Health Beat
May 2024
College of Health newsletter
All the news that's fit to print
We encourage you to scroll through the whole page, but if you want to skip ahead to a particular section, select from the following.
Visibility
In the news
These stories are predominately made up from the college's alumni magazine, press releases from OSU News and Research Communications, and media mentions.
It’s a beautiful life, built by a hardworking Beaver
Home economics alum visits campus 70 years after graduation
Jessica Gorman on LGBTQ+ cancer care
College of Health researcher works to improve equity in cancer care and outcomes
Decreasing air pollution and increasing environmental awareness
Sigride Asseko is committed to improving health in low-income areas
Interim dean named to College of Health
Rick Settersten to build on college’s momentum
Jackie Leung advocates for improving maternal health equity
College of Health doctoral student is committed improving the health and well-being of Micronesian mothers and families.
OSU Extension + College of Health
Public health faculty turn conversations into change in communities across Oregon
Students and Alumni
Class of 2024 spotlights
These College of Health graduates are ready to make a difference, improving the future of health and well-being for all.
View all Class of 2024 spotlights.
Nutrition: Dietetics - BS
Kinesiology - BS
Public Health: Health Systems and Policy - MPH
See how COH students are applying classroom knowledge, building professional networks, and testing out fulfilling careers in health and well-being.
Meet all the internship spotlight students.
Internship spotlights
Kinesiology - General, BS
Oregon State Baseball
Public health, BS
Jackson County Health and Human Services
Human development and family sciences, BS
Zoo Boise
Health Heroes
Health Heroes stand out among their fellow students and alumni.
They are doing incredible and impactful work in our community, exemplifying our vision to bring health and well-being within reach for all.
Meet all of our Health Heroes, and nominate your own.
Future health care leader wants to improve health equity
Doctoral student dives into her passion for research and human development
A dream delayed is now a dream in the making
Good News!
Good News for May 2024
Our faculty, staff and students do amazing things!
They receive national, university and college honors; publish books and articles; serve on editorial boards and much more.
Did you or someone you know do something we should share? Let us know by submitting some Good News.
Kathryn Stroppel, COH director of marketing and communications, will receive an MA in Organizational Leadership on June 15. Her master’s project focused on improving performance in the college and addressed some of the needs of professional faculty and classified staff. Congrats, Kathryn!
Carson Mowrer, who will graduate in spring 204 with an MPH in epidemiology; and epidemiology alums Zoe Herrera, MPH: and Paulina Kaiser, a postdoc in epidemiology, placed second at the Good Samaritan Scholarly Symposium.
Hailey Coll, a public health undergraduate student, received a Women’s Giving Circle award for “Building community with SPHA.” SPHA is the Student Public Health Association.
Congratulations, Carson, Zoe, Paulina and Hailey!
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at OSU-Cascades has been granted accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education effective April 30, 2024. What an amazing team of faculty, staff and students. Congratulations!
The OSU Women's Giving Circle has selected "Building Community With SPHA," a grant proposal submitted by the Student Public Health Association (SPHA), for funding. SPHA co-presidents and public health students Hailey Coll and Jackie Rodriguez initiated and submitted the proposal. Ashley Vaughn and Kari-Lyn Sakuma co-advise SPHA.
The grant will fund the 2025 National Public Health Week celebration, fostering community engagement across Corvallis, Oregon State University and the College of Health.
Public health student Jackie Rodriguez has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center's AYA Award. Her nomination was submitted by Ashley Vaughn and Kari-Lyn Sakuma. Congratulations, Jackie!
Public health student Hailey Coll has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center's Student Leader Award. Her nomination was submitted by Ashley Vaughn and Stephanie Grutzmaucher. Congrats, Hailey!
Kinesiology instructor Kim Rogers, PhD, MPH, MS received the inaugural Difference, Power and Oppression Teaching Award for her work advancing equity and inclusion at the State of Diversity at OSU event in May 2024.
Clinical Associate Professor Cathleen Brown Crowell, Didactic Program in Dietetics Director Michelle Bump and Human Services Internship Coordinator Tasha Galardi's participation in the Center for Teaching and Learning Fellows Program brought engaged connections and learning to the college. They have also been influential in the curricular changes and pedagogical learning associated with Core Education. Thank you, we appreciate all that you do!
Congratulations, PAC! The College of Health's Physical Activity Course (PAC) Program was recognized as a Top Training Provider by the American Red Cross. Thank you for all you do!
Congratulations to the IMPACT Program for winning the Dam Proud Day Dammy Award for Most Improved in Donors. The award includes a plaque and an additional $7,500 for the IMPACT Program. Thank you to all who donated and contributed to the success of the IMPACT and IMPACT for Life programs.
Mina Salehi Sedeh, an EOH doctoral student in the Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratory, has been awarded a highly competitive research grant from the National Safety Council. Under the supervision of Associate Professor Jay Kim, she will expand her AI research to develop non-invasive biomechanical assessments that quantify work-related injury risks.
Associate Professor Will Massey was selected as a fellow by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Congratulations, Will, on this well-earned recognition of your contributions to the profession!
Iriana Muñoz was accepted as a fellow of the 2024 Summer Institute in Anti-Racist and Decolonizing Research Methods at George Mason University. She was one of 25 selected out of nearly 150 applicants. The aim of this institute is "to use this week-long (in-person) workshop on anti-racist and decolonizing research to create space for Fellows to develop research tools to revolutionize social science inquiry." Learn more about the program. Congrats, Iriana!
Ingrid Skoog, College of Health's director of online programs, was honored with an Ecampus Appreciation Award, in recognition of her partnership with Ecampus as the coordinator of online education for the College of Health.
Congrats to Associate Professor Sam Logan who received a grant from the OSU Women's Giving Circle for the proposal Disability and Mobility Do-It-Yourself Co-Operative. Kudos to you, Sam!
Congrats to Clinical Assistant Professor Colin Mulligan on your contributions to the Ecampus Faculty Forum panel titled Inclusivity in Online Learning. This event was attended by more than 100 participants from across the country. Kudos to you, Colin!
The College of Health is proud to announce the well-deserved promotions of several outstanding faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their fields and made invaluable contributions to the college.
Associate Professor David Dallas has been selected as the new endowed director of the Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health.
Research
Healthy Discoveries
The Healthy Discoveries program gives undergraduates the support they need to start conducting research projects early in their college careers. This valuable program is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Patricia Valian Reser Fund for Experiential Learning. Let's meet some of our 2024 undergraduate student researchers! We'll be highlighting a few of them each month.
Kinesiology
Public Health
Nutrition
Check out the recent publications from researchers across the college over the past month. See if you can guess the researcher(s) based solely on publication titles:
Publications for the month of May
This review examined the safety of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) as a food ingredient. Results from animal and human studies showed that rhLF was well tolerated and safe, with no significant toxicity-related outcomes. However, further studies are needed to address unanswered safety questions such as immunogenicity and immunotoxicity potential.
This research paper discusses the implementation of the Zero Suicide framework in the adult emergency department setting. It highlights the importance of tailored strategies for nurse leaders in suicide prevention and provides recommendations for adapting each component of the framework in the emergency department.
This research studied the function of alpha-tocopherol (α-T) as a vitamin in zebrafish embryos. It found that α-T deficiency leads to increased lipid peroxidation and metabolic dysregulation, impacting both biochemical and morphological changes in early development. The study also suggests that α-T is critical for neurodevelopment and is regulated by the α-T transfer protein (TTPa) and the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway.
The development of a simple, bedside method to concentrate breast milk could have significant implications for improving the health outcomes of premature babies and empowering mothers to provide the best possible nutrition for their vulnerable infants.
This study underscores the potential health benefits of specific types of greenspace, particularly trees and diverse plantings, in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease hospitalizations. It also highlights the need for targeted urban planning and public health policies to enhance greenspace, especially in marginalized communities, to promote health equity and overall well-being.
This study analyzed tweets from the AYA cancer community to understand how they discuss the financial burden of oncofertility care and advocate for change. The conversations highlighted the high cost of care and proposed actions to improve access and support. Future research can explore the impact on policy change and clinical care.
Voluntary alcohol consumption for 6 months in male cynomolgus macaques resulted in reduced intracortical bone porosity without affecting mineralization or mechanical properties.
This suggests that chronic heavy alcohol consumption may increase the risk of low trauma bone fractures.
This study examines the impact of a co-designed intervention on negative behaviors during school recess and explores the facilitators and barriers to implementing the intervention. Results show a decrease in negative behaviors post-intervention and suggest the need to assess school and recess culture before making changes. Reculturing around the importance of recess and the roles of adults is crucial for sustaining positive playground behavior.
This study highlights the critical link between household air pollution and child mortality and provides a strong basis for targeted interventions that could improve child health outcomes in settings similar to the Navrongo HDSS in northern Ghana.
The findings advocate for the adoption of clean cooking technologies and fuels as a strategic public health measure to reduce under-5 mortality, thereby contributing to the achievement of global health targets and improving the quality of life in vulnerable populations.
UV-C treatment is a promising way to process donor milk that balances safety with preserving the beneficial components that support the health of vulnerable babies. Using UV-C in milk banks could help provide higher quality donor milk to premature or sick infants who depend on it for protection against infection and optimal development.
Research seminar videos
Weren't able to attend or watch a College of Health Friday research seminar? Here's your chance to get caught up with the recordings from May. Not every seminar is recorded, so make sure to attend in-person if you can.
Be sure to check out the full lineup for Spring term.
May 24, 2024
Panel of Research Center Directors
May 17, 2024
Ryan Scholz, DVM, MPH
May 3, 2024
Andy Hertel, PhD
Events
Mark your calendars!
June 4 Bray Health Leadership Lecture
Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, will deliver the 2024 Bray Health Leadership Lecture titled "Public Health After the Pandemic: How Can We Do Better?" at 5 p.m. followed by a reception on Tuesday, June 4, in the MU Horizon Room.
Learn more about Dr. Sharfstein and register for this free lecture.
June 10 Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training
QPR is an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum that teaches individuals to identify the signs and symptoms of someone who may be at risk, and to confidently offer immediate support and referrals.