ICEHS E-Newsletter Vol. 6, Number 12

Section News		Position Announcements
	Notes from the Chair		NCIPC in Atlanta: Director
	Sue Baker receives APHA Award for Excellence		Institute for Health Advocacy in San Diego: Media Advocacy Manager
	APHA supports policy on alcohol container warning labels
Annual Meeting		ICHES Communications
	APHA Annual Meeting 1999 (and on to 2000)		Paper Newsletter
	Section Awards		Electronic Newsletter
	Student Paper Award

Greetings! Another Annual Meeting has flown by and a new year has begun for ICEHS. And what an exciting meeting it was! Susan Baker was recognized for her achievements with the APHA Award for Excellence in front of a huge opening session crowd. Even Bill Bradley, Presidential Candidate and former US Senator, recognized Sue's great contributions to public health and injury control in his remarks. This terrific start was followed by many wonderful sessions chock full of the latest findings in injury control and emergency health services. Our social hour and special Progress in Injury Control session was a great success as well!

None of these wonderful moments would have been possible without the work of a few dedicated folks who deserve many thanks from the Section. First, as Chair, Mary Ann Gregor, tirelessly devoted herself to the work of this Section over the past year, and continues to do so as we move into the current year. Chester Jones patiently handled a sometimes-frustrating switch from a paper abstract submission method to an electronic one and provided us with a terrific program. In addition, I'd like to thank our outgoing Past-Chair Mary Overpeck, Secretary Diane Winn, and Section Councilors Joseph Wright and Linda Bailey for all of their work on behalf of the Section.

We have a great Section Council this year as well as a dedicated and hardworking group of committee chairs and co-chairs. We are still looking for co-chairs for the Membership and Disaster and Emergency Health Services Committees. If you are interested in either of these positions, or in getting involved in Section affairs through any of the committees, please contact the current chairs or co-chairs. Their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are included as attachments to this electronic newsletter, and will appear in the next edition of the paper newsletter. The year ahead promises to be full of excitement and activity. Take advantage of the energy generated in Chicago and get involved!

A major highlight of this year's APHA Annual Meeting was the presentation to Sue Baker of the APHA Award for Excellence. The APHA Award for Excellence is given each year in recognition of exceptionally meritorious contributions to the improvements of the health of the people. It honors creative work of particular effectiveness in applying scientific knowledge or innovative organizational work to the betterment of community health. Individuals nominated for the award have made significant and well-recognized contributions to the improvement of health.

Sue Baker is a pioneer in the field of injury prevention and has been a driving force in establishing injury control as a recognized specialty of public health. Her research career began studying car wreck fatalities while working in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland. In 1979, her work showing the danger of adults holding children in their laps while riding in cars led many states to pass child-restraint laws. She has written more than 100 major articles in medical and public health journals, as well as articles and books for the general public. A licensed pilot and member of the Aerospace Medical Association, Baker has served on expert panels sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sue Baker is professor of health policy and management and environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She was the first director of the Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center. She also holds a joint appointment at the medical school. She holds a master's degree in public health and epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, and an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Congratulations to Sue on (another!) notable accomplishment in winning this award.

A recent APHA Policy Statement (8812) supports continued action by the Federal Government to increase the effectiveness of the alcohol warning label act enacted in 1988 by developing easily readable and rotating warnings that include information on the risk of acute poisoning, cancer, addiction, and other long-term health problems, in addition to those warnings now required.

In pursuit of that goal the "APHA has joined with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, more than 120 other public-interest organizations and fourmembers of Congress and submitted a joint petition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms asking that agency to improve its regulations of alcohol-container warning labels. "

"The warning labels, directed by law and regulated since 1988, are required to be "located in a conspicuous and prominent place on the container" and to "appear on a contrasting background." However, manylabels approved by BATF do not meet these criteria, so this petition requests several specific points of clarification, in the regulation so that warning labels will be more legible, easier to read, and placed inmore prominent positions on the container." The items in the petition include:

1. "BATF should require that the government health warning be clear and conspicuous, appear in a prominent place on the front label of the container, and be printed horizontally."

2. "BATF should require that the government warning label be highly visible, be printed in red or black type on a white background, and be surrounded by a lined border."

3. "Require that the first two words of the statement (government warning) appear in capital letters and bold face type that is at least 15% larger than the remaining text of the warning. The text of the remainingportion of the warning statement should be in upper and lower case lettering. BATF should require a particular type font be used to maximize legibility."

4. "Require that the warning labels contain a red pictorial device or icon that is a triangle with an exclamation mark inside."If you are interested in the full text of the petition, please contact me at bweiss@dhs.co.la.ca.us, or phone (213) 240-8070 or fax (213) 250-2594.

This year's Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, was a great success. A major highlight was Sue Baker's APHA Award for Excellence, presented at the Opening Session, and the many tributes to Sue that flowed during the Section Dinner, at the Social Hour, and throughout the meeting. In addition, many hundreds of APHA attendees turned up to hear Mark Rosenberg, Steve Teret, Jim Mercy, and Anne Menard speak at a Special Session "APHA Symposium on Violence". On the down side, there was considerable disenchantment with the new Web-based abstract submission process, which resulted in delays and in some presenters being notified that their abstracts had been rejected, when in fact they had been accepted.

Next year's Annual Meeting will be in Boston, MA, between November 12-16. The Web-based submission of abstract system is scheduled to be activated on December 20, 1999. The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 1, 2000.

Distinguished Career Award - Robert Verhalen
This award recognizes outstanding dedication and leadership in the area of injury research and teaching, with contributions and achievements that have significant and long-term impact on the problem of injury.Robert Verhalen was the Consumer Product Safety Commission's first Director of Epidemiology and was the main architect of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), when it was first established. He oversaw the system for many years, and continues his association with injury control through his litigation support service, Verhalen Associates, specializing the in the analysis of hazard and injury data.

Excellence in Science - Ted Miller
This award recognizes outstanding dedication and leadership in the science of injury control and emergency health services, with contributions and achievements that have a significant and long term impact on the field. Ted Miller is well known through his many publications in the area of injury epidemiology and economics. In addition, he has worked closely with advocacy groups such as the Children's Safety Network to generate useful and usable epidemiologic facts and figures. Ted Miller's work has informed public health and public policy, in large part through the creation of cost estimates that can be readily understood by advocates and their audiences.

Public Service - Mike Finkelstein
This award recognizes outstanding dedication and leadership in the science of injury practice and advocacy, with contributions and achievements that have significant and long-term impacts on the field. Mike Finkelstein has a distinguished career with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and was instrumental in securing the initial appropriation that created the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Congratulations to Andrew Lincoln, MS, ScD, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland for winning the Best Student Paper Award 1999. His paper was entitled "The Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Musculoskeletal-Related Disability." His advisor was Dr. Gordon Smith.

We encourage you to spread the word about the Student Paper Competition award in preparation for the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Boston in 2000. Information about this competition is provided below. The purpose of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Student Paper Competition Award is to foster and reward quality research efforts among students involved in the field. The Student Paper Competition award was implemented at the 1992 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. This award will be presented for the ninth time in 2000.

Requirements for Submitting Applications and Criteria for the Award:
Applicants must submit an abstract according to the APHA abstract guidelines published for the ICEHS. Along with their abstract, applicants must submit a letter stating the school and program in which they are enrolled, the degree pursued, the expected date of completion, and the name of their advisor. Applicants who have completed their programs within the last year, and have not previously presented the same data at a professional meeting or published the data, are welcome to participate. Following notice of acceptance of the abstract for either oral or poster presentation by the Scientific Program Chair, applicants must send a completed manuscript, organized and presented according to standard journal format (e.g., American Journal of Public Health or other pertinent peer-reviewed journal), and four blinded copies that are to be received by September 1, 2000. With the submission of the final paper, a statement signed by the advisor should identify any co-authors involved and the proportion of effort contributed by the student; the student must be identified as the primary author. The reviews for this competition will be conducted by at least three external reviewers. It is anticipated that one or more awards will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Students must be primary or secondary members of the ICEHS Section of APHA to participate in this competition. Membership must be confirmed prior to the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.

For further information, contact:
Susan Goodwin Gerberich, PhD, MSPH
Head, Student Paper Competition
Professor and Director
Regional Injury Prevention Research Center and Center for Violence Prevention
and Control
Division of Environmental and Occupational Health
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
BOX 807-UMHC, 420 Delaware Street S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Tele: (612) 625-5934
Fax: (612) 626-0650
E-mail: sgerb@mail.eoh.umn.edu
Head, Student Paper Competition

POSITION: Director
ORGANIZATION: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
ANNOUNCEMENT NO: ES10-00-08
OPENING DATE: December 1, 1999
CLOSING DATE: January 12, 2000
LOCATION: Atlanta, Georgia
SALARY RANGE: $109,123 - $125,900 per annum. Exceptional recruiting difficulty may result in payment of a recruitment/relocation bonus. Moving expenses are authorized.
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Applications will be accepted from all qualified |persons, including Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Officers, and individuals with Senior Executive Service reinstatement eligibility.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director, NCIPC, manages and directs a program that is national and international in scope and provides the focal point for the establishment and implementation of national policy related to the prevention and control of non-occupational injuries and violence for the Public Health Service. The mission of NCIPC is to: (1) provide leadership in developing and executing a national program for non-occupational injury prevention and control with Federal, State and local agencies, voluntary and private sector organizations; (2) propose goals and objectives for national injury prevention and control programs, monitor progress toward these goals and objectives, and recommend priority prevention and control activities and develop guidelines for these activities; facilitate similar activities by other Federal, State and local agencies, academic institutions, and private and other public organizations;(3) plan, direct, conduct, and support research focused on development and evaluation of strategies to prevent and control injuries, including research in biomechanics, epidemiology and prevention, and the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured; (4) plan, establish and evaluate surveillance systems to monitor national trends in morbidity, mortality, disabilities, and costs of injuries and facilitate the development of surveillance systems by state and local agencies; (5) develop, implement, direct, and evaluate demonstration programs to prevent and control injuries; (6) serve as the primary Federal healthresource for technical assistance and management expertise in the epidemiology, statistics, prevention, and control of non-occupational injuries; (7) assist in increasing the capacity of States and localities toprevent and control injuries by providing financial assistance and technical and management consultation and assistance in assessing the problem of injuries, conducting surveillance, planning injury prevention and control programs, and evaluating injury prevention and control activities; (8) serve as the principal focus for training programs to increase the number and competence of personnel engaged in injury prevention and control research or practice; (9) support the dissemination of research findings and the transfer of injury prevention and control technologies to Federal, State, and local agencies, private organizations, and other national and international groups; (10) collaborate with other CDC Centers/Institutes/Offices, PHS agencies, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission and other Federal Departments and Agencies, and private organizations.

For further information, contact Ms. Clayton at (770) 488-1785 or fax (770) 488-1944.
Connie M. Clayton, Announcement No. ES10-00-08
Human Resources Management Office, Mailstop K07
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4770 Buford Highway
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724
J. Lee Annest jla1@cdc.gov
Co-chair, Data Committee

The Institute for Health Advocacy (IHA) in San Diego has an immediate opening for a Media Advocacy Department Manager. This position requires a minimum of three years active, successful, full-timeexperience in policy-focused, prevention-oriented media advocacy. IHA's Media Advocacy Manager supervises a staff of two or more and collaborates with a full time organizational staff of twenty employees. Most of this non-profit agency's current work is focused on alcohol and other drug problem prevention, but applicants with tobacco control experience are encouraged to apply. News-making in this department is both localized and national in scope, and targets TV news (60%), print media (30%) and radio (10%). The work in this department is fast-paced. This position interfaces with prevention managers and preventionists working on numerous projects in various geographic regions and with differing goals. Projects include U.S.-Mexico reduction of cross-border underage drinking; university campus-based alcohol problem reduction; DUI; illicit drug problem prevention; and others.

The position involves minimal travel and some nighttime news-making. Spanish is helpful but not necessary. Salary is commensurate with experience, with a base rate in the $40's to start. This position is full-time and offers a full benefits package including goal-based incentives.

To apply, please submit resume to:
James Baker
Executive Director
IHA
Fax: (619) 474-8838
E-mail: jbaker@iha-news.org
Andrea Craig acraig@tf.org
Trauma Foundation

The Paper Newsletter now has a new Editor, Linda Goldstein. Many thanks to the departing editor, Theresa Cruz. The deadline for the next issue of the Paper Newsletter is December 17, 1999. The deadline for the May issue is April 1, 2000. Please forward all submissions for the Paper Newsletter to me at goldsteinla@msx.upmc.edu.

The Electronic Newsletter also has a new Editor, Steve Marshall. Many thanks to the departing editor, Neena Murgai. We strive to distribute the Electronic Newsletter around the 15th of each month. If you have items for the Electronic Newsletter, e-mail them to me at <SMarshall@unc.edu> (Fax: (919) 966-0466) BY THE 10TH OF EACH MONTH.

ICEHS

American Public Health Association

Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section

APHA ICEHS Electronic News Vol. 6 No. 12