Dean shuns green
I know what you are thinking, and no, your intuition has misled you. As I type these words the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing on this very night to embattle the despised “green” Boston Celtics in the NBA finals. Our new director for student services, Richard Blanco, MBA, has made arrangements for the series to be broadcast in Nichol Hall, which will undoubtedly provide some relief from the stress of final exams, oral defenses, and other activities associated with the end of the school year.
Speaking of stress, I encourage you, if you have not already, to watch the four-hour PBS special on public health that was released this spring. The program, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick?” (available at www.unnaturalcauses.org), features Harvard professor and LLU SPH alum David Williams, PhD, MPH. This seven-part documentary explores racial and socio-economic inequalities in health, moving beyond common misconceptions of health as simply a matter of lifestyle choice and access to health care.
LLU SPH is itself deeply steeped in health disparities issues, as we are the translational arm of the LLU Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, anchored at the LLU School of Medicine. Our School’s activities include working in partnership with the Latino Health Collaborative, advocating for underserved at risk of diabetes, and mentoring local high school students who have expressed an interest in a health professions career. Our School is also a major contributor to a statewide collaborative that is actively encouraging young people, particularly those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, to consider a career in public health. With funding provided by the California Department of Public Health, the U.S. Health Resource and Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), our team has traveled throughout the state, meeting with parents, students, professional associations, and schools to raise awareness about issues related to health disparities, and to encourage the next generation to join us in our efforts to enhance the quality of life for everyone.
I want you to know that your School of Public Health is in the business of predicting the future, which is easy, because we are committed to creating it.
Dave Dyjack
The not-so-green dean