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The name of our newsletter,
The Scareletter, holds multiple meanings. Clearly, linking our newsletter to scarlet, the color of Rutgers University, led us onto this name. But it is also no coincidence that the name of our newsletter evokes the title of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel
The Scarlet Letter.
As you may recall,
The Scarlet Letter (one of my Top-10 novels) tells the story of Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl, who are condemned by their society, because Pearl is born out of wedlock to Hester, and her partner Arthur Dimmesdale. The lives of all three are burdened and the quality of their lives is diminished by the psychosocial conditions that they experience. The “A” that Hester is forced to wear on her clothing marginalizes her and her child, and the mark evident on Dimmesdale’s chest is indicative of the deteriorating health that he experiences in light of these circumstances.
For so many of us, our work in public health is dedicated to eradicating the structural and social inequities that diminish health and addresses these psychosocial burdens, which are created by these inequities in marginalized populations. We fight for the rights and protections of those in our society who are marginalized like Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale.
My own work for over 20 years has tried to create an even playing field for the LGBTQ population, HIV infected individuals, and substance users, with a deep felt conviction that policies and laws, which protect the rights of these marginalized populations, ultimately have a beneficial impact on population health as I wrote with reference to marriage equality a few years ago in the
American Journal of Public Health.
Text Link
There is sample evidence to support the ideas that inequities and experience of discrimination and marginalization undermine the well being of racial and ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, immigrants, those of low socioeconomic status, women, and gender minorities, among many others. Life conditions experienced by members of these too-often-silenced populations (most of whom hold intersectional identities across groups) create psychosocial burdens, which diminish their well being. These burdens are exacerbated and fueled by social conditions including lack government protection, unequal pay for equal work, overt experiences of aggression, and equally insidious micro aggressions that people encounter every day. These conceptions are at the heart of numerous paradigms - syndemic theory, minority stress theory, and theory of fundamental causes. It is also abundantly clear in how environment’s and context shape health. In this light, I encourage each of you to read an editorial that appeared in
The New York Times a last June, tiled “What Meth an Cookies Have in Common.”
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I have heard some suggest that schools of public health need to reinvent the public paradigm. I would argue that we have the paradigms; we just need to live by these ideas and recognize that the health challenges we face are not the problems of “them” or “those people” or “others” but of all of us. In my view, otherness of people is the most powerful driver of health disparities.
As so, it is with these ideas in mind that we also named our newsletter the
The Scarletter - steadfast in the belief that, as public health professionals, we have an obligation and a responsibility to the challenge these inequities and to create an equal playing field for all which will enhance the well being of the entire population. Our newsletter is thus also a call to action
I encourage all of us, but in particular our students, to espouse this aspect of our discipline. Public health is an activist and scholarly pursuit best realized working with and for the populations that we study and not by solely sitting at one’s desk conducting data analysis and writing scholarly manuscripts. Certainly the latter must be part of but not the totality of our wok, as those of us in positions of privilege and power, have an opportunity and an obligation to effect change.
As we continue to grow the Rutgers School of Public Health, this approach will be very true to our ethos as we collectively seek to enhance the well being of all people in New Jersey, in our country and globally. As our school motto indicates, we are “keeping the public in public health.”
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Happy Autumn,
Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH
Dean &
Professor
Director, Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS)
Rutgers School of Public Health
683 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08901
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"Keeping the Public in Public Health"
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BPA Exposure & Development
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Dr. Emily Barrett, associate professor of epidemiology, leads study which finds that exposure to Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, during pregnancy, may impact the development of the female reproductive system.
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Cancer Treatment: Hope & Challenges
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Dr. Michael Gusmano, associate professor of health systems and policy, and colleges from the Hastings Center, leads a study describing and evaluating the challenges policy makers face with the of break through cancer treatment, Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel).
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Manthan Shah, PhD alum, along with faculty, find unsafe lead levels in sindoor, a scarlet-colored powder that is used by women to place a bindi, or red dot, cosmetically on their foreheads, sold in New Jersey. The study, published in the October issue of the
American Journal of Public Health,
was part of Shah's dissertation.
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Safety Post Pulse Nightclub
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Dean Perry N. Halkitis and colleagues find that LGBTQ-identifying individuals perceived higher concerns for their personal safety and the safety of their peers after the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, these perceptions varied by factors such as gender identity and sexual orientation.
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Congratulations to Dr. Koshy Koshy and his team at the Center for Public Health Workforce Development*, on receiving, for the eighth consecutive time, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration Susan Harwood Training Program Grant. Dr. Koshy Koshy, assistant professor in environmental and health science, is the Principal Investigator.
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Congratulations to Dr. Stephan Schwander, who has been named as the new Assistant Dean for Global Public Health Affairs. Dr. Schwander, who previously directed the Center for Global Public Health, will build the School’s global research and international teaching sites.
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Student Mark Lee takes improvisational comedy seriously. He uses his performing arts background to improve the he quality of life for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
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Adjunct Professor George DiFerdinando Jr., comments on the vulnerability of seniors during natural disasters, which cause power outages and flooding.
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Alumna and Major in the U.S. Army, Joetta Khan, has served around the world, but uses her roots as a farm girl from rural Deming, New Mexico to improve military readiness through nutrition.
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Dr. Mitchel Rosen, Director of the Center for Public Health Workforce Development*, spent a week in Houston, TX, providing personal protective equipment (PPE) training to volunteers, home owners, construction workers, and community organizations, involved in Hurricane Harvey clean-up.
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Dr. Rosen and his Center, developed a "train-the-trainer" program in the wake of Hurricane Sandy that has been adopted by the State of New Jersey. The Center is offering their online Hurricane Sandy resources to anyone impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
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Welcome to Dr. Shauna Downs who joins us as our newest faculty member in health systems and policy 👋 Dr. Downs' current research focuses on the use of policy to increase access to healthier foods among vulnerable populations both domestically and globally 🌎Using a food systems approach, she examines ways to reduce both undernutrition and obesity.
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Welcome to Dr. Pamela Valera who joins us as our newest faculty member in social & behavioral health sciences and urban public health 👋. Dr. Valera's current research focuses on cancer health disparities and examines tobacco control and the development of prison-based smoking cessation treatment programs for men involved in the criminal justice system.
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October 10
12:30PM-1:30PM
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21st Century Seminar Series:
“Spatial Epidemiology of Health Disparities in LGBT Populations: What Have We Learned So Far?"
presented by Dustin Duncan.
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October 24
12:00PM-1:30PM
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21st Century Seminar Series:
“From TB/HIV in Rwanda to Ebola in West Africa: The Experiences of a CDC Disease Detective,” presented by Eric Pevzner.
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Spinning with the Dean:
Spin the stress of midterms away
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Join Dean Perry N. Halkitis for a FREE Riri vs. Queen Bey spinning class. All levels are welcome and no special spinning gear is required.
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December 7
9:00AM-12:00PM
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World AIDS Day Commemoration:
"Prepping for PrEP," with keynote speaker Demetre Daskalakis (NYC Dept. of Health) and a panel of health experts, researchers, PrEP users, and community organizers.
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APHA Annual Meeting: Atlanta
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The Rutgers School of Public Health will be at the annual APHA Meeting & Expo in Atlanta, GA from November 4 - November 8.
Join us for our annual APHA Reception on
Sunday, November 5, 2017. Please RSVP below or email Michelle Edelstein (mse46@sph.rugers.edu) by November 1.
We look forward to seeing our faculty, students, alumni, valued partners, and friends in Atlanta.
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Rutgers School of Public Health Reception
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LOCATION
Omni Hotel (100 CNN Center, Atlanta, GA 30303) Dogwood Room A
DATE AND TIME
11/05/17
6:00pm -
11/05/17
7:30pm
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Working Towards Enhancing LGBTQ Health at Rutgers?
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Dean Perry N. Halkitis is working with colleagues across several other Rutgers University schools, to develop a database of Rutgers employees who address LGBTQ health issues in their work.
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Getting Social @RutgersSPH
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Follow and interact with the Rutgers School of Public Health (@RutgersSPH) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Tag us in your posts and show us how you're "keeping the public in public health," for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts and in
The Scarletter
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Follow and interact with Dean Perry N. Halkitis (@DrPNHalkitis) on Twitter and Instagram.
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Have an idea for an editorial?
Do you want to tell your story?
Did you just win an award?
Have a cool job in public health?
Just publish?
We want to tell your story - email Michelle Edelstein (mse46@sph.rutgers.edu) to learn more.
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Donating to the Rutgers School of Public Health supports scholarships for students to be engaged in discovery based learning through research and practice activities working with populations who experiencing health disparities here in New Jersey, in our country, and globally. By giving, you are helping us further our mission – we thank you. To donate, follow the URL and type “School of Public Health” in the search box.
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Rutgers School of Public Health
Rutgers School of Public Health
683 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08854
(732) 235 - 9700
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