Health Beat
June 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 and press releases from OSU News and Research Communications.
Daily almond snack improves health of people with metabolic syndrome
Research shows eating 2 ounces of almonds daily reduces cholesterol, waist circumference, and gut inflammation in people with metabolic syndrome.
College of Health grad will use HDFS degree to positively change lives
Lexi Geampa's journey from homelessness to OSU graduation shows how one caring mentor can change a life. Now she's using her HDFS degree to help others.
International nutrition student found purpose and a home away from home at OSU
Fatemah Al Jafar found community and purpose in Oregon State's nutrition program.
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.
Human development and family sciences, BS
OSU Child Development Center
Lexi Geampa shares her journey from teaching and research to advocating for youth. Learn how scholarships have shaped her career path and her passion for supporting children and families.
Human development and family sciences, BS
OSU Child Development Center
Lily Volger reflects on her internship at OSU's Child Development Center and her plans to improve the lives of children and families through early education.
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.
Pre-Health Mentorship Program awarded OSU Women’s Giving Circle grant
The grant will support the program’s efforts to pair senior mentors with first-year mentees, offering guidance, academic support and exposure to healthcare careers.
Izabel Kickner named 2025 Mosaic Taiwan Fellow
The fellowship brings emerging leaders from the U.S. and Canada to Taiwan to explore its culture, engage in policy discussions and strengthen international relations.
Perry Hystad named 2024 Top Scholar by ScholarGPS
This recognition places him among the top 0.5% of scholars worldwide based on publication record, impact and the quality of his scholarly contributions across fields and disciplines.
College of Health shows strong participation in 2025 TRY-athlon
A special shout-out to Faculty Staff Fitness Coordinator Nikki Kurth for her outstanding leadership and organization of the event. Thank you for making it a success!
ESHS Speed Racers take first in TRY-athlon run event
Congratulations to the College of Health’s team, the ESHS Speed Racers, who took first place in the run event category at the Faculty Staff Fitness 12th Annual TRY-athlon on June 11 in Corvallis.
Avani Stevens-Rose receives 2025 Florence Wood Award
Congratulations to OSU undergraduate kinesiology student Avani Stevens-Rose, who received the 2025 Florence Wood Award of Impact and Legacy from the DaM DIY Co-Op. This award honors students who make a lasting impact through creativity, collaboration and community engagement.
Kinesiology alumni and faculty receive 2024 JTPE paper award
A peer-reviewed article co-authored by Oregon State kinesiology faculty and alumni received the 2024 Metzler-Freedman Exemplary Paper Award from the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education (JTPE).
HPHB alumna and current MPH online student nominated for humanitarian award
Spokane Zephyr soccer player Hailey Coll earned a Humanitarian of the Year nomination while pursuing her MPH and volunteering 20 hours weekly with River City Youth. From leading bike programs to running food banks, she proves public health impact happens everywhere.
HDFS club volunteers at Vina Moses
Students from Human Development and Family Sciences Club spent their Saturday volunteering at Vina Moses, supporting an organization that provides essential free aid to over 8,000 people annually—from those experiencing homelessness to families struggling to make ends meet.
HDFS hosts LBCC visitors to support transfer success
The HDFS program is strengthening its partnership with Linn-Benton Community College to support students interested in transferring to OSU. As part of the collaboration, LBCC students and faculty recently visited campus to tour facilities, meet advisors, explore resources, visit the OSU Child Development Center, and enjoy lunch in the Memorial Union.
Faculty honored with national diversity team award
Associate Professor of Practice Barb Brody, Professor Shannon Lipscomb and Assistant Professor of Practice Megan Pratt received the National ESP Diversity Team Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) for their submission, "Tri-Learner Model of Extension Collaboration: Local-State-Campus Partnership.”
PhD student Reegan Von Wildenradt places third in Newport Marathon
Congratulations to kinesiology PhD student Reegan Von Wildenradt, who was the third female finisher in the Newport Marathon on Sunday, June 1, with an impressive time of 3:14:24. Way to go, Reegan!
Bone health research team publishes new findings and mentors student presenters
Faculty in the Skeletal Biology Lab recently published two new studies on bone health and disease. Their research explores the effects of chronic alcohol use on bone regeneration and investigates cellular therapies for bone disease.
Nutrition doctoral student receives Gerber Foundation research award
Md Atikur Rahman, a doctoral student in nutrition, received a Novice Research Award from the Gerber Foundation to support his project, Identifying Novel Antimicrobial Peptides from Donor Human Milk Digestion for Infection Prevention in Preterm Infants.
Erica Woekel honored with CAPS 2025 Beacon of Hope Award
Selected by OSU Counseling & Psychological Services staff, student workers and volunteers, Erica was recognized as a mental health champion at OSU for her outstanding commitment to student well-being.
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:
Can getting enough zinc in your diet protect your body from damage, and does it help shield you from harmful effects when you're exposed to toxic metals like lead, arsenic and cadmium?
This study investigates changes in elementary school students' affective states during recess over a school year, focusing on variations by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and initial affect scores.
When children don't feel good about how they look or their body size, does that make them less likely to want to run around, play sports, or be active during recess time at school?
Can having supportive adults around during recess help kids who feel left out or uncomfortable feel more welcome and included?
How much healthcare do college athletes actually use, and does it match up with how we currently decide which sports need more medical staff?
The study evaluates the risk of mental health emergency care (MHEC) utilization among Veterans infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared to uninfected individuals. Findings indicate that Veterans with SARS-CoV-2 had a significantly higher incidence of MHEC use within a year post-infection, suggesting a need for improved care coordination to address mental health distress following infection.
Do people who live to extreme old ages have special genetic protection against Alzheimer's disease that most of us don't have?
Why do some people with a specific genetic variant live longer and healthier lives, and what's happening in their bodies to make this possible?
Do veterans have more chronic health problems than non-veterans, and if so, how much more?
Research seminars
Thank you for attending another great term for research seminars. You can always check out all the recorded seminars dating back to 2012. The fall 2025 schedule will be posted just before fall terms starts.
Bonus!
ASPIRE Children's Environmental Health Center
Get Ready for Wildfire Smoke Oregon!