Collins O. Airhihenbuwa, professor and head of the Department of Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development, has received the 2011 Health Education Mentor Award given by the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). (more)
Shedra Amy Snipes, assistant professor of biobehavioral health in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development, is one of six researchers across the country selected to participate in the newly established Kaiser Permanente Burch Minority Leadership Development Awards program. The program supports junior minority researchers with two-year leadership development awards. (more)
With the holiday season well on its way, research showing reduction of calories may increase life spans is not the most welcome of news. But if you ask Penn State researcher Roger McCarter how to live longer, he'll tell you just that -- consume fewer calories. McCarter has shown this in rat and mouse models (a 40 percent reduced-calorie diet leads to an approximately 40 percent longer life), and other researchers have duplicated this in spiders, yeast, flies, worms, rodents and humans. To fully take advantage of caloric restriction, McCarter, a professor of biobehavioral health in the College of Health and Human Development, and several other researchers around the world are trying to understand why eating less can lengthen a life span. (more)
Penn State researcher Rob Turrisi is lending a hand to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in a new campaign called "Power of Parents, It's Your Influence," the goal of which is to prevent underage drinking and drunk driving. (more)
Stress and its role in heart disease was the focus of a one-day conference developed by William Gerin, professor of biobehavioral health. "We're aware that stress has a lot to do with chronic illness. The question is why -- what are the biological, social, and environmental factors involved," said Gerin. (more)
Many young adults who appear healthy are plagued by sleep issues at night, according to a new study conducted at Penn State. The study, led by Jennifer Graham, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, found chronic pain and use of alcohol or medications among the leading factors contributing to sleep disruptions for those in the study. (more)
Beginning this fall, Penn State is offering a new minor, Global Health (GLBHL), which is designed to provide undergraduate students with a multidisciplinary background in the issues affecting the health of populations in various countries and regions of the world. Housed in the Department of Biobehavioral Health (BBH), the minor is open to students from all departments and units across the University Park campus. The application deadline for the first cohort is Oct. 22. (more)
Starting this past weekend (April 10), research teams began conducting periodic, late-night roadside surveys of randomly selected drivers and pedestrians at locations across State College, Pa. The voluntary surveys involve a brief interview to measure attitudes and perceptions of drinking and driving, as well an anonymous breath test to measure blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of drivers. The researchers are collecting baseline data for a new project that takes a community approach to preventing drinking and driving. (more)
The Gerontological Society of America presented distinguished awards to two Penn State faculty members at its annual conference, November 18 to 22, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Steven Zarit, professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, received the organization's Distinguished Career Contribution Award. Dr. Gerald McClearn, Evan Pugh Professor of Health and Human Development, received its Robert W. Kleemeier Award. Both awards recognize outstanding research contributions. (more)
Penn State researchers are examining how stress at work impacts employees and their families using a data collection method known as the "daily diary." Susan McHale, professor of human development and director of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute, and three other investigators on the multisite Work, Family & Health Network presented data at a congressional briefing in October. McHale's presentation focused on studying the effects of workplace stress using a daily diary. (more)
