What is National Public Health Week?
UC Merced National Public Health Week is an awareness week from April 3-9, 2023 hosted by the undergraduate student organization Public Health Society in partnership with the University of California, Merced and the American Public Health Association. Overall, this week is geared towards undergraduate student exploration of the field of public health through tabling activities, community service opportunities, virtual infographics, and more. To finish off the week, the Rural Health Research Symposium will be an opportunity to present health-related research at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty level, and we would love to invite the rest of the UC Merced campus to join us to celebrate this awareness week.
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Centering & Celebrating Cultures in Health
Each day of the week, the American Public Health Association has selected a specific public health topic to highlight. On behalf of UC Merced, the Public Health Society will be hosting events and collaborating with various on-campus departments. We welcome everyone to join us - undergrads, grad students, staff, and faculty at UC Merced!
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April
3-7
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Week-Long Events |
"Fill the Pantry" Food DriveHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Basic Needs Monday, April 3rd at 9AM to Friday, April 7th at 5PM Since the availability of food and nutrition within a community is essential in encouraging a healthy growing population, Public Health Society will be collaborating with Basic Needs to organize a Food Drive for those in need.The Food Drive will be open from Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM, and all donated items will be given to the Bobcat Pantry and Merced County Food Bank. Please make sure that all donated foods are non-perishable, such as dry pasta, rice, and canned foods. Confirmed Food Drive Locations
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April
3
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Day 1: Community |
CommUNITY Table TalksHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Community Engagement Center Monday, April 3rd from 10AM-2PM, Scholars Lane Join us for the kickoff of UC Merced National Public Health Week, with the first day centered around community. Brought to you by the Public Health Society in collaboration with the Community Engagement Center, this will be a tabling event for on and off-campus clubs/organizations and departments to engage with students in small activities that reflect the concept of community and health. Click the button below to sign-up!
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"Fill the Pantry" Food Drive: LaunchHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Basic Needs Monday, April 3rd at 9AM Since the availability of food and nutrition within a community is essential in encouraging a healthy growing population, Public Health Society will be collaborating with Basic Needs to organize a Food Drive for those in need.The Food Drive will be open from Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM, and all donated items will be given to the Bobcat Pantry and Merced County Food Bank. Please make sure that all donated foods are non-perishable, such as dry pasta, rice, and canned foods. Confirmed Food Drive Locations
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April
4
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Day 2: Violence Prevention |
The Power of Prevention: Creating a Culture of SafetyHosted by Public Health Society & the UC Merced CARE Office Tuesday, April 4th from 12-2PM at Granite Pass 155 Brought to you by the Public Health Society in collaboration with the CARE office, this will be an informative presentation to engage with students in a game of jeopardy all of which reflect the concept of violence prevention. |
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Author-Meets-Reader: Medical Legal Violence by Meredith Van NattaHosted by the Migration Matters Lab Tuesday, April 4th from 3-4:30PM at COB2 392 Panelists: Meredith Van Natta (author-Sociology), Stephanie Canizales (discussant-Sociology), Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young (discussant-Public Health) In Medical Legal Violence, Meredith Van Natta provides a first-hand account of how Latinx immigrants made life and death decisions with their doctors and other clinic workers before and after the 2016 election. Drawing from rich ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews in three states during the Trump presidency, Van Natta demonstrates how anti-immigrant laws are changing the way Latinx immigrants and their doctors weigh illness and injury against patients’ personal and family security. The book also evaluates the role of safety-net health care workers who have helped noncitizen patients navigate this unstable political landscape despite perceiving a rise in anti-immigrant surveillance in the health care spaces where they work. As anti-immigrant rhetoric intensifies, Medical Legal Violence sheds light on the real consequences of anti-immigrant laws on the health of Latinx noncitizens, and how these laws create a predictable humanitarian disaster in immigrant communities throughout the country and beyond its borders. Van Natta asks how things might be different if we begin to learn from this history rather than continuously repeat it. Please RSVP by filling out the linked Google Form. If you would like to join through Zoom, click HERE. |
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April
5
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Day 3: Reproductive and Sexual Health |
Beyond Birds and Bees: Celebrating Diversity in Sexual & Reproductive HealthHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Social Justice Initiatives and Identity Programs Wednesday, April 5th from 9AM-3PM In partnership with the cultural and Pride resource centers on-campus, the Public Health Society and Social Justice Initiatives & Identity Programs will be hosting mini-activities in each resource center that are based on a sexual and reproductive health topic. Students that visit and complete at least 2 out of the 4 center activities can participate in a raffle to win prizes like reproductive-themed plushies and Owala water bottles. Locations:
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Cross-Campus Meet & Greet and Research Talk about Children's Health in a California Farmworker CommunityHosted by Public Health Society at UC Merced & UC Berkeley's Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program at the School of Public Health Wednesday, April 5th from 1-2:30PM on Zoom (http://tinyurl.com/ucmxleap with password BPHLEAP) UC Berkeley LEAP is proud to introduce a collaboration between UC Berkeley and UC Merced for National Public Health Week — a cross-campus meet-and-greet and a research talk by Dr. Kim Harley about her findings from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS). CHAMACOS, meaning "little children" in Mexican Spanish, is the longest-running longitudinal birth cohort study of pesticides and other environmental exposures among children in a farmworker community. Please join us on Wednesday, April 5th, from 1:10 - 2:30 PM for this virtual event! You will get the chance to connect with other undergraduate public health students from another campus, engage in a research talk from esteemed MCAH faculty, and explore public health research with graduate student researchers, future graduate students, staff, and faculty. Please contact Jennifer Jarin (jjarin@berkeley.edu) for any questions or concerns about the event. If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact leap_program@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event. This event is hosted in collaboration with the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP) Training Program at UC Berkeley and the Public Health Society at UC Merced. |
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Wellness Wednesday with Health PromotionHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Health Promotion Wednesday, April 5th on Instagram Brought to you by Public Health Society and Health Promotion, join in on Instagram for a Wellness Wednesday video to ask students questions about STI testing, what pap smears are, and campus wellness hotspots locations. |
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April
6
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Day 4: Mental Health |
From Stress to Serene: A Workshop to Empower WellnessHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Counseling and Psychological Services Thursday, April 6th from 6-7PM at Glacier 145 Public Health Society is collaborating with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at UC Merced to host a stress management workshop. The UC Merced community will gain knowledge about the key factors of stress and effective coping mechanisms. Additionally, the community will have an opportunity to engage in a relaxing mindful meditation activity facilitated by a CAPS therapist! This event will be taking place during the Public Health Society General Body Meeting time - but our doors are open to all! |
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April
7
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Day 5: Rural Health |
Rural Health Research SymposiumHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center Friday, April 7th from 1-4PM at the California Room In honor of the daily theme of Rural Health, Public Health Society is collaborating with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) to host a Rural Health Research Symposium. We will be featuring researchers working on health-related projects focused in the Central Valley, but we welcome all faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students who are interested in presenting any research relevant to health. Click the button below to RSVP or submit an abstract to become a presenter (abstract submissions are now closed)! Featuring:Keynote Speaker: Vice Chancellor Charles Nies Closing Speaker: Kesia Garibay, Public Health Graduate Student & Founding Member of Public Health Society Schedule of Events:1:00PM Welcome & Keynote Speaker 1:30PM Rural Health Presentations 2:30PM Poster Session 1 3:00PM Poster Session 2 3:30PM Closing Speaker & Thank You RSVP is now closed but feel free to stop by - we are happy to take walk-in guests as long as seats are available. Refreshments will be provided! |
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"Fill the Pantry" Food Drive: EndHosted by Public Health Society & UC Merced Basic Needs Friday, April 7th at 5PM Since the availability of food and nutrition within a community is essential in encouraging a healthy growing population, Public Health Society will be collaborating with Basic Needs to organize a Food Drive for those in need.The Food Drive will be open from Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM, and all donated items will be given to the Bobcat Pantry and Merced County Food Bank. Please make sure that all donated foods are non-perishable, such as dry pasta, rice, and canned foods. Confirmed Food Drive Locations
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April
8
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Day 6: Accessibility |
Amplifying AccessibilityHosted by Public Health Society Saturday, April 8th More information coming soon! This day will feature a virtual infographic on Instagram. |
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April
9
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Day 7: Food & Nutrition |
Budget Bites: Battle of the Home CooksHosted by Public Health Society Sunday, April 9th Watch our cook-off of pantry staples inspired by ingredients donated at our food drive and learn about free / low-cost food resources in Merced. This will be posted on Instagram and YouTube! All food drive donations will be given to the Bobcat Pantry and the Merced County Food Bank - any food used in the video will be purchased by the Public Health Society for the sole purposes of this activity. |
If you're interested in learning more about this week, please see the links below for more information on how YOU can participate!
Brought to you by the Public Health Society at UC Merced.
Click the button to learn more about the undergraduate student organization that brought this event to UC Merced!