Robert Stempel School of Public Health professor wins Health Care Hero award

Congratulations to Robert Stempel School of Public Health’s Janvier Gasana, associate professor of public health and chair of the Florida Children’s Environmental Health Alliance (FCEHA), on the occasion of his receiving a Health Care Hero award. Given by the Great Miami Chamber of Commerce, the award recognizes individuals, institutions and programs who, through their actions, have made an impact in the South Florida health care community.

FIU Provost and Executive Vice President of
Academic Affairs Mark Rosenberg congratulates
Health Care Hero Janvier Gasana.

Gasana, an African-raised and trained physician, led a 2000 study titled, “Community-Based Childhood Lead Poisoning in the Inner City,” that showed that more than half of the 121 houses tested exhibited unacceptably high levels of lead dust and soil where children live and play. He consequently helped establish the Partnership Against Lead (PAL) Project through FCEHA in 2002.

The PAL Project addresses childhood lead poisoning in the high-risk communities surrounding the inner city. The initiative seeks to motivate physicians to routinely screen children under 6 years of age for lead poisoning, to establish a partnership among providers, educational institutions and other community organizations to provide services to at-risk children, and to educate children and parents to decrease exposure due to lack of awareness of sources. Another objective of the PAL Project is to double the screening of Medicaid-eligible children six years of age and under in the targeted communities. Through the PAL Project, FCEHA has tested 293 children, educated 300 children and 300 parents, and conducted 500 community surveys assessing awareness of lead poisoning.