CRITERIA 1 - Home | UMass Amherst



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Criterion 3

Creation, Application and Advancement of Knowledge

University of Massachusetts Amherst

School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Final Self-Study Report

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3.0 CREATION, APPLICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

3.1 RESEARCH

a. Research policies, procedures and practices

The level of research activity by the SPHHS faculty has substantially increased since the last reaccreditation. Since 2003-2004, there has been a 22.6% increase in extramural funding, a 29% increase in peer reviewed publications, and a 20% increase in the number of faculty who have served as Principal Investigator on federal grant applications. With the influx of new faculty, these numbers are expected to significantly increase over the next five years.

The SPHHS commitment to research, conducted according to the highest ethical standards, is part of the stated mission, goals and objectives.

MISSION STATEMENT

To optimize the public’s health and quality of life through education, research, outreach and practice using an innovative model that addresses complex transdisciplinary health issues by integrating core areas of public health and the health sciences.

I. RESEARCH GOALS

I.A. To increase overall research productivity and quality.

I.B. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans public health and the basic and applied sciences, clinical practice and community applications.

• Objective I.A.1. calls for an increase in the School’s annual extramural funding by 10% from 2004-2005 levels by FY 2008.

• Objective I.A.2. calls for an increase in the number of peer-reviewed publications from the School by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.

• Objective I.A.3. calls for an increase in the number of faculty who submit federal grant applications as Principal Investigator by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.

Ready access to the depth and breadth of health sciences scholarship available in the school creates rich opportunities for the transdisciplinary collaboration that complex public health issues require. Opportunities to collaborate with the health sciences departments are facilitated by the unique structure of SPHHS.

|Table 3.1.a. Research Activities in Program Area Consistent with Concentration Missions & Objectives |

|Concentration |Research Activities |

|Community Health Education |Collaborative research into social, cultural, and behavioral factors |

| |influencing health outcomes. Research foci include substance abuse control, |

| |intimate partner violence, mental health and suicide prevention, international|

| |health and women’s sexual behavior. |

|Health Policy & Management |Research foci include quantitative methods in health management, tobacco |

| |control, measuring employee satisfaction, and violence prevention. |

|Epidemiology |Strong research foci include women’s health research, cancer research, |

| |biomarkers, nutritional epidemiology, environmental and genetic epidemiology. |

|Biostatistics |Research foci include mixed models, statistical genomics, analysis of |

| |incomplete data, and longitudinal sampling. |

|Environmental Health Sciences |Basic and applied environmental health research to study toxicology and risk |

| |assessment, and microbial exposure assessment. |

|Nutrition |Research foci on nutritional biochemistry, obesity, diabetes, health literacy,|

| |minority populations, community nutrition, nutrition and reproductive health |

| |and nutrition counseling. |

|Kinesiology |Issues in the areas of exercise physiology, muscle function/metabolism, motor |

| |control, sport nutrition, muscle modeling, children and exercise, exercise |

| |psychology and minority health, obesity prevention and biomechanics. |

|Communication Disorders |Focus on language development, disorders, and differences; clinical voice, |

| |motor speech, and neurological bases of speech and language disorders; speech |

| |and language characteristics and hearing impairments; and cognitive language |

| |processing. |

SPHHS-Level Policies that Support Research

Faculty are expected to participate in research activities as indicated in the Faculty Handbook which describes the expectations for service and outreach at various faculty ranks (Resource File). Research time is a component of the workload of faculty. These activities are rewarded through the University system of merit, promotion, tenure, and post tenure review. Each faculty member is responsible for identifying and executing an appropriate research agenda.

SPHHS-Level Research Procedures and Practices that support research include:

• The Research Committee facilitates the advancement of research-based goals for SPHHS. The Research Committee conducts periodic assessments to identify key factors that enhance and hinder research productivity. The Research Committee obtains periodic empirical data to note changes in research productivity, consults with the SPHHS Strategic Planning Committee regarding research needs and plans for the School, advises the Dean regarding research activities and research needs, and devises and implements short- and long-term plans to enhance research activities and productivity.

• SPHHS Pilot and Feasibility Study Awards. As described in more detail in Section 1.4.c., these grants allow faculty from different units to explore common goals, with the ultimate goal of seeking and obtaining larger interdisciplinary federal grants that draw upon the faculty’s diverse skills and experience. Objective I.B.2. calls for these awards to be made annually.

• The SPHHS Grants Administrator provides assistance to faculty in completing grant applications and budgeting. Objective I.A.4. calls for improving the infrastructure for research by increasing the 80% FTE Grants Manager to 100% by 2007. This objective has been accomplished.

• The SPHHS Trust Fund derives from faculty consultation, training, and technical assistance activities to off-campus constituents. This fund has been particularly useful for obtaining seed money to develop pilot projects and support research assistants. An advisory committee reviews the activities of the SPHHS Trust Fund and makes recommendations to the faculty assembly or the Dean as appropriate. Policies and procedures of the SPHHS Trust Fund are found in the Resource file.

• Internal Peer Review. The Center for Research and Education for Women’s Health conducts ad hoc peer review for member grant applications and manuscripts. Other internal peer review is conducted on an ad-hoc basis by fellow faculty and Division Directors/Department Chairs. Funding is also available to support external peer review by experts in the field.

• Mentoring. New faculty are assigned a senior faculty mentor who is available for research mentoring and peer review.

• The Biostatistics Consulting Center housed in SPHHS supports all areas of research, from initial proposal development and study design through statistical analysis and reports both for faculty and students.

• The SPHHS Interest Groups (as described in Section 1.4.c.) are cross-disciplinary and operate within SPHHS to facilitate research. Objective I.B.1. calls for the transition of the current interest groups into two Research Centers: The Center for Healthy Aging and the Center for Obesity-Related Diseases.

• Finances: State-funded tenure track faculty are on nine month appointments and may supplement their salary by an additional 33% through research grants and contracts. New faculty may be provided with summer salary and/or start up costs. Merit salary increases have been given based on successful research funding efforts. Another incentive for research involves a 10% return of indirect costs from grant funded research to an individual faculty member’s research trust fund. An additional 10% return of indirect costs is to the division/department from which the grant derived and another 10% is available to the Dean.

• Teaching Release Time. Faculty who have significant research commitments have the opportunity to buy out of teaching using a standard fee schedule (Resource File).

• New Faculty: Objective I.A.6. calls for an increase in faculty hires with a transdisciplinary focus in key research areas such as obesity, women’s health, health disparities, and/or aging.

• Research Space. Methods to increase research space are outlined in Section 1.2. This is further supported by Objective I.A.5. which calls for the provision of state of the art research space for new hires and the renovation of existing laboratories to current professional standards by 2010.

• The Human Subjects Review Committee reviews all projects involving human subjects and offers advice to faculty and students on providing informed consent and creating ethical research designs (see Bylaws).

University-Level research policies and procedures that support research include:

• UMass Amherst is a Carnegie Research Extensive University. Under the auspices of the Vice-Chancellor for Research, the University provides a wide range of services that support research activities:

o The Office of Research Affairs.  This unit sponsors Faculty Research Grants, seminars for proposal development, a database library for identifying potential funding sponsors, and alert services providing unique funding area identification for each member of the faculty.

▪ Faculty Research Grants/Healey Endowment Grants are designed to enhance the researcher’s capacity to acquire future extramural sponsored research activity funding. New members of the faculty are especially encouraged to apply.

o The Office of Grant and Contract Administration (OGCA) is responsible for the review, processing and submission of proposals to external sponsors; negotiations, formal acceptance and execution of awards; and for administrative post-award oversight of grants and contracts for externally sponsored projects. Standard operating procedures for the University mandate that all external funding be administered through the Office of Grants and Contracts. This procedure is meant to assure that all relevant University and other regulations are followed.

o Human Subjects Protection Office. The university has an approved Certificate of Compliance from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its Human Subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB).  The University IRB is responsible for reviewing all protocols submitted for external funding involving the use of human subjects. The IRB ensures that all faculty undergo training in the protection of human subjects via the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative ().

o The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approves protocols that use research animals.

• Grant Review: To further safeguard the integrity of research, all grant proposals that involve a faculty member must be reviewed and approved prior to their submission at two levels: the Division Director/Department Chair and the SPHHS Associate Dean/Dean.

• Annual Faculty Reviews by Department Chairs include a review of responsible grants management and satisfactory conduct of research. When a grant or contract is awarded, the principal investigator is responsible for carrying out the work as proposed, monitoring the progress of the research, submitting interim and final reports as required, and completing the work within budget.

• Sabbatical. The SPHHS participates in the University program for sabbatical leaves consisting of 50% salary support for two semesters or 100% salary support for one semester. Faculty may apply for a sabbatical every seven years with an option for two non-consecutive semester leaves. Leave is awarded by the University on a competitive basis.

• The Graduate Student Grants Service (GSGS) helps promote the scholarly activities of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who seek extramural support for their work. GSGS provides a variety of funding opportunity information services, training workshops, and individual and departmental consultations.

• The Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides computing, networking, telecommunications, statistical consulting and other associated services and resources to the university community. 

b. Description of current community-based research activities and/or those undertaken in collaboration with health agencies and community-based organizations.

Much of the value of public health research rests in its application to the solution of community problems. SPHHS has a strong commitment to community-based research activities as reflected in the goals and objectives of the school. The Research Goals and the Service and Outreach Goals both emphasize community-based research activities and those undertaken in collaboration with health agencies and community-based organizations.

I. RESEARCH GOALS

I.B. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans public health and the basic and applied sciences, clinical practice and community applications.

SERIVCE AND OUTREACH GOALS

III.A. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing

transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.

SPHHS has a long history of working with local communities and agencies and engages a broad range of constituents as partners in its research activities. These range from hospitals that serve community populations, to neighborhood health centers, public health prevention centers, statewide nutrition training sites, and a host of voluntary community organizations. Faculty recognize the value of community-based research not only because communities need to be the beneficiaries of research findings, but also because involvement by their representatives enhances the feasibility and validity of research. Table 3.1.c.1. (Public Health) and Table 3.1.c.2. (Health Sciences) list this type of activity identified by a checkmark in the column entitled, “Community-Based” (Appendix E).

Policies, procedures and infrastructure that facilitate Community Based Research activities include:

• Objective III.A.1. calls for an increase in the Dean’s Advisory Council membership by at least three to six members representative of the community and diverse constituencies served by the School by 2007.

• Objective I.B.3. calls for the establishment of a campus-wide Institute of Global Health by 2007. The Institute of Global Health is currently developing applied collaborative projects designed to inform effective programs and policies to ameliorate pressing health problems. This institute reflects an expansion of the School’s efforts in public health research, training and capacity building in South Africa, Vietnam and Russia.

• Objective I.B.4. calls for the establishment of a Center for Participatory Research in Health Disparities and the development of two initiatives in community participatory research by 2010.

• Objective II.B.4. calls for the re-establishment of the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach. Among other activities, this office will identify opportunities for both students and faculty to work with external agencies on research and practice activities. This office will establish a steering committee, with representatives from the school’s six divisions/departments as well as community representatives.

• Objective III.A.2. calls for biannual meetings with community partners to identify local health needs and problems to be addressed through research studies and intervention strategies starting in Spring 2007. These meetings will be organized by the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach.

• The Center for Research and Education in Women’s Health facilitates research partnerships with organizations and individuals interested in women’s health.

• UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program provides individuals, families and communities with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices about healthy diets, reduce risks of foodborne illness and chronic disease, and efficiently manage food resources. Among other activities described below, the Nutrition Education Program conducts applied research projects to provide needs assessment information and targeted nutrition education to groups such as the Latino Crops Farmer’s Market.

Examples of Community Based Research include:

• Putting Research into Practice: Using BASICS for Adjudicated Students is a new intervention program. BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) helps UMass Amherst students explore their alcohol and drug use in a non-judgmental environment, with the goal of reducing risky behavior. Dr. Gloria Difulvio, Community Health Education, is the project’s evaluator. BASICS is supported by a three-year grant through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• “Talleres de Salud Comunitarios” is a community collaboration effort co-led by Associate Professor Maria Idali Torres. It involves a community grassroots network of organizations and residents in four Springfield neighborhoods. The main goal of this participatory action education and research partnership is building behavioral and social capacity among Spanish-Speakers for sexual health protection, with an emphasis on HIV/STI prevention.

c. A list of current research activity of all primary and secondary faculty.

See Appendix E.

d. Identification of measures by which the school may evaluate the success of its research activities.

The measures by which the SPHHS evaluates the success of its research activities are reflected in the objectives.

• Objective I.A.1. calls for an increase in the School’s annual extramural funding by 10% from 2004-2005 levels by FY 2008.

• Objective I.A.2. calls for an increase in the number of peer-reviewed publications from the School by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.

• Objective I.A.3. calls for an increase in the number of faculty who submit federal grant applications as Principal Investigator by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.

The data presented in Table 3.1.d. indicates that SPHHS has met its targeted goals in regards to each of the three identified measures of research success.

|Table 3.1.d. Outcome Measures – Success of Research Activities |

|Outcome Measure |Target |UMASS SPHHS Performance |

| | |2003-04 |2004-05 |2005-06 |

| | |Baseline Year for Target | | |

|Extramural Funding |10% increase |$3.40 million |$4.0 million |$4.17 million |

|(Objective I.A.1.) | | | |(22.6% increase) |

|Peer Reviewed Publications |20% increase |77 |99 |148 |

|(Objective I.A.2.) | | | |(49% increase) |

|# Faculty who Serve as PIs on |20% increase |18% |30% |38% |

|Federal Grants | | | |(20% increase) |

|(Objective I.A.3.) | | | | |

e. A description of student involvement in research.

The commitment of SPHHS to involving its students in research is demonstrated by its goals and objectives.

II. EDUCATION GOALS

II.C. To prepare graduate students with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to advance the health and quality of life of the public.

• Objective II.A.1. calls for the development and implementation of an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Functional Genomics in Public Health with faculty from SPHHS, computer science, and biology by 2008.

• Objective II.A.2. calls for the development and implementation of a dual MPH/MPPA (Masters in Public Health/Master’s in Public Policy Administration) degree program by 2009.

• Objective II.A.4. calls for seeking and obtaining one or more doctoral training grants from NIH in transdisciplinary areas of research strength (e.g. obesity-related diseases, healthy aging, women’s health) by 2009.

• Objective II.A.6. calls for the development and implementation of a specialty MPH degree in Kinesiology titled Physical Activity and Public Health by 2009.

• The university’s tuition waiver provides graduate students with tuition (at no cost to the school) when they are awarded a research assistantship. These research positions benefit students educationally as well as financially, and enhance the school’s research capacity.

• SPHHS Research Day. Students present summaries of their research, and support and defend their methods, results and interpretations at SPHHS Research Day to which the entire university community is invited. The winner of the school competition is entered in national competition and presents at the annual APHA national meeting in Washington DC.

• The primary means that students are involved in research is via the completion of a thesis, dissertation, or research project. Masters level students may complete a project or formal thesis, and doctoral candidates are required to present and defend a formal dissertation. Students in the joint Nursing and Public Health Practice (distance education) degree program MS/MPH program students are required to take a research seminar and practicum.

• Research Assistantships. In addition to research conducted as part of their degree requirements, students have additional opportunities as paid or unpaid research assistants for faculty research projects. These opportunities provide important experience in data collection and analysis as well as learning that comes from close interaction with faculty and research staff.

• In many cases, the thesis, dissertation, and/or research assistantship experiences have culminated in authorship of a published manuscript or conference presentation. Masters and doctoral students have presented original research at national and international meetings.

• SPHHS students have a record of successfully obtaining external funding to support their independent research activities. For example, in “Making Smart Choices: Using a Small Group Norms-Challenging Model to Correct Student Athlete Misperceptions about Alcohol Abuse,” graduate student John H. Kleschinsky evaluates the University’s Smart Choices program. Funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the project targets alcohol abuse among student athletes.

• A total of 54% of students were supported by Research Assistantships/Teaching Assistantships in the academic year 2005-2006.

f. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.

This criterion is met. SPHHS has been successful in pursuing an active research program consistent with its mission through which the faculty and students are active participants. The level of research activity by the SPHHS faculty has substantially increased since the last reaccreditation. Since 2003-2004, there has been a 22.6% increase in extramural funding, a 29% increase in peer reviewed publications, and a 20% increase in the number of faculty who have served as Principal Investigator on federal grant applications. Thus, SPHHS has met its targeted goals in regards to each of the three important measures of research success. With the influx of new faculty, these numbers are expected to significantly increase over the next five years.

3.2 Service

a. The School’s service activities, policies, procedures, and practices.

Service is vital to the teaching and research activities at SPHHS and is integral to the mission of the school and the university. The centrality of service is reflected in the School’s mission, goals, and objectives:

SERVICE AND OUTREACH GOALS

III.B. To provide leadership and service to organizations and state, federal and global

agencies.

Faculty are expected to participate in service activities as indicated in the Faculty Handbook which describes the expectations for service and outreach at various faculty ranks (Resource File). These activities are rewarded through the University system of merit, promotion, tenure, and post tenure review. Service activities are also rewarded through the University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Academic Outreach Award designed to recognize excellence in academic outreach and to honor faculty members who excel in this component of the University’s mission. Also integral to the service infrastructure of the School are the centers of the school. Through them, SPHHS interacts with practicing public health professionals and communities to address and inform specific needs.

Policies, procedures and practices that facilitate service include:

• Objective II.A.5. calls for expanding the current MPH degree in Nutrition to include an online degree program offered by 2008.

• Objective II.B.4. calls for the re-establishment of the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach by 2007. This office was originally established in 1996 to support faculty and staff in their practice initiatives. OPHPO will act as a clearinghouse for community agencies seeking resources from the school, identifying opportunities for both students and faculty to work with external agencies on practice activities.

• Objective III.B.1. calls for the creation of a SPHHS ad-hoc committee charged with identifying five key areas requiring leadership and service in organizations and state, federal, and global agencies by 2007.

• The Center for Research and Education in Women’s Health (CREWH) educates practitioners, advocates and women through community outreach. Its outreach arm offers seminars and conferences on current research to the public health community. For example, in November 2006, CREWH sponsored Gloria Feldt, former President of Planned Parenthood, to speak on campus with SPHHS graduate students and practice partners.

• The Northeast Regional Environmental Public Health Center establishes regular and effective communication between the states on issues related to environmental health. The Center also provides consultative assistance on technical policy issues. The center has provided national leadership in two areas: 1) assessing the environment and public health effects of soil contamination and 2) assessing the health of soils since 1989, with the continuous conduct of the successful Contaminated Soils Conference since 1985. The center also publishes a technical newsletter three times a year entitled Biological Effects of Low Level Exposures that is distributed to 12,000 scientists world-wide.

• The school also plays an active role in the campus-wide Office of University Outreach, established under the new Vice Provost for Outreach. The Office of University Outreach facilitates and supports the efforts of individuals in units on campus who work with off campus constituents. The role of the office is to make resources of the university accessible to the public.

• Service Learning Grants offered by the Provost’s Committee on Service Learning are available to promote community service learning as a core component of curricula in colleges, departments, centers and interdisciplinary programs. Funding is available for planning, teaching, research and unit implementation projects.

• Of special importance is the school’s relationship with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). For example:

o The Biostatistics and Epidemiology faculty and students provide a variety of data analysis services and regularly produce technical reports requested by the DPH Bureau of Statistics. The DPH is also a major employer of SPHHS alumni, and a preceptor for interns.

o Community Health Studies faculty have provided technical assistance to the region’s Community Health Networks; developed and supervised scores of student placements; and assisted DPH staff with planning and evaluation tools.

• Informal agreements: The school also works with a large number of community partners. These relationships are often formalized through contracts, student field placements and other means.

• Adjunct Faculty. SPHHS has 90 adjunct faculty members who play an important role in the School’s engagement with communities. Often, adjunct faculty are practicing public health professionals who facilitate campus-community communications, collaboration and service.

• UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program provides individuals, families and communities with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices about healthy diets, reduce risks of foodborne illness and chronic disease, and efficiently manage food resources. The Nutrition Education Program serves low-income families, high risk youth, elderly and agencies that service these populations via workshops, home study programs, paraprofessional education, newsletters and mass media throughout the commonwealth. NEP has four program areas. Of relevance for service are:

o The Family Nutrition Program (FNP) is a collaborative program between UMass and the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. FNP provides community-based education to food stamp recipients and eligibles by forming partnerships with local community collaborators. Statewide projects include the Statewide Food Stamp Project, Nutrition Education for Community Agencies, and Farmers’ Market Education. Individuals who receive or are eligible for food stamps are the participants.

o School Youth Projects work with the Boston, New Bedford, Brockton, Lawrence, Lynn and Holyoke Public Schools. After-School Youth Projects work in Boston, with the Holyoke Nutrition Education Project, Franklin and Berkshire 4-H programs, and with many other sites throughout MA.

o Community-Based Adult Projects work throughout the state including Boston Medical Center, Springfield Project on Issues Concerning the Elderly, Center for Immigrant and Refugee Community Leadership and Empowerment.

o The Massachusetts Nutrient Data Bank provides computer-assisted evaluation of dietary intake information for a variety of audiences including small businesses, clinicians engaged in dietary evaluation, and food service personnel involved in menu planning.

• Worcester Safe Schools Healthy Students Grant. Dr. Gloria DiFulvio, Community Health Education, is the Evaluation Director for this three-year project funded by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services and administered through the Worcester Public School System. This grant initiative focuses on reducing violence and increasing the climate of safety in district schools.

• Expanding the Net: Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Gloria DiFulvio, Community Health Education, is the Co-Principal Investigator of this three-year project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.

b. A list of the school’s current service activities, including identification of the community groups and nature of the activity, over the last three years.

Service provided by SPHHS encompasses a broad range of activities across many areas of public health concern and affecting diverse populations. The examples below illustrate the types and reach of service provided by SPHHS.

Service activities are illustrated through committee membership at the SPHHS and University levels (Tables 3.2.b.). Some important examples of service include:

• Dr. Gerber, Community Health Education, directs the ASPH-funded School-Based Peer Health Education Program. This program targets prevention information toward Holyoke youth (13-19 years of age) attending Holyoke High School with the goal of reducing the number of new sexually transmitted infections and HIV infections. Health priorities of Holyoke youth are addressed by increasing awareness and knowledge of risky sexual behavior while involving students in activities that are sustainable beyond the completion of the current project.

• The year-long “Translating Research in Exercise Science” (TREx) project within the Kinesiology Department included a four part lecture series aimed at informing community residents about health issues that affect their daily lives. In addition to the lecture series, the department hosted “TREx Day” in April, 2006 with an open house featuring demonstrations, workshops and discussions for members of the community and their families. Each research lab in the department hosted a program on topics ranging from blood sugar testing to neuromuscular coordination. The department hosted a website dedicated to the TREx project. In addition to a full schedule of events and highlights from previous lectures, the website provides an online information resource center with links to other reliable sources of health and activity information. The project was funded by a campus Public Service Endowment Grant.

|Table 3.2.b. Current Service Activities | |

|Community Group |Nature of Activity |Department Affiliation |

|Community/Regional Service | |

|Massachusetts Career Development Institute |Member |Community Health Education |

|Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office |Member |Community Health Education |

|of Multicultural Health | | |

|Akwesasne Mohawk Community Group |Consultant |Environmental Health Sciences |

|Next Step Advisory Board |Member |Community Health Education |

|Manomet Center for Conservation Science |Reviewer |Epidemiology |

|Mentoring Partnerships for Youth at Risk in |Member |Community Health Education |

|Franklin County | | |

|Holyoke Planning Network and other Holyoke youth |Member |Community Health Education |

|service organizations | | |

|Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and |Member |Biostatistics |

|Youth (SPIFFY) – Hampshire county coalition of | | |

|community service organizations | | |

|Mass. DPH working group on Training and Education|Member |Community Health Education |

|Needs for Health Professional in Emergency | | |

|Preparedness | | |

|Holyoke Youth Task Force |Member |Biostatistics |

|Puerto Rican Studies Seminar |Member |Community Health Education |

|Amherst Drug Free Community Coalition |Member |Biostatistics |

|Crossroads in the Study of the Americas (CISA) |Member |Community Health Education |

|Hampshire Education Collaborative Drug Free |Member |Biostatistics |

|Community Coalition | | |

|Harvard Center for Emergency Preparedness |Member |Community Health Education |

|Public Health Institute of Mass |Member |Community Health Education |

|New England Public Health Workforce Training |Member |Community Health Education |

|Center | | |

|New England Alliance for Workforce |Member |Environmental Health |

|Totman Body Shop Fitness Center |Director |Kinesiology |

|Massachusetts 4-H Program |Member |Community Health Education |

|Table 3.2.b. Continued. | |

|Community Group |Nature of Activity |Department Affiliation |

|UMass Amherst’s Center for Alcohol and Other Drug|Member |Community Health Education |

|Abuse Prevention (CADAP) | | |

|Five College Culture, Health and Science |Director |Community Health Education |

|Committee | | |

|Connecticut Valley Stuttering Chapter of the |Co-facilitator/Co-Sponsor |Communication Disorders |

|National Stuttering Association Support Group. | | |

|National/International Service | |

|Association of Schools of Public Health/American |Reviewer |Health Policy & Management |

|Legacy Foundation Review Committee STEP-UP Grants| | |

|Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of |Member |Community Health Education |

|Teaching | | |

|Stop It Now!, agency to prevent child sexual |Member |Epidemiology |

|abuse | | |

|U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education |Consultant |Community Health Education |

|Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and | | |

|Violence Prevention | | |

|National Center for Minority Health & Human |Reviewer |Community Health Education |

|Development, Study Section | | |

|National Cancer Institute, Study Section |Reviewer |Epidemiology |

|National Institutes of Health, Epidemiology of |Reviewer |Epidemiology |

|Chronic Diseases (ECD) Study Section | | |

|Tobacco Related Disease Research Review Panel, |Reviewer |Biostatistics |

|California State University, April 2005 | | |

|UPenn Center for AIDS Research Review Panel, May |Reviewer |Biostatistics |

|2005 | | |

|CICS NIH Study Section, July 2005 |Reviewer |Biostatistics |

|NIH-CLHP Review Panel (Community-level Health |Reviewer |Biostatistics |

|Promotion Study Section). Integrated Review | | |

|Group. | | |

|Peer Review Committee, New York State Love Canal |Reviewer |Biostatistics |

|Follow-up Studies Department of Health, New York | | |

|State | | |

|National Institutes of Health, Kidney, Nutrition,|Reviewer |Epidemiology |

|Obesity and Diabetes Epidemiology (KNOD) Study | | |

|Section | | |

|Israel Binational Agricultural Research and |Reviewer |Environmental Health |

|Development Fund | | |

|Peer reviewed journal housed in the Department of|Editor |Nutrition |

|Nutrition | | |

|New England Society of Public Health Educators |Member |Community Health Education |

|American College of Sports Medicine Program |Member |Kinesiology |

|Committee | | |

|Table 3.2.b. Continued. | |

|Community Group |Nature of Activity |Department Affiliation |

|Institute of Medicine National Academy of Science|Member |Kinesiology |

|Workshop of Adequacy of Evidence for Physical | | |

|Activity Guideline Development | | |

|American College of Sports Medicine Program |Member |Kinesiology |

|Committee Diversity & Leadership Committee | | |

|Gatorade Sports Science Institute |Member |Kinesiology |

|National Institutes of Health – Translational |Member |Kinesiology |

|Diabetes Research Study Section | | |

|National Institutes of Health – Aging Study |Member |Kinesiology |

|Section | | |

|ASPH Core Competency Project |Member |Epidemiology |

|ASPH Distance Learning Council |Member |Epidemiology |

|ASPH/CDC Fellows Selection Committee |Member |Epidemiology |

|National Fund for Medical Education |Officer |Community Health Education |

|Society for Primary Care Policy |Officer |Community Health Education |

|National Institutes of Health -HOP-50 Special |Member |Kinesiology |

|Review Panel: Physical Activity & Diet Assessment| | |

|Steering Committee, Clinical Aphasiology |Member |Communication Disorders |

|Conference | | |

|ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Childhood Apraxia of |Member |Communication Disorders |

|Speech | | |

|American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, |Member |Communication Disorders |

|2005 & 2006 Convention Program Committee | | |

|Council for Academic Accreditation in |Site Visitor |Communication Disorders |

|Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology | | |

|American Academy of Audiology, Auditory |Member |Communication Disorders |

|Processing Disorders Task Force | | |

|Council for the International Exchange of |Member/Reviewer |Epidemiology |

|Scholars (CIES) | | |

c. Identification of the measures by which the school may evaluate the success of its service program, along with data regarding the school’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years.

Table 3.2.c. shows the number of faculty participating in key professional services including peer review for journals, peer review for federal grants, and editorial board membership. For the majority of the divisions/departments, the number of faculty participating in these key professional services has increased from 2003-2004, with increases ranging from 11% to 200%. These include substantial increases in the number of peer reviewers for federal grants (Community Health Education, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental Health Studies) as well as Editorial Board Membership (Epidemiology). Decreases were noted for the Division of Health Policy & Management as well as the Department of Nutrition. This may be due, in part, to the retirement of senior faculty and the increase in junior faculty in these areas. Faculty mentoring is in place to develop junior faculty and provide them with the support to participate in these key service activities (see section 4.2).

These service measures are recorded annually in Annual Faculty Reports and serve as one of the benchmarks for the Research Benchmarking program outlined in Section 1.2.d. Monitoring and evaluation of progress in these service measures is performed by Division Directors/Department Chairs with oversight by the Associate Dean as outlined in Section 1.1.d.

|Table 3.2.c. Outcome Measures – Success of Service Program, 2003-2006 |

|Outcome Measure |Target |UMASS SPHHS Performance |

| | |2003-04 |2004-05 |2005-06 |

| | |Baseline Year for Target | | |

| |Peer Reviewer for Journal |Peer Reviewer for Federal Grants |Editorial Board Member |Peer Reviewer for Journal |Peer Reviewer for Federal Grants |Editorial Board Member |Peer Reviewer for Journal |Peer Reviewer for Federal Grants |Editorial Board Member | |Community Health Education |20% increase |1/3 |0 |0 |1/4 |2/4 |0/4 |2/5 |1/5 |2/5 | |Health Policy & Management |20% increase |4/4 |3/4 |1/4 |3/4 |2/4 |1/4 |4/4 |1/4 |1/4 | |Epidemiology |20% increase |4/4 |1/4 |1/4 |4/4 |3/4 |3/4 |4/4 |4/4 |4/4 | |Biostatistics |20% increase | 2/4 |1/4 |1/4 |1/6 |2/6 |1/6 |3/6 |1/6 |1/6 | |Environmental Health Sciences |20% increase |1/1 | 0 |1/1 |1/1 |1/1 |1/1 |3/3 |2/3 |0/3 | |Nutrition |20% increase |3/5 | 2/5 |0/5 |5/5 |1/5 |1/5 |3/6 |0/6 |0/6 | |Kinesiology |20% increase |9/9 |5/9 |4/9 |11/11 |5/11 |4/11 |12/12 |5/12 |6/12 | |Communication Disorders |20% increase |6/11 |0/11 |2/11 |8/11 |0/11 |2/11 |7/11 |0/11 |2/11 | |

d. A description of student involvement in service.

Students are integral to the school's overall service efforts. Through coursework, required fieldwork, and as student workers on service grants, they work closely with faculty and community practitioners in developing and implementing a wide range of public health activities. The emphasis of SPHHS on student involvement in service is reflected in the goals and objectives of the School.

SERVICE AND OUTREACH GOALS

III.A. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing

transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.

Some highlights of student work in service include:

• Community Health Studies students have several practice-based courses. In PUBHLTH 160 “My Body, My Health”, 360 students complete an 8-hour community service requirement which provides 3,000 community service hours to the region each year. In the Program Evaluation course (PUBHLTH 622), 30 students each year develop and provide evaluation plans for 6-11 health agencies in the region.

• Two 2006-2007 student recipients of the HRSA Public Health Traineeships are serving as volunteer organizers in developing and implementing an SPHHS “Walk the Stairs” campaign in collaboration with the Northampton office of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Plans are underway to export this campaign to UMass Amherst and the 5-college campuses.

• Students serve as research assistants on community-based grant-funded research as listed in Table 3.1.c.1. (Public Health) and Table 3.1.c.2. (Health Sciences) (Appendix E). For example, students work with Dr. Gerber, Community Health Education, on his ASPH School-Based Peer Health Education Proposal.

o Specifically, students train selected high school students in the community to become peer educators (topics to include team building, effective communication, sexual decision making, and how to prevent transmission of HIV/STIs).

• Nutrition graduate students are placed in the field through the Family Nutrition Program (FNP). They work with Extension nutrition educators, implementing nutrition education in the community.

• The Biostatistics Consulting Center supports students as research assistants. Students perform statistical consulting for university, state, and federal projects.

• Nutrition students are also placed in the field in the NUTR 573 “Community Nutrition Fieldwork” course, and all students in NUTR 572 “Community Nutrition” design and implement a nutrition education program in the community.

• Kinesiology students provide exercise consultation and supervision to the campus through the Body Shop exercise facilities, as well as to off-campus agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Communication Disorders students deliver clinical services to the community both at the on-campus UMass Clinic and off-campus at numerous sites throughout the commonwealth.

• Students in the joint Nursing and Public Health Practice (distance education) degree program provide public health interventions in communities locally, and internationally (e.g., in Ghana) by virtue of nine required credits of practicum experiences in nursing courses required in the dual degree program.

• The SPHHS Graduate Student Organization provides service to the University and greater community.

e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.

This criterion is met. Service is vital to the teaching and research activities at SPHHS and is integral to the mission of the school and the university. Service provided by SPHHS encompasses a broad range of activities across many areas of public health concern and affecting diverse populations. The majority of SPHHS divisions/departments have achieved targeted objectives indicating the success of their service programs. For those few divisions/departments which did not reach these goals, a significant factor was likely the retirement of senior faculty and the increase in junior faculty since the time of the last reaccreditation. However, faculty mentoring is in place to develop junior faculty and provide them with the support to participate in these key service activities.

3.3 Workforce Development.

a. A description of the school’s continuing education program, including policies, needs assessment, procedures, practices, and evaluation that support continuing education and workforce development strategies.

Continuing education is becoming an increasingly integral part of the overall course programming offered by SPHHS. Faculty and students in all divisions/departments are involved in the community with public and private agencies to advance public health practice. The SPHHS commitment to continuing education and workforce development is reflected in its mission and objectives.

II. EDUCATION GOALS

II.A. To become a leader for public health and health sciences workforce development and training.

• Objective II.B.1. calls for seeking and obtaining a CDC-ASPH Academic Health Department: Demonstration Project Grant to foster public health practice partnerships with local and state health departments by 2007.

• Objective II.B.2. calls for using marketing survey data to expand online degree offerings by 2008.

• Objective II.B.3. calls for developing and implementing an online certificate program in Health Reporting in collaboration with the Department of Communications at the University of Massachusetts by 2008.

• Objective II.B.4. calls for the re-establishment of the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach to identify necessary areas in public health workforce development by 2007. This will provide continuing education opportunities to the public and private sectors in Massachusetts and New England.

• The Public Health Practice major (online program) serves the needs of the public health community and adult learners. SPHHS has invested in making this program broadly accessible via online and distance learning modalities.

• The UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program described above provides workshops, home study programs, paraprofessional education, newsletters and mass media throughout the commonwealth. Specific programs relevant to workforce development include the:

o Food Safety Education Program provides food safety information, certification and training to food workers and consumers by increasing knowledge about causes of foodborne illness and practices to improve safe food practices.

o Nutrition and Health Program offers conferences, home study courses and workshops to teachers, child care providers and agency staff to increase knowledge and improve food practices relating to the US Dietary Guidelines. The Nutrition News and Reviews Newsletter is sent to 1,000 agencies serving high-risk groups and approximately 100,000 elderly, children, and adults.

• Dr Paula Stamps, Health Policy & Management, serves on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Working Committee on Workforce Preparedness, funded by CDC/HRSA, for developing overall competencies for the public health workforce in emergency preparedness. Findings were provided to the New England Alliance for Workforce development for implementation. Specifically, a nine-day course, The Foundations of Public Health, designed to improve the workforce competency of local Boards of Public Health, was developed. Among other locations, this course is being offered to all UMass students at no charge (Resource File).

• The Department of Public Health participates in the Public Health Training Center: New England Alliance for Public Health Workforce Development by creating and hosting public health nursing leadership training opportunities for all states in the Public Health Training Center region. Onsite professional development, Web-based education, and train the trainer instructor materials are part of the product development collaboration with the Training center.

Evaluation

The objectives outlined above (II.B.1, II.B.2., II.B.3., II.B.4.) as relevant to workforce development has each been assigned to a specific individual/committee to lead its implementation and evaluation. Specifically Dr. Phil Nasca, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, will be responsible for the CDC-ASPH Project Grant, Dr. Ann Cary, Public Health Practice, will be responsible for conducting the market survey and for the online certificate program in collaboration with Dr. Dan Gerber, Community Health Education. Finally, the Associate Dean in collaboration with Dr. Shirley Mietlicki, Community Health Education, will be responsible for oversight of the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach. Monitoring and evaluation of progress in these objectives is outlined in Section 1.1.d. Faculty efforts towards workforce development are recorded annually in Annual Faculty Reports which is monitored and evaluated as described in Section 1.1.d.

b. Description of certificate programs or other non-degree offerings of the school, including enrollment data for each of the last three years.

N/A

c. A list of the continuing education programs offered by the school, including number of students served, for each of the last three years.

SPHHS reaches more than 1000 annually through its workforce efforts.

1. The Public Health Practice online program provides pilot onsite training to public health nurses involved 30 nurses from the six state area. The PHP web-based materials, when implemented will reach an unlimited number of users globally who chose to take the trainings. The Public Health Practice MS/MPH students work with the public health nursing workforce in the 50 states and territories through their mentorship programs and in agencies locally (n=5) and in Ghana (n=100) where they work with community health workers to help them deliver health education.

1. The ASPH-funded School-Based Peer Health Education Program provides training to 12 students and reaches 600 Holyoke youth (13-19 years of age) attending Holyoke High School with the goal of reducing the number of new sexually transmitted infections and HIV infections.

2. Putting Research into Practice: Using BASICS for Adjudicated Students is a trains 232 UMass faculty and staff and 581 students with the goal of reducing risky behavior.

3. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Working Committee on Workforce Preparedness a nine-day course, The Foundations of Public Health, has reached 10 public health students and 35 public health professionals.

4. The following 3 programs were administered by Dr. Gloria DiFulvio, Community Health Education:

a. The program, Replication and Dissemination of Model Programs, sponsored by the US Department of Education, trained 12 college health professionals in replication, adaptation and dissemination of health programs

b. The program, Measuring Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Prevention Efforts: A Collective Responsibility, trained 10 college professionals in evaluation of health programs.

c. The program, How do I know if it works? Measuring the Effectiveness of Prevention Programs in Higher Education, trained 35 college health professionals.

d. A list of other educational institutions or public health practice organizations, if any, with which the school collaborates to offer continuing education.

UMass Worcester Medical Center

e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.

This criterion is met. Continuing education is becoming an increasingly integral part of the overall course programming offered by SPHHS. Faculty and students in all divisions/departments are involved in the community with public and private agencies to advance public health practice.

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