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Message from Dr. Ivis T. Forrester
Director, Nutritional Sciences Program
School of Community Health and Policy
I am delighted to inform the School of Community Health and Policy and the Morgan community of the decision of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) regarding the re-accreditation of the Nutritional Sciences Program.
At their recent meeting, ACEND granted re-accreditation of the Nutritional Sciences Program for another 10 years.
Sincere gratitude is given to all who assisted in the preparation for re-accreditation: faculty, staff, administrators, students, advisory board members and committee members.
Again, thank you very much for your support, advice and assistance.
Dr. Ivis T. Forrester
2013 Awards Ceremony
Nursing Pinning Ceremony
Dr. Lorece Edwards of the School of Community Health and Policy, Behavioral Health Sciences Department has been named one of The Daily Record’s 2013 Top 100 Women. She was selected by an outside panel of judges for her professional achievement, community leadership and commitment to mentoring. Congratulations to Dr. Lorece Edwards.
Aetna Calendar Featuring Dr. Yvonne Bronner
2013 African American History Calendar Event
A Holistic Approach to Health and Wellness
The Students of SCHP are Doing Great Things in 2013
Mental Health Court Outcome Evaluation Project:
Project collaboration with Maryland Administrative Office of the Court – Office of Problem Solving Courts division to conduct an outcome evaluation of Prince Georges County, Maryland Mental Health Court (PGMHC). The outcome evaluation is designed to provide a better understanding of the net results of the PGMHC program goals and objectives. Additionally, the information of the outcome evaluation was to determine defendant demographics, case characteristics and recidivism rates.
Faculty Project Lead: Anita Hawkins, PhD
Project Research Assistant: Jeris B. Smith (DrPH Student)
Sabriya Dennis, DrPH student
Sabriya is currently working as a research assistant with Dr. Sheikhattari to evaluate the Communities Engaged and Advocating for a Smoke-free Environment (CEASE) Project. As part of this project Sabriya is conducting focus group sessions with program staff and participants in order to better understand their experiences with CEASE and the impact the program has had on their smoking habits and daily lives. In addition to conducting these focus groups Sabriya will also analyze the findings and disseminate the results back to the program and community via a final report.
In addition to this project Sabriya is also completing the first phase of the iHelps program evaluation with Dr. Edwards. This project sought to expose minority populations most affected by HIV/AIDS to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) as a new Internet resource. The NLM HIV/AIDS web portal can be used in furthering their knowledge and actions around HIV/AIDS. For this evaluation Sabriya is examining pre and post-test knowledge along with overall perceptions of the iHelps training program.
"Improving Health Services for Residents Through Community-Based Participatory Research: A Public Housing Leadership Perspective" in Progress in Community Health Partnerships)
Corey Henderson, MPA
Benika Dixon, MPH
Enyinnaya Merengwa, MD, MPH
Eric Nwazue MD, MPH
Francesca Weaks, MS, CHES
Resident-led Research in Public Housing to Determine Health Needs and Implement Health Improvements
Public housing resident leaders worked with staff from the DC Housing Authority to host a forum to examine the social determinants of health inequities and begin to educate, empower, and activate public housing residents. The forum was followed by focus groups that made it clear residents wanted to be included in decision-making for designing and implementing health interventions. Resident leaders and representatives from the DC Housing Authority staff, community health and public health organizations, began meeting monthly as the Citywide Advisory Board Health Planning Committee, including representatives from every public housing development in DC. With assistance from academics and health professionals, resident leaders designed a questionnaire to assess health status, health needs, and preferences for health interventions, and distributed it to all public housing households. Personal contacts, assured anonymity, and multiple opportunities for submission led to the collection of more than 1000 completed questionnaires. Analysis of the responses was supplemented by additional qualitative research. Top concerns expressed by residents included violence, environmental problems including roaches and polluted air inside and around public housing units, and limited access to good health care, especially for elderly and disabled residents. Asthma and mental health also ranked high among resident concerns. Throughout the process, membership on the Health Planning Committee expanded under the clear agreement that public housing residents would maintain the lead on research, advocacy, and program implementation. The project empowered residents and served as the foundation for continued collaboration with health and public health professionals to reduce health disparities in Washington, DC.
The American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
October 27-31, 2012
