Minnesota Taconite Workers Lung Health Partnership Names Leslie L. Studenski Study Coordinator

Studenski will appoint a team from the Iron Range to U of M research project

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (November 13, 2008) – Leslie L. Studenski has joined the Minnesota Taconite Workers Lung Health Partnership as study coordinator, a position that will coordinate the hiring and oversight of staff on Minnesota’s Iron Range to assist with the state-funded research project being led by the University of Minnesota. One of Studenski’s key duties will be to oversee the health screening of 2,000 current and former taconite miners and their spouses. This phase of the multi-faceted, multi-year research project will begin in the spring of 2009.

Studenski, a veteran of clinical research projects, spent the last several years working for Transplant Information Services, a partnership between the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota Physicians, and Fairview Health Services. She received her master of public health degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and her bachelor’s degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“We are delighted to have someone with Leslie’s credentials join the Lung Health Partnership team,” said John R. Finnegan, Jr., dean of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, which is directing the study.

The Minnesota Taconite Workers Lung Health Partnership is a coalition made up of the University of Minnesota, state agencies, elected officials, mining companies, unions, health care organizations, and others concerned with the health of Minnesota’s taconite mine workers.  The University is in the midst of a five-year, $5 million research project funded by the State of Minnesota to learn why mine workers appear to be at higher risk for certain lung diseases. For more information about the Partnership, visit www.sph.umn.edu/lunghealth.

For more than 60 years, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health has been among the top accredited schools of public health in the nation.  With a mission focused on research, teaching, and service, the school attracts nearly $70 million in sponsored research each year, has more than 100 faculty members and more than 1,300 students, and is engaged in community outreach activities locally, nationally and in dozens of countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.sph.umn.edu. The School’s Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach promotes lifelong learning to bridge academic and public health practice communities.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact:         
Jenna Langer, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784 or lang0712@umn.edu
Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612-625-2640 or mportz@umn.edu