About

Elizabeth Barreca, HES major, will complete her two-semester senior capstone project when she makes the fourth presentation on her Photovoice project.  Lizzie received a SHSE mini-grant, a MO-PIP grant, and senior grant from the Student Public Health Association to fund her project, “A Snapshot of Mental Wellness.”  The Photovoice method allowed Lizzie to recruit 24 participants to submit up to five photographs with an accompanying caption explaining what mental wellness meant to them. All participants were interviewed and the data collected was analyzed quantitatively. On April 3, 2017, a gallery showing of the “Snapshot of Mental Wellness” was held in the SUB  from 5-9:00 p.m.

To date, Lizzie has made three presentations of her study.  First, she presented her project at the SHSE Mini-Grant Conference on April 4, a hands-on Photovoice learning session on mental wellness at the Meeting of the Minds in Kansas City, on April 8, at the Student Research Conference on April 20, and will make her final project presentation at the HLTH 440 Showcase on May 4, 2017.

Maha Mohamed, Health Science major, will be participating in an REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) through Western Washington University.  She will spend part of her time in Bellingham, Washington, and the remainder in Kigali, Rwanda. Maha and her cohort will be working with the Primary Investigators, Rwandan colleagues, and the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR) to create and administer research and intervention programs responsible for reproductive and sexual health. The research question which will be examined is whether there is variation in identified needs. The student researchers will be using existing quantitative data collected by the NISR staff in Kigali and learn how to document data in compliance with international standards. The research will contribute to the literature on the differences in change in reproductive health indicators by region, urban/rural residence, education, and wealth. The REU will also explore a number of additional questions using NISR data, with a particular focus on child health and nutrition. Maha is excited to see and explore new places while conducting research; she has never been to either Washington or Rwanda.

Two athletic training students won scholarship awards at the 2017 MAATA Annual Symposium and Conference in La Vista, NE. Aaron Patterson (junior) and Paige Clawson (junior) were each awarded the 2017 Professional MAATA Scholarship Award. This award is based on GPA, athletic training service, community service, and research.

Katie Hirsch is a recent graduate from the exercise physiology master’s program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Working under the direction of Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, she conducts research in the areas of exercise, nutrition, and body composition in athletic and clinical populations, with special interests in exercise and nutritional supplementation to improve performance, body composition, and metabolic health in women. In the fall, Katie will begin pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Movement Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Katie is a certified exercise physiologist (EP-C) with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Nic Shea is a Master’s student in exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  Nic works in the neuromuscular lab researching firefighter safety and performance.  Nic also assists in training the UNC student athletes across all Olympic sports.  Prior to UNC, Nic coached wrestling and strength and conditioning at Staley High School.  Nic completed his Bachelor’s degree at Truman State University where he was a 2x NCAA Academic All-American in 2013 & 2014.  He plans to continue education with a PhD in kinesiology.

Picture and Article from https://www.nsca.com/grants-and-scholarships/scholarship-recipients/

Truman SAAC members joined in the National SAAC program and were trained in CPR and AED skills at their meeting on Wednesday, February 15. There is compelling research from this public health program that proper CPR/AED training can save the life of someone who is in cardiac arrest.  Twenty-four members of SAAC were trained by Liz Jorn (FAR) and Jana Arabas, Faculty Instructors for the American Heart Association.   SAAC members were taught skills such as how to do proper chest compressions and use an AED.  Students were also educated about the NEMO Heart Health program that provides awareness of the importance of heart health and AED education throughout Northeast Missouri.

On November 11-13, several students and professors traveled to Lake of the Ozarks for the annual MOAHPERD (Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) Convention. MAE students Kasey Gassensmith, Hannah Wehar, Kelsea Dorsey, and Laura Rethemeyer, along with Dr. Carla Smith, presented a session on meeting GLE’s through Lead-up Games for Team Handball. The session was also attended by current MAE student, Natalie Garlock, and 2013 MAE graduate Nick Clements (Wentzville Middle School teacher), as well as many other teachers from around the state.

 

 

 

MAE students Laura Rethemeyer and Shane Hartwig teach badminton skills on the last day of Home School Physical Education. Students in the ES608 and ES531 classes teach Physical Education to secondary home school students every Friday during the semester.

 

Ms. Jana Arabas and Ms. Liz Jorn attended the Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Conference, November 11th-12th, at Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark. At the conference they teamed with Gina McNeece from Northwest Missouri State University to present a CPR class for K-12 Physical Education Teachers across the state. Sixty-one teachers received the certification.

Also, Jana and Alexandra Arabas, (Alex is a senior at Kirksville High School), presented CPR in Schools: Managing an Unfunded Mandate. Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 711 in July, 2016 stating that all graduating seniors starting with the 2017-18 graduating class must have 30 minutes of CPR exposure upon graduation. Alexandra is a CPR instructor with the American Heart Association and is doing a year-long service learning project incorporating CPR/AED and the Heimlich maneuver into the High School freshmen health classes in Kirksville.

Future health science professionals have been hard at work recently. The students in Health 255, Introduction to Community and Public Health, have been tabling around the campus of Truman advocating for safe and sober driving. They have been working tables in Magruder Hall, the SUB, and McClain Hall promoting the CHEERS program (a state-wide program giving free drinks to designated drivers) and “Drive Safe: Drive Smart.” The students started this project in late January and will continue into March. They are making a difference in their community not only by promoting and reminding everyone to drive safe and responsibly, but also by providing everyday necessities like hand sanitizer, tissues, and highlighters to all who stop by the table. One of the students in the class summed up his experience tabling by stating, “It seemed like an inconvenience at first taking time out of my day to sit at this table but after I was finished I was extremely glad I participated. I got to make a difference in my fellow student’s lives.”

In December, the HLTH 349: Research Methods course presented their research projects via a poster presentation. Topics included student knowledge of the Affordable Care Act, blood donation behaviors, assessment of campus smoking policies, college student stress, oral health behaviors, student mental wellness, and disability studies awareness. There was a poster competition for first and second place posters, most prepared and engaging research team, and most visually appealing poster. Poster competition results were determined via a vote from students in HLTH 290 and HLTH 366.

Students Madeline Thomas, Lizzy Star, Mike Judson, and Marissa McBurnett presented on Student Awareness of the Affordable Care Act and received First Place for their poster. The group also received an award for Most Interesting Topic and shared the award for Most Prepared and Engaging Research Team.

Students Emily Flecke, Marisa Meiners, Swati Patel, and Alysa Wisness presented their poster on Student Exercise Behaviors and Stress Levels. The group received Second Place overall for their poster.

Students Chloé Hromockyj, Collin Heisel, Lauren Box, and Colin Osborne presented their poster on Student Perceptions of People with Disabilities. The students shared the award for Most Prepared and Engaging Research Team.

Students Ashley Smith and Hyerin Kim presented their poster on Blood Donation Behaviors of College Students. The group received the award for Most Visually Appealing Poster.

Students Kiley Vinyard, Elizabeth Tryon-Ebert, and Maggie Farrand presented their poster on Oral Health Behaviors of College Students.

Students Zara Shoune and Jessica Hyde presented their poster on Smoking Behaviors, Attitudes, and Knowledge of Campus Policy of Truman Students.

Students Raven Eisenberger, Dria Riley, and Kristin Flinn presented their poster on the Effects of Stress on College Students

Students Ikeolu Oladipo, Montira Mosby, and Brooke Bailey presented their poster on the Relationship between Athletics and Academic Stress.

Students Maddy Carney, Chloe Griffith, Bene Clear, and Sarah Garmer presented their research on The Impact of Sleep on Self-Perceived Mental Wellness