Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1530178
12 Jack Brown and Elizabeth Ablah As public health initiatives have evolved to include community health and wellness, he's started adding additional material, like pedestrian and bicycle safety programs and creating access to healthy activities like hiking. "Those are things that everybody can really identify with," Brown said. Another highlight of Brown's career was being part of a research team — which also included KUSM-Wichita population health professor and department vice chair Elizabeth Ablah, Ph.D., MPH, CPH (a former student of Brown oversaw the building of the center, where solvents and other compounds are removed from the water. The reclaimed water is then used in the center's fountains, water pools, a fish observatory and gardens. The project won several awards, including top honors from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the American Council of Environmental Engineering. The work that was done in the various groundwater contamination areas in Wichita helped shape national policy on how to deal with contaminated sites and redevelop them, according to Brown. Brown was also involved in setting up a water monitoring and sampling plan for the Arkansas River, which has helped inform the public about the safety of the river for recreational activities. That project led to an Ark River summit that drew hundreds of participants and a major study of the river's potential pollution sources. The annual volunteer cleanup of the river is another outcome of the project. Brown also encourages his students to attend public meetings when environmental health issues are on the agenda to see that part of the process. But regulations aren't the only thing that Brown teaches his students. "In the field of environmental health, the goal is to preserve the environment and protect the health of current and future generations, which is why it is important to include the topic in MPH degree curriculum." — Jack Brown, research instructor Water pollution can cause infections, diseases and other health problems, such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and other forms of violence. Statistic from nrdc.org Allison Honn, MBA, program manager Population Health