SPH @ APHA: SPH faculty, students, and alumni gathered at the American Public Health Association's 2018 Annual Meeting in San Diego. See the list of presentations and photos.

Trans Girls Rock! Awards 2018: Trans Girls Rock! was inspired and created by local transwomen to honor and acknowledge the works of transwomen and gender non-conforming individuals within the city of Memphis and the surrounding areas in many sectors. The event is free and on November 18th, 2018 from 6 PM to 10 PM.

Fall 2018 Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health Colloquium: Please join us Wednesday, November 14th, 2018 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the UC Senate Chamber (rm 261). Our speakers this month will be our own Dr. Fawaz Mzayek and Dr. Debra Bartelli.

3rd Annual Spirituality and Public Health Student Essay Contest: More than 3000 empirical studies have been published on spirituality, religion and health, and you are invited to write about what this might mean for Public Health. Prizes are $1000 (1st), $600 (2nd), and $300 (3rd). Submission deadline is Sunday, January 6, 2019. 

Summer 2019 Paid Research Opportunity: The Mid-South Coalition for Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program is now accepting applications for 2019! Students in all majors can apply to participate fully-funded research projects focusing on health and health disparities in Brazil, Nicaragua, and Uganda. Both qualitative and quantitative research sites are available. Applications are available at Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training (MHIRT), as well as project descriptions for each site. Application deadlines are December 19th (early-bird) and January 2nd (final).

Congratulations to Cardella Leak on being a featured NEDxStudents speaker!: Cardella LaShea Leak, MPH is a doctoral student in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She is a featured speaker at the Library's second annual NedxStudents. Join us Wednesday, November 7th at 3:15 PM at Ned R. McWherter Library for NEDxStudents. 

Spring 2019 Registration begins November 12th: Attention current students, please contact your advisor as soon as possible to plan your course schedule so you can request permits. For course offerings and more detail, please check your UofM email.

Spring Break Study Abroad Opportunity in Costa Rica: Spend your spring break abroad in Costa Rica while earning 3 credits for NURS 4331/6331. Costa Rica provides universal healthcare for its citizens and has one of the best public health systems in Latin America, making it an ideal location to study global health in diverse cultures. Applications are due by November 15, 2018.

Traffic Safety Scholars: Ever thought about a career in traffic safety? The 2019 Traffic Safety Scholars (TSS) Program provides awards of up to $1,000 to undergraduate and graduate students to help defray the cost of attending the Lifesavers Conference on Highway Safety Priorities (March 31-April 2 in Louisville, Kentucky). Deadline for applications is November 18, 2018. Applicants will be notified of their status on or before January 7, 2019.

Class of 2019 Presidential Management Fellowship: Applications for the Presidential Management Fellowship program are being accepted until October 22, 2018. Any graduate student who will graduate by August 2019, or students who have graduated within the last two years, may apply.

MICAH: Moving Memphis Forward October 21, 2018: MICAH, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, a group of nearly 50 area churches, temples, mosques, organizations, and labor groups working together to seek a more just Memphis for all citizens will hold a public meeting on October 21st to highlight their key issues of economic equity, education, and immigration intercultural equity. 

PHSA Volunteer Event with Volunteer Odyssey: October 20, 2018: Volunteer Odyssey is hosting a "Service Challenge" from 9:00-11:30am with an after party following from 12:00-2:30pm. Participants can choose from a variety of locations to volunteer that morning. The after party will be at Memphis Botanic Gardens. To participate you must register on there website. The Service Challenge is now FREE for all participants!

OutMemphis presents Latinx Awareness Week: Latinx Awareness Week highlights our LGBTQ+ Latinx community during Hispanic Heritage Month, from October 8th-12th. Events during this week will give a sense of nostalgia and familiarity to our LGBTQ+ Latinx community, while exposing non-Latinx individuals to the beauty and diversity that exist with the Latinx culture/community.

Sept 25th is Sickle Cell Awareness Day on campus: Memphis has one of the highest concentrations of sickle cell disease in the nation, and SPH faculty member Dr. Matt Smeltzer is helping organize this event to raise awareness.

New MS in Biostatistics: The School of Public Health is pleased to announce a new MS in Biostatistics. Applications are being accepted for Spring 2019 admission. 25th Anniversary MHA Gala: Master of Health Administration, 25th Anniversary Gala Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 6PM

Dr. Yang Named a NIA Scholar: Dr. Yong Yang was selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health (NIA) Butler-Williams Scholars Program, to be held on July 30-August 3 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The B-W Scholars Program is a highly competitive program that provides opportunities to support research on aging.

Dr. Pichon Recognized in Award for Scholarly Contribution: Latrice C. Pichon, PhD, MPH, CHES, Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was awarded the 2018 Distinguished Research Award for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship. This award is based on quality of scholarly contribution to the discipline, originality of contribution, and recognition of work by peers. She was presented with the award at the Faculty Awards Luncheon on Thursday, April 26, 2018.

TPHA Award Winners: On April 20, 2018, Dr. Latrice Pichon and colleagues of Connect to Protect received the "Visionary Award" from the Tennessee Public Health Association for their extraordinary service in reducing HIV Risk in our community.

Doctoral Student Wins 1st Place in Poster Contest: Michael Schmidt, doctoral student in Social and Behavioral Sciences, won 1st place in the student poster contest at the Tennessee Public Health Association, West Tennessee Regional Meeting held on April 20, 2018.

SPH Doctoral Student Receives the Morton Dissertation Award from the University of Memphis: Adam C. Alexander, a doctoral candidate in Social and Behavioral Sciences, was awarded the Morton Dissertation Award for his dissertation, "Identifying pathways to smoking and alcohol consumption after a natural disaster: Findings from Hurricane Katrina." This prestigious award is given to one University of Memphis doctoral student each year and recognizes the student's commitment to research excellence. Upon receiving this award, Mr. Alexander stated, "I am deeply honored to be given this award by the University of Memphis, and I appreciate the kindness of Morgan Morton for creating this award for doctoral students." Mr. Alexander defended his dissertation on April 23, 2018.

Speech Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Presented at School of Public Health Awards Luncheon: Dwayne C. Proctor, Ph.D, Senior Adviser to the President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was the Keynote Speaker for the University of Memphis School of Public Health Awards Luncheon honoring the public health legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event was held on April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's death. Dr. Proctor's speech is available on YouTube

School of Public Health Potluck Family Picnic: The School of Public Health Potluck Family Picnic was held on Saturday, April 21st at Audubon Park (corner of Park and Goodlett) from 11 am-2 pm. Please RSVP to Tisha Moss (tmoss3@memphis.edu) by April 13th.

University of Memphis Law Review Symposium: Rachel Barenie, JD/MPH student (SP18) and Symposium Editor of Law Review, coordinated the 2018 Symposium addressing the national Opioid crisis on March 16th.

Dr. Hongmei Zhang and Dr. Chunrong Jia Honored for their Research: Two faculty from the School of Public Health were recognized in the 2018 class of faculty "millionaires"—faculty who have served as Principal Investigator on more than $1 million in externally supported research during their tenure at the University of Memphis. Dr. Hongmei Zhang and Dr. Chunrong Jia comprised two of eight University of Memphis faculty honored with this distinction this year.

Five Public Health Community Scholars Named: The School of Public Health at the University of Memphis is pleased to announce the fourth of five cohorts of Public Health Community Scholars. The following five first-year MPH students were named 2018 Public Health Community Scholars: LeRae Clemons, Louisa Ekem, Megann Fickle, Rebecca Johnson, and Ankita Purohit. These scholarships were made possible by a $500,000 gift from a generous, anonymous donor.

Memphis Faculty Receives 2017 Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize for research related to cost-related non-adherence of medication among women: A study by University of Memphis School of Public Health Assistant Professor Dr. Soumitra Bhuyan and colleagues received the 2017 Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize, chosen by the editorial board of Women's Health Issues.

MPH Student member of AJPH Think Tank: Dr. Cem Akkus, MPH candidate was selected to serve on the American Journal of Public Health Association's Think Tank.

MHA Program Receives National Award for Healthcare Leadership Development: The University of Memphis Master of Health Administration program has received the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)-Ascension Award for Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Development. To learn more about the award see MHA Program Receives National Award for Healthcare Leadership Development.