Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment in Rural America

Hosted by
The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine
The University of Iowa's College of Public Health
The University of Iowa's Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

November 29-30, 2004
Iowa City, IA

Draft Agenda of Invited Speakers

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2004

8:30 a.m.       Welcome Charge to Speakers and Participants

James Merchant, M.D., Dean School of Public Health, University of Iowa

8:40 a.m.  What is Environmental Health?

Donald Mattison, M.D., Roundtable Member, Senior Advisor to the Directors of NICHD and CRMC, National Institutes of Health

 9:10 a.m.   Environmental Health in Rural America

Peter Thorne, Ph.D., Director, Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, University of Iowa

9:40 a.m.  The Farm Bill and Environmental Health

Ellen Huntoon, Senator Harkin's Office

10:15 a.m.   Break

The Social Environment in Rural America

Moderator:  Joan Blundall, Director of Community-Based Initiatives, Higher Plain, Inc.

10:30 a.m. Future of Family Farms

Neil Harl, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture
Iowa State University

11:00 a.m.   From Young to Old, Immigrants to Long Time Residents: How Demographics Are Shaping Rural America

Sandra Charvat Burke, Research Scientist, Community Vitality Center, Iowa State University

11:30 a.m.   General Discussion

12:00 p.m.    Lunch (provided)

1:00 p.m.      Latino Communities: Language, Culture, and Health

John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, Administrator, Iowa Division of Latino Affairs

1:30 p.m.   Rural Infrastructure: Environmental Health and Beyond

Mary Wakefield, Director, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

2:00 p.m.   Rural Mental Health: From Domestic Violence to Suicide

CeCe Arnold, Mental Health Director, Ligutti Rural Community Support Program, National Catholic Rural Life Conference

2:30 p.m.  General Discussion

3:00 p.m.    Networking

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2004

8:30 a.m.                       Welcome Back

James Merchant, Roundtable Member, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Iowa

The Role of the Natural Environment

Moderator:  David Osterberg, Associate Professor, University of Iowa College of Public Health

8:50 a.m.  Farming Practices: From Soil Erosion to Pesticides

Mark Ritchie, President, Institute of Agricultural and Trade Policy

9:20 a.m.   Water and Air Quality: Challenges for Environmental Health

Jerald Schnoor, Allen S. Henry Chair of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iowa

9:50 a.m.   Ecological Footprint of Iowa Row Crop Agriculture

 Ricardo Salvador, Professor, Iowa State University

10:20 a.m.   Break

10:40 a.m.     Energy Technology: Evolving Technologies for Improving Health

Erroll Davis, Chairman and CEO, Alliant Energy

11:10 a.m.  Renewable Electricity: America's New Cash Crop

Michael Noble, Executive Director, Minnesotans for Energy Efficient Economy

11:30 a.m. Opportunities for Communities: Nebraska Environmental Partnerships

Jackie Stumpff, Coordinator, Nebraska Environmental Partnerships Program, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

11:50 a.m.  General Discussion

12:20 p.m.  Lunch

The Built Environment and Health

Moderator:  Robert Mulqueen, Iowa Evironmental Council

1:20 p.m.  Urban Encroachment into Rural Areas

Bernard Goldstein, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh

1:50 p.m.   From Abandoned Buildings to Occupied Housing; What are the Environmental Health Issues?

Rita Gergely, Chief, Lead Poisoning Prevention Bureau, Iowa Department of Public Health

2:10 p.m.    Opportunities for Rural Health:  Bike Trails, Exercise, and the Built Environment

John Lowe, Professor and Head, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health

2:40 p.m.  Investigation of Environmental Exposures and Chronic Disease in Rural Communities: The Agricultural Health Study

Jane Hoppin, Environmental Epidemiologist, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health

3:10 p.m.    General Discussion

3:40 p.m.   Summation

James Merchant, Roundtable Member, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Iowa

4:00 p.m.   Adjourn