Ta b l e o f C o n T e n T s
Message from the Dean ................................................................................. 1
Help for the Hidden ..................................................................................... 2
Two SPH Professors Plan to Bring Much-Needed Services
to an Underground Community in Kenya
Interrupting the Cycle of Violence .................................................................. 4
CeaseFire Workers Reach Out to Shooting Victims at Hospitals
Dedicated to Diversity .................................................................................. 6
Dr. Amuwo’s Determination to Enroll More People of Color at the SPH
Drinking Water Can Help With Weight Loss .................................................... 8
IPWR Study Examines Effect of Water Consumption on Calorie Intake
Who We Are ................................................................................................ 10
Remembering Dr. Bernard Baum, a True Public Health Leader ........................... 11
Developing a Dean ....................................................................................... 12
Paul Brandt-Rauf ’s Journey from Childhood to the UIC School of Public
From the Office of Advancement .................................................................... 14
Leadership Circle Recognition Dinner
School Info ................................................................................................. 16
Visit the school of public Health web site at
w w w. u i c . e d u / s p h
Message From the Dean
Dear Friends:
If you take a moment to look into the world of a public health professional,
you will see individuals whose work focuses on making a difference in
the lives of others. You will see them serving the underserved, translating
knowledge to benefit the interests of families and communities, and
pioneering ways to improve the resilience and health of populations around
the world.
On July 1, I was fortunate to join a team of dedicated public health
professionals at the UIC School of Public Health (SPH), when I officially
became Dean. It is gratifying to see how SPH faculty, alumni and students
have helped shape the field of public health over the years. As we continue
our vision of discovery and innovation, in this issue of Healthviews, we
take a look into some of the notable work being done here.
We sit down with Professors Jesus Ramirez-Valles and Robert Bailey to talk
about a program they are creating in Kisumu, Kenya, which will provide
counseling, testing for sexually transmitted disease, education and other
forms of support for men who have sex with men (MSM) - a community
that is all-but completely hidden in Kenyan society. Dr. Shafdeen Amuwo
tells us the story of his journey and commitment over the years to recruiting minorities into public health education. You will
read about a study funded by the Institute for Public Health and Water Research (IPWR) which determined that drinking water
before a meal may help an individual to lose weight. And you will learn about the ripple effect of the ground-breaking work from
CeaseFire, which has already helped save lives in Chicago. Sheila Regan, program specialist for hospital response, describes
a revolutionary new initiative in hospital emergency rooms that operates as a mediation service between violence perpetrators
and their victims.
As we continue the wave of development and discovery at the School of Public Health, we thank you for your continued support
and commitment to creating a healthier world.
Sincerely,
Paul Brandt-Rauf, MD, ScD, DrPH
Interim Dean
1 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
HELp for
tHe Hidden
Two SPH Professors Plan to Bring Much-Needed
Services to an Underground Community in Kenya
Twenty three-year-old Elijah lives alone in the slums of “There are no street lights, so it was very dark and we were
Kisumu, Kenya, in fear every day that his neighbors might traveling down a very rocky road,” he said. “There is so much
find out the secret that he is keeping, which could send him to poverty and these are dangerous slums. I tried not to look
jail for up to 14 years. Elijah is gay. fearful or tense, but I knew I couldn’t call for help if the car
broke down.”
Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya. Coupled with the legal
ramifications, men such as Elijah are afraid of being rejected The young MSM in the focus groups are very poor, Ramirez-
by family and friends, losing their job, being ostracized by Valles said. With a few exceptions, they wear worn out shoes
their community, or worse if their secret is known. or sandals and clothes, and live in one or two room homes
made of corrugated metal. The large majority have not gone
“Elijah is scared that a bunch of young men will find him beyond high school and lack formal employment or a steady
and beat him,” said UIC School of Public Health (UIC income, while a small minority attends college or work in
SPH) Professor of Epidemiology Robert Bailey. Along with low-paid jobs, he said.
UIC SPH Professor of Community Health Sciences Jesus
Ramirez-Valles, Bailey recently registered 159 men in Kisumu, Despite their socioeconomic status and the fear and isolation
Kenya, who admit (under the condition of anonymity) to they face, Ramirez-Valles said that these men also experience
having sex with men (MSM). Bailey and Ramirez-Valles hope plenty of happiness.
to soon secure funding to initiate a program that would provide
counseling, testing for sexually transmitted disease including “People find a way to have fun,” he said. “They have very
HIV, education and other forms of support otherwise currently limited resources, but they have a life and a real sense of
non-existent in this underground community. community. The unfortunate thing that they all also have in
common is HIV/AIDS.”
“Homosexuality is not only illegal, but it is also highly
stigmatized,” Bailey said. “Elijah could be arrested and jailed Ramirez-Valles said that all of the men who registered for
or even beaten by police.” the program are either infected with HIV/AIDS, or have a
close family member, lover, or friend who is, or who has died
Ramirez-Valles, went to Kenya for the first time this summer from the disease. The epidemic in Kisumu is predominantly
at Bailey’s invitation to investigate the possibility of creating heterosexual and there are no systematic prevention efforts
such a project. While there he experienced some of the fear for MSM, he said.
that Elijah feels on a daily basis when he accompanied several
of the men from the pilot program home in a taxi after a night Additionally, medical staff and counselors who test for HIV
at some local bars. and other sexually transmitted infections have no training on
issues regarding homosexuality, Ramirez-Valles said.
2 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
• A community meeting in Kisumu, Kenya.
• Preparing Food for a community gathering.
• The streets of Kisumu, Kenya.
“This was very clear when talking with them, as they do not “It is not difficult to persuade a young man not to use condoms
have the vocabulary to speak about homosexuality or same sex for a little more money,” he said. “Multiple sources note
attraction,” he said. “Some of them would say, ‘the gay thing,’ that condom use among MSM, and general population, is, at
when talking about homosexuality.” best, inconsistent.”
Men who have sex with men in Kenya also rarely seek medical While many of the men report using condoms, they do not
services for fear of being detected, Bailey said. Men who do do so regularly, Ramirez-Valles said. Some of the reasons for
seek medical services for anal ulcers, gonorrhea, or other not using condoms include losing pleasure and sensation,
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), often say that they were e.g., “sex with condoms is not sweet,” and fear of irritations.
raped, he said. Others opt to trust that their partners are HIV-negative and
monogamous. A young gay couple, for example, said they do
“Because they lie the real issues cannot be addressed,” Bailey not use condoms because they trust that the other is faithful
said. “Then, they don’t have good knowledge of their risky and HIV-negative, he said.
behavior and they don’t have access to medicine if they
contract an STD.” Both Bailey and Ramirez-Valles hope that their program -
which will commence as soon as they have secured funding -
Because it is a hidden community, many gay men have trouble will not only help educate the participants on condom use and
finding partners and turn to sex work to fulfill sexual desires, counsel them on dealing with HIV and the stigmatization of
Bailey said. And because many of the sex workers are the being gay in Kenya, they also hope to help educate the larger
receivers of unprotected anal sex, they are in the highest risk Kenyan community about a population still believed to be
category for contracting HIV, he said. nonexistent in their community.
According to Ramirez-Valles, most of the young MSM he “Hopefully we can get through to police, politicians, church
encountered practiced some form of sex trade. leaders and community leaders from the perspective that this
is a high-risk group that needs services,” Bailey said. “The
While some sex workers are paid in cash, the most common
leaders need to understand that if they remain hidden and
form of sex trade is the exchange of goods, such as housing,
suppressed the HIV transmission will increase.”
drinks, and food, Ramirez-Valles said. Thus, the men with
financial or material resources have access to a larger pool of Ramirez-Valles also hopes in the future to be able do
sex partners and can choose sexual partners and the kind of some research on the homosexual sex trade industry and
sex they want. understand how it shapes people’s lives, with the hopes of one
day finding a way to help these men find a different way to
One of the sex workers he encountered lives with two other
express their homosexuality.
men in a small, one room hut, and is HIV positive, Ramirez-
Valles said. “They need space and the cultural environment to have sex
on their own terms,” he said. “That would take away a lot of
“He relies on sex work to eat,” he said.
the risky behavior.” ■
Men with resources also have the power to decide whether or
not to use condoms, Ramirez-Valles said.
3 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
- including some former gang members with strong ties to
high-risk individuals- who work together to interrupt
conflicts and to change behavioral norms in the community.
Hospital Emergency Room Response Initiative
One of CeaseFire’s distinct programs is the Hospital
Emergency Room Response Initiative. In a collaborative
effort with two local hospitals, CeaseFire outreach workers
InterruptIng respond to gunshot and other violence-related trauma
cases to intervene in conflicts and prevent further violence.
the CyCle oF Working with emergency room staff, trauma surgeons,
hospital spiritual care and social workers, the CeaseFire
VIolenCe hospital responders reach out to some of the people most at
risk of being involved in future shootings.
CeaseFire Workers Reach Out
The Hospital Emergency Room Response Initiative began
to Shooting Victims at Hospitals in January 2005, at Christ Advocate Medical Center in
After he was severely beaten by a 35-year-old man while on the Oak Lawn, where hospital administrators wanted to reduce
way to the store for his mother, Tio Hardiman, then 16, saw the burden of approximately 1,600 violence-related injuries
his enraged step-father shoot and kill the man in revenge. the hospital handles each year. As a result of this violence
prevention partnership, funding from the hospital covers
At the time, Hardiman had recently moved in with his two full-time CeaseFire hospital responders. In 2006, a
mother and drug addicted step-father at the Henry Horner similar program was launched on a smaller scale at Mount
Homes public housing development on Chicago’s Near Sinai Hospital in Chicago.
West Side, following the death of the grandparents who
raised him. One of 12 children, Hardiman said he turned to “The trauma surgeons were having the experience of
alcohol to numb the pain of his childhood and as a way to patching up the same victims over and over again because of
avoid joining a gang. reinjury or retaliation,” said Sheila Regan, who oversees the
hospital program. “It was so frustrating for them to see this
“There were two choices in the projects – hang out in a gang and not be able to do anything about it.”
or hang out with the winos,” Hardiman said.
Both hospitals receive many of their gunshot cases from
Now 45 and clean for over 20 years, Hardiman, who has communities where CeaseFire operates on the South and
since obtained a master’s degree in inner-city studies, is West sides of Chicago. The vast majority of the victims are
working to help end the kind of needless violence he saw as African-American males between the ages of 16 and 35.
a child, before it starts. Hardiman serves as the director of
mediation services for CeaseFire, an initiative of the Chicago “When a hospital notifies us of a shooting victim we dispatch
Project for Violence Prevention at the University of Illinois a hospital responder whose goal is to prevent retaliation or
at Chicago School of Public Health. reinjury,” Regan said. “The responders are also familiar
with what a body goes through after it has been shot, so a
CeaseFire’s violence prevention strategy combines hospital responder breaks it down for the victim, and acts as
community mobilization and outreach, the involvement a support for the family during this really trying time.”
of faith leaders and the participation of police, to reduce
violence in the same way that other serious health threats Responders come from the ranks of CeaseFire violence
- such as AIDS and tuberculosis - have been addressed. interrupters and outreach workers, street-savvy individuals
The organization relies on clergy and community leaders – many of them ex-offenders – who have strong ties in their
4 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
communities and the ability to connect with the high-risk
population. The Hospital Responders are able to leverage
their network of contacts and close working relationships
with CeaseFire Violence Interrupters to mediate conflicts
and squash retaliations.
Patients with violence-related injuries may not simply
be innocent victims, but in many cases are also potential
perpetrators of violence. Many are also involved with others
who may retaliate on their behalf. Immediate intervention
reduces the risk factors associated with a shooting to prevent
future injury to the patient as well as to others.
“The immediacy is part of the program’s efficacy,” Regan
said. “If a person’s baseline reaction is to shoot back after
being shot, the interrupters are trying to put an alternative
possibility in their head. Because they have access to the
victim at their most vulnerable time, right after being shot,
he or she might reconsider how they got there and decide
to take a better path.”
The responders also provide much needed support to
victims and their families after the patient has recovered,
including education and job placement assistance, as well
ABOVE: CeaseFire’s Tio Hardiman, Director of Mediation Services, and Tim
as links with other social support services. White, Violence Interrupter.
The CeaseFire Hospital Initiative has also begun to examine BELOW: Hospital Chaplain Richard James, Hospital Responder Charles Mack,
Trauma Surgeon Steve Salzman, and Hospital Responder LeVon Stone.
the long-term effects of this intervention on the problem of
violence and killings, including recidivism rates and impact
on individual victim’s lives.
According to Regan, CeaseFire Hospital Responders have
seen almost 500 patients already this year. And while the
work can be challenging, CeaseFire’s Hospital Responders
are uniquely qualified to handle the assignment, she said.
“Crisis intervention work can be tense,” Regan said. “It can
be hard to get people to open up when they are in a crisis,
which is when the skills of the interrupters come into play.
They have the social finesse to engage people.”
For more information about CeaseFire, or the Hospital
Emergency Room Response Initiative, visit http://www.
ceasefirechicago.org. ■
5 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
D e D I CateD t o
DIVersI ty
Dr. Amuwo’s
Determination
to Enroll More
People of Color
at the SPH
After completing his MPH at the UIC School of Public “Test scores use white consciousness in the language
Health in 1976, Dr. Shaffdeen Amuwo was disappointed application of the test,” Amuwo said. “These students
when he was denied admission and as a result, the have a lot of problem writing in English so they do poorly
opportunity to become one of the first black men to pursue on the test, which is why they are not being admitted.”
a PhD at the school.
To rectify the situation, Amuwo recruited a community
But in the early 1980’s, when Amuwo - who went on in college professor, Tony Rowitz, who agreed to teach
1982 to obtain his PhD in Public Health Education at writing classes to supplement GRE preparation – a
Columbia Pacific University - returned to the SPH looking method that proved to be extremely successful and is still
for research assistants to participate in his research with used today.
Sickle Cell Anemia at the UIC Comprehensive Sickle Cell
Center, he found that the school was still not admitting “There was a really dramatic increase in the amount of people
many people of color. (of color) who applied that were accepted,” Amuwo said.
“I vowed then that if I could, I would do something to While this strategy was successful in increasing the
correct this,” Amuwo said. amount of applicants who were accepted to the school,
there was still no marked increase in the pool of applicants.
So Amuwo set aside his research on Sickle Cell Anemia To address this concern, Amuwo and his colleagues
and took a job as an assistant dean of student affairs at developed the Pipeline to Health Professions Initiative
SPH, with a goal of helping find more people of color (PHPI), which focuses on the preparation of students
for the PhD program. He soon learned that the school from grades K-12.
not only had problems recruiting for the PhD program,
it also had problems recruiting minority students on the The PHPI aims to increase diversity in the public
masters level. health professions by building relationships with major
stakeholders who each provide significant services:
Amuwo and his colleagues learned that many students of municipal health agencies provide access to mentors,
color, in particularly African American, were not being clinics, clinicians and other health care professionals,
admitted to the school because of low scores on the along with additional funding streams; the educational
Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The number one systems (K-12, two and four year colleges) provide
reason the scores were low was because of a lack of writing student from underserved communities; and community-
skills, he said. based and faith-based organizations provide relevance to
students from underserved communities.
6 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
LEFT: Various students involved in the Pipeline to Public Health Professions program.
The PHPI programs are targeted towards the West and “Unlike the college of medicine, or dentistry, it costs more
South sides of the city of Chicago, which represent 95% to get students to our school because public health is not
of the health profession shortage areas in the state of well known,” he said. “To introduce public health to a
Illinois and employ a very small number of individuals student takes significant time and energy.”
with masters and doctorate degrees in public health. By
enrolling students in the program in elementary school As for Amuwo, who started his journey at the SPH in the
and following them through high school to college with 1970’s, he officially retired from his job as the school’s
grade-specific approaches, the programs aim to increase assistant dean for urban health and diversity programs
the students’ awareness of public health career options in 2004, but still leads the program from his office at the
and prepare them for admission into schools with public school one day a week.
health degree programs.
“I want to help the school because of the number of
According to Dorothy Washington-Calvin, MA, PHPI reductions in resources and people,” he said. “When
Assistant Director and Project Coordinator, the program things improve, I will have finished my work here.” ■
currently has partnerships with 20 Chicago Public Schools.
PHPI provides the schools with a class in public health
one time a week for six to eight weeks, brings in guest
speakers and hosts relevant field trips. Additionally, the
PHPI helps students in high school to run public health
clubs, where they practice the skills that they learned in
elementary and middle school, she said.
“The students who started with us in sixth grade are
ready for high school, better prepared and have a better
understanding of what public health is,” she said.
The biggest challenge to the program is a consistent
funding source, Amuwo said. Federal government funding
has fluctuated depending on the administration, and state
funding has been inconsistent, he said.
While the program has survived on a mix of government
funding and grants from various sources, its future is in
jeopardy until a stable source of funding can be identified,
Amuwo said.
ABOVE: 2007 Summer, Public Health Institute Participants
7 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
drinking Water
Can Help WitH
Weight Loss
ABOVE: Dr. Jennie Ward-Robinson, Executive Director
of the Institute for Public Health and Water Research.
IPWR Study ExamInES EffEct of WatER
conSumPtIon on caloRIE IntakE
Drinking water before each meal may help an individual “It’s not expensive – anyone can do this,” said Davy. She noted
to eat fewer calories and thus lose weight over a period of that Americans do not drink enough water and that fluid
time, according to a recently published study funded by consumption often consists of calorie-containing beverages,
the Institute of Public Health and Water Research (IPWR), such as soft drinks and beer. “Sweetened soft drinks are a
based at the UIC School of Public Health. major source of calories in the U.S. diet,” she said.
The study, conducted by IPWR Fellow Brenda Davy, These findings come at a crucial time, when experts are
Ph.D., RD of Virginia Tech and published in the July 2008 predicting that health problems related to childhood
issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, overweight and obesity could result in this being the first
examined the effects of water consumption on the meal generation of children who do not outlive their parents.
calorie intake of 24 overweight and obese men and women As with adult obesity, one way to help combat childhood
ranging from 55 to 75 years old. Participants consumed obesity is to drink water instead of sugar-based drinks,
approximately 13% fewer calories during breakfast when Ward-Robinson said.
they drank two cups of water 30 minutes prior to eating
the meal. Research indicates that people who drink sugar-based
beverages, such as soft drinks, eat more and gain weight. A
The study also revealed the sample group habitually large systematic review, published in the April, 2007, issue
consumed only half the recommended total daily fluid of the American Journal of Public Health, reveals clear
intake and less than half of the recently proposed 20 to associations between consumption of non-diet soft drinks
50 fluid ounces of water per day recommended by the and increased calorie intake and body weight. Full-calorie
Beverage Guidance Panel. soft drinks are also linked with reduced intake of milk
and fruit and increased risk of severe medical problems
“71% of Americans over 60 years old are overweight or including Type 2 Diabetes.
obese,” said Jennie Ward-Robinson, Ph.D., Executive
Director of IPWR. “This unprecedented study sheds light “Recommendations to reduce population soft drink
on the lack of water consumption as a contributing factor, consumption are strongly supported by the available
and also makes clear the need for adequate quantities of science,” concludes the review of 88 studies.
drinking water in a weight management regimen for
our seniors.”
8 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
Currently in the U.S., there is not enough education
and information about drinking water as a part of a
healthy, balanced diet and to promote weight loss, Ward-
Robinson said. In fact, guidelines for water consumption
are not included on the U.S. Government’s Food Pyramid,
she said.
“As obesity and diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes, which
are linked to obesity become an increasing problem for
school-aged children nationally and internationally, it
becomes imperative that we develop guidelines, education
and behavioral incentives about the importance of drinking
water, its role in health promotion, and protection of this
vital resource,” Ward-Robinson said.
The Institute for Public Health and Water Research
(IPWR) was incorporated in 2005 as a not-for-profit,
independent science and education organization. The
mission of IPWR is to improve public health through
the consumption of quality drinking water worldwide.
Understanding the relationship between drinking water
and good health is vital, as consumption of quality
drinking water is a cornerstone of improved public health
and disease prevention, Ward-Robinson said. Public
health experts note that access to potable water, hygiene
and sanitation have contributed to a sustainable lifespan
and improved quality of health in both developed and
ABOVE: Americans over the age of 60 are disproportionately
developing countries, she said.
overweight or obese, some estimates are as high as 71%.
BELOW: Dr. Brenda Davy, IPWR Fellow, conducts her There is an urgent need to understand the role water plays
research on the relationship between water consumption in all aspects of human health, Ward-Robinson said.
and obesity at Virginia Tech University.
“Support is needed for undertaking this type of research so
that we can begin to articulate not only the value of drinking
water, but we can determine the amount of water required
for optimal healthy functioning as linked to health status,”
she said. “IPWR is committed to advancing knowledge
about the health benefits of drinking water through
scientific discovery and increasing awareness through
public health education.”
For more information, go to www.ipwr.org. ■
9 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
Who We are
UIC’s School of Public Health is the only accredited school UIC’s hallmark is the Great Cities Commitment through
of its kind in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. The school which faculty, staff and students engage in hundreds of
is part of the largest university in the Chicago area. It is programs with community, corporate, government and
one of 15 colleges that together rank among the nation’s civic partners to improve the quality of life in Chicago and
top 50 universities in federal research funding. The UIC in other metropolitan areas around the world. Located
student body is recognized as one of the nation’s most in the heart of Chicago, the School of Public Health
diverse. With students from more than 20 countries, the provides opportunities for its faculty, staff and students to
School of Public Health shares that distinction. UIC and experience every aspect of public health from inner-city
the School of Public Health are recognized for their research violence prevention to the international AIDS pandemic.
strength, educational excellence and commitment to
improving the quality of life.
Established in 1970, the fully accredited School of Public Health offers the following degrees:
Master of Healthcare Administration
Master of Public Health
Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Public Health
UIC’s School of Public Health is recognized for excellence in the following areas::
Community Health
Emergency Response Preparedness
Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods
Healthy Aging
Maternal and Child Health
Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety
Public Health Practice and Leadership
Prevention Research in HIV/AIDS, Violence, Substance Abuse, Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation
Centers, Institutes and Service Programs
UIC’s School of Public Health faculty are involved in a range cutting-edge research and service projects funded from federal,
state and private sources. These initiatives contribute resources and provide assistance to local communities and programs
around the world while providing opportunities for student learning, collaboration and discovery. For a complete list of
centers, institutes and service programs, see page 24. ■
10 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
REmEmbERINg
dr. bernard bauM
A TRuE pubLIc HEALTH LEAdER
I started working for Bernie Baum sometime in the summer
of 1978. I was just finishing my MPH. He thought I might
be a good scholar and a good teacher. He would become
my boss, my mentor and my friend. He changed my life in
many ways.
Bernard H. Baum came to the United States as a boy. He Past recipients of the Golden
Apple Award have included:
fought in the Army for his adopted country. He ultimately
• Sylvia Furner, PhD, Associate
graduated with a doctorate in sociology from what he liked Professor of Epidemiology,
Epidemiology and
to call “the university,” the University of Chicago. For a few Biostatistics (Division 2008)
years, he helped the leaders of a national insurance company • Ron Hershow, PhD, Associate
analyze and improve their organization, something quite Professor of Epidemiology,
Epidemiology and
new at the time. He started teaching this approach at the Biostatistics (Division 2007)
business school of the University of Illinois at Chicago • Deborah Rosenberg,
PhD, Research Associate
Circle, and when it came time to build a School of Public Professor, Epidemiology and
Health, Bernie was one of its Founders. Biostatistics (Division 2006)
Although he wrote on organizational theory and behavior
and the role of dignity in organizational life, Bernie was THE FOLLOWING WILL BE THE DEDICATION
first and foremost a teacher and a mentor, which, after all, STATEMENT FOR THE BERNARD H. BAUM
is teaching to a class with one student. I was lucky enough GOLDEN APPLE AWARD:
to have many long conversations with him about my own
The Bernard H. Baum Golden Apple award is named
teaching. He enjoyed my progress, but he never cut me any
for a Founder of the School of Public Health, a Professor
slack. Once, when I was complaining about having students
and Director of Health Resources Management (later to
who were rebellious in class, he said, “What do you want,
be called Health Policy and Administration), a scholar
acolytes or students? At least you are reaching them!”
in the sociology of organizations, a general in the Army
Bernie died recently. His funeral was attended by his family, Reserves, a mentor to three generations of students and
of course, but also by hundreds of friends, colleagues, former faculty, a champion of human dignity, but, most of all,
students and former mentees. If you are hearing about this a teacher. He encouraged faculty to become productive
for the first time, you may very well be remembering your scholars, but he also made sure they taught well. Bernie,
own stories from taking his classes or being one of his as he was known to all, loved to teach, and he was very,
graduate students. Bernie was not the sort of person to go very good at it. In 1977, he won a school wide teaching
through life without leaving a trail. We will all miss him. award before the School established the Golden Apple two
years later. He then went on to win the Golden Apple
Bernie’s family has endowed a fund at the School in his twice, placing him among a select few faculty members
honor. Quite rightly, the proceeds from this fund will who have been so often honored. For his wisdom, for his
support what he loved best in his work, teaching. The commitment to the academy, for the individual attention
School will name the Golden Apple Award in his honor, he gave to students and faculty for almost 40 years, for
and each year a faculty member, selected by the students, his respect for the on-going community that has been, is
will be given a sizable check as a thank you for their teaching and will be this School of Public Health, and for his love
efforts. And every year that award is given, the assembled of the classroom, we have dedicated this annual award
students and their families, as well as the faculty and staff, for teaching excellence in his honor.
will be reminded of Bernie’s contribution to the School. He
would definitely like that. ■
Daniel Swartzman, JD, MPH
Associate Professor
11 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
dEvELopINg A dEAN
Paul Brandt-Rauf’s Journey from
Childhood to the UIC School of Public Health
After an early childhood in New York City, growing up in Brandt-Rauf said that his work in biochemical engineering
what was then the very rural area of Poughkeepsie, NY, Paul got him interested in going to medical school, where he
Brandt-Rauf developed an early love and appreciation of the thought he would work on developing artificial organs.
environment and of reading. He believes this connection
helped spark his interest in public health. While he thought he would go on to become a surgeon,
Brandt-Rauf was still very interested in the environment.
Brandt-Rauf, Dr.P.H., M.D., Sc.D., who took up “This was the 70’s and that is when the environmental
responsibilities as the dean of the UIC School of Public movement really kicked off,” he said.
Health on July 1, 2008, remembers watching the deer in the
meadow in front of his family’s home on top of a mountain, Wanting to find a way to combine his love of the
overlooking a lake. The Rauf ’s nearest neighbor was two environment, medicine and engineering, Brandt-Rauf
miles away, so Brandt-Rauf and his older brother Robert decided on Columbia’s School of Public Health, where
- whom he says was his only playmate - had to find creative he was able to focus on environmental health. The school
ways to pass the time. offered an MD/MPH degree, which allowed Brandt-Rauf
to continue his medical training, while at the same time
Every Friday night, the boys’ father Charles, a self-taught obtaining his MPH.
engineer who worked for IBM, would take them to the library
where Brandt-Rauf said he would load up on as many books While public health felt like the right fit for him, Brandt-
as he could carry. Rauf said his choice was scorned by his colleagues in the
medical school.
“I would read about 20 books a week,” he said. “I would read
about science, history, the environment and travel. A lot of my “They thought it was not real medicine and that I was throwing
character was formed there.” my career away,” he said.
After high school, Brandt-Rauf decided he wanted to Brandt-Rauf ignored the naysayers, or course, and went on
follow in his father’s footsteps, so he enrolled in Columbia to enroll in Columbia’s Dr.P.H. program while starting post-
University to study chemical engineering. But while a graduate residency training in Columbia’s environmental
degree from Columbia in engineering offered him certain pathology program.
job security, after spending several summers working
Sherry had completed her law degree by this time and wanted
at IBM, Brandt-Rauf decided that traditional chemical
to take a clerkship at the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of
engineering just wasn’t for him.
Appeals. So the couple moved to D.C., where Brandt-Rauf
Since he always had an interest in biology, Brandt-Rauf started his next residency in internal medicine at Georgetown
decided to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and in 1982, the couples’ first child, a daughter named Elka,
and enter graduate school. He did so well that, based on was born.
his score, he was awarded a National Science Foundation
The family returned to New York, where Brandt-Rauf
Fellowship. He returned to Columbia where he studied
completed his internal medicine and occupational medicine
under his mentor, Dr. Elmer Gaden, Jr., who is known as
residency training and was selected to run Columbia’s
the father of biochemical engineering.
occupational medicine program. The program progressed
After receiving his master’s degree, and while working on his well, Sherry went on to become a researcher for the Center
Sc.D. in engineering, Brandt-Rauf met and married Sherry for the Study of Society of Medicine, and Brandt-Rauf
Brandt, a sociologist at Columbia who was entering law school. decided that environmental carcinogenesis would be his
field of specialization.
12 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
The couple also welcomed two more children into their
family during this time, a son named Joshua, in 1985, and a
son named Oren, in 1987. The Brandt-Raufs thought their
family was complete at the point until their lives took a very
tragic turn.
While on a family vacation in St. Thomas, Oren died in a
hiking accident in 2002, when he was just 15.
“You don’t get over that,” Brandt-Rauf said. “My wife and
I were looking to fill the void and we decided that adoption
made sense.”
Because he had learned Russian in high school and Sherry
had taken Russian for one year, the Brandt-Raufs decided that
adopting a child from Russia would be a natural fit. In 2006
the Brandt-Rauf family welcomed Zenfira, (Zenna as she now
likes to be called) who was 6 at the time, to their family.
The Brandt-Raufs knew when they adopted her that Zenna
had a sister, but because the sisters were abruptly separated
when they were taken from their parents and put into an
orphanage, it took over a year to find her. Once they found
Kristina (Kayla as she now goes by), the family started
working to adopt her as well, a process which was completed ABOVE: The Brandt-Rauf family rafting in the Tetons: Sherry,
Zenna, Elka, Paul and Joshua.
about four months ago – just in time to move the family to
BELOW: Dean Brandt-Rauf with his daughter Zenna in Jerusalem.
Chicago for their father’s new job.
Brandt-Rauf notes that the girls are doing well in their new
home and learning English quickly. And while Paul and
Sherry may have rescued the girls from life in an orphanage,
Zenna and Kayla have also helped the family heal some of
their own wounds.
“They weren’t meant to replace our son,” Brandt-Rauf said.
“It was such an abrupt loss and we just decided we were not
done being parents.”
While adopting a child, moving a family across country
and starting a new job, all in a matter of a few months, may
seem a daunting task to most, Brandt-Rauf feels he is up for
the challenge.
“I am eagerly looking forward to that prospect and to working
with the faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters of the
school and the UIC community in advancing our common
mission of improving the health of the public.” ■
13 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
From the
oFFICe oF
advancEmEnt
leadersHip CirCle
reCognition dinner
ABOVE: Janet Douglas, MPH ’75,
Rod Musselman, DPH ’82, MPH ‘74, The School of Public Health recognized the contributions of two distinct groups of alumni and
and Judith Weinstock. friends at the Leadership Recognition Dinner at Wildfire Restaurant on September 22, 2008.
Members of the Leadership Giving Circle, those who made annual fund contributions of $500
or more between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008, and the SPH Alumni Association Board, were
invited to attend a thank you dinner hosted by Dean Paul Brandt-Rauf.
fIScal yEaR 2008
lEadERShIP cIRclE mEmbERS
Elizabeth L. Allen Sylvia E. & James M. Furner Arlynn Hem Manasse & Paul E. Pliester
Henri R. Manasse, Jr
Shaffdeen A. & Linda M. Amuwo Benn J. Greenspan & Kristin M. Rankin
Barbara Lewis William L. McCabe
Christopher M. Barker Rosemary K. Sokas &
Priscilla C. Hensel Madeline McCarren & Ahmed Achrati
John & Jenny Bernstein Steve Beranek
Penelepe C. Hunt Leslie T. Stayner
Katherine L. Brubaker Paul & Patty McCarthy
Courtney P. Jones Max Stein & Kyle Petersen
Gery J. Chico Sharon R. Barner &
Diane F. Klotnia Haywood E. McDuffie Bernard J. Turnock
Susan J. & Clifford R. Curry
James Patrick Lambe & Edward Mensah Joan W. Ward
Christian T. & Krista Celia Sorvino
Christine A. Dannhausen-Brun Robert E. & Kay E. Merrick David Weindling
Scott R. & Elizabeth L. Lassar
Michael J. Darcy & Tracey B. Miller Bernice Weissbourd
Lenore Holt-Darcy Charles L. Lettvin
Rod Musselman B. Joseph & Mary P. White
Dorothy S. Donaldson J. J. & Abby Levine
Marcus J. Nunes Kathleen C. Yosko
Janet & Bruce Douglas Rebecca A. Levin-Goodman
Robert P. & Amy J. S. Ochi
Stephen F. & Liz Edwards Paul S. Levy
LEFT: Kristin Rankin, PHD ’08, and SPH
Alumni Association Board President-Elect,
Sherry E. Weingart, MPH ’80.
RIGHT: Community Health Sciences
Division Director, Dr. Bernard Turnock,
Colleen Turnock, Luis Rodriguez, and SPH
Alumni Association Board Treasurer, David
Amarathithada, MPH ’03.
14 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
u I c S p H R E c E p T I o N AT
tHe 2008 aMeriCan
p u b l i C H e a lt H
a s s o C i at i o n M e e t i n g
ABOVE: Susan Maandig Rickard, MPH ’75, Luceli Cuasay, MPH ’77,
and SPH Alumni Association Board President, Kusuma Madamala,
PHD ’04.
BELOW (From Top to Bottom):
• Sarah Duggan Goldstein, DPH ’06, and Dr. Dan Swartzman,
MPH ’78, Associate Professor, Health Policy and Administration.
uiC spH reCeption • Current SPH students at the SPH reception.
• Illinois Public Health Association’s Jim Nelson, MS, Executive
Director, and Richard Sewell, MPH, President.
Nearly 200 University of Illinois (UIC), School of Public • SPH alumni, faculty, staff, and students mix and mingle at
Health (SPH) students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends Café Sevilla.
gathered in the heart of San Diego’s famed Gaslamp
Quarter for food, fun and lively conversation.
The 2008 annual SPH reception was held on October 27,
during the annual meetings of the Association of Schools
of Public Health (ASPH) and the American Public Health
Association (APHA). The setting was the rustic and elegant
restaurant and tapas bar, Café Sevilla, a local landmark
serving up authentic Spanish cuisine.
Dean Paul Brandt-Rauf opened the reception with
welcoming remarks and a note of congratulations for this
year’s conference award winners, Drs. Bernard Turnock
and Michele Issel.
Alongside the open buffet of paella, croquetas, tortillas
Espanolas and desserts, were laminated posters with the
school’s points of pride. Organized by the SPH Office of
Advancement and Sponsored by the Illinois Public Health
Association (IPHA) and Illinois Department of Public
Health (IDPH), the event gave attendees the opportunity
to recognize the UIC SPH community, share insights from
the annual conference, and network with SPH alumni and
other public health professionals. Also in attendance were
Jim Nelson, Executive Director of IPHA; Richard Sewell,
President of IPHA; and Dr. Damon Arnold, Director of
IDPH and alumnus of the school. ■
15 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
School of PublIc hEalth cEntERS, InStItutES alumnI aSSocIatIon
admInIStRatIon & SERvIcE PRogRamS boaRd of dIREctoRS
Paul Brandt-Rauf, DrPH, MD, Following are the school’s centers, institutes and Kusuma Madamala, PhD,
ScD Dean service programs. MPH President
Faith Davis, PhD, MPH, MPA Please visit their Web sites for detailed Diane M. Howard, PhD, FACHE
Senior Associate Dean and Director of information. Vice President
Graduate Studies
Air Pollution Training Institute Chukwuemeka Ezike, MD,
Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/ce/airpollution/air_ MPH Secretary
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs pollution_distance.htm
David Amarathithada,
Curtisteen Steward Center for the Advancement of Distance MPH Treasurer
Associate Dean for Resource, Planning, Education
and Operations www.uic.edu/sph/cade Sherry E. Weingart, MPH
President-Elect
Shaffdeen A. Amuwo, PhD, MPH Center for Public Health Practice
Associate Dean for Urban Health and www.uic.edu/sph/cphp
Diversity Programs
Chicago Project for Violence Prevention/ alumnI aSSocIatIon
Joan L. Clark, MEd CeaseFire boaRd mEmbERS at laRgE
Assistant Dean for Development www.ceasefirechicago.org
Dorian Thomas, MEd Community Asthma Prevention Program Lisa S. Amoruso, MPH
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs www.uic.edu/sph/research_community_asthma. Laurel Berman, PhD, MS
htm Stephanie Brown, MD, MPH, MS
Linda Forst, MD, MSO Fred E. Carlson, MPH, LEHP
Interim Director of Environmental and Community Outreach Intervention Projects Barbara E. Giloth, DrPH, CHES
Occupational Health Sciences Division www.uic.edu/sph/research_community_coip.
htm Elsie Hernandez, RN MPH
Leslie T. Stayner, PhD Tiana Kieso, MPH, MBChB
Director of Epidemiology and Fogarty AIDS International Training & Research Wilda L. Knox, MPH
Biostatistics Division Program Michael N. Meltzer, MPH
www.uic.edu/sph/AITRP Michelle Watters, MD, PhD, MPH
Bernard J. Turnock, MD, MPH Kingsley N. Weaver, MPH
Director of Community Great Lakes Centers for Occupational and
Health Sciences Division Environmental Safety and Health
www.uic.edu/sph/glakes
Jack Zwanziger, PhD
Director of Health Policy and Institute for Health Research and Policy
Administration Division www.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/hrpc
Institute for Public Health and Water Research
www.ipwr.org
National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer
www.nblic.org
Public Health and Corrections Program
www.uic.edu/sph/research_community_
corrections.htm
Quantitative Biomedical Sciences Core
www.uic.edu/sph/research_community_
quantcore.htm
16 Healthviews | FALL/WINTER 2008
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the nation and around the world. To this end, the school’s faculty, staff, students and alumni are reaching local
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health services and groundbreaking public health policy.
acknowledgements office of advancement
Managing Editor Joan Clark
Ruth Fuller Assistant Dean for Development
Director of Communications
Craig Hyland
Assistant Editor Assistant Director of
Craig Hyland Development and Alumni Relations
Assistant Director of
Development and Alumni Relations Ruth Fuller
Director of Communications
Contributing Writers
Tina Daniel
Daniel Swartzman all inquiries should be addressed to:
Design Office of Advancement (MC 923)
Grove Communications School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago
Photography 1603 West Taylor Street, #1188
Melissa Diaz Chicago, IL 60612-4394
Goldin Media Phone: (312) 996-0760
Fax: (312) 996-1374
Jesus Ramirez-Valles E-Mail: craigh@uic.edu
UIC School of Public Health
For more information about the UIC School of Public Health please visit w w w. u i c . e d u / s p h
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