Boston Honors BUSPH Students, Practice Office for H1N1 Prevention Efforts
The Public Health Practice Office and students of Boston University School of Public Health recently got a special nod for their help in Boston’s 2009-2010 H1N1 flu prevention and vaccination campaign.
At a special event held June 30 at City Hall, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Commissioner of the Boston Public Health Commission Barbara Ferrer presented Harold Cox, associate dean for public health practice and associate professor of community health sciences at BUSPH, with a certificate of appreciation for the School’s contributions to the local H1N1 response efforts.
At the height of the H1N1 outbreak, Cox put out a call to students via video message encouraging them to put their public health skills to work and support the local flu prevention campaign.
A number of BUSPH students responded and signed on as volunteers with the Boston Public Health Commission. Working in the Infectious Disease Bureau, they reviewed H1N1 records, provided data analysis and conducted case follow-ups, interviewing city residents who were affected by the H1N1 flu.
“In particular, the students were instrumental in helping us very quickly identify challenges that residents in certain areas of the city were having in obtaining liquid Tamiflu,” said Maia BrodyField, BPHC chief of staff. “We were then able to work with the state to make those resources more available.”
Honorees at the event included key players in Boston’s response to the H1N1 outbreak, including representatives from community health centers, hospitals, businesses, the Boston Medical Reserve Corps and other agencies. Cox said it was great for the work of BUSPH students to be acknowledged alongside them all.
“Our students did a great job working on an important health issue for the city. It was very nice for them to be recognized,” he said.
“They did a wonderful job and I’m very proud of them.”
Submitted by Michelle Salzman, msalzman@bu.edu