Health Science Education E-News
Growing Montana's Healthcare Workforce
In This Issue
In-A-Box Curriculum
Great Hospital Adventure
Website of the Month
Useful Links
Grant for Childhood Obesity
Career Spotlight: Epidemiologist
AHEC Basics
Quick Links
 
Join Our List
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Issue: # 18September/2010
 
 Connecting Students to Health Careers
 
Back to School
Greetings!

Welcome Back! 
 
Well, it is official...the 2010-2011 school year has arrived! We hope you had an enjoyable summer break and are excited about a new school year!
 
Check-out this newsletter for all kinds of resources and information about how the AHECs can help you in your educational endeavors. We have many programs available at NO COST to you!
 
We look forward to another successful year!
In-A-Box Curriculum Series
 
FREE Resource for Educators!
 
Brain In-a-BoxFive Health Science "Curriculum-In-A-Box" have been purchased by the AHECs to be loaned out to grades 4 - 8 educators who are interested in teaching their students about the following: ear, eyes, guts, bones and muscles, and brain. This video explains the contents of the brain box. Any teacher or school interested in obtaining a box on loan can contact their regional AHEC office.
 
These are great resources to integrate into the classroom!
 
Visit www.inaboxcurriculum.net for more information.
Great Hospital Adventure
 
Another FREE Resource for Educators!
 
GHA puppetsThe AHECs across the state are again offering the Great Hospital Adventure puppet presentations to grades K-3. Students learn about health care careers and healthy behaviors during this entertaining 30-45 minute classroom presentation.  This program includes the Great Hospital Adventure video, a puppet role-playing demonstration, a group discussion, and a coloring book, which promotes awareness about careers in health care, as well as healthy behaviors.
 
For more information, contact your regional AHEC office. 
Website of the Month
Unnatural Causes
 
This site offers resources to help educators and students explore health equity and deepen an understanding of series concepts. These lesson plans, syllabi, facilitation guides and online courses draw on the UNNATURAL CAUSES series. 
 
Other Useful Links
 
Attention Helena Teachers! Have you heard about the Helena Education Foundation? It is a great resource for educators that provides funding for experiences out-side the classroom. Check it out here!
 
Did you know...All past editions of this e-newsletter are available on-line? Just visit our archive site. Enjoy!
 
Scholarship Opportunity for 1st generation college-bound students! Check out the criteria at Laymon Hicks Scholarship
Grant Available
 Calling all HEROES!
"UnitedHealth HEROES" grants support local programs that engage children as learners and leaders of healthy habits. Community-focused, service-learning initiative by UnitedHealth Group and Youth Service America expanded to all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
 
Children and youth across the country have the opportunity to become "Health Heroes" by learning about childhood obesity, designing programs to address it and implementing the programs in their communities.
 
Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to programs that demonstrate a clear understanding of the health risks associated with childhood obesity; propose creative solutions to fighting obesity in their schools and communities; and can be easily implemented, scaled and measured.  In addition, each grant also engages participating youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that supports student academic achievement, and helps students develop their workplace readiness skills.
 
To obtain an application, visit www.YSA.org/HEROES. The website also contains more information about the program as well as "First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Leaning," a step-by-step manual that helps youth, parents, teachers and other volunteers deploy YSA service-learning models to fight childhood obesity in their communities.
 
Applications must be submitted online before midnight, Oct. 22, 2010.  Grant recipients will be notified in December and January.
Career Spotlight: Epidemiologists

EpidemiologyIn the wake of recent man-made and natural disasters, the US is placing a high priority on building up the nation's public health workforce.  Since 2002, Federal funding has increased for public health preparedness, including scholarship and loan repayment programs, workforce development grants, and funding for bioterrorism preparedness. What does this mean for you?  It means that with a degree in public health, you'll be in high demand - and on a career path filled with advancement opportunities.

When food poisoning or an influenza outbreak attacks a community, the "disease detectives" or epidemiologists are asked to investigate the cause of disease and control its spread. Epidemiologists do fieldwork to determine what causes disease or injury, what the risks are, who is at risk, and how to prevent further incidences. They understand the demographic and social trends upon disease and injury. The initial discovery and containment of an outbreak, such as avian flu or mad cow disease, often comes from epidemiologists. Epidemiology is the study and control of disease or injury patterns in human populations. Professionals in this field use statistical analysis, but their approach and methods are distinctly different than what biostaticians use. 
 
Epidemiologists must take into account various hereditary, behavioral, environmental, and health care factors; they also must make extensive use of the contributions of biological, clinical, and other sciences including techniques derived in biochemistry and molecular biology.
 
To help people understand just how important public health is in terms of emergency response, the University of Minnesota recently created an interactive online game called "Outbreak at Watersedge."   
 
In Montana, a Public Health degree is offered at The University of Montana in Missoula.  
 
AHEC - The Basics
 
This E-News is being sent to you by the Montana Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in order to open a dialogue among educators about Health Science Education for K-12 students of Montana. Through this newsletter we intend to:
 
1) build a shared resource of activities, materials, and lesson plans to draw on in teaching the health sciences 
 
2) highlight the cross-curriculum nature of the health sciences 
 
3) build an interest in and awareness of health career paths for students in the state of Montana
 
Please contact us with your comments, ideas, questions or projects you'd like to see highlighted in future issues of this e-newsletter. And thank you for the work you do every day to inspire and support Montana kids!
Montana AHEC
Sincerely,
 

Montana AHECs (Area Health Education Centers)