NEWS
Dr. Alakaam has been awarded $332,500 from TN Department of Health to develop a curriculum for public health workforces in Tennessee.
Dr. Alakaam has submitted a $74,995 to NSF Analytics for Equity Initiative to examine breastfeeding equity among individuals with low income.
Dr. Alakaam is developing a set of training materials and modules on public health and nutrition that support public health professionals continuing education and development, as well as integrate evidence-based health interventions into practice.
Dr. Ford has been awarded the following grants:
- Testing drinking water for lead in childcare centers. $1,500. Awarded December 2022.
- City of Chattanooga, U.S. Health and Human Service, Office of Minority Health grant subcontract. “COVID-19 Action, Response, and Equity Coalition Project.” $49,759. Awarded June 2022. Amended to $64,022 in December 2022.
- TN Department of Environment and Conservation. “Lead Testing of Drinking Water in Child Care Agencies”, $12,750. Awarded July 1, 2022.
Dr. Hamilton, along with Victoria Norwood (program manager, MPH student), undergraduate EHS students, and community members implemented the 4th year of MANE this spring. MANE is an after-school program that equips children with the knowledge, skills, and supportive environment that can help them lead healthier lives by being physically active.
Dr. Heath is working on a funded research project. A computational modeling framework for COVID-19 vaccination. NIH R15 Award- 7/01/2021-6/30/2022, $100,000.
Dr. Heath is working on a funded research project. Develop and Evaluate Computational Frameworks to Predict and Prevent Future Coronavirus Pandemics. NSF Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention (PIPP). 08/01/2022-02/28/2024, $1,000,000.
Dr. McElrone was awarded the following grants:
- UTC Faculty Development Grant, Presentation at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior International Conference 2023, $1500.
- Library Enhancement Grant, UTC Library Enhancement Initiative: Public Health; $2,470.90. Funded 2023.
- UTC Ruth S. Holmberg Grant for Faculty Excellence. Development of a household nutrition security screener for policy and program evaluation in families with children, $4,905. Funded 2022-2023.
Dr. Powell received a “Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate” that was completed in February of 2022 at T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell.
Dr. Powell is working with Affare S. and Barbosa JF. (Co-Principal) in “Agriculture and Nutrition for Girls while Encouraging Leadership & STEM-Enrichment (ANGELS),” project. Sponsored by USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, $100,000.00. (September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2024).
RECENT PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
*Denotes MPH student co-author
PRESENTATIONS
Alakaam A. The impact of built environment and structure on human health. Presentation in green|spaces Regenerative Design Summit. Invited Speaker. Chattanooga, TN. August, 2022.
Alakaam A. Nutrition for opioid use disorder and recovery. North Idaho Substance Uses Summit. Invited Speaker. August, 2022 [Virtual].
Powell MC, Irankunda F*, & Gooch K*. Program Evaluation of a Community-Based Hands-On Nutrition Education Class. Poster presented at: UTC Spring Research & Arts Conference. April 12, 2023. Chattanooga, TN.
Parks N*, McElrone M. “Enhancing LGBTQ+ Inclusivity within the University of Tennessee’s Master of Public Health Program.” Poster presentation at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2023 Spring Research and Arts Conference. April 12, 2023.
Ward S*, McElrone M. “Bridging safety and community impact: An assessment of a potential closure of a highly trafficked pedestrian bridge in a mid-sized southeastern city.” Poster presentation at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2023 Spring Research and Arts Conference. April 12, 2023.
McElrone M, Obi E*, Evans B*, Fouts H. “Exploring intra-household food insecurity experiences in southern Ethiopia.” Oral presentation at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference. July 30, 2022.
Ford D. (2022). Employee Wellness Initiative: Addressing the Underserved Employees. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. November 2022, Boston, MA. [published abstract].
Ford D, Saraney J*. (2023). Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about mpox on a college campus. NACCHO Public Health Preparedness Summit. April 2023, Atlanta, GA (presentation).
Ford D, Yates T*. (2022).Employee Wellness in a Post-COVID World. Tennessee Public Health Association Annual Meeting. September 2022, Murfreesboro, TN [oral presentation]. Offered for Pharmacist and Nursing CE credits.
Rieves B (EHS student), Norwood V*, KC Hamilton. Exploring the Need for Community Program Physical Activity Surveillance in Chattanooga. UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, Chattanooga, TN. 2023.
Osei G, Onyame EN, Schmidt CE (mentor). Carotenoid levels and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake: Differences across age, race, sex and BMI, UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science Virtual Symposium, July 15, 2022.
PUBLICATIONS
Alakaam A, Evans, E*. (2022). An overview of social determinants of health and their impact on chronic diseases in Tennessee. green|spaces. Chattanooga. Tennessee
McElrone M, Evans J, Anderson Steeves E, Barroso C, Spence M. Development of a data visualization tool to evaluate the impact of a maternal and child health nutrition leadership training program on the maternal and child population. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2023;27:611–620. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03606-7
Anderson Steeves ET, Hollis-Hansen K, McElrone M, Nur H, Landry M. Supporting food security among migrant, immigrant, and refugee populations. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2023;55(2):83-84. DOI: 1016/j.jneb.2022.12.003
McElrone M, Russomanno J, Wroth K. A pilot study assessing the impacts of COVID-19 on Tennessee farmer social needs and pandemic-related anxiety. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2022;11(3):75-85. DOI: 10.5304/jafscd.2022.113.009
Ford D, Saraney J*. (2023). Benefits of Integrating Service-Learning with Other High Impact Practices in Public Health. Scholarly Teacher. Published article, week of February 21.
Garland T, McGuffey K, Ford D, Dotson E. (2023). Politicizing vaccination requirements: American university responses in the era of COVID-19. Higher Education Policy. Submitted 11/16/2022. Accepted with revisions.
Peyer KL, Hamilton KC. Validity of the Garmin Vivofit Jr to measure physical activity during a youth after-school program. Journal of Measurement of Physical Behaviour. 2022.
Goenka S, Mukerjee P, and Heath GW. Chapter 5.2. Physical Activity (pp. 56-59) In: Public Health Approach to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention & Management. Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Shuchi Anand, and K. Srinath Reddy, Editors. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 2023.
Perez L, Arredondo E, Ding D, and Heath GW. Progress and Opportunities for Advancing Physical Activity Behavior Change in LMICs in: Physical Activity in Low-and Middle-Income Countries. Siefken K, Ramirez Varela A, Waqanivalu T, Schulenkorf N (eds.); Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2022.
Heath GW, Levine D. Physical Activity and Public Health among People with Disabilities: Research Gaps and Recommendations. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 22;19(16):10436. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191610436. PMID: 36012074; PMCID: PMC9408065.
RECENT CALLS
AIMS Press Special Issue: The future food challenge: from environmental sustainability to innovation with an eye on tradition. Deadline for submission is 31 August 2023
Public Health Special Issue: Life Course Epidemiology of Chronic Disease-From Surveillance to Interventions. Deadline for submission is 31 December 2023.
Nutrients Special Issue: Extraction, interaction mechanism of bioactive components and safety evaluation of hazards in agricultural products. Deadline for submission is 1 March 2024.
UPCOMING EVENTS
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
- Nov 12-15, 2023, Atlanta, GA
Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo
- October 7-10, 2023, Denver, CO
International Conference on Public Health Systems and Research
- May 11-12, 2024, Honolulu, HI, Virtual
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga-Faculty Grants ($1,500-$2,500). Due August 15, 2023 for fall activities or November 15, 2023 for spring activities
National Institutes of Health-Innovation for HIV Vaccine Discovery ($350,000-$500,000). Due April 02, 2025
Lillian L. Colby Foundation Grant ($5,000 to $25,000). Due September 1, 2023 for fall and February 1, 2024 for spring