Health and Kinesiology | Page 12 | College of Applied Health Sciences

Two new grants aimed at improving outcomes for students with disabilities

Oct. 02, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The grants will be focused on providing training to Special Education teachers and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors across Illinois

Two new grants to researchers in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois will fund programs aimed at improving post-school employment outcomes for students with significant disabilities.

The first grant, funded by the Illinois State Board of Education, is for a five-year, $5 million collaboration between the College of Education and AHS. Kinesiology and Community Health professor David Strauser, in collaboration with College of Education professor Stacy Dymond, received funding for the Center on Transition and Work. The Center will offer state-wide training and technical assistance to school personnel, rehabilitation counselors, and families to improve post-school employment outcomes for students with significant disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, autism).

Strauser, Dymond and KCH professor John Kosciulek were also awarded a Vocational Training Grant. This project, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for $1.5 million over five years, will provide statewide training to vocational rehabilitation counselors who prepare individuals with disabilities for employment.

Strauser said the two grants “complement each other and will work together to increase post-high school employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities in Illinois.”

Strauser said the grants will be focused on providing training to Special Education teachers and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors across Illinois.

“The training will focus on providing training to front-line professionals that will enhance their skills related on preparing youth and young adults for employment after they leave high school.”

Podcasts, videos and research briefs will be among the materials created and made publicly available to help young adults with disabilities and chronic health conditions transition to work life, he said.

Strauser hopes to begin training as soon as early next year, and is searching for sites for the Center on Transition and Work, which will be somewhere on the UIUC campus.

As far as the populations the grants will help, Strauser said the project funded by the ISBE will focus on severe intellectual, psychiatric, and physical disabilities, while the vocational training project will focus on all types of disabilities and chronic health conditions.

Strauser said the grants fulfill the land grant mission of UIUC by providing research and training directed at enhancing the lives of Illinoisans with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

“We will also be able to conduct direct practice-based research that will provide valuable information to Illinois, the country and the world regarding effective practices and strategies that can improve the career development and employment of youth and young adults with disabilities.”

Strauser and Kosciulek also received a grant for their Rehabilitation Services Administration Quality Employment Outcomes project. Strauser is the principle investigator on the project—which also includes the University of Wisconsin, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Kentucky. The objectives are to increase the number of eligible applicants to State vocational rehab programs; to increase engagement of eligible applicants in service to promote participation in services throughout the tenure of their Individualized Employment Plans; to increase the number of employers hiring and retaining persons with disabilities in their workforce; and to increase the Employment Rate indicator, as compared to each programs’ historical data and national trends. The project is funded for $2.15 million over five years.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Wellness Ambassador Emily Grayburn talks about COVID and campus

Sept. 14, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Wellness ambassadors support the University of Illinois’ COVID-19 educational compliance efforts by providing health resources to the university community. The College of Applied Health Sciences is proud to boast several students who are participating in the Wellness Ambassador program. Periodically, we’ll speak with a student about what they have encountered in their role. Today, it’s Emily Grayburn, a student in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.

Q: What kind of training did you receive to become a Wellness Ambassador?

A: I participated in a four-hour-long, Zoom-based training along with the other Wellness Ambassadors. During this meeting, we got to speak with members of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District as well as Dr. Robert Parker from McKinley Health Center. We also learned what we would be doing during our shift and how to approach people politely. We also need to attend bi-weekly trainings to update our job duties, if need be.

Q: What kind of activities are you performing while working?

A: While working, I typically walk around campus with one to two other Wellness Ambassadors and hand out COVID-19 wellness kits to people walking by. These kits include a map of testing locations, a card with information about the COVID Wellness Answer Center, a button or sticker, a flyer containing information about flu shots, and either a mask, sunglasses, or a hand sanitizer.

Q: How many hours do you work a week?

A: I work 8-10 hours a week.

Q: Where are you stationed?

A: I am usually stationed at (Illinois Street Residence) Halls, (Student Dining and Residential Programs Building), or walking around campus.

Q: What challenges have you faced in doing the job?

A: Some challenges that I have faced while doing this job would be dealing with the small amount of students who aren’t compliant with wearing a mask.

Q: What kind of reactions do you get from students or faculty when you encounter them?

A: For the most part, students are very excited about receiving free goodies from the university. They are very thankful that we are making a positive impact on our community.

Q: What’s the toughest part of the job?

A: The toughest part of my job would be confronting individuals who do not want to wear their masks. Although it is a small percentage of students, we still need to sometimes tell these people that they need to keep their mask on whenever they are outside of their room to keep others safe and increase the chances of us being able to stay on campus.

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Freshman Regan Toole talks about campus life during COVID-19

Sept. 17, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Freshmen are entering 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 new AHS students about campus life, why they decided to come to campus—or stay home—and how COVID-19 is changing their expectations. Today, we speak with Regan Toole, who is in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.

Q: Are you on campus?

A: I am on campus this fall, and I am actually a Chick Evans Scholar. Meaning that I am attending U of I on a full tuition-and-room scholarship. I am also currently staying in the Evans’ chapter house.

Q: What made you decide to be on campus?

A: I decided to stay on campus because I wanted to get as much of the freshman experience as possible. I wanted to get to know other people and I wanted to familiarize myself with the campus. The campus is so beautiful, especially now that the weather is starting to cool down. I love taking walks around campus, but I still haven’t explored the whole thing because it so big! But one day I will.

Q: What challenges are you discovering with remote classes?

A: As for classes, some challenges for me are that I am still adjusting to college classes being online and each of them using different platforms. At my high school we used Google Classroom for everything, which was very convenient. Classes back then were also a lot easier because my grades could only improve from what they were before COVID-19. Since I had an “A” in all of my classes I couldn’t get anything lower, as long as I did all of my work. I also do not have any in-person classes this semester and it can be hard for me to be on my computer all day. However, I try to fit in breaks to walk around and socialize with people. Also, at first it was hard to find where the due dates and assignment where for some of my class, but after getting used to the websites it has gotten easier to access everything.

Q: Tell me what you think about the COVID testing process. Has it been easy to find a testing site?

A: I am so grateful that U of I has its testing process because it makes me feel a lot safer being on campus. Altering hearing about all of the cases at Notre Dame and (North Carolina), it is very reassuring to know what is actually going on at our campus. There is also a testing center right next to my house and it is super easy and quick for me to get tested. I am still very conscious about COVID-19 and I always make sure to wear my mask and wash my hands frequently. However, I am still really glad to see lot of other people wearing their face masks around campus and it seems that most people understand the importance of them.

Q: Have you encountered any of the Wellness Safety Ambassadors? What has that experience been like?

A: The Wellness Safety Ambassadors are a great addition to campus as well. I think they do a great job of promoting safety for COVID-19 on campus. I even got an additional care package from them and I absolutely love the spray hand sanitizer! Overall, I am very happy and fortunate to be on campus this fall. I am very excited to see what my future holds here at U of I. I-L-L!

Tags: COVID-19, Freshmen, Health and Kinesiology

Paris Smith talks about her Applied Practice Experience change

Aug. 01, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Students in the Master of Public Health program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois had to adjust their internships—known as Applied Practice Experiences—because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Periodically, we will speak with them about how those changes have affected their summer plans and potentially career paths. Today, we speak with Paris Smith, who worked remotely for Erie Family Health Centers, which is located in Chicago.

Q: How are your experiences different from what you expected?

A: Having to complete projects from home allowed me to express my creativity, however I was not able to collaborate with other staff in a hands-on setting as I would have being in the Erie facility, physically.

Q: Are you doing something for your APE than what you originally planned?

A: Some of my original projects were not able to happen, such as working with adolescent behavior health group visits, but I was still able to complete some other projects that will be implemented once Erie has more patients coming in person.

Q: Does your APE lead you to think about a different career path?

A: No, it has actually made me explore being in the health education field that focuses on promoting adolescents to being aware of their health.

Q: What happened to your original APE?

A: I am still working with the organization that I interviewed with interviewed with in January

Q: Are you working remotely?

A: Yes.

Q: Has anything been frustrating about your change in APE status?

A: Having the same routine of logging in on for my intern experience and being in the same place has not been as exciting as it would have been interacting with staff and patients everyday.

Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?

A: I am missing out on networking with people to be able to get more feedback on projects and potential job opportunities to have once I graduate.

Q: What advice do you have for future students who might have disrupted APEs?

A: Do not get discouraged because you can spend this time looking for other internship opportunities that you have been interested in, and even developing a new skill such as typing or making a flyers.

Q: What other ways has COVID-19 affected you? Have you traveled? Have you been able to go home, see family?

A: I have not been able to travel due to COVID-19. I usually spend time seeing family during the summer months and now I have to connect with them through video calls.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Shivani Shah talks about her Applied Practice Experience change

July 21, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Students in the Master of Public Health program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois have had to adjust their internships—known as Applied Practice Experiences—because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Periodically, we will speak with them about how those changes have affected their summer plans and potentially career paths. Today, we speak with Shivani Shah, who is working remotely as a research intern with the South Asian heart lifestyle intervention (SAHELI) and South Asians Active Together (SAATH) studies.

Q: How are your experiences different from what you expected?

A: Pre-COVID, I expected my experience with the SAHELI and SAATH research teams to be primarily community facing—I was going to be recruiting research participants and doing educational outreach. Now, my experience has been more focused on designing modified study arm materials and brainstorming implementation logistics for when research recruitment can resume.

Q: Are you doing something different for your APE than what you originally planned?

A: While I am at my planned APE site, the work certainly shifted to be less hands-on and more planning and logistics, as I previously mentioned. This has exposed me to details including the protocols and extensive planning that goes into putting together a robust research study, alongside the challenges of modifying these components due to COVID. While unplanned, I am seeing a completely new side of organizational management, which is meaningful.

Q: Does your APE lead you to think about a different career path?

A: I was previously hesitant about working in a research setting as I worried it would be more distant from communities. However, this experience quickly shifted my understanding, as I see my team making important contributions to both the research world and on the lives of community participants. I’d love to continue exploring community based participatory research in my career.

Q: What happened to your original APE?

A: I’m grateful that my APE site was able to keep me onboard in a remote capacity.

Q: Are you working remotely?

A: For the most part, yes. Given the importance of group cohesion and a basic medical examination for the research study efficacy, I was recently able to participate in a few minimal risk in-person activities.

Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?

A: My internship was primarily outreach and education-based, which was entirely people-facing. I was looking forward to connecting with community members and hearing their stories in addition to better understanding their needs and perceptions around health. I certainly wish I had this experience, especially because participants also generally really enjoy the in-person interactions.

Q: What advice do you have for future students who might have disrupted APEs?

A: The world is very unpredictable, and things may not go the way you initially anticipated. But ultimately, it’s part of the learning and growing process. Stay true to yourself and your goals—there are alternative pathways to learn and achieve your goals, and the MPH program faculty is an incredible resource in helping you get there.

Q: What other ways has COVID-19 affected you? Have you traveled? Have you been able to go home, see family?

A: This pandemic is a mentally and emotionally taxing event on the globe as a whole. It is difficult to find a new normal—as someone who loves being outdoors and struggles with online communications, it is an adjustment. Thankfully, however, I have the privilege of being home in the suburbs in the company of my family.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Tags: alumni, MPH, Shivani Shah

Can a wearable device combined with PT improve results?

July 01, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The wearable device tracked movement to aid patients with exercise technique

A new publication from Kinesiology and Community Health assistant professor Manuel Hernandez looks at how use of a wearable device combined with physical therapy can improve patient results.

The paper, entitled, “Design of a Low-Cost, Wearable Device for Kinematic Analysis in Physical Therapy Settings,” was published in the June 2020 edition of Methods of Information in Medicine.

Hernandez said he hoped to learn if test subjects—who were from the Champaign-Urbana area—had a positive or negative experience with a novel wearable device, and to identify key areas for improvement in future versions of the device, so as to improve how well future wearable devices get adopted.

The wearable device, Hernandez said, was a standalone suite of sensors that track movement (using IMUs, or inertial measurement units), together with a power supply and mini computer (i.e., a Raspberry Pi), aimed at aiding physical therapy patients in improving exercise technique, through the classification of different upper extremity exercises, monitoring of progress, and biofeedback.

Participants were asked to complete nine upper-extremity exercises while wearing the device: Standing row; external rotation with arm abducted 90 degrees; external rotation; bicep curl; forearm pronation/supination; wrist curls; lateral arm raise; front arm raise, and horizontal abduction.

The aim, Hernandez said, is to validate the ability of the wearable device to accurately identify different upper extremity exercises using machine learning techniques and improve the ergonomics and usability of the device through further miniaturization, increased wireless connectivity, and development of a companion smartphone app.

“It is important to note that everyone is unique and will benefit from personalized care following an injury,” Hernandez said. “We hope that through the integration of smart devices together with evidence-based physical therapy practices, we can achieve improved rehabilitation outcomes, such as a higher restoration of function and speed up recovery, by providing an affirmation of exercise quality, feedback on progress, and minimization of re-injury.”

Tags: Health and Kinesiology, Manuel Hernandez, Physical therapy

MPH student Kelly Licata talks about her Applied Practice Experience

July 15, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Q: How are your experiences different from what you expected?

A: Off the bat, I did not expect to be doing my internship remotely. I was expecting the immersive experience of working in the office, full-time, sitting in on meetings and programs that I get to learn from. But seeing as Aging Care Connections works with a much higher-risk population, everything is moved to online resources and I’m interacting with clients via Zoom.

Q: Are you doing something different for your APE than what you trained for?

A: No, the MPH program at U of I really prepares us for anything and my APE has moved a lot of its resources online, which has allowed my APE to move forward just with some flexibility of how we are providing education, information and data analysis to put our focus on whatever older adults need the most.

Q: Does your APE work lead you to think about a different career path?

A: I’ve loved completing my APE at Aging Care Connections; it’s been a really great experience and despite working remotely, it’s been hands-on. I wouldn’t say it’s changed my career path, I’m still interested in policy and healthcare resources regarding older adults.

Q: What happened to your original APE?

A: I was really lucky that my APE was not cancelled or altered too significantly, that this placement and project is pretty much the original without data collection being administered in face-to-face surveys and teaching all programs through Zoom format and not on-site.

Q: Are you working remotely?

A: I am working remotely. It’s definitely different than what I anticipated since now I can just roll out of bed and start working, but there’s still plenty to do and I am definitely learning a lot as we go!

Q: Has anything been frustrating about your change in APE status?

A: The most frustrating part about the changes with my APE project are really just the lack of face-to-face interaction with my preceptor, team members and clients. I was really looking forward to the hands-on experience of leading class programs face to face and getting to know our clients on a deeper level, and that can be tough on Zoom. Also, our clients are older adults and Zoom can be challenging for any new user. They’ve gotten the hang of Zoom with impressive speed but there still can be technological issues that sometimes arise in our classes and it can be difficult to troubleshoot for them.

Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?

A: It’s been really interesting to say the least of starting a position when you haven’t met 95 percent of your co-workers. To hop in on conference calls where you’ve never interacted with anyone face to face is a different experience. There’s always a split second when I join Zoom meetings or conference calls that everyone thinks that they’ve got a Zoom crasher joining.

Q: What advice do you have for future students who might have disrupted internships or APEs?

A: I guess just be flexible and open to any new program or project you may come across. There’s still ways to complete APEs if you’re open to new ideas and different solutions.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Tags: COVID-19, Kelly Licata, MPH

MPH student Nicole Alberto talks about her Applied Practice Experience

July 06, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Students in the Master of Public Health program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois have had to adjust their internships—known as Applied Practice Experiences—because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Periodically, we will speak with them about how those changes have affected their summer plans and potentially career paths. Today with speak with Nicole Alberto, who is working this summer as a Graduate Research Assistant of the MOVE MS program.

Q: How are your experiences different from what you expected?

A: As a full-time intern this summer, I was expecting that I would be at the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and doing field work at nearby counties. But since my supposed summer internship was cancelled due to COVID-19, I had to find an alternative placement, go back home and do my APE completely remotely.

Q: Are you doing something for your APE than what you trained for?

A: Yes! My work with Dr. Brynn Adamson as a Graduate Research Assistant of the MOVE MS program requires me to write and/or edit documents to be submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Because a lot of our courses focused on the development and promotion of health behavior programs, the logistics concerning IRB of these community/research programs were not discussed that much.

Q: Does your APE work lead you to think about a different career path?

A: Not really. In fact, my APE work solidified my passion to conduct my own research in the future. My four-year experience (undergraduate and graduate) with research gave me the knowledge, experience, confidence and drive to continue pursuing research in my future career as a Public Health Professional and a Physical Therapist.

Q: What happened to your original APE?

A: My original APE with the Carle Foundation was cancelled due to COVID-19. I had been working with my Carle preceptor since Fall 2019 and all APE paperwork had been completed. Unfortunately, Carle Foundation cancelled all summer internships last minute.

Q: Are you working remotely?

A: Yes, back at home in Chicago.

Q: Has anything been frustrating about your change in APE status?

A: I think the most frustrating part was when my original APE was cancelled last minute. I was one of the first to secure an APE site at the beginning of the year so it never occurred to me to find an alternative site. I had to cram to find one during the last weeks of school. Fortunately, my advisors were there to help me.

Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?

A: My internship with Carle required me to be at the office and do a lot of field work. I attended many events, met amazing people in the community and developed relationships with my supervisors. All of these were cut short by the stay-at-home order. I really miss the bonding and social interaction in the office and out in the field.

Q: What advice do you have for future students who might have disrupted internships or APEs?

A: Trust the process and your advisors! You are not alone in this dilemma. Your advisors will be there to assist you (or even rescue you) when you start to worry about delayed graduation due to your disrupted APE. Be flexible, work with them, and be open to new experiences. Your new site may be out of your comfort zone, but it may also be a new avenue for a better and bigger career path.

Q: What other ways has COVID-19 affected you? Have you traveled? Have you been able to go home, see family?

A: I think COVID-19 has affected me the same way as everybody else. My APE was cancelled, my two jobs ended, I had to go back home, I had to cancel all my summer travel plans and I had to adjust my lifestyle and schedule in many ways. I have a bit of hard feelings but surprisingly, staying at home this summer still got me very busy!

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Tags: COVID-19, MPH, Nicole Alberto

MPH student Stacia Simmons talks about her Applied Practice Experience

July 01, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Students in the Master of Public Health program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois have had to adjust their internships—known as Applied Practice Experiences—because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Periodically, we will speak with them about how those changes have affected their summer plans and potentially career paths. Today, we speak with Stacia Simmons, who is working on the contact tracing team at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago.

Q: Are your experiences different from what you expected?

A: Yes. with everything being shut down due to COVID-19, I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as my experience. I originally expected to be doing work with the Narcan and Prep program at CUPHD, however that shifted once Illinois was ordered to shut down. Shortly after, I was notified that everything would be done remotely and that my role at CUPHD would have to change. Fortunately, the Champaign Public Health Department offered me a position to work onsite as a contact tracing intern. In addition, Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago also offered me a remote contact tracing intern position, and I gladly accepted both positions. My experience so far has been amazing in that the work that I am doing directly aligns with my career interest which is infectious disease prevention/treatment. Therefore, being able to gain firsthand public health experience and to also be able to do my part in helping stop the spread of covid19 has been wonderful. It is also great in that working for two different health departments allows me to serve two different populations and it’s also very interesting to see the differences in approach in regard to the roles of contact tracers between both health departments. Both have exceeded beyond my expectations. Overall, it’s a blessing to be interning at both departments.

Q: You have worked in two facilities doing contract tracing. What differences have you noticed between them?

A: There is a big difference between the population that we serve through CUPHD than at HBHC. Chicago is a much bigger city with a lot more cases, therefore the roles of a contact tracer are slightly different also how things are structured. At CUPHD, the contact tracing unit is split into teams. They have a group of staff who conduct interviews, a group of staff that complete contact tracing and another group of staff that handle data entry and logistics. Contact tracers at CUPHD are in charge of completing daily wellness check calls to isolation and quarantine cases, while interviewers conduct interviews with confirmed cases to identify close contacts. At HBHC, there is one big team of contact tracers whose role is to conduct interviews and identify close contacts however, they do not follow up with cases as CUPHD does. With so many confirmed cases and a need for more contact tracers within the Chicago area, much of our time spent as contact tracers are obtaining information about close contacts.

Q: Does your APE work lead you to think about a different career path?

A: No, in fact it reassures me that I am in the right career path for me.

Q: What happened to your original APE?

A: Originally, it was planned for me to take part in a different role at CUPHD, however things shifted to working remotely. Fortunately, they have still allowed me to work onsite as a contact tracer instead.

Q: Are you working remotely?

A: For HBHC, yes, I am but, for CUPHD, I work onsite.

Q: Has anything been frustrating about your change in APE status?

A: In the beginning I was a bit nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect, however things have turned out very well for me. I am fortunate to have not experience anything frustrating about the change.

Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?

A: In working remotely with HBHC it doesn’t allow for me to have the onsite experience as I have with CUPHD, however I am still able to interact and network with other contact tracers as we all have a weekly meeting where we all get to touch base. Overall, it works out that I am able to work remotely from home for HBHC, seeing that I reside in the Champaign area.

Q: What advice do you have for future students who might have disrupted internships or APEs?

A: Make the best out of every experience. Yes, it can be very frustrating to have your internship disrupted, however there are other opportunities out there for you to take advantage of. Public health is a broad field filled with plenty of opportunities and it is vital that you put yourself out there and connect and network with others in which will open more opportunities for you later. Be open and flexible to change because it could be a blessing in disguise.

Q: What other ways has COVID-19 affected you? Have you traveled? Have you been able to go home, see family?

A: COVID-19 has definitely made it interesting in my household as I balance internship duties, and being creative in keeping life interesting and fun for my wonderful seven-year-old son. I haven’t traveled much as I am very busy with both internships and also working part-time as a preschool teacher. I am what you call a “towny”—Champaign is where I was born and raised, and luckily all of my family still resides here in town as well so I am able to see them.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Tags: COVID-19

Geiger gets NIH grant to study how social vulnerability contributes to pre-term births

June 29, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Pre-term birth of a baby puts them at risk for various health problems

Sarah Geiger, an incoming assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health in the College of Applied Health Sciences, has received a $200,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s ECHO Opportunities and Infrastructure Fund to study how social vulnerability contributes to pre-term births.

Geiger’s study is entitled, “Oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in relation to birth outcomes in four ECHO cohorts. As Geiger explained, babies are born too early for all sorts of reasons, but pre-term birth of a baby puts them at risk for various health problems. Pre-term birth is also really expensive for society, she said. In 2017, for example approximately four million babies were born preterm in the U.S. and preterm birth contributes an estimated $6 billion in health care costs within the first year of life.

“We want to learn more about how social vulnerability—things like being poor, stressed out, living as a racial or ethnic minority, and even being exposed to common environmental chemicals—contribute to pre-term birth,” Geiger said. “To do this, we want to explore what’s going on in women’s bodies when this happens, specifically biological pathways of oxidative stress and inflammation.”

Geiger’s study proposes to characterize biological pathways for preterm birth in four ECHO birth cohorts—including one at Illinois Kids Development Study in Champaign-Urbana—by applying a novel method to quantify the proportion of 8-iso-PGF2α derived from oxidative stress and inflammation mechanisms using the ratio of 8-iso-PGF2α to PGF2α. Previous studies have linked elevated levels of oxidative stress biomarkers to preterm birth, but it is difficult to distinguish between oxidative stress and inflammation, and, Geiger suggests, her study’s approach might address this data gap.

Urine samples will be collected from more than 2,000 women, with about 350 in Champaign-Urbana. The other cohort sites are Chemicals in Our Bodies at the University of California, San Francisco; Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats at Northeastern University; and The Infant Development and the Environment Study, at Mount Sinai, University of California, San Francisco, University of Rochester Medical Center, and University of Minnesota.

The study will begin in the fall, and next steps at our site will be preparing urine samples to send to a lab for biomarker measures, Geiger said.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

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Tags: Sarah Geiger

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