 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||
Center of Excellence in Cancer and HIV Research Fellow Dr. Shalanda Bynum accepts a postdoctoral position at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
As a postdoctoral fellow she will be engaged in community-based participatory research to address cancer health disparities to include cultural and literacy issues in cancer prevention and control. The postdoctoral program combines a specialized curriculum (formal didactic training and one-on-one interactions with experienced mentors) designed to meet the following training objectives: 1 ) acquire a basic understanding of the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; 2) become familiar with the major studies and findings in the area of behavioral oncology; 3) Gain expertise in methodologies needed to conduct behavioral oncology research; 4) be able to critically review and evaluate research in behavioral oncology; 5) gain an understanding of fundamental issues regarding the ethical conduct of research; 6) be able to formulate a novel research question in behavioral oncology and design a methodologically. To meet the these objectives, Dr. Bynum will be participating in meetings, seminars, journal clubs, grand rounds, and a grant writing seminar; taking additional courses; participating in ongoing research initiatives in health disparities and CBPR. Program will increase access for students
pursuing public health careers The University of South Carolina and Claflin University signed an agreement Tuesday to establish a partnership that will develop a diverse public-health workforce.
The 4 + 1 Program was announced at the beginning of the Clyburn lecture, which featured Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. Pastides said the partnership is a good fit between the university’s Arnold School and Claflin, an historically black institution in Orangeburg. “This new five-year, dual-degree program joins the talents and commitment of faculty and researchers at our university and Claflin University to produce the best minds for public-health careers,” said Pastides, former dean of the Arnold School. The partnership between the two institutions will increase access for students pursuing public-health careers. “All of us will be stronger for it,” Pastides said. Claflin biology majors will declare their intent to enter the 4 + 1 Program at the end of their sophomore year. They will take the Graduate Record Examination in their junior or senior year and take master’s-level, public-health classes at the Arnold School as seniors. These classes will count toward an MPH degree. Once they are accepted into the university’s Graduate School, they will enter the MPH program in general public health. Tisdale said the timing for this program has never been greater. “We must have sufficient resources and expertise not only now but in the future,” Tisdale said. “We believe that the 4+1 Program is a tremendous step in that direction.” The University of South Carolina and Claflin University have strong connections in education, research and outreach. They are partners on a $7.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health to eliminate health disparities in HIV/AIDS and cancer in the Palmetto State. The grant also funds undergraduate research with scientists at both institutions. The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities at the Arnold School includes Claflin as a partner. A $17.3-million grant from NIH, which bolsters biomedical research and expands educational opportunities for undergraduates, connects the University of South Carolina and Claflin with five other colleges and universities around the state. “Today is just the beginning of a very successful journey,” Tisdale said. Visit http://www.sph.sc.edu/health_disparities/ to learn more about the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities and http://www.claflin.edu/ to learn more about Claflin University. Troutman completed residency and internship at the Medical
University of South Carolina
"Dr. Troutman is one of the nation's leaders in public health," said Dr. Saundra Glover, director of the USC Institute to Eliminate Health Disparities. "He is an advocate for bringing change to improve health, including changing social conditions that often affect a person's ability to change behaviors." An associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Public Health, Troutman has had a distinguished record of achievement in public health education, research, leadership and advocacy. In Louisville, Troutman has undertaken new initiatives to improve the health of citizens throughout the area, including the Center for the Elimination of Health Disparities in Louisville, the only such center at a city or county health department in America; the Mayor's Health Hometown Movement, a community effort to encourage Louisville's citizens to be physically active and adopt healthy lifestyles; the Office of Faith and Health to work with the faith community to improve health; and the Office of Emergency and Public Health Preparedness. Troutman also was instrumental in launching a mobile health unit to extend health services to underserved areas of the community. Additionally, Troutman received the first annual MediStar Physician of the Year Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership to improve accessibility and affordability of healthcare. Troutman earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed a residency and internship in family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He earned his master's in public health from the Columbia University School of Public Health and a master's in black studies from the State University of New York. The Arnold School named the lecture series for Clyburn, South Carolina's Sixth District representative, because his services to people in the Palmetto State and his leadership in the U.S. House have been critical in improving public health. Medical authorities say many cases of cervical cancer can
be prevented through screening and vaccination
South Carolina ranks third in new cases of cervical cancer and eighth in deaths due to cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a disease for which many cases can be entirely prevented through screening and vaccination. USC cancer researcher Dr. Heather Brandt is chair of a subcommittee of the S.C. Cancer AIliance that organized the billboard effort in partnership with the USC-Claflin EXPORT Center, South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network, and other individuals and groups from across the state. Brandt said the subcommittee is part of an effort called “Moving to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer in South Carolina.”  The billboards are on display in January as part of national Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Funding for them comes from the American Cancer Society, Palmetto Health, and South Carolina Cancer Alliance. Some 70 billboards, mainly in urban areas of the state, are up featuring a common “Stop Cervical Cancer” theme and individual messages urging women to “Stop Cervical Cancer in South Carolina” by having regular Pap tests, following up on abnormal Pap test results, and learning more about the HPV vaccine. Brandt said Arnold School students and a recent graduate also are involved in Cervical Cancer Awareness Month activities on the USC campus. A recent graduate of the exercise science program is canvassing the campus with HPV materials and posters and a doctoral candidate is helping the Thomson Student Health Center prepare a mass mail out on the HPV vaccine. The subcommittee members also have prepared cervical cancer information suitable for inclusion in church bulletins and a one-page fact sheet. Additional printed materials have been prepared in Spanish. Brandt said another highlight of the campaign is a special cervical cancer symposium of the Journal of the S.C. Medical Association to be published in October. The special issue will be similar to the magazine’s August 2007 issue that focused on the soaring cancer rate of all kinds among South Carolina’s African-American population. Brandt said a special feature on the issue will be a comprehensive listing of information resources on cervical cancer for health care providers and others. Women's health study focuses on HPV Lecture honors longtime leader in battle to improve the health of South Carolinians A respected leader in the battle against cancer among minorities and the medically underserved will deliver the first James A. Clyburn Lecture at the University of South Carolina on April 25.
Dr. Lovell A. Jones, director of the Center for Research on Minority Health at the University of Texas, will speak at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Arnold School’s Public Health Research Center, 921 Assembly Street. The lecture is open to USC students, faculty, staff and the public.
The lecture series honors U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who has served South Carolina's Sixth Congressional District since 1993. The Sumter native was an active member of the 1960s civil rights movement and was S.C. Human Affairs Commissioner from 1974-1992. He currently is House Majority Whip for the 110th Congress. Dr. Saunda Glover, Arnold School associate dean for health disparities and social justice, said the lecture series is a "joint initiative between Claflin University and the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of South Carolina. It will bring together researchers and public health professionals in an interactive forum to discuss ways and means to eliminate the public health disparities that continue to plague South Carolina and the rest of the nation." Glover, who also is director of the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, said the continuing series will, in turn, touch on disparities facing South Carolina's minority residents including cancer, stroke, obesity, HIV/AIDS and high blood pressure. Clyburn, along with Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., helped secure funding to establish the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities in 2003. "His commitment to the elimination of health disparities is long-standing. Hence, the naming of the lecture series in honor of his service to the health needs of the people of South Carolina, the Southeast and the nation," said Glover. Jones' efforts in combating cancer in minorities complements "an area of research strength of the health sciences at USC and an area where we have made significant efforts to join with community stakeholders to begin to focus on solutions," Glover said. Jones, whose research center is part of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, is the founding co-chair of the Intercultural Cancer Council, the nation's largest multicultural health policy group focused on minorities, the medically underserved and cancer. He has edited "Minorities & Cancer," one of the few comprehensive textbooks on this subject. He is the founding chair of "Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Cancer," the nation's largest multicultural conference which provides a forum for exchanging the latest scientific and treatment information. This biennial conference brings together people from all ethnic communities and social strata to share strategies for reducing the incidence of cancer among these populations. Jones also has spearheaded regional hearings on cancer and the poor for the American Cancer Society. In 2002, Jones, along with Dr. Armin Weinberg, the other cofounder of the Intercultural Cancer Council, received the Humanitarian Award from the American Cancer Society. Between 1980 and 2007, Jones received more than $20 million in research funding for studies in which he was the principal investigator. A question and answer period and a reception in the lobby of the PHRC will follow Jones' address at USC. USC, Claflin University open new molecular
virology laboratory in Orangeburg
Posted 04/16/2007 Press Release
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
A statewide campaign targeting cervical cancer kicks off this month with a bilingual billboard campaign to raise public awareness of the disease that strikes some 200 South Carolina women each year. 
