Behavioral Sciences News
Student spotlight: Internships provide public health undergrad with experience in the lab and the field
Like all College of Public Health undergraduate students, Lindy Thornton needed to complete two internships before graduating. Through her internships, Thornton gained experience through a combination of hands-on data analysis and fieldwork. These, she says, can go a long way with her applications as well as her career down the road. Now a senior, she’s applying to graduate schools to study health informatics.
SBS alumna, faculty explore link between secondhand smoke and pediatric MS
Around the world, approximately 7,000 children are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS, a central nervous system disorder that affects communication, coordination, muscle strength, and other ability.
There also exists a similar condition that largely mimics MS: Monophasic acquired demyelinating syndrome (mono-ADS). Like MS, it affects the central nervous system through demyelination, in which the protective covers around nerve cells are damaged. However, Mono-ADS differs from MS in one key way: it doesn’t present again after the initial attack, from which children typically recover.
New study to help kids to healthier snacks and smiles
The most common—and preventable—chronic disease of childhood is dental caries, or tooth decay, and developing healthy nutritional habits is a key to prevention. In a new five-year study, Temple’s College of Public Health, the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry and the Monell Chemical Senses Center are joining forces to tackle the challenges of children’s oral health and eating behaviors.
Tripicchio talks nutrition to Franklin Institute STEM Scholars
In January, Gina Tripicchio, assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, presented “You Are What You Eat: Basics of Nutrition and Approaches for Healthy Growth and Development” to high school sophomores in the Franklin Institute’s STEM Scholars program.
Op-ed: Are safe injection sites the answer to the opioid crisis? A Philadelphia history lesson
In January, the City of Philadelphia announced plans to open safe injection sites in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, a decision that was met with impassioned responses on both sides.
Director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Research on Men’s Health to speak on manhood and black men’s health
Derek M. Griffith, associate professor of medicine, health and society at Vanderbilt University, will speak on African American men’s health in a colloquium sponsored by the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences on Thursday, Feb. 1, from 12:30–1:30 p.m. in Ritter Annex Room 992.
New intervention impacts how pediatricians address children’s secondhand smoke exposure
A new study shows how curbing children’s exposure to secondhand smoke can start in a pediatrician's office. The findings, published this month, have already impacted how some clinicians in low-income communities address secondhand smoking exposure in children.
New Social and Behavioral Sciences study examines links between depression and risks for unintended pregnancy
Unintended pregnancy is prevalent, complex and costly. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 40 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. today are unintended. Many such pregnancies are associated with depression, substance abuse and delays in prenatal care, and, in 2010, public health services spent nearly $13 billion on unintended pregnancies.
Lunch and Learn Series tackles social justice through public health
Despite representing a third of the US population, racial and ethnic minorities typically receive less frequent or lower quality healthcare: as a whole, people of color have fewer breast cancer screenings, organ transplants and vaccinations, to name a few examples. This disparity results in a less healthy population, increased costs for treating preventable conditions and continued inequity for minority populations.