1. Gamma Mu Chapter West Virginia University Strategies for Success Presentation by Amy Hunter, MPH, PhD(c) President, Gamma Mu Chapter ( ) Termeh Feinberg, PhD, MPH Former President, Gamma Mu Chapter ( )
Good evening. My name is Amy Hunter and I am the current president of the Gamma Mu Chapter of Delta Omega at West Virginia University. It is an honor to be here tonight to accept our chapter’s 4th consecutive chapter of the year award. We are equally thrilled to have the opportunity to share our strategies for having a successful Delta Omega chapter within the WVU School of Public Health.

2. Gamma Mu Chapter
2016 Chapter of the Year Award 2015 Chapter of the Year and Active Chapter Awards 2014 Chapter of the Year and Service Chapter Awards 2013 Chapter of the Year and Service Chapter Awards
Both the SOPH and the Gamma Mu Chapter of Delta Omega are new editions to WVU. Our SOPH recently evolved from the SOM in 2012, and our Delta Omega Chapter was established that same year.

3. The Gamma Mu Academic Year
Quarterly Leadership Meetings
Maintain Budget
Strategize for: 1) Year; and, 2) Semester
Two public health-focused community service events
Gamma Mu Sponsored Public Health Grand Rounds
Gamma Mu Poster Competition
A Regional Research event hosted by WVU Health-Sciences Center
Health-Focused Social Event
Inductions
Use existing SAPH (Student Association of Public Health) Banquet event as platform to conserve Gamma Mu budget
From the beginning, we made a conscious effort to ensure that our chapters programming was aligned with the mission of delta omega- to encourage and recognize excellence in public health research, education and service. We were able to accomplish this by offering a consistent , yet evolving set of programming that followed with the WVU SOPH offerings. By doing this, students anticipate our activities and are excited to participate, and our administration treats our organization as a valuable collaborator. Briefly, our academic year includes... Which I will discuss shortly.

4. Recruitment WVU School of Public Health (SOPH) Student Orientation
Formal Presentation
Roundtable engagement
WVU School of Public Health Open (SOPH) House
Poster
Delta Omega Page on WVU SOPH Website
Facebook
Continued Gamma Mu ‘Brand’ recognition through involvement with SAPH events
In addition to maintaining a Delta Omega Facebook page, and a DO webpage on the WVU SOPH website, Two of our most important and successful collaborations with the WVU SOPH have been through recruitment.
Each year, representatives from our Gamma Mu leadership speak to students during New Student Orientation and during the WVU SOPH Health Open House. By engaging new and potential students during these sentinel events in their academic careers, we send the message that Delta Omega is an important entity to our school, and that membership into this prestigious organization is worth the investment.

5. Membership Criteria
100% Participation in Gamma Mu Community Service Events 50% Participation in WVU Student Association of Public Health activities Top 25% academic performance Essay describing commitment to the field of Public Health
We hold our students accountable the Delta Omega mission by implementing firm membership requirements. This sets the tone that Delta Omega is distinguished organization worthy of time and effort, increases service participation, encouraging excellence in scholarship for our school.
Briefly, we require participation in one DO community service activity each semester, we collaborate with our SAPH and require that students seeking membership into Delta Omega engage in at least 50% of their activities, and we require that applicants perform in the top 25% of their academic class. Those meeting that criteria are invited to submit an essay to describe their past and future commitment to public health, and we select up to 10% of those individuals for membership each year. These guidelines are explained to students during orientation and are reinforced throughout the year. And we have had great success using this model, with a high number of applicants seeking DO membership each year

6. Community Service
Service activities designed to address public health burdens in the Greater Morgantown Community and State of WV
Food Insecurity/Malnutrition
Flood Disaster Relief
Cancer Screening and Awareness
Social Support in Elderly Communities
Fire Safety and Prevention
Obesity
Community Partners: Christian Help, Kick it to Cancer 5K, Rosenbaum Family House, The American Red Cross, Scott’s Run Settlement House, Shelly Marshall Foundation
Now I mentioned that community service is a requirement for membership. But we also attract participation from those not seeking DO membership. We do this by offering service opportunities that address public health burdens in our community. These include issues such as… We do our best to partner with non-profit organizations, which also increases our reach within the community and opens the door to future research collaborations for our students and faculty.
Partnerships= future collaborations = buy in
Students and community members are passionate about causes, increasing participation. Some causes overalp with research interest

7. Community Service
Our commitment to service and scholarship has allowed us to maintain buy-in from schools across the WVU campus and from WVU President E. Gordon Gee. This buy-in has allowed us to secure annual funding for our organization. We used that funding to expand our programs to promote research and scholarship through 2 primary efforts.

8. Commitment to Scholarship
Gamma Mu-sponsored Public Health Grand Rounds/ Dialogues Speaker
Gamma Mu Executive Team judges  Improved criteria over time
Features WVU School of Public Health Alumni
Contemporary Topics and Innovations in Public Health
Live streamed and archived
Honorarium Provided
WVU Partnerships: Office of Public Health Practice and Workforce Development, WVU Health Sciences Center
The first is that we sponsor a Gamma Mu Public Health Grand Rounds speaker each spring. In selecting speakers, we seek to recognize the outstanding work of WVU SOPH Alumni who have made a difference to the profession of public health and in the health of an identified community or population. Our features speakers have included both researchers and practitioners. We provide lunch to attendees and an honorarium to our speaker.

9. Commitment to Scholarship
Gamma Mu Poster Competition
Highlights student research
Students recognized at SOPH Graduation Banquet
Winning abstract entered as WVU Delta Omega Poster submission
Scholarship to attend APHA
Collaborators: WVU Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute
Second is our annual Gamma Mu poster competition, held in concert with the E.J. Van Liere Annual Research Day. Students across our health sciences center submit abstracts to Gamma Mu, and participate in a timed poster presentation to a panel of judges from various backgrounds in within health sciences and statistics. Winners are selected from two degree categories(MPH or PhD), and are presented with awards during the SOPH annual banquet. The abstract from the overall winner is submitted to Delta Omega for their Poster Contest at APHA, and if selected, we provide a $500 Gamma Mu scholarship for the selected student to attend APHA, above and beyond any other sources of funding.

10. Leadership Founding Advisor: Dr. Keith Zullig
Founding President: Dr. Andrew Ansetti-Rothermel
Past Presidents:
Dr. Termeh Feinberg
Dr. Meagan Stabler
Dr. Zelalem Haile
Gamma Executive Officers
President: Amy Hunter, MPH, PhD(c)
Vice Presidents: Elizabeth Claydon, MPH and Angela Dyer
Secretaries: Sabena Thomas and Sherry Owens, PhD, MS
MPH Representative: Emily Morgan
Finally, our chapters success has really been made possible not only through a dedicated student body, but through amazing leadership and mentoring. And, I want to take this moment to thank our past and current leadership for their support and encouragement.
Go through list briefly.

11. Thank you.