2011! SMOKING CHANGE

So the NEW YEAR is here and look it's already Tuesday and Governor's have changed hands in a handful of states and the HOUSE is gearing up to strike down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)...the outlook is bright! ;) Seriously though, change is always going to happen no matter if there is a new year or not and it is one of those things we all have to deal with. I have gone through a lot of change in my life and is partially why I choose the career field I am in, because health care is always changing. Before PPACA, health care went through constant change. Everything from reimbursement models, quality measures, how and where healthcare is delivered, etc. If your somebody reading today and are thinking of public health and its impact on our everyday activities and health, just think of smoking. 1964 was the first time that the Surgeon General declared that smoking causes cancer, yet it wasn't until the middle of the past decade that smoking bans and culture around the health effects of smoking started to really change. Public health change can take time, other issues may take shorter amounts, either way public health is essential to our daily living. Everything from drinking water, to street signs, to the food you might be eating while reading this blog.

I hope you consider a career in public health and have taken the time to look over Iowa's College of Public Health website to read over some of the awesome things we are doing to change public health now and for the future!

Ryan

PS - The picture is from New Year's Eve :)

Thanksgiving and Windmills!

Hello All,

After a crazy couple weeks, it is finally Thanksgiving Break! To get the holiday spirit rolling, ISAHL (Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders) held a holiday feast for the Health Management and Policy Department. I am spent my lunch hour making my (Mom's) famous Corn Casserole! I can't believe there are only a couple weeks left of this semester after Thanksgiving.

The days are getting colder and more windy. To adapt to the windy Iowa winters and overall weather, the group I am president of, ECO Hawk, teamed up with the Sierra Club to promote Wind Energy on the University of Iowa campus, Iowa and within Congress Policy. We helped form an Iowa "I" on Hubbard Park to promote the national campaign.

In addition, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is going full force with offering offshore wind power permits expedited to spur Atlantic coast projects. To read more of this story, and many more that I always browse daily, visit HuffingtonPost.com or this link.

Have Happy Thanksgiving!

Ryan

Halloween!

Hello all,

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween weekend! This has been another amazing week in Iowa City, with lots academic and social events, along with a winning Hawkeye football game during one of the most strange and fun holiday of the year.

Hansen Lecture:

The 2010 Hansen Leadership Award and Distinguished Lectureship, is an annual lectureship that was given by Ed Wagner, MD, MPH, director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, WA.

Dr. Wagner delivered the Hansen Distinguished Lecture, "Primary Care and the Future of American Medicine" and opened up the statewide policy conference, "Prevention and Chronic Care Management: Community Strategies to Address Chronic Disease in Iowa". The conference was co-sponsored by the UI College of Public Health, the Iowa Prevention and Chronic Care Management Advisory Council, and the Partnership for Better Health.

I was able to attend an afternoon session that Dr. Wagner had with CPH students in a more informal setting. It was nice to have such an experience and to listen on what his opinions were on our current state of healthcare. He reminded all of us, that it has been decades since a healthcare reform bill has made it through to the American public and we should all be appreciative for the exciting situation we have in front of us. It is hard sometimes to realize what kind of opportunity we have, and to hear it from such an experienced and distinguished member of the healthcare community.

ISAHL Halloween Social:

Friday night was another great social event put on by the Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL). Everyone was dressed up and if you didn't notice, I was Ronald McDonald! My friend Meg Duffy, also in the program and dual degree MHA/MPH Policy. She was Ronald McDonald last year and so only natural to reuse a wonderful and amazing costume. The rest of the weekend was a continuous Halloween hot mess madness and an interesting array of costumes....everything from Rachel Maddow to Snoki!

Hawkeye Football:

And...if you hadn't heard...the Hawkeye's won again Michaigan State!

Until next time...Good Morning Good Morning!

Ryan

Checking In: Mid-Terms

Hi All,

As you might of noticed, there has not been much activity lately due to the amount of mid-terms and activities going on here at Iowa! It is hard to believe it has been a week, but I wanted to update you all on life and what has been going on.


Follow-up to Teen Suicides:

There was a candle-light vigil that I think I told you all about a few weeks ago on-campus but the discussion and issues are still circulating through the minds here at Iowa. This upcoming Tuesday, October 26, there is going to be a panel to discuss LBGT suicides. The information is below. This event reminds of why I picked Iowa to come to study my Master's programs, because of the open-minded community and ability to organize issues that are real and relevant to a campus-community. I know it may seem that I am highlighting this issue more than others, but it's more than me just being gay, it's part of a culture change that is occurring across our country. Everything from the recent activity with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to Iowa's ballot decision whether or not to retain judges is reason enough to keep this particular issue on people's agenda and up-to-date on the news. (When referring to Iowa's judges, there is a ballot initiative to either retain them or elect new judges. The current judges helped pass the legality of gay marriage in Iowa, and there are many who want to elect new judges. You can look at from either side, but I hope if your in Iowa reading this you will look into the decision a lot closer)


Panel to Discuss LGBT Suicides Oct. 26

The University of Iowa’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Resource Center is sponsoring a panel discussion about LGBT mental health issues from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26 in the MacBride Hall Auditorium.

Networking and Health Symposium:

In addition to mid-terms this week, there were a lot of events occurring in Health Management and Policy, which is the department I am obtaining my MPH/MHA degrees. There were networking events all Thursday evening, ranging from an HMP Alumni network at Kinnick Stadium to a St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, IA) sponsored Iowa Association for Healthcare Leaders (IAHL) networking event at One-Twenty Six restaurant. Both events were great opportunities to connect with fellow classmates but also with alumni of the program, professors and others from the College of Public Health.

Then on Friday, there was the Iowa Health Symposium which focused on "Physician Relationships" within hospitals. This is a very current topic, considering a lot of physicians are now forming group practices and also joining health systems as a way to stay competitive and share resources to serve patients better. Some of the take aways from the conference were:

• To always treat those you work with as "Care Givers" no matter status or position within the hospital because it takes everyone to make a patient's stay comfortable and safe. Another
• Turn metrics into measures
• Realize that not everyone is a leader, but make sure to make available those resources for physicians who may want to lead/you identify should be leaders within the organization.

Here is funny video one of the speakers told us to look up on "YouTube" which I thought was kind of comical, but reminds us to define things and research them before diving into any new situation or action:

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Good Morning Good Morning,

Ryan

Avoid the Stork!

Hi all,

Just thought I would pop in before I leave for Peoria for the weekend to go see the broadway show "Spring Awakening"! I will report with pictures and longer blog as soon as I get back, but before then, wanted to open your eyes to an Iowa City campaign that has had a lot of impact on the College of Public Health and the community:

http://cph.uiowa.edu/media/digest/2010/ad-mats/101510-cphsa.html

It is called "Avoid the Stork", which aims to educate women between the ages of 18 and 30 about family planning methods in an effort to reduce unintended pregnancies. They present to the College of Public Health Association (CPHSA) on Friday Oct. 8th :)

Good Morning Good Morning!

Ryan

College of Public Health: What we're about!

Hey all,

Here is an awesome video of what we're all about here in the College of Public Health at Iowa!

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/campaign/gallery/video/mission/

Ryan