RBHS STRATEGIC PLAN YEAR 1 PROGRESS REPORT For Complementary Program: Public Health (including Global Health)

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1 RBHS STRATEGIC PLAN YEAR 1 PROGRESS REPORT YEAR 1 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Objective 1: A School of Public Health Dean with a broad public health background will be recruited and will promote interprofessional practice and advocate for resources to support RBHS signature areas in addition to areas identified in the RBHS and SPH strategic plans Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, MD, MPH, MS was recruited and began his tenure as Dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health on May 7, Dr. Ahluwalia is an internationally renowned physician scientist known for his work on minority health, health disparities, and cardiovascular and disease prevention. His primary research has focused on nicotine addiction and smoking cessation in African- American smokers by way of conducting clinical trials, secondary analysis, qualitative research, and clinical epidemiology research. Dr. Ahluwalia recently extended his research to the role of menthol in quitting, pharmacokinetics of nicotine, pharmacogenetics, and cancer biomarkers. In addition, he is engaged in global health efforts with two active research projects in Mumbai and New Delhi, India. Through his efforts with the University of Minnesota s Clinical and Translational Science Award, he has worked locally and nationally on clinical research training and career development for undergraduates up to faculty. Objective 2: A senior methodologist with administrative experience and a significant grant history will be recruited as director of RUBIES (Rutgers University Biostatistics and Epidemiology Service Center), formerly known as the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Consultation Center. Pamela A. Ohman Strickland, PhD, MS, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Rutgers School of Public Health, was appointed to serve as the initial RUBIES Faculty Director (at 7.5% FTE). The co- investigator on several federal, state and foundation grants, Dr. Ohman Strickland provides biostatical methodology and analysis expertise for numerous researchers. Dr. Ohman Strickland has published more than 100 manuscripts in professional journals and has served on several grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health. Objective 3: Infrastructure and staffing needs for RUBIES will be identified, and a RUBIES director/manager will be appointed. A search is currently underway for a RUBIES Administrative Manager. It is expected an Administrative Manager will be hired to start around January 1, The Administrative Manager will manage and prioritize incoming requests and epidemiological/statistical services as well as conduct the financial administration of the Center. The Administrative Manager will provide basic epidemiological/statistical services as appropriate to investigators throughout Rutgers University. Additional Public Health Accomplishments Reorganize the School of Public Health under the leadership of the new dean. Under Dean Ahluwalia, the School of Public Health completed the re- accreditation self- study and site visit with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and has been reorganized. The School prepared an approximately 175- page self- study report which Page 1 of 6

2 described the School s instructional, research, and service efforts, as well as resources, faculty, staff, and students. A team of qualified peer reviewers assessed the validity of the self- study report during an on- site visit held from June 10-12, Administrative roles for the School have been reorganized by function rather than by campus. These new administrative roles, including Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Associate Dean for Education, and Associate Dean for Administration, enable the School to better provide centralized and uniform services and programs to students and faculty. Faculty from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School s Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine (13 faculty) and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School s Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health (4 faculty) were transferred to the School of Public Health in an effort to consolidate RBHS programs in public health, population health, and disease prevention research, education, and service under one unit. The School of Public Health s Newark- based Department of Quantitative Methods: Epidemiology and Biostatistics was merged into the School s Core Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, respectively. In addition, the Office of Student Affairs, including Admissions and Registrar, was re- located on the same floor of the School of Public Health building (Piscataway) to provide better access for students. Finally, the School successfully implemented the Responsibility Centered Management budgeting process. Recruit faculty to support research and policy in each of the signature areas. Bernadette Callahan Hohl, PhD, MPH, Instructor, was provided a joint appointment in the School of Public Health and the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice Newark). Dr. Hohl s research focuses on clean and green intervention programs for vacant intercity lots and assessment of intervention effects on neighborhood crime rates. Thomas Mackie, PhD, MPH, MA was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Systems and Policy at the School of Public Health and as a core member of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. Dr. Mackie is a mixed methods researcher with interests in organizational and implementation sciences, health and mental health policy, and the sociology of health and illness. Yaqun Wang, PhD was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health and as a core member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Dr. Wang is a biostatistician with expertise in gene regulatory network, gene- environment interaction, statistical genetics, longitudinal data, and big data. Global Health Accomplishments Objective 1: Recruit a Henry Rutgers Term Chair for Global Health who will assume responsibilities leading global health activities for this complementary program The search for the Director of Global Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Henry Rutgers Professor of Global Health (Professor, tenured) is underway. The search committee is chaired by Dr. Vicente Gracias, CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group and Professor of Surgery, RWJMS. The committee comprises 19 members from RBHS and Rutgers- New Brunswick schools and units. The search committee has received and reviewed 30 applications; 11 were invited for a videoconference interview. The search committee is identifying a limited number of candidates for on- campus interviews. Page 2 of 6

3 Objective 2: Plans for a global public health master s degree program will be developed (potentially a joint degree program will emerge across schools). A needs assessment survey was conducted in Spring 2015 to determine interest in an MPH in global health among students, faculty, and potential employers. Forty eight percent (48%) of student respondents said they would be likely or very likely to enroll in a global health degree program. An overwhelming number of surveyed faculty (93%) said they would recommend a global health degree program to their students. A draft curriculum for an MPH in global public health was developed. The draft curriculum focuses on existing courses with global health content at the School of Public Health and other Rutgers schools, and will be presented to the School of Public Health s Curriculum Committee in Fall Objective 3: Encourage student participation in global work. The Distinction in Global Health and Chancellor's Global Health Scholars is a new program established by the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, which includes a four- year educational and experiential program for medical students including two international experiences and one domestic experience, as well as related coursework. Global Health- Related Grants: Anushua Sinha (PI), MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Health Systems and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, received a $750,000 grant from the Gates Foundation to evaluate the costs and public health impacts of maternal acellular pertussis vaccine immunization to prevent infant disease and deaths from Bordetella pertussis in low and middle income countries. Stephan Schwander (PI), MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, and Gediminas Mainelis (Co- I), PhD, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers School of Environmental Biological Sciences, received a pilot grant from the Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, to assess inhalable microbes in México City s ambient air. Stephan Schwander (PI), MD, PhD, Associate Professor, and Qingyu Meng (PI), PhD, Assistant Professor, both in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, received funding from the Rutgers Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs to develop new relationships and interactions with the Makerere School of Public Health, the National Environment Management Authority, and the Kampala Capital City Authority in Uganda to conduct pioneering air pollution studies. Drs. Schwander and Meng will also collaborate with faculty at the University of Dodoma in Tanzania to develop research and educational opportunities. Page 3 of 6

4 YEAR 2 (FY2016) PLANS Objective 1: Pilot funding mechanisms for public health research in the signature areas will be developed. The Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease at the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute solicited applications in Fall 2015 for a special Pilot Project Program focused on linking environmental research to communities affected by a specific environmental problem (targeting Environmental and Occupational Health and Community Health and Health Systems signature areas). The School of Public Health will also develop a Pilot Project Program to support public health research that has the potential to impact health disparities across the signature areas. Objective 2: Masters, pre- and postdoctoral public health fieldwork and research fellowships in the signature areas will be developed. The Office of Community Health and the Doctoral Committee at the Rutgers School of Public Health are identifying MPH Fieldwork opportunities, as well as pre- and postdoctoral public health research fellowships, in the signature areas. These MPH Fieldwork opportunities and research fellowships will be shared with students. Objective 3: Methodologists will be recruited in collaboration with the signature programs to support research and policy in each of the signature areas. With the recruitment of the new Dean, Dr. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, the School of Public Health is actively recruiting for a number of open rank faculty positions. The School is focusing on many broad areas which would support research and policy in the signature areas, such as cancer, environmental and occupational health, infectious disease, and community health and health systems. The School expects to begin reviewing applications in Fall Objective 4: Public health researchers will be recruited, particularly across the signature areas, potentially including tobacco control (with expertise in chemistry or toxicology), injury prevention, and infectious disease epidemiology. A search committee has been established to recruit an individual to serve as both the Director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and the Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rutgers School of Public Health. The search committee is chaired by Dr. Joseph Barone, Dean at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and comprises 11 members from RBHS and Rutgers- New Brunswick schools and units. The search committee expects to begin reviewing applications in Fall The School of Public Health plans to continue actively recruiting for open rank faculty positions in tobacco control for the School s Center for Tobacco Studies, led by Dr. Cristine D. Delnevo. The School also expects to initiate a search for an open rank faculty position in infectious disease epidemiology in Fall 2015/Spring Page 4 of 6

5 Objective 5: Support staff for the RUBIES (Rutgers University Biostatistics and Epidemiology Service Center) will be recruited, especially for data analysts. Once a RUBIES Administrative Manager (see Year 01 Accomplishments) has been selected and is on board, support staff needs for RUBIES will be identified and staff will be recruited based on those needs. Objective 6: A series of conferences will be held for key stakeholders under each of the signature areas to strengthen the RUBIES ability to mobilize a multi- school response to requests for proposals. Once a RUBIES Administrative Manager and support staff have been hired, a conference series will be developed to strengthen the RUBIES ability to mobilize a multi- school response to requests for proposals. Objective 7: Baseline metrics will be verified/established to assess RUBIES utilization and services provided. The RUBIES Faculty Director and Administrative Manager will establish baseline metrics in to assess utilization and services provided by RUBIES. Global Health YEAR 2 (FY2016) PLANS Objective 1: Recruit a Henry Rutgers Term Chair for Global Health who will assume responsibilities leading global health activities for this complementary program. The Director of Global Health Search Committee will continue to interview candidates and recommend final candidates for consideration. Objective 2: Plans for a global public health master s degree program will be developed (potentially a joint degree program will emerge across schools). The MPH in global public health degree will be finalized and with enrollment expected to begin in Fall The MPH in global public health degree will be marketed in conjunction with the School s post- baccalaureate certificates, and MPH and doctoral degrees. Objective 3: Recruit public health researchers with interests in global infectious diseases and global environmental and occupational health. With the recruitment of the new Dean, Dr. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, the School of Public Health is actively recruiting for a number of open rank faculty positions. The School is focusing on many broad areas, including global health. The School expects to begin reviewing applications in Fall Marcia Graminha, a researcher from the State University of Sao Paolo, in Brazil, will spend part of 2016 as a Fullbright Scholar at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Her focus is Leishmaniasis. Objective 4: Encourage student participation in global work. The Rutgers School of Public Health will continue to offer the elective course, Public Health Applications in Developing Countries (HSAP 0619), which provides students with a learn and serve opportunity. Drs. Lois Grau and Bernadette West, Department of Page 5 of 6

6 Health Systems and Policy, School of Public Health, first offered this course in 2003 and it has been offered ever since at least once a year. The course involves planning for and completing a trip to the bateyes of the Dominican Republic. Bateyes are populated by Haitian sugarcane cutters who typically do not receive any benefits of Dominican residency, including health care and education. Students participate in parasite worming projects, primary care clinics, food distribution, and other service projects in the bateyes. Since the Project s inception, over 170 students and eight faculty members have worked in the bateyes providing health education and promotion programs as well as primary care. Objective 5: A Global Public Health seminar series will be developed. The Center for Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, will sponsor a seminar series (six seminars per year) featuring prominent, national and international speakers. The series will be targeted to Rutgers faculty, staff, and students. Objective 6: Collaborations with external organizations will be explored to leverage global health efforts. The Center for Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health is participating in Johnson & Johnson s Global Public Health initiative. Johnson & Johnson is seeking entrepreneurial thinkers/practitioners/expertise across several disciplines to co- design and envision a Global Public Health Cities framework, a high- level initiative that the Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health initiative can apply to its cross- cutting Maternal and Child Health, TB and HIV programs. Page 6 of 6