Penn State College of Health and Human Development Magazine - Summer 2011 by Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Summer 2011

The College of

Health and Human Development

innovation Also Inside:

Healthy Aging Celebrating Milestones Alumni News

Gene Maylock

Welcome Dear alumni and friends,

Since it was established, the College of Health and Human Development has been home to an ever-changing stream of innovative thinking. Researchers in the college draw on many tools and techniques to teach students and to create new ways to address some of the major health issues we face today. As a result of this innovation, the college has a history of attracting high-quality students, world-class faculty members, and large research awards. Today, we have nearly 5,000 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students; we have 315 faculty members; and our research awards this past year totaled more than $63 million, a record for the college. The spirit of innovation that has made the college so successful is due, in part, to creative collaborations. For example, recent collaborative efforts include an exciting new pre-doctoral training program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that brings together graduate students in the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Human Development and Family Studies to understand and address the epidemic of childhood obesity. Additionally, we are participating in the new Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), a collaboration of many Penn State colleges and institutes, led by the College of Medicine, that is designed to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into methods for improving public health. To help ensure that innovation remains strong in the college’s future, we are working hard on our part of Penn State’s capital campaign, titled For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. The $2 billion campaign kicked off in 2010 and, already, we are well over halfway toward our goal of raising our share: $90 million. We need everyone’s support to make it all the way. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who already have contributed to the campaign or to the college in some other way. You have played an important role in helping us become a leader in health and human development teaching, research, and outreach. I always enjoy hearing from you; please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the college or want to re-engage (ac1@psu.edu; 814-865-2647). If you plan to be on campus, please come by the Dean’s Office so that I can say hello. Warmly, Ann C. Crouter

Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean College of Health and Human Development

Penn State Department of Public Information

table of CONTENTS 2 Innovation

Researchers use innovative tools and thinking to improve people’s health and well-being

8 Construction Updates

Dean

Ann C. Crouter

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Outreach Anthony D’Augelli

Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Neil Sharkey

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education Douglas Ford

Assistant Dean for Alumni and College Relations and Leadership Initiatives Abigail Diehl

Director of Development Maggie Crispell

Visible progress is made on new Biobehavioral Health Building; Schultz Childcare Center to open

10 Healthy Aging

Center for Healthy Aging focuses research on people’s health over the course of their lifetimes

14 Around the College 22 Learning to be Leaders

Students learn lessons about leadership through Global Leadership Initiative

Catharine Ross Q&A dispels myths about calcium and vitamin D deficiencies

Celebrations Departments of Biobehavioral Health and Kinesiology, and Health and Human Development Alumni Mentoring Program celebrate milestones

28 Alumni Awards 30 Affiliate Program Group Updates 32 Class Notes Articles may be reprinted with permission; for more information please contact the Office of Alumni and College Relations at 814-865-3831 or healthhd@psu.edu. For general correspondence, please write to the Office of Alumni and College Relations, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Henderson Building, University Park, PA 16802-6501; e-mail healthhd@psu.edu; or visit www.hhdev.psu.edu. This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. (HHD12001) U.Ed. HHD 12-001

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innovation Researchers in the College of Health and Human Development use innovative tools and thinking to improve peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and well-being.

illustration/Dennis Maney

by Liam Jackson

hat if a smart phone, besides giving you instant access to your friends, your calendar, and the Web, could also help you monitor your feelings about other people? While it may sound like yet another form of technology replacing personal interaction, the concept actually may improve people’s relationships with one another. Two faculty members in the College of Health and Human Development are handing out smart phones and asking people to provide information about each interaction they have with another person for three periods of three weeks each, including their emotional responses, how they acted, and how they felt the other person acted. “Every personal interaction can enhance or complicate the next,” said David Conroy, a professor of kinesiology, who collaborates with Nilam Ram, an assistant professor of human development and family studies. “For example, a conversation may make us feel happy or sad. Which one we experience can affect how we feel and behave during our next encounter.” The team’s goal is to help people make positive choices. “By monitoring data automatically we can help people in real time,” said Ram, who added that based on what they learn about individual behavior patterns, the software they use will flag them when a person is headed toward an undesirable state of mind. “We want to capture those cases before people spiral into those states,” he said. “In other words, we want to try to intervene to help a person change his or her trajectory.” One application of the technique could be to assist people who are struggling with emotional ups and downs. If the researchers are able to document the types of thoughts and emotions that lead to emotional changes, they could then intervene when they see people spiraling into negative thinking. “Our new tactic of using smart phones could revolutionize how we assess people and support their self-regulation efforts,” said Conroy. Since it was established, the College of Health and Human Development has been home to an ever-changing stream of such innovative thinking. Researchers in the college draw on many tools and techniques to create new ways to address some of the major health issues we face today. “As President Obama expressed in his January 2011 State-of-the-Union Address, ‘innovation drives prosperity,’” said Neil Sharkey, associate dean for research and graduate education in the college. “Innovation is the engine responsible for the incredible advances in science and technology that infiltrate every aspect of our daily lives.” photo illustration/Dennis Maney

Paul Hazi (2)

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Jinger Gottschall uses a high-tech treadmill with two side-by-side belts that can be tilted and rolled to mimic realistic walking terrains.

Innovative Technology What could be more integral to our daily lives than the way we walk? To understand walking patterns among various populations of humans, Jinger Gottschall, an assistant professor of kinesiology, designed a high-tech treadmill with two side-byside belts that can be tilted and rolled to mimic realistic walking terrains because, as she said, “the surfaces we walk on are rarely completely flat.” The belts also can operate at different speeds from one another, which enables Gottschall to simulate limping, for example. By having one belt run three times as fast as the other belt, she can study—via motion analysis cameras and muscle activity recordings—how one foot communicates changes in terrain with the other. “No matter what condition a person has that affects his or her movement—an orthopedic issue or a stroke—humans accurately find walking patterns that minimize costs and put the least amount of stress on the body,” she said. “Understanding how the neuromuscular system controls and communicates with feet can improve researchers’ abilities to prevent, repair, or circumvent damage that occurs with aging and disease.” In the future, Gottschall plans to collect data from below-the-knee amputees to understand the unique daily challenges their bodies face. Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders Krista Wilkinson also employs a high-tech device to help people. Her use of eye-tracking cameras is improving the quality of visual scene displays (VSDs), or computer-generated images that aim to help people with disabilities learn to communicate. Traditional communication displays show a grid of abstract images to the viewer. Individuals— often children with intellectual disabilities—can communicate their ideas by pointing to one or more of the images. But Wilkinson believes this approach isn’t effective because people don’t learn ideas as abstract images. “As my colleague Janice Light has pointed out, we learn words in the context of the events and the people in our lives,” she

Summer 2011

said. A child might learn the word “milk” in association with breakfast, for example. Wilkinson and Light, a Distinguished Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, are investigating ways to use photographs as VSDs since they contain people and important social events, and therefore may be more useful for some individuals in communicating ideas than abstract pictures.

Wilkinson’s use of eye-tracking cameras addresses a concern in the field that photographs might distract the user and, therefore, hinder communication. But what she has found lends support to her idea that the use of photographs actually would improve communication. She has found that, by tracking children’s gazes, they focus overwhelmingly on the people in images even when the background predominates. Wilkinson also uses brain scans and other brainimaging techniques to pinpoint the parts of the brain that are at work while processing images. Leveraging what she learns, she aims to further improve the design of communication devices.

Creative Thinking Although technology has the power to advance some fields of research, creative thinking is sometimes all it takes to trigger exciting new projects. For example, a little creative thinking was all it took for Byron Jones, a professor of biobehavioral health, and Erica Unger, a research associate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, to realize that Ritalin, a drug that normally is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), might be useful in treating iron deficiency in the brain. According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the most widespread single-nutrient deficiency worldwide, with roughly 40 percent of preschool children in developed countries and 80 percent in developing countries being iron deficient at age 1. “In humans, if you have severe iron deficiency within the first six months of life, it can result in cognitive, affective, and motor control deficiencies that persist into early adulthood,” said Jones. Because iron is regulated differently in the brain than it is elsewhere, iron supplements cannot fix a deficiency in the brain. But Jones and Unger think Ritalin may be the solution to this problem. The team saw potential in the drug because it increases dopamine and norepinephrine, two neurotransmitters in the brain that play a role in many functions, including sleep and feeling

pleasure. Past research by the pair showed that iron deficiency can disrupt the development of both the dopamine and norepinephrine systems. So far, the team’s preliminary study using Ritalin to treat iron deficiency has shown positive results. The researchers used rats that were iron deficient at birth and displayed cognitive deficits as adults and found that the animals greatly expanded their memory and attention after taking Ritalin. “We are the first to address this problem in rats, in which the effects of early iron deficiency are remarkably similar to those observed in humans. So we wanted to see whether we can fix deficiencies in cognitive performance using Ritalin,” said Jones. The team’s novel approach is a first step in fixing a major deficiency facing the world today. Another approach that could “fix” a variety of problems is mindfulness, the centuries-old practice traditionally associated with Buddhist meditation. By teaching individuals how to focus their attention and deepen their awareness, several researchers in the college are helping people see that quick judgments are just fleeting thoughts and that often there is no need to act on these sudden impulses. “We often make quick judgments about what’s right or wrong and what’s good or bad, and those judgments affect how we experience the world,” said Douglas Coatsworth, an associate professor of human development and family studies. “Mindfulness is about slowing down our racing minds and paying attention to what is happening right now, as well as taking a nonjudgmental view toward other people and oneself.”

Help for Foster Care Kids Being innovative also can mean being the first to address a problem. Elizabeth “Betsy” Farmer, a professor of health policy and administration, is one of the many faculty members in the college who is at the forefront of her field. She studies the problems associated with treatment foster care (TFC) programs, which provide individualized mental health care services to around 50,000 American children who are living in foster homes. Children in TFC programs typically face more challenges than most children. For example, they often have multiple mental health diagnoses, including oppositional defiant disorder, a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); post-traumatic stress disorder; and depression. About 85 percent of children in the programs Farmer studies have a history of substantial abuse, and about half have been sexually abused. In observational studies, Farmer found that many of the 3,000 TFC agencies About 85 percent of children in across the country don’t regulate the care they provide, “so there’s the programs Farmer studies have a no way to ensure that a child gets consistent care,” she said. history of substantial abuse, and about Farmer aims to rectify this situahalf have been sexually abused. tion. “We want to build a hybrid model for treatment foster care, where we find gaps between recommended treatments and what agencies are actually doing, and then find ways to bridge the gaps,” she said. Farmer is also testing a TFC program that she and her colleagues developed, called Together Facing the Challenge, which teaches the foster parents of children in TFC programs how to deal with children’s behavioral problems, especially those related to trauma. Whether by ensuring that TFC programs provide the treatments that children need or by teaching foster parents how to deal with behavior issues, Farmer is addressing major gaps in the mental health care system to improve many children’s lives.

Krista Wilkinson uses eye-tracking cameras to improve the quality of visual scene displays (VSDs), or computer-generated images that aim to help people with disabilities learn to communicate. the College of health and human Development

research photos courtesy Deborah Kerstetter

Patricia Jennings, a research associate in the Prevention Research Center, conducts similar mindfulness research that focuses on teachers. She aims to enhance education by showing teachers how to notice when their judgments or biases might affect how they handle situations in the classroom. Students, too, can benefit from learning mindfulness techniques. Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center and the Edna P. Bennett Chair in Prevention Research in Human Development and Family Studies, helped implement in an inner-city school a stress-reduction intervention that used mindfulness techniques and yoga to teach children new ways to cope with stress. The program boosted children’s well-being. Those students who practiced mindfulness reported fewer experiences of rumination and intrusive thoughts (unwanted, distressing thoughts), which are symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Native Fijians took photos of aspects of their village that they find important as part of Deborah Kerstetter’s research. Water was identified as a recurring theme.

Summer 2011

photo illustration/Dennis Maney

Coatsworth is particularly interested in using mindfulness techniques to help strengthen parent-adolescent relationships and help adolescents reduce risky sexual behaviors and drug use. He teaches mindfulness techniques to parents with a goal of helping them become more aware of thoughts and feelings toward themselves and others. For example, he helps parents understand why they feel negatively when their children say or do something they disagree with. “The task ultimately can help parents communicate better with their children,” he said.

Mark Sciegaj uses SimHealth, a game developed by the makers of SimCity, to give students the opportunity to design the perfect health care system.

they value their traditional way of life, they also see promise in the potential improvements that tourism and its associated technologies could bring. Understanding how these people are affected by tourism can ensure that the needs and culture of native Fijians are not being overlooked or ignored.

New Uses for Old Technologies

David Almeida, a professor of human development and family studies, and Laura Klein, an associate professor of biobehavioral health, also are using an old technology to address a new problem. They are using telephones to understand stress. The team is asking participants in its project to keep daily diaries, which have been used in research for years, about how their stress impacts their health and well-being. Participants share the content of their diaries with the researchers through nightly phone interviews. Paired with this, the researchers are collecting saliva samples from participants that contain hormones and proteins, which are measurements of the body’s natural stress-response system.

Finding a new use for an old technique is a perfect example of innovation. Consider the project being conducted by Professor of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Deborah Kerstetter. She uses cameras, along with focus-group discussions and follow-up interviews, to study the effects of tourism on the native people of Fiji. “The Yasawa Islands are still controlled by the natives who want to maintain their culture and way of life,” said Kerstetter, who noted that in order to set foot in any of the seven villages she studied, she had to request permission from the village chiefs.

This fusion of physiological and psychological perspectives helps Almeida and Klein understand stress in many contexts: the effects of adult day care programs on the stress levels of family care givers (with Steven Zarit, a professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies), changes in health during the transition to parenthood (with Mark Feinberg, a senior research associate in the Prevention Research Center), and the usefulness of workplace interventions to improve work-family balance (with Susan McHale, a professor of human development and family studies). The team soon will begin studying how the recession has affected people’s health.

Kerstetter and her colleague Kelly Bricker ’98g LE ST, an associate professor at the University of Utah, handed out cameras and asked the villagers to take pictures of what they feel is important in their village. They also conducted focus-group discussions. The team’s research revealed that Fijians have mixed feelings about the recent influx of tourists to their island. Although

Like cameras and telephones, video games, too, are old hat, but using them as part of a university course’s curriculum is a relatively new concept. Several faculty members in the College of Health and Human Development are using video games to enhance their undergraduate students’ decision-making skills. Mark Sciegaj, an associate professor of health policy and administration, uses SimHealth, a game devel-

Food for Thought Innovative thinking is the driving force behind several projects that focus on food and nutrition as well. For example, using Café Laura as his testing ground, David Cranage, an associate professor of hospitality management, is building what he calls a “sustainability loop,” which brings together foodservice organizations, such as composting facilities, food growers, manufacturers, and restaurants, to reduce waste and conserve resources. With the Centre County Solid Waste Authority, Cranage and his students rifled through the dumpsters of five State College hotels and found that 60 percent of the contents could either be recycled or composted. Cranage wants to maximize how much organic matter—which he defines as “anything that was once alive,”—is sent to compost facilities so as to cut back on resource use and boost revenue for hotels because it typically costs more to use garbage facilities than to use composting facilities. “Restaurants and hotels have a tremendous opportunity to increase their sustainability because they generate so much waste,” he said. To cut back on transportation costs of food, Cranage has partnered with faculty members from the Department of Horticulture to establish produce gardens at Penn State’s Center for Sustainability and the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs (located ten miles southwest of University Park). There, he and his students grow vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, and lettuce. He even planted an herb garden outside of Café Laura, where students cook as part of the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management curriculum. Growing one’s own produce is a simple, yet effective, way to learn about both nutrition and the environment, and researchers in the Department of Nutritional Sciences have found new ways to incorporate this basic task into the lives of children. With funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Claudia Probart, an associate professor of nutritional

sciences and director of Project PA (a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Penn State), and Elaine McDonnell, the coordinator of Project PA, are coordinating “farm-to-school” programs across the state. Although the programs vary, they are all designed to “connect children with agriculture and help them learn where food comes from,” said Probart. The team hopes that if students better understand the origins of their food, they will improve their eating habits and be less likely to become obese. So far, Project PA has funded schools’ efforts to plant fruit trees on school grounds, purchase garden infrastructure materials, develop cookbooks that use locally grown ingredients, bring students on tours of local farms and orchards, and improve nutrition lessons.

New Eyes Just as important as collecting information about people is finding new ways to study it. The Methodology Center gives new eyes to researchers who analyze data by providing them with unique ways to look at it. “Our work on statistical methodology provides scientists with the ability to look at their data in new ways and to draw valid conclusions,” said Linda Collins, a professor of human development and family studies and the center’s director. “Ultimately, we aim to improve quantitative methods in prevention and treatment research to enable researchers to get the information they need to develop highly effective interventions.” Looking at problems with new eyes really is what innovation in research is all about, whether it is developing a novel device to understand how people walk; using an old device, such as a camera, to solve a contemporary problem; or finding a new way to analyze data. Researchers in the College of Health and Human Development seek to make a difference in the lives of others, and they often draw on new techniques—or breathe new life into existing ones—to do so. Their efforts ultimately deepen our understanding of families and communities and help change people’s lives for the better.

Elaine Weirich/Project PA

oped by the makers of SimCity, to give students the opportunity to design the perfect health care system and to make decisions that impact health care organizations, businesses, and insurance systems, as well as the public. Jill Patterson, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences, teaches her students about proper nutrition by letting them build virtual submarine sandwiches, and John O’Neill, an associate professor and director of The School of Hospitality Management, puts his students in charge of a hotel that is failing. In all three courses, students use computer games and simulations to understand the impacts of their choices and, therefore, improve their decision-making skills.

Claudia Probart is helping to coordinate “farmto-school” programs that connect children with agriculture.

Paul Hazi

Continued progress of the Biobehavioral Health Building Massaro Corp.

Years of careful planning have led to readily visible progress of the Biobehavioral Health Building that is being constructed on the University Park campus. The ‘bridge’ that previously connected Henderson Building and Henderson Building South was demolished in December 2010. The Biobehavioral Health Building will occupy that space and the former parking lot behind Henderson Building. The new facility will house several units in the College of Health and Human Development. It also will include a new plaza adjacent to the HUB Lawn that will be used by the college, the University, and the community for various events, including concerts, receptions, and classes. View of the construction from the HUB lawn.

Massaro Corp.

Significant effort was spent to integrate this new building with its surroundings. Architecturally, the building will segue between the historical Old Main and Henderson buildings and the more modern HUBRobeson Center. A portion of the HUB lawn—which is fenced off—is being used temporarily for construction staging, material delivery, and construction offices. The foundation work is completed, and the internal steel structure is targeted for completion this summer, with utilities and exterior and interior work continuing until construction of the building is complete in late fall 2012. For more details visit w w w.hhdev.psu.edu /BBHBuilding

Summer 2011

The new Biobehavioral Health Building is being built in the space formerly occupied by the ‘bridge’ that connected Henderson Building and Henderson Building South.

Paul Hazi

Considerable forethought was put into integrating the new building with its surroundings. Bricks were salvaged during the bridge demolition to restore Henderson Building’s exterior walls; testing is being conducted to evaluate various mortar mixes (above) to ensure a seamless integration.

The 53-year-old, 12,000-square-foot “bridge” connecting Henderson Building and Henderson Building South was demolished in January 2011 to make way for the new Biobehavioral Health Building. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Massaro Corp.

Architectural rendering of the Biobehavioral Health Building.

New child care center to address campus needs in unique setting Penn State’s vibrant tradition of quality early education will see an increase this July when the Child Development Laboratory (CDL) in Henderson Building South transitions to the new Gary Schultz Child Care Center at Hort Woods. The traditions at the CDL will be combined with the new construction and unique natural setting at the Gary Schultz Center to provide more opportunities for families to receive first-rate early education on campus. Hildebrandt Learning Centers (HLC) will manage the daily operations of the new center, which will accommodate 170 children in a facility on the corner of Park Avenue and Allen Road, adjacent to Hort Woods. This state-of-the-art center will provide opportunities for mixed-age grouping

of children, inspiring natural play gardens, and an environmentally friendly aesthetic. The College of Health and Human Development (HHD) will partner with HLC to provide general oversight of the center and to ensure that the University’s history of high-quality, early-education programming is maintained. The relationship between HHD and HLC also connects the new center to the teaching and service missions of the college through undergraduate course offerings, the Human Development and Family Studies internship program, and research. To celebrate its history and its future at The Gary Schultz Child Care Center at Hort Woods, a reunion of current and former students, teachers, and faculty members of the CDL was held in June. Horizons Design/MLAA

the College of health and human Development

Healthy Aging By Holly Swanson

Summer 2011

We all hope to age gracefully, not only on the outside, but on the inside too—free from debilitating disease, for example. While the factors that affect our health sometimes are out of our control, the choices we make often can influence our health outcomes. Since the 1950s, the Penn State Gerontology Center has facilitated research that investigates the various factors that influence people’s health over the course of their lifetimes. In recent years, this work has expanded to include a younger and more diverse population of adults, including those who are transitioning to parenthood and midlife. Therefore, in spring 2011, the Gerontology Center was renamed the Center for Healthy Aging to reflect its broader focus. “We were viewed as being interested only in people of very evolved age,” said Martin Sliwinski, a professor of human development and family studies and the center’s director. “But we actually do a lot of work on issues pertaining to transitions throughout adulthood. Our new name reflects our goal of investigating the factors that contribute to healthy outcomes at all stages of adulthood.”

Juggling Work and Family All stages of adulthood indeed, including what for many is simultaneously the most stressful and rewarding time of life: parenthood. Finding out just how stressful this time can be for working parents, in particular, and how this stress affects the whole family’s health is one of the goals of the Work, Family & Health Network, a federally funded

project that combines research from eight institutions, including Penn State, Harvard University, and the University of Minnesota. “Our role in the project has been to interview both hotel workers and their family members to learn how workplace stressors find their ways into homes and how family stressors find their ways into workplaces,” said David Almeida, a professor of human development. “In contrast to research on major life events, such as marital disruption or job loss, this work gets at the health effects of everyday stressors, such as meeting work deadlines while getting the kids to soccer practice.” Other studies already have shown how daily stressors can influence levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and cause physical symptoms like headaches and stomachaches. So at Penn State, researchers from the School of Hospitality Management and the Departments of Biobehavioral Health, Psychology, and Human Development and Family Studies collaborated to collect saliva samples both from hotel employees and their children to measure cortisol levels. They also interviewed the same employees to determine whether workers experience more health problems or lower parental involvement on days when they lack control over their time versus days when work has been stress-free.

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In addition, the team is working on an intervention that would change workplace policies. “Things like helping employees become more successful at changing their work schedules, both in advance and on the fly, and helping supervisors become more supportive of such requests could lower stress levels among employees and their families,” said Almeida.

Adult Day Care Programs Family stress is the focus of another project being conducted by faculty members in the Center for Healthy Aging as well. In this study, the focus is on family caregivers of older people who suffer from dementia, including spouses and adult children. According to Steven Zarit, a professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, caregivers of family members who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease often experience high levels of stress. One way of alleviating that stress is through the use of an adult day care program, which allows them a predictable break from caregiving responsibilities. “Many caregivers think of adult day care programs as babysitting, but these programs can play a meaningful role both for caregivers and for people suffering from dementia,” said Zarit. Zarit’s prior research has demonstrated that adult day care programs can have therapeutic benefits for participants. He and his colleagues found that people with dementia show lower levels of agitation and depression when they use an adult day care program, compared to those who do not use such a program. “The changes we have seen are as large as you’d get with medication, but with no side effects,” he said. In a new five-year study, Zarit and his colleagues are focusing on the possible health effects these programs can have for family caregivers. “Through past research, we’ve seen that when a

Summer 2011

family caregiver uses an adult day care program, they experience a 40 percent decrease in exposure to stress,” he said. “They also have less depression. These things are fairly substantial and seem to last as long as someone is using an adult day care program.” In his new study, Zarit’s team is examining cortisol levels in the saliva of family caregivers over eight days, comparing the levels on high-stress days when their relatives do not go to an adult day care program with low-stress ones when their relative attends a program. Since cortisol rises in people under stress, increasing and decreasing levels of this hormone may demonstrate a trackable physiological change on the days when caregivers use a day care program for their loved ones. Although the study focuses on family caregivers, there may be implications for other populations as well. “We don’t know how cortisol levels respond to chronic exposure of stress,” said Zarit, “but if we can show that the low-stress days help people recover from the effects of high stress, then we will have learned something of enormous value.”

Pain in the Knee Another faculty member in the Center for Healthy Aging also studies the effects of social relationships on health. Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Lynn Martire is examining the relationships between spouses or partners, in which one partner suffers from arthritis of the knee, a degenerative disease that often sets in during middle age. “We’ve known for decades that social relationships have a huge impact on health,” said Martire, “but how exactly do daily interactions with a spouse or partner affect a patient’s well-being?” To find out, Martire and her collaborators are asking arthritis patients and their partners to answer questions three times a day

Paul Hazi

Sliwinski Appointment Helps Center Move Forward using handheld devices and also to wear accelerometers that measure their daytime physical activity. In addition, they are exploring whether negative spousal behaviors have stronger effects on female patients than on male patients. In a related study with William Gerin, a professor of biobehavioral health, Martire is using non-invasive recording devices to capture the interactions between spouses in their home environment along with their physical responses, such as heart rate. “We know that people in close relationships are affected by each other’s health but we don’t know how this occurs,” she said. “This is an objective way minute-by-minute to tell us how a partner is affected when one person’s emotions change.” Martire’s work doesn’t stop there. Ultimately, she said, these studies all lead to interventions that can help patients manage their pain.

Exploring the Complexity of Aging That each of us is on a journey toward old age will never change; however, our needs from one decade to the next can be dramatically different. The Center for Healthy Aging continues to be at the forefront of research that improves both the physical and emotional health of adults. “Whether our faculty studies the information programmed into a single gene, the biochemical environment of the human body, or the functioning of various organ systems; whether they examine changes in personalities, memory, or the effects of stress; and whether they begin their studies in adolescence, midlife, or old age, the Center for Healthy Aging promotes interdisciplinary research that explores the diversity and complexity of the process of human aging,” said Sliwinski.

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Martin Sliwinski was named director of Penn State’s Gerontology Center, now the Center for Healthy Aging, in 2009. The former professor of psychology at Syracuse University and associate professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine said his decision to join the faculty of the Penn State Department of Human Development and Family Studies was not a difficult one. “The quality of the students who come out of this program is so high that it seemed like a wonderful place to engage in education,” he said. “The second feature that attracted me was the interdisciplinary research at Penn State and, specifically, in the college. A lot of schools talk about interdisciplinary work, but here it is so integrated and is such a part of the culture that it’s a natural everyday occurrence. This presents the possibility to do things that I could not do elsewhere.” According to Ann Crouter, the Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development, the college was searching for an outstanding scholar in the field of aging who would help make the Center for Healthy Aging a magnet for innovative training and research collaboration. “Not only were Marty’s interests a perfect fit, but his energy, optimism, intellectual curiosity, and interest in what others across the University are doing have made him a natural for the role. He is a great ambassador for the college.” Since earning a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the City University of New York in 1992, Sliwinski’s research has focused on the cognitive effects of aging as well as the combination of gerontology, statistics, and psychology. He is an editor of the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, and he is widely published in many leading gerontology journals. Prior to joining Penn State, he had already been collaborating on research projects with faculty members in the college. “Penn State has a wonderful reputation for the type of research that I do; the discipline of lifespan development was practically invented here, so I knew this was the place to be,” said Sliwinski. Martin Sliwinski can be reached at mjs56@psu.edu

Around the College Faculty Members, Students Win Awards Collins Airhihenbuwa, a professor and head of the Department of Biobehavioral Health, is the recipient of Penn State’s 2011 Faculty Outreach Award, which honors faculty members who have positively and substantially affected individuals, organizations, or communities through problem solving or development as a result of extending their scholarship. Airhihenbuwa’s work addresses health disparities in South Africa and several other African countries. In particular, he has helped to institute methods that are having an enormous impact on the HIV/ AIDS pandemic that has devastated the continent. Diane Brannon, a professor of health policy and administration, won the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management. The award recognizes innovative and outstanding teaching that takes place in classrooms. In addition to conducting research on long-term care management, quality improvement in nursing homes, and organizational design, Brannon teaches courses on organization theory in health-services research and long-term care administration. John Challis, a professor of kinesiology, is the 2011 recipient of the Penn State Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award. The award honors faculty members for exemplary leadership that benefits graduate students and faculty members in an existing graduate program at the University. During the past seven years, Challis has served as the director of graduate studies for the Department of Kinesiology, which in 2010 was ranked as the top kinesiology graduate program in the country. Sherry Corneal, an associate professor of human development and family studies, won a George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching from Penn State. The award recognizes high levels of academic excellence, outstanding leadership, and meritorious service. Each year, it is given to four or five faculty members who have devoted substantial effort to undergraduate teaching and who have developed a record of excellence. Corneal also was chosen by first-year students as a faculty member that had a positive impact on their academic experience during their first year, a recognition that is sponsored by the Office of Residence Life. Lacy Holowatz, an assistant professor of kinesiology, has been named a 2011 recipient of the New Investigator Award from the Environmental and Exercise Physiology Section (EEP) of the American Physiology Society. The award recognizes an outstanding investigator in the early stages of his or her career. Holowatz was presented with the award at the EEP business meeting in Washington, DC, in April.

Patricia Miranda, an assistant professor of health policy and administration, is the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding New Community Public Health Professional Award from the American Public Health Association Latino Caucus. The award recognizes individuals who have earned their terminal degrees within the last five years and who have made contributions to the practice and profession of health-service delivery and disease prevention that impact the health of Latino communities. Miranda studies the social and cultural determinants of population health, health disparities, vulnerable populations, and cancer prevention. Elizabeth Susman ’71 I F S, ’73g, ’76g HD FS, the Jean Phillips Shibley Professor of Biobehavioral Health, is the recipient of the Penn State 2011 Graduate School Alumni Society

Summer 2011

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Susan McHale, the director of the Social Science Research Center and a professor of human development and family studies, won the National Council on Family Relations’ Ernest Burgess Award for her exemplary record of scholarship, mentoring, and service to the field of family studies. McHale also won this year’s Distinguished Alumnae Award from the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the role of siblings in the lives of children and adolescents.

researchsnapshots (GSAS) Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to a person who has achieved exceptional success throughout the course of his or her profession and made substantive contributions to the professional field at the regional and national levels; who has exemplified himself or herself as a mentor and role model; and who has demonstrated a lifetime of service and contributions to his or her community, as well as loyalty to the University and the Alumni Association. Susman is internationally recognized for her innovative research that combines the study of the psychological processes of stress and adaptation with the biological markers of key stress hormones. Students in the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program formed one of the top six teams—out of twenty-nine—in the country to compete in the annual Health Administration Case Competition hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in February. Penn State’s finish was top among all Big Ten programs and top among all Pennsylvania programs. The team comprised MHA students David Lutz, Caitlin Motley, and Kelsey Midgett. In October, MHA students Schaeffer Charles, Gabriel Oshode, Latoya Tatum, and Joe Hwang formed a team that was among the semi-finalists to compete at the fifteenthannual Everett V. Fox Student Case Competition held in October in Memphis, Tennessee. Approximately twenty-five teams from across the United States competed in the event, which was sponsored by the National Association of Health Services Executives.

Faculty Members Provide Professional Service Mark Dyreson, a professor of kinesiology, has been selected by the Organization of American Historians (OAH) to receive an OAH-JAAS (Japanese Association for American Studies) Short-Term Residency at Musashi University in American sports history. The OAH and the JAAS, with the support of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, select two U.S. historians to spend two weeks at Japanese universities giving lectures and seminars and advising students and researchers who are interested in the American past. It is part of an exchange program that also brings Japanese graduate students to the OAH Annual Meeting. Professors of Biobehavioral Health William Gerin and Joshua Smyth hosted a one-day conference, titled “Summer Institute on Stress Psychophysiology: The Role of Rumination in Sustained Physiological Activation” in June, in which faculty members from Penn State and elsewhere gave presentations. Attendees included Penn State faculty members and students, as well as those invited from other universities. Gordon Jensen, a professor and head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, has been elected the vice president of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). ASN is a non-profit organization of more than 4,000 members dedicated to bringing together the world’s top researchers, clinical nutritionists, and industry representatives to advance knowledge and application of nutrition for the sake of humans and animals. John O’Neill has been named the director of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. He succeeded Bert Van Hoof on July 1, 2011. A member of the Penn State faculty since 2001, his research focuses on strategic management, lodging management and development, real estate valuation, work-life balance in the lodging industry, and hotel branding. Barbara Rolls, the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutrition and a professor of nutritional sciences, was elected as a prestigious American Society for Nutrition Fellow at the American Society for Nutrition meeting, which was held in April. Rolls’s research focuses on the psychological and environmental controls of food intake and food selection in normal weight and obese humans as well as dietary strategies for weight management. Krista Wilkinson, a professor of communication sciences and disorders, is serving on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, the purpose of which is to advocate for individuals with significant communication support needs resulting from intellectual disability that may coexist with autism, or sensory and motor limitation.

For Men, Caffeine Can Make a Stressful Task Strenuous Those of you men who like your cup of Joe in the morning, take note: caffeine supplements may spike your body’s natural stress-response system. Laura Klein, an associate professor of biobehavioral health, asked men and women who normally consumed 50 mg of caffeine daily (equivalent to about one-fifth of a tall (12 oz.) Starbucks coffee or one 12 oz. can of soda) to complete a battery of mental arithmetic tests designed to be stressful. Some of those people took caffeine supplements in addition to their normal caffeine intake. By looking at saliva samples, Klein and her research team found that males who took a caffeine supplement showed higher levels of a protein associated with the body’s stress response system, salivary α-amylase (sAA). Caffeine supplements had no effect on women’s sAA in the study. Other HHD researchers involved in the study include Jeanette Bennett and Courtney Whetzel, both graduate students in biobehavioral health when the research was conducted.

PA State Parks Contribute $818 Million in Sales and Support Over 10,000 Jobs According to a recent economic impact report released by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, an estimated 33.6 million state park visitors have spent more than $738 million, contributing to $818 million in sales and over 10,000 jobs within the Commonwealth. The report drew upon research conducted by researchers in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, including Associate Professor Andrew Mowen, Associate Professor Alan Graefe, Professor Deborah Kerstetter, and graduate student Nate Trauntvein. The researchers also estimated that for every public dollar invested in Pennsylvania’s state parks in 2008, $7.62 of value-added income was returned to the Commonwealth. When projecting economic returns based on increased park visitation in 2009, this return on investment was even higher. “State parks contribute to the local and state economy, and are a green form of business that is sustainable over time,” said Mowen.

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New Grants Fund Research The Methodology Center has received a five-year, $10.8-million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The research center grant (P50), which is its third renewal, focuses on four initiatives to innovate methodological and statistical techniques related to the prevention and reduction of HIV incidence, substance abuse, and associated risky behaviors. Much of the work funded by the grant is related to behavioral interventions for prevention and treatment of drug use and risky sexual behavior. Sustainable, comprehensive, and problem-based training to prevent child obesity will now be possible thanks to a $4.5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant will allow formation of Penn State’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Graduate Training Program, a joint effort of the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Human Development and Family Studies. The project is headed by Leann Birch, a Distinguished Professor of Human Development and director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research, Gordon Jensen, a professor and head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, and Steven Zarit, a professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. The Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) evaluation team, led by Professor of Health Policy and Administration Dennis Scanlon, received a $1.5 million award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a second round of the AF4Q consumer survey. The AF4Q program works to lift the overall quality of health care, reduce racial and ethnic disparities, and provide models for national reform through the alignment of efforts to increase public reporting, consumer engagement, and quality improvement within AF4Q communities. Marianne Hillemeier, an associate professor of health policy and administration, and Roger Anderson, a professor in the College of Medicine, have received a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation that provides for training and support for three graduate students in health policy and administration to conduct research related to disparities in breast cancer treatment and outcomes in Appalachia. The students who will benefit from the grant are Aaron Yao, Chris Louis, and Katelyn Holmes.

Departments Receive Accolades, Expand Offerings The Kinesiology graduate program is the #1 program in the field of kinesiology, according to a study conducted by the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education (AAKPE) (announced in October 2010). The program also ranked #1 among the forty-one programs assessed by the National Research Council (announced in September 2010). The National Research Council study, its first since 1995, was based on a comprehensive data set designed to assess research activity, student support and outcomes, and diversity of the academic environment. The National Research Council has ranked the graduate program in Nutritional Sciences among the nation’s best. The data, collected for the 2005-2006 academic year from more than 5,000 doctoral programs at 212 universities, cover such characteristics as faculty publications, grants, and awards; student GRE scores, financial support, and employment outcomes; and program size, time to degree, and faculty composition. Measures of faculty and student diversity also are included. The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program has been re-accredited by the Council on the Accreditation of Health Management Educations (CAHME) for three years. CAHME’s review of MHA programs is rigorous and involves a three-day site visit by experts in the field to review documentation of the program’s admissions procedures, curriculum, student work, and university support. Penn State University Archives

The Athletic Training major became effective during the spring 2011 semester. The major provides a concentrated program of courses designed to prepare students for a career in the profession of athletic training. The major is designed so that students who complete the program will meet the standards for certification set by the Board of Certification and the State of Pennsylvania as certified athletic trainers.

researchsnapshots Faculty Members Publish Books, Reports

Walnuts and Walnut Oil Improve Reaction to Stress A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to better deal with stress, according to a team of Penn State researchers who looked at how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence blood pressure at rest and under stress. The researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory. Participants gave a speech or immersed one of their feet in cold water as a stressor. “This study shows that a dietary change could help our bodies better respond to stress,” said Sheila West, an associate professor of biobehavioral health.” Other Penn State researchers involved in the study include Penny Kris-Etherton, a Distinguished Professor of Nutritional Sciences; Laura Cousino Klein, an associate professor of biobehavioral health; and students Andrea Likos Krick ’99 SCI, ’03g, ’04g B B H; Guixiang Zhao ’02g NUTRN; Rachel Ceballos ’02g, ’05g B B H; and Todd Wojtowicz ’01 B B H.

Robert Eckhardt, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, has published two new books. Human Paleobiology provides a unifying framework for the study of past and present human populations to a range of changing environments. The Hobbit Trap: How New Species Are Invented describes how the case against the “new species” theory developed and offers an important critique of the species concept in evolution. Kathryn Hood, an associate professor of human development and family studies, is the lead editor of a new textbook, titled Handbook of Developmental Science, Behavior, and Genetics. The book brings together the cutting-edge theories, research, and methodologies that contribute to our current scientific understanding of the role of genetics in the developmental system. Catharine Ross, holder of the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair and a professor of nutritional sciences, led the Institute of Medicine committee that developed a landmark report on vitamin D and calcium, titled Institute on Medicine Report on Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium. In the report, the authors propose new reference values that are based on much more information and higher-quality studies than were available when the values for these nutrients were first set in 1997. The report finds that the evidence supports a role for vitamin D and calcium in bone health but not in other health conditions. Further, emerging evidence indicates that too much of these nutrients may be harmful, challenging the concept that “more is better.” Christine Taylor, ’77g, ’86g NUTR, president of the Penn State Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society, served as the study’s director. Leann Birch, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Penn State, chaired the National Institute of Medicine committee that recently published the report Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies. Limiting television and other media use, encouraging infants and young children in preschool and child care to spend more time in physically active play, and requiring child care providers to promote healthy sleeping practices are some of the actions needed to curb high rates of obesity among America’s youngest children. The report recommends steps that should be taken by child care centers, preschools, pediatricians’ offices, federal nutrition programs, and other facilities and programs that shape children’s activities and behaviors.

Young Adults’ Sleep Disrupted by Pain or Alcohol/Medication Use Many young adults who appear healthy are plagued by sleep issues at night, according to a new study led by Jennifer Graham, an assistant professor of biobehavioral health. The study found chronic pain and use of alcohol or medications to be among the leading factors contributing to sleep disruptions for those in the study. “Most people think that relatively healthy young adults don’t experience chronic pain, but this isn’t true,” said Graham. “A large number of young adults who say they are healthy are in reality dealing with pain issues, including chronic pain issues.” Nearly two-thirds of the study’s 362 young adults suffered from poor sleep every night. Poor sleep, said Graham, can lead to negative health outcomes. “If young adults are not paying attention to sleep, stress, and alcohol/medication use, they could be putting themselves at risk for chronic diseases and other problems.”

newfaculty Laura Murray-Kolb Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences

Jaime Schultz Assistant Professor of Kinesiology

Laura Murray-Kolb’s research focuses on micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron and zinc, and their relationships to cognition and behavior. She earned a bachelor’s degree in premedicine at Penn State, and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in nutritional sciences at Penn State. She then served as a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow. In 2007, she joined the faculty of the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins University before returning to Penn State as an assistant professor.

In her research, Jaime Schultz focuses on physicalcultural studies as well as the history of sport and physical activity with concentrations in women’s physical culture, “race” and ethnicity, and cultural memory. She has published numerous articles and chapters and is the author of the forthcoming book From Sex Testing to Sports Bras: Gender, Technology, & U.S. Women’s Sport. She earned a Ph.D. degree at the University of Iowa.

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researchsnapshots Feeling Empowered in Late Life Could Make People Feel Younger People may feel younger if they feel empowered to make changes that will impact their lives, according to a new study conducted by Frank Infurna, a graduate student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Infurna and his colleagues looked at “subjective age”—how old a person feels in comparison to their real age—which plays an important role in health and well-being. They examined data from the OCTO study, a sample of people age 84 and older living in Jönköping, Sweden, and found that mastery beliefs—beliefs that your actions can influence outcomes in your life—were strongly associated with feeling younger. The research also showed that, despite their real age, 64 percent of participants reported not feeling old. Infurna believes this is an indication that, throughout their lives, people have the capacity to feel younger, and old age is no exception. Other HHD researchers involved in the study included Denis Gerstorf, an assistant professor of human development and family studies; Suzanne Robertson ’04g, ’07g HD FS, an HDFS graduate student at the time of the research; and Steven Zarit, a professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Hostile hotel environments often result when hotel employees envy the relationships co-workers have with their bosses, according to a team of researchers, including John O’Neill, the director of the School of Hospitality Management. In the study of front-line hotel employees, such as desk staff, food and beverage workers, and housekeepers, workers who had poor relationships with their bosses were more likely to envy co-workers who had better relationships with their supervisors. The study also showed that the envious workers were less likely to help co-workers or to volunteer for additional duties. To combat envy in the workplace, O’Neill suggests hotel organizations develop a formal structure to establish and guide relationships between employees and supervisors. He said that supervisors can establish bonds by using techniques such as formal employee reviews and open-door management practices. “While it can be a challenge for leaders to establish these relationships, it’s in their best interest to have a relationship with each of their employees,” O’Neill said.

Penn State University Archives

Envious Employees Can Turn Hospitality Industry Hostile

new faculty Lynn Martire Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies

Melissa Bopp Assistant Professor of Kinesiology

Jonathan Clark Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration

Lynn Martire’s research focuses on family relationships and chronic illness. She examines the effects of social exchanges with an adult child or spouse on older patients’ health and the effects of patient health on the adult child or spouse. She also studies the effects of psychosocial interventions for chronic illness on patients and partners. Finally, she investigates the daily behaviors of spouses in response to arthritis patients’ pain, mood, and physical activity. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology at the California State University and a Ph.D. degree in social psychology at Kent State University.

Melissa Bopp’s research focuses on partnering with community organizations to promote physical activity in diverse populations. In particular, she has examined the impacts of the social and physical environments on participation in physical activities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick, a master’s degree in cardiac rehabilitation and exercise science at East Stroudsburg University, and a Ph.D. degree in exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

Jonathan Clark studies organization design and strategy in the hospital industry, as well as productivity, learning, and performance in health care. His research offers new insights into the ways hospitals and other health care organizations may improve their performance, including how they might effectively respond to the impending changes under health care reform. Clark received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College and two degrees from Harvard University: a master’s degree in health policy and management and a Ph.D. degree in health policy.

Summer 2011

Ambition Can Make People Appear to Act Cold Toward Others When their competence level is put on display, ambitious people tend to communicate in ways perceived as cold or aggressive by others, according to research conducted by David Conroy, a professor of kinesiology. In several studies, he sought to understand why different forms of motivation can affect interpersonal behaviors by looking at how college students worked in pairs to complete Sudoku puzzles. Ambitious students—those reporting that achievement is very important to them—were perceived by their partners as being friendly, at least until their competence was announced publicly. When that happened, the ambitious partners immersed themselves more deeply in the task and appeared cold and distant. In addition to getting at the heart of what makes people tick, Conroy’s research also can be applied to better understand productivity and mental health issues that are associated with motivation, including anxiety and depression.

Health Care Reporting Confusing and Lacking When the health care community publicizes information on health care provider performance, it can improve the quality of care in the long run by better informing consumers and spurring competition, according to Karen Volmar, an associate professor of health policy and administration, and Dennis Scanlon, a professor of health policy and administration. However, few organizations are currently doling out enough information, they found in research that was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The team collected more than 250 public reports from multiple organizations, including state departments of health, hospital associations, business coalitions, and health care quality organizations, by accessing websites and interviewing individuals involved with health care quality reporting. Most comparative data were only available to members of health care plans, who had to log in to a secure site for information. The team also found a very limited number of reports provide information on individual physicians (rather than physician groups), which is less helpful to consumers who seek new doctors. The upside to the study, however, is that many providers are implementing new strategies, such as electronic health records, that will help reporting organizations collect and aggregate information from more providers for future reporting.

Erinn Finke Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Shedra Amy Snipes Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Patricia Miranda Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration

Erinn Finke’s research focuses on improving communication outcomes for individuals who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or a complex communication need that requires help from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Specifically, she investigates how professionals and families can work together to improve decision making and intervention planning; she develops interventions to improve social interactions between children with ASD and who require AAC and their typically developing peers; and she studies how variables related to the individual child affect language intervention outcomes. She received a Ph.D. degree from Penn State.

In her research, Shedra Amy Snipes studies the intersections between culture, biology, and health disparities among Mexican immigrant farmworkers. In particular, she travels with immigrant farmworkers, sharing in their lives and labor and using a unique blend of ethnography, community-based participatory research, and biomarker collection to conduct studies. Her research, to date, provides new, firsthand knowledge about pesticide exposure, occupational illness, injuries, and access to health care among Mexican farmworkers. Snipes earned a Ph.D. degree at the University of Washington, and she is also an alumna of the W.K. Kellogg Health Scholars Program.

Patricia Miranda studies the social and cultural determinants of population health and health disparities. In particular, she has examined disparities in cancer screening among immigrant and Latino populations; policy implications for early onset breast cancer among Mexican-origin women; strategies to increase participation rates of African American women in a breast cancer prevention program; symptoms of depression in older Mexican-origin immigrants; and antidepressant use among Asian immigrants in the United States. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Trinity University, a master’s degree in public health at the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. degree in health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan.

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researchsnapshots Social Bullying Not Taken Seriously by Some Professionals Social bullying—which occurs when a child’s attempts to socialize and form relationships with peers are rejected—is often neglected among many practicing speechlanguage pathologists (SLPs), according to research conducted by Gordon Blood, a professor and head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. In an effort to address the growing problem of bullying in schools, Blood surveyed SLPs nationwide. “SLPs saw traditional forms of bullying—physical and verbal—as serious, but not social bullying, even though it can be just as detrimental to children’s well-being and self-confidence,” said Blood. SLPs also said they were “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to intervene when they saw instances of social bullying. Blood presented the SLPs with descriptions of different types of bullying, some of which involved children with stuttering problems. Regardless of the children in the scenario, SLPs were generally standoffish in response to all instances of social bullying. Blood hopes to empower SLPs to help make a difference in the lives of bullying victims. Other researchers on the study include Ingrid Blood, a professor of communication sciences and disorders, and Michael Boyle and Gina Nalesnik, both CSD graduate students.

Reduced-Calorie Restaurant Foods Are Possible, Chefs Say Restaurants could play an important role in helping to reduce the growing obesity epidemic by creating reduced-calorie meals, according to Barbara Rolls, holder of the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutritionf and a professor of nutritional sciences. Her research team surveyed chefs, restaurant owners, and culinary executives from across the country to assess their perceptions of serving healthy foods in restaurants. About 72 percent of the 432 respondents said they could easily trim off 10 to 20 percent of the calories in meals without customers noticing differences in taste, and 21 percent said they could trim off at least 25 percent of the calories. Such minor changes could have major impacts on the obesity epidemic. “It’s important to figure out how to reduce the calorie content in meals in a way that keeps foods just as enjoyable at the same price,” said Rolls. “We’re all responsible for what we eat, but restaurants can make it easier for us.” Other researchers involved in the study included Liane Roe, a research associate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences; Julie Obbagy ’07g NUTR of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion; and Margaret Condrasky and Julia Sharp of Clemson University.

Summer 2011

Endowment for Kinesiology reaches goal after 15 years It all started with a conversation during a routine jog among two friends, and it grew into an endowment to support the Department of Kinesiology. Now, after 15 years, the endowment has reached its goal of $150,000. In their conversation, Bob Eisenbraun ’66, ’69g PH ED, a retired professor of kinesiology, and Bob Ricketts ’87g PH ED, a senior lecturer in kinesiology, brainstormed ways to enhance the undergraduate program, in what was then known as Exercise and Sport Science. They wanted to show their commitment to the University and to their department by giving back not only in the classroom or laboratory, but through tangible private gift support as well. So the two— and faculty members Scott Kretchmar, Ron Smith, Tom Tait ’61g, ’69g PH ED, Carlyle Carter, John Fritz ’75 H P E, and Rich Lorenzo ’68, ’75g AGR—began funding the Student-Faculty Enhancement Endowment in Kinesiology by donating their summer teaching fees and/or making payroll deductions. “Those of us who were first involved had a common passion,” said Kretchmar. “We all love movement and we wanted to make a statement to other faculty members, as well as celebrate physical activity and human movement.” The income from the endowment will be used to enhance the undergraduate program in kinesiology. Funds could pay for professional travel expenses for students and faculty members, for the purchase of new exercise and sport science technology, or for the support of more opportunities for student and faculty collaboration, to mention just a few of the benefits. “All of the founding faculty members support the enhancement of physical activity, what kinesiology is known for,” said Ricketts. “This endowment helps us focus specifically on that and gives us some of the tools to fund the gaps that may help to enhance the undergraduate experience.” The endowment has gained more faculty support throughout the years, and today is now receiving student attention from the Kinesiology Club, which began a mini campaign to encourage more faculty and staff involvement by giving $1,000 to match their gifts.

The man behind achieving the goal Faculty members and students aren’t the only ones who give to the Student-Faculty Enhancement Endowment in Kinesiology. Thomas McIntyre, known to all as “Lefty,” made a gift to the endowment with simple intentions. As a result of a faculty mem-

Andrew Dunheimer

bers’ temporary absence, McIntyre was asked to take over a few kinesiology courses. Instead of accepting the wages earned during this period, he insisted that the money be given back to the Department of Kinesiology where the need was greatest. Little did he know, it would be his gift that would put the Student-Faculty Enhancement Endowment in Kinesiology over its goal of $150,000. McIntyre has three degrees in physical education from Penn State. Though he may bleed Blue and White, he is a man of many colors. Growing up on the road while his mother worked to support them, he attended 42 schools in nine states between first and twelfth grade. In the fall of 1950, he enrolled at Penn State and was the first person to live in the new McKee Hall. During his summers off, he would hitchhike cross-country to work construction and plumbing jobs for tuition money. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, McIntyre was an Air Force jet pilot for four years stationed in England before returning to Happy Valley to earn a master’s degree in physical education. For more than 30 years, he taught sociology of sports at the State University of New York in Brockport and during that time, he took a “break” to earn his doctorate in physical education at Penn State in 1970. He also worked as the study-abroad coordinator for the University of Maine at Machias for almost 10 years. He and his wife Connie moved to State College in 2004 and are active members of the community.

The giving continues Though the McIntyre’s gift put the Student-Faculty Enhancement Endowment for Kinesiology up to its goal of $150,000, it is a gift from Carol and Arno Lehmann that is the first to take the endowment to new levels and to ensure that it continues to move forward. Carol graduated in 1964 with an undergraduate degree in physical education and, as a student, was one of the original organizers of women’s gymnastics at the University. She has a master of science degree from Kean College and a master of education degree from Rutgers. She was on the faculty at Kean College for more than 20 years, teaching high level mathematics and computer science, and she also spent time as an academic advisor for the college. Prior to her employment at Kean, she taught physical education at two public school systems in New Jersey, illustrating her passion for physical activity. Carol credits the education she received here at Penn State for her concern for movement and fitness that enables her to stay healthy. The couple hopes that by giving to the endowment they will help provide the opportunity for students and faculty members to combine their passions for physical activity with her concern for women’s health. In addition to the success of the endowment, the Department of Kinesiology is celebrating 100 years of the study of physical activity. Like the endowment, the department has changed and evolved through the years, and it is the dedication from faculty, staff and students that has allowed it to prosper as an academic unit.

Past and Present Upper L-R: Bob Eisenbraun, Ron Smith, John Fritz, Scott Kretchmar, Bob Ricketts, Tom Tait, Rich Lorenzo Lower L-R: Bob Eisenbraun, Ron Smith, John Fritz, Scott Kretchmar, Bob Ricketts, Rich Lorenzo

courtesy Jason Logie

Learning to be Leaders Students in the Global Leadership Initiative learn lessons about leadership in the classroom and beyond. Experts estimate that up to 300,000 children live and work on Kenya’s streets. Some of these kids collect waste for recycling, clean cars, or simply beg for the money to buy food. But others resort to pickpocketing and prostituting to pay for their meals. Erica Eber, a Penn State senior, hopes to help some of these youth. In May, she traveled to Nyeri, a town just north of Nairobi, to teach life skills and self-awareness techniques to youngsters at the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre (CYEC), a program that aims to empower street children to imagine and create a better reality for themselves.

“The goal of the GLI, which began in fall 2010, is to provide students with the tools, experiences, and perspectives necessary to make a difference, locally, nationally, and globally,” said Linda Caldwell, a professor of recreation, park, and tourism management and the director of the GLI. “Through rigorous academic preparation and experiential learning, students are exposed to new ideas, challenged about existing beliefs, and engaged with leaders from all parts of the globe in ways that pertain to their majors.”

courtesy Erica Eber

Eber’s experience was part of a multi-pronged HHD program, called the Global Leadership Initiative (GLI), which helps undergraduate students hone their leadership skills through coursework and travel.

prominent difference she witnessed involved methods of time management and organization. Jenna DeAngelis, another GLI student, also learned to be open to cultural differences. The senior, majoring in nursing, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, for two weeks in March, accompanied by three other nursing students and Beth Bates, an instructor in the School of Nursing. The group visited different townships, or urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites. They also visited urban hospitals and rural clinics, and attended nursing lectures at the University of the Western Cape. “One of the most important lessons I learned while in South Africa was to be open to differences,” said DeAngelis. “The way we do things in the United States is not always the best way. I witnessed how well organized a clinic crowded with hundreds of people was and how efficiently it operated, even with a limited staff, and I was amazed by how resourceful the people working in the clinics were with very limited supplies.”

Another GLI student who recently visited South Africa is Jason Logie, a junior majoring in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management. Logie joined a group of Penn State faculty members and students who are involved in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Ag2Africa initiative, which During the fall 2010 semester, Eber, a nursing has a goal of promoting Penn State’s collaborative major, took a seminar with Caldwell in which she initiatives in Africa in order to enhance food and began to cultivate the tools that are essential for Erica Eber’s Kenyan “dugu” (brother), economic security and sustainable agricultural debecoming a leader in areas related to global health Mohammed (15 years old). velopment. The group spent ten days traveling in and human development. The purpose of the South Africa and Mozambique, studying topics course is to develop students’ competence regarding intercultural issues, related to malaria, food security, and food supply/value chain analysis. hone students’ disciplinary expertise and interdisciplinary perspective, “The Global Leadership Initiative afforded me the opportunity to better and teach students to reflect upon their work, among other topics. understand what it takes to be a leader in today’s global community,” As part of the course, Eber and her research partner Andi Thieman, said Logie. “In particular, it taught me to acquire indigenous knowledge another Penn State student, co-developed a curriculum to teach stuand to reflect on your experiences. These ideals had, and will continue to dents to become aware of their emotions, to manage their anxiety and have, the most impact on my global leadership experiences.” anger, to resolve conflicts in healthy ways, to be leaders, and to manage Next year, Logie plans to continue to refine his global leadership skills their time. Then, for three weeks in May, the pair taught the curricuas a participant in the School of Hospitality Management’s Global lum to the children of the CYEC in Nyeri. Despite some issues regardHospitality Management program, through which he will spend a year ing language differences, Eber said she felt the work was a success. studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hoge HoEber and Thieman also are having success with another project: a series telschool in The Netherlands. of interviews of children and adults on the topics of leadership and hapAccording to Caldwell, the experiences of Eber, DeAngelis, and Logie piness. Their goal is to gain insight into cultural differences because, as encompass what the GLI is all about. “Leaders with cultural sensitivity Eber said, “culture is so important in shaping how people define good can be more effective than those without,” she said. “In this way and leadership as well as how they define happiness and its relationship to others, the GLI is preparing students to effectively engage with people health.” The pair eventually will create videos out of their interviews. in other cultures and contexts.” “One of the most important lessons I learned in Kenya was to master patience for cultural differences,” said Eber, noting that the most

Summer 2011

Q&A with

Catharine Ross

Gene Maylock

Should You Worry About Calcium and Vitamin D Deficiencies?

Contrary to popular belief, most Americans and Canadians are not in danger of vitamin D or calcium deficiencies, according to a report released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). “There was a lot of angst and much publicity about vitamin D deficiency,” says Catharine Ross, holder of the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair and professor of nutritional sciences, who chaired the IOM committee. “We did not find that the scientific data support this.” We caught up with Ross to shed light on what the committee found.

Why study calcium and vitamin D in concert? These micronutrients play such an interactive role in the body, at least regarding bone health, that it is impossible to consider vitamin D without also considering calcium. Vitamin D increases the efficiency of calcium absorption in the intestine. In fact, that is its major role in promoting bone health. Without enough vitamin D, the intestine can only absorb calcium passively, while with vitamin D the intestine produces proteins that work to increase calcium uptake. The two micronutrients also work together in the bones and kidneys.

Is it possible to get too much calcium or vitamin D? What are the ramifications of this? Yes. Too much calcium, especially from supplements, increases the risk of kidney stones and possibly calcification of arteries. Too much vitamin D can promote the removal of calcium from bones, and is likely to upset the balance of other hormones. Vitamin D toxicity is a serious condition. The IOM committee set an upper level (UL) that we believe is safe for long-term use, but it is not what the committee recommends. The recommended amount is the RDA, 600 IU/day for vitamin D, and 800 IU/day for persons younger than 71 years because this age group may not metabolize it as efficiently.

Were you surprised by the results of your study, which showed that most Americans are getting enough calcium and vitamin D? Yes and no. Yes, because the committee, like the general public, had been hearing about widespread vitamin D deficiency. Yet, the data don’t support this. We learned a lot about how vitamin D is analyzed and how the values used by clinical laboratories to inform physicians have crept up over time. There are no “consensus values” for the interpretation of lab values for vitamin D that have been established through an accepted scientific process. It was not our committee’s purview to do this, but the report states that there is an urgent need for consensus values for appropriate interpretation.

No, because when you look for signs of vitamin D deficiency, there aren’t many. Even in upper latitudes where sun exposure might be limited, the evidence for vitamin D deficiency is sparse. That said, there are pockets of vitamin D deficiency—for example, exclusively breast fed, dark skinned infants can be deficient—and we are concerned about that.

Do you think Americans were surprised by the report, particularly given the prevalence of calcium and vitamin D supplements? I do think the report surprised people, because it seems not to support the current worries. However, the committee reviewed more than 1,000 studies. We focused on the totality of the evidence.

Are there any myths surrounding intake of calcium or vitamin D that you can dispel? I wouldn’t say myths. The concern seemed legitimate, but it was based on some misunderstandings. One is that the clinical “cutoffs” have crept up, they aren’t official in any sense of the word, and the biology says that there is no benefit to having higher levels. It is very hard not to think that more isn’t better, but we couldn’t find evidence that that’s so.

What recommendations would you make to people today? Consume a diverse diet that includes some fish, like tuna or salmon, and a couple of servings of dairy products, if possible. Supplements aren’t always necessary, but for some people they might be needed to reach the new recommendations. ●

the College of health and human Development

photos courtesy of Biobehavioral Health

Biobehavioral Health Celebrates Twenty-Year Anniversary To celebrate its twenty-year anniversary, the Department of Biobehavioral Health (BBH) hosted a weekend of events in which faculty and staff members, students, and alumni attended talks given by Penn State researchers, as well as those from other universities, on some of the most pressing issues facing the field of biobehavioral health. As part of the event, the creation of the BBH Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Excellence Endowment was announced. The BBH Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Excellence Endowment will support innovative new programs and provide a safety net for BBH. In addition, thanks to a gift from Elana Pyle, a retired staff assistant in BBH and the Center for Developmental and Behavioral Genetics, a new endowment was created to support a graduate student award named in honor of Gerald McClearn.

Summer 2011

photos courtesy of Kinesiology

Kinesiology Commemorates a Century of Excellence Through the years, the centerpiece of the Department of Kinesiology has been, and still is, the study of the theory and practice of physical activity and human movement, even as the departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s label has changed over the years from Physical Education to Exercise and Sport Science to Kinesiology. To celebrate a century of excellence, the department hosted a variety of events throughout the year that culminated in a weekend of activities held during the Blue-White Game in mid-April. During the weekend, faculty and staff members, students, and alumni attended a welcome reception, dinner banquet, and farewell brunch; toured various laboratories; joined friends at a tailgate party; and even played golf and participated in a fun run.

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Mentoring Program Celebrates its Tenth Year As an undergraduate student, Ashley Marzzacco ’05, ’07g CMDIS was anxious about a lot of things: the graduate school application process, taking the GREs, deciding what graduate programs were a good fit, and thinking about what job setting would be best for her. Fortunately, Ashley had a mentor: Rosemarie (Fitzpatrick) DiMarco ’96g CMDIS. “My mentor was able to help me sort through this process, develop an appropriate resume, and share her graduate school experiences with me,” says Marzzacco. “She was a great resource as I went through this transition period in my education. It was during this transition time that I realized how valuable her help was, and I vowed that when I was a professional I would do the same for students.” Marzzacco kept her promise and applied to serve as a mentor after she graduated. “As a mentor, I enjoy reflecting on that time period [in my life] with my new protégé, and I hope that my assurance and experiences will help her better navigate her own transitions,” she says. Marzzacco joins 861 other alumni who have participated in the Mentoring Program in the ten years since it began. Piloted during the 2001-2002 academic year with just two departments within the College of Health and Human Development, the program quickly expanded to include all of the academic units in the college. Other colleges at University Park soon came knocking, wanting to know how they could start their own programs. All of the undergraduate mentoring programs at University Park have been influenced, in some way, by the HHD Mentoring Program. The opportunity to help students has been the driving force behind alumni participation in the program, and hundreds of students have benefited from the advice they’ve received from their mentors. In 2005, the HHD Alumni Society won the “Student Interaction Award” at the Penn State Alumni Association’s 2005 Volunteer Awards ceremony for its development and implementation of the program. Having also served as both a protégé and a mentor, Stephanie Donolli ’07 H P A can attest to the benefits of the Mentoring Program. “I decided to join the Mentoring Program as an undergraduate student so I could network with my future colleagues and see the different paths that former students have taken since graduating. Upon graduating, I became a mentor because I wanted to be able to provide that same assistance for students,” she says. Donolli also hopes her protégé will follow in her footsteps and serve as a mentor. “Helping students succeed at their original goal is rewarding, but hopefully the experience they have will be one that they will want to pass on to future students.”

Summer 2011

Gene Maylock (all)

Paul Hazi

Penn State Public Information

A message from the president When you join the Penn State Alumni Association, you automatically become a member of the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society. Membership in these two organizations is a great way to get involved as an alum and to stay connected to Penn State. It’s also a great way to support students. The HHD Alumni Society has a tradition of reaching out to students and leveraging the talents of alumni to enhance students’ educational experiences. The society presents a variety of awards that celebrate students’ excellence, including the Edith Pitt Chace Award, which has been given to an outstanding student or students each year for more than 60 years; the Student Service Award; and the Alumni Recognition for Student Excellence Awards. Our award-winning Mentoring Program, which launched in the 2001-2002 academic year, is seen as the ‘gold standard’ for mentoring programs University-wide and has (flatteringly) been “copied” by many other Penn State colleges and campuses. You can read more about this program on the opposite page. Last year, the society’s board of directors invited mentors in the program to sponsor their student protégés’ memberships in the Blue & White Society. Like the Mentoring Program itself, this initiative has become a model for other college and campus alumni societies, and we recently learned that the HHD Alumni Society was selected to receive the Penn State Alumni Association’s Membership Award, which is given to an “affiliate group that has distinguished itself through an exceptional membership program that supports the membership campaign of the Alumni Association.” We’ve developed networking receptions to help undergraduate students learn how to network and then “practice” their networking skills with alumni. These events have been so popular and successful that they been extended from once to twice a year.

HHD Alumni Board reaches 100 percent participation goal The HHD Alumni Society Board is pleased to announce it has reached its 100 percent participation goal in giving to the College of Health and Human Development and the School of Nursing. Every board member made a charitable gift to an area in the college or school in the past fiscal year, showing his or her individual support for Penn State’s current capital campaign, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. “The participation of each and every board member in making a gift sends a powerful message about the board’s commitment to the college and School of Nursing,” said Nan Crouter, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development. The board plans to extend its efforts by aiming to achieve 100 percent participation among board members of each of the eleven affiliate program groups in HHD and nursing in the upcoming year.

Finally, I’m happy to announce that we are in the midst of developing a program for students transitioning from Penn State campuses to University Park. More information on this program, and how alumni can get involved, will be available soon. If you would like to get involved in any of the programs mentioned above, or have suggestions for ways in which alumni can become involved, please contact me at jdsmozart@aol.com. For the glory,

Jennifer Sprankle ’92 NURS President, HHD Alumni Society

the College of health and human Development

Alumni Awards Alumni Recognition Award The Alumni Recognition Award is presented to an alumnus or alumna of the college who has demonstrated professional excellence and exemplary voluntary community involvement in a health and human development field. Gene Maylock (3)

Ralph Smith ’84g RC PK has focused much of his life on improving and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. As an associate professor emeritus of recreation, park, and tourism management, he has created numerous opportunities for students to gain a better appreciation of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. For example, he restructured a core RPTM class by incorporating an activity in which students spend one day in a wheelchair. The experience was designed to give students a firsthand look at life as a person with disabilities and increase students’ appreciation of working with a diverse array of individuals. Most recently, he has been involved in the Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program. Funded by the Department of Defense, the program trains recreation managers in the military on how to create recreation opportunities for people with physical or mental disabilities.

Alumni Service Award The Alumni Service Award recognizes an alumnus or alumna of the college who has positively impacted the quality of people’s lives through service to others above and beyond their call of duty.

Finegan is an advisory board member at Penn State’s Brandywine Campus. In 2007, she received the Alumni Recognition Award from Penn State’s Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, and, in 2010, she was selected as the Distinguished Alumni Speaker by the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society.

Summer 2011

Courtesy Joanne Finegan

Joanne Finegan ’83 RC PK has worked continuously to educate others on the impact and lifelong effects of brain injury. She now serves as CEO and managing partner of ReMed Recovery Care Centers, a rehabilitation and long-term care provider for people with acquired brain injury. She is also the president and chair of the Council on Brain Injury, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, advocacy, and prevention of brain injury.

Emerging Professional — Undergraduate Degree Award The Emerging Professional—Undergraduate Degree Award recognizes a graduate of the past ten years who has demonstrated professional excellence and/or exemplary voluntary community involvement in a health and human development field. Jared Melzer ’04 KINES has not only proven himself in the business world, but he has done so in a way that has helped communities across the globe. Trained as a sports manager, his first job was with Capital Sports & Entertainment, where he managed sponsorship and oversaw aspects of marketing for Lance Armstrong’s cycling team. In addition, he helped support Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG campaign, which sought to make cancer awareness and research a global priority. In 2008, he began working as a sports marketing manager for Johan Bruyneel Sports Management, where he rebranded the Astana Cycling Team. He also forged partnerships between nonprofit organizations and his company. In just one week, one of his social media campaigns resulted in 1,000 bikes being donated to the World Bicycle Relief (WBR), which provides bikes to underprivileged communities in Africa. Melzer’s most recent initiative with the WBR has been the creation of the World Bicycle Relief All Star Team, a campaign that uses a grassroots approach to fight poverty in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Emerging Professional —Graduate Degree Award The Emerging Professional—Graduate Degree Award recognizes a graduate of the past ten years who has a graduate degree from the college and who has demonstrated professional excellence and/or exemplary voluntary community involvement in a health and human development field. Gerard Kyle ’98g, ’01g LE ST quickly distinguished himself as a researcher in the field of natural resources management, and he now balances this cutting-edge research with enhancing learning opportunities for students. As an associate professor in Texas A&M University’s Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Services (RPTM), he teaches graduate courses on statistical analysis and co-directs the university’s innovative Study Abroad in Natural Resources Program. He also is the director of the university’s Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Lab for which he provides leadership to study the use, development, and management of natural resources. His research deals with natural resource management, including land-use planning, global citizenship, the underlying psychology of leisure, and theoretical modeling techniques.

the College of health and human Development

Affiliate Program Group Updates Biobehavioral Health APG

Health Policy and Administration APG

Elisabeth Donaldson ’06 BB H, President edonalds@jhsph.edu

Randy Coulthard ’07 H P A, President randy.coulthard2@cigna.com

The group sponsored a career panel discussion via a web conference in November. Eighteen students were present to hear panelists Meredith Levine ’07 BB H, Julia Radomski ’07 BB H, Steven Wagman ’82 H P A, Jennifer Storm ’03 BB H, and Betsy Donaldson ’06 BB H. The APG hosted a spring social/professional event for BB H alumni during the 20th anniversary celebration of the Department of Biobehavioral Health in May.

In November 2010, the HPA APG was presented with the 2010 MACS Award by the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society’s board of directors, which recognizes outstanding achievements in all four areas of MACS (mentoring, awards, communications, and social/ professional activities).

The APG now has a group on LinkedIn. Please search for “Biobehavioral Health Affiliate Program Group” to join.

Biomechanics APG Robert Gregor ’76g PH ED, President robert.gregor@ap.gatech.edu

The Biomechanics APG was chartered by the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society’s board of directors in November, becoming the college’s eleventh APG. Officers of the APG are Robert Gregor ’76g PH ED (president), Irene Davis ’90g EXSCI (vice president), and Philip Martin ’83g PH ED (secretary/treasurer). Steve Piazza, associate professor of kinesiology, has been selected as the group’s faculty liaison. The APG will sponsor a “mentoring meeting” during the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) in Long Beach, California, in August 2011. The primary objective will be to establish the goals and procedures for mentoring graduate students in the Biomechanics Program during the 2011-12 academic year.

Communication Sciences and Disorders APG Leslie Ferree Talford ’98 CMDIS, President speechmadeeasy@yahoo.com

The APG sponsored its annual “Alumni in the Classroom” event in November 2010; the 2011 “Alumni in the Classroom” event is scheduled for September 21-23, 2011. The group also hosted a web conference with the student NSSLHA organization in March 2011 and is planning a web conference for CSD graduate students in the fall semester. Alumni wishing to participate in any of these events should contact Leslie Talford at the email address listed above. The APG distributed an electronic newsletter to CSD alumni, which can be viewed at www.hhdev.psu.edu/alumni/apg/csd/newsevents.html. CSD alumni also can connect with one another on the APG’s Facebook page, “I’m an alum of Penn State CSD.”

Activities in the past academic year included the annual “Professionals in the Classroom” event, held in October, in which 19 alumni spoke in 22 HPA classes; a “Jump Start Your Career” workshop, held in February, which was attended by more than 75 students and several alumni; and social/professional programs at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, held in March and held in the Philadelphia area (co-sponsored with the Health Leadership Network of the Delaware Valley, a chapter of the ACHE) in May. The APG has launched a “career page” on its website where HPA alumni can post job and internship opportunities for alumni and students as well as view opportunities.

Human Development and Family Studies APG John Soubik ’85 I F S, President hdfsapg@yahoo.com

The APG recently appointed four new board members in February 2011. The full board now consists of: Dana Davis ’89 I FS, State College, PA Karen Johnston ’86 I F S, Chambersburg, PA Emily Morales ’04 HD FS, West Chester, PA Pam Murphy ’78 I F S, Neenah, Wisconsin John Soubik ’85 I F S, Shamokin, PA Brad Yeckley ’06 HD FS, State College, PA In October 2010, the APG partnered with the HD FS Undergraduate Student Organization to hold a career panel discussion. Six alumni from a variety of fields participated on the panel and provided key insight on career preparation, choices, and networking. The alumni involved included: Margaret Brown Costello ’82 I F S Beth Fairchild ’73 I F S Gail Addison Guss ’70 I F S Patricia Culbertson McCrossan ’80 I F S Pam Murphy ’78 I F S John Soubik ’85 I F S In addition, four alumni participated in a panel discussion on careers in human resources: Mary Good ’85 I F S Stephanie Mazzeo-Caputo ’81g NUTR Sharon Power ’74 HE ED John A. Soubik ’85 I F S

Penn State Public Information (2)

Summer 2011

Kinesiology APG Patrick Slater ’86 PH ED, President edspjs@verizon.net

The APG participated in the Department of Kinesiology’s “Century of Excellence” celebration in April. The APG will be holding elections for board members in fall 2011. Alumni who are interested in serving on the board should contact Patrick Slater at the email address above. Plans are underway to reach out to students majoring in kinesiology at the Berks campus. Alumni near that campus can contact Patrick Slater if they are interested in interacting with students there.

Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society Christine Taylor ’77g, ’86g NUTR, President taylor.NDAS@gmail.com

NDAS held its annual alumni gathering on March 27 at the Nittany Lion Inn. Many alumni made extra contributions so that students could be funded to attend the brunch. The event included a pre-brunch “speed networking” session during which alumni spoke with and answered questions from nutritional sciences students regarding career options and work experiences. NDAS awarded two travel grants to nutritional sciences graduate students to help support attendance at the Experimental Biology meetings held in Washington, DC, this spring. Board members also assisted with the Experimental Biology Alumni Reception held jointly with Cornell University. NDAS and the Department of Nutritional Sciences have begun publishing a quarterly electronic newsletter. Alumni who did not receive the June newsletter via email can provide an email address at www.hhdev.psu.edu/alumni/apg/ndas. NDAS has also established a LinkedIn group; alumni wishing to join can search for “The Pennsylvania State University Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society.”

Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society Joseph McCann ’78 FS HA, President joe@optimumbrokerage.com

PSHRS held its annual alumni awards reception on October 6 at The Nittany Lion Inn. David Scypinski ’77 FS HA, senior vice president at Conference Direct, received the Alumnus of the Year Award. Shannon Egan ’07 HRIM, feasibility manager at Marriott International; Marcello Khattar ’04 HRIM, assistant front office manager at Four Seasons New York; Chris Schubert ’05 HRIM, director of revenue management at W New York Downtown; and Shawn Smith ’02 HRIM, asset manager at JBG Companies, received Emerging Professional Awards. The reception was held in conjunction with the annual “Alumni in the Classroom” program, for which 54 alumni returned to engage students and speak in the classroom. In November, PSHRS honored Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, as the Hospitality Executive of the Year during a reception at the Kimmel Center at New York University. The PSHRS career opportunities/alumni job board continues to gain exposure from alumni and industry partners posting open positions and seeking employment (126 positions posted in 2010). Postings as well as other activities and event information can be found at www.pshrs.org.

Upcoming events include the “Alumni in the Classroom” and “Alumni Awards” events in October and the “Hospitality Executive of the Year Award” event in November. For further information, please contact Joe McCann at the email address above or Brian Black, director of hospitality industry relations, at bab180@psu.edu or 814-865-6728.

Professional Golf Management APG Mason Champion ’98 R P M mason.champion@smithbarney.com

The PGM Student Society hosted the 10th Annual Alumni Panel Discussion in December 2010. The PGM program would like to thank the following alumni for participating and sharing their experiences and advice on topics, including trends in the industry, internships, interviewing skills, networking, the importance of a good mentor, and life after college: Matthew Hess ’05 R P M, James Jones ’04 R P M, Jason Marciniec ’04 R P M, Matt McFarlane ’05 R P M, and Josh Tremblay ’02 R P M. The PGM APG kicked off its mentoring program in fall 2010. Each of the 85 alumni who volunteered was assigned two mentees. The APG hosted a reception at the PGA Merchandise Show and Convention in January 2011 that was attended by more than fifty alumni and sixty students. During the reception, J.J. Weaver ’98 R P M, the head golf professional at Augusta National, received the 2010 PGM APG “Pride of Lions” Award.

Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management APG Kris D’Alessandro ’86 RC PK, President kris.dalessandro@us.army.mil

The APG presented its Deb Kerstetter Outstanding Alumni Award during the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management’s annual Recreation Celebration in March. The recipients were Michael Stevens ’96 R P M, president of the PGA’s Champions Tour, and Sevil Sonmez ’94g LE ST, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Management at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. An award was also given to Molly Hetrick ’98 AG ED for her years of service to the RPTM APG. Alumni who are interested in becoming involved with the APG’s board of directors should contact Kris D’Alessandro at the email address listed above.

the College of health and human Development

Class Notes 50’s Joan Davies Kurtz ’52 H EC and her husband Donald ’52 HORT received a Citizen of the Year Award for the One Room School Program they started for third graders in the community of Danville, California. The program, in its seventeenth year, offers students the opportunity to experience an authentic 1888 school day including dressing in period clothing, using slates, and playing games.

70’s Kelly Dorfman ’79 NUTR wrote her first book, What’s Eating Your Child? The Hidden Connections Between Food and Childhood Ailments. Backed by cutting-edge science and the know-how gained from a 29-year career in clinical nutrition, this book reveals the surprising role nutrition plays in healing children’s ailments. She has been appointed to advisory boards of several national organizations and was appointed by the governor to the Maryland Board of Dietetic Practice. Steve Humphrey ’73 RC PK was elected President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations (www.pamuseums.org) in November 2010 at the federation’s annual conference in Williamsport, PA. The Federation represents the interests of over 1,000 museums and related organizations in Pennsylvania. Steve is the executive director of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors and its National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, PA. Rachel K. Johnson ’74, ’91g NUTR is the inaugural Robert L. Bickford, Jr. Green and Gold Professor, the first endowed professorship in the University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Johnson is a registered dietitian and her research expertise covers national nutrition policy, pediatric nutrition and obesity, dietary intake methodology, and energy metabolism. She serves on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Science Board, and she is the chair-elect of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee. Ken Pasch ’75 H P A, president of the leader development company, KiVisions, Inc., and host of the syndicated radio talk show “Unlock Your Full Potential . . . Today,” is the author of Become the Boss You Always Wanted. The book title was inspired by an anonymous caller to Ken’s radio show and is based on an internet dialogue between colleagues and their coach. This book is primarily targeted toward emerging leaders. Ken is a faculty member in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.

80’s Bernard L. Coates, Jr. ’82 H P E was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County and will serve a ten-year term. He is married with two children and can be reached at bcoates@dauphinc.org. Sharon Rowley Madalis ’81 NUTR is co-author of Truck Drivers: Stop Your Job From Killing You! The Dietitians’ Guide to Smart Eating and Healthy Living for Truckers. The book includes information about the right fuel to manage weight and health; how to choose better foods at restaurants, quick marts, and supermarkets; and stocking a truck with health snacks and beverages. For more information visit www.stopyourjobfromkillingyou.com.

Summer 2011

Curtis J. Udell ’86 H P A has been promoted by Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP) to serve as the director of billing compliance for the health system’s 275+ physician multi-specialty group practice. JHCP provides outpatient and inpatient care through Johns Hopkins Health System clinics and hospitals in the greater Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC, region. He, his wife Heather, and children Coby and Alana live in Rockville, Maryland.

90’s Eugene D. Ballino ’94 NUTR successfully completed his dietetic internship at Marywood University. Matt Hurley ’90 RC PK has been promoted to vice president of operations for Troon Golf®, which specializes in upscale golf course management, development, and marketing. He has been an executive with Troom since 1997 and earned the “General Manager of the Year” award in 2005 and the “Award of Excellence” in 2009. Hurley will remain based in Florida and will be responsible for overseeing the operational compliance of a portfolio of daily-fee, resort, and private facilities located along the East Coast, Florida, and the Caribbean. Mark Milliron ’96g H P A earned a graduate certificate in Public Health Preparedness: Bioterrorism and Disaster from the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine. He is an independent consultant in emergency management, an instructor in health policy and administration at Penn State, and an instructor in public safety for the Community College of Allegheny County and Centre LifeLink EMS, Inc. In February, he and a delegation of Penn State students attended the eighteenth annual conference of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation in Philadelphia.

00’s Candace (Wright) Brown ’00 HD FS has co-written two chapters in Aging Well: Gerontological Education for Nurses and other Health Professionals (2011). She is the recipient of the 2011 Workshop for Minority and Emerging Scientists and Student Seeking Careers in Aging Research sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. She resides in Colorado with her husband Courtney, also a 2000 Penn State alumnus, and is a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Katharine Gause Brosnan ’04 NUTR has a food blog located at food-hound. blogspot.com She works as a registered dietitian in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kay (Knowles) Thomas ’04 HR&IM and her husband Kevin welcomed twin girls Kai and Kaleah on October 20, 2010. Mary Beth Tobin ’09 H P A had a paper published in The Internet Journal of Catholic Bioethics. The paper’s topic is racial and ethnic disparities in the United States healthcare system. The paper can be read at www.icbbioethics. com/journals.php?entry=107.

The College of Health and Human Development The Pennsylvania State University 201 Henderson Building University Park, PA 16802-6501

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State College, PA Permit No. 1

www.hhdev.psu.edu UpComing Events

August

Health Education Reunion

September

September 16-17, 2011

13 Commencement 17-18 JumpStart (session 1) 18-19 JumpStart (session 2)

16-17 22 24 23-25

Health Education Reunion Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series: Robert Hillman HHD Alumni Tailgate at Porter Gardens, Lubrano Park Parents & Families Weekend

November

4-5 HHD Alumni Society Board Meeting 20-26 Thanksgiving Holiday (no classes)

December

17 Commencement

For more details visit www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/events.html

The Penn State Department of Biobehavioral Health invites graduates of the Penn State Department of Health Education (1970-1997) to a reunion. See details at: bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/HealthEdReunion