Public Health Grand Rounds

On Septmeber 30 at 11 am Dan Taber from the UIC Institute for Health Research and Policy will present "State policies targeting junk food in schools: racial/ethnic differences in the effect of policy change on soda consumption. Grand rounds will be held in the Maguire Bldg, 3rd floor room 3347 (Pediatric conference room).

Congratulations Dr. Obadah Al Chekakie!

Dr. Obadah Al Checkakie is a recent graduate of the Loyola Master's degree program in Clinical Research Methods and Epidemiology which he completed during his cardiology fellowship. The skills he obtained through the program allowed him to complete several research projects, including the manuscript entitled "Pericardial fat is independently associated with human atrial fibrillation" which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. We wish him success with all future endeavors and hope he keeps in touch! Read his recent publication at: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/56/10/784

Dru Bhattacharya to Present at Medicine Grand Rounds October 5

Medicine Grand Rounds Tobin Hall Stritch School of Medicine 1st floor October 5 12 PM Dru Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor Public Health Program will present: "Healthcare Reform 6 Months Later: Updates and Developments" Public Health Students Welcome!

New Opportunity for Public Health Students

The South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) Program of the University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio invites medical and public health students, PAs, MD/MPH students and health care professionals to participate in a memorable 4-week training experience at the US-Mexico Border. Curriculum includes environmental medicine, curanderismo, folk healing, environmental house calls, hiking with an herbalist, water sampling in the Rio Grande, and visits to colonias. The STEER Program may satisfy the practicum requirements for the Loyola MPH Program. Be sure to discuss with the Program Director before enrolling. Housing for visiting students is $600 for the month. Students are responsible for their own travel to/from Laredo or Harlingen, meals, personal daily expenses and after-hours transportation and activities. STEER offers training in two locations along the U.S.-Mexico Border, Laredo and Harlingen, Texas. See the website http://steer.uthscsa.edu for information and application, or contact them directly at steer@uthscsa.edu.

Department of Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds

September 30 11 AM Dan Taber from the UIC Institute for Health Research and Policy will discuss social networks and its application to health The conference will be in room 3347 Maguire bldg. All Public Health students are encouraged to attend.

Phosphorous and Health

On September 9, Dr. Holly Kramer presented a grand rounds presentation for the Loyola Department of Preventive Medicine which focused on inorganic phosphorous and its potential effects on health. Inorganic phosphorous simply refers to phosphorous which is added to processed foods as a preservative. For example, coke has 40 mg of inorganic phosphorous in every 12 ounce serving. A typical serving is 20 ounces which is almost 80 mg of phosphorous, or approximately 10% of the daily recommended allowance of phosphorous. Previous research which utilized food frequency questionnaires from a random sample of the U.S. population showed that phosphorous intake is increasing while calcium intake is decreasing. This is important because it is recommended that adults consume as much calcium as phosphorous (1:1 ratio). In infants, calcium intake should be higher than phosphorous. Prolonged and high phosphorous intake may increase levels of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), a protein which leads to increased urine excretion of phosphorous and reduced levels of active forms of vitamin d. In adults with severe kidney disease, high levels of FGF-23 are associated with increased mortality. Certainly as the consumption of processed foods continues to rise, more research is needed to determine the health effects of increased intake of inorganic phosphorous, especially among adults with normal kidney function. The fact that phosphorous intake influences the health of individuals with kidney disease has substantial policy implications. Currently, food suppliers are not required to indicate the amount of phosphorous in foods via food labels. Over 10 million adults have kidney disease in the U.S. and information on phosphorous in foods is important for their health.