The View | from the University of Vermont
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Feb. 5 - Feb. 11 Feeding the Economy Campus 2012 President Daniel Mark Fogel, a seasoned manager who wears his Feb. 6 9 a.m.-8:30 love of detail on his suit p.m.. Trustees sleeve, demonstrated a committee meetings, similar grasp of the also Feb. 7 and 8: See expansive on Feb. 3 Trustees Schedule. when he released a 3,000-word statement imagining the campus in Feb. 6 7 p.m. 2012. Performance: Anna Deavere Smith, “Race in America: Balancing Facts Falls Crossroads of kill 10,000 seniors every Ambiguity,” Ira Allen year, and send many Chapel. more into a downward spiral of injury, Serving the state: Cathy Donnelly (far right), Feb. 7 9 a.m-noon Brian Norder (left), and culinary entrepreneur dependence and depression. UVM Workshop: "Poverty Mary Kamm celebrate an open house at and Classism," Jen NECFE last year. (Photo: Sally McCay) physical therapist Ge Wu is studying tai chi's Mathews, Vermont potential to improve Livable Wage balance and reduce the Campaign. Allen Food manufacturing jobs are the second-largest chance of a catastrophic House, 461 Main source of manufacturing jobs in Vermont — and fall. Street. 656-8833 Cathy Donnelly, associate director of the Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship, is Feb. 7 3:30-5:30 p.m. working hard to keep them cooking. The Pringle at 100 Colloquium: "The The Pringle Herbarium is Home Theater of many things: Organized Cruelty: architecturally beautiful, Endurance TV scientifically vital and Anytime," David now, thanks to a recent Jenemann, University gift, home to one of the of Minnesota. John world's best fern Dewey Lounge, Old collections. This year, it Mill. 656-3056 is also 100 years old, and botanists here and UVM Now "Live On-Line" everywhere are Feb. 10 4-5 p.m. celebrating. Lecture: "How Many Neutrophils Are A Class for One Season Enough?" Samuel Silverstein, Columbia University. Carpenter Fleming Pops Auditorium. 656-2500. UVM Bookshelf Feb. 12 7-p.m. Film: Clinical Trials Offer New Options for Multiple The Wedding Banquet, part of Sclerosis Treatment Chinese and Vietnamese New Year Student-Athletes Garner America East Academic Celebration, Allen House. UVM ID Honors required. 656-7730. Remembering "An Imprudent Man" Getting Rural Areas Moving Professors to Speak on the Middle East Memoirist to Discuss His Craft Feb. 5 - Feb. 11 INTERview: Betty Rambur Betty Rambur, dean of nursing and health sciences, joined the Fletcher Allen Health Care board in January. the view sat down with her recently to find out why she signed on and what she hopes to achieve for the hospial's patients and providers. We also discussed her goals for the college, and why now is a great (if difficult) time to be in a health profession. THE VIEW: Why did you join the Fletcher Allen board? BETTY RAMBUR: I felt like I needed to use my Josh Farley (right), speaking to participants time and energy to help Fletcher Allen move in the Gund Institute's 2003 workshop in forward. I have spent most of my life in some January. Academics, activists, community kind of a role as a patient advocate, and I saw members, government officials and students this as an opportunity to do that in the broadest explored the ecological implications of of senses. I'm also very interested in bringing replacing biodiverse mangroves with shrimp experiences of front-line providers to the board. farms in and near Palawan, Philippines. What does Fletcher Allen have to do to regain the public's trust? Dramatic Gund Workshop Explores Mangrove Ecosystem The actual trust between providers and their patients is very good. Patients love their In a Gund Institute for Ecological Economics field physicians, nurses and physical therapists. In a workshop more cinematic than course-like, three larger sense, the process has already begun. We UVM students joined 80 academics and non- have a wonderful leader in Ed Colodny. We will governmental workers from six continents in early become as transparent as possible in terms of January to explore the ecological and economic leadership conversations and decision-making. implications of shrimp aquaculture on a sprawling, Trust will be restored piece by piece. spectacular Philippine island that is a hotspot of biological diversity. As the management and business of health care has grown more complex, how have the The cast of characters included a former crime decisions and duties of nurses changed? lord turned crusading, gun-toting environmentalist mayor; an illegal shrimp farm Nurses are central to quality patient care. Nursing hacked out of formerly pristine mangrove is a very intellectually demanding profession, and wetland; governmental agencies; environmental a very intellectually rewarding profession. It is groups from the Philippines and abroad; and a also a very emotionally demanding and rewarding diverse pool of academics that included Josh profession. In many ways, with increasing levels Farley, a Gund research assistant professor, and of education of nurses, nursing is moving into its Roelof Boumans, an estuarine ecologist and own. associate research professor at the institute. The merger of nursing and allied health The theme of the production was to bring the sciences has been complete for a while. talents of an international group of experts, What kind of opportunities does the merger ecologists, students and local people to bear on provide for students? an ecological problem, weigh costs and benefits of different alternatives, and then take action. The Gund Institute calls these collaborative classes From the outside it may look like we have two "scientific ateliers," borrowing a French term for schools that are now one college and it's as artisan's workshop. The model encourages broad simple as that. But it is an enormous internal and diverse participation and tangible outcomes. process, like moving every wall and fixture in your house, and it is taking an extraordinary effort of the faculty and staff. The benefit is that we now Even within that framework, Farley says, the have synergy and momentum that you can't get group got more than they bargained for. At the in isolation. For example, we have a physical end of his stay on the island, and after the therapy faculty member whose research area is students were safely home, a series of press conferences and reports calling attention to the related to chronic disease in children and nursing mounting cost of the illegal farm culminated with faculty who have research around supporting the village mayor, local students and workshop families during chronic disease, and they didn't participants tearing down the offending know about each other before. aquaculture with pickaxes. What are your personal goals for the "We always look for applied outcomes, but it's college? rarely this dramatic," Farley says. I want to be the best small college of this type in The process that led to the farm's government- the nation. What does that mean? I would like to sanctioned destruction included 10 days of see that our graduates are absolutely exemplary intensive work studying the function and practitioners, head and shoulders above the rest. economic impact of intact mangrove contrasted To do that, they need to be leaders and thinkers. with that of the working farm. Different groups … studied restoration costs, the economic impact of closing the farm, and the effect on the fishing economy if the shrimp farm was left to continue We also need to get the message out to the public: If you have an interest in health care its expansion. The groups' work was informed by a previous Web component of the atelier, a broadly, there's a profession to fit almost any set distance-learning program exploring the of fancies and abilities. These range from nursing ecological economics of mangroves along with to physical therapy to nuclear medicine sustainability and just distribution. technology to laboratory science and radiation therapy. … All are critical and have pronounced and profound shortages. "It became abundantly clear that the mangrove was more valuable than the farm to the area and world," Farley says. "This is extraordinarily rich Another goal is to accelerate our research. We habitat. Mangrove sustains all kinds of systems, have a unique contribution to make to the and is also the breeding ground for 85 percent of country's knowledge. … How do we structure the commercial fish species caught in the area." systems and services to support the multi- generation family in the 21st century, how do we comfort the dying? These are hugely important Of course, weighing ecological versus economic questions, but they're not asked by bench tradeoffs doesn't always yield such clear answers, scientists. They are asked by us. and what is good for the global economy isn't necessarily good for a desperately poor local economy. So the Gund team and their workshop It occurs to me that at a time when many organizing colleagues were careful to involve local doctors are feeling like it isn't a great time politicians, activists, citizens and students in to be a doctor, nurses and other health every aspect of the process on the island. professionals are enjoying fantastic opportunities… Future projects, including a probable atelier next January to study the sensitive coral reefs of I have been a nurse for 25 years. I started college Southern Thailand, will continue the institute's in engineering, looked at a lot of things, and I am drive to explore new ways of relieving the very happy and proud to be a nurse. I would inevitable tension between global goods and local encourage people who have a love of science, a needs. One aspect Farley and his colleagues are love of the arts and a love of humanity to think exploring is finding better and more creative ways about the health professions.