A Message from the President

I am pleased to release this second edition of UAlbany Outreach — a series of publications highlighting the University at Albany's engagement with many external constituencies as colleagues and partners. Each issue of this quarterly publication focuses on distinct areas in which our faculty and students engage civic, social and other educational institutions in a way that provides service to society and enriches the academic and research programs on this campus.
The span of our outreach activities reflects the needs and challenges of a world under transformation. The depth and richness of these efforts across the disciplines — from the arts and humanities to the natural sciences — surprise none of us at UAlbany. Through our research and educational programs, we are helping to prepare for and shape a global community.
One of my initial goals as President was to elevate the responsibility of university outreach to the vice presidential level. I asked this vice president to undertake an inventory of the outreach and partnership activities of the University's talented faculty and staff. This series of publications reflects the scope and diversity of these activities and paints an inspiring portrait of one university's accomplishments in outreach from a regional to a national perspective.
Through the achievements reflected in these pages, we are committed more than ever to the University at Albany being an “engaged university” in a global society.

Karen R. Hitchcock
President

Health & Healthcare

The University at Albany is engaged in wide-ranging outreach initiatives in the field of health and healthcare. Through partnerships at the local, state and national levels, our faculty are addressing issues in cardiac care, motor disorders, drug abuse, diabetes, HIV treatment, biotechnology, health aspects of aging, occupational health, and the special health needs of poor populations. These alliances help inform public policy, evaluate public health interventions and provide accredited continuing education for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
As one might expect, our School of Public Health — which itself is built upon a unique partnership with the New York State Department of Health — is the leader on campus in conducting outreach in this important field. However, you will see in these pages how many other UAlbany academic units are deeply involved in the critical assessment and operation of today's healthcare community and industry.
This edition of UAlbany Outreach entitled “Focus on Health & Healthcare” highlights but a few of the tremendous efforts of our dedicated faculty in addressing these issues so critical to the welfare of society. As with our first issue on education, I would like to thank all who assisted in developing this UAlbany Outreach project.

David H. Gilbert
Vice President for Outreach