Ahead of the 2019 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, faculty and students at the University of Georgia College of Public Health are gearing up to share their expertise and insights on how public health can “create the healthiest nation.”

Below are just some of the topics they will be presenting in Philadelphia in November.

Delta Omega selects doctoral student Jessica Shotwell to present at APHA 2019

Shotwell is a PhD candidate in Health Promotion and Behavior.

CPH doctoral student Jessica Shotwell will present her research as part of the Delta Omega poster session at the 2019 American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting.

Shotwell was one of twenty-nine students selected to present their scholarship and research at the meeting.

Each year, the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health and the Academic Public Health Caucus sponsor a student poster session with presenters selected from local chapters of Delta Omega at CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health.

Shotwell’s poster will represent the culmination of two years of data collection across three large, Athens, Georgia-based health care clinics on health literacy, health autonomy and shared decision making. Kasey Smith, MPH-PhD student, is a co-author on the award-winning poster. Time and date: November 5, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

College Faculty Presentations at APHA 2019

Stuart Feldman, interim director for the department of health policy & management, is serving as a Governing Councilor on the APHA Governing Council for the Pharmacy Section.

Pamela Orpinas, health promotion & behavior professor, is presenting a poster on intimate partner violence prevention. The presentation details the development of a virtual case simulation training for religious leaders in Korean American communities. She is also participating in a round table discussion on community health workers, which will highlight Lazos Hispanos, an Athens-based initiative to connect the local Latinx community to healthcare services using Spanish-speaking community health workers.
Time and Date:
Poster, November 5, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Roundtable, November 6, 10:30 – 12:00 p.m.

Deanna Walters, faculty in health promotion & behavior, is presenting an oral session on sexual violence in college men. Through an anonymous survey study at a Southeastern U.S. university, Walters studied the correlation of high-risk peer groups such as fraternities, student organizations, and sports groups to self-reported sexually violent behaviors. Her results suggest that the issue is not lack of knowledgeability around consent and predatory behaviors. Rather, effective strategies should direct their efforts at high-risk groups and shifting cultural beliefs. Time and date: November 5, 3:00 – 3:20 p.m.

Rebecca Wells, a clinical assistant professor with joint appointments in CPH and the School of Social Work, is presenting on the impact of medical homes have on pediatric outcomes for children with different categories of special health care need. Time and date: November 6, 2019 8:30 a.m.

Donglan Zhang, assistant professor in health policy & management, is presenting results from an analysis of national chain restaurant menu labels. Menu labeling is an existing policy leverage to require chain restaurants post calorie information to improve consumer awareness. The study uses the Nutritional Environment Measures Survey in Restaurants (NEMS-R) to estimate the healthfulness of chain restaurants in Georgia counties after the Mandatory Menu Labeling policy for chain restaurants. Fellow HPAM colleague Janani Thapa and Nicole Katapodis (MPH ’19) contributed to this research. Time and date: November 5, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Workplace Health Group members Heather Padilla, Mark Wilson, and Dave DeJoy, are presenting posters and leading roundtables on insights related to the worksite translation of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, including trial results, program satisfaction, and work-life factors that influence program engagement. Presentations are taking place throughout the meeting.

CPH Student Presentations at APHA 2019

Megan Bramlett, PhD student, is giving a workshop-style oral presentation on a tool for prioritizing health needs when conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment, which increases the level of objectivity when determining what health needs to prioritize above others. Time and date: November 4, 4:00 – 4:20 p.m.

Amanda Brown, DrPH student, is presenting data obtained from CMS-funded work in Georgia nursing homes to assess practical barriers to Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment implementation, including reluctance by physicians and a lack of education among some direct care workers. Time and date: November 6, 8:45 – 9:00 a.m.

Alejandra Calva, MPH-MSW student, is presenting a poster on the results of a leadership training of community health workers, promotoras, to serve and improve the health of the Athens Latinx community. Time and date: November 5, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Bailey Collette, PhD student, is giving an oral presentation on her work examining the relation between lutein accumulation in the retina and self-reported emotional wellbeing in community-dwelling older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. Time and date: November 6, 11:30 – 11:50 a.m.

Rachel McCardel, MPH-PhD student, is giving an oral presentation on the perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing a workplace lactation policy in a complex organization with multiple worksites. Time and date: November 5 at 10:30 a.m.

Anita Reina, PhD student, is presenting the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine and as a treatment for health risks experienced by menopausal-aged women. Time and date: November 5, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Kiran Thapa, MPH student, is presenting work that assessed the relationship between physical fitness and alcohol use among middle and high school students enrolled in Georgia public schools. Time and date: November 4, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Members of the PRIME (Practice, Research and Mentorship in Epidemiology) team will be presenting a series of posters examining the associations between variables – including, maternal glucose levels, gestational hypertension, vector-borne disease – on pregnancy outcomes:

Mehar Anand, B.S., health promotion
Examining the role of gestational hypertension and eclampsia on the birth weight of babies born in Georgia. Time and date: November 3, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m

Mechelle Claridy, PhD student
Relationship Between Pregnancy Associated Malaria to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Maternal Antibodies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Time and date: November 5, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Nicholas Mallis, PhD student
 The association between gestational weight gain and preeclampsia across population characteristics. Time and date: November 3, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Gabriel Rodriguez , PhD student
Systematic review and meta-analysis of mobile divide reminders (MDRs) as an effective strategy to establish prenatal care. Time and date: November 3, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Skarlet Velasquez, PhD student
The relationship between gestational hypertension and hypertension eclampsia and low birth weights. Time and date: November 3, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

The relationship of low gestational weight gain and risk of preterm births in Puerto Rico. Time and date: November 6, 12:30 – 12:45 p.m.

Additional coverage at ASPPH Friday Letter.

Posted October 24, 2019.