Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Jonathan Reed, a KCH alum now working in medical education/health administration.
Q: Why did you pick AHS?
A: I picked AHS because I had an interest in Community Health. I knew I wanted to help provide people a better quality of life and build underserved communities by addressing health disparities.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: My Academic Advisor (Mr. Chris Cosat) had the most impact on me. He did a great job of showing different career paths in AHS and helped guide me through the curriculum with no conflicts.
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: The course I enjoyed the most was an Intro to Epidemiology course (CHLH 274). It allowed me to get a new perspective on how patterns of disease are studied and how much they affect healthcare as a whole. Material from this course has become even more relevant with the current Pandemic.
Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?
A: My career path was not well-defined upon entering AHS. After taking courses, I was able to better grasp my values and passion which are rooted in Community Health/Health Administration.
Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?
A: Yes, my AHS experience exposed me to different areas of healthcare and colleagues within the college. These experiences and connections are what helped me land my current job working in medical education/health administration.
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experience was tailgating at Homecoming football games, ILL-INI!!!
Q: What does AHS mean to you?
A: For me, AHS means “focusing on promoting healthier, happier lifestyles to allow an optimal life for all individuals.”
Community Health Workers, or CHWs, are an underrecognized layer of the health care system
For Department of Kinesiology and Community Health researchers Andiara Schwingel and Susan Aguiñaga, the concept of helping place Community Health Workers has a personal meaning.
Schwingel, a KCH associate professor, and Aguiñaga, an assistant professor in KCH, recently received a grant of $100,000 for their project entitled, “Online Certificate Programs for Community Health Workers: From Overlooked and Under‑Researched Employees to Well‑equipped Frontline Agents in the Fight to Reduce Health Disparities in Communities of Color. Drs. Schwingel and Aguiñaga plan to establish a coalition that includes Community Health Workers (CHWs) and other stakeholders to develop, evaluate, and disseminate online learning strategies through certificate programs that will train CHWs to address community health needs.
CHWs are full- or part-time employees of health systems. With at least a high school diploma, CHWs receive on-the-job training and work in multidisciplinary teams focused on primary health care, prevention, and health promotion, the researchers said. Although the CHW model is widely utilized across the globe, the U.S. and Illinois have only recently begun to recognize its importance and develop the infrastructure that supports these grassroots health workers. No online training is currently available in Illinois, a gap that Schwingel and Aguiñaga said they want to fill. Illinois is currently developing recommendations for training and certification programs, and, the researchers said, significant progress has been made in Illinois where House Bill HB5412 passed in February 2021, building momentum for CHWs training and this project.
The researchers sought the grant because they believe CHWs are ideal members of collaborative healthcare and prevention teams working with vulnerable populations and underserved communities as they complement the work of formally trained healthcare professionals.
“As I have lived in many different countries, I am very familiar with universal health care systems that adopt the CHW model,” Schwingel said. “I have seen firsthand the important role they play at community settings as frontline workers visiting homes, being a resource and serving as the go-to people for the community. They also carry the voices and opinions of community members to local healthcare teams. I have seen how effective CHWs are in bringing people to clinics for immunization programs and health promotion events.”
Schwingel said she was motivated to address healthcare systems when she moved to the United States about 12 years ago.
“I found that through my research I could contribute to addressing disparities in health by testing the feasibility of using the CHW model with Hispanic communities in this country.”
Schwingel said her goal is to greatly increase the number of CHWs locally.
“That way, when my research funding ends, the community is left with important human resources to continue the endeavors. Over the years, I have experienced a number of challenges working with volunteer CHWs due to the lack of a state/national reimbursement system for these workers. Nonetheless, my interest has only grown, and I have seen increasing interest in this space by grass roots organizations, healthcare employers, and even state and national agencies.”
One of the vital parts of building a CHW pipeline in Illinois is that the CHWs know well and have easy access to hard-to-reach groups such as historically underrepresented populations of African Americans and Hispanics (which includes undocumented individuals), the researchers said, adding that CHWs are members of the communities that they serve, they share culture, language, income, and life experiences. The CHWs can serve as liaisons between health and social services, especially as the percentage of the underrepresented population rises; in fact, by 2050, that population projects to represent 43 percent of the state and national population by 2050.
The researchers said they will work with partners such as the University of Illinois Extension, the Illinois Community Health Workers Association, a group of CHWs that serve African American and Hispanic communities, and a group of CHW employer organizations.
Schwingel and Aguiñaga also plan to use what they call a “culturally and linguistically sensitive approach.” For two women of color, that is especially important, Schwingel said, calling it a “transformational” process.
“It makes use of a patient’s language and culture as tools to improve outcomes for that individual. By tailoring services to an individual’s culture and language preference, health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations,” she said.
The project involves the use of Stretch, a research robot designed for homes
Kinesiology and Community Health Professor Wendy Rogers is no stranger to robots.
She began working with robots more than two decades ago at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she was a professor in the School of Psychology, and director of the Human Factors & Aging Laboratory. It was at Georgia Tech where Rogers connected with Professor Charlie Kemp, director of the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech.
Now the two are collaborating on a robot that can help people age in place, a vital part of Rogers’ research agenda.
Rogers and her collaborators, which include Dr. Harshal Mahajan and Dr. Travis Kadylak from KCH, received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Institute on Aging—a division of the National Institutes of Health—for a project entitled, Stretching Their Reach: Robotic Support for Domestic Activities for Older Individuals with Mobility Limitations.
Rogers is the Principal Investigator for the University of Illinois, and Dr. Aaron Edsinger is the Principal Investigator for Hello Robot, the company he co-founded with Kemp. The grant amount is $256,064. The project involves the use of Stretch, a research robot designed for homes. The research will identify home tasks for which support is needed; develop tools to enable Stretch to effectively perform these tasks; and design an easy-to-use interface that older adults can use to control Stretch to carry out their desired tasks.
Developed by Kemp and Hello Robot co-founder Aaron Edsinger, former robotics director at Google, Stretch weighs about 50 pounds and costs less than $20,000. A robot resides at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, which Rogers directs, where researchers are assessing how Stretch can support tasks around the home, investigating facilitators and barriers to usage, comparing different ways of controlling the robot, and determining the level of instructional support necessary to make it user friendly.
When Kemp and Edsinger created Stretch, it was immediately clear to them who they wanted to work with.
“Dr. Rogers was one of the first people Hello Robot spoke with when we were exploring viable research and commercial paths for Stretch,” Edsinger said. “Dr. Rogers and her team are doing incredible work to support the independence of people aging in place. We thought Stretch would be a great tool to advance her team’s research on robots as assistive devices.”
In fact, in a new course offered this semester at Illinois called Human-Robot Interaction in Community Health, Rogers is focusing on how robots can be used to improve health and well-being in populations with diverse needs and abilities.
Edsinger said the goal of the SBIR grant is to “demonstrate the feasibility of Stretch as an assistive device for older adults with mobility and cognitive impairments. We plan to obtain feedback from older adults and explore tasks and tools that could be beneficial. These will be valuable steps towards our long-term goal of assisting older adults with disabilities.”
Edsinger even sees potential commercial applications for Stretch.
“Stretch is intentionally designed to be used around people. We envision a future where Stretch is a platform that equips people to create a variety of businesses with mobile manipulators.”
One thing is certain; this collaboration between Hello Robot and Rogers is not the last.
“Hello Robot deeply respects the work Dr. Rogers and the Illinois team are doing to promote the independence of adults aging with physical and cognitive disabilities,” Edsinger said. “We hope that this is just the beginning of a long-standing collaboration to advance the usefulness of robots as assistive devices in people’s homes. “
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home is a cutting-edge research center focused on innovations in home environments
Jim and Karen McKechnie are the primary donors for the McKechnie Family LIFE Home
Even for someone as accomplished as Kinesiology and Community Health Professor Wendy Rogers, the night of Oct. 7 represented a milestone.
Rogers has so many appointments and affiliations—she is a Khan Professor of Applied Health Sciences; she directs the Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, and Technology, or CHART, initiative in AHS; the Health Technology Education Program, which offers a one-of-a-kind master’s degree in health technology; and the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory—that during her introduction for the dedication of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home on Oct. 7, College of Applied Health Sciences Dean Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell had to pause and catch her breath.
But with all the federal funding Rogers has received and the collaborations she’s sparked, the McKechnie Family LIFE Home holds a special and unique place for her.
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home is a cutting-edge research center focused on innovations in home environments. This facility mimics existing home dwellings as well as provides space for the development of next generation smart homes that would allow people of all ages and abilities to live fuller, healthier, and autonomous lives.
“I am delighted that the name of the facility is the Family LIFE Home because that is what home is all about—family,” Rogers said during the dedication ceremony. “Family has always been at the heart of my life and my work. I am the youngest of six children. I grew up in a small house in Massachusetts—we had eight people in a three-bedroom home with one bathroom—imagine that. We had no choice but to be close.”
Rogers said that of her inspiration for creating a facility such as the LIFE Home is that because of the support of her and her siblings, her parents were able to continue living until their final days in the family home.
“I remember when my Dad was near the end of his life (back in 2005) and we were all coordinating his care, he said to me, “We need more of that smart technology of yours,”’ Rogers told attendees of the dedication ceremony, which included University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones and Jim and Karen McKechnie, the primary donors of the LIFE Home.
“After he died and my mom, was alone we certainly relied on technology tools to remain connected with her and to provide the support she needed,” Rogers said.
That is Rogers’ goal for the McKechnie Family LIFE Home.
“Our vision is to develop technologies that can support quality of life in the home for everyone, people of all ages and abilities. We want to think about all of the activities that occur in the home from fundamental activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, mobility through to the enhanced activities of daily living such as social engagement, community participation, and lifelong learning.”
For Chancellor Jones, the opening of the facility was the culmination of what the university sought in bringing Rogers aboard.
“Professor Rogers, in some ways, today marks the completion of a full circle for the two of us,” Jones said. “I had the honor of speaking at your investiture ceremony just a few months after I came here to Illinois. You were recruited here under one of the initiatives laid out in the university’s Visioning Future Excellence strategic plan. And now, just four years later, we can draw a bright and clear line from that starting point to today’s dedication of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home.”
To an observer, the LIFE Home looks like someone’s home: it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, an open-concept kitchen—we all know, thanks to HGTV how popular that is these days—a living room, dining room and even some green space outside. But the LIFE Home is foremost a research facility. The site is available for use by researchers from within and outside the university, or for collabortions with companies who want to use the facility to conduct research and test new products.
“It is a space in which researchers from across the campus, industry partners, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders can come together to develop and test technologies that support all dimensions of healthy, socially connected, independent living,” Dean Hanley-Maxwell said.
Chancellor Jones praised the McKechnies for their generosity and said, “I don’t think there are any more visible examples of the impact of private investment in public universities. These gifts are direct investments in ideas and in human potential. They are feeding the true heart of this college and this university.”
And as much as the dedication ceremony of the facility proved to be a key step, Rogers said there was much still to do.
“It really has been a labor of love –we are all passionate about improving people’s quality of life and believe in the potential of this space to support that mission. This is only the beginning.”
The idea of caregiving has long been a way of life for two AHS alumni
Caregivers often lack the resources and time to properly care for themselves
Denise Brown and Katherine Lim attended the University of Illinois more than three decades apart, but they have plenty in common.
Both Brown, an Illinois alum, and Lim, a senior in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, are caregivers and have a desire to give back. That is where they intersect.
Brown, who graduated in 1985 from UIUC’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, now operates the Caregivers Years Training Academy, where Lim interned this past summer.
The idea of caregiving has long been a way of life for both.
Brown has been a caregiver, and currently takes care of her dad (90 years old) and mom (87). She started supporting caregivers in 1990.
“I launched my first business with a newsletter for family caregivers called Caregiving,” she said. “And then I launched an online caregiving community in 1996, which I managed and operated through March of 2020.”
For Lim—who calls herself a 1.5 generation Korean immigrant, meaning she was born in Korea but came to the United States when she was little—caregiving is a way of life.
“I think in Asian culture, caregiving for your elder relatives is almost a given,” she said. “And for me personally, I took care of my grandmother. And right now, I take care of my mother because since she can’t speak English, I make different vaccination appointments for her. I make other doctor’s appointments for her. I sometimes even read her legal documents for her. And it’s navigating through the system that I help her with.”
Despite their different upbringings and age gap, Brown and Lim both understand the challenges of being a caregiver.
“You are managing a fragile house of cards,” Brown said. “You’re trying to keep so many categories of your life moving forward, even as you are working your way through the health care system, which is complicated and overwhelming. You’re managing family dynamics, which can be just as difficult as the health care system. And you’re really doing what you can to manage your own stress. But there’s so many worries that the stress really is just, at some times, overwhelming throughout the experience.”
Lim agreed, calling the language barrier the one of the biggest issues.
“Most of the time, their relatives cannot speak English. So that’s one of the biggest ones. And within that, when they need to follow them to physician appointments, the medical vocabulary—they don’t have an M.D. degree in another language. So it’s very hard for them to translate that into their native language accurately because they actually might know very little of it, or none.”
Lim also cited technological barriers and diet as hurdles for caregivers.
“Relatives might be more used to their own cultural palate, and they’re cooking at home,” she said. “If they’re at a long-term care facility or aftercare centers, they have a hard time adjusting to the nursing home’s diet. And the facilities have difficulty accommodating all the different cultural foods for their patients. So they particularly have a hard time with diet. The intermediary solution is for their relatives to cook home-style meals, while meeting their nutritional needs at the same time, and then bringing it over to them.”
With these commonalities, it is not a surprise Lim sought to intern for Brown in the summer. Brown’s organization provides training to people who are caring for a family member, or have recently cared for a family member and their caregiving experience has ended.
“Katherine went through our training to become a certified caregiving facilitator, with the goal of creating support groups for students at U of I who might be worried or helping care for a family member, whether it be a grandparent, parent, or sibling,” Brown said.
For Lim, the idea of learning more about caregiving “really hit home.”
“I really wanted to dive in deeper on minority disparities in health care system through organizations that already take part in research. I think the internship (KCH Assistant Professor) and Dr. (Mina) Raj’s research was a great opportunity for me to actually learn more on the subject and help identify how I can give back to the community. I’m starting a registered student organization based on campus for student caregivers.”
For Lim, the internship has helped to shape her future.
“Learning through this research opportunity definitely has got me thinking about my future career path. I want to work towards improving the health care system and later on get a doctorate in this field. I think this research gave me a little taste in many more opportunities I can partake in the future to make an even bigger impact on this issue.”
For Brown, hearing Lim talk about her work on campus makes her smile. It’s the very reason she offers internship opportunities.
“I really feel blessed to be able to be a mentor to students at U of I,” she said. “I enjoy connecting with them. I enjoy hearing about their life as a student. And I feel proud to be able to impact not only their experience at U of I, but what their career path will be. And I think it’s really just an amazing way to give back.
“It’s a way to keep the relationship with the university in a way that creates all these wins. It’s a win for me to have an intern. It’s a win for the intern when they connect to a program that’s going to help them in their career path. And certainly, it’s a win for the university because of the relationship between someone like myself and an intern.”
The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many research areas. Today, we ask Laura Rice, interim director of the Master of Public Health Program, interim director, Master of Science in Health Administration Program and associate professor, Kinesiology and Community Health, about COVID-19, vaccinations and returning to campus.
By July 2021, businesses had re-opened, but in-person instruction was still in question because of the pandemic (Stock image)
Q: Do you think universities should require vaccinations for in-person students?
A: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, similar to other universities across the United States, are now requiring students to be vaccinated prior to returning to campus for the fall semester. Students with extenuating circumstances may request an exception from this requirement. Given the close living quarters of students and challenges associated with social distancing in residence halls, classrooms and other locations on campus, the vaccination requirement is an important component in keeping students safe and facilitating a return to normal campus life. While precautions should still be taken, vaccination is an important tool to support a safe return to campus in Fall 2022.
Q: How does the current COVID Delta spike in Missouri impact Illinois?
A: Given the increased frequency of the Delta variant in Missouri and other places in the United States, we all must continue to be vigilant in our response to COVID. All individuals should follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which includes getting vaccinated if you are able. If you are not vaccinated, it is critical that people continue to wear masks, social distance, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, wash your hands, and monitor your health through frequent testing. Everyone should continue to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough and make sure that high touch surfaces are cleaned frequently. While many of us are facing fatigue adhering to COVID recommendations, it is important to continue to be vigilant and do your part to avoid mandatory quarantine requirements.
Q: How would you persuade those who oppose getting a vaccine to get one?
A: To persuade an individual who is unvaccinated to become vaccinated, it is important to make sure that the individual is fully educated about the safety of the vaccines from reliable, peer reviewed resources. For the example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers evidenced based, easy to understand information regarding vaccine safety. Unfortunately, false information that is circulating on social media and other unreliable sources is causing confusion regarding the safety of vaccines. Educating yourself, and others, from evidenced based sources is critical to understanding the safety of vaccines and making an informed choice regarding vaccination.
Q: Should people still get tested after getting fully vaccinated?
A: After an individual has been vaccinated, they should continue to comply with federal/state and local requirements regarding testing. COVID is still an evolving situation with new variants emerging frequently. Thus far, vaccines have shown to be effective against a variety of variants. However, it is critical that citizens continue to comply with rules and regulations that are implemented regarding testing as the situation is still changing frequently.
Q: Would you recommend still wearing a mask in places where large numbers gather (such as grocery stores, classrooms)?
A: An individual who is fully vaccinated should review peer-reviewed, evidenced-based literature and COVID-19 rates in their local area to make an informed choice regarding mask usage in crowded areas. Review of such information will help the individual who make an informed choice regarding mask use in this evolving situation. If you are in close contact with non-vaccinated individuals or have other medical conditions, mask use will continue to help protect you. Given the evolving nature of the situation, it is important to stay updated on current recommendations from reliable sources and comply with those recommendations.
No controlled studies have looked at the fiber-exercise combination
Can controlled increases in fiber intake and physical activity show additive effects?
KCH Assistant Professor Jacob Allen received a grant from the Center on Health, Aging & Disability for his project, “Gastrointestinal And Metabolic Effects from a Prebiotic, Lifting, and Aerobic iNtervention (GAMEPLAN).” Allen received $30,000 from CHAD for the 18-month project, which begins July 1.
Hannah Holscher, an associate professor of Nutrition in the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences, and Riley Hughes, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Holscher’s lab, are collaborators on the project.
The project is focused on the independent and combined effects of prebiotic fiber consumption and exercise on the gut microbiome and human health. Allen said he and his collaborators are pursuing these studies because “Benefits of exercise and high fiber diets have been described in isolation. However, no controlled studies have looked at the potential additive effects of fiber and exercise.”
The combination of exercise and fiber could be beneficial for the majority of Americans who don’t get the recommended dietary fiber (more than 90 percent), or adequate exercise (more than 60 percent), Allen said.
Prebiotic fibers are substrate that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit, he said. Holscher added that prebiotics can be found naturally within foods like whole grains, onions, garlic, articokes, and bananas.
“For this study, we are using a prebiotic called short chain-fructooligosaccharides (aka. sc-FOS). We chose it for many reasons. One of the main reasons is because it is known to result in the production of beneficial metabolites produced by microbes that may synergize with exercise to promote metabolic adaptations.”
Another aim of the study is to improve body composition, but Allen stressed that does not necessarily mean weight loss.
“In fact, exercise interventions are often not accompanied by significant weight loss especially early on in the intervention, or fewer than six weeks”, he said.
“However, this does not mean that the exercise is not effective in improving health. For instance, body composition changes still occur with exercise despite no weight loss. Exercise training can lead to increased muscle mass and bone mass concurrent to reductions in fat. If you are only looking at a scale, these changes tend to negate each other. However adding muscle and losing fat is still very beneficial for metabolic health. Short end of it, exercise can still be beneficial without weight loss!”
Culturally inclusive diets face regulatory barriers in long-term care facilities
KCH Assistant Professor Mina Raj received a grant from the Center on Health, Aging, and Disability for her project entitled, ““Towards the development of guidelines for inclusive foods in long-term care.”
The CHAD Pilot Grant, which is valued at for $29,646 for 18 months starting July 1, aims to find out more about resident preferences for inclusive diets from the perspectives of long-term care (LTC) personnel, and understand the practice and regulatory barriers and facilitators to promoting inclusive diets in long-term care facilities in order to ultimately develop guidelines for implementing inclusive diets in long-term care facilities.
An inclusive diet, as defined in this study, is one that considers dietary preferences that may be informed by cultural norms or traditions.
The study is important, Raj said, because, “Food is a fundamental aspect of community and is also tied to mental and physical health outcomes. For instance, eating traditional foods has been linked with promoting joy and delight among patients with dementia.”
“We have an increasingly diverse aging population, and as our health system pursues health equity and addressing health disparities, it is critical to understand how to ensure that long-term facilities promote inclusiveness and belonging,” she said. “Even though the number of racial and ethnic minority older adults living in long-term care facilities in the U.S. has increased substantially in the last few decades, these older adults are still very reluctant to reside in long-term care facilities and a primary concern is the alignment of dietary preferences and options offered in facilities. Availability of preferred foods that align with cultural norms and traditions could promote food consumption thereby reducing the risk of frailty and associated health conditions among older adults.”
Another of the study’s goals is to identify regulatory barriers to inclusive diets in LTC facilities. For example, one regulatory barrier is the vendors or grocery stores from which LTC facilities are allowed to purchase prepared meals or ingredients for cooking in the facility. The vendors may not offer inclusive diets or grocery stores may not sell produce needed to prepare meals that are traditional to certain communities, Raj said. Raj said she hopes this study can inform modification of these types of regulations and contribute to inclusion and health equity in LTC facilities..
Raj said the study will focus on long-term care facilities across Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.
Students are attending college in a unique environment, and that includes students in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. The AHS communications staff spoke with AHS seniors about online classes, truncated courses and how COVID-19 changed their expectations. Today, we speak with Briana Aldama, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health.
Q: Why did you pick KCH?
A: I chose it because it aligned well with my occupational therapy career path in a way that would set me up for success.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: Jeanine Bensken taught a course I took and introduced the class to research opportunities. I then took advantage of that and met with her to see my options. I ended up being most interested in her research within the college. I learned a lot from this experience and found that she was great support for me both personally and professionally.
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: I enjoyed most of my community health courses but CHLH 206: Medical Ethics really stood out to me these past 4 years. I think applying your knowledge to really difficult real-life examples is hard to do, but this course really challenged each student to think in a way that allows you to professionally acknowledge what decision will provide the best outcome.
Q: Did you enter KCH knowing your career path, or did KCH help you decide?
A: I did know I wanted to do occupational therapy when entering KCH, however, I feel these courses really allowed me to gain a new perspective in a way that a good occupational therapist should.
Q: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
A: I will be attending Midwestern University to obtain my doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy. As of right now, I am keeping an open mind as to which setting I would like to work in after graduation because I find all areas within this field to be integrating in their own ways.
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experience was running from Foellinger to the Kappa Delta house after I opened my sorority bid. It was such a fun experience and was the beginning of the friendships made during this time.
Q: What do you miss most because of the pandemic?
A: I missed the social aspect of college. School can get intense and stressful, so I feel that social support is very important to help get through the tough times. Having people to study with and then hang out with during moments of downtime is very important and helps to keep a healthy balance for students.
Q: What are the biggest changes on campus, pre and during COVID?
A: I would say the courses were the biggest change. Before COVID students would walk to class each day and have a set time to focus on class, as well as get to know the professors well. The campus also provided great study environments that may have not been as available for students at home during this time.
Q: What would you say to recommend KCH to a prospective student?
A: This is a perfect major to get into because I felt it prepared me well for health-related issues across the board and if you are interested in the health field, perhaps these courses can even help pique an interest you didn’t even realize you had!
Authors Recommend Ways to Improve Latinas’ Perinatal Mental Health During COVID-19 Crisis. (Image provided)
Authors recommend culturally appropriate communication while providing anxiety resources
Experiencing anxiety during pregnancy is associated with pregnancy complications, and Latinas today face many stressors related to COVID-19 as well as pre-existing racism and intolerance. A new commentary from KCH Assistant Professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo in Women’s Health Issues recommends ways for clinical practice, research, and policy to better support the mental health of pregnant and postpartum Latinas.
The commentary was published in Women’s Health Issues, the official journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, which is based at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Lara-Cinisomo and colleagues explain that high rates of COVID-19 cases and pandemic-related job losses in Latino communities can exacerbate the ongoing immigrant and minority-related stressors affecting perinatal Latinas. They note that research has found a relationship between immigration policies and anxiety in Latinas, and that some communities report fearing deportation more than COVID-19.
The authors’ recommendations for clinical practice include using culturally appropriate communication—both one-on-one and over social media—to provide information about anxiety symptoms and resources. To allow for research into the combined effects of psychosocial, cultural, sociopolitical, and socioeconomic stressors, they suggest that the National Institutes of Health and other funders direct grants to investigators who have records of working with Latino communities; they also highlight the importance of examining different subgroups of Latinas, rather than treating them as a monolith.
The commentary’s policy recommendations include suggestions for improving health care as well as stressors in the larger environment. Lara-Cinisomo and her colleagues urge policymakers to direct additional funding toward bilingual and diversity-trained professionals, and toward increasing access to telemedicine and language services. They also advise officials to improve workplace health and safety (noting that structural racism leaves both Black and Latino workers disproportionately likely to work in jobs with high risks of COVID-19 exposure), halt deportations, and reunite families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“As the Biden-Harris administration begins implementing its policy priorities, we urge all elected officials to provide much-needed resources to clinicians working directly with perinatal Latinas, researchers working to understand the effects of the pandemic on these women, and the perinatal Latinas who are fighting to keep themselves and their families safe on all fronts,” the authors conclude. “Improving mental health for perinatal and postpartum Latinas has long been an important public health priority, and COVID-19 has made it even more pressing,” said Amita Vyas, Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health Issues and associate professor of prevention and community health at Milken Institute SPH. “This commentary helps move the work forward by offering concrete recommendations for clinicians, researchers, funders, and elected officials.”
“Recommendations for clinical practice, research, and policy to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety symptoms in immigrant and U.S.-born Latina mothers” has been published online as an article in press and will appear in a future issue of Women’s Health Issues.
