Public Health Symposium

Public health has often taken a back seat to law enforcement in addressing urban violence. Yet a growing body of health literature is confirming the link between adverse experiences in early life, and violence and chronic diseases among adults. In addition, the social context of poverty and structural violence plays a role in creating unsafe environments. Hear how these findings suggest a new and increasingly powerful role for public health in the prevention of trauma and violence.

This talk will provide some brief background on the epidemiology of autism, its growing public health significance, and the complexity of its etiology. It will then describe a new research initiative, expected to begin next year, being led by Drexel researchers. This ambitious multi-site study will focus on the discovery of risk factors and risk markers for autism in the hopes of ultimately informing strategies to prevent this and other serious neurodevelopment disorders.

The tragedy of Katrina Confirmed that effective implementation of public health preparedness programs and policies will require compliance from all populations, including racially and ethnically diverse residents. The Center for Health Equality at the Drexel University School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Office of Minority Health/US Department of Health and Human Services has reviewed existing strategies to integrate these communities into preparedness, including event planning and implementation. This presentation identifies shortcomings in current efforts and suggests recommend directions for future initiatives, including the creation of a National Consensus Panel to guide these actions.

The hazards of asbestos have been known for more than 100 years. While use in the United States has declined, it is still used here, though now banned in more than 40 countries, including the European Union. Production and use has shifted to the developing world and remains a significant public health problem that needs to be addressed on an international basis. The presentation will look at how public health professionals lead the way in the development of policy and behavior change.

Prevention research has contributed an impressive array of scientifically valid studies about interventions that could significantly change population health. However, much less is known about how to connect evidence-based knowledge with action for change. The presentation will discuss the importance of exploring capacity building, targeted actions, and systems change in two landmark community-based participatory research projects: REACH2010 @ the Heart of New Orleans, a project to prevent cardiovascular disease among African American women; and Multiplying Connections, a cross-systems training initiative involving all child-serving public systems in Philadelphia.

On the 30th anniversary of the Food Stamp program (America’s number one program to prevent hunger) there are new developments on how the media, scientists and advocates address hunger and its lasting effects on child health. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture replaced “food insecurity with hunger” (the most severe form of food insecurity) with “very low food security.” Learn how this new terminology may impact the ability of the government, media, advocates and citizens to fight hunger in the U.S. and promote the health of at risk infants and toddlers.

The Haimen City Cohort, established in 1991, has followed 85,000 adult men and women in a region of China known for its high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and high rates of liver cancer. This prospective cohort has revealed important information about the natural history of chronic HBV infection and its impact on public health. The results from studies drawn from this population will be presented, and the relevance of these findings to HBV-affected populations elsewhere, including the United States, will be discussed.