Category: Outreach

Ford College Community Challenge Awardees

Kelly Kamm (KIP) and Chris Morgan (PHC-Enterprise) are CO-PI’s on a project that has been awarded funding through the Ford College Community Challenge to build sustainable communities from the Ford Motor Company Fund. The grant will help leverage connections with the Michigan Tech Enterprise Program and Western UP Health Department to build a public online Health Resource Hub.

The Hub will be a publicly available, online source that can connect individuals, health care practitioners, caregivers and social service organizations to community resources to improve health and wellbeing in the region. This project serves an unmet need for the five county region served by WUPHD, an exclusively rural population of approximately 67,700. The Hub will also include community resources that support social determinants of health, helping our more vulnerable populations find services to address factors that adversely affect health, such as non-emergent medical transportation services or domestic violence services. Given the remote, rural population this project serves, the mobile platform will increase the reach of the hub for those with limited access to high-speed internet or computers.

As the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, Ford Fund’s mission is to strengthen communities and help make people’s lives better. Working with dealers and nonprofit partners in more than 50 countries, Ford Fund provides access to opportunities and resources that help people reach their full potential. Since 1949, Ford Fund has invested more than $2 billion in programs that support education, promote safe driving, enrich community life and encourage employee volunteering. For more information, visit www.fordfund.org or join us at @FordFund on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.

New funding

Kelly Kamm (KIP) is the principal investigator on a project that has been awarded funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund  – Health Aging Grant for her project titled “In-Home Vision Screening in Underserved Seniors”. This project is in collaboration with the University of Michigan – Flint.

The Michigan Health Endowment Fund works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan
residents and reduce the cost of healthcare, with a special focus on children and seniors. You can find more information about the Health Fund at mihealthfund.org.

How to be a Nice Midwesterner in a Pandemic

Kelly Kamm (KIP) explains what you need to do before, during and after travel over break. Getting a test is not a substitute for safe behavior — remember, what you choose to do now and during break can affect your loved ones.

Nice Midwesterners

On the University research blog Unscripted, Kamm shares insights from her work as an epidemiologist and what that means for travel, awkward health conversations with friends and family, zombies and quarantine.

Grad Student Research published

Please join us in congratulating doctoral students Josh Gonzalez, Jessica Bruning, and Isaac Wedig on their recent publications and awards. These accomplishments speak to the hard work our graduate students and faculty are doing during this very challenging semester. 

KIP Research

Joshua Gonzalez, PhD student, had his article published investigating the acute effects of electronic cigarettes in the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology. The publication was part of a Call for Papers on Environmental Inhalants and Cardiovascular Disease. Note that this is a very prestigious journal in the suite of American Physiological Society journals. Great work Josh and Dr. Cooke! See link below for the full article. “Acute Effects of Electronic Cigarettes on Arterial Pressure and Peripheral Sympathetic Activity in Young Non-Smokers” https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpheart.00448.2020

Jessica Bruning, PhD Candidate, had an article Published on the American Physiology Society’s national blog – I Spy Physiology. This spotlight article highlighting Microbiome is aimed at expanding the interest of physiological sciences within the scientific community and general public. Nice work Jessica and Dr. Qinghui Chen with this outreach piece! https://ispyphysiology.com/2020/10/21/spotlight-on-microbiome/

Isaac Wedig, PhD student, had his article published on Exercise is Medicine COVID-19 infographic in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (impact factor = 12). The infographic has gained traction as it 1) was requested for use by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and 2) is being reproduced for use in a new COVID-19 home-based cardiac rehabilitation pamphlet in which 5,000 copies will be circulated to clinicians and patients across the United States. Way to contribute to the pandemic response Isaac! https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2020/11/11/bjsports-2020-103282.full?ijkey=h1cWS7WTWFddcp4&keytype=ref

Virtual Open House

KIP is located in the SDC

Please join us this Saturday, November 14th, from 11:00 am – 4:30 pm to preview the programs offered by the Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Department via the Zoom link here: https://zoom.us/j/94582277587?pwd=Nnl2OWRjME1UMEd2aTFkb0lkZWVxQT09

More information regarding Pre-Health and other degree options can be found by registering here: https://www.mtu.edu/admissions/visit/open-house/

KIP November Seminar

Our seminar topic this month will focus on how to adapt and move research forward during the pandemic. We will also discuss how the pandemic is impacting internship experiences and what opportunities students have. 
A variety of faculty and student speakers will give brief rapid-fire presentations and answer questions along the way. The seminar goal is to facilitate meaningful discussions for how to provide robust research and internship experiences for students during the pandemic.

KIP November Seminar: Friday, November 13 from 3:00 – 4:00pm

“Strategies for Conducting Research during the COVD-19 Pandemic” Please email kip@mtu.edu  for Zoom link before noon on Friday.

COVID-19 Town Hall: Staying Active during the Pandemic

Please join us every Thursday from 7:00-8:00pm EST.

See more on the U.P. Town Hall Series here:

An in-depth look at the many facets of the COVID-19 will be presented every Thursday evening on the U.P. COVID-19 Town Hall Series. Organized by the Health Research Institute at Michigan Technological University, the 60-minute town hall broadcasts can be heard at 7 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 3 on 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM) and viewed through a Zoom Webinar. Over the course of the series, moderated by Drs. Steven Elmer and Kelly Kamm, clinicians, public health officials, researchers, and community experts will discuss a range of pandemic-related issues.