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American Public Health Association

Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section

APHA ICEHS Electronic News Vol. 8 No. 7

December 2001

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APHA ICEHS Electronic News is circulated on the 15th of each month.
Editor: Steve Marshall, Dept of Epidemiology, Univ. of North Carolina.
Assistant Editor: Jane Foust

Send copy to Smarshall@unc.edu.
Copy deadline is the 10th of each month.
Submit copy as an MS-Word e-mail attachment, if possible.

CONTENTS

Section News

• Summary of Atlanta 2001 Program
• 2001 ICEHS Award Winners
• Section Awards - Call for Nominations
• Section Communications

General News

• AAAM Call for Abstracts, 2002
• Child Passenger Safety Conference
• Rural Youth Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Traffic Injury Fact Sheet

Position Announcements

• Director, Division of Injury and Disability Outcomes and Programs, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa
• Louisiana SAFE KIDS Community Partnerships Coordinator
• Chief Epidemiologist and 2 Epidemiologists, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, Morgantown, West Virginia
• Injury Epidemiologist, Injury Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin

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SECTION NEWS:

Summary of Atlanta 2001 Program

The 2001 Scientific program was co-chaired by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy: Dr. Andy Lincoln, Ms. Susanne Ogaitis-Jones, and Dr. Maria Segui-Gomez. Dr. Nelson Adekoya, from the CDC NCIPC led the late-breaker abstract review and selection process.

This year's pool of reviewers was much larger than in the past, which combined with the fewer abstracts submitted for this year's conference (about a third less, for a total of 158) meant a much lighter reviewer load for everyone. (And we have transferred the reviewers' information to Dr. Steve Marshall, the Chair of the 2002 scientific program, so plan for some abstracts for the next Annual Meeting to come your way!) We also worked to secure more co-sponsors for our sessions and to become co-sponsors of other sections' activities. We are happy to report that the number of co-sponsored sessions this year was much larger than usual. We hope that this increases the exposure of ICEHS topics among other APHA members.

The on-line process worked remarkably well, and except for a very small number of abstracts lost in cyberspace for some time, that we had to process at a later date, we met all the APHA program deadlines and processed all paperwork with no problems. The Web site also provided a helpful tool to develop individual agendas. Unfortunately, room location was not available until we arrived to Atlanta!

The unfortunate incidents of September 11 forced the withdrawal of several manuscripts and a few no-shows. In the Section business meeting this problem was discussed and it was agreed to lift the 2-year no acceptance policy among no-shows because of the exceptional circumstances.

This summary would not be complete without the acknowledgment of the diligent work and grace of all Section members and friends involved in this program. We'd like to thank everyone for their timely review of the abstracts, their willingness to act as session moderators, and the high quality of their submissions. We also want to acknowledge Carolyn Fowler for her help and assistance in our initial steps in this task. We look forward to being able to help the incoming scientific program committee as Steve, Anna and others take the helm in North Carolina.

- Maria Segui-Gomez mseguigo@jhsph.edu
- Susanne Ogaitis-Jones sogaitis@jhsph.edu
- Andy Lincoln alincoln@jhsph.edu

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2001 ICEHS Award Winners

The following awards were presented in Atlanta at the Section's annual dinner. Congratulations to the awardees. Please see the call for nominations elsewhere in this issue!

Distinguished Career Award: Barbara Barlow, MD
Dr. Barbara Barlow, Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center in New York City, and Professor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is also Director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, a coalition of Injury Prevention Programs in Pediatric Trauma Centers located in major cities in the United States. Injury Free Coalition for Kids is a National Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey. The Injury Free Program has reduced injury through education, construction of safe play areas, and development and support of safe supervised activities with strong adult mentors. Major injury admissions of community children have decreased by more than 50% since the program started in 1988. The Injury Prevention Program and Dr. Barlow have received numerous awards from the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, the National Safety Council, the American Trauma Society, the National Association of Public Hospitals, Society of Public Health Educators, Johnson and Johnson, Allstate Foundation, the Foundation for Women in Medicine and the Hospital Association of New York

Dr. Barlow's research has focused on traumatic injury to children and on injury prevention for the past fifteen years. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and a former member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Dr. Barlow received a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. in Psychology from Columbia University and an M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. Her general surgical training was completed at Bronx Municipal Hospital followed by a Fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at Babies Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Excellence in Science Award: Garen Witemute, MD, MPH
Dr. Wintemute is director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis. He practices and teaches emergency medicine at UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento (a Level I trauma center), and is professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

His research addresses the nature and prevention of violence and the evaluation of violence prevention policies. His recent studies include an assessment of risk for criminal activity among legal purchasers of handguns, a profile of public opinion on gun violence prevention options, an assessment of risk for violent death among recent purchasers of handguns, and evaluations of gun buyback programs and of denying handgun purchase to felons and violent misdemeanants. Dr. Wintemute works with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the United States and California Departments of Justice on innovative methods for preventing firearm violence.

Public Service Award: Stephen Luchter
As an example of the great diversity that makes up Injury Science, Steve Luchter was trained as a mechanical engineer. After a successful career in the private sector designing advanced power plants, he was hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to lead their program to develop low-polluting steam engines for motor vehicles. A few job changes later found him at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, developing fuel economy regulations. His career in public health started when he was reassigned to the agency's planning office when the agency decided they didn't need engine experts any more. For the next twenty years he devoted himself to developing methods for quantifying injury outcomes, initially motivated by the need for objective resource allocation methods as part of his planning responsibilities.

Mr. Luchter was first concerned with measuring the economic costs of injuries, resulting in his co-authorship of an early agency publication on that subject. Realizing that the economic methods had some inherent limitations, he initiated the development of what has become the Functional Capacity Index. This utility-based index quantifies post-injury function independent of other health status indicators. His most recent efforts have been devoted to studying the behavioral changes that occur post-injury, with an initial effort to determine the incidence of diagnosable psychiatric conditions resulting from motor vehicle crash involvement. Mr. Luchter "retired" this past January, starting a consulting firm, Applied Injury Science. His activities within the ICEHS Section have been primarily in the Policy Committee. He is currently involved with an ad hoc music committee preparing for the social hour in Philadelphia.

Student Paper Award: Neil Hayes, MD, MPH
Neil Hayes received a B.S. in Chemistry from Davidson College, in his home state of North Carolina in 1991. In 1996 he completed medical school at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. In 1997 Dr. Hayes received his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health where his interests centered around the area of firearms and injury control. From 1997 to 2000 Dr. Hayes worked as an internal medicine resident at Boston Medical Center. He remains in Boston where he is currently a combined Clinical Care Research and Oncology fellow at New England Medical Center. His current research is in predictive models of firearms carrying.

- Cathy Gotschall, Chair cgotschall@nhtsa.dot.gov

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Section Awards - Call for Nominations

The time for submitting nominations for ICEHS Section awards has arrived. The awards, a description of the recognition, past awardees, and the deadline for submission are listed below. You may download the form in MSWord or in Acrobat format from the ICEHS Web site (http://www.icehs.org). Please include a CV for the nominee with the form.

If you have any questions contact Janet Holden at: janetholden@home.com or by telephone: 708-386-7179. The deadline for nominations for these three awards is Friday, February 22, 2002. Applications should be sent to Janet Holden, 747 S. Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304, or sent as attachments to: janetholden@home.com

Distinguished Career: To recognize an individual, near the end of his/her career, for outstanding dedication and leadership in injury control and emergency health services with contributions and achievements that have had a significant and long-term impact on the field. Past Awardees: Julian Waller, Jess Kraus, Kathy Christoffel, Leon Robertson, Steve Teret, Pat Waller, Fred Rivara, Ellen Mackenzie, Jerome Barancik, Robert Verhalen, John States, and Barbara Barlow.

Excellence in Science: To recognize an individual, at mid-career, for outstanding dedication and leadership in the science of injury control and emergency health services with contributions and achievements that have had a significant and long-term impact on the field. Past Awardees: Carol Runyan, Ted Miller, Arthur Kellermann, and Garen Wintemute.

Public Service: To recognize outstanding dedication and leadership in injury practice and advocacy with contributions and achievements that have had a significant and long-term impact on the field of injury control and emergency health services. Past Awardees: Art Funke, Sara Brady, David Heppel, Jack Finklea, LoisFingerhut, Sue Gallagher, Rick Smith, Liz McLoughlin, Murray Katcher, AndrewMcGuire, Michael Finkelstein, Billie Weiss, and Stephen Luchter.

The Section will also award an International Distinguished Career Award at the 6th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control in Montreal in May. The same criteria and application format will apply as for our usual Distinguished Career except that the awardee may not be from the United States. Past awardees: Peter Vulcan, Leif Svanstrom, and Dinesh Mohan.

- Janet Holden, Chair-Elect janetholden@home.com

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Section Communications

Just an update on the status of Section communications. Thanks to David Lawrence the ICEHS Section Web site www.icehs.org has been updated to include the new Section leadership. If you are interested in participating on one of the Section committees, please contact the committee chairs and get more involved.

Regarding the Section newsletters, due to a change in the way APHA is doing business, it has made a few changes necessary in our own plans for ICEHS Section communications. The most significant change was the elimination last year of the paper newsletter. As a result, we were producing two electronic newsletters, one by e-mail and one provided through APHA on the Web site. APHA is supposed to notify members by e-mail upon its publication, quarterly. As the continuation of two electronic versions, with separate editors, was not an efficient use of time and resources, we have decided on a new format. The monthly e-mail version of the newsletter will continue under the capable hand of Steve Marshall. Submissions are due to Steve by the 10th of each month for inclusion in the newsletter which will be sent out on (or about) the 15th of each month. In addition, Steve has agreed to submit the Web site version to APHA on a quarterly basis. Steve will send out information regarding deadlines and materials for the Web site version, as articles on the web may be longer and may include photographs or attached documents, in electronic format of course. Please contact Steve if you have information on studies, programs, policies, events, position openings or other items of interest to the Section.

I hope this will assist in making our communications run more smoothly. Have an enjoyable and safe holiday season.

- Theresa Cruz, Communications Chair - tcruz@carolinas.org

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GENERAL NEWS

Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine Call for Abstracts, 2002

Abstracts are due January 14, 2002, for the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) 46th Annual Conference, to be held September 29 - October 2, 2002, in Tempe, Arizona.

Scientific papers are invited for consideration on topics such as:

• crash injury mechanisms
• biomechanical research
• occupant restraint systems
• crash avoidance
• vehicle crashworthiness
• crash investigation and reconstruction
• injury scaling
• costs of traffic injury
• alcohol/other drugs and driving
• medical impairment
• highway design
• commercial vehicle safety
• driver standards/licensing
• pedestrians and cyclists
• evaluation of crash injury interventions

The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine is a scientific professional organization devoted entirely to traffic related injury control. Its multidisciplinary membership represents such diverse backgrounds as medicine, biomechanics, engineering, epidemiology, statistics, education, law, and public policy, and combines clinical, research, academic and administrative backgrounds.

Visit the AAAM Web site at www.carcrash.org (follow annual meeting link) to obtain a 2002 Call for Abstracts submission form. Deadline for submission is January 14, 2002.

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Child Passenger Safety Conference

International Child Passenger Safety Technical Conference: April 20-24, Sacramento, CA Contact: International Center for Injury Prevention, 1-800-344-7580 or visit the Web site at www.cipsafe.org.

This is the only child passenger safety meeting targeted specifically to the technical, advocacy, education and enforcement issues regarding childhood motor vehicle injury prevention.

- Janet Holden, Chair-Elect janetholden@home.com

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Rural Youth Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Traffic Injury Fact Sheet

The National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, a site of the Children's Safety Network, has just released a one-page fact sheet on rural youth pedestrian-motor vehicle traffic injuries. This sheet includes information about the rural youth pedestrian-motor vehicle traffic injury experience, risk factors, prevention strategies, resources and contacts.

This resource is available in PDF format or TEXT file format.

For more information about the fact sheet, contact Holly DeBlois at 1-888-924-7233.

- Holly DeBlois debloish@mmrf.mfldclin.edu

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Director, Division of Injury and Disability Outcomes and Programs, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is recruiting a scientist for Director, Division of Injury and Disability Outcomes and Programs (DIDOP) (formerly known as the Division of Acute Care, Rehabilitation Research and Disability Prevention). The individual in this position will have the primary responsibility for overall policy formation, program and research direction, leadership and management, as well as evaluation and quality control for the Division. We anticipate that this position will be a highly visible one, and that the incumbent will be an important leader in our efforts to address the problem of injuries in America.

The DIDOP coordinates a national public health approach for the prevention and control of injuries through:
* public health surveillance of injuries, disabilities, and related health outcomes;
* programs to improve state capacity, health care, and medical information systems in order to prevent injuries and related disabilities;
* research on the medical aspects of injury and disability from different causes, health services for such conditions; and
* evaluation of programs to prevent adverse outcomes of injuries or reduce the impact of such injuries on individuals and society.

To achieve this mission the Division has been expanded to include a wider range of issues that cut across unintentional and intentional injury prevention. Key areas of focus include: * health care issues related to injuries,
* emergency department data and interventions,
* surveillance for and evaluation of outcomes related to traumatic brain injuries and surveillance for spinal cord injuries, and
* support for state- and community-based efforts in injury prevention and surveillance.

This Division currently has a staff of 26 FTE and 2 non-FTE positions.

This position may be filled through a number of mechanisms, such as Senior Biomedical Research Service with a salary ranging up to $161,200, or the Title 42 Distinguished Consultant program, with executive compensation commensurate to qualification and experience. This position is announced as a Medical Officer, Behavioral Scientist, and an Epidemiologist. A recruitment or relocation bonus of up to 25 percent of base salary may also be available.

To submit an application for this position, applicants should follow the instructions on the announcement which can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/jobs/jobs.htm. For additional programmatic information about this position, please contact Louise Galaska at (770) 488-4696. If you have questions related to the preparation of the application, please call Ms. Connie Clayton at CDC's Human Resources Management Office, Telephone 770-488-1874. Applications should be received by January 18, 2002.

- Rick Waxweiler rjw2@cdc.gov

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa

The Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, is currently recruiting candidates for a newly created tenure-track position at the level of Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor.

We seek an individual with a doctorate in one of the social sciences. The successful candidate would be expected to have skills and interest in injury prevention broadly defined. Thus, the person will have experience and/or interest in teaching and conducting research into behavioral and/or community interventions designed to reduce the risk of injury, broadly defined to include mental health and substance abuse problems, interpersonal, social or behavioral problems, unintentional injuries, etc.

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain departmental and university levels of academic productivity in research, teaching, and service, and to collaborate, as appropriate, with persons in related academic units within the college and the university. To this end, the person would likely be involved in the activities of the college's Injury Prevention Research Center.

The College of Public Health currently has 57 full-time faculty, 165 professional staff, and 35 support staff. The college has an annual budget of $28 million, $19.3 million of which is derived from extramural research funds. More than 40 students are currently enrolled in doctoral programs and 120 students are currently enrolled in masters programs in the college. The Department of Community and Behavioral Health currently has 12 primary and adjunct faculty, and 10 secondary faculty representing cross appointments in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, anthropology, sociology and communication studies.

The university is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women and members of minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Send letter of application, curriculum vitae and names of three references to:

Peter Nathan, PhD, Chair, Search Committee
c/o Amy Engelmann
Department of Community and Behavioral Health
College of Public Health
The University of Iowa
2850 Steindler Building
Iowa City, IA 52242

- Corrie Peek-Asa cpeek-asa@mail.public-health.uiowa.edu

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Community Partnerships and Violence Prevention Coordinator, Louisiana SAFE KIDS

Proposed Title: Community Partnerships and Violence Prevention Coordinator

Purpose: The incumbent, with moderate supervision and in collaboration with EMS/IRP colleagues, applies public health leadership for direct actions to prevent injury.

Minimum Qualifications: A master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, Health Administration, or Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

For more information, call Shirley Kirkconnell at 504-568-2509 or contact by e-mail at (skirkcon@dhh.st.la.us). Mail resumes or CVs to 325 Loyola Avenue, Room 305, NO LA 70112.

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT(S)

Chief Epidemiologist and 2 Epidemiologists, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division of Safety Research (DSR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morgantown, West Virginia

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division of Safety Research (DSR), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located in Morgantown, West Virginia, has three (3) immediate openings for Epidemiologists. The Division of Safety Research serves as the focal point for the Institute's occupational traumatic injury prevention and safety program. The Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch (SFIB) is responsible for conducting surveillance, field investigations and epidemiologic research of occupational traumatic injuries. The Analysis and Field Evaluations Branch (AFEB) conducts analytic epidemiologic research assessing etiology and intervention effectiveness for prevention of occupational traumatic injuries.

The Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch has openings for:

Chief, Injury Surveillance Section or Supervisory Epidemiologist - This position will be responsible for directing the Injury Surveillance Section within the SFIB. The Section includes a multidisciplinary staff of epidemiologists, statisticians, computer specialists and support staff which conduct surveillance of occupational traumatic injuries and injury hazards across industries and occupations through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of injury data. The Section also maintains and manages occupational injury and safety hazard data bases that contain data across industries and occupations. We are searching for a leader in the field of health research of occupational traumatic injuries to provide overall guidance and direction for this program. A strong publication and presentation record is required, as well as the ability to interact with representatives of other federal, state, and local agencies. A doctorate is desirable. Salary range for this position is $61,749 - $94,862.

Epidemiologist - The incumbent in this position will be responsible for providing professional statistical/epidemiological support in the conduct of research to identify fatal and non-fatal traumatic injury and safety hazards in order to advance occupational injury surveillance and epidemiologic research for injury prevention purposes. Salary range for this position is $43,326 - $67,500. Technical inquiries may be made for either of these positions by contacting Dawn N. Castillo, Chief, SFIB, at 304-285-5916.


The Analysis and Field Evaluations Branch has an opening for:

Epidemiologist - The incumbent in this position will be responsible for design, development, and management of epidemiologic research of occupational injury. The focus of research will be on risk factor identification and evaluation of occupational injury prevention strategies. Salary range for this position is $43,326 - $67,500. Technical inquiries may be made by contacting Lynn Jenkins, Chief, AFEB, at 304-285-5913.

These positions require knowledge of epidemiologic methods, concepts, principles, and practices as they relate to occupational safety and health; the ability to develop research concepts based on synthesis of information obtained from the current literature; knowledge of epidemiologic investigation methods and techniques; skill in electronic data processing necessary to analyze epidemiological and surveillance data; and, skill in oral and written communication.

The DSR research is expected to address new research questions, emerging causes of injury, and evaluation of potential injury interventions including new safety theories, organizational processes, and personal protective equipment.

Individuals interested in seeking a challenging opportunity and future career in the prevention of occupational traumatic injuries, and who feel they qualify for these positions, are encouraged to apply. The vacancy announcements for these positions are enclosed and also appear on the NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh. Interested applicants should contact the Human Resources Management Office, M/S 1101, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, or by phone at 304-285-6070 for additional information on how to apply. December 20 is the closing data for applicants.

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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Epidemiologist, The Michigan Public Health Institute

Public health research organization in Okemos, MI seeks full-time epidemiologist for violence & injury prevention/surveillance projects. Masters degree in epidemiology required. Strong research design, statistical analysis, data management, and communication skills required. Position description at "http://www.mphi.org". Competitive salary and benefits package. Submit resumes to: HR Manager, MPHI, 2436 Woodlake Circle, Suite 300, Okemos, MI 48864. MPHI is an AA/EEO employer.

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