1. ADVANCING HEALTH Locally and around the world

2. Caitlin McGuire Reid, MS
Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs
One University Place, Room 109
Rensselaer, NY 12144
Good morning! First, I would like to thank the GSO for all of the time and energy they put in toward organizing the Social Orientation yesterday, which I hope everyone enjoyed.
I am very pleased to welcome you to the School of Public Health. As the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, I look forward to working with you and supporting your experience as graduate student.
Please make a note of my office location, which is Room 109 in this building, as well as my contact. Should you have any issues or concerns you wish to discuss, you are welcome to stop by my office. If I am not there, please send me an so we can set up a time that is convenient.

3. What is the School of Public Health?
University at Albany
School of Public Health
NYS Department of Health
I think it is important to spend a few minutes talking about the relationship between the Department of Health and the School of Public Health, and provide you with an overview of the physical facilities.
There are 4 departments in the School in which students enroll in their particular degree program. These departments are
Biomedical Sciences
Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology & Biostatistics and
Health Policy, Management and Behavior
However, not all of the departments are located on the East Campus. The partnership with DOH means that faculty and students work at a variety of locations.

4. Four departments offering MPH, MS, PhD, DrPH
Health Policy, Management & Behavior
Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Biomedical Sciences
Environmental Health Sciences
Certificates
Fundamentals & Principles
Global Health
Certificates
Surveillance & Preparedness
Health Disparities

5. Where is the School of Public Health?
East Campus, Rensselaer (soon to be renamed Health Sciences Campus)
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Some faculty and students
Cancer Research Center
Some faculty and students in Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences
Biotech companies
Faculty and students work and study in several locations.
Two Departments, Epi and HPMB, are based housed at the East Campus in Rensselaer.
Although Environmental Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences are not based at the East Campus, there are a number of faculty and students in both departments who work and study here.
In addition to the School, the East Campus houses several biotech companies and Tech Valley HS, so don’t be surprised when you see high school students outside during their gym period.

6. Where is the School of Public Health

7. Where is the School of Public Health?
Wadsworth Center and Corning Tower
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Department of Health faculty and most laboratory
based students: Biggs Laboratory
Administrative Office split between Biggs and
East Campus
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Administrative office, Department of Health
faculty and students: Center for Medical Sciences
and David Axelrod Institute
DOH Faculty in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Health Policy, Management & Behavior in Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza
Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences were the first two departments in the School, which was formed when the Department of Health and the University at Albany entered into a partnership. These departments were historically focused on laboratory research and have been based in DOH facilities since 1985.
Many of the faculty and students in both departments, as well as the administrative offices, are located in Wadsworth Center facilities in Albany.
These labs are where state-wide lead testing and newborn screening occurs, as well testing for mosquito borne diseases and rabies.

8. Where is the School of Public Health?
This map shows you where the East Campus is in relation to the Wadsworth Center facilities and the Uptown Campus.

9. UAlbany Uptown Campus Facilities and Resources
Recreation Center: fitness center, pool, exercise classes, intramural sports.
Libraries: University Library and Science Library on uptown campus; Dewey Library on downtown Rockefeller campus.
The Disability Resource Center: coordinates services and accommodations for students with disabilities.
The University Counseling Center: provides free counseling services, peer service programs, and educational programs.
The University Health Center: offers a range of services, from acute care to prevention-focused educational programs.
Although the School of Public Health is not located on the Uptown Campus, all students have access to all of the facilities and resources provided by the University at Albany on the Uptown Campus. These resources include the
Recreation Center
Libraries
Disability Resource Center
Counseling Center
Health Center

10. UAlbany Uptown Campus Facilities and Resources
Career Services: Offers career counseling, assessment, resume critique, interview prep, career panels, workshop, networking events.
Office of Intercultural Student Engagement: Provides support and advocacy for students from historically underrepresented communities, including, but not limited to students of African, Latino, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) descent, various religious communities, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) and Ally community .
Chapel House: Offers interfaith meditation and prayer room, meditation garden or interfaith library; interfaith programs, service opportunities, and weekly Catholic, Jewish or Protestant services.
The Office of Intercultural Student Engagement, which provides support to students from diverse and underrepresented communities.
and the Chapel House, an interfaith center

11. UAlbany Uptown Campus Facilities and Resources
Advocacy Center for Sexual Violence: Provides a safe environment for students to receive support and advocacy services in the aftermath of sexual violence, including, but not limited to, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and/or stalking.
Graduate Student Ombuds Office: Provides independent, informal and non-partisan counsel to graduate students on matters relating to University experiences or involving dispute resolution or interpersonal misunderstanding, particularly those involving a graduate student’s academic program or academic progress.
These services are distinct from those provided by the School of Public Health Ombuds program, as detailed in the School Grievance policy, which stipulates that the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and a faculty member selected by the School Council serve as Ombudspersons for students to discuss complaints when they are not able to solve them on their own.
The Office of Intercultural Student Engagement, which provides support to students from diverse and underrepresented communities.
and the Chapel House, an interfaith center

12. East Campus and Making Connections to the Main Campus
==>UAlbany Shuttle Bus<==
You can also download “UAlbany Bus Schedule App” on App Store

13. East Campus Student Parking (permit required/no fee)
Permits also required for
Uptown/Downtown Campuses
$25 per vehicle registration fee

14. Be Safe!
East Campus is serviced by the East Greenbush Police Department. DO NOT call University police as they do not service the East Campus.
Blue light phones are located in the front lobby, parking lots and walkways to main building. Blue light phones dispatch automatically to the East Greenbush Police Department
Use Exact Address: 1 University Place, Rensselaer, NY
If NOT using a blue light phone: Dial 911 from any SPH desk phone for emergency calls for Rensselaer County police, fire department and ambulance. A 911 cell phone call will not get a local dispatcher if your phone number is not a local number, so use the desk phone for a faster response.
Security personnel are available in the SPH Lobby after 6:00pm for escort to car. If no security guard in lobby, call for Security Guard at Consult page 14 of SPH Graduate Student Handbook for additional numbers to call.
The information I am going to reference now is all provided in the Graduate Student Handbook, provided in your folders. I just want to highlight a few items, but strongly encourage you to read through the Handbook as it contains a lot of useful information.
We are a satellite campus, which means that the University Police do not provide security here. Instead, the East Campus is serviced by the East Greenbush Police Department.
In the case of emergency, there are blue lights located in the parking lots and walkways, which dispatch to the East Greenbush Police department. Please use the address of 1 University Place, Rensselaer, NY
You can also dial * in case of emergency.
If you do not wish to walk to your car alone after hours in the dark, please ask one of the security guards to escort you.

15. East Campus Computer Facilities
SPH Computer Labs
PCs, GIS, group workstations, teaching lab available for student use
Printer: $0.10/page, paid through SUNYCard. See Graduate Student Handbook for instruction on how to load funds onto your SUNYCard
No color printing available on East Campus
Free printing and copying available through SPH-RGSO office (350 pages every two weeks). Students must register with SPH-RGSO.
Sign up will be available in the GSO Office. You must provide your name, University at Albany address and last 5 digits of SUNYCard number to have printing privileges added to your student account
Personal laptops
Wireless campus. Minimum computer/laptop requirements are outlined in the SPH Graduate Student Handbook

16. ID Cards SUNYCard East Campus ID
Official University at Albany ID; debit card for photocopies, printers, vending machine: UAlbany library card; and
BUS PASS for UAlbany and all CDTA buses
East Campus ID
Access to SPH Building after hours and on weekends
Building is open access 7:00am – 7:00pm M-F
Access to Computer labs
Access to East Campus department offices authorized at the department level

17. East Campus Study Areas
Large computer lab available for computer work and group projects
Classrooms 5 and 6 reserved for study
Schedules posted outside classrooms each semester
Student lounge
POD Cafeteria – A wing
Offers Wifi and quiet time outside of the lunch hour

18. University at Albany Email
University at Albany uses as the official means of communication. Used for billing, official notices from the University, and communication from SPH administration, faculty and departments.
Students are responsible for checking their University accounts regularly so as not to miss important, time-sensitive University, School and Department communications.
Personal addresses will NOT be used for official correspondence or the SPH Listserv.

19. School of Public Health Listserv
Students added to School of Public Health Listserv at beginning of academic year: albany.edu address used
Two weekly listservs
Internship and Career Services Listserv – Tuesday
Internship information, fellowships, assistantships, part-time and full-time job postings, other funding opportunities
School of Public Health Events Listserv - Thursday
Events, activities, new class listings, presentations, campus-wide information
us at if you have not yet received one of the weekly listserv newsletters

20. Academic Policies and Procedures
University at Albany Graduate Bulletin
SPH Graduate Student Handbook
MPH and Internship Handbooks
Department Handbooks
Internship and Career Services Listserv
There are numerous resources available which provide you with the necessary information. Please be sure to consult these resources as your FIRST course of action, before seeking out the advice of staff or faculty. You will find answers to almost all of your questions by carefully reading and paying attention to information provided in these resources.

21. Resources
You should also refer to the New Student Information website, where a lot of useful information has been provided. We hope that was useful to you as you prepared for starting graduate school here.

22. What’s Happening Today?
Community Rights and Responsibilities: 9:30-10:00am
Brian Stephenson, Associate Director, Office of Community Standards
Michelly Pena, Assistant Director, Office of Community Standards
Academic Citation Workshop: 10:00-10:30am
Mary Gallant, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Resource Fair: 10:30-11:30am
10:30-11:00am How to obtain NYS residency for tuition billing purposes
11:00-11:15am Graduate Student Employees Union Orientation (for appointed graduate and teaching assistants only
More Introductions: 11:30-12:00pm
NYS Public Health Association; SPH Career Services; SPH Graduate Student Organization; SPH Center for Global Health
Lunch: 12:15-1:15pm
MPH Student Orientation: 1:15-2:30pm

23. Department/Program Orientations
Biomedical Sciences: Monday, August 22
Environmental Health Sciences: Friday, August 26, 11:30am-2:00pm
Room 3, East Campus
Health Policy, Management and Behavior: Friday, August 26, 9:30-11:30am
Room 110A, East Campus
Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Monday, August 29,12:00-1:00pm
DrPH Program: Friday, September 2, 9:00-11:00am
Individual Department Orientations have been scheduled to provide you with more specific information about your department and program of study. You will meet with your academic advisor and/or most of your department faculty at these orientations.