Suzanne Smalley with the Georgia Hospitals Association demonstrates how a strong link between agencies and personnel provides for a strong response.

Cooperative training exercises have numerous benefits and strengthening the link between agencies is just one participants in a workshop in Forsyth experienced.

The workshop was held to help determine how possible it may be to bring multiple agencies together for the purpose of training throughout the next two years.

"For [emergency preparedness] exercises, the most important thing is relationships and really working across lines and communicating up, down and across," said Georgia Hospital Association drills and exercise coordinator Suzanne Smalley. She was one of several to present information to the group of more than 160.
 

With a history of diabetes in her father's family, Sasha T. Smith maintains good health and fitness by working out in the gym at least twice a week. Her main workout routine is walking around the UGA campus and exercise DVDs.

Grandparents in rural Georgia reared Sasha T. Smith, who grew up in Woodbury, one of the oldest towns in Meriwether County, Georgia.  

Those experiences in rural Georgia and Mississippi instilled the values of hard work and helping others in the University of Georgia College of Public Health graduate student.

"There were many influences. My family was one of the reasons I chose public health as a career. I have two aunts in the health profession as an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) and registered nurse," Smith said. "Of course, my undergraduate degree in biology shows that I have a real passion for science. Overall, my passion for people and science led me to my field of work.  I really enjoy helping people."  

Smith is getting a real-life look at public health as an intern in the Epidemiology Section with the Georgia Department of Public Health.

"Sasha is working under the FoodNet component of the Emerging Infections Program to collect and analyze foodborne disease surveillance data and design educational materials related to disease prevention," said Rebecca Meyer, MPH, FoodNet epidemiologist in the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section.
 
 

 

Emily Sauerteig made a resolution to run 750 miles in 2012 and to raise funds and awareness for childhood obesity.

Emily Sauerteig was inspired when she watched a friend set and reach a goal to run 500 miles in 2011. When the clock struck midnight on January 1 of this year, she decided that she, too, could set a goal and achieve it with dedication and had the support of friends and family.
 
Sauerteig set a goal to run 750 miles by December 2012 and to use her experience to raise awareness and money for a cause. Almost immediately she focused on childhood obesity.  

"I began the year with a resolution to just run the miles," said Sauerteig. "While my goal was to fundraiser to combat childhood obesity during those miles, my husband and I agreed that I needed to first run the miles. The first 250 miles were for myself. The second 250 miles were dedicated to friends. The final 250 miles are to raise money and awareness to combat childhood obesity."