Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia College of Public Health has kicked off its fourth season of “Public Health Impact” on WUGA-TV. The local 30-minute interview show invites experts from the college, the university and across Georgia to share their insights regarding critical public health issues affecting the state.
“Dementia,” a condition named a public health priority by the World Health Organization, is currently airing. Viewers can tune in Jan. 25 at 7:30 a.m., Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m. and Jan. 28 at 7:30 a.m. The episode addresses efforts underway to prepare Georgia for a growing population of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Guests include Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), chair of the Georgia Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, Dr. James Bulot, director of the Georgia Division of Aging Services, and aging experts from the college’s Institute of Gerontology. Interviews were recorded at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta and Rhodes Hall, the College of Public Health’s new administrative home on the UGA Health Sciences Campus.
“Public Health Impact” is hosted by Dr. Cham Dallas and Dr. Phaedra Corso, faculty members in the college’s department of health policy and management, and filmed at various locations on the UGA Health Sciences Campus and in Athens. Since its first episode aired in spring 2010, “PHI” has covered a variety of pressing public health topics, including obesity, tobacco use, cancer, HIV/AIDS, emergency preparedness and health care reform.
“As readily evidenced by recent health care reform, public health is impacting everyone to an increasing extent. The coverage of public health issues provided by this television show is critical to getting people involved,” said Dallas, an international expert in emergency response at the college. He recently wrapped his 38th episode of “PHI” with co-host Corso.
This season’s “PHI” continues to explore important public health trends, including the unique issues faced by older adults with HIV/AIDS, Georgia’s SHAPE Initiative and its fight against childhood obesity, and telemedicine’s potential in delivering health care to the underserved.
To learn more about “Public Health Impact,” find out when it airs or watch past episodes, see http://www.publichealth.uga.edu/PHIepisodes.
UGA College of Public Health
Founded in 2005 as a response to the state’s need to address important health concerns in Georgia, the UGA College of Public Health offers degrees in biostatistics, disaster management, environmental health, epidemiology, gerontology, health promotion and behavior, public health, health policy and management, and toxicology. Certificates in gerontology, disaster management and global health are also offered. For more information, see www.publichealth.uga.edu.
WUGA-TV
WUGA-TV is operated by UGA through a partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting and reaches 1.5 million households throughout metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Funding is provided in part through sponsorships, underwriting and listener contributions. For more information, see www.wugatv.org.