Author: Jess Barish

KIP Student-Athlete Selected as CSC Academic All-District Honoree

Kate Meister, a guard on Michigan Tech’s women’s basketball team, has been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team for 2023-24. Kate holds a 3.89 GPA currently as a KIP master’s student and has already earned her BS in Human Biology with a minor in Pre-Health Professions. This season she became the 30th player in the women’s basketball program to score 1,000 career points.

The Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball teams that are selected by CSC aim to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

To read more about the honor that Kate has received and her accomplishments, go to Michigan Tech Athletics’ press release.

March KIP Seminar

Please join the KIP department on Friday, March 22, from 3:00-4:00 pm in Fisher 132 for our March seminar.

The guest speaker will be Sarah Konefal from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The title of the presentation is “Drug Overdose and Co-occurring Conditions in Michigan.” For more information about the speaker and her work, please take a look at the flyer below.

February KIP Seminar: Student Research Forum

Please join us this Friday, February 16, from 3:00-4:15 pm in ATDC 101 for this month’s KIP Seminar. Refreshments will be provided.

This seminar will showcase the current research, educational, and outreach projects that KIP’s undergraduate and graduate students are working on. Students will present their projects and answer questions. This is a great way for them to receive feedback before they go on to present at regional and national conferences. We look forward to seeing you!

KIP Seminar with Dr. Patrick Mueller from Wayne State University’s School of Medicine

Please join us on Friday, December 8, from 3:00-4:00 pm in ATDC 101 for our last seminar of the fall 2023 semester. Our guest speaker is Dr. Patrick Mueller from the Department of Physiology at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine.

The title of Dr. Mueller’s presentation is “Mechanisms of Neuroplasticity Involved in Inactivity-Related Cardiovascular Disease.” More information about our speaker and his research can be found in the abstract or flyer below.

Abstract: The goal of the research in my laboratory is to learn more about how the brain controls the diameter of blood vessels in the peripheral circulation, which directly influence our resting blood pressure. In particular, I am interested in how the brain adapts in its control of the cardiovascular system under various physiological and pathophysiological states. Currently, the laboratory is to examining how sedentary versus physical active conditions change the brain (known as neuroplasticity) and is related to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals who do not exercise on a regularly basis. Using a variety of techniques, we examine blood pressure regulation at the level of the whole animal down to levels of gene expression in individual cells. More recently we have been focusing on the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the context of a sedentary lifestyle and renovascular hypertension.  Included in these studies, is the exploration of sex-based differences in blood pressure regulation by the brain since women of reproductive age have a far lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than men. Ultimately our goal is to target neural mechanisms in the brain which contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Answering the Call: 6 Pillars of Health and Well-Being Presented by KIP Graduate Students

6 Pillars of Health and Well-Being

Background

Mental health and well-being is a well-documented concern in many settings, including school, work, and at home. Many individuals face depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, and more. As graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, we believe that well-being is multifaceted and includes physical, mental, and emotional components. During his time in office, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has raised several concerns related to mental health and well-being. Many of these relate to mental health. However, the U.S. Surgeon General seeks to remedy other concerns related to physical inactivity, health literacy, social media usage, and many other topics. A recent KIP blog post highlighted how the Surgeon General addresses the effects of loneliness and social isolation in individuals affecting overall health. Increased risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and mental illnesses are linked to increases in loneliness and social isolation. With guidance from the Surgeon General, these concerns will be addressed in this next series of blog posts. Our team read these advisory statements as a call to action, inspiring us to create a platform where our campus and community members can learn more about how to better their health and well-being. 

Answering “The Call”

This series of blog posts will expand on the overarching theme of creating healthier habits and improving overall well-being, while also trying to promote health literacy by producing clear and concise information for all to view. The series will be broken down into six different posts that explore different aspects of health. These subsections will be defined as physical activity, mental health, social health, diet, sleep, and aging. Each segment will include an introduction to the topic, present relevant information and evidence, and provide simple recommendations that you can apply to your everyday life to improve your health and well-being. Our team is very passionate toward rural areas and rural health. This blog will aim to provide creative ways to improve the quality of life without the need for extensive resources. This blog will serve as a platform to share these ideas to improve our health and well-being in a comprehensive and accessible way. To complement this blog, information will be shared on the Michigan Tech KIP department’s social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube). 

A Bit About Us and How We Want to Help You

From left to right: Alex Rondorf, Blake Hewitt, Kate Meister, Michael Bates

Our team consists of 4 Michigan Tech KIP Graduate Students. Kate Meister and Alex Rondorf are members of the Michigan Tech Women’s Basketball Team. Michael Bates and Blake Hewitt are members of the Tech Football Team. All of us are committed to ensuring a brighter future for a community we’ve been privileged to be a part of for the last several years. We all plan to pursue careers in healthcare/applied sports science and feel passionate about bringing you the latest and greatest information to ensure your overall well-being. We feel it’s important to advocate for a healthy lifestyle and want to present small steps that lead to big changes over time. This blog series will also help us refine our skills in science communication, which we are working on in Dr. Elmer’s KIP 5000 Advanced Exercise Physiology class this semester. Thank you for spending your time with us and we are excited to share our ideas and findings, as we embark on this journey to improve our health and well-being together.

Next Up

For the next post to be presented in this series, our first installment will provide an outlook on physical activity. We’ll talk about why physical activity is a necessary part of our daily lives, how much physical activity we really need, and how getting up and moving may actually save your life…

KIP Student named All-American Scholar by American Hockey Coaches Association

Kash Rasmussen , an Exercise Science student and a forward for the Michigan Tech hockey team, was named an All-American Scholar by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) for the 2022-23 academic year. Kash, who is a sophomore, had a 4.0 GPA in the fall and 3.78 in the spring to qualify for this recognition.

Read the complete press release on Michigan Tech Athletics’ website.

Loneliness And Social Isolation – An Epidemic

Guest blog by: Suma Durga Bommasani, College of Computing graduate student

Humans are social creatures as we are wired to interact and connect with others. However, over time we have become more isolated. Loneliness has become a serious public health concern that affects people of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States. A new advisory report by the United States Surgeon General titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” has shed light on the severity of this problem, showing that loneliness has a higher incidence rate than common medical conditions like smoking, obesity, and diabetes. Even though social isolation and loneliness have a considerable impact on individual health and society, only 20% of people consider it to be a serious problem.

As described in the report, about 1 in 2 adults experience loneliness. Loneliness has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, as well as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and mental health conditions. With a higher-than-average proportion of older individuals, this issue is of particular concern for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan region. Additionally, social isolation and loneliness among children and adolescents, which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, increases the risk of anxiety and depression.

Experts highlight the critical need to implement strategies to build social interactions and boost health, safety, and well-being, as social ties are a fundamental human need. To address this serious issue, a national strategy with six main pillars has been presented, with the goal of building an integrated approach to improving community and social connectivity.

Individuals can prioritize their personal well-being by staying in touch with a varied network of people, limiting their use of social media, obtaining professional guidance when necessary, and expressing gratitude to others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “How Right Now” platform provides some helpful resources for people currently experiencing loneliness. Parents and caregivers can positively affect the lives of children and adolescents by actively engaging with them, highlighting the value of social connections, and monitoring online activity. Getting assistance from mental health and medical professionals can also help with the behavioral alterations connected to loneliness. Educators can build in social connection content to health curricula and help to foster a sense of belonging in the classroom. Local organizations and businesses also play an important role in establishing social connection by introducing programs that increase social contact and bring community members together.

We can all contribute to strengthening social connections. This basic toolkit from the National Institutes of Health has some great examples for improving your social health. Even something as simple as reaching out to a friend, family member, or neighbor to say hi or to invite them for a short walk can help. By coming together to address social disconnection and loneliness, we can work towards building healthier and stronger communities.

Federal Resources

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Our Epidemic of Loneliness Social Isolation

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/connection/index.html?utm_source=osg_redirect&utm_medium=osg_redirect&utm_campaign=osg_sg_gov_connection

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“How Right Now” platform

https://www.cdc.gov/howrightnow/emotion/loneliness/index.html

National Institutes of Health

Social Wellness Toolkit

https://www.nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit

Campus Resources

Michigan Tech University Center for Student Mental Health

The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being provides a wide array of resources for students to ensure mental and physical well-being.

www.mtu.edu/well-being

National Resources

American Psychological Association (APA)

APA provides resources on workplace well-being, stress management, and mental health

www.apa.org

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

AARP provides various resources for older adults, including information on social connection, loneliness, and community engagement

www.aarp.org

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

AACAP offers resources on children’s mental health, including loneliness and social isolation https://www.aacap.org

Local Resources

Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP)

UPCAP offers classes and workshops across the U.P. for disease prevention and management, and general wellness

www.upcap.org/program/wellness-programs

Recent KIP Graduate Published in “Frontiers in Physiology”

Isaac Wedig, PhD

Dr. Isaac Wedig, who earned his PhD in Integrative Physiology in Spring 2023, had his dissertation manuscript published by Frontiers in Physiology. The article is titled “Blood Flow Restriction as a Potential Therapy to Restore Physical Function Following COVID-19 Infection.” It was included as a part of a special Research Topic on “Intervention for Prevention, Management of and Rehabilitation from COVID-19.” Learn more about Isaac’s research by reading the introduction below or the full article on Frontiers in Physiology‘s website.