Kinesiology student Russell Rosenberg will present his poster presentation, "Visual Feedback During Locomotion" at GAIT 2010. Abstract: Visual feedback has been shown to reduce body sway during quiet standing. It is not known whether visual feedback can reduce body sway during the more complex task of walking. Here we investigate different types of visual feedback while walking on a treadmill.

Three healthy young adults walked on a treadmill at 5 km/hr in front of a 52" TV screen while their center of mass (CoM) was tracked with stereoscopic webcams and displayed in real time as a cursor overlayed on a target. Each subject completed 5 trials under 3 conditions: FB-Small (5 inch circular target), FB-Big (10 inch circular target), and NFB (no feedback). During FB trials, subjects were instructed to maintain the cursor on the center of the target. During NFB trials, subjects were told to maintain a consistent position on the treadmill. Power spectral densities were calculated to determine the effect of feedback on different frequencies of body sway.

Preliminary results showed reduced variability of body position when FB is provided. The reduction in variability was most evident at low frequencies of body sway. Minor differences in variability were observed between large and small targets.

Visual feedback clearly reduces body sway variability during locomotion, primarily at frequencies well below the gait cycle frequency, suggesting that the feedback is influencing the control of upright posture while walking. Different targets sizes had only minor effects, indicating that the form of the feedback is not critical as long as it provides salient information about body position.

(Date Added: November 03, 2009)

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is excited to announce a Winter Session 2010 course in epidemiology for undergraduates.

Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Associate Professor, will be teaching "EPIB489A: Epidemiology in the Media: Truth or Fiction". This innovative course will introduce students to basic epidemiologic methods and study design, and examine the portrayal of epidemiology in the media. Examples of epidemiology in movies, books, and newspaper and magazine articles will be discussed.

For more information contact Dr. Carter-Pokras at 301-405-8037 or opokras@umd.edu.

(Date Added: November 03, 2009)

List of EPIB faculty and student presentations at the 2009 APHA Conference in Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 8-11.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

206903 Social and Environmental Predictors of Smoking Initiation in Diverse Maryland Adolescents. Carolyn Voorhees, MS, PhD, Cong Ye, MS , Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD, Guangyu Zhang, PhD, Mariano Kanamori, MA , PhD Program. Robert Fiedler

Monday, November 9, 2009

3234.0 Prevention of HIV/AIDS and STIs in Latino communities 12:30 PM-2:00 PM. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Ph.D. (Moderator)

196624 Association of Social Networks and Mass Media with Cigarette Smoking Among Asthmatic Adolescents. Mariano Kanamori MA, Kenneth Beck, PhD, FAAHB, Olivia Carter-Pokras, Robert Fiedler

200372 Understanding the Relationship between Social Networks and Mass Media with Cigarette Smoking Among Asthmatic Latino Adolescents. Mariano Kanamori MA, Kenneth Beck, PhD, FAAHB, Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD, Robert Fiedler

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

195628 Psychosocial, cultural, and environmental predictors of tobacco use among Asian Americans in Maryland 8:30 AM. Sunmin Lee, ScD, MPH, Jamie Kimberly Lok, BS, CHES, Eva Sharma, BS, Ying Wang, MA, Rajiv Ulpe, MDS, Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

5029.0 Depression, physical activity, and BMI: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006 8:30 AM. Wendy S. Bibeau, MEd and Deborah R. Young, PhD

205388 What motivates former smokers and current smokers to quit in Maryland 9:30 AM. Robert Feldman, PhD, Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD, Mariano Kanamori, MA, Cong Ye, MS, Richard Valliant, PhD, Guangyu Zhang, PhD, Robert Fiedler

(Date Added: November 03, 2009)

Dr Elbert Glover just returned from an invited lecture in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg whereby he participated in a conference titled, Costs and Consequences of Tobacco Use: Health Economics Research. The conference was sponsored by the Minster of Health of Luxembourg and Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg and was presented before the Minster of Health. The conference was designed to explore the cost savings of reducing tobacco use by both preventing and treating tobacco. Dr Glover's presentation explored the public health models for reducing tobacco use; specifically, legal restrictions, advertising, marketing, taxation, smuggling, modifying nicotine yields, tobacco and the economy, social marketing of changing perceived norms and finally pharmacotherapies.

(Date Added: November 02, 2009)

Dr. Milton of the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park has been awarded a two-year challenge grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research on airborne influenza transmission and prevention. Dr. Milton, one of the newest faculty members at the School is professor and director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Now that Dr. Milton and his research are moving to Maryland, College Park, his work will be enhanced by a new collaboration with Dr. Daniel Perez, associate professor in the College of Agriculture and department of natural resources.

Dr. Donald Milton was named director of MIAEH this fall. He is a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics. Milton specializes in health effects of bioaerosols, asthma, airborne infection transmission and prevention, and exhaled breath analysis.

(Date Added: November 02, 2009)

The Physical Education Student Organization (PESO) raised a record $3,600 for the American Heart Association with their annual Hoops for Heart event. Lindsay Rienks (PESO co-president)raised $1,029 which qualifed her to win the free trip to the AAHPERD national convention, held this year in Indianapolis. CONGRATULATIONS PESO - well done!

(Date Added: November 01, 2009)

Kinesiology student Kathleen Perret will present her poster presentation titled "Power

Knee shows improved knee and ankle powers in step up task" at GAIT 2010. Abstract: Over 1000 amputations have occurred in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). For amputees, the Power Knee" (PK) could improve performance and prevent contralateral comorbidities such as osteoarthritis.

The C-LegÒ (CLeg) is a commonly prescribed microprocessor prosthesis for OIF/OEF amputees. The CLeg shows increased performance over a mechanical leg in descending, but not ascending stairs. The PK is the first commercial attempt to restore muscle function by means of a motorized prosthetic knee joint.

We hypothesized that PK users would demonstrate greater knee power during upward stepping than CLeg users.

The subjects were a convenience sample of 7 U.S. Military members with traumatic unilateral transfemoral amputations. Subjects underwent 6 weeks of training for both the PK and CLeg followed by a "step up" assessment. Kinematics and kinetics for the lead leg were collected using motion capture analysis and instrumented force plates.

When leading with the intact limb, both subject groups performed with similar kinetics and kinematics to controls. When leading with the affected limb, PK users showed greater peak ankle and knee powers than CLeg users. These values were closer to controls.

These results suggest that the PK produces more power at the knee and ankle, allowing users to approach normal motion with their affected side. The ability for a prosthesis to ascend stairs with kinematic and kinetic qualities similar to that of an intact limb represents a critical performance improvement. This natural motion could limit comorbidities of prostheses, such as excessive wear on intact joints.

(Date Added: October 30, 2009)

Twelve Family Science doctoral and masters students visited Beijing, China from July 10-25, 2009, to participate in a new summer study abroad course, China: Models of Couple and Family Therapy, conducted at Beijing Normal University under the direction of FMSC Professor Dr. Norman Epstein. The purposes of the course were cultural immersion for FMSC and BNU psychology graduate students interested in cultural adaptations of couple and family therapy models, setting the stage for more extensive educational exchanges between the two universities focused on mental health issues, and planning of collaborative cross-cultural research on couple and family relationships. FMSC students had extensive classroom interaction with faculty and students in the Institute for Developmental Psychology at BNU, analyzing how couple and family therapy models that originally were developed in Western cultures can be adapted and applied in China.

(Date Added: October 27, 2009)

Lyndsey Wilson, senior Kinesiological Sciences major, was honored as a University Phillip Merrill Scholar at the program's luncheon today. Merrill scholars identify and honor their K-12 and university faculty mentors. Lyndsey named her 4th grade teacher, Sean Conley, as the person who spearheaded her love of science. Here at the University of Maryland, Lyndsey selected Dr. Elizabeth Brown. For Lyndsey, it was Dr. Brown's deep compassion and caring for students that inspired her selection.

(Date Added: October 23, 2009)

Multiple media outlets (MSNBC and Associated Press) are citing Dr. Sandra Hofferth's research on the effects of participation in multiple extracurricular activities on both children and their parents. The articles note that a full schedule of activities can be beneficial for children, but that parents should cut back on activities if a child is no longer expressing interest in or becoming upset about attending an activity. The majority of children aged 9-12 reported balanced schedules. Children who were the most active were found to have greater emotional development than those who participated in fewer activities.

Dr. Hofferth's research found that parents of "overbooked" children were the ones who were experiencing more stress and pressure to keep up with their children's schedules. Both articles emphasized the role of parental stress in understanding children's involvement in multiple activities. These stressors might include the burden of transporting children to multiple activities and busy parents desire to be involved with these activities.

To read more visit the following link.

(Date Added: October 23, 2009)

Dr Stacey Daughters, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public and Community Health had one of her National Institute of Drug Abuse grants regarding new tools to identify at-risk youths featured in the TERP, Fall 2009, Vol 7, No. 1, page 15. She found that students who showed less distress tolerance were also more likely to report drug or alcohol abuse and other harmful behaviors identified through a follow up questionnaire.

(Date Added: October 21, 2009)

If you're looking for an example of community outreach by the School of Public Health, take a look at Dr. Sharon Desmond's Principles of Community Health class, which put on a health fair last week.

Dr. Desmond, faculty member in the Department of Public and Community Health was featured in the Washington Times. Her Principles of Community Health class conducted a successful health fair in Beltsville, MD. For more information, tap into this link
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news

Check out the video from the health fair and more on it at our Healthy Turtle Blog.

(Date Added: October 20, 2009)

Family Science graduate student Dawnyea Jackson has been selected to receive a full scholarship to attend the 15th annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring Conference hosted by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

This invitation only conference is the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country and addresses issues of faculty diversity and provides strategies to help graduate students survive the rigors of graduate school, earn a doctoral degree, and succeed as a member of the professoriate. The Institute also provides students with faculty mentors and links them to a larger community of scholars and faculty in various academic fields.

Dawnyea is in her second year of the Couple and Family Therapy Master's program and is completing her thesis, Predictors of Family Cohesion and Conflict in Transracially Adoptive Families, under the direction of Dr. Leigh Leslie. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Public Health-Health Behavior and Health Education upon her graduation this May.

(Date Added: October 19, 2009)

Associate Professor Contreras-Vidal gave a talk entitled "Breaking the neural code: Non-invasive decoding of hand movement with applications to BCI/BMI research" at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, rated one of the Nation's top rehabilitation hospitals in US News & World Report. Dr. Contreras-Vidal's research on brain-machine interfaces will lead to the development of smart prosthetics for the physically-disabled or the neurologically-impaired.

(Date Added: October 15, 2009)

Dr. Pamela Clark, of the department of Public and Community Health, will be on the local National Public Radio affiliate, WAMU-FM. NPR will broadcast a one-hour segment of the Kojo Nnamdi show on the menthol issue and the menthol town hall. The focus of the conversation will be the latest research, recommendations for appropriate public policy and research that has been done on the impact of predatory advertising and marketing of mentholated products

This is to be broadcast live on Wednesday, October 14th between 12-2pm.

Dr. Clark's research interests include youth risk behaviors, particularly tobacco initiation, maintenance, and cessation, and evaluation of potentially reduced exposure tobacco products. She is currently studying physiologic responses to variation in smoke particle pH, as well as the smoke chemistry and smoking topography of hookah (waterpipe).

(Date Added: October 12, 2009)

Dr. Jose Contreras-Vidal gave a talk entitled "Parkinson's Disease differentially affects adaptation to gradual as compared to sudden visuomotor distortions" at the recent International Graphonomics Society conference in Dijon, France. Dr. Contreras-Vidal's research team included his student Anusha Venkatakrishnan, and Dr. Jean Paul Banquet and Yves Burnod from INSERM in Paris, France. The authors have been invited to contribute a full-length manuscript for a Special Issue of Human Movement Sciences focusing on Advances in Graphonomics

(Date Added: October 10, 2009)

The deadlines for interested persons applying to our graduate programs for the academic year 2010-2011 are as follows: PhD Family Science and PhD Maternal & Child Health programs: for international applicants, December 1, 2009; for domestic applicants, December 15, 2009. MS Couple and Family Therapy program: for international applicants, January 1, 2010; for domestic applicants, January 15, 2010. To apply to our graduate programs:

(Date Added: October 05, 2009)

Dr. Jaime Schultz is giving a talk at Penn State University's Kinesiology Colloquium on Thursday, October 8. Dr. Schultz' talk is entitled, "Determining Sex: Gender Verification and Women's Sports."

(Date Added: October 04, 2009)

The Graduate School has awarded Andy Ludlow a Goldhaber Travel Grant to attend and present a Keystone Symposia in Ashmore, QLN, Australia. Andy's poster " High levels of physical activity accelerate telomere shortening in Cast/ei J mice. " will be presented at the Telomere Biology and DNA Repair meeting. The Keystone Symposia aims to organize conferences that connect the scientific community and accelerate discoveries that benefit the entire world.

(Date Added: October 01, 2009)

Through a seven year study, Dr. Beck noted that drinking and driving is down in Maryland; however, driving and cell phone use and aggressive driving is up. Please tap into the following four links for greater detail. The links lead you to the Annapolis Capital, Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh/Durham, Baltimore Sun, and WJZ.

1. Annapolis Capital

2. Triangle Business Journal

3. Baltimore Sun

4. WJZ

(Date Added: September 26, 2009)

Ndidi Amutah, third year graduate student in the Maternal and Child Health doctoral program, has been elected to the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association's Governing Council (MWPHA). Ndidi was considered among many applicants for a position on the council, which was patterned after the American Public Health Association's (APHA) existing council structure and has remained the mode of governance for the organization. The governing council works to promote the MWPHA's mission to protect personal, public, and environmental health in the Metropolitan Washington area. It also supports the organizations efforts to provide leadership in public health and promote continuing education opportunities in the public health field. For more information on the MWPHA, visit the following link.

(Date Added: September 25, 2009)

Kranti Vora, a second year doctoral student in the Maternal and Child Health program, was one of seven graduate students selected to receive a 2009-10 International Teaching Fellowship from the University's Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and the Graduate School. The fellowship is awarded to international graduate teaching assistants to help facilitate their development as University of Maryland teaching assistants and as future faculty. The program pairs international graduate teaching assistants with faculty mentors and fellow awardees to write, share, and discuss reflections on teaching and investigate strategies for improving their understanding of effective undergraduate education. Fellows are expected to dedicate approximately 20 hours each semester to program activities and will receive a $500 supplemental stipend upon program completion.

(Date Added: September 25, 2009)

by the University of Maryland School of Public Health. This award is presented to a faculty member who has been recognized for doing an outstanding job of putting theory into practice (application of knowledge in a practical setting).

Dr. Kerry Green has been working with urban communities in Baltimore and Chicago to better understand life course pathways to healthy living. She, along with a team of researchers, have been collecting data from childhood to adulthood among primarily African American individuals in order to identify key developmental periods of risk and determine malleable risk and protective factors at each life stage. Individuals in these studies were recruited in first grade as part of preventive efforts to improve classroom behavior and academic performance. Students have been followed up for up to 35 years. The goal of this work is to identify ways to decrease poor health behaviors, such as drug use, violence, and HIV risk, and poor health outcomes, such as depression and premature mortality, which plague many of our inner cities. These studies are guided by the Life Course Social Fields Perspective and uses theories of risk and resilience, social integration and control, as well as an ecological approach. Guiding theoretical perspectives direct attention to the interaction between individuals and social contexts throughout the life course. Her work is showing that community, family, school, peer, and individual factors matter more or less at different times in the life course. For example, guided by theories of social control and integration, Dr Green is finding that social roles, such as that of employee, and social integration, like church membership, protects adults against drug abuse and dependence. This work suggests that efforts to increase workforce participation and community integration could make significant differences in decreasing adult onset drug use and disorders. Additionally, she and her colleagues are finding that the preventive interventions they are conducting can have positive implications beyond their initial targets. For example, Dr. Green found that one of the educational interventions implemented in first grade, which was designed to improve academic achievement and decrease depressive symptoms, also relates to delays in the onset of alcohol use among adolescents. With implications for eliminating health disparities, Dr. Green's work with urban African American populations suggests that theoretically-guided, evidence-based preventive interventions that are culturally appropriate need to be implemented in our urban communities.

The Department of Public and Community Health is proud of Dr. Green's accomplishments and praise her for her work in the community. This is a well deserved honor.

(Date Added: September 22, 2009)

This Fall Kate Riera and Kate Speirs are continuing to pilot their Peer Teaching Support Program, which is funded through a Teaching Assistant Development Grant from the Center for Teaching Excellence at UMCP. The grant supports monthly meetings throughout the Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 semesters to provide support groups, resources, and peer observation to graduate students interested in undergraduate instruction and education. Since the program began, more than fifteen doctoral students have participated and benefited from this program. During the Spring 2009 semester, graduate students discussed various topics, including academic integrity, grading and assessment, evaluating teaching methods, and teaching portfolios and philosophies. "We've really enjoyed the peer support, community, and the sharing of experiences and resources among our fellow graduate students," says Kate Riera. The program plans to focus on increasing peer observation opportunities and adding new discussion topics during the Fall 2009 semester. More information about upcoming Peer Teaching Support Program meetings can be found via the following online FMSC calendar link.

(Date Added: September 21, 2009)

Dr. Bonnie Braun, Herschel Horowitz Chair in the Center for Health Literacy and Associate Professor of Family Science, has accepted a three-year appointment to the Board of the Maryland Asset Building Community Development (ABCD) Network, Inc. ABCD supports more than 250 community-based organizations that focus on human and social problems such as a lack of decent and affordable housing, high rates of foreclosure, joblessness and lack of financial literacy among low and moderate income families.

As a member of the Policy committee, Dr. Braun will inform and advocate for policies that ensure asset building and community development organizations are strong and stable. Dr. Braun's service on this Board is a natural continuation of the work and service she has completed in the last 10 years involving vulnerable families and communities, community education through the University of Maryland Extension, and public policy education with the General Assembly.

(Date Added: September 21, 2009)

Dr. Damion Thomas, assistant professor in Kinesiology, is giving a talk, "Around the World: Problematizing the Harlem Globetrotters as Cold Warriors," at the international conference/workshop on "Mapping an Empire of American Sports: Expansion, Assimilation and Resistance from Global Perspectives" to be held the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. The workshop organized jointly by the International Journal of the History of Sport, Routledge Press, the Bancroft Library, and Pennsylvania State University's Department of Kinesiology brings together sixteen leading scholars from around the world.

(Date Added: September 15, 2009)

Dr. Elizabeth Brown was honored by the School of Public Health with the Muriel R. Sloan Communitarian Award. This award is given to a faculty member who has made a significant contribution to the SPH's outreach. For over a decade, Dr. Brown has provided a quality physical activity program to the children of the UM faculty & staff as well as the surrounding communities. In addition, she employs young people as counselors to work in the camp. The Department of Kinesiology is proud of Dr. Brown's communitarian spirit and her accomplishment in receiving this award. She is pictured here with SPH Assembly Chair, Dr. Brad Hatfield and Dean Robert Gold.

(Date Added: September 08, 2009)

Su Kogut, an instructor in the physical education teacher education program, was awarded the School of Public Health's Leda Amick Wilson Mentoring Award for her outstanding efforts in the Department of Kinesiology in mentoring the undergraduate physical education majors. Ms. Kogut, who has been a NASPE physical education teacher of the year as a public school teacher, has worked at the University of Maryland for the last 10 years dedicated to helping our undergraduate physical education majors become excellent teachers. Not surprisingly she brings the same kind of dedication and passion to the university as she did to her physical education classes in the public schools. She is pictured here with Dr. Brad Hatfield, chair of the SPH Assembly, who presented the award to Ms. Kogut.

(Date Added: September 08, 2009)

Dr. John Jeka has been invited to give a seminar at Arizona State University's School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering's Center for Adaptive Neural Systems. Dr. Jeka will talk on "Multisensory Fusion and Human Balance Control."

(Date Added: September 07, 2009)

NSF has awarded Dr. John Jeka & Dr. Tim Kiemel a 3-year grant to study "The interaction of posture, locomotion, and sensory information." This interdisciplinary project implements both experimental and sophisticated nonlinear techniques to study one of the most critical and fundamental activity of daily living - locomotion. Our living environment in structured to be compatible with the scale and manner with which humans move, illustrated by the limitations inherent to restructuring that environment for those who have lost mobility and are forced to navigate with assistive devices such as wheelchairs. A better understanding of how we interact with the environment for upright stability has implications for promoting human mobility and quality of life.

(Date Added: September 05, 2009)

Dr. Robert Feldman, Professor in the Department of Public and Community Health just returned from Costa Rica where he is working on a study on the effect of social support to increase smoking cessation in the workplace. Dr. Feldman is working with colleagues from the Universidad de Iberoamérica (UNIBE) in San José, Costa Rica where he is an UNIBE International Professor of Psychology. Dr. Feldman spent his sabbatical year, 2007-2008, collaborating with the Costa Rican Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency and UNIBE on the development of the research study.

(Date Added: September 02, 2009)

A recent article posted on CNN.com details the specific skills that can be acquired and related employment opportunities that can arise from specialized and often overlooked majors such as Family and Consumer Sciences. The article, "10 Unusual Majors Can Get You These Jobs," recommends choosing a more specialized major in order to learn a unique set of skills that could be beneficial for securing a job in these unique economic times. The field of Family and Consumer Sciences includes in depth areas of study such as child development, family relations, consumer economics, personal and family finance, healthy homes, and nutrition. Within these areas of specialization, a student would be prepared for numerous employment opportunities, including health education, teaching, financial advising, or education administration. In fact, the number of students seeking degrees in Family Science continues to grow. A recent comparison of data from the Family and Consumer Sciences Enrollment Statistics revealed that Family Studies and Human Development is the number one choice among undergraduate degree seeking students in Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences disciplines.

To learn more about degrees in Family Science at the University of Maryland, College Park, please visit the following link.

(Date Added: September 02, 2009)

Awards for the faculty were presented at the end of the SPH Assembly.

The George F. Kramer Practitioner of the Year Award: Dr. Kerry Green
Among her research efforts, she worked with urban communities in Baltimore to understand pathways to healthy living, collecting data from child-to-adult-hood, evaluating risk at each life stage. The overall goal of her research in this area is to decrease poor health behaviors like drug use and other plagues of the inner cities.

The Muriel R. Sloan "Communitarian Award: Dr. Elizabeth Brown
Dr. Brown is celebrated for her outreach effort which is centered on a summer sports camp. The camp is directed by Dr. Brown.

Research and Development: Dr. Kevin Roy
Dr. Roy examines adult development of individuals in under-served areas and is nationally and internationally recognized for his research and writing, including his notable nomination for the Ruben Hill Award.

Leda Amick Wilson Award: Dr. Susan Kogut
This is a mentoring award. Dr. Kogut takes up to 40 students to meetings and conferences each year and also sponsors Hoops for Heart with the American Cancer Society.

Viki Annand Award for Staff Excellence: Adam Shervanian
Mr. Shervanian, facilities manager, has been integral to the current renovation of the SPH building.

For more information about the assembly and the awards, click the link below.

(Date Added: August 31, 2009)

In 2003, the Department of Kinesiology's graduate program opened the new year with a discussion of a "Book Club." Now seven years later, the tradition continues with former Harvard President Derek Bok's critique of higher education, "Our Underachieving Colleges." Graduate students and faculty read the book over the summer. After an opening lunch, the new and old graduate students and faculty break into small groups to discuss the book! This year's book discussion was particularly vigorous. See the School of Public Health Blog, the Healthy Turtle for more information.

(Date Added: August 30, 2009)

Dr. Jaime Schultz delivered a series of three keynote speeches at the Sporting Traditions conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Sporting Traditions is the biennial conference of the Australian Society for Sport History. The conference theme this year was "The Cultural Paradigm: Reinvigorating Sport History?"

(Date Added: August 24, 2009)

Ndidi Amutah, Maternal and Child Health doctoral student in the Department of Family Science, has been selected as an American Public Health Association (APHA) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section Senior Fellow for the 2009-2010 academic year. The fellowship recognizes Ndidi's excellent academic record and experience in public health. After serving as a student fellow during the 2008-2009 school year, Ndidi has been chosen to mentor the new student fellows that were selected for the 2009-2010 academic year. As part of her Senior Student Fellowship, Ndidi will assist MCH section leaders with projects related to evaluation of the MCH fellowship program and increasing program-related web-based resources.

(Date Added: August 18, 2009)

Dr. Tong Tong Wu's, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dr. W. Rance Cleaveland's, Department of Computer Science (PI), and Dr. Steven Marcus', Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering collaborative research proposal "Next-Generation Model Checking and Abstract Interpretation with a Focus on Embedded Control and Systems Biology" has been awarded funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from the National Science Foundation.

This Expedition, under the directorship of Lead PI Edmund M. Clarke, will develop new computational tools to help scientists and engineers analyze and understand the behavior of the complex models they develop for application domains ranging from systems biology to embedded control. Building on the success of model checking and abstract interpretation (MCAI), two well-established methods for automatically verifying properties of digital circuit designs and embedded software, this research project will extend the MCAI paradigm to systems with complex continuous dynamics and probabilistic behaviors. Challenge problems providing technology drivers and testbeds for the research include: understanding the precursors and course of pancreatic cancer; predicting the onset of atrial fibrillation; and obtaining deep design-time insights into the behavior of automotive and aerospace control systems. Ultimately, this Expedition is expected to provide vital tools that will enable health-care researchers to discover better treatments for disease and will allow engineers to build safer aircraft and other complex systems.

This is a collaborative multi-site project involving CMU, CUNY, NYU, Stony Brook, UMD, Cornell, and JPL.

More information can be found at the link below:

(Date Added: August 14, 2009)

Dr. Jinhee Kim received the Mid-Career Award from the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) in honor of her outstanding contributions to the field of consumer finance. The ACCI award is granted based upon demonstrated excellence in the field through research, education, and/or policy combined with service that furthers consumer interests. Dr. Kim received recognition for her Mid-Career Award in July at the Annual ACCI Conference in Milwaukee, WI. Congratulations to Dr. Kim!

(Date Added: August 12, 2009)

Genevieve Martinez-Garcia has been awarded the Mabel S. Spencer Award, which includes a $15,000 stipend and doctoral candidacy tuition remission, to continue her community based participatory research with at-risk Hispanic youth in Montgomery County, Maryland. More specifically, Ms. Martínez-García will use her award funds to explore the risk factors associated with unintended pregnancies among Hispanic youth in Montgomery County.

(Date Added: August 10, 2009)

Maryland midfielder Caitlyn McFadden and Kinesiology major completed a sweep of the major Atlantic Coast Conference women's lacrosse awards Tuesday when she was named the sport's ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Already the ACC Player of the Year and ACC tournament Most Valuable Player, McFadden maintained a 3.663 grade-point average as a kinesiology major. An All-Metro player at Notre Dame Prep, McFadden, 21, also was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist and the Division I national Midfielder of the Year after helping the Terps to the Division I national semifinals in May.

The ACC Women's Lacrosse All-Academic team also include another Kinesiology major, Laura Merrifield as well as two other School of Public Health majors (Katie Gallagher, PCH; Amanda Spinnenweber, FMST. - Well done all!

(Date Added: August 06, 2009)

Dr. Robert Gold, Dean of the School of Public Health, advocates in Maryland Voices, the opinion section of the Baltimore Sun, that as we review health care in our society we consider prevention programs and lifestyle choices. These will lessen the cost of health care and it's impact on our lives.

Go to The Baltimore Sun to read more.

(Date Added: August 06, 2009)

The UMSTAR students gave a poster presentation where faculty and students were able to review their research and ask questions. This presentation format allowed for a thorough discussion.

Following the poster presentation was an oral presentation where each student stood and explained their research with visual aides.

UMSTAR is designed to give traditionally under-represented minority undergraduate students career development activities in the areas of the biomedical and behavioral aspects of cardiovascular disease. Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the program hosts students for 10 weeks over two summers, immersing them in advanced research and preparing them to enter and complete graduate or medical school.

To read more on this, go to the Health Turtle.

(Date Added: August 06, 2009)

Physical Education graduate (1955) Rennie Smith is to be inducted into the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame October 2nd. Among his accomplishments, he was a player for the Terrapins from 1952 to 1955 and then continued as an assistant coach, going to three national championships.

Click on the link below to see a complete description of his accomplishments in The Capital magazine.

(Date Added: August 05, 2009)

Barbara Singer, Maternal and Child Health doctoral student in the Department of Family Science, has been selected as an American Public Health Association (APHA) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section Fellow for 2009-2010 academic year. The fellowship recognizes Barbara's excellent academic record and experience in public health. The Student Fellows Program provides an opportunity for students to learn more about APHA and the MCH Section through participation in business meetings, serving on various Section committees, and working on Section policy statements, among other activities. Student Fellows are also matched with a public health mentor who is a leader in the field of maternal and child health.

(Date Added: August 04, 2009)

Congratulations to Dr. Jose (Pepe) Contreras-Vidal who was recently elected to the NACS (Neuroscience and Cognitive Science) Executive Committee. He joins Dr. Brad Hatfield on the committee. Kinesiology has a significant "foot print" in the NACS program. KNES has 6 faculty with NACS affiliations and 15 of their 49 doctoral students are in NACS.

(Date Added: August 03, 2009)

Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, was featured in Washington Hispanic on July 24 in an article discussing the newly passed law allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. She explained to readers in Spanish what the implications of this new law were for the health of the Latino community, recommended that readers stop smoking, and provided links to resources in the community.

Read the article in Spanish

(Date Added: August 03, 2009)

The June 2009 issue of Science Magazine features Dr. Sandra Hofferth's review of Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children, and Consumer Culture, in which Allis Pugh writes about children's desires to gain consumer goods and parental responses to these requests. Dr. Hofferth, Professor in Family Science and Director of the Maryland Population Research Center, relies upon her personal experience and expertise as a family science researcher in her critique of Pugh's book. She notes that while Pugh acknowledges "an inherent contradiction between individual development and a longing to belong," the author gives little attention to the important role parents can play in helping children to develop a positive sense of belonging through family and community-oriented activities rather than using the purchase of popular consumer goods to attain status. Select the following link to read Dr. Hofferth's full review.

(Date Added: July 28, 2009)

Dr. Ana Palla-Kane is working with students participating in the UM hosted Blind Youth Slam to show them the potential of Kinesiology as a science career.

This week two hundred blind and low vision students from all across the country will attend this five-day adventure that will engage, inspire, and encourage the next generation of blind youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the blind. While staying in the the University's South Campus residences, and attending programs across campus, students will be mentored by blind role models during activities designed to build confidence and increase science literacy. Students will participate in workshops on topics like leadership and career preparation, social activities such as karaoke, recreational events, a talent show, and a field trip.

(Date Added: July 26, 2009)

Congrats to Kerry Green who received an RO1 from the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Drug Abuse. The title of the project is: Substance Use and Psychological Problems in African Americans into Midlife.

DESCRIPTION: National data indicate that both substance use and psychological problems become more pronounced for African Americans in midlife, but few studies have examined the development of risk for these problems in African American communities, particularly into mid adulthood. Moreover, high rates of co-occurrence demand an approach that explores both unique and shared risk factors; however, these problems rarely have been studied together. Applying a developmental perspective, we aim to examine specific risk, protective, mediating, and moderating factors that influence later substance use and psychological problems among a community- based African American population followed longitudinally. In addition, there is a great need to determine how substance use and psychological problems contribute to physical health decline in mid adulthood.

Spanning more than 35 years of life, the Woodlawn Study, an epidemiological, prospective study of an African American community cohort, provides extensive data for understanding risk and protective factors and the short- and long-term consequences of substance use and psychological problems outside the context of treatment. With data extending into midlife - a neglected dimension of the life course - early risk factors and key mediating and moderating influences can be identified in an understudied population. This cohort was assessed initially as first graders in 1966-67 (N=1242), and followed up in adolescence (age 15-16), early adulthood (age 32-33), and mid-adulthood (age 42-43), creating an unprecedented chronicle of individual, family, and environmental characteristics, diverse life-course experiences, and their ultimate consequences.

(Date Added: July 22, 2009)

Colleen Vesely, FMSC doctoral student, recently participated in the World Forum on Early Care and Education in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This conference brought together 700 early childhood practitioners and researchers from 80 countries around the world to discuss and share about important issues related to early childhod education. At the World Forum Colleen was part of a panel discussion entitled, "Hope, Aspirations, and Plight: The Stories of Families in the Current of Global Immigration," in which she presented work from a grant funded project she is working on at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Specifically, Colleen discussed project plans to conduct in-depth case studies of ECE centers in the U.S. and abroad that are working with immigrant families in particularly unique and exemplary ways. The findings from this project will ultimately provide ECE practitioners around the world with tools for working most effectively with immigrant children and families.

(Date Added: July 21, 2009)

Installation Management Command-Europe's Morale, Welfare and Recreation is offering the opportunity to become a certified flag football official. The clinic is for those in the U.S. Army who are interested in becoming an official and officiate or coach. Attendees will receive 32 hours of training from certified instructor/official.

Attendees will learn current rules, points of emphasis, field mechanics, proper signaling, and safety. "We offer officials training in several sports to ensure we have qualified officials for the competitions offered by garrisons and the region" said James Mattingly, IMCOM-E MWR sports, fitness and aquatic director. "Officials are responsible for the safe and fair conduct of the events/games conducted". Conducting the clinic are certified recreational sports specialists Kurt D. Klier and Christopher J. Schmidt.

Schmidt is originally from Hamden, Connecticut and holds a Bachelor degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland. He is the director of intramural sports at Providence College in Rhode Island; Head Clinician for the NIRSA Region One Flag Football Officials Clinics hosted at the University of Rhode Island and was a Clinician at the NIRSA Flag Football Official's Pre Conference Workshop in Minneapolis. He has also been a clinician for the IMCOM-Europe in Schwetzingen, Germany and Vicenza, Italy. He has been a member of NIRSA since 2002 serving the association in a variety of capacities. He has officiated in two national championships and in 2003 Chris was an All American Flag Football Official, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an official.

- from US Fed News

(Date Added: July 21, 2009)

Dr Elbert D. Glover, Professor and Chair in the Department of Public and Community Health just returned from United Arab Emirates (UAE) where at the request of the Commissioner for Academic Accreditation in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE was one of a 2-member visiting committee who reviewed the application for the Masters of Public Health from the Gulf Medical University (GMU). The GMU is located in the Al Jarf area in the northern Emirate of Ajman.

In addition to the accreditation assignment, Dr Glover visited with select faculty in the hopes of igniting collaborative research between the GMU and the School of Public Health.

(Date Added: July 18, 2009)

"It is very challenging" to get people to adopt new, healthier habits, says Muhiuddin Haider. Forty-two percent of most diseases are behavior-oriented, he says.

In Malawi, where nearly 12 percent of all adults have HIV or AIDS, according to UNICEF it is important to erase their stigma so that people would be more comfortable seeking treatment. "It's been working," he says. "The idea is to treat the person with HIV as a patient and not judge their character."

Read the whole article.

(Date Added: July 16, 2009)

Dr. Norman Epstein, Professor, recently received a Community Award from the Mental Health Association of Prince George's County (MHAPGC) in recognition of his diligent and tireless efforts to improve mental health in the community. Dr. Epstein received this award following his presentation, "Families: Their Crucial Roles in Physical and Mental Health," at the 54th Anniversary Celebration of the MHAPGC.

(Date Added: July 15, 2009)

Congratulations to Dr. Jae Kun Shim. It was announced at the closing ceremony of the International Society for Biomechanics (ISB) in Cape Town South Africa that he had won the ISB Promising Young Scientist Award . This makes the second award this year by the biomechanics community (the first the ASB Young Scientist Award) to recognize the excellence of Dr. Shim's research and scholarship.

(Date Added: July 11, 2009)

Dr. John Jeka and his graduate students, David Logan and Eric Anson, presented their research at the 19th annual conference of the International Society for Posture and Gait (ISPGR) in Bolognia, Italy. Following ISPGR, Dr. Jeka attended the Neuromorphics Cognition Engineering Telluride Conference in Colorado.

(Date Added: July 11, 2009)

The Department of Kinesiology along with the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore co-hosted the VIII International Conference on Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Over 150 scientists from 24 countries presented papers on the mechanisms, assessment, and intervention strategies for children with DCD. Three graduate students (Melissa Pangelinan, Brad King, and Du Yue) along with three faculty (Jane Clark, Marcio Oliveira, and Florian Kagerer) presented papers at the conference.

(Date Added: July 11, 2009)

Dr. Espen Spangenburg is giving an invited talk at the Physiological Society meeting in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Spangenburg's paper, "The role of IGF-I in skeletal muscle function" is one of several in a symposum on "Muscle plasticity and determinants of muscle performance."

(Date Added: July 11, 2009)

Congratulations to Brian Gilchrist, a second year Ph.D. student in DPCH, whose past employer was just awarded two grants that he wrote, described below.

New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program RFA Advocacy in Action $125,00.00 per yr/5yrs RFA #0802260500 These programs will actively engage college students in policy and advocacy actions such as: smoke-free outdoor policies on and off campus; smoke-free dorm policies; tobacco-free campus store policies; policies prohibiting tobacco company or tobacco product promotion in bars, fraternities and sororities, and other venues on and off campus; and policies prohibiting tobacco company commercial sponsorship and corporate giving.

New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program RFA Youth Action Program $175,000 per year/5yrs Youth Action programs are designed to integrate youth participants into the work of the NY TCP. These programs will actively engage individual youth in a supportive peer group, working with adult guidance, to take action to mitigate, reduce or eliminate: " The fraudulent and deceptive marketing practices of tobacco companies. Tobacco product advertising at the point of purchase (POP). Smoking in G, PG, and PG-13 movies. The harm caused by secondhand smoke. The promotion and normalization of tobacco products and tobacco use.

see http://fridayletter.asph.org/article_view.cfm?FLE_Index=10288&FL_Index=1578

(Date Added: July 10, 2009)

The School of Public Health had the privilege to receive a delegation from the Peking University School of Public Health. This visit served to launch the collaboration agreed to in the schools' recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which expressed a desire to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the benefit of both institutions.

Check out the Healthy Turtle to learn more.

(Date Added: July 07, 2009)

Congratulations to Dr. Ken Beck, from the Department of Public and Community Health, for notice in the Association of Schools of Public Health Friday Letter for his work with the state. He talks about his survey for traffic safety and injury prevention.

Read more

(Date Added: July 06, 2009)

Dr. Kevin Roy has been awarded a two-year William T. Grant Scholars Supplement Award to support his mentoring relationship with Jocelyn Smith, a second-year Family Science doctoral student. The W.T. Grant Scholars Supplement award is granted based upon an evaluation of the promise of the junior scholar (the graduate student), as well as the quality of the mentoring plan established to facilitate the students' growth as a researcher, Dr. Roy's growth as a mentor, and the quality of their research project. In addition to the University of Maryland, two other supplemental awards also were granted to scholars and mentees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Sociology and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The students and professors will work towards establishing a strong mentor-mentee relationship focused on research and career development. Congratulations to Dr. Roy.

(Date Added: June 26, 2009)

The Department of Family Science is pleased to announce that Amanda Bowsher has been hired as the Department's new Undergraduate Coordinator. Amanda joins Family Science from The Ohio State University, where she served as an Academic and Career Counselor. Amanda earned both her Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. She has served students in a number of capacities including academic counseling, residence life and housing, orientation and first-year experience, honors student programming, and student activities. Amanda is passionate about helping students identify their strengths and goals in order to succeed academically and transition to the workforce. We look forward to the exciting contributions that she will make to our Department, the School of Public Health, and the University.

(Date Added: June 24, 2009)

Dr. Leslie Leigh, Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Family Science, has been selected to participate in a two week Curriculum Transformation Project, "'What do you mean, Postracial?', Teaching about Race, Difference, and Inequality in the Obama Era." Participation in the 2009 Summer Institute sponsored by the Department of Women's Studies is an opportunity for faculty members to renovate existing class curriculum to better reflect the current state of race discourse. Faculty will examine articles, talk shows, blogs, news coverage, and campaign speeches to identify constructive ways to address and analyze postracialism in the classroom. Participants will read classic and contemporary essays on race and inequality and will examine dimensions of difference, such as gender and class, for civil, political, and cultural life in the United States. Dr. Leslie will apply what she learns to the graduate level class Gender and Ethnicity in Family Therapy and Service Delivery.

(Date Added: June 22, 2009)

A Washington Post writer visits the Department of Kinesiology's exercise physiology lab to evaluate his fitness levels. Post doctoral fellow, Sarah Witkowski, and doctoral students, Nathan Jenkins and Eric Hanson, put Lenny Bernstein through the paces. Read about his experience ... and ask yourself... how would I do?

(Date Added: June 19, 2009)

The following Family Science majors achieved Semester Academic Honors by taking 12 or more credits with a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher:

Ashley Abrahams, Cheri Anderson, Nkemka Anyiwo, Morgan Appel, Samantha Ascanio, Sequoia Bacon, Lauren Baklarz, Danielle Baranson, Jasmyne Beckford, Kristina Bingham, Melissa Bokow, Sierra Brewer, Donna Brown, Kim Bui, Samantha Buker, Stephanie Cannon, Janet Carroll, Christie Chorbajian, Ashley Christiansen, Millicent Clarkson, Brittany Conklin, Rayann Cummings, Sarah Dennison, Daiana Dias, Kathryn Difato, Esther Dubow, Krizia Fernandez, Elizabeth Fetissoff, Gabrielle Furman, Jaclyn Gaudio, Laura George, Sonia Giron, Caitlin Golding, Fallon Goodman, Sharlane Greaves, Genni Harrison, Devin Howle, Cheryl Hylton, Wen Ji, Ashleigh Jobson, Nancy Johnson, Angela Kelly, Christine Kenny, Shira Klayman, January Kolker, Scott La Cross, Melissa Langley, Sharelle Law, Lashaune Lee, William Leonard, Abigail Malate, Brenna McKew, Jessica Menjivar, Sylvia Mervis, Kelleigh Middleton, Laura Miffleton, Kaeleigh Moffitt, Shawna Murray, Megan Nappi, Jennifer Ng, Renee Noel, Alexandra Ortiz, Megan Palanci, Zuri Park, Ellen Pauloski, Lauren Persons, Catherine Phillips, Ilana Pickett, Dylan Podson, Samanatha Posner, Sarah Prokopik, Brittney Renehan, Ingrid Reyes-Arias, Kelly Richardson, Kelly Ringer, Sarah Roosa, Rochelle Schatz, Kaila Sciascia, Kristina Shieh, Cynthia Shin, Sherray Simms, Smriti Sindhi, Nicole Sindorf, Nicole Small, Amanda Spinnenweber, Alexandra Staropoli, Jerri Taylor, Karissa Taylor, Shantrez Taylor, Caitlin Thomas, Kerry Thompson, Sarah Thornton, Jeannette Trejo, Katherine Usher, Victoria Wedge, Allison Weeks, Rivka Weiss, April Welch, Abigail Wesley, Natasha Wetzel, Gabrielle Wiley, Rebecca Wojcicki, April Wood, John Woodard.

Congratulations to the Dean's List scholars!

(Date Added: June 15, 2009)

Dr. Daughters, of Public and Community Health, is featured in Between the Columns, a campus news site. The article is on tolerating stress and it's relationship to beating addiction.

"It's a challenging time both physically and emotionally, and a period when people are most prone to relapse," says Stacey Daughters.

Read the full article. http://betweenthecolumns.umd.edu/2009/06/08/toleratingdistress/

(Date Added: June 11, 2009)

Signing of House Bill #419 which established the pilot for the Maryland Health and Wellness Commission and the Wellness Report Card. Pictured are graduate students, Ginelle Jurlano and Paiker Sayed, from the Department of Health Services Administration who assisted in the development of the bill; Wesley Queen, Assistant to the Dean for Public Health Advocacy; Heather Ryan who assisted with the bill as a part of her internship in the Department of Public and Community Health; Delegate James W. Hubbard who sponsored the bill; Governor Martin O'Malley, Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown, President of the Senate Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.; and Speaker of the House of Delegates Michael E. Busch.

(Date Added: June 09, 2009)

Erin Howie (KS '08) who is now a graduate student at the University of South Carolina presented the results from her senior thesis done here at the University of Maryland at the annual meeting of the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM). Her paper co-authored with Dr. Deborah Young was "Step It Up: A multi-component intervention on stair use in a university residence building." And yes, the residence hall was right here at Maryland. Congratulations Erin.

(Date Added: June 07, 2009)

A number of the Department of Kinesiology's faculty and graduate students presented their research findings at the recent American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) conference in Seattle. Drs. Hatfield, Roth, and Spangenburg gave invited papers as did the following graduate students: 1)Zimmerman, Jo B., Ludlow, Andrew T., Witkowski, Sarah, Kayes, Maureen, Poeppel, David, Roth, Stephen M., FACSM, & Hatfield, Bradley D., FACSM "APOE Genotype, Aerobic Fitness, and Cerebral Cortical Activation During Working Memory Challenge in Middle-aged Adults"; 2)Andrew T. Ludlow, Pallavi Nadendla, Sarah Witkowski, Lindsay M. Wohlers, Espen E. Spangenburg, Stephen M. Roth FACSM "Physical activity ancestry affects body composition phenotypes and gene expression in mice offspring"; 3) Jennifer A. McKenzie, S. Witkowski, A.T. Ludlow, S.M. Roth, J.M. Hagberg. "Visfatin genotypes influence glucose and obesity-related variables and their aerobic exercise training responses"; 4) Erik D. Hanson, A.T. Ludlow, A.K. Sheaff, J. Park, S.M. Roth. "ACTN3 R577X genotype is not associated with muscle fatigue performance:; and, 5) Nathan T. Jenkins, Sarah Witkowski, Espen E. Spangenburg, and James M. Hagberg FACSM. "Acute and Chronic Endurance Exercise Improve Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function and Reduce Expression of Oxidative Stress-Related Genes"

Nathan T. Jenkins, Sarah Witkowski, Espen E. Spangenburg, and James M. Hagberg FACSM. Acute and Chronic Endurance Exercise Improve Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function and Reduce Expression of Oxidative Stress-Related Genes

(Date Added: June 07, 2009)

Dr. Espen Spangenburg gave a talk on "Changes in muscle mass with mechanical load: possible cellular mechanisms" at the 14th International Biochemistry of Exercise conference in Guelph, Canada. At the same conference two of Dr. Spangenburg's doctoral students also gave talks. Lindsay Wohlers' paper was on: "Estrogen and not exercise attenuates increases in lipolysis and ATGL signaling in the visceral fat of OVX mice."

Katie Campbell's paper was entitled: "Increases in visceral fat mass in OVX mice is associated with decreases in skeletal muscle cytochrome C protein expression."

(Date Added: June 07, 2009)

Twelve Family Science doctoral and masters students will participate in a new summer study abroad experience in Beijing, China. Graduate students will participate in the two-week class, China: Models of Couple and Family Therapy, under the direction of FMSC Professor Dr. Norman Epstein.

The course will focus on understanding and applying concepts and methods of major couple and family therapy theoretical approaches in a culturally sensitive way to address concerns of families in China as well as the United States. Students will be involved in extensive classroom interaction with faculty and students in the Institute for Developmental Psychology at Beijing Normal University, analyzing how couple and family therapy models that originally were developed in Western cultures can be adapted and applied in China. The course also will provide students with cultural immersion experiences involving Chinese customs, culture, and daily life outside of the traditional classroom.

(Date Added: June 04, 2009)

Dr. Colleen Farmer has been chosen Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education of the School of Public Health, effective July 1, 2009. Dr. Farmer will also oversee the operations of our School's Student Service Center and our undergraduate programs at Shady Grove. Dr. Farmer comes to the position with exceptional credentials having served as the Assistant Chair and Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Department of Kinesiology. She also served as the School's Equity and Diversity officer from 1988 through 2003 and was the founding Director of the School's Wellness Research Laboratory. Her service to the University has been stellar. She served this year on the University's Banneker Key Selection Committee; in 2008 on the University Honors Committee; and from 2003 - 2007 she served on the President's Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues - a Commission she Chaired from 2004-2007.

In 2009 Dr. Farmer was the recipient of the President's Distinguished Service Award and was named the Outstanding Gemstone Mentor in 2003.

It is with a good deal of pride that we welcome Dr. Colleen Farmer to her new position.

(Date Added: June 02, 2009)

Kate Riera, FMSC doctoral student, received the Scholars Foundation Scholarship from Datatel, Inc. This award, totaling $1,600, recognizes her academic excellence and contributions to the Family Science Department. Kate's current research interests include adolescent reproductive health, pregnancy, and childbearing. She is working under the mentorship of Dr. Sandra Hofferth, FMSC Professor and Director of the Maryland Population Research Center, as she begins her dissertation research. Congratulations to Kate on her award!

(Date Added: June 01, 2009)

Rima Rudd, on the advisory board for the Center of Health Literacy is being recognized as a leader in health literacy by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation. She was one of the recipients of the prestigious Pfizer Health Literacy in Advancing Patient Safety Award. Honored for their innovative and influential efforts in the Health Literacy field.

Dr. Rudd's work has clearly demonstrated that literacy is a major factor contributing to disparities in health status, access to care, and quality of care for many members of our society, and stresses the critical need for public health and medical professionals to respond to this important issue. "She is a true pioneer and leader in the burgeoning field of health literacy," said Ms. Pinakiewicz.

This award, established in 2008 and made possible through a generous grant from Pfizer, Inc., was established to recognize the critical importance of health literacy to advancing patient safety and quality of care, and to acknowledge those on the forefront of this essential work.

Read the full article.

(Date Added: May 29, 2009)

Dr. Jae Kun Shim has just been informed by the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) that he has been selected as the ASB Young Scientist Award winner for 2009. It is one of the most prestigious award for biomechanists who are in their early scientific career. He will have an one-hour invited presentation at this year's ASB conference. More information about the award can be found at http://www.asbweb.org/html/awards/Young_scientist_post.html

Congratulations to Dr. Shim. Well done!

ASB's mission is to encourage and foster the exchange of information and ideas among biomechanists working in different disciplines and fields of application, biological sciences, exercise and sports science, health sciences, ergonomics and human factors, and engineering and applied science, and to facilitate the development of biomechanics as a basic and applied science.

(Date Added: May 29, 2009)

Dr Pamela Clark has been notified of an award from NIH NCI for the project titled, "Standardization of Methods to Measure Waterpipe Smoke Emissions and Exposure." This is a 4-year project (06/01/2009 - 04/30/2013). Total budget over 4 years is $2,703,735.

(Date Added: May 28, 2009)

Dr Daughters has been notified by NIH that Sylvette LaTouche's diversity grant supplement has been approved for funding! Official notice to the University will probably come in 3-4 weeks! This is is Stacey second diversity/minority supplement, the other was Tanya Geiger.

Keep up the great work Stacey!

(Date Added: May 28, 2009)

Dr Elbert Glover just returned from several invited lectures in Red Bank, New Jersey; Gran Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Panama City, Panama. Dr Glover delivered a medical lecture in New Jersey on varenicline a partial agonist for helping smokers quit. He also presented a medical series lecture in the Cayman Islands on the latest pharmacological adjuncts to assist smokers with cessation; moreover, he was the featured speaker for Doctor's Day in Panama City, Panama. Again, the lecture was to physicians and presented the latest pharmacological options for assisting smokers with cessation.

(Date Added: May 25, 2009)

The Symposium on Families, hosted by the campus chapter of the Maryland Council on Family Relations (MCFR), showcased undergraduate student research conducted in FMSC 302, Research Methods in Family Science this April, 2009. Poster presentations displaying students' research results included a variety of topics such as family support systems, peer relationships, and race relations. T'Naija Dickens, Meagan Hobgood, Wen Ji, and Kelly Ringer received first place for their poster, "Grandparents Involvement and the Perception of Elderly." Victoria Hightower, Olga Matthews, Dylan Podson, Kimberly Russell, Sara Tavakoli, and Victoria Wedge were awarded second place for their poster, "Affluence: How Socioeconomic Status Affects Post Graduation Plans." Third place posters were given to two research groups. Jamellah Reid, Lauren Hoatson, Rachel Nomberg, Katie Reidy, and Melissa Carry earned third place for their poster, "Effects of Family Structure on Adolescents' External Behavior," as did Claudia Camargo, Therese Hackford, Sylvia Mervis, Shawna Murray, and Samanatha Posner for their poster, "The Effects of Alcohol and Marijuana Use on Academic Achievement." Congratulations to the winners and all of the students who participated in this event to display their understanding of research methods.

(Date Added: May 21, 2009)

Dr. Bonnie Braun was selected as Distinguished Lecturer to provide the Annie E. Casey Strengthening 4-H Families Keynote Address at the 2009 Child, Youth & Families at Risk (CYFAR) Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Her presentation, "Stories from the By-ways of Life: Tales of Hopes, Dreams and Things In-between," combined both quantitative and qualitative findings from a 17-state, longitudinal research study. Utilizing the oral storytelling tradition, Dr. Braun shared tales of challenges that mothers face in raising children, making ends meet, food security, health, employment and civic engagement within the communities they live. The goal of this lecture was to share research and practical examples along with the implications for youth, families and communities. Throughout her career, Dr. Braun has focused on reducing barriers among individuals, families and communities.

(Date Added: May 21, 2009)

Shawna Murray, FMSC graduating Senior, is the 2009 recipient of the John B. Slaughter Outstanding Senior Award from Nyumburu Cultural Center. The award is presented to a senior of the African Diaspora who has been active on the campus, has been an advocate for the needs of students, and has an outstanding academic career.

The Outstanding Senior Award is named after Dr. John B. Slaughter who served as Chancellor (President) of the University of Maryland from 1982 to 1988.

Congratulations, Shawna, on this well-deserved award!

(Date Added: May 21, 2009)

Dr Stacey Daughters' research is currently featured in NIDA Notes (Vol 22, number 2) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, NIH. The publication notes that men with co-occurring substance abuse and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may particularly benefit from judicially mandated addiction treatment. The article further notes that her research has 2 important implications for substance abuse users with ASPD: 1) Judicial mandates offer a way to keep them in addiction treatment programs, and 2) voluntary participants may require special interventions to keep them actively engaged in therapy. More can be found at the link below or Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 34(2):157-164, 2008.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_notes/NNvol22N3/RIB.html

(Date Added: May 21, 2009)

Dr. Muhiuddin Haider, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Global Health at the School of Public Health, will be teaching a workshop for The Institute for Research in Health and Nutrition of the University of San Francisco de Quito through the Fullbright Scholars Program. The workshop objective is to improve prevention and health promotion strategies through education and communication.

In english translation: Workshop Information.

In original Spanish: Workshop Information

(Date Added: May 21, 2009)

On Thursday, May 21, Dr. Lee of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will present findings from the needs assessment conducted in Montgomery County, Maryland, to identify the health needs of the county's Asian American communities at the plenary session of the 2009 Asian American Health Conference.

The Asian American Health Conference 2009 will provide an opportunity for local and national experts to share their knowledge and experiences in order to help guide Asian Americans and key stakeholders to become advocates of change. Learn how you can make health needs a priority at a community, state and national level.

For more information go to http://www.aahiinfo.org/conference09/ or click on the link below.

(Date Added: May 20, 2009)

Eighty five Department of Family Science undergraduate students will walk across the stage in Cole Field House on Thursday morning, May 22, at 9 a.m. as they are awarded Bachelor of Science degrees from the School of Public Health. The graduating Class of 2009 is distinguished by its scholarship--including the completion of an empirical research project and an intensive, semester-long professional internship; community service; and student leadership.

Several graduates have also received acceptance to a variety of graduate schools, including: Laural Bragg (Towson University, Occupational Therapy), Sarah Breen (Washington University in St. Louis, Social Work), Christie Chorbajian (University of Massachusetts, Marriage and Family Therapy), Matthew Fox (Virginia Tech, Marriage and Family Therapy), Carolyn Mayes (Virginia Commonwealth University, Social Work), Shawna Murray (UMB, Social Work), Heather Penchinar (New York University, Occupational Therapy), Nina Phillips (NYC Teaching Fellows, Special Education), Lauren Polovoy (UMD, Speech-Language Pathology), Samantha Posner (University of Baltimore, Law), Kelly Richardson (UMB, Social Work), Alexandra Staropoli (UMB, Law).

Congratulations to all of the graduates and best of luck in the future!

(Date Added: May 19, 2009)

Dr. Mia Smith Bynum, Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University, has accepted a faculty position in the Department of Family Science at UMCP. Dr. Smith Bynum is an expert in family communication, especially parent-adolescent communication about difficult topics (e.g., racism, teen sexual decision making). She has done groundbreaking research on observational coding of parent-adolescent communication. She is also an authority on relations between parenting and racial identity development and adolescent mental health, as well as the factors that contribute to the mental health of ethnic minorities generally. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. This Spring, Dr. Smith Bynum was awarded an R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Award through National Institute of Mental Health for her research entitled "Discrimination, Parenting, and Resilience in Black Youth."

(Date Added: May 18, 2009)

Bonni Hodges, a professor of health at SUNY Cortland, will receive a Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service during the 2009 Undergraduate Commencement on Saturday, May 16, in the Park Center. She is among five SUNY Cortland faculty and staff members to be honored this year with this prestigious recognition.

Dr. Hodges earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education/Athletic Training from Ithaca College, a Master of Science in Exercise Science from Northeastern University and a doctorate in health education, with concentrations in research and evaluation/adolescent health, from University of Maryland at College Park.

(Date Added: May 16, 2009)

Jamie Lok's project, A Qualitative Study to Initiate Future Smokeless Tobacco Dependence Instrument Development won the meritorious award for outstanding MPH project for Spring 2009. Her committee chair was Dr Elbert D Glover and the committee members were Drs Pamela Clark and Jessica Rath.

Congratulations to Jamie and the committee.

(Date Added: May 13, 2009)

Graduate student instructors Laura Evans, Kate Speirs, Colleen Vesely, and Kate Riera have been named as 2008-09 Distinguished Teaching Assistants by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE). This prestigious award is given only to the top 10% of graduate student instructors, recognizing their excellent teaching and strong commitment to working with students in a professional and creative way.

Laura and Kate Riera have been instructors of our undergraduate course, Children in Families; Kate Speirs has taught Research Methods in Family Science; and Colleen has been the instructor for the Poverty, Affluence, and Families course. All four Ph.D. students, who have been participants in FMSC's Preparing Future Faculty and Family Professionals program, were honored by the CTE, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, and the Graduate School at the annual Distinguished Teaching Assistant Ceremony on Wednesday, May 13th at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

(Date Added: May 13, 2009)

Kate Riera, a third year Family Science doctoral student, received second place in the Health I Category at the 2009 Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID). The campus-wide conference held on April 13, 2009, highlights graduate student research across UMCP.

Kate's poster, "Young Maternal Age and Infant Mortality," presented research on the relationship between young maternal age and risk of infant mortality using the Linked Birth/Infant Death dataset from the National Center for Health Statistics. She is completing her research under the mentorship of Dr. Sandy Hofferth, FMSC Professor and Director of the Maryland Population Research Center.

Doctoral candidates Ndidi Amutah, Amanda Berger, Laura Evans, Elise Resnick, and Xiaofang Wang also presented their research at the 2009 conference.

(Date Added: May 13, 2009)

Sarah Breen, a FMSC undergraduate who is graduating this May, has been elected to The Phi Beta Kappa honor society this spring. Phi Beta Kappa recognizes students' outstanding scholastic achievement in studies of the liberal arts and sciences and is the oldest and most widely respected academic honorary society in the United States. Seniors who qualify for membership in Phi Beta Kappa must have an overall grade point average of at least 3.6 and are assessed on the quality, depth, and breadth of their record in liberal courses. Membership is granted to students who fulfill the Society's requirements for 90 credit hours in challenging liberal arts and sciences courses.

Sarah has accepted a scholarship to attend Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, this fall where she will pursue a Masters of Social Work degree.

Congratulations to Sarah!

(Date Added: May 12, 2009)

Katherine Speirs, a third year Family Science doctoral student, was chosen to receive a 2009-2010 Jewell L. Taylor National Graduate Fellowship from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). This $5,000 award recognizes her outstanding academic achievements and potential contributions to the family and consumer sciences profession.

Katherine's current research interests include motherhood and child care. She is using ethnographic data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study, to investigate low-income mothers' decisions about child care and the transitions they must endure to receive adequate child care.

This summer, Katherine is working with Dr. Stephanie Grutzmacher on the Food Stamp Nutrition Education program to explore the health behaviors and attitudes of food stamp eligible adults, the appropriateness and readability of curricular and evaluation materials, and the barriers to nutrition education and behavior change.

Congratulations to Katherine on her award!

(Date Added: May 12, 2009)

The cultural competency website makes available links to free cultural competency curricula, information on language services, self-awareness exercises, key reports on health disparities, interactive websites to retrieve data and related courses.

A wide range of approaches are used to teach cultural competency to medical and health professional students in the state of Maryland, ranging from self directed learning, reflective exercises, didactic lectures, case discussions in small groups, and standardized patient cases to medical Spanish courses and community practice experiences.

Development of this website was funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute under the direction of Olivia Carter-Pokras, Ph.D (Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics) and with the assistance of Mr. Christopher Daniel, Mr. Stefan Livingstone, Mr. Alexander Fischer, Mr. Charles Olaleye and Mr. Cong Ye.

(Date Added: May 12, 2009)

Dr. Haider, professor of Global Health at the School of Public Health, represented Voice of America (VOA) Bangla to speak at an Avian Influenza workshop in Dhaka-Gaizipur, Bangladesh. His talk was "Human and Avian Pandemic Influenza: Preparing Asia and the World "

The timing of this workshop was critical, given the H1N1 outbreak. The workshop provided real-world experiences for the writers, presenters and videographers present from newspapers, television stations and Internet news houses. Also the role of farmers in preventing the spread of Avian Influenza was discussed.

(Date Added: May 12, 2009)

Doctoral candidate, Jaebum Park, (advisor: Dr. Jae Shim) has been awarded an Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship for the fall semester. The Wylie Fellowships were created by the UM Graduate School to help doctoral students in the final states of their dissertation. The fellowship comes with a $10,000 stipend, health insurance, and tuition remission for one semester. Following completion of his dissertation, Jaebum will take a postdoctoral position at Penn State University. Congratulations, Jaebum!

(Date Added: May 09, 2009)

Congratulations to Kinesiology doctoral students, Michelle Costanza and LiChuan Lo, who both were awarded Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowships. Michelle is PhD student in the NACS program and LiChuan is a PhD student in the Kinesiology program. Both are advised by Dr. Bradley Hatfield.

Well done!

(Date Added: May 09, 2009)

The newly released University of Maryland Phi Beta Kappa list notes several Public and Community Health majors. The list consists of graduating seniors and high-performing juniors.

Our Junior elected was Rachel Anne Blair. Seniors elected were Stephanie Nicole Fiore, Elisa Meredith Fisher, Danielle Marie Goldberg and Chandni Dipak Shah.

Congratulations to these exceptional students...we're proud to have them as majors.

(Date Added: May 06, 2009)

The initial meeting and orientation of the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center (UMD-PRC) took place yesterday.

First the group discussed the specifics of the award and introduced the administrative workgroup and it's structure. They then worked on the mission, goals, and objectives of the group. Finally they set steps and plans over the next several months.

For more information, email Brad Boekeloo at boekeloo@UMD.EDU

The Maryland Prevention Research Center is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and aims to develop ways of improving the health of communities neighboring the University Of Maryland School Of Public Health in College Park.

(Date Added: May 06, 2009)

Allison O'Neill, a first year doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, received an Interdisciplinary Traineeship with the Maryland Population Research Center.

Through the traineeship Allison will receive some funding from the MPRC, take courses on demography and economics, and work with her adviser, Dr. Sunmin Lee, and other MPRC faculty associates on research projects.

(Date Added: May 05, 2009)

Nikita Boston, the newly elected incoming President of our Epsilon Chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma won the Kirwan award. It's a university wide award so it's a major honor for her and a comment on the type of student Public and Community Health is attracting.

The award is presented to a member of the junior class who during his/her collegiate career has exhibited outstanding leadership and commitment to the college community. Nominees are judged on the following criteria: involvement in student organizations and activities, service to the campus community, involvement in service to the broader community including community service and service learning, promotion of campus diversity or ethnic/race and nternational relations, outstanding academic performance and leadership qualities including mentoring young students. The Kirwan Award is named in honor of William E. Kirwan who served as president of the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1998. Dr. Kirwan currently serves as Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

This is a great honor for Nikita Boston.

(Date Added: May 04, 2009)

Talia Lewis, the Individual Studies major (Health, Culture, and Inequality Studies) was chosen a 2009-210 Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar; moreover, Talia named Sharon Desmond, her IVSP Faculty Mentor, as the faculty member who has made the most impact on her academic achievement.

(Date Added: May 01, 2009)

Family Science Associate Professor Manouchehr Mokhtari is the lead author for an article, "Effects of Consumer Goods Shortages on Fertility in Post-Soviet Economy," in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Using a survey of families from the Former Soviet Union, Dr. Mokhtari examines the effects on fertility of eliminating consumer-market shortage. Dr. Mokhtari's research concludes that consumer goods shortage and fertility were positively related. Therefore, elimination of consumer goods shortage would be expected to lower aggregate number of children in the transition (post-Soviet) economies.

Dr. Mokhtari currently teaches FMSC 341, Personal and Family Finance, and FMSC290, Family Economics. His research efforts include microeconometric analysis of household behaviors, fiscal reform, and strategic behavior in the health care system.

(Date Added: May 01, 2009)

Lyndsey Wilson, Kinesiological Science major ('10) has been selected as a University of Maryland's 2009-2010 Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars. The Merrill Scholar program honors the University of Maryland's most successful seniors and their designated University faculty and K-12 teachers for their mentorship.

Lyndsey named Dr. Elizabeth Brown, a faculty member in Kinesiology as her university "mentor." Congratulations to Lyndsey for this great honor and to Dr. Brown as her special mentor. Kinesiology is proud to have you both in the department.

(Date Added: April 30, 2009)

On May 24, Stefan Livingstone, an MPH student in epidemiology, will present work he has been doing for his MPH internship at the Christian Connections for International Health's 23rd Annual Conference, May 23-25, 2009.

Click on the link below for more information on the conference:

(Date Added: April 29, 2009)

The Department of Family Science is seeking Undergraduate students interested in research to become a part of the Couples Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP). CAPP is being conducted with couples who seek therapeutic assistance through the University of Maryland's Center for Healthy Families. The study evaluates the effectiveness of two treatments for couples who have experienced problems with anger control and have the possibility for violence in their relationship. The Department is recruiting motivated and dependable Family Science undergraduate students who are interested in working for two semesters with Drs. Werlinich, Epstein, and LaTaillade. Interviews for the research positions will be held on Wednesday, May 6th at 3:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Hrapczynski at katieh@umd.edu.

(Date Added: April 28, 2009)

The Department of Public and Community Health was well represented at the Joint Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco-USA and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco-Europe recently held in Dublin, Ireland with 5 persons attending. Moreover, 5 posters and a major workshop involved 5 faculty (Dr Elbert Glover, Dr Pamela Clark, Dr Jessica Rath, Dr Donna Howard, and Summa Babu and 1 doctoral student, Eva Sharma.

The posters presented were:
1) Transdisciplinarity Among Tobacco Harm Reduction Researchers: A Network Analytic Approach;
2) Electroencephalographic (EEG) Response to Variation in Smokeless Tobacco pH;
3) Assessment of Nicotine Dependence and Its Demographic Correlates Among African American Smokers;
4) Differences in Mouth-Level Nicotine Delivery with Variation in Cigarette Smoke pH;
5) Smokers and PREP's Measurement of Inhaled and Exhaled Tobacco Smoke Particulate. Of note is that Eva Sharma a graduate student was lead author on one of the posters #3.

(Date Added: April 27, 2009)

Kinesiology was part of the School of Public Health's activities on the mall at Maryland Day.

Our undergraduate students provided activities for children, physical fitness assessments, and information on our undergraduate and graduate programs. It was a great day to celebrate the University of Maryland. Go TERPS.

(Date Added: April 27, 2009)

The M Club and Terrapin Club hosted the 2009 University of Maryland President's Cup Awards Brunch on Sunday, April 26. This awards ceremony recognizes the outstanding academic achievement and community service of Maryland student-athletes. The Department of Kinesiology is proud of its majors who were honored at the brunch.

These honorees include Stephanie Ragheb, ICA Community Service Award.
Academic Achievement Awards went to: Lori Bjork, James Knox, Margaret MacKeever, Kelsey Nelligen, and Christen Vagts.
The President's Cup Women's Team Award went to the tennis team with two Kinesiology majors: Margaret MacKeever and Oksana Krutiyenko.
The Men's President's Cup Team Award went to the cross country team with three Kinesiology majors: Michael Cator, Greg Kelsey, and Ben Diestel.
The CHAMPS/Lifeskills Cup went to the women's gymnastics team and the men's swimming team.
Four members of the women's gymnastics team are Kinesiology majors: Michele Brenner, Brandi George, Kelsey Nelligan, and Lisa Reifschneider.
The men's swim team Kinesiology member is Eric Cullen.

CONGRATULATIONS to all these academically excellent student-athlete from the Department of Kinesiology

(Date Added: April 27, 2009)

Dr. Glover participated in a National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) workshop titled, NIDA Medications Development Workshop: Smoking Cessation and Beyond in Dublin, Ireland. The workshop was a NIDA Satellite to the 2009 joint conference of the Society of Nicotine and Tobacco Research, USA and Society of Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Europe. Participants in the 3-hour workshop were Dr Glover who presented, Evaluation of Selegiline Transdermal System for Smoking Cessation: Preliminary Results of NIDA's 246-Subject, Multi-Site Trial. The second presenter was Dr. Celia Jaffe Winchell from the Food and Drug Administration who presented, Medications to Treat Tobacco Dependence: An FDA Perspective. The final presenter was David J. McCann of the National Institute on Drug Abuse who presented, dedications Development for Polydrug Addiction Treatment: A NIDA Perspective. After the presentations the final hour was fielding questions from the audience.

(Date Added: April 27, 2009)

On Tuesday, April 28, Dr. Lee will present a seminar for the Biostatistics Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics of NIH/NCI titled "Threshold Regression and Analytical Time for Survival Analysis With Applications in Epidemiology and Clinical Trials".

For more information, go to this link or click the link below: http://dceg.cancer.gov/bb/about/events

(Date Added: April 27, 2009)

Dr. Glover was invited to train physicians in a series of workshops throughout Puerto Rico on treating nicotine dependence; moreover, Dr. Glover discussed his latest research findings on an NIDA funded trial of selegiline a MAO B inhibitor in a transdermal format as an aid to smoking cessation.

(Date Added: April 25, 2009)

Dr. James Hagberg is this year's Montoye-Nagle Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Hagberg's talk is titled, "Exercise and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors at the Cellular, Genetic, and Clinical Levels. The lecture is Thursday, April 30.

(Date Added: April 24, 2009)

The 2nd annual PCS Graduate Student Conference will be held on Friday, April 24 from 8-4:30 in the SPH building. The theme of this year's conference will be "The Body, Health & Society", and will feature fifteen research paper presentations. The conference keynote will be given by the distinguished PCS alum, Dr. Andrew D. Grainger (Liverpool Hope University), whose presentation is titled "Colonial Discourse and the Geopolitics of the Sporting Body."

(Date Added: April 23, 2009)

Madieu Williams, Family Science alumnus, is the 2009 recipient of the University of Maryland's Outstanding Alumnus Award in the School of Public Health.

A former safety with the Cincinnati Bengals who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2008, Madieu has continued his interest in children and families through his work with underprivileged children, youth, and their families involving minority health issues. After Madieu's mother passed away from a stroke following his 2004 rookie season, he created the Madieu Williams Foundation; which promotes health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education activities. The foundation has partnered with community organizations in Cincinnati and Minneapolis to build playgrounds, renovate athletic facilities, and conduct diabetes screening programs, promote healthy self-esteem, and provide incentive programs to reward children making positive decisions at home, in school, and the community.

This spring, Madieu will travel to his place of birth, Sierra Leone, West Africa, where a school built in his honor is being dedicated to his late mother, Abigail Butscher. Madieu's future foundation plans include adding a Life Skills Program in North Minneapolis, supporting 20 eighth grade students and continuing with them on their journey through high school.

Madieu earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Family Studies from the University of Maryland in 2003 and is currently working on obtaining his MBA.

(Date Added: April 22, 2009)

Jocelyn Smith, a first year Family Science doctoral student, is the recipient of a two-year Junior Researcher Fellowship with the William T. Grant Scholars Program. The Scholars Program emphasizes building mentoring skills between faculty and junior colleagues. As a Junior Researcher, Jocelyn will be guided by the professional mentorship of Associate Professor, Dr. Kevin Roy. During this two-year period, Jocelyn and Dr. Roy will research the intergenerational influence of African American fathering relationships on youth's academic, occupational, and relational trajectories. During this research process, Jocelyn will build her research and networking skills, develop her qualitative fieldwork and data analysis skills, and gain exposure to working with national data sets. The Department of Family Science congratulates Jocelyn and Dr. Roy on this award.

(Date Added: April 21, 2009)

Second year Maternal and Child Health doctoral student Regina Davis has been elected to the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, which recognizes individuals in the field of public health who are dedicated to the protection and advancement of the health of all people.

Election into this prestigious Honorary Society recognizes academic merit along with excellence in, and devotion to, public health practice. The organization was founded in 1924 at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health.

In addition to working towards her doctorate degree, Regina is employed full-time with the American Public Health Association, where she manages a $5.9 million dollar capacity building project. Her research interests include women's reproductive health and adolescent sexual responsibility. Congratulations to Regina!

(Date Added: April 21, 2009)

The Maryland Council on Family Relations (MCFR) is sponsoring a Food and Necessities Drive from March 30 to April 30, 2009. Proceeds will be donated to The Women's Collective, a non-profit organization that works with women in the District of Columbia who are infected with and/or affected by HIV. The Women's Collective seeks to provide woman- and girl-focused, family-centered, and culturally appropriate peer-led services. Acceptable donated goods include spaghetti, rice, flour, sugar, canned goods, aspirin, Band-Aids, gently used women's clothing and toiletries, books, games, dishes, pots/pans, and linens.

Boxes for depositing donated goods are located in the Department of Family Science main office located at 1204 Marie Mount Hall. If you have any questions about the Drive, contact Ndidi Amutah at namutah@umd.edu.

(Date Added: April 21, 2009)

Dr. Daughters, an assistant professor of Public and Community Health, received a grant from NIAAA for her project "Behavioral Measurement of Negative Reinforcement in Adolescent Alcohol Use/Abuse."

(Date Added: April 19, 2009)

Jaime Flores, a Kinesiological Sciences ('93) graduate, a Terp football player, and now a physician at Johns Hopkins University, was honored by the University of Maryland Alumni Association with the 2009 Humanitarian Award for providing extraordinary service for the benefit of others.

Dr. Flores is plastic and reconstructive surgeon who began the organization, Healing Hands Foundation, to help others around the world. Every February, this dedicated physician travels to Ecuador to operate on low-income patients with cleft lips and palates, and those with burns and scars. Kinesiology is proud to have Dr. Flores as one of its graduates.

He is truly a TERP who makes a difference!

(Date Added: April 19, 2009)

The Department of Kinesiology has tenure-track assistant professor positions available in a) occupational biomechanics; and b) translational kinesiology with an emphasis on physical activity intervention. For more information, please check our website.....

(Date Added: April 18, 2009)

"Schools of Public Health and the broader public health community can play a key role in addressing the lack of dental care for underserved populations," Dr. Kleinman said. "As a society, we haven't been addressing this issue, and disparities in oral and dental health have become a silent epidemic."

Read the full article.

Dr. Kleinman is a dentist and a board certified specialist in dental public health. Her research has included epidemiologic studies of dental, oral and craniofacial diseases, oral cancer and HIV-related conditions. Dr. Kleinman has a particular interest in enhancing the understanding and elimination of health disparities, with a focus on the role of factors that transcend health conditions such as health determinants, health promotion interventions and health literacy.

(Date Added: April 17, 2009)

The Maryland Community Newspaper, the Gazette, published a full article on the renovation of the School of Public Health building.

From the article, "We're very excited. This will mean a great deal. We have a lot of excitement on the part of the faculty," Gold said. "They're beginning to see and feel the value of all of us being together."

Jane E. Clark, university professor and chairwoman of the Department of Kinesiology, said the arrival of the family science department will assist her in her research on children and motor skills.

----

Read the full article.

(Date Added: April 17, 2009)

Nathan Jenkins, doctoral student in exercise physiology (Advisor: Hagberg), has won a Pollock Student Scholarship award from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). This award honors Dr. Michael Pollock by providing funding to graduate students to attend the annual ACSM convention. This year's convention will be held in Seattle. Congratulations Nathan.

(Date Added: April 17, 2009)

Joy Bauer, doctoral student in Physical Culture Studies, was awarded a grant to attend the 2009 Lilly-East Conference on College and University Teaching held at the University of Delaware April 16-17.

Joy joins her advisor, Dr. Jaime Schultz (a 2008-09 Lilly Fellow) and Dr. Marvin Scott (2007-98 Lilly Fellow) at this year's conference, on "Millennial Learning: Teaching in the 21st Century." Congratulations Joy!

(Date Added: April 14, 2009)

Sylvette LaTouche-Howard was awarded first place in the Health section at Graduate Research Interaction Day. The title of the presentation was:

"A GLIMPSE INTO THEIR WORLD: THE ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF AN ADOLESCENT DISTRESS TOLERANCE INTERVENTION" (Mentor, Dr Stacey Daughters).

Our Department of Public Health has held the first place award for 3 years in a row.

Sylvette in 2007

Mariano in 2008

Sylvette in 2009

We have some quality graduate students! Moreover, they are receiving quality mentoring as well.

(Date Added: April 14, 2009)

Gymkana has partnered with a local community to promote a healthy lifestyle to the students of Paint Branch Elementary School, as described in a Gazette article.

"As part of the mission of the university, we have set up a partnership with Paint Branch Elementary School," said Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, UM spokesperson for the community relations division of administrative affairs. "We've kind of adopted them."

The College Park school was chosen, in part, for its proximity, as it is about five minutes away from UM, Aparicio Blackwell said.

Gymkana also gave out five scholarships to their popular summer camp to Paint Branch Students.

Read the full article.

(Date Added: April 14, 2009)

Yuanfen Zhang (PhD candidate in NACS) was awarded a William Hodos Dissertation Fellowship for the fall. Ms. Zhang was also honored at the Dean's Scholar Dinner last month as Kinesiology's top graduate student (Graduate Dean's Scholar). Ms. Zhang is advised by Dr. John Jeka and works in the Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Laboratory.

(Date Added: April 10, 2009)

J. Cory Williams (Kinesiological Sciences '09) was named the School of Public Health's Fraley Award winner at the Dean's Scholar Dinner March 26. In addition to honoring Cory, the dinner honored other Kinesiological Sciences and Physical Education majors. To see pictures of the event...

(Date Added: April 10, 2009)

On April 9, 2009, the Epidemiology and Biostatistics graduate students show cased the current research interests that they are investigating and studying in recognition of National Public Health Week. Presentations included:

* Lisa Bethune, "Lost opportunities for tobacco cessation: diabetics in the Maryland Adult Tobacco Survey"

* Wendy Bibeau, "Examining the role of physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and neighborhood stress on BMI and waist circumference"

* Hoda Tarek Hammad, "Using mixture models to identify misspecified gestational ages"

* Lindsey Jones, "Using social networking sites to follow adolescent study participants"

* Lynn Scully and Allison O'Niell, "Immigrant health in the United States"

* Jia Wang, "Longitudinal study on antimicrobial susceptibility analysis from conventional poultry farms transitioning to organic farming practices"

* Sonja Williams, "WAH in action: helping others breathe better!"

See More Pictures!

(Date Added: April 10, 2009)

Dr. Donna Howard went to India from September 2008 - mid January 2009. Here's her description of her experiences:

I went to India as a Fulbright fellow and visiting professor within the Department of Community Medicine (DCM) at Manipal University, Karnataka, India. I delivered lectures, in English, to students enrolled in Kasturba Medical College International Center, contributed during class discussions in a joint Indo-Malaysian medical program, participated in seminars and mentored students. Outside of my college, I mentored students across campus and delivered papers at conferences, including one on Health Literacy (which was jointly published with another PCH faculty and a doctoral student). While I did not formally conduct research, I collaborated with two faculty members within DCM on the development of a proposal to explore dating attitudes and behaviors among college students. We hope to seek future funding for this research.

As part of my responsibilities, I regularly went on field trips to schools, clinics and rural villages, including the Community Diagnosis Village Meeting in Malpe, during which I spoke on issues related to community-based public health. While in Manipal, I was fortunate to be invited to numerous social and cultural gatherings, both within and outside the University, including: celebrations at temples in the greater Udupi district; an Indian wedding in Karkala; Christmas in Mysore. Some of my most fulfilling experiences were in the company of local friends/acquaintances I made while in India. I was invited to people's homes and also traveled with them to visit their family in other regions of the country. These experiences enabled me to more fully immerse in the local Indian culture, experiencing family life, cooking and sight seeing from a vantage point far removed from the typical tourist. Now that I have completed my tour as a Fulbright Fellow, I feel more strongly than ever that it is my civic and moral responsibility to be an ambassador of goodwill for my country; to strive to be the best I can be, to uphold the principles for which my country was founded. I feel a renewed commitment to work for tolerance, peace and social justice. The Fulbright program has catalyzed this spark and India has burnished the inward light that will continue to inspire me.

Currently, I am working on a Winter Session 2010 study abroad course proposal to be hosted by Manipal University. The working course title is: East Meets West: Contrasting Public Health Priorities, Pragmatics and Polemics in the U.S. and India. This course will expose UMCP students to the policy and programmatic frameworks used to deliver public health services across these diverse populations. Through in-class instruction and discussion, and field trip experiences, students will gain a deeper appreciation of global public health and its complexities.

(Date Added: April 09, 2009)

National Public Health Week (April 6 -12) is organized by the American Public Health Association (APHA) in an effort to highlight issues that are important to improving the public's health. National campaigns to educate the public, policy-makers, and practitioners about issues that relate to this year's theme, Building the Foundation for a Healthy America, will occur during this week. The University of Maryland's School of Public Health is joining the campaign to raise awareness and is hosting a talk by Dr. John Whyte, MD, MPH on April 8th. Dr. Whyte is President of Continuing Medical Education and Chief Medical Expert at Discovery Health Channel. In this role, Dr. Whyte develops, designs, and delivers medical education programming for Discovery Health Channel, the leading health channel in over 72 million homes. Dr. Whyte creates courses, products, and services on important clinical topics that appear to both a medical and lay audience. He will speak about Building the Foundation for a Healthy America: Media Power and Responsibility, on Wednesday, April 8 from 3:45-5pm in the Maryland Room of Marie Mount Hall.

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

Sixteen FMSC undergraduate and graduate students were honored at the 4th Annual Dean's Scholars Dinner on March 26, 2009. Awards and scholarships (of more than $12,500) recognized academic excellence, service, and leadership within the Family Science Department, School of Public Health, and larger community. FMSC departmental award recipients included: Rashida Ali-Mubarak and Ilana Pickett, Edlavitch Family Science Scholarship; Lauren Messina, Tiffani Stevenson, and Leidy Mena, Ned Gaylin Endowed Scholarship; Pia Rose, Noel Myricks Endowed Scholarship; Dawnyéa Jackson, Jeanette Spier Beavers Memorial Scholarship; and Therese Hackford, Nina Phillips, Pia Rose, and Nicole Small, Jerry P. Wrenn Scholarship. The School of Public Health also presented awards to the following FMSC students: Dean's Outstanding Graduate Scholar, Wakina Scott (pictured left); Dean's Senior Scholars, Sarah Breen, Shawna Murray, and Pia Rose; and Undergraduate Scholars, Nkemka Anyiwo, Ilana Pickett, and Samantha Ascanio. Please visit http://www.sph.umd.edu/fmsc/aboutFS/give.html to learn how you can contribute to scholarships for outstanding students in Family Science.

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

Dr. Anderson, Chair of the Department of Family Science, has been elected President-Elect of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). NCFR is the oldest, multi-disciplinary non-partisan professional organization focused solely on family research, practice and education. The organization provides an educational forum for family researchers, educators, and practitioners to share in the development and dissemination of knowledge about families and family relationships. NCFR oversees the publishing of three scholarly journals and sponsors an Annual Conference where the latest research papers, methods, and practice are juried. As President-Elect, Dr. Anderson will oversee the NCFR's Board of Directors. Dr. Anderson, whose term begins November 2009, will assist in NCFR's mission to foster dialogue among family professionals and promote family well-being through public policy education. Congratulations to Dr. Anderson on this honor!

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

Dr. Jae Kun Shim has been awarded a Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) grant, entitled "Determining the Marker Configuration and Modeling Technique to Optimize the Biomechanical Analysis of Running-Specific Prostheses" for $200K for two years. ABSTRACT: While running has been shown to reduce disease risks and promote a generally healthy lifestyle in uninjured people, very little running-specific research is available pertaining to the amputee population. The little existing amputee running literature involves running with prostheses. More importantly the previous studies on amputee running have used erroneous methodology that have not been validated. These limitations call for systematic research on this topic and improved prosthetic designs that will allow the clinicians to provide evidence-based exercise prescriptions to amputees, enabling them to comfortably and efficiently run. This Department of Defense funded project will provide an original methods and models for better estimation of joint kinetics and energetics of amputee running. The long-term objective of this project is to understand the biomechanical and physiological consequences of amputation, to develop an optimal design of activity-independent lower-extremity prosthesis, and to help clinicians prescribing appropriate prosthesis and exercise regimes to people with lower extremity amputations.

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

Dr. Stephen Roth served as an external examiner on a dissertation and also gave a talk, "Kinesiogenomics: The intersection of genomics and physical activity" at Universidade Catolica de Brasilia (Catholic University of Brasilia), Brazil, Mar 19 2009.

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

Associate Prof. Jose (Pepe) L Contreras-Vidal (Kinesiology) and his colleague Prof. Amanda Woodward (Psychology)were awarded a $300,347 two-year grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to investigate the plasticity and development of the mirror neuron system in infants and adults. The research combines scalp electroencephalography, and eye and hand tracking during goal-directed action observation and performance. The data collected will serve to develop a large-scale neural network model of the mirror neuron system in humans.

(Date Added: April 03, 2009)

In partnership with the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation and the Montgomery County MobileMed Clinic, the School of Public Health hosted a delegation of 20 Chinese health officials on March 25th. The visitors were senior officials of the Anhui Provincial Department of Health in the People's Republic of China who were in the United States to learn about community health center operations and the education and training of health center staff.

Dean Robert S. Gold welcomed the group to the university. He was followed by Dr. Tongtong Wu, who discussed the school's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Dr. Muhiuddin Haider, who gave an overview of the school's Global Health efforts and outreach.

(Date Added: April 01, 2009)

Dr. Haider, Associate Professor for Global Health, gave an interview with Voice of America about his work to strengthen the health systems of developing nations.

"In this exclusive interview with VOA Bangla Service Dr Haider talks about his experience during his recent visit to Afghanistan where he essentially did Health Sector Assessment. He looked into Reproductive Health problems related to TB, Malaria, HIV AIDS, Avian Influenza and the other diseases. He says he as there to investigate the gaps in the work of Health sector as well as to find out about the new planning. Dr Muhiuddin Haider also talks about the role of BRAC in Afghanistan."
VOA News
03/30/2009.

(Date Added: April 01, 2009)

The University of Maryland Summer Training and Research (UM STAR) program in the UM School of Public Health and the Departments of Kinesiology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics is designed to give under-represented minority undergraduate students two summers of intensive research and career development activities to enhance their applications for and completion of PhD degrees in the areas of the biomedical and behavioral aspects of cardiovascular disease.

(Date Added: March 26, 2009)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded The University of Maryland a Prevention Research Center (UMD-PRC) grant. Dr Brad Boekeloo, Department of Public and Community Health is the PI. The grant is to develop the UMD-PRC and aims to develop ways of improving the health of communities neighboring the University Of Maryland School Of Public Health in College Park.

Congratulations to Dr Boekeloo and all those persons who contributed to the development of the grant.

(Date Added: March 25, 2009)

The Greater Washington Area Latino Mental Health Network and the Center for Healthy Families are collaborating to present the Third Conference entitled, Identities in Transition: A Multicultural Perspective of Immigration. This will take place at the University of Maryland College Park on April 18, 2009, in room 1400 Marie Mount Hall.

Trained Geriatrician Anna Maria Izquierdo, M.D., Ph.D. will provide the keynote address. Dr. Izquierdo's professional career focuses on designing systems that allow the delivery of high quality, patient-centered health care and conducting research in the field of non-pharmacological means of preventive care. Conference workshops include such topics as Community Approach to Domestic Violence among the LGBT Latino Population; Parenting of Latino Preschoolers and School Readiness: Variation by Country of Origin and English Proficiency; and Mobility, Identity & Intergenerational Processes: Parenting in Central American Families across Time and Place.

Early registration is requested as space is limited. For additional information about the conference, contact Viviana Azar (301-642-2793) or Christina Guidorizzi (301-742-2595).

(Date Added: March 24, 2009)

Ms. Jamie Lok, a graduate student at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, was recently selected for membership into the Sigma Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK). Founded in 1914, entrance into this national leadership honor society is considered to be one of the most prestigious collegiate honors that can be awarded to a student.

A second year MPH student in the department of community and public health, Ms. Lok has demonstrated a commitment to both leadership and scholarship during her years at Maryland. Among various projects, Ms. Lok has worked on research into minority health disparities among Asian Americans, and was elected in October to serve as the student representative on the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (APIC) executive board of the American Public Health Association. She currently works as a graduate research assistant in the Center for Health Behavior Research, working closely with faculty members on nicotine addiction and clinical trials. She is also working on her MPH project examining smokeless tobacco dependence.

"I feel tremendously honored to become a member of such a distinguished group of leaders," Ms. Lok said. To be eligible for induction, students must rank in the upper thirty-five percent of their class, meet a certain GPA, and demonstrate leadership in at least one of five phases of campus life. As part of her induction, Ms. Lok will have her named engraved on the ODK fountain located on McKeldin Mall in the heart of the Maryland campus.

(Date Added: March 20, 2009)

At the annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior in Hilton Head (March 2009), a former UMD doctoral student in Public and Community Health, Molly Laflin, passed the presidency gavel to another former graduate of the department, Dennis Thombs. Dr Laflin was first female president of The Academy and is currently Professor at Bowling Green State University. Dr Thombs is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Florida. Both make the department proud.

Scott Leischow another former graduate of the department is the sitting president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.... Dr. Leischow serving a president of SRNT, Dr Molly Laflin just stepping down as President of AAHB, Dr Dennis Thombs assuming President of AAHB, and Pat Mail, just 2 years ago serving as President of the largest health organization in the world, APHA, that the department is graduating some incredible professionals!

(Date Added: March 20, 2009)

Lyn Stoesen, an MPH student in the Department of Public and Community Health has been selected as Presidential Management Fellow Finalist...there were over 4,000 applicants.

Lyn is also a Graduate Gerontology Certificate student who received her certificate in May 2008.

(Date Added: March 15, 2009)

Dr. Beck, Fell, and Yan received OUTSTANDING RESEARCH POSTER at 2009 AAHB Conference for their poster titled A comparison of drivers with high vs. low perceived risk of being caught for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Dr. Daughters is a co-author for receiving POSTERS OF DISTINCTION at 2009 AAHB Conference for the poster titled Examining the effectiveness of integrating the LETS ACT behavioral treatment for depression into an inner-city residential drug treatment center.

(Date Added: March 14, 2009)

Dr. Ned L. Gaylin, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Couple and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Family Science, was invited by faculty from the Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa to present a two-day workshop on Family-Centered Therapy in Lisbon, Portugal. The training on March 13 and 14, 2009, will focus on all aspects of family-centered therapy, including philosophy and methods of practice. Particular attention will be given to the "similarities and differences in working with individuals versus working with families." Dr. Gaylin, renowned for his work on Family Centered Therapy, will conduct a similar workshop in Athens, Greece, for the Institute of Counseling and Psychological Studies from June 24 to 28, 2009.

(Date Added: March 10, 2009)

FMSC Seniors Shauntia White and Rashida Alimubarak are among 106 undergraduate students from across the country who will present research projects next week at the Annual Ronald E. McNair Research Conference, showcasing the research and scholarship of Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Scholars. The McNair program pairs students from disadvantaged backgrounds with UMCP faculty to prepare them for doctoral study. Under the leadership of Dr. Norman Epstein, Shauntia will present her research, "Domestic Violence in China: Associations with Parental In-Law Acceptance, Education, and Income," on Friday, March 13, between 3pm-5pm. Rashida, who worked under the direction of Drs. Elisabeth Marring and Kevin Roy will present her research, "The Correlation between Cultural Food Preferences of WIC Recipients in Fairfax County, Virginia and the Elimination of Nutritional Risk and Food Insecurity among the Children of Undocumented Hispanic Immigrants," on Saturday, March 14, between 9:30am-12:45pm. Presentations will take place at the UMUC Marriott Inn and Conference Center from Thursday.

(Date Added: March 10, 2009)

Dr. Sunmin Lee of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics was recently interviewed on WYPR 88.1FM "Maryland Morning". Dr. Lee discussed her recent work on Asian American Health Needs Assessment. You can listen to the interview by visiting the Maryland Morning homepage. http://www.wypr.org/MD_MORNING.html

Congratulations Dr. Lee!

(Date Added: March 10, 2009)

Kristena Wright, Senior in the Department of Family Science (FMSC), holds a unique distinction of being crowned Miss. Hampton Roads 2009.

Kristena's involvement in pageantry, which started during her freshman year of college as a means of funding her education, led her to create The Wright to Dream Foundation. The foundation supports Kristena's belief that all high school students should have equal access to a college education. Kristena, who has been involved in dance for many years, built the foundation upon the idea that students will be more likely to seek a degree in higher education if they have the opportunity to continue fostering their appreciation for the arts in college.

This June, she will compete for the title of Miss. Virginia and hopes to continue on to compete in the Miss. America pageant. Kristena feels her FMSC coursework has given her a well rounded understanding of family functioning and cultural competency, and believes this perspective distinguishes her from other competitors.

(Date Added: March 03, 2009)

On March 6, Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will give the first seminar for a brand new series of workshops to help build a culturally competent healthcare system in Delaware.

Dr. Carter-Pokras and two colleagues who will present later in the series (Dr. Ana Nunez and Dr. Horace DeLisser) are members of the National Consortium for Multicultural Education for Health Professionals, which is funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Dr. Carter-Pokras will speak on "Providing Care to Diverse Populations: A New Trend" in Wilmington Delaware.

More information about the consortium and the workshop series can be found by clicking on the link below:

(Date Added: February 23, 2009)

Dr. Brad Hatfield is giving a lecture on "Brain Processes During Expert Cognitive-Motor Performance: The impact of Mental Stress and Emotion Regulation" at the 2nd annual conference on Sustaining Performance Under Stress Symposium to be held at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center, Feb. 24-28.

The University of Texas Center for Strategic and Innovative Technologies (CSIT) and the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL) are putting together this joint 4-day Conference addressing the impact of stress and high workload on physiological endpoints, learning & memory, and cognitive, language, and physical performance. The Conference will include military leadership and academic presentations as well as a Workshop on language performance under stress.

(Date Added: February 21, 2009)

The first of the Public Health Issues seminars, hosted by the School of Public Health and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, was February 12th and the room was packed full of people ready to learn about the topic "The mouth as a mirror of health and disease.".

Jane Atkinson spoke on the connection between oral health and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

To see the rest of the seminars and to register, go to the link below.

(Date Added: February 20, 2009)

Dr. Nicole D. Forry, a graduate of the Family Science doctorate program, is the lead author for an article published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

The article, "The Impact of Child Care Subsidies on Low-Income Single Parents: An Examination of Child Care Expenditures and Family Finances," explores the effectiveness of child care subsidies on parents' child care payments and the percentage of household income spent on child care. Dr. Forry's research concluded that approximately half of parents who received a subsidy reported that it positively affected their financial well-being, allowing them to afford non-child care services, save money, and pay bills or debts.

Dr. Forry is a Research Scientist at Child Trends in Washington, DC. Her research interests include welfare reform, tax policies affecting child care, and parental employment and she has methodological expertise is in program evaluation, multivariate analysis, and structural equation modeling.

(Date Added: February 20, 2009)

The Center for Healthy Families is offering an in-house training opportunity to current CFT and CFT/PhD students and supervisors concerning therapy with military families. The training will take place over the course of three days. The first seminar is Monday, Feb 23rd. Kathryn Rheem, LCMFT will present about the use of Emotionally Focused Therapy with military families. The second seminar is on Monday, March 9th, when Stephanie Chupein, LCMFT, will present her personal experience as both a Marriage and Family Therapist and a military wife. The last seminar will be held on Friday, April 3rd when presenters from the Center for Deployment Psychology will discuss the effects of deployment on service members and their families. For those who attend all three seminars, Continuing Education Credits and/or Certificates of Completion will be provided. All seminars will be held in the student lounge of Marie Mount Hall, Room 1308. Please email Dr. Carol Werlinich at cwerlin@umd.edu if you are interested in attending one or more of the seminars.

(Date Added: February 20, 2009)

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is pleased to announce that Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Associate Professor, and Ms. Sonja Williams, MPH second-year student, will be giving presentations at the Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health.

Dr. Carter-Pokras will be serving as a panelist for a session on "Understanding Federal Data Systems: An Overview of the Collection, Analysis and Reporting of Race and Ethnicity Data" on Thursday, February 26, 2009 from 1:40 pm - 4:30 pm.

Ms. Sonja Williams will be giving a presentation "Washington Adventist Hospital: Helping Others Breath Better" on Friday, February 27, 2009 - from 1:00 pm - 2:20 pm. Ms. Williams will be presenting findings from a community based participatory research project led by Dr. Carter-Pokras, Adventist Health Care Inc.'s Center for Health Disparities, and Montgomery County Government's Latino Health Initiative in a session on "E12 Innovative Evaluation for Improved Outcomes. "

More information about the conference can be found by clicking on the link below:

(Date Added: February 19, 2009)

Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will be giving a presentation "Lost Opportunities for Tobacco Cessation: Diabetics in the Maryland Adult Tobacco Survey" at the 20th National Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control on Monday, February 23, 2009, from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Carter-Pokras will be presenting findings from a DHMH funded tobacco program evaluation project in a session on "A04 Smoking Out Disparities in Diabetes."

More information about the conference can be found by clicking on the link below:

(Date Added: February 19, 2009)

Professor Jane Clark gives a keynote lecture at the R2K Pediatric Network conference in Long Beach, CA. Clark's paper, "Multisensory integration and the development of posture" - is part of the conference theme on "Sensory Integration & Perception: Influence on Actions and Interactions."

The conference is an annual research symposium for physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, educators, and others working with young children.

(Date Added: February 18, 2009)

Dr. Lee, of the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, recieved a gift to support her research examining BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene variants to better manage cancer management risk.

The purpose of her research, titled "Microarray Based Genomic Methods to Classify BRCA1 and BRCA2 Variants In Determining Risks of Developing Breast Cancer", is to find genomic biomarkers that can be used to predict with high specificity and sensitivity which tumors have BRCA mutations. We will look for two types of BRCA specific biomarkers, DNA copy number changes as measured by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and microRNA expression patterns as measured by microRNA arrays.

This is a collaborative work with Dr. Amanda Toland of the Ohio State University, and Dr. George A. Whitmore of McGill University.

(Date Added: February 18, 2009)

Dr. Robin Sawyer, of the department of Public and Community Health, was the campus author for the Speaking of Books series from the University Libraries Humanities Team.

Dr. Sawyer spoke about his book Sexpertise: Real Answers to Real Questions About Sex

The event was covered by the Diamondback, the campus newspaper, and also by our very own blog, The Healthy Turtle.

(Date Added: February 17, 2009)

Dr. Lee's work on health disparities in Asian American populations has recently been featured in the Association of Schools of Public Health Friday Letter. Dr. Lee is with the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

"A groundbreaking study by the University of Maryland School of Public Health has shed new light on the health challenges--including diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and mental health--facing Asian-Americans in Montgomery County, MD."

Click the html link below for the full article.

(Date Added: February 11, 2009)

Congratulations to Dr. Sunmin Lee and Dr. Tongtong Wu who are recipients of a 2009 Graduate Research Board (GRB) Semester Award.

(Date Added: February 11, 2009)

Dr. Pokras' study on tobacco use disparities was featured in the Association of Schools of Public Health Friday Letter.

"Using the 2006 Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey (MYTS), Dr. Carter-Pokras found that the overall prevalence of youth tobacco use was around 15 percent, and that males, youth with more friends who use tobacco, and youth who live with an adult smoker were the most likely to use tobacco among their peers."

Click the html link below for the full article.

(Date Added: February 11, 2009)

Kinesiology student Jo Zimmerman organized a group from the School of Public Health to recognize Go Red For Women.

This promotion is brought by the American Heart Association (AHA) to bring to light that heart disease is the #1 killer of women and that women need slightly different treatment than men.

Read More Here

(Date Added: February 09, 2009)

Congratulations to Professor Joan S. Hult (Emerita) who was honored February 7 at Indiana University with the 2009 Anita Aldrich Distinguished Alumni Award for her pioneering work in women's sports. The honor was celebrated in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Former US Senator Birch Bay gave the keynote address at the banquet honoring Dr. Hult. The day following the banquet, Dr. Hult was recognized at the IU Hoosier women's basketball game - an event she surely enjoyed. For more information see the link.

(Date Added: February 08, 2009)

Cited for her expertise in how parents and children spend time together, Dr. Sandra Hofferth's research was featured in the New York Times article, "Till Children Do Us Part," on February 5, 2009. Dr. Hofferth's work from a 1997 research study, which was referenced to demonstrate the changing dynamics of parent-child relationships, revealed that parents and children were spending more time together (6 more hours a week with Mom and four more hours with Dad) than parents spent with their children in 1981. Couples in this study found extra hours to spend with their children by cutting back on time spent alone as a couple, visiting with friends and kin, or being involved in clubs. Dr. Hofferth is Director of the Maryland Population Research Center and Professor in the Department of Family Science. Her current research projects include examining how American children spend their time and gender, work, and family dynamics.

(Date Added: February 06, 2009)

Dr. Robin Sawyer, Associate Chair of the Department of Public and Community Health, talks about student communication of sexual terms in the Professor's Perspective. The Professor's Perspective in the Diamondback is published every other week to connect with a professor's expertise.

"In my recent research on sexual lexicons, discovering a consensus on the meaning of a universal term such as 'hooking up' proved to be impossible."

Read More!

(Date Added: February 03, 2009)

Professor David Andrews has been invited to give the 2009 Alan G. Ingham Memorial Lecture at Miami University on March 30. Dr. Andrews' lecture is entitled, "Leaner and Meaner?: The Perils of McDonalizing the Academy and Kinesiology."

(Date Added: February 01, 2009)

Kinesiology had another great chili cook-off. This year, we were pleased to have the School of Public Health 'roaming' report, Bobby McMahon, as a guest and he wrote about the cook-off on the School's blog, the Healthy Turtle - check out the link below for more details. And CONGRATULATIONS to this year's winners:

Best in Show: Melissa Pangelinan

Hottest Chili: Melissa Pangelinan

Best Veggie Chili: Anusha Venkatakrishnan

Most Interesting Chili: Jo Zimmerman

Best Bread: Maureen Kayes

Best Dessert: Mallory Marshall

(Date Added: January 24, 2009)

The National Healthy Homes Training Center and Network has created an in-service training, "Healthy Homes for Community Health Worker," which will be piloted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at the 4-H Center. This one-day course targets individuals who work with or advocate for families. The training will provide one-on-one and large group education on healthy homes, general advice about specific healthy home problems, and to recommend healthy homes approaches to be taken by families, landlords, and other community members. Topics to be covered include defining a healthy home, discussion of why healthy homes are important, identifying the connection between health and housing, how to identify hazards, and what can be done about them. The course is presented in partnership with the National Center for Healthy Housing, with funding provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency. For further information or to register for the course, please contact Lis Maring at efmaring@umd.edu or 301-405-8339.

(Date Added: January 23, 2009)

The Department of Family Science is offering three scholarships for FMSC students. Undergraduates are eligible to apply for two scholarships. The first is the Noel Myricks Scholarship in the amount of $500, which is intended for students who are among the first generation of children in their family to attend college. The second undergraduate scholarship is the Edlavitch Family Science Fund scholarship in the amount of $2500, which is awarded to outstanding undergraduate students with significant financial need. Graduate students are eligible to apply for the Ned Gaylin Endowed Scholarship Fund ($1000), which is awarded to an outstanding Couple and Family Therapy student with financial need. Each scholarship requires an individual application and essay, which is due by 4:30pm on Friday, February 27th, 2009 to the Family Science Office in Marie Mount Hall. For questions about the application process, undergraduate students can contact Ashley Downing at andown@umd.edu and graduate students should contact Leigh Leslie at lleslie@umd.edu. Additional information and the application can be found here:

(Date Added: January 23, 2009)

[EPIB 626] Epidemiology of Obesity will provide an overview of evidence of the epidemiological association of physical activity to a variety of health outcomes, application of epidemiological methods to the science of physical activity and health.

(Date Added: January 22, 2009)

[EPIB 623] Epidemiology of Health Disparities will discuss the nature and extent of health disparities, underlying factors for health disparities; study design, measurement and analysis issues; cultural competency and policy approaches to address health disparities.

(Date Added: January 22, 2009)

Congratulations to doctoral student Eric Anson (advisor: Dr. John Jeka) who was one of 6 recipients of the 2008 Florence P. Kendall Doctoral Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to physical therapists in their first year of doctoral study. Eric's research interests are related to static and dynamic postural control in the presence of vestibular dysfunction and potential rehabilitation applications for persons with vestibular dysfunction.

(Date Added: January 18, 2009)

Congratulations to Dr. Eva Chin who is a recipient of a 2009 Summer Graduate Research Board (GRB) Summer Award. Dr. Chin's research studies the role of pCREB in fast muscle fiber-type gene expression. Dr. Chin 's work is foundational to understanding the cellular and molecular deficits in aged muscle which may inform how exercise and/or drug therapy might counter these deficits.

(Date Added: January 18, 2009)

Dr. Jae Kun Shim has been notified that he has received a Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) grant with Recovery Science, Inc. to study neuromuscular training of intrinsic hand muscles. This is an exciting partnership between a Kinesiology's Neuromechanics Laboratory headed by Dr. Shim and Recovery Science. This is the second MIPS grant for this partnership.

(Date Added: January 03, 2009)

Dr. Seung-Eun Cha, a Professor at the Institute of Population and Aging Research in Seoul, South Korea , and Yaofang Zhang (left), a visiting Ph.D. student from China's top-ranked psychology department at Beijing Normal University, will be spending the 2008-09 academic year with the Department of Family Science (FMSC). Dr. Cha is collaborating with Dr. Jinhee Kim to explore the financial situations of patients who have chronic diseases. They are utilizing the KLoSA dataset, which is comparable to health and retirement data in the U.S. Yaofang Zhang was awarded a scholarship from the Chinese Ministry of Education to spend this academic year researching couples' marital role expectations, performance, and interactions under the direction of Dr. Norman Epstein. Ms. Zhang is a student of former FMSC Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Dr. Xiaoyi Fang. We welcome our visitors and look forward to their engagement with the department this year.

(Date Added: December 23, 2008)

Katie Riera (left) and Kate Speirs, Family Science PhD candidates, were awarded a $1900 grant from the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to begin development of a peer support program for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). The proposed support program will help develop and enhance the teaching and preparation skills for GTAs in the Family Science department. The project will consist of three components: peer discussion and support groups, peer observation, and creation and dissemination of resource binders. Monthly discussions and support groups will offer an ongoing exchange of ideas and teaching strategies geared towards improving teaching effectiveness of Family Science undergraduate students. Peer observations will allow current GTAs an opportunity to receive feedback on their teaching from their peers, and resource binders will offer a collection of effective teaching techniques and strategies to enhance instructional methods. Congratulations to the Kate's! All FMSC GTAs look forward to participating in this program.

(Date Added: December 23, 2008)

The Symposium on Families, hosted by the campus chapter of the Maryland Council on Family Relations (MCFR), showcased undergraduate student research conducted in FMSC 302, Research Methods in Family Science on December 9th. Poster presentations displaying students' research results included a variety of topics such as family support systems, peer relationships, and race relations. Three prizes were awarded for the most outstanding projects. Sequoia Bacon, Lauren Baklarz, Alex Inguaggiato, Ashleigh Jobson, and Christa Kronser received first place for their poster "Infidelity in College Relationships". Stephanie Cannon, Allison Demb, Courtney Ray, Sherray Simms, and Courtney Wilson were awarded second place for their poster " Marital Status and Its Influence on Parent-Child Relationships". Sarah Dennison, Luz Figueroa, Shira Klayman, and Zuri Park earned third place for their poster "The Effects of Marital Status on Sibling Relationships". Congratulations to the winners and all of the FMSC undergraduate students who participated in this event to display their understanding of research methods.

(Date Added: December 23, 2008)

Dr. Glover will present at NIDA Medications Development Workshop: SMOKING CESSATION & BEYOND on April 2009 at Dublin, Ireland. The title of his presentation is Evaluation of Selegiline Transdermal System for Smoking Cessation: Preliminary Results of NIDA's 246 Subject, Multi-Site Trial. See the link for NIDA workshop information http://www.regonline.com/nidaworkshop.

Dr Glover is Professor & Chair, Department of Public & Community Health, & Director & Founder of the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health, College Park, MD. Dr Glover's particular interest remains in the research of cessation aids for individuals interested in quitting tobacco.

(Date Added: December 20, 2008)

Dean Robert Gold emphasizes on the School's commitment to global health through initiatives and partnerships spanning the globe. The School has programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, London, India and China where research is being done that involves either graduate or undergraduate students and many valuable learning experiences.

Dr. Robert Feldman, of Public and Community Health says, "Joint research means the University of Maryland can offer its technical expertise, and the collaborating organization its knowledge of the local situation; collaborations can likewise lead to faculty and student exchanges."

Read the whole article at Maryland International magazine.

(Date Added: December 16, 2008)

The Department of Family Science is seeking Undergraduate students interested in research to become a part of the Couples Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP). CAPP is being conducted with couples who seek therapeutic assistance through the University of Maryland's Center for Healthy Families. The study evaluates the effectiveness of two treatments for couples who have experienced problems with anger control and have the possibility for violence in their relationship. The Department is recruiting motivated and dependable Family Science undergraduate students who are interested in working for two semesters with Drs. Werlinich, Epstein, and LaTaillade. Interviews for the research positions will be held on Friday, December 12th at 3:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Hrapczynski at katieh@umd.edu.

(Date Added: December 11, 2008)

Researchers from the Vaccine Research Center (VRC), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health gave a guest lecture on November 18 2008 for the course SPHL498A/698A: Special Topics in Public Health: Introduction to Global Health. Nurse practitioner Sarah Hubka explained the biological mechanism of HIV/AIDS and the process of developing a vaccine. Community Outreach and Recruitment Specialist Nina Berkowitz distributed education materials to the class and students were encouraged to learn more about VRC clinical trial participation. The students enjoyed this opportunity to see a real-world example of public health in action.

The Vaccine Research Center is based on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The primary mission of the VRC is the development and evaluation of candidate vaccines for HIV, Biodefense, and Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Phase I clinical trials.

For further information please visit www.vrc.nih.gov or by phone 1-866-833-LIFE (5433).

(Date Added: December 10, 2008)

Tobacco use is a significant health burden within the US and worldwide. New agents to help smokers achieve smoking cessation and avoid relapse are needed: NicVAX is a nicotine conjugate vaccine to stimulate a specific antibody response that binds nicotine to prevent it from crossing the blood-brain barrier and interacting with the central nervous system. Five phase 1-2 clinical trials have demonstrated that NicVAX produced expected increases in anti-nicotine antibody with each of up to 5 doses in a 6-month period, and higher smoking abstinence rates than placebo, with an acceptable safety profile. Preliminary results from an optimized dosing schedule (in an ongoing phase 2 trial, Nabi-4513) confirm that a 6 dose schedule in 6 months is immunologically superior to the 5 dose schedule used in the proof-of-concept study.

The present trial is a pivotal phase 3 study of the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of NicVAX in smokers who want to quit, as an aid for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence.

(Date Added: December 08, 2008)

The Physical Education Student Organization (PESO) had another successful Hoops for Heart event raising $3,229 for the American Heart Association's research fund. CONGRATULATIONS... Well done. A special congratulations to Karina Bond who raised $1,000 and a department sponsored trip to the annual AAHPERD convention in Tampa, Fl March 2009.

(Date Added: December 05, 2008)

Samuel "Woodie" Kessel, M.D., M.P.H. has been named Professor of the Practice, an honor which is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in practice, leadership within their field, and superior teaching abilities. Dr. Kessel has obtained regional and national prominence for his achievements working as a community pediatrician and researcher in public health, public policy, pediatrics, and maternal and child health. His career in the US Public Health Service includes serving as an Assistant Surgeon General and senior program director for applied research, community-based programs, and professional education. Dr. Kessel has taught courses for FMSC including Foundations of Maternal and Child Health and Public Health Politics (an Honors Seminar) and will co-teach the Maternal and Family Health in Adulthood and Aging course this spring. Dr. Kessel has consulted on the development of the new FMSC Maternal and Child Health (MCH) doctoral program, mentors our MCH Ph.D. students, and has worked to establish community-based collaborations for FMSC and our School of Public Health. As Professor of the Practice, he will continue to teach and contribute valuable input into the future direction of the MCH program.

(Date Added: December 05, 2008)

The Department of Family Science, in conjunction with the Student Service Center in the School of Public Health, has instituted 'Change of Major Workshops' for undergraduate students. These workshops will replace individual 'Change of Major' appointments, which previously required that students meet with the FMSC Undergraduate Coordinator and the SPHL Academic Advisor separately in two different locations. The new service offers students an opportunity to complete the entire change of major process, including learning about the FMSC major and requirements, completing an Academic plan, and leaving the workshop as new FMSC students at one time and in one location. The first workshop will be held Wednesday, December 3, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in 1304 SPH Building. The second scheduled workshop will be on December 18, 2008, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in 1304 SPH Building. All subsequent 'Change of Major Workshops' will be posted on the FMSC online calendar.

(Date Added: December 04, 2008)

Dr. Stephen Roth, Director of the Department of Kinesiology's Functional Genomics Laboratory, was interviewed for an article that appeared in the NY Times on Sunday, November, 30, 2008. The article highlighted a new test available to parents to assess their child's genetic profile for certain sports. Dr. Roth has done research on ACTN3 and raised reservations about how it could be used to predict a child's athletic capabilities. To read more about the story go to the link provided here.

(Date Added: December 01, 2008)

Investigators Dr. Tongtong Wu, statistical geneticist from the UMCP School of Public Health and Dr. Sharon Gordon from the UMB Dental School, are partnering to study behavioral and molecular-genetic contributions to human pain experience. Dr. Jaime Brahim, who has newly joined the Dental School faculty from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, also serves as a collaborator on the project.

Changes in inflammatory gene expression will be studied relative to the contribution of genetic polymorphisms to pain sensitivity and stress responses This project may lead to better understanding of factors predicting responses to nociceptive stimuli, interpreted as pain, fear/anxiety as a measure of stress, and the interactions between fear/anxiety and pain experience. Results of this study will contribute to future investigations in patients with pre-determined genotypes to validate their relationship to stress responses and pain sensitivity.

(Date Added: November 26, 2008)

Called a "silent epidemic," the diseases and conditions of the mouth and face are adversely affecting ourmost vulnerable members of society - our children, our poor and our elderly.

To learn more aboutthis problem, SPHL 698B: Special Topics in Public Health will examine "Oral Health: A Public Health Case Study." The course will explore the numerous dimensions of oral, dental and craniofacial health, including its relationship to general health and well-being and its implications for family and community-based programs, environmental health, health literacy and public policy.

Students with an interest in local, state and national public health programs, health care delivery, and public policy are especially encouraged to register. The course will be taught by Drs. Alice M. Horowitz and Dushanka V. Kleinman; both have extensive experience in oral and dental health.

The class will meet Thursdays 5:00 - 7:30p.m. in the SPHL Building, Room 0307.

For more information, email Dr. Horowitz at ahorowit@umd.edu or Dr. Kleinman at dushanka@umd.edu.

Register today!

(Date Added: November 25, 2008)

The VIII international conference on Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD VIII) will be co-hosted by the Department of Kinesiology at University of Maryland, College Park and the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The conference will be held in Baltimore June 23-26, 2009, and is being organized by co-conveners, Professors Jane Clark and Jill Whitall. Abstracts for the conference, which brings together researchers from all over the world who study Developmental Coordination Disorder, are now being accepted.

(Date Added: November 23, 2008)

Dennis Vacante, a Prince Georges County teacher and our adjunct faculty member, has been awarded National Board certification. Like board-certified physicians, teachers too can be board-certified if they pass rigorous examination through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review. Congratulations Dennis, we are pleased to have you teaching our course, KNES 333 Physical Activity for Students with Special Needs

(Date Added: November 22, 2008)

Lindsey Hoskins, a Family Science doctoral student, is the first author on an article published in the September 2008 issue of Families, Systems & Health. The article, "Disclosure of Positive BRCA1/2-Mutation Status in Young Couples: The Journey From Uncertainty to Bonding Through Partner Support," explores the relationship complexities that young women with an increased risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer face. The study analyzed in-depth interviews of 11 women, aged 26 to 35, to determine perceptions of relationship-bonding and intimacy-building in the course of sharing mutation information. Results indicated that partners' abilities to respond with interest, empathy, and affection are associated with increased future intimacy. Implications for the study include identifying new areas for research and suggesting ways to assist this population with adjustments to being BCRA mutation-positive. Lindsey is currently completing a fellowship in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She plans to graduate in December 2008.

(Date Added: November 21, 2008)

We are celebrating the first anniversary of our School of Public Health. Our mission is to promote and protect the health and well-being of citizens of Maryland, the nation, and the world through interdisciplinary education, research, public policy, and practice.

To celebrate, we had a photo contest where participants could show the impact of Public Health on their lives. Most people don't realize the impact that Public Health, but there are examples all around you.

Click here to check out the photo entries!

(Date Added: November 20, 2008)

Dr. Holt received a Duke University Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health grant titled "Religion-health mechanisms among African American Men and Women"

There is an extensive literature on religious involvement and health, as summarized in several reviews. Most studies suggest a salutary effect of religion on health, though some report negative or no effects, and nearly all are correlational in nature. The field of religion and health has moved beyond the question of IF there is an association between religion and health, to WHY this association exists. The religion-health connection may be particularly relevant for African Americans, who in general are high in religious involvement, and who suffer a disproportionate burden of health problems, termed health disparities. Some promising mechanisms from the literature include social support and healthy lifestyle, but others such as spiritual capital are less well developed. It is important to identify the mechansims of the religion-health connection to advance the scientific study of religion and health, and to apply this knowledge to health promotion and the reduction of health disparities. The aim of this study is to examine what accounts for the relationship between religious involvement and physical health outcomes, using a national sample of African Americans, to test a model of religious involvement and health, involving a set of mechanisms including spiritual capital, social support, and healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Holt is an Associate Professor in Public and Community Health. Her research interests involve community-based and culturally appropriate health communication, and the application of spirituality/religiosity to these interventions.

(Date Added: November 19, 2008)

Dr. Jacqueline Wallen is the recipient of a $4000 award from International Education Services at the University of Maryland. This award will be used to develop a new study abroad program, FMSC498N/ 698N: Child and Family Health in Scandinavia, which will take during the 2010 summer term. The undergraduate and graduate level course will educate students about Scandinavia's family and health policies, family-based health services and family and child health research. The Scandinavian countries of both Sweden and Norway are world leaders in developing and evaluating programs and providing technical assistance to programs that improve family and child health world-wide. FMSC498N/698N will meet several undergraduate requirements including a CORE advanced studies course, an upper-level elective course beyond the CORE advanced studies requirement, or one of two required elective courses for Family Science majors. Dr. Wallen brings her international expertise to this project building on her successful University of Maryland winter-term course, Human Services for Latino Clients, in Oaxaca, Mexico.

(Date Added: November 14, 2008)

Shawna Murray, a first-generation college student and double major in Family Science and Criminal Justice, was awarded the Spirit of Maryland Award by President Mote on October 25, 2008. This prestigious honor is granted to a male and female member of the senior class each year who, through individual achievements, has most exemplified the "spirit" of the University of Maryland. Criteria for the award include outstanding scholarship, leadership, campus involvement, community service, and communication skills.

One of Shawna's many contributions to the university is her work involving international leadership development. Most recently, she spoke on a panel at the United Nations in New York on the importance of the Ralph Bunche Society for minority students, which seeks to stimulate racial and ethnic minority student interest in international studies and international leadership careers. Shawna will continue her international work in Egypt during a winter-term study abroad program, Egypt: A Literary Experience. Upon graduation, Shawna plans to attend law school and pursue a career in Human Rights, Juvenile and Family Law.

(Date Added: November 14, 2008)

We are delighted that Dr. Sally Koblinsky has accepted appointment as Assistant President and Chief of Staff. She is filling the position vacated by Dr. Ann Wylie, who will serve as Interim Vice President for Administrative Affairs. Sally will assume her new responsibilities effective November 8, 2008.

Sally's outstanding record as an educator and administrator make her ideally suited for this important position.

Read More Here

(Date Added: November 12, 2008)

Michael Friedman (PhD candidate, D. Andrews, advisor) was awarded the Barbara Brown Outstanding Student Paper Award, awarded annually to the best student-authored, non-published paper, submitted for consideration. This prestigious award comes with up to $1000 toward NASSS conference expenses, plus a waiver of the conference registration fee. The title of Mike's winning submission was: "The Transparency of Democracy: Spectacle and symbolism in the design of Washington's Nationals Park."

Friedman said he was honored when he learned his paper had won the award, but said he couldn't have completed it without the help of his mentors and the support from the kinesiology and sociology departments.

"We have a great graduate program and I wouldn't be surprised to see another Maryland graduate student in my position in the future," he said.

He plans to use his research in future academic and political endeavors. Next week, he plans to testify at the Washington council meeting in regard to a bill that would rename a portion of South Capitol Street SE as "Taxation Without Representation Street."

(Date Added: November 10, 2008)

The Department of Kinesiology's Physical Cultural Studies research cluster presente 9 papers at the annual meeting of the North American Society for Sport Sociology (NASSS) held in Denver, Colorado, November 6-8, 2008. Papers included:

Batts, C., & Andrews, D.L. Paper title: Tactical Athletes: The US Paralympic Military Program and the Strategic Mobilization of the Disabled Body.

Bernstein, S. Paper title: Sport(ing) Matters: Narratives of Life and Death.

Bracey, B. Paper title: A Different World? Rules, Resistance and Black College Sport.

Friedman, M. Paper title: Not in the Plan: Displacement and Washington's New Baseball Stadium.

Gollmann, A. Paper title: Sidelining Sexualities: The Absence of Queers of Color in Sport Studies.

King-White, R. Paper title: Are We Scientists?: Research Concerns in Neoliberal Times.

DeLuca, J. Paper title: Parent-Child Swimming Lessons: Exercising Concerted Cultivation.

Sterling, J. Paper title: Turning to the Visual: Visual Methodology after the Cultural Turn.

Zhang, T. Paper title: Protecting the Olympic Torch for China.

In addition, Callie Batts (PhD student) was voted one of the two graduate student representatives to the NASSS Board.

(Date Added: November 10, 2008)

Dr. Bradley Hatfield gave a lecture on "Exercise and the Aging Brain" at 2nd Annual Billie Showers Alzheimer's Symposium held at the National Capital Area Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association on November 8, 2008.

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research

(Date Added: November 10, 2008)

Phi Upsilon Omicron is collecting gently used or new books from November 4 through December 11, 2008. The books will be distributed to homeless families with children in grades K through 6 as Christmas presents. Phi Upsilon Omicron, UMCP's International Honor Society in Family and Consumer Science, is a nationally recognized honor society focused toward observing academic excellence, enhancing qualities of leadership by providing opportunities for service, and encouraging lifelong learning and commitment in order to advance family and consumer sciences and related areas. Members participate in monthly community service activities on campus and in the surrounding Metropolitan DC area. The book collection is a collaboration between Phi Upsilon Omicron and the Fairland Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Silver Spring, MD. Please consider donating age appropriate books to this great cause!

(Date Added: November 04, 2008)

The deadlines for interested persons applying to our graduate programs for the academic year 2009-2010 are as follows: PhD. Family Science and Maternal & Child Health programs: December 1, 2008 - International applicants; December 15, 2008 - Domestic applicants. MS. Couple and Family Therapy program:

January 1, 2009 - International applicants;

January 15, 2009 - Domestic applicants.

To apply to our graduate programs:

(Date Added: November 03, 2008)

On Friday, October 17th, Dr. Ana Palla-Kane, Ms. Susan Kogut and 30 students in the physical education major attended the MAHPERD conference (Maryland Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel Towson, MD.

Every year the Physical Education Student Organization (PESO), coordinated by Ms. Susan Kogut, raises money and pays for students to attend the state conference.

Students participated in 6 sessions related to general and adapted physical education, dance, health education and other topics. Students had the opportunity to learn about new materials, teaching strategies and technology applied to physical education. They also networked with students from other universities, teachers, and professionals in the field, including our alumni!

Continuous professional development and involvement in the professional organization is an important value for future teachers.

For more information on PESO, please see the undergraduate student organization page.

(Date Added: November 02, 2008)

On Tuesday, October 28th, the Department of Family Science hosted an Election Party to encourage UMCP students to vote on Election Day. The party was a tremendous success with more than 140 attendees, including undergraduates and graduates students, faculty, and staff members. The event informed participants about the presidential candidates' positions on many family and health issues through distribution of the Family Policy Election Guide for 2008, authored by FMSC Ph.D. students. While clips from the presidential debates played in the background and participants had pictures taken with cardboard presidential candidates, attendees read "Did you know" facts about the presidency and past candidates. Interaction was encouraged through an interview game focusing on political behavior and a presidential mock election was held (Obama, 85%; McCain, 10%; Nader, 5%). Finally prizes were awarded to those who brought food dishes from their home states. We encourage all eligible voters to educate themselves about the candidates and to vote on November 4th!

(Date Added: October 31, 2008)

Dr. Lis Maring is one of 30 people selected to take part in a 2 ½ day training course given by National Environmental Health Association. The course reflects new national priorities for addressing indoor air quality (IAQ) and health impacts resulting from IAQ contaminants, with a particular focus on asthma triggers such as tobacco smoke, mold spores, and radon. Attendees will learn how to develop and implement a comprehensive community action and remediation programs. Participation in this program will enhance Dr. Maring's work with the Healthy Homes program, enabling her to help Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE) field faculty in working on IAQ issues. Following this training, Dr. Maring and MCE faculty will implement a community outreach program that identifies risk reduction methods for IAQ contaminants, reduces asthma triggers, and encourages residential testing and mitigation for elevated levels of radon gas.

(Date Added: October 31, 2008)

The Alcohol Summit, sponsored by the President's Office, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the School of Public Health, the Division of Student Affairs and the UMAlcohol Coalition, was very well attended by students, faculty and the University Administration.

The problem of alcohol abuse by college age students across this nation is well documented. In spite of sustained and considerable effort by colleges and universities to reduce the amount of high risk drinking and its harmful consequences the problems continue at significant levels. This Summit is intended to engage the campus and extended community in open discussion about the many aspects of alcohol use and abuse in the college environment.

The morning speakers included Robert Gold, Dean of the School of Public Health, James Fell from Alcohol, Policy, and Safety Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Linda Clement, Vice President for Student Affairs, and President Mote.

The afternoon speakers included a panel of students, including Christy McLellan from Gymkana and Robin Sawyer from the department of Public and Community Health.

(Date Added: October 30, 2008)

Dr. Steve McDaniel and his colleagues at the University of Alberta (G. Smith) and the University of Connecticut (J.Weinstock) have won a competitive award from the Alberta Gaming Research Institute for their research: "Validating the Four Es Scale as a Predictor of Gambling Behaviors and Gambling Problems: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Canadian and American College Students."

College students are estimated to be two to three times more likely than the general population to develop a gambling problem. The research team will validate a 4 factor gambling instrument that was developed and tested in Australia using a community sample of adults. In addition, the research will compare gambling behaviors as a function of available legal forms of gambling (comparing students at the U. of Alberta and the U. of Maryland).

Dr. McDaniel's teaching and research are focused on marketing and media phenomena, in the area of sport management. His first area of interest is social psychological aspects of sport consumption for spectators and participants.

(Date Added: October 28, 2008)

The Department of Family Science in the School of Public Health seeks an Assistant or Associate Professor to join a dynamic, interdisciplinary department with family science, maternal and child health, and couple and family therapy programs. Candidates for this tenure-track/tenured position should possess a doctoral degree in family science, public health, or a related discipline; a strong record of teaching and published academic research; demonstrated capacity to secure external funding to support research; and an interest in multi-disciplinary collaboration within the Department and School of Public Health, across the University, and with community partners. Applicants with expertise in ethnic minority families and health disparities are particularly encouraged to apply. Email questions about the position to Dr. Norman Epstein, at nbe@umd.edu. For best consideration, applicants should submit via email, by January 8, 2009, a vita, a letter of application with a statement of professional objectives, a short description of the applicant's current research program and future research plans, and the names, addresses and contact information of three references to: Erin McClure, fmsc-searches@umd.edu. See the full position announcement here.

(Date Added: October 24, 2008)

The Maryland Council on Family Relations (MCFR) is sponsoring a Clothing Drive for female victims of sexual assault from September 23rd to October 31st. The drive is collecting sweatpants, t-shirts, and sweatshirts of all sizes for women victims. When women undergo a physical exam following an assault, their clothing is often retained as evidence. Clothing collected during the Drive will be given to victims so that they can return home in comfortable attire. All collected items will be donated to the Sexual Assault Center at Prince George's Hospital in Cheverly, MD. The Center offers no-cost crisis counseling, victim advocacy, and community education to victims of sexual violence. Please donate! You can leave clothing in the Department of Family Science office.

(Date Added: October 24, 2008)

Dr. Pam Clark, of Public and Community Health, has received a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant titled "Physiologic Impact of Variations in Smoke PH".

Dr. Clark's research interests include youth risk behaviors, particularly tobacco initiation, maintenance, and cessation, and evaluation of potentially reduced exposure tobacco products.

(Date Added: October 23, 2008)

Dr. Stacey Daughters, of Public and Community Health, received a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant titled "Behavioral Depression Treatment for African American HIV-infected Substance Users".

Dr. Daughters research expertise includes the neurobiological and behavioral determinants of addiction and HIV risk behavior, and the translation of this knowledge into effective prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing health disparities.

Approximately 37-50% of HIV positive individuals suffer from depression, which is associated with substance use, poor adherence to HIV medication, an increase in HIV risk behaviors, and subsequent poor health outcomes (e.g., Asch et al., 2003; Bing et al., 2001; Dew et al., 1997;). Additionally, depressed HIV positive substance users are at an even greater risk for poor medication adherence than non-substance users (Cook, Grey, & Burke-Miller, 2004). Notably, evidence indicates that HIV positive patients who receive treatment for depression exhibit significant improvements in HIV medication adherence and a reduction in risk behaviors that are directly relevant to their health and well being such as risky sexual behavior (e.g., Cook et al., 2006). Despite this link, few interventions targeting depression have been developed to meet the specific needs of HIV-infected substance users. This is especially evident for low income African American HIV positive substance users who often do not receive adequate treatment for any of these conditions due to poverty, lack of access to specialized treatment, low motivation, cognitive impairments, and a lack of coordination between medical, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers (Calsyn et al., 2004). Thus, the objective of the current study is to test a novel intervention, ACT HEALTHY, in the treatment of depression and HIV medication adherence among 170 African American HIV infected substance users residing in inner-city Washington, DC. ACT HEALTHY combines (1) LET'S ACT, a behavioral activation based treatment for depressed substance users (Daughters et al., 2008), with (2) Life Steps, an HIV medication adherence intervention (Safren, Otto, & Worth, 1999). The purpose of this combined treatment, ACT HEALTHY, will be to compliment standard residential and follow-up outpatient substance use treatment to specifically treat depressive symptoms and HIV medication adherence, with the additional goal of improving substance use and physical health outcomes.

(Date Added: October 23, 2008)

Alice Yan has been invited to serve on a 2009 Grantee Conference Committee of Robert Wood Johnson 6th Active Living Research Grantee Meeting Feb 18-20, 2009 in San Diego, CA. There are 7 persons invited nationwide, 6 of them are professors with Alice being the only student invited. The invitee come from research institutions including MD Anderson cancer center, UNC Chapel Hill and Hopkins, etc. Alice was invited for receiving the RWJ Dissertation grant!

(Date Added: October 21, 2008)

The Baltimore Sun recognized three health professionals, the first of whom is Bonnie Braun, our new Chair of the Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy.

Dr. Braun was previously a professor at our department of Family Science. Her research interests are family health policy, low-income, rural family health and well-being; food insecurity and obesity; and program evaluation.

(Date Added: October 21, 2008)

Dr. Harry T. Kwon, DPCH PhD program graduate, and Jamie Lok, DPCH MPH student, were recently elected to serve on the the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (APIC) executive board of the American Public Health Association. As chair-elect and student representative, respectively, they will strive to uphold APIC's mission to address public health issues specifically affecting Asian American and Pacific Islander in the United States and associated jurisdictions.

Asian/Pacific Islander Health Across the Life Course at the APHA Annual Meeting and Expo.

(Date Added: October 21, 2008)

Dr. Jane Clark was honored at homecoming by the College at Brockport Alumni Association. Clark received the Hall of Heritage Award, the association's highest honor. Dr.Clark graduated from Brockport in 1968 as a health and physical education major. She is pictured here sitting in the rocker given to the Heritage award winner with the College's President, John Halstead (right) and Warren Kozireski, the Alumni President.

(Date Added: October 19, 2008)

The School of Public Health's Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy announced Associate Professor and noted scholar Bonnie Braun as the Herschel S. Horowitz Endowed Chair in Health Literacy. Dr. Braun is the first Endowed Chair for the Horowitz Center, which was announced in September 2007 at the launch of the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland. She is also the first Endowed Chair in the new School of Public Health.

As the Endowed Chair, Dr. Braun will lay the foundation for the Horowitz Center in collaboration with the Center's Advisory Board, overseeing the creation of a strategic plan and the implementation of priority research, service and education activities in this burgeoning field of study. Dr. Braun will lead the effort in educating faculty, students and the greater community about health literacy, establishing partnerships with aligned programs within the university and beyond.

"I am delighted that Professor Braun will lead the Horowitz Center and I am committed to ensuring her, her team's and the Center's success. This Center will build on the School of Public Health's strong foundation and contribute to improving the state of health of Marylanders and beyond," says Dr. Robert S. Gold, Dean, School of Public Health. "Health literacy is part and parcel of everything we do to keep society healthy. It is an essential component of securing the public's health and well-being."

Read the complete news release!

(Date Added: October 16, 2008)

Dr. Stephanie Grutzmacher has been named a Research Associate for Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE) in the Department of Family Science (FMSC). In this position, she will provide leadership for developing MCE family and consumer science programming, working with county educators, 4-H specialists, and other community partners.

Stephanie received her MS and Ph.D. in Family Science at UMCP and spent last year as Evaluation Coordinator/Associate Faculty Agent for the Maryland Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP). She will continue to evaluate this program, as well as conduct independent research investigating nutrition and health literacy issues, health behaviors, and nutrition misconceptions among food stamp clients in Maryland. An engaging educator, Dr. Grutzmacher will also teach an FMSC undergraduate course, FMSC 330, Family Theories and Patterns, and lead an Alternative Spring Break trip to Peru during the spring 2009 semester.

We welcome her to the FMSC and School of Public Health faculty.

(Date Added: October 16, 2008)

In an effort to inform voters about where the two major presidential candidates stand on family-relevant issues, doctoral students in the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland compiled a family and health policy issues voting guide. The guide presents an objective, non-partisan collection of information comparing candidates on important family/health policies such as national health care, early childhood education, stem-cell research, home ownership, immigration, same-sex marriage, veteran health care, and Medicare. For the full guide

(Date Added: October 14, 2008)

Dr. John Jeka was induced into the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education (AAKPE). Eight individuals were inducted at the September 27th meeting of the Academy. Also inducted were Dr. Deborah Young, chair of SPH Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Dr. Jill Whitall (UM PhD '88), a professor at UM Baltimore.

The Academy's membership is considered a "who's who list" of the top individuals in the fields of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

The AAKPE was established in 1926 to recognize outstanding scholars in the study of physical activity. Since 1926, 491 individuals nationwide have been inducted into the Academy as Active Fellows.

With his induction, Dr. Jeka brings the total to 6 AAKPE fellows in the Department (joining Andrews, Clark, Hagberg, Hatfield, Hurley).

For additional information on the AAKPE, refer to the academy's website at www.aakpe.org or call the Business Office at (217) 403-7545.

(Date Added: October 12, 2008)

Dr. Holt received a CDC grant about reasons for low follow-up in black CRC patients.

African Americans have been found to be less likely to receive a post-treatment follow-up colon exam than White patients. In one study, African Americans were found to be more likely to receive a barium enema rather than the recommended colonoscopy. In addition, patients who were older or from poorer neighborhoods were found to be less likely to receive adequate post-treatment surveillance.

The objective of this study is to conduct a qualitative examination of cultural and socioeconomic factors that may be associated with lower rates of CRC post-treatment surveillance among African Americans.

Dr. Holt is an Associate Professor in Public and Community Health. Her research interests involve community-based and culturally appropriate health communication, and the application of spirituality/religiosity to these interventions.

(Date Added: October 10, 2008)

Dr. Robin Sawyer, of Public and Community Health, was the recipient of two 2008 Telly Awards in the categories of Education and Human Sexuality for his recent film production, "Playing the Game 2."

Since 1979 The Telly Awards have recognized the very best in local, regional, national and international television programs and independent films. The competition this year received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

(Date Added: October 10, 2008)

The Department of Kinesiology has assistant professor positions in: Occupational Biomechanics and Translational Kinesiology with an emphasis on intervention. Closing date: Oct. 20. Please see the "People" section under "Open Faculty Information" for more information.

(Date Added: October 09, 2008)

Angela Pinzon, MD, a Ph.D. student in the FMSC Maternal and Child Health program, was awarded first prize in the 2007 Biennial Competition of Pediatrics in the Americas for her paper entitled, "The Health of Children Working in the Streets of Latin American Cities: Risks, Accidents, and Maltreatment (La Salud de los Niños que Trabajan en las Calles de Latinoamérica: Riesgos, Accidentes y Maltrato)."

The contest, sponsored by Colsubsidio, is designed to stimulate physician research on child health. Dr. Pinzon will make history in December 2008 when she officially receives this award for a second time (previously received in 2006); she is the first researcher to win the prize more than once. Dr. Pinzon will receive a cash prize of $5,000, present her paper at a ceremony in Colombia, and have her paper published in a professional journal.

(Date Added: October 07, 2008)

Congratulations to our 2008-2009 Wrenn Scholarship winners. These students were selected based on academic achievement and financial need. All are invited to be recognized at the Annual Dean's Scholars Dinner on Thursday, March 26th, 2009.

The Wrenn Scholarship winners are:
Leticia Addo
Amy Kerrick
Christine Schaub
Sherin Mathew
Roxanna Romano
Pia Rose
Nicole Small
Nicole Wilson
Catherine Phillips
Helena Mo
Mike Mules
Theresa Hackford

Applications for awards to 2009-2010 will be posted on our website in May, 2009.

(Date Added: October 01, 2008)

The President's Commission on Disability Issues has focused a series of events to highlight Disabilities Awareness Month. Mary Kivlighan, who will be giving a presentation Healthy Public Policy or Ethical Dilemma October 13th, discusses the Disabilities Act with The Diamondback.

Mary Kivlighan received an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Missouri. She is an Assistant Dean in the Dean's office and will be teaching Public Health Law and working on strategic initiatives for the college.

Read the complete article here, The Diamondback.

(Date Added: October 01, 2008)

Four undergraduate Family Science majors, Therese Hackford, Nina Phillips, Pia Rose (left), and Nicole Small, have been named 2008 Wrenn Scholars.

This scholarship fund honors Dr. Jerry P. Wrenn, a former dean of the College of Health and Human Performance (now the School of Public Health) and a faculty member who was dedicated to serving undergraduate students.

Therese Hackford, a FMSC senior and double major in Criminal Justice, is currently employed at the Institute for Governmental Service and Research, where she is assisting with a project that examines how case workers can work more effectively with juveniles. Nina (Catherine) Phillips, an FMSC senior, completed the CIVICUS living and learning program and has been a Peer Dialogue Leader with the Common Ground Dialogue Program; she also serves on the executive board of the National Residence Hall Honorary. Pia Rose, an FMSC senior is an avid volunteer, contributing her time and talents to Phi Upsilon Omicron honor society, the DC Central Kitchen, Project Linus, and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Nicole Small, another FMSC senior, has been involved with numerous campus and community activities, including CIVICUS, Habitat for Humanity, Phi Upsilon Omicron, and the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program.

FMSC is very proud of all its Wrenn Scholars!

(Date Added: September 30, 2008)

Dr. Sandra Hofferth, Professor in Family Science and Director of the Maryland Population Research Center, had her research featured on the front page of the Metro section in Sunday's Washington Post (9/28/08). The article, "For Some Busy Kids, It's All Good," summarizes her study examining the stress levels of children involved in multiple out-of-school activities. She found that 9- to 12- year olds with a balanced activity load have the least stress (with highly involved children doing almost as well), and that children with no activities were at risk for lower self esteem, immaturity, and social withdrawal. Dr. Hofferth explains that "only a minority (of children) are heavily scheduled and that organized activities are linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and behavior." Dr. Hofferth's research focuses on American children's use of time, work and family, research methods, fathers and fathering, and family policy. She has authored five books and numerous publications. Find information on the story at the University Newsdesk:

(Date Added: September 30, 2008)

Dr. Holt received a NCI grant about religion-health mechanisms among african american men and women.

Dr. Holt is an Associate Professor in Public and Community Health. Her research interests involve community-based and culturally appropriate health communication, and the application of spirituality/religiosity to these interventions.

African Americans are disproportionately affected by cancer when compared to other racial or ethnic groups. There are a number of social and cultural factors that relate to prevention and screening behaviors that impact cancer mortality rates. Religiosity/spirituality (RS) appears to be one of these factors. RS is central to the lives of many African Americans, and is related to cancer screening, risk, and prevention behaviors. RS has been proposed to have salutary effects on health in general through several mediators, including but not limited to performing health-related behaviors or avoiding unhealthy behaviors in accord with scripture, social support, coping with stress, positive affect or mental health, and social influence. However, research to date has not provided empirical evidence for these mediators. Thus, the relationship between RS and health has gone largely unexplained.

(Date Added: September 24, 2008)

Lindsey Hoskins, a Ph.D. student in Family Science, recently co-authored an article, "Sisters in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Families: Communal Coping, Social Integration, and Psychological Well-Being", published in the August 2008 edition of Psycho-Oncology. The article addresses the association between psychological distress and indicators of social integration and communal coping among 65 sisters from hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) families. Research findings demonstrated that sisters share perceptions of risk and worry about breast cancer but not ovarian cancer. Anxiety levels of the sisters were comparable and sisters with more support persons had lower depression scores. Findings will assist in developing programs to facilitate the adjustment of cancer-prone women. Lindsey is currently completing a fellowship with the Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland.

(Date Added: September 23, 2008)

Ndidi Amutha, FMSC doctoral student in Maternal and Child Health (MCH), has been selected as an American Public Health Association (APHA) MCH Section Fellow for 2008-2009. The fellowship recognizes Ndidi's excellent academic record and experience in public health. The Student Fellows Program provides an opportunity for students to learn more about APHA and the MCH Section through participation in business meetings, serving on various Section committees, and working on Section policy statements, among other activities. Student Fellows are also matched with a public health mentor who is a leader in the field of maternal and child health.

(Date Added: September 23, 2008)

The School of Public Health Alumni Chapter at University of Maryland College Park hosted its First Annual Mind Body Games. Janet Anderson, alum, and her team of experts, ran a challenging and fun event that tested some "physical" and "mental" skills.

In a tight competition where competitors did jigsaw puzzles, played Trivial Pursuit, Scrutineyes, Name that Tune, Scene It, Sudoku, among other games, the Black team surged ahead at the end of the day in the Family Feud game with 8 out of 10 correct answers! The Yellow team from PAE was second, the Orange Team was third, the Green Team from Step Aerobics was fourth and the Blue Team from Public Policy was fifth. But everyone was a winner being able to choose from great prizes, Ledo's pizza and lots of fun!

(Date Added: September 22, 2008)

A team of researchers headed by Dr. Bonnie Braun, Associate Professor of Family Science and Maryland Cooperative Extension Specialist, have found that school-based interventions are helping kids eat healthier foods.

Dr. Braun's study is one series of Project FRESH, a school-based nutrition education program designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among elementary school children. The project is being conducted by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Food Stamp Nutrition Education program. The investigators implemented three interventions and examined the relationship between children's exposure to fruits and vegetables, taste preference, and actual consumption among fourth-graders in the Baltimore-Washington Metro area. Prior to the interventions, 93% of the students were not eating the recommended five fruits and vegetables a day. After the interventions, 60% increased their taste preference for fruits and vegetables, and 50% maintained this higher intake. Dr. Braun's research is especially timely given Governor O'Malley's recent signing of the new Jane Lawson Farm-to-School Program, designed to increase consumption of locally grown farm products in Maryland schools.

(Date Added: September 18, 2008)

Pia Rose, a Family Science Senior and President of Phi Upsilon Omicron, has been working with other students in the family science honorary society to plan community service activities for the coming year. Students in Phi Upsilon Omicron will volunteer their services at SHARE and DC Central Kitchen; make blankets for Project Linus, a program that provides handmade blankets and afghans to children who are seriously ill and/or traumatized; and participate in a food and clothing drive, and a walk for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The group will also hold several brown bag events on topics such as: Considering Graduate School?, Women and the Media, Incarceration in Families, and Nutrition and Excercise.

In addition to serving as President of the honorary society, Pia is currently completing an internship with the Office of Military Community and Family Policy in the Office of the Under-Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Her work at the Pentagon involves providing content for the Military HomeFRONT website and working with the Office of Children and Youth on service projects for military families. Upon graduating in May 2009, Pia plans to pursue a Master's degree in Public Health with a research focus on nutrition, obesity prevention, and healthy living.

(Date Added: September 15, 2008)

The School of Public Health, the Family Science Department, and University of Maryland Extension are partnering with the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning to sponsor the first annual National Healthy Homes Festival, Friday through Sunday September 12-14, in Druid Hills Park, Baltimore. This festival will provide valuable information to Maryland residents who face health hazards in the built environment, such as lead, asbestos, pesticides, dangerous gases, and molds. The UMCP Extension booth will provide relevant health materials, games, and prizes. Recently, University of Maryland Extension launched a Healthy Homes website addressing this topic. Check it out at www.extension.umd.edu/family/healthyhomes. Family Science faculty members Dr. Edmond Shenassa and Dr. Lis Maring are also conducting a qualitative study that examines the transition of Baltimore City's Lead Poisoning Prevention program to a more comprehensive Healthy Homes program. This project, funded by the CDC, will produce a guide for other cities seeking to make the transition to a healthy homes focus.

(Date Added: September 10, 2008)

Last fall, more than 100 professionals and caregivers from Maryland and the Washington DC metro area convened at UMCP for a conference entitled, "Male Caregiving: Creating a Research, Programmatic, and Policy Agenda for an Emerging Public Health Issue."

The conference was sponsored by the HSC Foundation and the Department of Family Science, with additional support from the Consumer Health Foundation. National researchers, human service professionals, and male caregivers gave presentations on the unique strengths, challenges, and needs of male caregivers, an understudied group in the family science and public health literature. Presentations addressed evidence-based interventions and promising practices for working with male caregivers of children with special needs, spouses and partners, and the elderly.

A briefing report from this ground-breaking conference (prepared by Drs. Sally Koblinsky and Suzanne Randolph) can be found online at www.hscfoundation.org/aboutus/publications/male_caregivers.pdf

(Date Added: September 08, 2008)

Dr. Colleen (Coke) Farmer is honored with the President's Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Farmer is the Assistant Chair and Director of Undergraduate Programs.

This award recognizes exceptional performance, leadership, and service by a member of the University. Recipients of this award have a record of exemplary performance and distinctive contributions to the operation of an administrative, academic, research, or service unit on campus. They have clearly demonstrated initiative toward the improvement of university programs or campus activities and have shown commitment to the campus community as a whole.

(Date Added: September 04, 2008)

Dr. Andrew Billingsley, Professor Emeritus and former Professor/Chair of the Department of Family Science at UMCP and Senior Scholar at the Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina, is coming to Washington, D.C. to speak about his new book, Yearning to Breathe Free: Robert Smalls of South Carolina and His Families.

He will speak and read from the book at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington DC, on October 11th at 1:00 pm.

Dr. Billingsley's book describes the life of Robert Smalls and the history of subsequent generations, paying particular attention to the influence of both his biological and master's families. This compelling sociological narrative is a tribute to the heroism and legacy of the statesman, Robert Smalls.

(Date Added: September 02, 2008)

There are currently 2.5 million grandparents who are responsible for the basic needs of one or more grandchildren; millions of other grandparents play an important role in the caregiving of their granddaughters and grandsons. September 7, 2008 is Grandparent's Day -- observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day every year.

Grandparent's Day is the brainchild of Marian McQuade of Fayette County, West Virginia. In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the presidential proclamation for the day in hopes that its observance would persuade grandchildren to gain from the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents.

FMSC faculty explore the role of grandparents in children's lives. For example, Dr. Elaine Anderson and Dr. Bonnie Braun are investigating the role of grandparents in family eating behaviors, with a focus on reducing childhood obesity. Dr. Woodie Kessel is collaborating with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Generations United on "Healthy GrandFamilies," a culturally-grounded project that works with trusted health care providers to enhance health promotion and disease prevention for underserved children and their grandparents.

(Date Added: September 02, 2008)

In the spring of 2008, Joy Bauer was featured in a Class Act article for TERP magazine that highlighted her many accomplishments. Joy earned her BS in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland in 1986 and completed h