News Archive
FLU in the News in Florida 2017
WJHG-Teaching children about the flu 
http://www.wjhg.com/content/news/Teaching-children-about-the-flu-473184323.html

WMBB-FDOH Teaches Pre-K Students About Flu Prevention
http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/fdoh-teaches-pre-k-students-about-flu-prevention/958452858

http://www.jacksoncountytimes.net/local-news/item/10164-flu-outbreak-has-officials-concerned.html

(12/1/12)  The Florida Department of Health, Injury Prevention Program (IPP) will provide mini-grants of $1,500 - $5,000 each to eligible Florida organizations and governmental agencies to develop or purchase needed child drowning prevention or senior falls prevention awareness activities, goods, or services which are not paid for from another source. A minimum of 15 mini-grants will be available for child drowning prevention and 15 mini-grants for senior falls prevention for a total amount of $150,000.

Florida organizations and agencies eligible to participate in the IPP mini-grants program include the following: Area Agencies on Aging, County Health Departments, local Emergency Medical Services agencies, hospitals, Safe Kids Coalitions or Chapters, trauma centers, and other local/regional/state organizations/agencies that promote child drowning prevention, child/family water safety, child safety, senior falls prevention, senior safety, Tai Chi, or injury prevention in their communities. NOTE: All successful eligible applicants, with the exception of County Health Departments, must be registered as vendors in MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP). Unregistered applicants may register in MFMP at: http://www.dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing/myfloridamarketplace/mfmp_vendors/vendor_toolkit/mfmp_vendor_registration .

(11/29/12)  Press conference to announce the addition of SCID to Newborn Screening panel by Dr. Armstrong...see video here.

See article on Cloud Computing by David Gewirtz, advisor to the FPHA (posted 10-25-12)

(7/30/12)  Florida's Tuberculosis System of Care   

____________________________________________________________________
 USF names Rhonda White 2013 Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health

Written by Natalie Preston · April 2, 2013 @ 7:13 pm · Filed under College of Public Health, Hot News

The University of South Florida College of Public Health has named Rhonda R. White, MBA, the 2013 Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health. White directs the Office of Performance and Quality Improvement for the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee.

White earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Florida. Her graduate training includes a MBA degree from Florida State University and divinity coursework at Asbury Theological Seminary.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees have included Lillian Stark, PhD, MPH, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory; University of Miami epidemiologist Lora E. Fleming, MD, and Florida’s Division of Environmental Health Director Lisa Ann Conti, DVM, MPH.

The College bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership contribute significantly to the field of public health in Florida. White received the award in a ceremony April 3 at the USF College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Tampa. Click here for the full list of activities at USF College of Public Health during National Public Health Week.

A key member of the state’s public health management team, White’s expertise and interdisciplinary approach helps the Florida Department of Health and its partners build and evaluate the infrastructure needed to support efficient and effective delivery of public health services and programs.

Stepping into the public health preparedness leadership role shortly after 9/11, White recognized the state’s vulnerabilities and partnered with public and private entities to protect Florida’s residents and visitors. She led the effort to create the Florida Public Health and Medical Response System, which helped Florida to weather several public health events including the H1N1 influenza outbreak, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the Super Bowl, Republican National Convention, and 2012 Presidential Debate. With the help of White’s leadership, Florida has become a nationally-recognized model in public health preparedness.

Disaster planning is just one of White’s many contributions to the health and well-being of Floridians. In her 24 years with the Department of Health, she streamlined the state’s data collection system and spearheaded an effort to overhaul the smallpox vaccination program, which evolved into Operation Vaccinate Florida. When Gadsden County needed someone to step in and stabilize the health department Ms. White answered the call without hesitation.

“Time and time again, she (White) has taken Florida’s public health partners from where they are to where they need to be to successfully protect, promote, and improve the health and safety of all people in Florida,” said John H. Armstrong, MD, Florida’s surgeon general and secretary of the Department of Health.

White earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Florida. Her graduate training includes a MBA degree from Florida State University and divinity coursework at Asbury Theological Seminary.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees have included Lillian Stark, PhD, MPH, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory; University of Miami epidemiologist Lora E. Fleming, MD, and Florida’s Division of Environmental Health Director Lisa Ann Conti, DVM, MPH.

http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2013/04/02/usf-names-rhonda-white-2013-florida-outstanding-woman-in-public-health/

Brittany Marshall is APHA’s 2012 Outstanding Student of the Year

Brittany Marshall, MPH, CPH, CHES is the recipient of the 2012 “Outstanding Student of the Year” Award. The honor was presented in October at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Ms. Marshall was recognized for her leadership and accomplishments as president of the Florida Public Health Association Student Section and chair of the American Public Health Association Student Assembly, positions she held while attending the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

Since graduating with a master of public health in global health practice, Ms. Marshall has continued her academic and professional endeavors. She is currently enrolled in a doctor of public health (DrPH) program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Ft. Worth. Additionally, she is a board member with the Texas Public Health Association Student Section for 2012-2014.

USF College of Public Health news: http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/health/publichealth/news/?p=9363

http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/awardsblog/2012/04/04/coph-names-kim-barnhill-outstanding-woman-in-public-health-2012/

April 4, 2012 · 4:28 pm

Kim Barnhill, MPH, has been named the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2012 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

COPH Dean Donna Petersen presented the award to Kim Barnhill

The USF College of Public Health bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida. Barnhill was honored at an awards ceremony April 4, 2012, in the COPH Samuel P. Bell, III Auditorium. The award is part of an entire week of events surrounding the College’s celebration of National Public Health Week.

Barnhill, who is currently the administrator for the Jefferson County and Madison County health departments, is known as a vigorous public health advocate, having led initiatives that increased access to dental care, as well as increased healthcare access for uninsured Floridians who fell between the cracks by creating a volunteer service provider network that now provides more than $1 billion in donated health services. She also managed the “front line” of public health in Florida, having managed and planned for all 67 county health departments in the state.

Barnhill was nominated by Michael Napier, administrator for the Seminole County Health Department.

In his nomination letter, he wrote: “Kim is highly respected by her staff, her community and her peers as an action oriented, passion driven public health advocate. She is often sought out for her knowledge and opinions on everything from Legislation, management issues and dealing with complex problems. You will often find her working from early morning to late at night and on weekends moving the public health agenda forward… Without question, Kim Barnhill is the ideal Public Health Woman of the Year who embodies the practice of public health at the service delivery level while making a significant contribution to state and national levels. It is rare to find someone with such passion in the field of public health that is coupled with knowledge and experiential practice who have affected so many people in our state.”

Earlier in her career, Barnhill’s primary public health focus was dental care. She planned and directed preventive program for 37 counties, provided consultation for 106 community fluoridation programs, managed the development of new programs, and assisted in conducting and analyzing needs assessment surveys.

In 1996, Barnhill shifted her focus to helping Floridians who did not have health insurance and did not quality for any form of state assistance have access to quality health care. Working as director of volunteer services, she was instrumental in finding ways to tap into the local community volunteer service providers, such as the Florida Medical Association, the Florida Board of Medicine, the Florida Hospital Association, local providers and local governments, to form volunteer teams to meet the needs of these uninsured Floridians. Now considered a model program, the Volunteer Health Care Provider Program currently provides more than $1 billion in donated health services.

She then became director of Statewide Services in 2000, providing management and planning for all 67 county health departments in the state. In that job, she became involved in the legislative process as a registered lobbyist, planned programs, worked with the budget process, and developed outcome measures.

In 2002, was named administrator for the Madison and Jefferson County Health Departments, both rural health departments with limited health care services. While there, she spearheaded several successful initiatives, including the health Related Careers and College Fairs, increased access to dental services, and linking of key public health principles to improve access to physical activity opportunities in these two rural counties.

Barnhill graduated cum laude from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in health education. She also earned her master’s degree in adult education (gerontology) and a master’s degree in public health from Florida State University. She has been an active member of the Florida Association of County Health Officers, serving as president in 2008 and currently serving as a board member at large. She has also served as a member of the board of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, a member of board for the National Public Health Foundation, Big Bend Learning Coalition, Apalachee Services, and the Community Traffic Safety Team. She is currently chair of the Big Bend Rural Health Network. She is a member of the FSU Master’s of Public Health Advisory Council, a liaison to the U.S. Taskforce on Community Preventive Services, the Jefferson County Legislative Committee, and a member of the Florida Public Health Association.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees have included Lillian Stark, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory; Jean Malecki, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department; and University of Miami epidemiologist Lora E. Fleming, MD.

2011

Warren McDougle, Jr, MPH elected to the position of President-Elect of the Southern Health Association

Warren McDougle was selected to the office of President-Elect of the Southern Health Association and will begin serving SHA as their President beginning in late March 2012 at SHA’s meeting in Kentucky. Warren has served several terms as the SHA Representative for Florida, and in doing so, has represented our association and state both on their Governing Council and as a participant/speaker at various SHA state meetings.

Warren has had a lifelong career in public health, starting with classes in Public Health education at the University of Tennessee. He then was an Environmental Health Specialist in the United States Air Force, Environmental Health Supervisor for Charlotte County Health Department, Environmental Health Director at Hendry CHD, Environmental Specialist III Coordinator for the District 2 Health Program Office in Tallahassee, Environmental Manager at Gadsden CHD, Environmental Specialist III for Hillsborough CHD, and adjunct professor at Tallahassee Community College. Warren is currently the program manager for Epidemiology at the Hillsborough CHD, and an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Warren was a scholar in the inaugural class of the Public Health Leadership Institute of Florida.

Warren has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in public health environmental health issues, as well as epidemiology. He is always willing to share this knowldege with his peers and employees. he goes out of his way to assist others and to mentor newly hired public health employees. He encourages his staff to attend trainings and to cultivate their career potential. He is an outstanding advocte for public health. Warren takes his knowledge and love for Public Health into the community as a public speaker at trainings and meetins as well as doing community voluneer work. Warren is a past president of FPHA (1997) and has held numerous other elected and voluntary positions in FPHA. His position as FPHA's SHA Representative has allowed him to share much information about public health in Florida with the other seven states participating in SHA. Additionally, he has brought back to us many ideas from the other states. Congratulations to Warren on his election!

USF's Adele Troutman has been elected President-Elect for the American Public Health Association

Reprinted from the USF, College of Public Health newsletter. Dr. Troutman serves on the FPHA Board as the USF COPH Liaison

Dr. Troutman, who joined USF last fall, will serve this post until Nov. 2014, when he will become president of the organization for a three-year term. He is professor in USF’s Department of Community and Family Health in the College of Public Health and directs the Public Health Practice and Leadership, the Center for Leadership in Public Health, and the Public Health Practice Masters of Public Health program.

"In his role of president-elect and then president, Dr. Adewale Troutman will be THE voice for THE leading authority on public health in this country, and we couldn’t be prouder," said Donna Petersen, MHS, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health and senior associate vice president of USF Health.

The American Public Health Association is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world, she said. Like the American Medical Association or the American Nurses Association it provides critical services and supports to this profession in advocacy, training, standard setting and networking. Recognizing the importance of both science and practice, APHA publishes the premier journal in our field, The American Journal of Public Health and supports the efforts of public health association chapters in every state.

Dr. Troutman’s work centers on health disparities and understanding why the differences exist. Earlier this year, Dr. Troutman was appointed to the national Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, a group that reports directly to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His published research has focused on health disparities and health issues affecting African-Americans.

Another key role for Dr. Troutman at USF is directing the HRSA Public Health Training Center, which was funded last fall with a five-year, $3.25 million grant from the Health and Human Resources Administration. The training center assesses the learning needs and further develops the knowledge and skills of the state’s current and future public health professionals. USF was one of 27 accredited schools of public health and other public and non-profit institutions across the country – the only one in Florida – to receive such an award.

Prior to joining USF, Dr. Troutman directed the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, was associate professor at the University of Louisville, School of Public Health and filled the Frederick Douglas Visiting Professorship on Pan African Studies at the University of Louisville. He also serves on the executive committee of the National Academy for Health Equity.

Annette Phelps Named USF COPH's Florida Outstanding Woman of the Year in Public Health

Tampa, FL (April 07, 2011) Posted by: Leanna Baylis

Annette Phelps, ARNP, MSN, family health services division director for the Florida Department of Health, has been named the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2011 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

The College bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida. Phelps was honored during an awards ceremony April 6 at the Interdisciplinary Research Building in the USF Research Park.

Annette Phelps, ARNP, MSN

Phelps has been instrumental in policy and program development for public health and public health nursing. At the Florida Department of Health, Phelps established a state-level maternal-child health infrastructure, including a nationally-renowned epidemiologist, to take Florida to the next level of evidence-based practice.

Nearly all hallmark maternal and child health programs developed in Florida over the last 15 years reflect her influence. A few of the many initiatives she helped develop and nurture include the statewide Healthy Start program, the nationally-recognized Pregnancy Associated Mortality Reviews Program, expanded Medicaid coverage of pregnant women, preconception health, and MomCare, a community-based program to improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality.

Phelps holds a certificate as a Nurse Practitioner in Adult Care and received her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Florida. She also earned a certificate from the Public Health Leadership Institute at the USF College of Public Health.

Before joining the state Department of Health in Tallahassee in 1989, Phelps worked nine years for the Okaloosa County Public Health Unit in Fort Walton Beach, FL. She ended her tenure there as the senior community health nursing supervisor.

Phelps has served on several statewide advisory and leadership boards, including the Healthy Families Advisory Committee where she has been a member since 2002.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees have included Lillian Stark, PhD, MPH, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory; University of Miami epidemiologist Lora E. Fleming, MD, and Florida’s Division of Environmental Health Director Lisa Ann Conti, DVM, MPH.

2010
Dr. Conti Named Outstanding Woman in Public Health
Tampa, FL (April 9, 2010)

She improved Florida’s emergency response capabilities by creating Strike Teams and To Go kits. She helped found the Florida Rabies and Control and Prevention Advisory Committee. She was the first leader in a state agency to purchase hybrid vehicles for her agency. And she is now serving as the lead public health professional in the Chinese Drywall issue.

These are among the many reasons Florida’s Division of Environmental Health Director Lisa Ann Conti, DVM, MPH, has been named the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2010 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

The College bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida. Dr. Conti was honored at an awards ceremony April 7, 2010 in the COPH Samuel P. Bell, III Auditorium.

Lisa Ann Conti, DVM, MPH, (left) director of the state’s Division of Environmental Health, accepts her award from Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health.

As director of the Florida Division of Environmental Health, Dr. Conti oversees the statewide activities and programs of the office to maintain and improve the state’s environment, ensure quality services to decrease or eliminate the occurrence of preventable diseases, and to maintain surveillance, investigation and education of diseases of environmental origin.

She leads five bureaus: Environmental Public Health Medicine, Onsite Sewage Programs, Community Environmental Health, Water Programs, and Radiation Control, as well as the Office of Environmental Health Informatics and Preparedness.

During the 2004 hurricane season, when four separate hurricanes crossed the state, Dr. Conti created “Strike Teams” that are made up of environmental and public health professionals trained to address the special needs of disaster ravaged areas. These Strike Teams were outfitted with “To Go” kits that included essential equipment and deployed to assist in the recovery of affected counties. Dr. Conti then developed the curriculum to train environmental professionals statewide. Her Strike Team concept and training have become national models for disaster response.

Dr. Conti earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Florida in 1988, and her Master of Public Health degree from USF in 1993, and she is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She is currently an adjunct instructor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at UF and has also taught at Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College. Before becoming director of the Florida Division of Environmental Health in 2003, Dr. Conti was State Public Health Veterinarian in the Florida Department of Health.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees have included Lillian Stark, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory; Jean Malecki, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department; and University of Miami epidemiologist Lora E. Fleming, MD.

- Story by Sarah Worth, and photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

USF Celebrates National Public Health Week
Tampa, FL (April 9, 2010)

The 100th Anniversary of the Florida Department of Health’s Tampa Laboratory was a highlight of the College of Public Health’s weeklong celebration

Dr. Phil Amuso, director of the Tampa Lab, Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, speaks at the lab’s 100th Anniversary celebration. The lab has a strong partnership with the USF College of Public Health.

The USF College of Public Health celebrated National Public Health Week, April 5-11, with activities ranging from a Global Health Career Night and the college’s annual awards ceremony to student-led tours of the environmental and occupational health laboratories.

One of the highlights of the week was the celebration April 8th of the 100th anniversary of the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa Branch Laboratory. Since 2001 the laboratory has operated out of the William G. (Doc) Myers Building it shares with the USF Center for Biological Defense on the university’s Tampa campus undefined strengthening the USF’s longstanding partnership with Florida’s public health system.

Dr. Max Salfinger (left), chief of the Florida DOH Bureau of Laboratories, with Dr. Amuso.

Many of the laboratory’s 60 employees joined public health officials from Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa and elsewhere to recognize the Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa Lab, achievements in promoting, protecting and improving the health of all citizens in the region. The laboratory’s staff provides reference testing for hospitals, commercial laboratories and private clinics as well as performing testing to detect viruses, including influenza, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile, eastern equine encephalitis, polio, rabies, herpes, smallpox and monkey pox. The Tampa lab is one of five in the state’s public health laboratory network and works in tandem with Florida’s 67 county health departments.

“The country cannot function without a strong public health system, and the public health system cannot function without strong public health laboratory services,” said Phil Amuso, PhD, director of the DOH Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa, and an alumnus of the USF College of Public Health.

Dr. Doug Holt, director of the Hillsborough County Health Department, read a proclamation from the City of Tampa recognizing the laboratory’s service to the community.

Douglas Holt, MD, director of the Hillsborough County Health Department and professor of medicine at USF Health, read a proclamation from Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

The proclamation read, in part, that the Bureau of Laboratories-Tampa Laboratory’s unique arrangement with the USF Center for Biological Defense “has provided students with a convenient location to perform special research and has allowed collaboration on numerous biodefense-related research projects, including the testing and detection efforts of any significant national biological risks such as the anthrax attacks in 2001 and the H1N1 influenza virus A outbreak in 2009.”

MORE 2010 PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK PHOTOS…

L to R: USF public health students Jennifer Peregoy, Samantha Spedoske, Andrew Romaner and Jadie Dayton, officers in the Global Health Student Association, helped build a world puzzle for World Health Day April 7th.

USF medical student Jessica Goldonowitz swabs her cheek as part of the registration process for the National Marrow Donor Program. NMDP was recruiting donors on Give Life Day April 8 at the College of Public Health.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Sandra Magyar, executive director of the Florida Public Health Association (FPHA) has been name the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2009 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health.
Tampa, FL (April 2, 2009)

The College bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida. Magyar was honored at an awards ceremony April 1 at the USF College of Public Health Auditorium in Tampa.

Under Magyar’s leadership, the FPHA has nearly doubled its membership to one of the largest of any state American Public Health Association (APHA) affiliate. Many other organizations in Florida and nationwide have sought to use the model Magyar developed for the FPHA in advancing public health advocacy, education and networking.

Magyar started her career as a health educator at the Duval County Public Health Unit in 1973, rising to the position of Operations and Management Consultant Manager. She became executive director of FPHA in 2002, after serving in a variety of volunteer positions for the organization including annual education conference chair, executive board member, and president. She was instrumental in creating the Florida Public Health Foundation, which was subsequently funded by the Florida Legislature to serve the state’s public health interests.

Magyar has been executive director of the American Association of Public Health Physicians and of the Florida Association of County Health Officers, the state group of county health department executives. She currently chairs the Board of Directors for the State Employees Credit Union. She helped forge a connection between the USF College of Public Health’s Public Health Leadership Institute and FPHA, raising awareness among members interested in career development or pursuing graduate studies in public health.

Magyar has been recognized for her work and scope of leadership with prestigious awards from the FPHA, the Southern Public Health Association and the APHA. She holds a master’s of education degree in health education with an emphasis in administration from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu.

- Photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications