Texas A&M Celebrates National Public Health Week 2019

National Public Health week at Texas A&M begins April 1 with a week of engaging events, conversations and celebrations.

Kick Off and Photo Contest

National Public Health week will kick off with multiple events beginning at 10 a.m., Monday, April 1, when College Station Mayor Karl Mooney will read and present a signed mayoral proclamation to Interim Dean John August in the lobby of the school’s administration building declaring National Public Health Week in the Brazos Valley. The winners of the “This is Public Health” photo contest will be announced, followed by a reception to welcome Santos Navarrette, Jr., the new Brazos County Health Department director.

World Fit Walk

At 10:30 a.m. Brigadier General Joe Ramirez, commandant of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, and Texas A&M mascot Reveille will kick off the World Fit Walkevent. The school is supporting this six-week campaign designed to motivate and encourage youth to increase their physical activity. Individuals can choose to track their physical activity online and engage in the global effort to inspire elementary and middle school youth to stay active. Each week for six weeks participants will meet at the School of Public Health to walk a mile. At the event Monday, General Ramirez will also discuss “Mission Readiness,” a national security organization that advocates for smart investments to help our young people grow up “citizen ready”—prepared to succeed academically and stay physically fit.

Blood Drive, “What is Public Health” Wall and Research Poster Student Showcase

On Tuesday, April 2, the school will host a blood drive at the Texas A&M Rec Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, in Rudder Plaza from 11 a.m to 2 p.m., there will be a “What is Public Health?” wall where students can write their thoughts. Representatives from the school will be on hand to answer questions. Later in the day, the Research Poster Student Showcase will be on display for public viewing in the school’s classroom building. Beginning at 4:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3, students will be available to discuss their research findings and answer questions. Light refreshments will be served both days. Research posters will be displayed the entire week for viewing.

Public Health Bash

Wednesday, April 3, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., the school is hosting a Public Health Bash for all current Texas A&M University students. Students will enjoy free food, music and hear about the latest innovations in public health, highlighting environmental and occupational health technologies.

“Take Back the Night”

Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. in Rudder Plaza, the Texas A&M Health Promotion Program, “Take Back the Night,” is an event focusing on stopping the silence and ending the violence of sexual assaults.

Panel Discussion: “Re-thinking Plastic: In products, our oceans and our bodies”

On Friday, April 5, from 10:30  to 11:30 a.m. at Rudder Forum, a panel discussion will be held on “Re-thinking Plastic: In products, our oceans and our bodies,” with keynote speaker Christine Figgener, a Texas A&M doctoral candidate , who in 2015 filmed the viral video of her research crew dislodging a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nose. She was recognized by Time magazine as a 2018 Next Generation Leader for helping to galvanize a global movement that resulted in companies eliminating the use of plastic straws from their daily operations. The panel will include Natalie Johnson, PhD, from the School of Public Health, Pamela Plotkin, PhD, director of Texas Sea Grant, and Jon Strassner, vice president at Humanscale.

Research Poster Competition and First Friday

Following the presentation, at 12:30 p.m., Associate Dean of Research Tiffany Radcliff, PhD, and Interim Dean John August will announce the winners of the student research poster competition. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the school and the Brazos County Health Department will be at First Friday in Downtown Bryan explaining the services they both provide. This event will include promotional materials and door prizes.

Run of Heroes 5K

The week’s festivities will conclude on Saturday, April 6, with members of the School of Public Health joining the Corps of Cadets’ Run of Heroes 5K at 8:30 a.m. in the Quad on Texas A&M Main Campus.