 Public Health Program Emphasizes
Informatics
The Medical College of Georgia Department of Health Informatics is
rethinking conventional wisdom to improve the health of communities, with
the premise that knowledge comes from transforming information into enduring
value, not as a byproduct of data collection.
The department has begun a master of public health program in
informatics, which will accept its first students this fall. The program
will prepare students to improve the health of populations by managing
health organizations and health information systems in hospitals, health
maintenance organizations, clinics, public health departments and other
health related institutions, according to Dr. Carol Campbell, chair of the
School of Allied Health Sciences Department of Health Informatics.
MCG President Daniel W. Rahn notes that with a sharp rise in
lifestyle-related diseases and a growing shift from acute to chronic care,
MCG’s emphasis on public health is particularly timely. “Two factors have
converged: an unprecedented opportunity to shape wellness and quality of
life at the societal level, and the technological advances to expedite the
process,” he said.
The MCG Department of Health Informatics is on the forefront of
optimizing those advances, Dr. Campbell said, including supporting the
federal initiative to create electronic health records for all U.S. citizens
by 2015.
The department also is carefully attuned to rapidly evolving societal
changes, she noted.
“Today’s health care environment is characterized by multiple pressures,”
Dr. Campbell said. “Patients demand more of their health care providers.
Federal and state regulations and funding formulas stress the budgets of
health care facilities. Our litigious society adds to the mounting cost of
health care delivery. And technology innovations make change a constant
event.
“These pressures place new demands on health care administrators. A new
kind of leadership is a must-have for health care facilities to survive and
thrive.”
Dr. Miguel A. Zuniga, director of the public health program, welcomes the
challenge. “The way we manage and disseminate information leads to a turning
point in decision-making,” said Dr. Zuniga, whose medical degree, master’s
degree in health administration and doctorate in public health/health
services research offer a broad perspective on the issue. “Information leads
to better decision-making and better outcomes.”
And rather than serving a traditional role of compiling and assessing
health-related information as it becomes available, Dr. Zuniga plans a more
proactive role of gathering data based on the needs of a community.
“The idea is to introduce informatics into the areas of health
administration, epidemiology, environmental health, biostatistics and health
promotion,” he said. “That is happening now in practice, but it wasn’t
happening when today’s public health officials were trained. We’re making
sure our curriculum reflects the evolution of the discipline.”
Technology has made the goal immeasurably easier, he said. “Every time
there is a technological advance, health care becomes more efficient with
better outcomes. Let’s use those technological changes to incorporate health
informatics into the public health system and train professionals to become
innovators.”
For instance, a traditional role in health informatics may have been to
document the incidence of type II diabetes in a community. The new role is
to gather, interpret and assess data that will specifically address the
problem and help shape solutions.
MCG has a proud tradition of playing a proactive role in public health,
according to MCG Medical Historian in Residence Lois T. Ellison, a 1950
graduate of the MCG School of Medicine. Although the university’s School of
Public Health was short-lived, “from 1922-32, 48 students received 55 public
health degrees from the Medical College of Georgia,” Dr. Ellison recounts in
her 2004 publication, Moments in History.
Further, she writes, “the contributions of MCG faculty in public health
are noted as early in 1839 at the time of the yellow fever epidemic” and
“public health in the MCG curriculum was first mentioned in February 1893.”
Dr. Zuniga recalls his delight when he learned about MCG’s new program,
prompting him to pull up stakes from Texas A&M Health Science Center’s
School of Rural Public Health, even though he hadn’t been considering a
career change. “I thought, ‘Wow, this was written for me,’” he said. “The
department really has the foundation to make a difference in public health
professions. This is an exciting opportunity, and I feel privileged to play
a role.”
For more information about the new program, contact Dr. Zuniga’s office
at 706-721-3436 or
www.mcg.edu/sah/DHI/MPH/index.htm.
--Christine Hurley Deriso
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 Parents'
Example Sets Stage for Life of Service
The irony is striking.
Dr. Miguel A. Zuniga, director of the Medical College of Georgia
Public Health Program, is a native of Honduras, where mass poverty dooms
many children to malnutrition. In his adopted country, childhood obesity
is epidemic.
“Eighty percent of children under 5 in Honduras are malnourished and
underfed,” said Dr. Zuniga. “Here, we see an excess. This is a health
promotion issue.”
And he knows of no higher calling than promoting health. Throughout
his 20-year career as a practitioner, teacher and researcher in public
health, Dr. Zuniga has always sought opportunities to move his expertise
from ivory towers into the community.
For instance, last year he teamed with a school district in
Mississippi to promote healthier lifestyles by measuring teachers’ and
students’ body mass index. The teachers, armed with donated pedometers,
were given a goal of numbers of steps to take during the day to increase
their activity levels and model good habits for their students. The
school created a walking trail on campus, and businesses donated prizes
for those who exceed their goals.
As the teachers and students devise ever-more creative ways to
incorporate more walking into their day — parking farther from the
school, taking longer routes from one area of school to the next,
walking the trail during recess – Dr. Zuniga hopes their body mass
indices will take a dive. He will measure them every year for five
years, then analyze and report the results.
“Part of our job is to collaborate and provide service,” Dr. Zuniga
said.
He has always felt an obligation to serve his community, particularly
now that he is modeling the value for his children, ages 8 and 11. One
of 10 children born to parents with second-grade educations, Dr. Zuniga
is filled with admiration for the example they set. “My parents moved
from a rural area to the capital city of Honduras so we could have an
education,” he said. “Otherwise, their circumstances would have been
repeated, with us working in the fields at a very early age. They told
me my job was to go to school and get an education.”
He and his siblings all excelled. “I’m very proud of my parents for
what they did for us,” he said. “I know they’re proud of us, but the
reality is that we, their children, are so thankful for what they did.
It’s something I try as a parent to replicate.”
His wife, Dr. Genny Carrillo-Zuniga, an MCG assistant professor of
health informatics who was recently named a 2005 biomedical informatics
fellow by the National Library of Medicine, shares his values. They
follow their children’s schoolwork closely, reading the same textbooks
and even the same books they read for pleasure. “That way, we are
learning and enjoying things together,” Dr. Zuniga said.
They travel as much as possible to Dr. Zuniga’s childhood home in
Honduras and his wife’s in Mexico to keep their children close to their
roots. “Our life,” Dr. Zuniga said, “is very full.”
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Video Wins Telly Award
A Medical College of Georgia video explaining the mission of the MCG
School of Allied Health Sciences has received the premier award honoring
outstanding local, regional and cable video and film productions.
The video, “To Teach, Discover and Care,” received a Silver Telly
Award during the 26th annual Telly Awards Ceremony. The Telly Awards are
sponsored by The Creative Group, a firm that places advertising,
marketing, Web and public relations professionals.
Founded in 1978, the ceremony annually showcases the best work of
advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable
operators and corporate video departments. Each year, more than 10,000
entries are submitted worldwide.
The Silver Telly is the highest honor, awarded to approximately 8
percent of entrants, according to the Telly Awards fact sheet. Past
winners have included Court TV, Delta Airlines, Sony Music, The Golf
Channel, The Weather Channel, Nike Inc., Time Warner Cable and TLC
Entertainment.
“We are ecstatic that our video received such a prestigious honor,”
said School of Allied Health Sciences Dean Shelley Mishoe.
Dr. Mishoe, who initiated the project last year to help explain the
allied health professions to the public, was the executive producer and
co-writer. John Meyer, director of educational systems management for
the school, produced and co-wrote. Tim Johnson, video producer/director
in MCG’s Visual and Instructional Design, co-wrote, shot, directed,
co-produced and edited the video.
“We all worked together to produce an overall view of the school and
represent all the disciplines,” said Dr. Mishoe. “A lot of people don’t
really know what the allied health sciences are, even though they
comprise 15 of the 30 fastest-growing U.S. professions. Virtually
everyone benefits from allied health professionals, which include
respiratory therapists, dental hygienists and physical therapists, and
this video helps explain that.”
The video includes interviews with department chairs and
administrators, featuring extensive footage of students and faculty in
clinical, research and educational facilities.
Dr. Mishoe and her faculty use the video for purposes including
community outreach, student recruitment and faculty recruitment. The
video also is featured on the School of Allied Health Sciences Web site,
www.mcg.edu/SAH.
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Dr. Bergeron Named to Pediatric Exercise
Committee
 Dr.
Michael F. Bergeron, applied physiologist in the Department of Physical
Therapy of the Medical College of Georgia School of Allied Health
Sciences, has been named chair of the American College of Sports
Medicine Strategic Health Initiative's Pediatric Exercise Committee.
His three-year term began in June.
The committee helps the college develop, implement and promote
professional and public resources and initiatives regarding physical
activity and exercise for children and adolescents, such as Active
Nation, an initiative designed to combat childhood obesity through
sports and physical activity.
The committee also prepares pediatric-related information to support the
college's advocacy campaigns and helps the college support other
organizations that promote physical activity in children.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the world's largest
multidisciplinary sports medicine and exercise science organization.
Dr. Bergeron is a fellow of the college and chairs its Task Force on
Youth Sports and Health and its Environmental Physiology Special
Interest Group. He is on the editorial board of the
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Dr. Bergeron joined MCG in 1998 and studies the physiological effects of
exercise in the heat.
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Students Participate in Juried Exhibition
Three Medical College of Georgia medical illustration students were
awarded in the 2005 Student Scientific and Medical Illustration
Exhibition sponsored by MCG and the University of Georgia.
 Certificates
of merit were awarded to Lauren Sawchyn for a didactic histological
poster, “Histology of the Lens,” and to Alison Schroeer for “Human
Skeleton, Anterior and Posterior Views.” Alison’s illustrations were
part of a Web-based virtual reality project. Cameron Slayden received
the William J. Stenstrom Award of Excellence for “Blood-Brain Barrier,”
a didactic histological poster.
The annual juried exhibition is curated by Gene Wright, director of
the UGA scientific illustration program. Prizes are awarded for the best
examples of student scientific and medical illustration.
The 2005 exhibition was on display March 10-24 in the main gallery of
UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. MCG’s Robert B. Greenblatt Library
hosted the exhibit of some 50 pieces of student art through May 31.
“This is artwork that documents and explains the natural world, in
the case of scientific illustration, and enlightens and inspires us
about the world of medical science, in the case of medical
illustration,” said Bill Andrews, education program coordinator in the
Department of Medical Illustration. “We encourage all members of the MCG
community to come see these unique student works.”
Certificates of merit were awarded to UGA students Erin Jones for
“Animal and Habit: Green Sea Turtle” and Laura Ravenhorst for “Keys to a
Happy Family.” The Logan Award of Excellence was presented to Jessica
Holland for “Hibiscus moscheutos.” The Laerm Award of Excellence for
overall achievement during the year was presented to Danielle Wilcox for
“Herbarium Sheet.”
Students in the UGA program graduate with a bachelor of fine art
degree in scientific illustration. Students in the MCG program graduate
with a master of science degree in medical illustration. For more
information about medical illustration, contact Mr. Andrews at
706-721-3266. For more information about scientific illustration at UGA,
contact Mr. Wright at 706-542-1511.
For more information about exhibitions and artwork on display in the
Greenblatt Library, contact Lisa Westrick, special collections
archivist, at 706-721-3444.
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