It has a name!

Even if you've only read a couple of my posts you probably picked up on my fascination with social media and technology and how they can be integrated into public health and medicine.

I came across the term doing research for a project for the college's building dedication next week (you should start getting excited about that too). I thought to myself "Public Health 2.0, wonder what that is?" It didn't mean anything to me at the time, but I stored it in my brain for the future.

And then I googled it...and my brain was blown! (Yes, that sentence is colloquial, but it is the best way to describe my reaction.) This is what I'm interested in and it has a name!

The 2.0 in the name refers to the term "Web 2.0." Web 2.0 is not a different internet as the name may appear to suggest. It's a different way of using the internet. The foundation of Web 2.0 is user-generated content and interaction between users. Thus, Public Health 2.0 is the application of Web 2.0 ideas to the field of public health. It means engaging people in public health conversations and action through the use of social media, blogs, and apps.

I wish I could read more about it and bring some brilliant knowledge to you now. But, alas, the end of the semester is nearing and I have homework to do, preparation for the building dedication, and practice for the piccolo concerto I'm performing in May.

Good Reads

It's been a busier semester than I anticipated. It's scary to think how close I am getting to being done with my MPH degree!

Here are a few good reads I have stumbled upon recently and wanted to share with you all.

First, although it is written from the perspective of a physician, I think it is extremely important for any professional who works with obesity or any disease, really. We should always be thinking of the patient's perceptions and experiences.  "Defective" and the closely related "Shame" (by the same author).

From the same author (I'm a bit of a fan)...another great piece on how he talks with patients about confusing statements that come up in the popular media (like, "I can't drink milk, casein causes cancer!" or near and dear to public health "I haven't had a flu shot for 50 years and I'm not dead). Read "Buckle Up"

Feb 13-19

CBH Events
CBH Alumni Series - Monday Feb 13, 4 p.m., 106A CPHB
Obesity Cluster Hire Candidate - Thursday Feb 16, 2:30 p.m., C217 CPHB
Journal Club - Friday Feb 17, 12-1 p.m., S0125 CPHB

CPH Events
MPH Seminar - Tuesday Feb 14, 12-1 p.m., S106 CPHB

University Events
HHP Faculty Candidate "Technology to Change Physical Activity Behavior" - Thursday Feb 16, 10 a.m., Ziffren Conference Room, 1502 JCP

Feb 6-12

A little late on this one, sorry!



CBH Events
Obesity hire candidate presentation - Monday Feb 6, 11 a.m., S030 CPHB



CPH Events
Epi Seminar -Acute Respiratory Infections in Medical Students - Thursday Feb 9, 11:30 a.m., N120 CPHB


University Events
UI Sustainability Summit - Friday February 10th, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., IMU Ball Room. RSVP here

Other Events

Mind the Science Gap

I came across this through the University of Michigan School of Public Health twitter feed. 

This is actually a class aimed at teaching MPH students how to translate complex scientific research into something the general public can read and understand. Each week they write a blog post. Definitely an interesting and extremely important idea.

What's the coolest part of this class? They are graded by the feedback the readers give. 

I've looked at some of the feedback and it's similar to what you might get from your professor on a paper. But it's better than that because it comes from a collection of minds and people with different experiences and points of view.

The website (mindthesciencegap.org) includes the posts as well as pages about the students, the class, and the syllabus.

And if any administrators or professors from the University of Iowa are reading this, might I suggest a new class offering? I might even delay graduation to take it ;)

Jan 30-Feb 5

CPH Events
MPH Seminar - Tuesday Jan 31, 12-1 p.m., S106 CPHB
CPH Open Forum - Friday Feb 3, 3:45-4:30 p.m., N110 CPHB

Health Maps

I love anything that gives me a visual picture. So you can bet that I looooove interactive health maps. Actually I enjoy all maps. But here are some sweet health related maps.

HealthMap.org

Google Flu Trends

Food Desert Locator (also featured on a blog post back in October)

FluNearYou.org

United States of the Environment

Keeping physicians in state

antibiotic prescribing hotspots

And not health related, but probably my favorite of them all:
HowBigReally.com  it takes places, events, and things and puts them over a map of where you live to give a better idea of how big they really are. Maybe you could find a health-related event on here...or you could go to HowManyReally.com and relate the number of people affected by diseases and disasters and plagues to the people in your facebook friends.