Thursday, February 21, 2002 TODAY
- School of Public Health graduate establishes philatelist organization
- International health students provide service to neighborhood association
- School of Public Health to study health and safety
in small businesses
School of Public Health graduate establishes philatelist organization
A Loma Linda University School of Public Health graduate has been instrumental
in establishing a new organization designed for Seventh-day Adventist
philatelists.
The Seventh-day Adventist Philatelic Society International was initiated
by Robert Roach, MPH, a 1970 graduate of the School of Public Health;
Gerhard Christian, a retired Adventist pastor now living in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada; and Barry W. Bussey, executive secretary for the Ontario [Canada]
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
“We saw a need for reaching out to the greater Seventh-day Adventist
community to share the possibilities of what philately could do for the
public relations and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church,”
Mr. Roach says.
The society publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Tay Report, named after
John Tay, a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, who was instrumental in
bringing the Adventist message to the Pitcairn Islands.
“Currently, 20 stamps featuring aspects of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church have been issues by 13 countries around the world,” Mr. Roach
says. In addition, Mr. Roach has also developed 35 philatelic covers commemorating
some aspect of Seventh-day Adventist history—including several about
Loma Linda University and the local community.
“One of the more recent stamps featuring the Adventist Church was
issued by the Canadian government during the 57th General Conference Session
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada,
in late June and early July, 2000.”
This stamp featured the Seventh-day Adventist logo on a commemorative
stamp and was issued on the first day of the General Conference session.
Mr. Roach, who is the Church's foremost authority on Adventist stamps,
and Pastor Bussey, cofounder with Mr. Roach of the Seventh-day Adventist
Philatelic Society International, took the initiative for the Canadian
stamp. Pastor Bussey outlines how this stamp came about and information
about other postage stamps featuring work of the Adventist Church in his
recent book Seeking God's Stamp of Approval: The Inside Story. This book
is available through Adventist Book Centers.
Mr. Roach is well-known in Loma Linda for his many stamp exhibits that
have been on display in Loma Linda University Del E. Webb Memorial Library,
and at La Sierra University.
Mr. Roach is also known to hundreds of school children in the area. In
past years, he has been instrumental in establishing stamp collecting
clubs in local elementary school classrooms. Through these stamp clubs,
Mr. Roach encouraged the children to specialize in collecting stamps about
subjects that were of interest to them such as space travel, animals,
castles, and numerous other subjects.
In 1999, Mr. Roach published SDA History and Stamps in notebook form.
This book is available for $75 for a color edition, and $45 for a black
and white edition, by contacting Mr. Roach at P.O. Box 1177, Loma Linda,
CA 92354, or by contacting him by telephone at (909) 825-7536.
Mr. Roach has just completed a slide program that is available for showing
at local churches. Individuals interested in learning more about this
program may contact him at the above telephone number.
Always interested in education, Mr. Roach is a constant learner. He has
earned three master's degrees—one in applied theology from the Seventh-day
Adventist Theological Seminary now located at Andrews University, Berrien
Springs, Michigan; a master's degree in speech pathology from the University
of Redlands, Redlands; and a master's in health education from the School
of Public Health. He is currently working on a doctoral degree from the
California Graduate School of Theology in Pasadena. He has completed all
the requirements for the doctoral degree except his dissertation, which
is now in progress.
In addition to his interest in philately, Mr. Roach, who has been retired
for the past 10 years, has spent more than 50 years in developing and
implementing drug education programs. He worked for a number of years
as a public health educator for Riverside County Department of Health.
“When I was 15 years, I wanted to explore three areas—the Bible,
communication as an art and science, and health,” Mr. Roach says.
“The Lord has been good to me in allowing me to explore these areas.”
Individuals wishing to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Philatelic
Society International may contact Mr. Roach or Pastor Bussey at (705)
924-1525 or by e-mail to <bbussey@ont-sda.org>. Their website is
<www.tagnet.org/stamps/>.
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International health students provide service to neighborhood association
School of Public Health students majoring in international health conducted
an environmental risk assessment of the Hope Street Cluster (part of the
Valley View Neighborhood Cluster Association) on December 7, 2001. The
evaluation was carried out as part of a class assignment, and was performed
in partnership with the community, which is located about a mile north
of the Loma Linda University campus.
The purpose of the evaluation was to examine various environmental health-risk
factors which are present in the community.
Students spent several hours in the neighborhood examining a range of
issues including industrial contamination, waste disposal, road safety,
lead paint exposures, and other related factors. In addition to the site
assessment, the class interfaced with local public health officials to
clarify conditions affecting community members.
The science of risk assessment is best advanced when the neighborhood
under scrutiny is actively involved in the process. Students interviewed
community members to gain their insight and perceptions of environmental
challenges identified through the process.
After all the information was collected and assessed, the class prepared
a 50-page report, which was given to the association president, Rudy McGregor.
To supplement the written report, David Dyjack, DrPH, associate professor
of international health, School of Public Health, presented the study's
findings to the community on January 12, 2002, during a regularly scheduled
community meeting. Dr. Dyjack was accompanied by Erica Brewster and Neema
Mgana, both master's of international health students. The community intends
to use the report as a basis for dialogue with its elected officials.
Service-learning is a valuable process where reciprocal benefits for the
students and community are accrued. In this particular case, the school
demonstrates its continuing commitment to improve the health of it neighbors,
while providing students a glimpse of the real world of public health.
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School of Public Health to study health and safety in small businesses
People employed in small companies are at greater risk of becoming injured
at work than those who are employed at large companies.
To better understand why this occurs, researchers at Loma Linda University
School of Public Health are endeavoring to learn about health and safety
issues from the small business perspective.
David Dyjack, DrPH, associate professor of international health, and chair,
department of environmental and occupational health, School of Public
Health, has received a contract from the U.S. Center for Disease Control
and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) to conduct focus groups with small companies with the aim to learn
about health and safety practices in organizations with fewer than 100
employees.
The research is a countrywide effort, which is largely being performed
in collaboration with the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National
Chapter of the Precision Metal Forming Association.
The first focus group was conducted with six Inland Empire companies on
February 6, 2002, on the Loma Linda University campus.
Participants provided insight to the barriers and incentives of implementing
health and safety programs.
Dr. Dyjack's research team will head to Chicago in March to conduct phase
II of the study.
The final product of these inquiries will be a formal United States Government
technical report to be published by NIOSH later this year.
|Top| [February 21, 2002 TODAY]
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