#UMNMCH student Mary Kate Leloux (she/her) (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how her deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health PRAMS Project and passion for communities has developed her interest in representative public health data. Path to the UMN MPH in MCH Program With undergraduate studies in biology and sociology, I was often asked […]
Tag: Data
Resource: MN Public Health Data Access Portal
Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Data Portal allows you to sort data by category, topic, and region so that you can “explore comprehensive, integrated population health and environmental data.” You can also receive data updates and request consultation to get help on your next project, schedule a demonstration or training, and learn how to use public […]
STIs at a Peak in Minnesota
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on a rise in Minnesota. From 2010 to 2011, there was an 8% increase in bacterial-related cases. Chlamydia, for example, has more than doubled from its dip seen in 1996. This data—from Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) 2011 Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Statistics Report—includes information on Minnesota’s most commonly reported […]
2012 SPH Research Day
On April 2, 2012, students from the University of Minnesota (UMN) were given the chance to present research they have been working on, bridging their training with producing and presenting original work. School of Public Health Student Research Day includes Master’s thesis and other projects students may have worked on throughout their career. Research Day […]
Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait
The March of Dimes has initiated a new project called Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait (HBWW). This public health campaign strives to prevent factors related to preterm birth, including social, medical and biological influences. Children born prematurely are more likely to have vision and hearing problems, lasting physical and mental disabilities, and learning delays […]
MCH Student Annie Fedorowicz on her first Professional Presentation
A hundred different thoughts were racing through my head as I waited to give my first professional presentation at the 2nd annual Making Lifelong Connections meeting… Will I remember to take a breath and slow down? How do I connect with the audience? I have to remember not to read the slides and just tell […]
Local Highlight: Reported Kids Concussions on the Rise
Concussions are a form of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, and are on the rise in Minnesotan children. Symptoms can range from mild (e.g. headaches) to severe (e.g. mood changes, blurry vision, slowness in acting) and may not appear until days or weeks after an injury. The Star Tribune reports that from 2000 to 2008, the […]
New Research on Birth Spacing and Child Maltreatment
In connection to yesterday’s blog for increased visibility of child abuse in the U.S., newly published research in the Maternal and Child Health Journal assessing the relationship between birth spacing and child maltreatment may broaden our understanding of how to combat the problem. Rationale: An objective of Health People 2020 states that births should be […]
Health Disparities and Children in Rural Areas
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released a report on U.S. rural children and their health, called The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2007. Compared to urban areas, children living in rural locations are more likely to face adverse health outcomes. The study uses parental responses from […]
Ad Council takes on Unintended Pregnancies
Today CNN covered an opinion piece from Laura Sessions Stepp, a Pulitzer Prize journalist and former Washington Post reporter, on young adults and contraception. The Ad Council has accepted a proposal from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to run a series of ads targeting adults in their 20’s to use birth […]
More data, please! Ezra Klein on the investment deficit (and why numbers matter)
A column by Ezra Klein in last week’s Washington Post should provide some comfort to recent (and soon-to-be!) graduates of public health programs around the country. The bad news first: along with the staggering federal budget deficit, Americans face an investment deficit that will have repercussions for decades. Americans need to invest more money into […]
Becoming a data detective: some advice from David McCandless
Looking for the perfect gift for the epidemiologist in your life? Self-described “data journalist” David McCandless hopes you’ll consider his book, “The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World’s Most Consequential Trivia,” now available in stores. Based on data he’s gathered from varied sources as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the European Environment […]