Category: Health Care

The Caribbean Diaspora Healthy Nutrition Outreach Project (CDHNOP) aims to improve the health and lives of Caribbean immigrants and their families. The findings of this study conducted by researchers from NSU College of Allopathic Medicine was recently published in the Annals of Global Health. The project was founded and is led by Trinidad-born Principal Investigator and Assistant Dean for Community and Global Health, Dr. Farzanna Haffizulla at the Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine. Dr. Patrick Hardigan Executive Dean of Research in Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine also contributed to the success of this project.

The purpose of this CDHNOP study was to quantify social determinants of health relevant to the Caribbean population of Broward county and develop culturally appropriate healthy nutrition and active living education material tailored to this burgeoning demographic group.

Personnel involved in this study evaluated members of focus groups represented by people from  five Caribbean nations which make up the majority of South Florida’s Caribbean diaspora: Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominican Republic. Authors of this article studied cultural risk factors, prevalence of diseases and dietary habits of the Caribbean population in Broward county. They also conducted health disparity assessments to determine the diseases most likely to affect this demographic group and identified their leading causes of death.

The key objectives of this CDHNOP study were to create and evaluate culturally appropriate nutrition materials and quantify which social determinants associated with health are most relevant for the Caribbean diaspora of Broward county. Researchers utilized both qualitative and quantitative focus group methods to generate the data necessary for this study.

The findings reported in this peer-reviewed publication indicate that heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of mortality. The Caribbean population of Broward county was also found to have higher rate of obesity relative to the national average.

To address these medical issues, it is necessary to improve nutrition and dietary habits using a culturally appropriate, inclusive research frame. To achieve this goal, the NSU team led by Dr. Haffizulla, implemented the Go-Slow-Whoa or GSW format to develop dietary educational information appropriate for the Caribbean diaspora. The GSW format acts as a tool that will provide information to encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices. It classifies foods and beverages into the following three groups – Foods that should be chosen frequently (Go, colored green), eaten less often (Slow, colored yellow) and eaten rarely (Whoa, Colored red). Nutritional qualities, fat content, sodium content and sugar content are used as the significant determining criteria to decide the GSW classification of each item.

The CDHNOP study concluded that the food and active living preferences of the Caribbean population of South Florida was significantly underrepresented in the national GSW material. Consequently, the informational material in GSW were not inclusive enough or ideal for the Caribbean population. As mentioned earlier, most prevalent diseases affecting this demography, are linked to diet and active living choices. Therefore, this study serves the purpose of identifying the shortcomings and gaining a better understanding of health-related patterns among this underrepresented demographic group. The information accumulated through this initiative by NSU researchers will enable better understanding of the needs of our Caribbean community and thus facilitate development of a health education materials that is inclusive of the cultural and dietary habits of the Caribbean population. A critical component of the CDHNOP project is that it has built trust between the local Caribbean community and key personnel of this project. This puts the project team in a unique position to explore health disparities further in this population, develop a diversity pipeline for the health professions, and gain momentum in developing more reliable, comprehensive, actionable data.  All materials created from this research are available in English, Spanish and Creole.

About Quality of Life Faculty Community-Based Applied Research Grants: The authors of this scientific study would like to thank the Quality of Life Faculty Community-Based Applied Research Grants (QOL) for supporting this CDHNOP initiative. QOL focuses on funding research associated with certain topics categorized as 2021 priority issues. The QOL 2021 Broward, Dade and Palm Beach county priority issues include obesity and access to health services. QOL Grant

In this first week of February, Halmos College MS student Natalie Slayden’s research was highlighted by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI). Natalie uses ear stones, called otoliths, collected from fish living in Deepwater Horizon-affected waters to study the age and growth of nine Gulf of Mexico deep-sea fish species. Her research can be used to estimate the lifespan and age at which these deep-sea fishes reproduce to determine how quickly a potentially compromised assemblage might be replaced following an environmental disturbance.

The data that Natalie has collected on fish age can help estimate the average lifespans of different deep-sea species, which helps her interpret their resilience to disturbances. Species who more quickly repopulate due to their short life spans may also more quickly rebound from environmental disturbances like oil exposure. The data on fish age and lifespan from Natalie’s research will become input parameters for models that estimate how long their recovery from disturbances may take. “In an environment disturbed by an oil spill, fish populations with individuals that have a shorter lifespan would likely recover the fastest,” said Natalie. “If we know how old these oil-exposed fish are using the data recorded in their otoliths, it can help us understand how long the oil may have effects on populations.”

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is a 10-year independent research program established to study the effect, and the potential associated impact, of hydrocarbon releases on the environment and public health, as well as to develop improved spill mitigation, oil detection, characterization and remediation technologies. An independent and academic 20-member Research Board makes the funding and research direction decisions to ensure the intellectual quality, effectiveness and academic independence of the GoMRI research. All research data, findings and publications will be made publicly available. The program was established through a $500 million financial commitment from BP. For more information, visit http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/

Gary Gershman, J.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of History and Political Science in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) has been accepted to participate in the Holocaust Education Regional Institute at the end of May in Durham, NC.  The title of this summer’s program is “Post-War Memory, Holocaust Memorialization and the Implications for the Present,” which is being sponsored in part by Wake Forest, Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Gershman has also attended their summer institute at Northwestern along with two separate fellowships at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. These programs are important parts of his ongoing development of classes and programs on the Holocaust and Genocide studies, including his study travel class to Poland, Serbia and Bosnia.   David Kilroy, Ph.D., Interim Chair of the Department of History and Political Science notes “this select invitation adds to Dr. Gershman’s already strong credentials as a recognized scholar in field of genocide and holocaust studies.”

NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) undergraduate consultants from multiple colleges were inducted into the Alpha Chi National College Honors Society on Nov 14, 2019 at the Performance Theatre in the University Center. The Alpha Chi National College Honors Society is a coeducational academic honor society whose purpose is to promote academic excellence and exemplary character and to honor those students who achieve this distinction. Students invited to join Alpha Chi must hold academic grades that place them in the top of all upper-class students.

The 2019 inductees included Genesis Alverez (CAHSS, Legal Studies major) Melissa Vaz-Ayes (Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Biology major), and Bianca Oliviera (NSU Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, English & Secondary English Education major). Along with being active members of the Honors College, these students also work as consultants at the NSU Writing & Communication Center.

Mikayla Ruiz (CAHSS, Human Development and Family Studies major), WCC undergraduate consultant, who was inducted into the honors society last year, and now serves as an officer stated, “Through my involvement in the Honors College, I have been able to explore other avenues as an undergraduate, such as at the WCC. Here, I have been able to use my new perspectives from the Honors College to influence my approach as a writing consultant and help students develop themselves into competent writers. The Honors College has provided me with a truly enriching experience, which has allowed me to gain new global perspectives and view my college years through a multidisciplinary lens.”

To see pictures of induction ceremony, visit https://honors.nova.edu/news/index.html

To learn more about the Farquhar Honors College, visit, https://honors.nova.edu/index.html

Faculty from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Executive Director of the NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) co-edited and published an article in the fall 2019 issue of Communication Center Journal (CCJ).  Janine Morris, Whitney Lehmann, and Kevin Dvorak wrote, “Social Media and Communication Centers: An Introduction.”

The article introduces the CCJ special section on social media and communication centers by discussing how centers can best use social media to enhance student professional development, cross-campus connections, branding, and center visibility.

To follow up from the introduction, CAHSS Master’s students in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media and WCC graduate assistant coordinators and administrative staff published “Expanding Professional Development Opportunities for Consultants: How to Incorporate Social Media into a Communication Center,” in the fall 2019 themed section.

Nikki Chasteen, Monique Cole, and Adam DeRoss’s article discusses how communication centers can develop a social media presence to highlight their achievements and services while providing professional development opportunities to staff members. As the three write, “While devoting time and resources to enhancing and engaging students and other institutional members on social media can seem overwhelming, we present implementation strategies that have been successful for our communication center social media growth” (113).

“Taking everything I have learned about social media both academically at NSU and professionally, and applying it to communication centers and specifically the WCC has been rewarding. Writing with my peers collaboratively was such a positive experience,” said Chasteen.

Click here to access the “Social Media and Communication Centers: An Introduction.”

Click here to access the Expanding Professional Development Opportunities for Consultants: How to Incorporate Social Media into a Communication Center.”

To learn more about the Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Master’s program, visit https://cahss.nova.edu/departments/wc/grad-programs.html

Last fall, Halmos faculty member Santanu De, Ph.D. served as a judge along with five other faculty members from NSU, in the Fall 2019 Pre-Health Case Competition at NSU. The competition, focusing on vaccinations and measles outbreak was held in the Terry Building. Thirty-nine students competed in teams of three from Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, College of Psychology & Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (Public Health or Nutrition). The top three teams were awarded cash prizes. The winners this year were Halmos students Genesis Alvarez, Marlee Mallat, and Sujad Younis.

NSU University School congratulates our Upper and Middle School Robotics teams who competed in their first VEX Robotics tournament of the year and brought home multiple awards. Team 4154J won the Excellence Award and became Tournament Champions, remaining undefeated. Team 63724A received the Inspire Award for inspiring judges with their approach to competitive robotics, demonstrating high levels of integrity and sportsmanship. We look forward to watching these students continue to succeed and make us proud.