Eric values family time immensely; he was married, and parenting his 13 year-old stepdaughter and 4-year old son while earning his MPH. Now he spends one day every weekend to be with his grandson, hiking, playing ball, and cooking together. Triffin says he is as proud of being named to the Public Health Honor Roll as for his grandson's recognition when he said "Bampa, you just help everybody!" Eric’s son is now an engineer and also a ‘peacenik’ in his own right.
Putting health into practice is a hallmark of Mr. Triffin's approach, as he says he wants to put the 'public' and 'health' back into public health. Triffin has often been seen on television, including the West Haven Mayor's show numerous times. His own behavior modification program, a combination of healthy food preparation, interpretive dance and stress strategies will soon be seen on local Citizens' Television under the name "TranscenDance."
Counting Lowell Levin and James Jekel among his most inspiring mentors, Triffin says that empowering people with taking control of their health runs a fine line between ministry and administration. He has found that with teaching, it helps to entertain, to educate by 'edutaining'. To that end, you find him in full apple costume handing out apple slices with peanut butter or cinnamon sugar, or in a wrestling ring ("Reaching the hard to reach…") wearing a carrot costume tag teaming with an eggplant as the "Fruit and Veggie Team" against the "Junk Food Junkies." The same team made a home run at the Yale Baseball Stadium as they loaded the bases and made a home-run "…bringing all the fruits and vegetables in to home plate.
With his work at the Health Department, which has turned more and more towards preparation against bio-terrorism, Triffin foresees different and difficult times ahead for public health ."The militarization of public health in times of already scant and receding resources is putting a squeeze on our mission." Mr. Triffin believes we must keep our focus on "...the true killers in our midst. We have met our own worst bioterrorist and it is we. Look no further than your fingers, whether it's the fork, the drink or the cigarette, the seat belt, remote control, or pushing away from the table and getting some exercise; the power for risk reduction and health is in your hands."
Levin's words from 20 years ago are resonating in Mr. Triffin's ears as he thinks of turning his attention back into the food industry: "Adidas did more for health education than a thousand health educators." (Lowell was invoking the power of the marketplace and of personal choice, in changing the cultural ethic for health.)
Most recently, Eric was entered into the first "Public Service Honor Roll" at Yale's Tercentenary. In recognizing his 20 years of public service as a Health Educator, professor at the Department of Public Health at SCSU, and Director of Health for the City of West Haven, the University highlighted the commitment that Yale alumni (especially those in public health and epidemiology), give back to their communities.
Triffin says his next efforts will be to develop automated cafeterias for schools that are exemplars of nutrition and hygiene. "Our children deserve no less than 'state of the art' facilities. We need to make the healthy choices of athletes and movie stars available to all. Why can't the same menus designed by the best be applied on a national level via systems of purveyance that can reduce the costs of space and personnel through automation and vertical integration? Then families could go to their local school for aerobics classes and while there, eat dinner together!
If anyone has contacts (or funding] in that area, Eric Triffin is ready for your calls and e-mails! TriffinE@aol.com
Bio source: Yale EPH Today, Spring 2003, Volume Ten, Number 1
