1. Activity: Liaison Program, Newark Department of Health and Human Services

2. Project leader: Pauline Thomas, MD, Assistant Professor; Thomasp1@umdnj.edu

3. Mission/Vision:

To provide epidemiologic and surveillance expertise to assist the mission of the Newark Department of Health and Human Services, through direct assistance with on going projects and collaborative research and demonstration projects designed and coordinated with the Newark DHHS Health Officer.

4. Staff and faculty participants:

William Halperin, MD, MPH, DrPH, Professor and Chair;  halperwe@umdnj.edu

Peter Wenger, MD, Associate Professor;  wengerpn@umdnj.edu

Steven Marcus, MD, Professor, Director of NJPIES;  marcussm@umdnj.edu

Marian Passannante, PhD, Associate Professor; passanna@umdnj.edu

Lawrence Budnick, MD, Associate Professor, Director, Occupational Medicine Service; budnicla@umdnj.edu

Nisha Jani, MPH; janini@umdnj.edu

5. Specifics about the activity:

•  Faculty from UMDNJ provides technical and planning assistance to the Newark Health Officer

•  Collaborative projects to improve public health in Newark are designed, and funding is sought, in partnership between the Department of Preventive Medicine / Community Health, and the Newark Health Department.

•  Current activities include:

•  Dr. Wenger serves as City Epidemiologist

•  Attendance by 2 epidemiologists at weekly NDHHS Communicable Disease Surveillance meeting, to provide infectious disease and administrative information and advice

•  Assistance with outbreak investigations, including pre-planning for outbreaks, through design of forms and data base

•  Assistance with Emergency Preparedness

•  Presentations to health department staff, emergency response personnel (e.g., police, fire department personnel, local political officials)

•  Administrative strategies

•  Newark Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) activities

•  Steering Committee

•  Surveillance Committee

•  Monthly meeting with infection control practitioners (ICPs) from the five Newark hospitals

•  Review of issues concerning hospital infection control, hospital emergency preparedness, communicable disease reporting, etc.

•  Immunizations

•  Newark Community Surveys

•  Evaluation of WIC lead screening

6. Publications and Presentations:

Poster presentation of joint project between NDHHS and the ICPs of the five Newark hospitals on communicable disease reporting using the web-based NJ Communicable Disease Reporting System (CDRS) at the 2004 National APIC Conference in Phoenix, AZ June 2004.

7. Related web sites:

City of Newark

Epidemiology

Public Health Surveillance

New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services

8. Opportunities for Students:

Drs. Thomas and Wenger have projects available for interested students, available upon request.

9. Opportunities for volunteers:

None at this time

10. Hidden text and key words:

communicable diseases; community surveys; disease control; immunizations; infectious diseases; lead screening; public health practice; public health surveillance; public health surveys; surveillance; vaccine preventable diseases; WIC programs

Date revised: 3/30/05