ICEHS

Electronic News (EN) provides our Section with a relatively speedy mechanism for disseminating relevant news. The Communication Committee is committed to producing the Electronic Newsletter (EN) on a regular and timely basis – 12 issues a year, on or around the 15^th of each month. Unfortunately, my June travel schedule and a variety of technical problems have delayed this month’s issue. I apologize for the delay in getting EN out this month. In addition, let me draw your attention to the fact that the CDC/NCIPC position advertised in this issue ("Behavioral Scientist/Epidemiologist" in the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention) has a closing date of June 20^th.

Many people ask me about submitting copy. I will accept contributions in any format, but the preferred format is an e-mail attachment, in either MS-Word or WordPerfect. Please remove all special formatting, such as bolding or underlining, and align text flush left. The 10^th of each month is the deadline for copy; submit contributions to <Smarshall@unc.edu>.

- Steve Marshall <Smarshall@unc.edu>

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SECTION NEWS

HOTEL FOR NEXT ANNUAL MEETING IN BOSTON

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NOTICE TO RECIPIENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER WHO ARE NOT APHA ICEHS MEMBERS

If you have let your APHA membership lapse, we urge you to renew your membership through the ICEHS Section immediately. APHA membership brings many benefits, including subscriptions to the American Journal of Public Health, the Nation's Health, and the ICEHS Section paper newsletter, as well as new services such as legislative and literature updates. The Section depends on APHA membership to continue its activities, and your membership will be a great help.

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CO-CHAIR NEEDED FOR THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

We are currently looking for a new co-chair for the Membership Committee. This committee is a great way to get to know ICEHS members and to get involved with the Section and APHA. The duties include organizing the booth at the APHA conference, sending letters to new members, and helping with recruitment and retention activities. The time commitment is not large, and it's easy to get people to help with these activities. If you are interested, please contact me!

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MEMBERSHIP REPORT

As a Section, we also need to be involved in actively recruiting new members and getting them involved in Section activities so they want to maintain membership. One of the best ways to recruit is by word of mouth! If you know anyone new to the field, interested in the field, or potentially interested in the field, forward their name to me and I can have a membership packet sent to them. Increased membership means an increased budget, so this is in all of our best interests. This Section has a lot to offer professionals in the field, so please help get the word out!

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ICEHS SECTION PARTICIPATES IN EMS/PUBLIC HEALTH ROUNDTABLE

The ICEHS Section of APHA was represented at a recent meeting convened by APHA, NHTSA and NAEMSP to explore further integration of emergency medical services and public health. In addition to the relevance of the topic, this was one of the first times that APHA had formally requested that the Section send a representative to a meeting within its topical purview. In addition, other Section members were scattered among the participants representing other organizations. The EMS and Public Health communities were well-represented, including APHA President-Elect Bird and several members of the APHA and NAEMSP Executive Boards.

The meeting was Co-chaired by Dr. Jeff Michaels, the NHTSA EMS Section Chief and NAEMSP President Dr. Jon Krohmer. Overall, the meeting was extraordinarily productive. There was clear and unanimous agreement in the room on the obvious value and necessity of integrating EMS & Public Health. Dr. Rick Martinez gave the keynote address. The work of the group centered upon identifying the benefits of and barriers to EMS & PH integration.

Each of these areas was discussed sequentially from an EMS and PH perspective, with different individuals from the panel leading the different sequential discussions. Jeff Michaels and John Krohmer will lead the drafting of a document for eventual release as a NHTSA special report, similar in form to the recent EMS/Managed Care Roundtable Report. There will be a series of bulletins and a final report. The drafts will be available for review.

The 2nd Roundtable will be held during the upcoming APHA Annual Meeting in Boston. The 3rd Roundtable will be held at the NAEMSP Winter meeting in FL next January. The 4th and final Roundtable will be held back in DC, at a time to be scheduled.

- Les R. Becker <becker@pire.org>

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GENERAL NEWS:

WHAT’S NEW AT ICIRN? <http://www.injurycontrol.com/icrin>

Below is a list of links recently added to the Injury Control Resource and Information Network (ICRIN):

Australia's SportSafe has developed a range of resources and tools to help sporting clubs, sports trainers, sports medicine professionals, facility managers and schools collect useful information on sporting injuries. See <http://www.ausport.gov.au/partic/ssafsidc.html>

The Center for Injury Sciences (CIS) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has opened its Web site. The CIS provides a multidisciplinary focus for the care of injured patients and research related to both prevention and treatment of injuries. See <http://injuryscience.hs.uab.edu/>

EuroSafetyNet is a collaboration of twelve safety organizations from ten European countries. Here you will find information on injury surveillance systems, accident and hazard research, product safety, campaigns, safety conferences and evaluations of preventive measures. See <http://www.ecosa.org/>

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SOPHE/CDC AWARDS TWO STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS IN UNINTENTIONAL INJURY PREVENTION

The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention are pleased to announce Heather A. Jacobsen and Beth T. Stalvey as the 1999-2000 SOPHE/CDC Student Fellows in Unintentional Injury Prevention. Heather is an MPH student at St. Louis University, who is evaluating the impact of tailoring injury prevention messages for parents to help prevent childhood injuries. Beth is a Ph.D. student in Health Behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who is examining the application of the transtheoretical model to an educational program targeting older drivers. Both fellows receive a stipend, one-year student membership in SOPHE, and an opportunity to present their work at the SOPHE annual meeting in Boston, November 2000. Honorable mentions are awarded to Kelli England, a Ph.D. student from Virginia Tech, who is using behavioral safety feedback to train parents about the importance of proper child safety seat use; and Ana Validzic, an MPH student from UNC-Chapel Hill, who is applying media advocacy and communication theories to encourage journalists to write stories about injury prevention.

The SOPHE/CDC fellowship program was designed to support the training of a new generation of injury prevention researchers and practitioners, and to fill an important void in the professional preparation of behavioral scientists and health educators in the field. For more information about the fellowship program or to receive an application form, visit SOPHE’s Web site: <www.sophe.org>, or write to the Society for Public Health Education, Unintentional Injury Fellowship, 750 First Street, NE, Suite 910, Washington, DC, 20002-4242.

- Krista Hopkins <kjh7@cdc.gov>

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SUMMER COURSE ON INJURY RESEARCH METHODS

Injury Research Methods is a new course for Summer 2000 about research methods in the injury field. The course is designed for professionals who wish to conduct or understand research regarding injury prevention and injury outcomes, including emergency physicians, surgeons, nurses, MPH or MS students or graduates with training in epidemiology, and other persons in the public health field. This course is offered for two graduate credits and will be taught using a one-week intensive format, September 18-22, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Course Director: Peter Cummings, Associate Professor, Epidemiology. Cummings is an epidemiologist at Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC), and Emergency Services epidemiologist, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

Instructors:

* Christine C. Beahler, Health Sciences Library & Information Center, UW
* David Grossman, School of Medicine & School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UW
* Thomas D. Koepsell, School of Medicine & School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UW
* Helen McGough, Human Subjects Division, UW Grant & Contract Services
* Frederick P. Rivara, School of Medicine & School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UW

Topics to be covered:

* Developing a Research Question
* Selecting an Injury Research Design: Randomized Control Trials, Cohort Studies, Ecologic Studies, and Qualitative Studies
* Developing a Research Proposal
* Approval Process to Use Human Subjects
* Use of Administrative Databases
* Searching the Injury Research Literature

5 sessions, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., September 18-22, 2000. Course Fee: $820. This course is co-sponsored by the UW School of Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics and Continuing Medical Education and the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

The University of Washington School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Washington School of Medicine designates this continuing medical education activity for 27 credit hours in Category 1 of the Physician's Recognition Award of the American Medical Association.

For more information on this course, housing, and UW Library Access, please call (206) 685-6503, (800) 543-2320, or e-mail <certif2@u.washington.edu>. More information may be found at: <http://www.outreach.washington.edu/extinfo/health.asp#anchor181895>

The syllabus and course Web page are located on the Web at: <http://www.hiprc.org/courses.html>

- Lisa Barrios <lic8@cdc.gov>

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS

BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST/EPIDEMIOLOGIST POSITION AT CDC, NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL, DIVISION OF UNINTENTIONAL INJURY PREVENTION

Position Description: Epidemiologist GS-0601-13 or Behavioral Scientist GS-0101

Announcement Numbers: Epidemiologist = MP1-00-842; Behavioral Scientist = MP1-00-843

Salary: GS-13, Step 1: $60,114 (Grade 13 range = $60,114- $78,146 per annum)

Posting: June 7; Closing Date: June 20 (Must be received by this date or postmarked by the closing date and then received in the Human Resources Management Office within 5 days of the closing date.)

Position Overview: This senior epidemiologist/behavioral scientist position will serve as an expert for issues pertaining to the prevention and control of home and recreational injuries from unintentional causes, e.g. adult/parental supervision, child falls, dog bites, fires, older adult falls, sports, drowning. This person should be an expert in epidemiological, research, statistical and evaluation processes, and be knowledgeable about behavioral change research and theories. This person will serve as a technical advisor for collaborative projects with state and local health departments and other national partners, including other government agencies and non-profit organizations. This person will analyze issues, data, and research related to specific unintentional injury areas. While experience in injury programs is not required, it will be an asset. A more detailed description is found in the position announcement, along with specific KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities).

Position Details and Application Information: visit http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/hrmo.htm or phone the CDC Job Line at 1-888-232-4473 (free call) - they will mail an application to you.

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SOPHE/CDC ANNOUNCE STUDENT FELLOWSHIP IN UNINTENTIONAL INJURY PREVENTION

SOPHE is now accepting applications for the 2001 SOPHE/CDC Student Fellowship in Unintentional Injury Prevention. This one-year fellowship, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, is designed to assist and train students in unintentional injury prevention. For one year, starting October 2000, three fellows will receive a $1,200 stipend, one-year student membership in SOPHE and complimentary registration at the SOPHE Annual Meeting in Atlanta in 2001, where they will have an opportunity to present their projects.

The fellowship will be awarded to three full-time students in graduate degree programs who will work at their own institutions on research or practice-based projects that consider unintentional injury prevention from the perspective of health education or behavioral science. Projects should address home, recreation or motor vehicle injuries. They may be related to surveillance, risk factor identification, evaluation or dissemination. Projects related to the development or use of theory in injury prevention are also acceptable.

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STATISTICIAN POSITION AT NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS

The incumbent serves in the Immediate Office of the Associate Director and is responsible for assisting in the analytic research studies of the epidemiology of injury using data from a variety of national data sets.

This involves the specification of research questions, the selection of the data bases appropriate to the problem, the development of a plan of analysis incorporating the appropriate statistical techniques, the execution of the analysis, and the interpretation and dissemination of the findings. Findings are to be presented in journal articles and at professional meetings and conferences. In the course of these duties, the employee would also assist in the management of projects from the International Collaborative

Effort (ICE) on Injury Statistics. Other duties include responding to requests for information and technical assistance from within and outside of the Center in areas of substantive expertise.

The position is now open at the GS-9/11/12 levels. If filled at the GS-09 or GS-11 level, position has promotion potential to GS-12. Please indicate the grade(s) for which you wish to be considered. You will only be considered for the grade(s) for which you indicate an interest. SALARY: GS-09: $35,310 - 45,900 per annum; GS-11: $42,724 - 55,541 per annum; GS-12: $51,204 - 66,564 per annum.

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OPPORTUNITIES IN PLANNING AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO INJURY CONTROL AT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the agency within the U. S. Department of Transportation responsible for reducing injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. It accomplishes its mission by regulating the safety performance of vehicles offered for sale in the U. S., conducting a major grant program supporting state efforts in traffic safety, and working with outside partners in getting the traffic safety message to the people. The Program Planning Division is the organization within NHTSA responsible for planning and policy development, concentrating on relatively near term approaches to meeting the agency’s mission. The Division is also the agency’s focal point for developing and applying injury outcome measures. A sister division is responsible for strategic and longer term planning.

The Program Planning Division is currently seeking to hire two junior analysts. Candidates with Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral level training in a variety of disciplines would be considered. Candidates should have an interest in injury prevention and control, and feel comfortable in a generalist environment. This requires the ability to interact with experts in different disciplines and the interpersonal skills to work in groups. Starting salaries for recent graduates at the Masters level would be approximately $35,000 a year, and at the Doctoral level approximately $42,000 a year. Depending on performance there is the possibility of relatively rapid advancement beyond those levels. The federal civil service is an equal opportunity employer and has competitive benefits. U. S. citizenship is required. These positions would be in Washington, DC at the Department of Transportation Headquarters.

Longer term projects currently underway within the Program Planning Division include coordinating the agency’s efforts in injury reduction in both the pediatric and geriatric populations, updating the agency’s estimates of the societal costs resulting from motor vehicle crashes, estimating the costs to employers resulting from motor vehicle injuries both on and off the job, and developing methods for quantifying the non-economic outcomes of injury. A wide variety of shorter term projects round out the Division’s workload. Some opportunity exists to develop projects of special interest to the analyst within the area of motor vehicle injury control. Questions should be directed to Stephen Luchter, phone: (202) 366-2576.

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