2009 Faculty Excellence Awards
The Deans Oversight Council of the Oregon Master of Public Health Program is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2008 OMPH Faculty Excellence Awards. Two awards were made this year to distinguished faculty in our program.
The awardees have made substantial contributions to the excellence of our program and are recognized for their outstanding achievements.
The award recipients are:
The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes exceptional organizational leadership in providing public health education at the master degree level.
The Excellence in Research Award goes to a faculty member who has advanced masters-level public health education through scholarly investigation.
The Excellence in Service Award recognizes faculty who have modeled a commitment to public health through service activities.
Thank you to all who submitted nominations for the awards, and congratulations to the recipients. This honor and recognition are well earned and well deserved.
Their steadfast support of the OMPH program is most appreciated and is an important aspect of our success.
For her master’s thesis titled “Association Between Patient Activation and Outcomes in HIV-Infected Patients” Rebecca investigated a concept and applied a tool called the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a previously validated measure of patient activation.
Her thesis represents a topic that she feels passionate about—the importance of a patient being empowered to be active in his or her own health care.
She was effective in developing her research idea, and successful in coordinating and collaborating with other clinicians and academics to examine the role of patient activation among HIV infected subjects.
Her preparation and initiative allowed for PAM to be included in a national study of patient provider communication in HIV clinical settings, the Enhancing Communication and Health Outcome (ECHO) study.
She developed a hypothetical model for the association between patient activation and clinical outcomes in patients with HIV.
After two years of hard work she completed an analysis identifying important correlates of patient activation. Her findings suggest that the PAM can be used in an HIV-infected population to identify how “activated” the patient is, what interventions will be particularly helpful in increasing their activation level, and how well these interventions may be working. Her research also identified other patient characteristics that may serve as flags to providers that certain patients may be at higher risk of poor self management behaviors and adherence. Further, they point to factors that need to be addressed specifically in this population, both on an individual clinical level and on a broader public health level. Her research has important implications and applications for the health and health care of those with HIV. She is currently preparing to submit a manuscript expected to be published in an HIV journal.
With a passion for social responsibility and service Catherine has made significant and positive contributions in the field of public health.
She has been involved in a wide range of volunteer activities and has given an abundant amount of her time, energy and passion to each of them.
She has served her community as a Volunteer Leader for Hands on Greater Portland. She has provided invaluable service to the community through her involvement with the MIKE Program using her skills to extend and improve
quantitative analysis of the youth mentoring projects and completing an extensive data analysis report. She serves as a Bilingual Community Outreach Volunteer and Medical Interpreter for the American Red Cross conducting outreach and medical translation.
In 2008, she was recognized as a nominee for the Oregon Governor’s Outstanding Adult Volunteer Award and was honored with the Rising Star Award for Community Service by the OHSU Student Council.
Service and social responsibility is something that Catherine cares deeply about and prioritizes in her academic and professional life.
She has been involved in a leadership role in the OMPH Program in many ways.
She has acted as an OMPH Student Representative for both 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.
She collaborated on ways to better involve students, address their concerns, and streamline OMPH administrative processes.
She effectively initiated meetings with the program leadership to address student concerns.
She is a strong advocate for open communication and her leadership in this area has been welcomed by the program staff, faculty and students.
She also has been actively involved in organizing the 2008 and 2009 OMPH Student Symposiums. She took a leadership role in planning both events, especially in regards to coordinating our community partners in attending the networking sessions. She attended SOPHE’s Health Education Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., in February 2009 and presented a poster at the 2009 Student Symposium was about her experience. She was an active participant in the OMPH Program new student orientation, believing that being visible and approachable is a way to ensure that new students incoming experience is a positive one. She has helped arrange many social events, which provide students with a chance to get to know one another outside of the classroom and encouraging a sense of community among students.
Erin was also the student organizer for 2008-09 who planned and co-coordinated the student Public Health Seminar Series,
a collaboration co-sponsored by the PSU Health Promotion and OHSU Epidemiology & Biostatistics tracks.
She solicited student input and feedback and honoring student wishes with respect to speakers in the series.
She contacted and scheduled all the speakers and coordinated the logistics of the seminars. She worked hard to cultivate student participation.
She analyzed the event evaluations and disseminated the information to faculty sponsors in order to improve the event in future.
The OMPH Program would also like to congratulate all the 2009 Outstanding Student Award Nominees, whose excellence is also recognized by the OMPH Program faculty leadership:
OMPH Recipients of Awards and Honors
Please join us in congratulating the 2009 OMPH Program Outstanding Student Award winners! Each of the winners will receive a framed certificate and $500 award in acknowledgment oftheir achievements.
Rebecca Marshall,
Epidemiology & Biostatistics Track MD/MPH, Oregon Health & Science University
Catherine Gonzales-Maddox,
Epidemiology & Biostatistics Track, Oregon Health & Science University
Erin Corrigan, Health Promotion, Portland State University
Thank you to all the OMPH students who participated in the 2009 OMPH Symposium!