GIJS VAN SEVENTER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR SERIES: Modern Food Systems, the Environment and Human Health
Why Food Is Not Enough: Environmental Enteropathy, Mycotoxins, the Gut Microbiome, and Malnutrition
Speaker: Jeffrey K. Griffiths MD MPH&TM
Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
Director of Feed the Future Nutrition Innovation Laboratory- Africa
February 27, 2015
12:45 – 1:45 PM
BUSM Room L112
Summary:
Stunting, wasting, and conditions such as anemia remain powerful brakes on human potential. Historically, the global response to under-nutrition has the improvement of caloric, vitamin, and micronutrient intake. While the provision of an adequate and diverse diet is still a critical element to eliminating malnutrition, we now understand that environmentally-mediated conditions – poor water and sanitation, mycotoxin contamination of foods, and harmful gut microbiomes – limit the capacity of food-based approaches to “solve” undernutrition. This talk will contextualize these conditions – what is known, what is not – and how they interact with disease such as malaria. Attendees will leave with an appreciation of how conditions such as enteric enteropathy (also called acquired environmental enteric dysfunction); dysfunctional perturbations of the gut microbiome; and aflatoxin (a mycotoxin) exposure affect human nutrition and health. They will also have greater insight into the major evidence gaps, research needs, and policy opportunities that exist.
Jeffrey K. Griffiths MD MPH&TM has worked at the intersection of health and nutrition for 30 years. Current projects are based in Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Malawi. He has also worked in Haiti, Bangladesh, and Ecuador. He is a Professor of Public Health and of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, and holds adjunct appointments at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering, and in Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. By training he is a pediatrician, internist, and infectious diseases physician with expertise in infectious diseases and the influence of the environment on health. For many years Dr. Griffiths has been involved in US water policy and has thrice testified before the US Senate. He is the immediate past Chair of the Drinking Water Committee of the US EPA’s Science Advisory Board, and was a founding member of the interdisciplinary Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) program at Tufts University.
Health Research Analysts needed at Mathematica Policy Research
Mathematica Policy Research (MPR), a social policy and research firm headquartered in Princeton, NJ continues to have great employment opportunities. We are interested in recruiting spring 2015 graduate students from your school for our Health Policy Analyst position open in our Princeton, NJ; Washington, DC; Cambridge, MA; Oakland, CA; Ann Arbor, MI locations.
Below is a brief overview of the position, but I have also attached the job notice which details the position further (a direct URL to apply online is included). Please review and distribute to your students accordingly. We will be reviewing applications in the upcoming weeks, so please encourage any students that are interested in the position to apply by the end of this month, but we’ll be reviewing resumes into early spring.
As a health analyst, you would join our staff of approximately 90 health research professionals, which includes doctoral level (Ph.D., D.Sc., or Dr.P.H.) and physician researchers in the fields of public health, public policy, behavioral or social sciences, and economics, as well as MPH and other master's-level analysts. We offer our employees a stimulating team-oriented work environment, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits package, as well as the advantages of employee ownership.
Health Analysts participate in key project activities including:
- Conducting site visits to assess the operations and costs of state, federal, and local health care programs
- Conducting literature reviews
- Performing quantitative analyses with large databases to determine program outcomes or conduct policy simulations
- Writing chapters of analytic reports and proposals for new projects
- Track financial progress of projects using Excel; prepare reports for monthly project reviews; assist with budget revisions and contract proposals
Qualifications of successful candidates include:
- MA in public policy, public health, economics, statistics, or a related field, or equivalent experience in a clinical field
- Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods
- Working knowledge of current policy issues in one or more of the following areas: managed care, public health infrastructure, state health policy, health care reimbursement issues, mental health/substance abuse, maternal and child health, disability, long-term care, or other relevant areas
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Work experience with state or federal government, a foundation, a policy research organization, or a health care program is desirable
Full Job Description and application information: HEALTH_RESEARCH_ANALYST-2015
BUSPH Annual Career Fair, February 26th from 2-6pm
The BUSPH Annual Career Fair will be held this year on Feb. 26th from 2-6 PM in the Hiebert Lounge. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet employers from a wide range of public health organizations showcasing various practicum and regular positions.
RSVP today: Log into CareerLink, then go to events --> information sessions--> select Career Fair, click "RSVP"
Please dress professionally for the event, and bring copies of your résumé.
2nd Annual Fletcher School Africana Conference: Africa on the Global Stage
We believe that context matters.
The Fletcher Africana Conference is an annual gathering of students, professionals, policymakers and academia at The Fletcher School, Tufts University in Boston (USA). It is organized by the Fletcher Africana Club, a group of graduate students with keen interest and work experience in the African continent.
We aim to provide a forum that creates contextual understanding of African issues through debate and discussion.
This is possible only if we examine questions of socioeconomic and political significance through the multiple lenses of development, business, politics, security, and science and technology. Therefore, the Africana Club strives to engage thought leaders from different sections of society and bring them together in ways that create an understanding of the various forces at play.
In March 2014, we organized the inaugural conference called Africa Beyond the Headlines, which focused on intertwining issues in security and development on the continent. In October 2012, The Fletcher School held a conference called Africa’s Turn that strove to make sense of the gap between the promise and on-ground realities of Africa’s economic potential.
This academic year, we have hosted a series of events on health, human security, economic development and inclusive growth in Africa: Ebola: Mutations, Markets and the Military; Inclusive Growth: Ensuring Prosperity Reaches Africa’s Bottom of the Pyramid; and Entrepreneurship and Business in Emerging Markets: The Obusai, Ghana Gold Mine. Additionally, The Fletcher School has a strong interest in African affairs, as exemplified through events this year such as Transforming Smallholder Farming in Africa; View From the Ground: International Criminal Law, Transitional Justice and Survivor Advocacy in Rwanda; The Golden Hour: Africa’s Rise and the Challenge of American Diplomacy; and a panel discussion on private sector internships in sub-Saharan Africa.
We invite you to join us.
The 2nd Fletcher Africana Conference will focus on reconciling the dichotomies that exist in 21st century Africa: technological innovation alongside forces of friction like infrastructural and regulatory gaps; economic growth alongside unemployment and lack of inclusive growth; improvements in health and well-being indicators alongside health crises and increased human insecurity; increased foreign direct investment alongside unclear risk management strategies.
For more information please contact florence.young_aragbaiye@tufts.edu or manisha.basnet@tufts.edu
