Rachel Hoopsick, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, studied teens’ misuse of inhalants in two recent papers. (Photo by Michelle Hassel)
Two new studies co-authored by Health and Kinesiology Assistant Professor Rachel Hoopsick offer insights into the spread of nitrous oxide misuse among adolescents.
What Hoopsick found in two studies: Millions of Americans were exposed to content about recreational nitrous oxide use from just 30 social media videos uploaded in early 2025. And younger teens were more likely to engage in inhalant misuse than older adolescents, with teenage girls being more likely to develop inhalant misuse disorder than boys.
Hoopsick led the two studies with University of Mississippi public health professor Andrew Yockey, who will join the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty in August.
“Inhalant use can cause serious harm, including neurologic damage, hearing loss, liver and kidney dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, psychological dependence and even sudden death after a single episode of use,” said Hoopsick.
HK Associate Professor Laura Rice (right) joined WCIA 3 News for University Updates, to share her research on the risks of falls for wheelchair users. (WCIA 3 News)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older. People in wheelchairs are at an even higher risk. That’s a primary focus for Health and Kinesiology Associate Professor Laura Rice and her research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Rice spoke with WCIA 3 News on the University Updates segment, to shed light on fall statistics and how users of wheelchair and scooters can manage the risks of falling.
“A lot of times, the wheelchair isn’t fit for the person very well, maybe they got a hand-me-down that wasn’t set up for them, people don’t have training on transfers when they’re moving the person from one place to another. Those are all very common reasons for falls,” she explained.
This summertime enrichment program for local youth run by Health and Kinesiology at Illinois is back in Champaign
A day in the iPALS program provides academic enrichment, playtime, social-emotional learning and nutritious snacks. (Photo provided)
A group of Illinois physical education alumni are supporting one of the College of Applied Health Sciences’ longest-running youth programs as it returns to Champaign.
Three graduates of the former Department of Physical Education for Women at Illinois—Carolyn Bechly, Jean Snuggs and Lyndell Wilken—have pooled their resources into an endowment to help fund the Illinois Physical Activity and Life Skills program, also known as iPALS. The summer wellness program for local children is also a steppingstone for Illinois student educators to develop their skills.
“We’re hoping iPALS can be part of their practical experience, building on what they’ve learned in a classroom,” said Wilken, who graduated in 1972 and became a coach, physical educator and athletics administrator.
The eight-week iPALS program run by the Department of Health and Kinesiology in Applied Health Sciences brings in local schoolchildren every summer for a full day-camp experience, with structured playtime, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning and nutritious snacks available each day.
Beyond a summer opportunity for at-risk youth—every child participant qualifies for SNAP benefits or free-and-reduced lunch—the program doubles as a research study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The premise of the study: to see if regular physical activity, summertime enrichment and specialized nutrition can curb “learning loss,” the regular backsliding of academic achievement that occurs over summer break. Enrollment in iPALS is completely free.
The University of Illinois has a long history of youth summer programs. iPALS was originally the “Sport Fitness” program, where physical activity was the focus. With community input from partnering local school districts, faculty leaders have developed a more balanced approach over the years, between academic and social enrichment, exercise and nutrition.
Many of the daily snacks served to iPALS kids contain lutein, a carotenoid common in leafy green vegetables that settles in our eyes and brain, supporting our eyesight and cognitive health. The iPALS participants, ages 6 to 11 years old, take fitness, academic and cognition assessments at the beginning and end of the program to measure its direct impacts.
“Given that physical activity participation is among the most robust behavioral approaches to support both physical and cognitive health, we anticipate that the iPALS program has the potential to have a meaningful impact on children in our community,” said principal investigator Naiman Khan, associate professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology.
During iPALS days, the kids move from station to station, with each stop run by Illinois graduate students. The researchers purposely use students with diverse backgrounds: nutrition majors running the snack station, education majors running academic enrichment, and physical educators structuring the playtime.
“For me, the most important aspect is that we provide a safe space for eight hours a day where kids are guaranteed meals and snacks, surrounded by adults who care about them, and they’re able to build relationships with peers experiencing similar realities,” said HK Associate Professor Kevin Richards, who researches the teaching of physical education. “That impact is difficult to capture with data, but it is the most meaningful part of the program.”
Interested families can visit the iPALS website and complete the eligibility survey to see if their child qualifies for the program. This year’s iPALS will take place at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy in Champaign on weekdays from June 3 to July 17.
Booker T. Washington STEM Academy in Champaign will be the hosting venue for this year’s iPALS program. (Champaign Unit 4)
A Motivated Donation
Illinois alumnae Carolyn Bechly, Lyndell Wilken and Jean Snuggs on a trip to Alaska. The three graduated from Illinois Department of Physical Education for Women just as Title IX took effect. (Photo provided)
The teaching experience available in the iPALS program mirrors the student teaching opportunities that were available to prior generations of Illinois physical education majors. Months after the passage of landmark Title IX legislation in 1972, the Illinois departments of Physical Education for men and women were fused, just as Bechly, Wilken and Snuggs happened to embark on their careers.
Under Title IX, every education program that received federal funding had to ensure equal access for students regardless of sex. Schools nationwide had an imperative to start girls’ sports teams, and a dire need for coaches. Some states, including Illinois, mandated that coaching slots be filled by women.
Suddenly, these new Illinois physical education graduates had their work cut out for them.
“It was an amazing time, and busy,” Wilken said. “The opportunities were huge, also the workload you sustained, because you were a full-time teacher and you weren’t given anything extra for coaching—just the love of sport and wanting girls to have opportunities that drove most of us to essentially do it for free.”
The three women quickly discovered the lessons from the Illinois’ physical education program were useful in the field. They had learned under department legends such as professors Phyllis Hill and Beulah Drom, who instilled foundations in childhood motor skills and structuring class-time for physical education. The pedagogy of P.E. was scientific and practical: to help students understand the joy of movement, you’ll have to get them to line up single file as well.
“The science of it was really fascinating … you learned how to learn things, which carried over into how to teach,” Snuggs said. “In retrospect, it was always incredibly teaching-oriented.”
Wilken, Snuggs, Bechly and their cohort have retired, mostly, from long careers in physical education and coaching, spanning secondary schools, colleges and universities. They owe much of their lasting bond with their classmates to the passage of Title IX, and the whirlwind of entering the field together, giving student-athletes—particularly young women—opportunities that didn’t exist for themselves.
“We graduated, Title IX happened, and we fell into wonderland,” Bechly said. “Us starting as brand-new teachers, to be able to coach and experience stuff we didn’t really experience to that level, it was just fabulous.”
Naturally, shared professional experiences led the cohort to stay in touch and collaborate. Wilken made a spirited call to Snuggs back in 1979: Wilken was leaving her post at the American River College in Sacramento after founding its women’s track and field team. The school would need a new athletics administrator, and a new coach.
Inspired by how iPALS mirrors their own student-teaching experiences at Illinois, these physical education alums set up a fund to support the program indefinitely. (Photo provided)
“I had never run a track race in my life, but Lyndell said, ‘Hey, you might like this, why don’t you apply?’” Snuggs said. Snuggs got the job and stayed at American River College for more than 30 years, retiring as its dean of physical education in 2012. Wilken went to work at Lane Community College in Oregon, coaching its cross country and track teams to four conference championships.
Today, more than 53 years after the passage of Title IX, these alums have reconnected with their alma mater. After dialogues with the current faculty of Health and Kinesiology, the iPALS program seemed a good target for their financial support, mirroring their own student-teaching experiences at Illinois.
Their Supervised Teaching of Physical Activity/Nutrition Fund will support iPALS indefinitely. The founders have put out an open call for alums, including fellow physical educators, to donate.
“We’d like the students working there in the summer to be future physical educators, and that they continue being mentored and teaching,” Bechly said.
Families can register their kids for this summer session of iPALS now. In the meantime, the PEW alums hope more supporters help sustain the program.
“Physical education is a wonderful opportunity for kids to make decisions at whatever level, in terms of how they deal with others, how they deal with winning and losing. It’s heavy-duty stuff they can use for the rest of their lives,” Snuggs said.
Editor’s note:
To learn more about iPALS or sign up your child, visit the program’s webpage.
Want to contribute to the Supervised Teaching of Physical Activity/Nutrition Fund (Fund #778014)? Donate or email our AHS Office of Advancement at advancement@ahs.illinois.edu.
The second Physical Activity Symposium at Illinois was hosted by the Department of Health and Kinesiology on April 3, 2026.
The Illini Physical Activity Symposium celebrates the widening research field of physical activity and its connections to public health across the globe.
The second edition hosted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign added a couple new traditions, including live student presentations and a guest speaker, but things kicked off the same way as last year: with a sunny walk to the Main Quad.
“We felt very happy with our event and the feedback we received from the students, and we feel motivated to continue with this initiative for next year,” said Health and Kinesiology Assistant Professor Otavio Leão.
This year, students and faculty members also celebrated the launch of the concentration in physical activity and health in the Master of Public Health program at Illinois.
The Illini Physical Activity Symposium is hosted by labs at the Department of Health and Kinesiology in the College of Applied Health Sciences:
The Lifetime Physical Activity Lab run by Assistant Professor Rafael Tassitano and Teaching Assistant Professor Cecília Tenório.
The Longitudinal Analysis in Physical Activity, Sleep, Sitting, Screen Time, and Accelerometry Lab run by Assistant Professor Leão. (LA-PASSSTA Lab)
The Epidemiology, Physical Activity and International Collaboration Lab of Professor Pedro Hallal. (EPIC Lab)
University of California San Diego Professor Michael Pratt visited campus to present the research on the potential benefits of vigorous physical activity, and why it may be more important than current physical activity guidelines indicate.
Michael Pratt (center) visited campus from UCSD to present his findings on vigorous physical activity. Health and Kinesiology professors (from left) Bruno Nunes, Otavio Leao, Pedro Hallal, Thayna Flores, Cecilia Tenorio, Emerson Sebastiao and Rafael Tassitano pose at the second Illini Physical Activity Symposium.
Afterwards, several graduate and doctoral students presented their findings from physical activity studies, covering topics such as step counts, obesity, screen-time, and childhood development.
Doctoral students Tayo Folorunso and Alisha Chuhdry won the inaugural Bill Kohl Awards for best poster presentation and oral presentation at the event. Folorunso presented her research into physical activity and abdominal obesity among U.S. women, and Chuhdry presented a study on motor competence among preschool children in Brazil.
Health and Kinesiology doctoral student Tayo Folorunso was honored for her outstanding poster presentation at the second Illini Physical Activity Symposium, on April 3, 2026.Health and Kinesiology doctoral student Alisha Chuhdry was honored for her outstanding poster presentation at the second Illini Physical Activity Symposium, on April 3, 2026.
“Having doctoral students present their research at the symposium is a valuable experience. It allows them to practice communicating their work to a broader audience, receive feedback, and gain confidence in public speaking,” Tenorio said. “Experiences like this also help young researchers build their professional network and encourage them to continue pursuing a career in research.”
From left, Wendy Rogers, Raksha Mudar, Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Lynne Barnes and Cathy Emanuel (Photo by Carrie Wennerdahl)
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign gathered Thursday to explore a strategic partnership with Advocates for Aging Care (AAC), a local grassroots organization working to bring an innovative skilled nursing facility to Champaign County.
The workshop brought together university faculty, clinicians and leaders to begin shaping how research, education and clinical practice could align to strengthen person-directed aging care.
The guest speaker was Susan Ryan, CEO of Maryland-based AgingIN, whose Green House model is a finalist for the project.
Building an Innovative Model for Skilled Nursing Care
The overarching goal is to establish The Cottages as a quality, person-directed skilled nursing setting inspired by the Green House model. Through collaboration with the university, project leaders aim to embed research into practice, pilot new technologies and create hands-on educational opportunities for students across disciplines.
The long-term vision is for The Cottages to serve as a flagship model for Illinois and the nation—distinguished not only by its design, but by its integration with a leading research university and its strengths in aging research, technology, design and education.
Turning Shared Interests into Action
The workshop was designed to generate potential models for collaboration based on the mutual needs of university researchers, clinicians, educators and students, as well as residents, families, caregivers and staff at The Cottages. Insights gathered during the session will inform the formation of working groups to advance the partnership.
“AAC is pleased to welcome researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as we identify new ways to advance person-directed skilled nursing care,” said AAC Steering Committee Chair Cathy Emanuel. “This unique Green House model can be strengthened by applying the latest research in aging technology, safety, environmental design, and innovative care practices. By partnering with the university, we aim to create a truly distinctive, high-quality care environment grounded in leading-edge research.”
Broad University Engagement
Interest across campus has been strong.
“We have been impressed by the level of enthusiasm we have seen as we organized this event,” said Wendy Rogers and Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Nearly 100 have already expressed interest in being engaged with The Cottages. They represent a broad spectrum of areas, including The Grainger College of Engineering, the College of Applied Health Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Social Work, the College of Media, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, the Beckman Institute, Illinois Extension and UIC Nursing. We expect a long and fruitful relationship with Advocates for Aging Care, AgingIN, and The Cottages.”
Project leaders hope the Champaign County location will become a destination site for organizations seeking to implement innovative skilled nursing models—recognized not only for its Green House–inspired design, but also for its deep integration with university research, education and community engagement.
Additional details about construction timelines and future collaborative initiatives will be shared as planning progresses.
CAHME Announces the Initial Accreditation of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Master of Health Administration
Lynne Barnes is director of the MHA program and a longtime healthcare executive.
The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Board of Directors approved the initial accreditation of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Applied Health Sciences’ Master of Health Administration for a four-year term.
The accreditation affirms that the Illinois MHA program meets CAHME’s high standards for healthcare management education and demonstrates a strong commitment to academic excellence, professional preparation and continuous improvement.
“We are pleased to have the recognition of the premier accrediting body for master’s degrees in health administration,” said Lynne Barnes, clinical professor and director of the MHA program and a longtime healthcare administrator. “The requirements are rigorous and further strengthen the quality of education and number of opportunities that we are providing for our students. This distinction will allow us to continue to attract top students from across the country and internationally.”
The four-year term of accreditation marks a significant milestone for the Illinois MHA program and reinforces its commitment to educating the next generation of healthcare leaders. An online MHA degree program will launch in 2026, along with several graduate certificates that will enhance specialized training in the field.
Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell, dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences—where the MHA program is housed in the Department of Health and Kinesiology—emphasized the significance of the milestone for the university and its students.
“This accreditation reflects the dedication and collaboration of our faculty and staff in building a curriculum that prepares graduates to become highly effective healthcare management professionals,” Hanley-Maxwell said. “Our mission is to equip students with the leadership skills, analytical expertise, and ethical foundation necessary to improve healthcare delivery systems and advance health outcomes in Illinois and beyond.”
CAHME accreditation is widely recognized as the benchmark of quality in graduate healthcare management education. Programs that earn accreditation undergo an extensive self-study process and peer review to ensure alignment with standards designed to prepare graduates for leadership roles in healthcare organizations.
“CAHME’s mission is to advance the quality of healthcare management education,” said Al Faber, interim president and CEO of CAHME. “CAHME-accredited programs have successfully navigated a complex and careful accreditation process managed by experts in the study and practice of healthcare management. The program meets the rigorous standards set by leading academicians and practitioners who are experts in their fields.”
In the last decade in the U.S., the highest rates of postpartum depression were among racial and ethnic minority women.
Prof. Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, center, worked with fellow researchers Melany Romero, left, and Sudhamshi Beeram on a study investigating links between postpartum depression and pain during and after childbirth in racial/ethnic minority women.
(Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
A woman’s risk of developing postpartum depression is influenced by several pain-related factors before and after childbirth, including poor pain management, their prenatal mental health and the quality of patient-provider communication, researchers at the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say.
Health and Kinesiology Associate Professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo and her co-authors, graduate students Sudhamshi Beeram and Melany E. Romero, spoke to the Illinois News Bureau’s Sharita Forrest to share the findings of their analysis of postpartum literature: they identified seven interrelated risk factors of postpartum depression in racial and ethnic minority women.
Health and Kinesiology professors talked about early childhood nutrition with local news
Thaynã Flores and Pedro Hallal, professors of Health and Kinesiology, joined the University Updates segment of WCIA 3 News this week. (WCIA 3)
It’s no secret that the food you eat every day can impact your body or impact how you feel. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois are learning the link between what toddlers are eating, and how they think years later.
A team of professors from the College of Applied Health Sciences joined WCIA 3’s Amanda Brennan in the studio for Tuesday’s “University Update” to talk all about their new study, that found an association between unhealthy dietary patterns in early childhood and lowered cognitive test scores for kids years later.
“Our take home lesson today is that nutrition earlier in life really matters,” said Thaynã Flores, health and kinesiology assistant professor. “At age two, the brain is still developing fast and what the children eat during this period influences the brain’s outcomes later.”
Pedro Hallal, a professor with the Department of Health and Kinesiology added that it’s “no secret” that what you eat can influence your chronic disease risk or other physical impacts.
“What is new about this study is that what kids eat very early in life, at the age of two, will influence your brain, your cognition ability at age six. The more ultra-processed foods kids eat, the less developed their brains will be at age six. And that’s concerning,” Hallal said.
Can regular exercise reduce the protein needs of adults with type 2 diabetes?
From left: University of Illinois Professor Nick Burd, postdoc Mikaela Kasperek, Ph.D. student Gena Irwin, and Associate Professor Jacob Allen pose inside Freer Hall’s gym, where their labs will train participants in a 12-week exercise program for a clinical trial.
For healthy adults, roughly .8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is enough to maintain muscle mass and support daily function.
But for adults with type 2 diabetes, an estimated 1 in 10 adults in the United States, their protein requirements remain relatively undefined, but are believed to be elevated when compared to their non-diabetic counterparts. Especially as diabetic individuals age, their bodies often become more anabolic resistant: less responsive to the muscle-building effects of exercise and protein intake.
Researchers from the Department of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are recruiting participants for a human clinical trial to understand the protein needs of older adults with type 2 diabetes, and whether regular exercise can help their bodies use protein more efficiently.
“The problem with current strategies for type 2 diabetes is they largely try to keep throwing protein in people’s diets: eat more, eat more, eat more,” HK Professor Nicholas Burd said.
Piling on the protein could have detrimental effects. There’s evidence that circulating amino acids, including branch chain amino acids that promote muscle mass, are associated with poorer outcomes for people with diabetes, said HK Associate Professor Jacob Allen.
Their upcoming study, “Exercise impact on dietary protein efficiency in older adults with type 2 diabetes,” is funded by a grant from the American Diabetes Association. The principal investigators are Burd, who researches protein metabolism, and Allen, who studies how exercise and nutrition impact the gut microbiome.
Health and Kinesiology professors Jack Senefeld and Steve Petruzzello are co-investigators on the study.
HK Assistant Professor Jack Senefeld and Professor Steve Petruzzello are co-investigators on the study, bringing expertise on training diabetic individuals and psychological well-being during exercise. Ph.D. candidate Gena Irwin and postdoc Mikaela Kasperek will lead the work from the Burd’s Exercise Performance Lab and Allen’s Integrative Microbiota Physiology labs respectively.
Starting this fall, the researchers will recruit 30 older adults to participate in this study—15 individuals living with type 2 diabetes and 15 without—and bring them into Freer Hall’s gym for a 12-week fitness program that mixes weight training with endurance exercise.
The researchers will use sensitive tools in their labs to figure out how efficiently participants’ bodies utilize protein, and whether that efficiency varies for older adults with and without diabetes. After participants wrap the exercise program, the team will test whether resistance training improved their bodies’ usage of protein overall, lessening their daily protein needs.
“To make an older person’s muscles more youthful, you can exercise them,” Burd said. “But we don’t know how the gut’s being impacted, and we don’t know how type 2 diabetes interferes with some of the ‘youthfulness’ effects of exercise.”
Some of our dietary protein ends up in our skeletal muscle, through muscle-protein synthesis, and some of it is used for energy. But there’s a “black box” around where the rest of our protein goes in the body, Allen said.
“We think that the microbes in the gut, the gut microbiome, might be responsible for some of this, but this has never been studied,” Allen said. “We’ve run some pilot work that fueled part of this study, where we can show that indeed, ingested amino acids are converted into these microbial metabolites.”
Why might that matter? Some of these metabolites are important for human health overall, Allen said. For example, short chain fatty acids—the byproducts of dietary fiber being processed in our gut—bring a host of benefits for metabolism and the immune system.
The research teams will host intervention days at the beginning and end of the 12-week exercise program, to see how participants’ bodies are using the protein in their muscle and gut.
Participants will consume amino acids labeled with stable isotope tracers. The labs will collect breath samples to see how much of the labeled amino acid is showing up in the breath—if more of that labeled protein appears in participants’ breath, their bodies aren’t as good at incorporating it into muscle.
Blood samples will help the scientists understand how the gut is taking those amino acids and converting them into potentially beneficial metabolites.
The second intervention day at the end of the trial will determine whether an exercise program changed the way participants’ bodies use protein.
“There are very few labs in the U.S that not only have the expertise, but have the infrastructure to be able to do this kind of work, so we’re very fortunate for Illinois and our department,” Burd said. “Stable isotope tracers require expensive machines to analyze.”
What’s in it for participants? On top of helping the scientists form dietary guidelines for older adults with type 2 diabetes, they’ll receive progressive exercise training from expert students and faculty at the college, that will hopefully serve them well beyond their last visit.
“A big goal is to change behavior, too, to make them healthier,” Allen said. “That’s ultimately what we’re trying to do.”
Editor’s note:
Interested in participating in this study? Take the survey to see if you qualify, or email the organizers at HK-ADA-Study@illinois.edu
Now that fall 2025 is underway, I’m excited to share some of the exciting stories from the Department of Health and Kinesiology. Each newsletter reminds me of how fortunate I am to work alongside such passionate faculty, students and alumni who are making a real difference in people’s lives.
In this issue, you’ll find a fascinating look at how our researchers are using fMRI technology to see how a new mother’s brain responds to pain. We’re also tackling an issue you may have seen in the news related to the growing misuse of nitrous oxide. Our faculty are at the forefront of this devastating issue. In the past decade, U.S. annual deaths from nitrous oxide poisoning are up by nearly 600 percent.
Another feature dives into how machine learning is helping us better understand cognitive function. The study offers insight into the health and lifestyle indicators—including diet, physical activity and weight—that align most closely with healthy brain function. And for those interested in nutrition, you won’t want to miss our story on potato-protein diet combinations. This research is showing creative, practical approaches to fueling both wellness and performance.
What ties all these stories together is the spirit of curiosity and care that defines our department. And, as always, none of this work would be possible without the encouragement of alumni like you. Your support inspires our students and drives our mission forward.
Thank you for staying connected with us—I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
