USPHS Scientific & Training Symposium: SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM AGENDA
09:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Track 2: Strategies for Addressing the Growing International Element of Public Health
Greenlee/Graham Room, Tucson Convention Center
Health Care on the Border
This session will examine two efforts to address public health challenges on the Mexican-U.S. border.
Building a Transborder Observatory for Health at the United States Mexico Border
Cecilia Rosales MD, MS, Associate Professor, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona
Presentation (pps, 140 KB)
This session will describe an effort to build a Transborder Observatory for Health at the United States-Mexico border and a broader effort to develop a model of guiding principles to define a place-based regional approach for public health research and evaluation of best practices to impact policy decisions in border regions.
Using these guiding principles as a framework for analysis, the group plans to conduct a systematic review of access to primary health care services, health promotion and disease prevention services; and promotora outreach programs in the Ambos Nogales region. This review will provide the basis for policy recommendations that will impact upon the health of the migrating and transborder populations in the region and is relevant to the broader border region. Ultimately, this project will provide the foundation for strengthening methodological approaches that translate public health research into action to improve access to services in the Sonora-Arizona region.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Describe the concept of a "Transborder Health Observatory"
• Discuss two access to care issues relevant to the Arizona Sonora border region
Transborder Public Health
Ms Jill Guernsey de Zapien, Associate Dean for Community Programs, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health , University of Arizona
Presentation (pdf, 3.31 MB)
This presentation will focus on the development and implementation of the Binational Diplomado en salud Publica. The program is a collaborative effort in Arizona and Mexico designed to strengthen the public health infrastructure and expand the scope of public health services in the border region. The program includes the development and implementation of six week-long courses for the public health professional community including: Basic Principles of Public Health, Epidemiology, Health Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health, Bi-national Collaboration and the Development and Implementation of Successful Interventions and Research in Public Health.
The session will focus on the identification of critical skill areas, the importance of a broad lens in defining public health issues, the value of experiential and service learning, and the need for binational training and collaboration. Recommendations will focus on the continued need for public health workforce development in the border regions, options for resources to support these programs, and new directions for the curriculum in the future.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Describe the critical need for a binational collaborative to strengthen the public health infrastructure at the U.S.-Mexico border
• Identify the critical elements and skills that comprise a transborder certificate in a public health program
• Identify potential future directions for transborder public health workforce development.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Track 2: Strategies for Addressing the Growing International Element of Public Health
Greenlee/Graham Room, Tucson Convention Center
Lessons Learned from the USNS Comfort Deployment
CAPT Craig Shepherd, USPHS, Chief Environmental Health Officer for USPHS, and Senior Environmental Health Officer, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, Environmental Health Services Branch
Presentation (pdf, 6.49 MB)
This session will examine lessons learned by team members during deployment on the USNS Comfort as part of the President’s Latin America initiative and the U.S. Southern Command’s Partnership for the Americas. The USNS Comfort’s mission was to train United States personnel in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as to provide mobile, flexible, and rapid response in the region. Visits to individual countries demonstrated commitment to the region and importance of cooperation.
Four successive multidisciplinary teams of United States Public Health Service (USPHS) officers of the Commissioned Corps served aboard the USNS Comfort for approximately one month each and each team visited three different countries in the region. This presentation will provide an overview of the mission and note the many and varied accomplishments and challenges experienced by officers along the way.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Describe the accomplishments of the USNS Comfort mission
• Describe challenges encountered during the deployment
• Identify key lessons learned that will be considered for future and similar deployments
01:30 p.m. – 02:00 p.m. Track 2: Strategies for Addressing the Growing International Element of Public Health
Greenlee/Graham Room, Tucson Convention Center
Front Lines of Defense: The United States Department of Agriculture Prepares for Avian Influenza
LCDR Jeff Tarrant, USPHS Program Management Officer, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
This presentation will discuss the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to prepare for the introduction of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the United States. This session will address ongoing USDA prevention and preparedness activities, domestically and internationally, targeting HPAI H5N1 virus at its source.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Delineate U.S. Department of Agriculture roles and responsibilities regarding HPAI H5N1 surveillance, response, eradication and communication activities in the United States
• Describe prevention and preparedness activities the USDA is currently engaged in domestically and internationally, to prevent, control and eradicate HPAI H5N1 where it currently exists
02:00 p.m. – 02:30 p.m. Track 2: Strategies for Addressing the Growing International Element of Public Health
Greenlee/Graham Room, Tucson Convention Center
Globalization of the U.S. Drug Supply
CDR Jason Woo, MD, MPH, USPHS, Associate Director for Scientific and Medical Affairs, Office of Compliance, Center for Drug Evaluation and Review, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Presentation (pps, 1.71 MB)
This presentation will discuss how, over the past decade, a general trend toward globalization has created new challenges to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA)) continuing ability to assure the safety and quality of the U.S. drug supply. In 2006, the United States received over 145,000 line entries of imported drug products from more than 160 countries, up from only 1,300 line entries in 2000. With globalization, the supply chain has also increased in complexity. The number of brokers, traders, distributors, repackagers and export/import firms needed to facilitate transportation, warehousing and commerce of the vast number of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients that are imported into the United States continues to increase. In addition, some emerging risks emanate from illicit acts, such as counterfeiting, tampering, diversion and falsification of names of original manufacturers. FDA regulatory oversight resources are being challenged to keep up with this explosive growth of imported drugs.
Although the current import safety system has served the public well for many years and is among the most effective in the world, a variety of factors contribute to the risk of illicit activity or limits the capability to detect illicit acts. The growth of imports, combined with an increased focus on security, places a greater burden on border officials and the FDA. In conjunction with initiatives across agencies to increase import safety as a whole, FDA is taking additional measures to strengthen the drug monitoring system to help it meet the challenges of an increasingly global economy.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Describe particular challenges that globalization presents for assuring the safety of the U.S. Drug Supply
• Discuss FDA activities to address these challenges for drug safety
• Describe how FDA activities in this area integrate with a comprehensive federal response to assuring the safety and security of imported products
02:45 p.m. – 03:45 p.m. Track 2: Strategies for Addressing the Growing International Element of Public Health
Greenlee/Graham Room, Tucson Convention Center
Helping Shape Health Care in Iraq
Shakir Jawad (Al-ainachi), MD, Assistant Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, formerly Administrative Director US/Iraqi Health Partnership Program / 30th Medical Brigade/ Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Joint forces surgeon general
pps (15.05 MB) | pdf (13.69 MB)
This presentation will describe efforts to help rebuild the health care system in Iraq. Health care in Iraq was decimated after 2005. Many health care workers had left and many hospitals and clinics were looted or destroyed. The United States has been working hard to help rebuild the country of Iraq economically. A major focus is on the essential services, which includes health care.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Describe the dynamics involved with health care policy development and implementation at the ministerial level
• Discuss current health care projects in Iraq