On November 3, 2017, the public health intervention teams headed back to Villalba, PR. Since our first visit, the community expressed the need of psychological and clinical help. This time the Wellness and psychological teams joined us in this journey. After we arrived at the Emergency Management Center at Villalba the teams split into two groups. One of the teams went to Apeaderos and the other team to Cubones.
In this review, we will talk about our experience in Apeaderos. The Municipality of Villalba provided us with transportation to the site, it was a difficult road with various landslides. As soon as the team arrived at the communal center, we started the setup of the clinic. Medical doctors, nurses, social workers and psychology residents came with us this time. As soon as the community saw us arrived, they started coming to the center, but there were people that were difficult to reach. The public health team along with the community leader went house by house providing public health preventive measures and inviting them to join us at the communal center. As we started walking through the community, we were amazed of the many hidden houses that where not visible from the road. People received us with a lot of hospitality and gratitude. During our walks and with the help of the community leader we identified a couple of persons that were going to have difficulty reaching the clinic. One of those visits was to a small house, nearby the river, to reach the house we had to go down a hill, with a dirt road full of rocks. In that house, we met Don Pablo, a man with very limited eyesight, as we spoke to him, we knew it was going to be very difficult for him to get to the clinic. We told him that we were going to visit him back in the afternoon. We went back to the communal center and provided the intervention to the people in the clinic. After the teams finished with all participants, the teams went to visit a few families with people in need of care and we went back to visit Don Pablo. He was ready for us when we got back, he was very excited to talk to us. Dr. Rodriguez, the rest of team Wellness and psychology also went to visit him. This integration of Programs from PHSU provided this community with all components of health. Each participant received medicines, food, first need articles and the empowerment to help prevent further diseases and to spread their knowledge in their community.
Through April 1st to April 5th, the PHP celebrated Public Health Week with the theme Creating The Healthiest Nation: For Science, For Actions, For Health. Educational interventions on high schools in the south of Puerto Rico and in the Ponce Health Sciences University were carried out in order to promote the prevention of cancer amongst young people and adolescents in Puerto Rico. During the week, the PHP had three guest speakers: Dr. Anna Di Marico, Colonel Florencio Polanco De Jesús, and Dr. Johnny Rullán. The Public Health Week ended with a clinical health fair and community service, which included vaccinations, mammography, an HIV test, a high blood pressure test and glucose test, Zumba class, and an educational conference about “Differences between bioequivalent and generic medicines” and “Highway Safety”.
On May 29th, the PHP celebrated its first Emblem Ceremony. During the ceremony, MPH and DrPH alumni received our program’s emblem which symbolizes the completion of their educational requirements. The emblem of the PHP is the whistle and it was chosen because:
“The sound of the whistle represents alertness. The health professional is always alert to the need or problem that affects the population”
Meaning of the color
MPH graduates: The color silver means dynamism and speed. Health professionals must act before, during and after an event with dynamism and promptness.
DrPH graduates: The color gold means does not lose its value and has remains over time as a symbol of the Epidemiologist’s actions and interventions endure over time.
On May 15 2019, the PHP Career & Program Promotion Service Office celebrated its second Job Fair and Careers. During the activity we had the presence of five (5) agencies and the participation of 26 students of the Public Health Program.
Job Fair 2018
It was held on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. We have the assistance of 97 students, alumni’s and visitors.
La ayuda también dará continuidad al Programa de Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI)
El Instituto de Salud de Minorías y Disparidades de Salud (NIMHD) de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud (NIH) anunciaron la renovación del Programa Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) en Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU). Esto mediante la otorgación de una subvención de 22 millones de dólares por cinco años adicionales.
Durante los pasados 33 años, el financiamiento a través del Programa de RCMI en PHSU ha sido fundamental en el establecimiento y desarrollo de una infraestructura de avanzada para proseguir investigación científica en las áreas básicas, clínicas y en las ciencias del comportamiento humano. El RCMI ha sido una pieza clave en la transformación de PHSU de una institución esencialmente de enseñanza graduada, a un centro vigoroso de investigación científica. La contribución del Programa ha ayudado a la facultad de PHSU en aumentar el número y la calidad de publicaciones en revistas científicas indexadas de alto prestigio y presentaciones en foros de alta visibilidad tanto a nivel local, nacional, e internacional. Esto, a su vez, ha repercutido en posicionar a la institución a un nivel de competitividad que le ha permitido recibir múltiples subvenciones para investigación y adiestramiento de nuevos científicos biomédicos.
Lideres del Programa RCMI en Ponce Research Institute (PRI)
“Nos sentimos sumamente honrados en que nuestro Programa de RCMI haya sido renovado. Ciertamente, en un panorama actual de tanta competitividad para recibir fondos federales dirigidos a la investigación científica, este éxito constituye una clara evidencia del compromiso incondicional de nuestra facultad y de la calidad del trabajo que ellos realizan día a día. La renovación del Programa nos permitirá establecer un Centro Especializado en Disparidades de Salud en la zona sur de Puerto Rico. Este Centro tiene como propósito principal el promover investigación traslacional (la que lleva los resultados de investigación directamente a la atención médico/paciente) de calidad con un énfasis particular en el área de disparidades de salud a nivel local e internacional”, expresó el Dr. Jose A. Torres-Ruiz, Rector de PHSU e Investigador Principal del Programa.
El Dr. Richard Noel, coinvestigador principal del Programa RCMI expresó que, “Este apoyo financiero es instrumental en nuestros esfuerzos de continuarinvestigando sobre enfermedades que afectan la población de Puerto Rico de forma desproporcionada. Mantener una infraestructura de vanguardia y el fortalecer alianzas con la comunidad son estrategias claves que se impulsarán desde el Centro”.
La propuesta desarrollada del Centro Especializado en Disparidades de Salud “es uno muy relevante a Puerto Rico”, expresó el Dr. Torres-Ruíz, quien explicó que el término “disparidades de salud” es utilizado para referirse a cualquier diferencia prevenible en la salud en poblaciones vulnerables en cuanto a la distribución de ciertas enfermedades, causas de muerte, factores de riesgo, y otros aspectos relacionados a la salud. “Debido a que somos una población predominantemente hispana que reside en una isla, tenemos una mayor carga de algunas condiciones como el cáncer, la diabetes, condiciones neurológicas, entre otras”, expresó el Dr. Torres-Ruíz.
Por su parte la Dra. Kenira Thompson, presidenta de Ponce Research Institute y vice presidenta de investigación en PHSU mencionó que, “Nos sentimos muy orgullosos de nuestro equipo de investigadores que se han unido para conceptualizar e implantar el Centro Especializado en Disparidades de Salud en PHSU. Con este auspicio financiero, continuaremos con nuestrocompromiso incondicional de trabajar firmemente en resolver los retos más apremiantes que impactan la salud de la comunidad hispana”.
Sobre el Centro Especializado en Disparidades de Salud
El Centro Especializado en Disparidades de Salud integrará el peritaje y experiencia de más de 15 facultativos asociados a los diferentes programas académicos de PHSU, además de un número significativo de estudiantes graduados y de personal de apoyo. Este grupo de profesionales contribuirá al mandato nacional de establecer estrategias para prevenir o reducir las incidencias de disparidades en la salud de la sociedad, y de forma muy particular en comunidades desventajadas.
Este Centro propone ofrecer una variedad de servicios y actividades científicas incluyendo el establecimiento de modernas instalaciones físicas y tecnologías impactando la evolución de los proyectos científicos. La implementación de estrategias novedosas va dirigida a cultivar la facultad joven y convertirlos en investigadores altamente competentes para aumentar y mejorar la fuerza laboral en las áreas de prioridad del Centro. Esta infraestructura innovadora del Centro permite promover estudios competitivos que toman en consideración los sectores más vulnerables de la comunidad en relación con el tema de las disparidades de salud que presentan.
El Centro, además, apoyará la implantación de tres proyectos científicos de alto calibre que han sido diseñados para entender de forma más amplia las problemáticas en disparidades de salud en la adicción de sustancias, el efecto de estrés en la proliferación del cáncer, y sobre las consecuencias neurológicas de pacientes pediátricos que fueron expuestos a la infección de ZIKA durante el embarazo. Los resultados que emanen de estos estudios auspiciados por el Centro Especializado de Disparidades de Salud propiciarán información clave para comprender y responder de manera más contundente a los factores que contribuyen a las disparidades en la salud que afectan predominantemente la comunidad puertorriqueña.
Doris Andújar, Administradora del Proyecto RCMI, Kenira Thompson, Presidenta de PRI, Dr. José A. Torres-Ruiz, Rector de PHSU e Investigador Principal del Proyecto RCMI, Dr. Richard Noel, Investigador Principal del Proyecto RCMI
Se informó que este centro será administrado por el Dr. Jose A. Torres Ruiz, rector de la institución, y por el Dr. Richard Noel, director del Departamento de Ciencias Básicas de PHSU. Los doctores Torres Ruiz y Noel fungirán como investigador principal de contacto y coinvestigador principal, respectivamente.
Para más información sobre el programa RCMI y el propuesto Centro de Disparidades de Salud las personas interesadas pueden escribir a: jtorres@psm.edu,
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Today we reflect on the past two years as it is the Anniversary of Hurricane María. During the day, please take some time to remember, as well as how we came together as a community to help rebuild our campus and southcentral Puerto Rico, as well as honor the memory of all of those who lost their lives in the aftermath.
As part of our ongoing work to establish a more robust research enterprise, I am proud and excited to announce that the NIH has awarded PRI $4.4M to restore our main Research Building (Building F). This is a wonderful testament to the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of our team!! This grant was submitted during the Christmas break in 2018, and required high-level coordination with multiple stakeholders with a very tight deadline/timeline. The grant will allow for an interior remodel of our research labs, as well as the implementation of full off-the grid solar power, and fixed storm window shutters in order to maximize the resiliency of our facility.
We have a two-year timeline for this renovation, so the Project Management Team will soon be contacting all researchers that may be impacted by the project, in order to coordinate activities to maximize productivity as well as mitigate potential interruptions to research activities. We look forward to working with all of you as we proceed with this much-awaited and needed facelift to our research building.
Thanks for your continued efforts towards the growth and expansion of research at our institution. I am proud of what you do!
MPH graduates: The color silver means dynamism and speed. Health professionals must act before, during and after an event with dynamism and promptness.
DrPH graduates: The color gold means does not lose its value and has remains over time as a symbol of the Epidemiologist’s actions and interventions endure over time.
