complications, threats of death and the weakening of critical infrastructures. Can individuals be helped to embrace population goals ensuring the solidarity needed to weather the pandemic storm?

As public health specialists, your reflection and response to the recommended framework, as well as implementation protocols, will be critical to its ongoing refinement and preparation for your crucial role in time of pandemic.

Read more and register online

The Institute will provide an opportunity to discuss how the universal experience of family--and its diverse definitions--can be integrated into family-centered programs and policies that enhance family resilience and improve individual and population health. We will also affirm that family-centered care is fundamental to health equity: individuals who are at social disadvantage can thrive when programs and policies strengthen and support their core support systems.

Field Trips

June 4-5, 2008
Global Food Systems: Dairy
Manure Management to Protect Water Supplies

June 11-12, 2008
Global Food Systems: Poultry
Culturally Based Community Health Immersion: Focus on the African-American Community

Social Events

Welcome reception - Free
For all Institute participants, faculty, community guests and sponsors - entertainment and food
May 28, 2008, 5-7 p.m.  
Weisman Art Museum

Farewell picnic lunch - Free
June 9, 2008, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.  
Carlson Private Dining Room and Patio