Health Beat
September 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.
Radon, even at levels below EPA guideline for mitigation, is linked to childhood leukemia
College of Health researcher Matthew Bozigar finds link between radon exposure, even at low levels, and childhood leukemia.
Environmental health is human health
College researchers explore how our environment can impact our health and well-being
Veronica Irvin tackles under-researched interval breast cancer
College of Health researcher empowers women with knowledge and resources for early detection
Athletic training excellence
Celebrating 50 years of continuous accreditation and shaping leaders in the field
A heart on fire for athletic training
An internship with the Seattle Seahawks solidified her love for the field.
Former ASU professor to lead HDFS into bold new future
Marilyn Thompson shares her thoughts on why she loves the field and why more students should consider a degree in HDFS
Students and Alumni
Internship spotlights
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.
Kinesiology - General, BS
Timberhill Athletic Club
Ev DeMott combines OSU kinesiology studies with practical personal training experience, shadowing successful trainers at Timberhill Athletic Club while pursuing his dream of coaching young athletes.
Nutrition, BS
Naked Crepe Cafe
From cafe operations to local business laws, discover how Sam Wade combines OSU's nutrition in foodservice program with hands-on experience at Naked Crepe Cafe, building towards their dream of opening a Corvallis food business.
Public health, BS
Jackson County Health and Human Services
Quinton Rumrey developed culturally-specific problem gambling prevention programs at Jackson County Health Services, combining his public health studies with a passion for education and community outreach.
Good News!
Good News for September 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.
Faculty and staff from across the college recently welcomed new undergraduate and graduate students at several events, including the college welcome lunch, graduate student orientation, kickball with the dean and FORTE. They include Hanako Justice, Mikaela Swaim, Maia Farris, Debi Rothermund, Keri Fisher, Mendy Gayler, Jessica Iverson, Susan Peterson, Gabbi Merales Zott, Greg Vaughn, Samhita Dixit, Gina Cavanaugh, Alyssa Dart, Tonya Johnson, Hilary Roman, Andrew Mobbs, Zev Valancy, Laurel Kincl, Kathryn Stroppel, Adriana Harper, David Cortez, Marilyn Thompson, Megan MacDonald, Peggy Dolcini, Annie Hommel, Kim Hannigan, Michelle Bump, faculty supporting student clubs, and Associate Dean Doris Cancel-Tirado, who helped organize events and hoisted the college flag to lead students to convocation alongside Marie Harvey. See more event photos on Facebook.
Allison Myers, associate dean for Extension and Engagement within the College of Health and program leader for Extension Family and Community Health, was featured on The Roundhouse Foundation's podcast, Funding Rural. In the episode, "Building Communities for Health," Allison explores topics such as mental health and suicide prevention. “I believe with every fiber of my being that communities can collectively work together to change conditions for health and to create conditions for health," Allison says. Listen to the podcast. It is also available on major streaming platforms.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) awarded a R56 grant of nearly $600,000 to Professor Perry Hystad (PI) to further develop a climate-change and health study within the global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study. This research will assess climate-driven exposures for PURE communities using state-of-the-art geospatial assessment methods and determine the direct and indirect impacts of climate-driven exposures on diverse health outcomes.
Professor Molly Kile shares information and recommendations in an article about tap water safety. “You can’t always taste, smell or see dangerous particles in well water,” notes Molly Kile, ScD, the co-Principal Investigator of Oregon State University’s ASPIRE Children's Environmental Health Center. Private well water is not regulated by the EPA, so the only way to know what is in your drinking water is to get it tested. Kile recommends testing your private well water yearly.
Physical Activity Course and Faculty Staff Fitness staff celebrate the start of the 2024-25 academic year with a first day of school photo. Welcome back!
William Massey, associate professor in kinesiology, has been named the new Hallie Ford Center Youth Core director. His research on play, physical activity and youth development aligns with the HFC Youth Core. Will's recent work on coaching and the importance of recess for healthy development also fits the HFC's applied research focus. Jonathan Garcia completed his tenure as Youth Core director. Jonathan expanded and strengthened the community-engaged work done in the HFC and was a key leadership team member. Jonathan is taking on a new position as program director of the Corvallis-based MPH
Hannah Briggs, MPH '23, has secured a second grant to enhance maternal health care access in the most remote regions of Oregon, spanning 12 counties in Eastern Oregon. This new funding will support a second cohort of birth doula training, preparing 15 individuals to become Oregon Health Authority-certified providers. These doulas will offer crucial support and care for pregnant families through pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum stages.
Four Oregon State University researchers have proposed a new model for addressing community needs and advancing research. Shannon Lipscomb, Barbara Bromley Brody, Megan Pratt and Toiresa Frazie published "The Tri-Learner Model of Extension Collaboration." The model brings together faculty from academic research, statewide Extension and community-based Extension. The Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families funded the project through an internal grant.
Bob, ’65, and Sara Rothschild were awarded the Dan Poling Service Award at the 2024 OSUAA Black and Orange Awards. In 2005, Bob and Sara established the Robert and Sara Rothschild Family Foundation. This philanthropic organization has partnered with the Botswana government to build 20 libraries in rural areas, improving education, literacy and community cohesion. In 2017, they brought their passion for international awareness to OSU with the funding of the Robert and Sara Rothschild Endowed Chair in Global Health.
Driven by her vision for a better world, Lizzy Ragan has contributed substantially to the field of infectious diseases. A standout student at OSU, Lizzy volunteered with the Oregon Health Authority, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and the OSU College of Health as a CATALYST Public Health Student Mentor — earning her the Waldo-Cummings and Kalervo Oberg Outstanding Senior awards before graduating summa cum laude.
Sam Logan, an editorial board member of the Journal of Motor Learning and Development, recently had a letter to the editor accepted by the journal. The letter raises awareness about ethical concerns surrounding ChatGPT use in research publishing.
A journal article was recently published about the Public Health Preceptor ECHO Series, a six-session virtual training for preceptors aiming to build skills and connections.
Research
Publications for the month of September
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:
This research is important because it suggests that radon exposure might pose risks to children's health at levels currently considered acceptable. If confirmed by further studies, it could lead to changes in public health policies, such as lowering the threshold for recommended radon mitigation in homes. It also highlights the need for more research into how radon affects health beyond just lung cancer.
The study examined the impact of a 12-month health promotion program for autistic children and their caregivers, involving 27 families. Significant improvements were found in motor competence and grip strength for children, as well as in body mass index and aerobic capacity for parents, highlighting the need for accessible health promotion opportunities for these underserved populations.
This study adds to growing evidence that environmental noise, particularly at night, may have long-term health effects. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, so understanding its environmental causes is crucial for public health. The findings suggest that nighttime aircraft noise could be an important, yet modifiable, risk factor for cardiovascular health.
The study investigates the impact of various environmental factors, including air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status, on body mass index (BMI) among nearly 195,000 female nurses over 30 years. It finds positive associations between BMI and particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), while light at night and socioeconomic status are negatively associated with BMI. The results suggest that interventions targeting these environmental factors could help reduce BMI.
The Seattle ALS Patient Project Database (SALSPPD) is a longitudinal dataset that characterizes people with ALS and their partners, providing insights into disease progression and quality of life. It includes over 500 variables related to physical, psychological, social, and behavioral status, collected through interviews and follow-up calls. This resource aims to support research on the natural history of ALS and the psychosocial factors influencing outcomes.
High-pressure processing (HPP) of donor human milk preserves the concentration and bioactivity of key bioactive proteins better than Holder pasteurization (HoP) and results in a protein profile after digestion that is more similar to raw milk. The study reveals that HPP-treated milk proteins are more resistant to proximal digestion, with specific undigested proteins remaining intact compared to those treated with HoP.
This study investigates the long-term financial hardships faced by US Veterans 18 months after COVID-19 infection, revealing that those with a history of COVID-19 experienced significantly higher rates of severe health-related financial strain and behavioral hardships compared to uninfected counterparts. The findings highlight the need for strategies to address these financial challenges among Veterans post-COVID-19.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Program
New this academic year, the College of Health and the Office of Research Integrity are hosting a nine-month RCR Training Program.
This program will allow recipients of NIH career development and training grants to meet their 8-hour, face-to-face training obligations, and for other researchers to meet their requirements and recommendations from other funding agencies.
Each are held the first Friday of each month in HFC 115 from 1-2 p.m.
In-person only.
Keep your calendars open for these October research seminars.
Research seminars

RCR Training Symposium
Friday, Oct. 4
“Introduction to research integrity: Scientists as responsible members of society”
Christopher Viggiani, OSU associate vice president for research integrity

RCR Training Symposium
Friday, Nov. 1
“Responsible Authorship and Publication”
Professor Perry Hystad and Lisa Leventhal, OSU director of the Program of Responsible Research Practices and research integrity officer

Introduction to Accelerated Computing with NVIDIA GPUs
Friday, Oct. 11
Zoe Ryan, solutions architect on NVIDIA’s Higher Education and Research Team

Shaping Oregon’s Future: Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Needs Assessment to Drive Priorities and Policy
Friday, Oct. 18
Marit Bovbjerg, associate professor of epidemiology.

The Development and Diversity of Cumulative Culture Learning
Friday, Oct. 25
The Development and Diversity of Cumulative Culture Learning
Events
Mark your calendars!
October 4 COH Town Hall: Strategic Plan
2:15 - 3:30 p.m. Milam Auditorium
Faculty and staff only
October 12-17 Indigenous Peoples’ Week
There are a variety of activities you can join to learn, celebrate and honor the diverse histories and contributions of Indigenous students, faculty and community. Learn about events, the origins of Indigenous Peoples’ Week, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, and OSU Indigenous efforts on the Indigenous at Oregon State website. You can also check out the Oregon is Indian Country exhibit in Valley Library.
December 19
Physical activity for health aging: Better Bones and Balance, Walk with Ease, and Strong People. Zoom link. Password: elder
Bonus!
ASPIRE Children's Environmental Health Center
September is National Preparedness Month!
Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC)
OPEC publishes useful information for families, caregivers, and professionals who support children and families.
- Talking with Kids about US Elections
- Cómo hablar con los niños sobre las elecciones en Estados Unidos
- September is Suicide Prevention Month
- Septiembre es el mes de la prevención del suicidio