Health Beat
January 2025
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
News and stories
These stories are predominately made up from the college's alumni magazine, press releases from OSU News and Research Communications, and media mentions.
OSU alum Kristi King uses her HDFS degree to help shape childcare programming at Oregon State, supporting parenting students and employees with flexible childcare and promoting family success.
Kinesiology student Ian Kim volunteers with OSU's IMPACT program, helping kids with disabilities discover joy in movement while gaining valuable lessons for his future career as a pediatric physician assistant.
Kimberly Harmon, MD, sports medicine leader and UW professor, brings 26 years of expertise as team physician and researcher to present the 2025 Bray Lecture.
Associate Professor Will Massey and kinesiology students provide therapeutic physical activity programs for youth experiencing homelessness, creating a safe space for movement, connection and healing.
The majority of low-income single mothers in Oregon who rely on federal cash assistance around the time of childbirth are in the program for less than a year, suggesting they’re using it as a form of paid family leave, Oregon State University research shows.
Discover how Dave Dallas, endowed director of the Moore Family Center, studies milk’s bioactive components to optimize infant health, improve donor milk processing, and advance nutrition science.
Kinesiology professor Brad Cardinal's 20-year partnership with Kasetsart University in Bangkok strengthens international sports science education and Olympic development while building lasting Thai-American academic connections.
Students
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
Every Body Athletics
Kinesiology student Sera Reilly shares her internship experience teaching inclusive fitness classes at Every Body Athletics, preparing for a future career in occupational therapy.
Public health, BS
Thrive Umpqua
During his public health internship at Thrive Umpqua, Jeff Twibell coordinated community wellness events and built community partnerships while pursuing his BS through OSU's Ecampus program.
Athletic training, MATrn
Western Oregon University Football
Lisa Hall, an athletic training student, gains hands-on experience providing injury assessment and rehabilitation support for Western Oregon University football athletes while pursuing her master's degree in athletic training at Oregon State.
Good News!
Good News
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.
Associate Professor Sam Logan is co-author of a chapter in "Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Resource Guide," published in December 2024. The book provides information ranging from foundational content for new practitioners to in-depth, population-specific information for practitioners who have not previously worked with a particular population.
Kinesiology faculty hosted colleagues from similar programs at community colleges and universities across the state on Thursday, Jan. 23. The event included information sharing and networking. The Kinesiology Program presented its new undergraduate curriculum, which is anticipated for the 2025-26 academic year. The daylong event was followed by social activities, including attendance at the Oregon State men's basketball game.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the College of Health and PRAx hosted "The Power of Movement: A Workshop with push/FOLD." Students and faculty turned out in strong numbers to participate in the workshop. We hope this is the first of many COH collaborations with PRAx.
College of Health Instructor and alumna Ashley Vaughn, MPH ’21 received the Phyllis S. Lee Award at this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Breakfast on January 20. A former public school teacher, Ashley was recognized for her ability to inspire and motivate others in word and deed. Ashley engages students in critical exploration of health equity related courses and teaches a transformative short-term study abroad program. Her teaching prepares and connects students to work toward social justice, and she is committed to numerous activities outside the classroom that seek to dismantle systemic racism and other systems of oppression.
Associate Professors Kelly Chandler and Sam Logan recently published a paper exploring the successful implementation of punk pedagogy principles in Sam's Honors College course, "Punk 101." This course, focused on punk music and culture, fostered a positive learning environment where students not only gained knowledge and appreciation for punk but also experienced personal growth through DIY practices and cultivated a strong sense of community both within and beyond the classroom. Their findings suggest that punk pedagogy can be a valuable and effective approach in higher education.
Research
Publications
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:
Does leptin (a hormone produced by fat cells) exacerbate the inflammatory response and contribute to systemic bone loss in the context of orthopedic implant failure?
A study evaluating the effectiveness of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine among US veterans aged 60 and older found that vaccination reduced the incidence of RSV infection by 78.1% compared to unvaccinated individuals. The vaccine also demonstrated high effectiveness against RSV-related hospitalizations and emergency care, supporting vaccination recommendations for this age group during the 2023-24 respiratory illness season.
This paper provides both a theoretical framework and practical strategies for supporting educator well-being at a time when teacher stress and burnout are major challenges in education. It suggests that transforming how we support teachers' social and emotional needs could be key to improving both educator retention and student outcomes.
This research suggests that galactooligosaccharides (GOS) supplements might offer a new way to help lactose intolerant people better tolerate dairy products by promoting beneficial gut bacteria.
This study investigates the impact of musculoskeletal pain on the sleep patterns of fishermen in various U.S. fisheries, revealing that many suffer from significant sleep deprivation, averaging only 3.5 to 4 hours of sleep per 24-hour period. The findings highlight a strong connection between pain and sleep disruption, emphasizing the need for injury prevention and improved treatment options for fishermen experiencing musculoskeletal disorders.
Researchers studied over 6 million births in Texas from 1996 to 2016 to see if government regulations requiring cleaner car emissions actually improved babies' health. This is one of the first large-scale studies to examine whether these expensive regulations delivered on their promise to protect public health.
The study identifies the SNP rs6543176 in the SLC9A2 gene as associated with extreme human longevity and reduced hypertension risk, while also suggesting an increased risk for cancer. Metabolomic analyses indicate that the longevity allele is linked to higher serine levels, which may relate to delayed mortality, prompting further investigation into SLC9A2's role in longevity and cancer susceptibility.
How should the field of psychosomatic medicine evolve to better represent the complex ways that mind, body, and social context interact to affect health? This letter to the editor explores the ongoing need to adapt the way we understand the connection between mind and body in the context of health, and how a name change represents a broader shift in the field.
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.

Secure and ethical use of protected health information
Friday, Feb. 7
Professor Denise Hynes, OSU College of Health, director of health data and informatics in the Center for Quantitative Life Sciences; and David McMorries, OSU’s chief information security officer.
Research seminars
Please note that not all seminars are recorded, so we encourage you to attend live sessions whenever possible.

Correlates of problematic cannabis use: Identifying risk factors to inform prevention and intervention research
Friday, Jan. 17
Anita Cservenka, director of CLA’s Substance Use and Neurocognition Lab.

Prevention in a new era of digital health delivery: Development and implementation of the Family Check-Up online
Friday, Jan. 31
Beth Stormshak, Knight Chair and professor at the University of Oregon.
Events
Mark your calendars!
April 8 Bray Health Leadership Lecture
Join us for the 2025 Bray Lecture featuring Kimberly Harmon, MD, a pioneering force in sports medicine.
With 26 years of experience at the University of Washington, Dr. Harmon has shaped collegiate sports medicine through her groundbreaking research on sudden cardiac death in athletes and advisory roles with the NCAA, NFL, NHL, and National Basketball Players Association.
Bonus!
ASPIRE Children's Environmental Health Center
January is National Radon Action Month!
Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC)
OPEC publishes useful information for families, caregivers, and professionals who support children and families.