University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences

The?University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, in partnership with VOCAL Kentucky is sponsoring a community program focusing on health. RSVP

Faculty, staff, and students will share their research and represent the School of Public Health and Information Sciences during the Kentucky Public Health Association (KPHA) Annual Conference in Louisville, March 26-28, 2025. See the list of presenters: https://bit.ly/4c5lEwF

?? Attention students - one week left to apply to be a SPHIS Student Ambassador for Fall 2025/Spring 2026! Ambassadors will receive a ??500 scholarship at the end of each semester. Apply by March 30, 2025: https://bit.ly/4bVOlvS

David Johnson, PhD, MPH, CPH, Associate Professor in the University of Louisville - Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, was part of a cohort recognized for their commitment to successful teaching innovations. The group, which included Benne Holwerda, PhD, Dept. of Physics, University of Louisville College of Arts & Sciences, Ray Chastain, PhD, UofL College of Business Online, and student Breanna Ausbrooks examined the impacts of flipped classroom design and was recognized by the review committee as an exceptional contribution to teaching innovation. They were recognized at the 2025 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference on February 7.

University of Louisville - Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences Professor Bert Little, Ph.D, FAAAS, FRAI, FRSM, FRSPH, presentation, "Geographic Variation and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in Kentucky Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries: Increased Prevalence T2DM and Co-Morbidities (AMI, Retinopathy) But Decreased Renal Failure Rates from 2010 to 2018," was selected as the "Best Oral Presentation" in the Big Data for Public and Community Health Breakout Session at the 2025 National Big Data Health Science Conference in Colombia, South Carolina. Congratulations!

Irina Kondaurova, doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, co-authored, “Adaptive User Interface With Parallel Neural Networks for Robot Teleoperation,” which was published in IEEE Xplore Robotics and Automation Letters. The research team led by Ardakani Sharafian reported the statistical analysis of the user trial data showed that Parallel Neural Networks Adaptive User Interface improved the human experience in robot teleoperation by maximizing smoothness while maintaining the completion time of the offline learning scheme. Co-authors from the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute and UofL Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering included: Mohamed Hanafy, Ali Ashary, Madan Rayguru, and Dan Popa. https://bit.ly/41tRsr2

Dean Katie Cardarelli is having a great first day at the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Annual Meeting in Arlington, VA. She visited Capitol Hill and met with several of our amazing SPHIS and Louisville Alumni.

Michael Daniels, MS, Biostatistician III, presented his poster, “Clinical Distribution and Impact of Biomarker Triads Consisting of either Quantified HER2 or EGF Receptor with ER and PR Proteins and Expression of Their Cognate Genes,” at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Co-authors included Ari B. Kahn, Kelsey M. Beavers, William Matsui, and James L. Wittliff, and James P. Carson. Daniels also contributed to the article, “Use of Gastric Electrical Stimulation May Predict Hospital Length of Stay in Patients with Gastroparesis Syndromes,” which was recently published in Foregut https://bit.ly/4hO7dz5

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the sudden passing of our esteemed colleague and beloved faculty member, Dr. Riten Mitra. Riten was not only a dedicated educator and researcher but also a compassionate mentor and friend to many. His contributions to the field of biostatistics and to the university were invaluable, and his legacy will continue to inspire us. In honor of Riten's memory, SPHIS will be organizing a memorial service, details of which will be shared soon. Please join us in extending our deepest condolences to Dr. Mitra's family, friends, and all who were touched by his remarkable life. Visitation for Dr. Riten Mitra is scheduled for tomorrow Friday, March 14, 2025, from 9:30 am until 11:00 am at Fern Creek Funeral Home, 5406 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40291.

Director of Development Angela Champion Sprowl, MPA, CFRE, introduces newest member of the SPHIS philanthropy team, Christy Dickerson, assistant director of development. Learn more about Christy: https://bit.ly/3HiM14P