The Rural Health Student Group meets to provide students the chance to discuss and learn about the health-related issues facing people living outside urban areas.
Students
Measuring structural racism in Minnesota communities
Associate Professor Rachel Hardeman has started a project to develop and test the Multidimensional Measure of Structural Racism, which determines the amount of structural racism people are exposed to in communities.
Handling animals at fairs, on the farm linked to serious bacterial disease in people
PhD student Madhura Vachon found that direct farm animal contact was a key risk factor for the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome among people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Analyzing the quality of product nutrition information found on grocery store websites
Student Kelly Olzenak (MPH ’19) looked at the product nutrition information found on 12 grocery shopping sites and found the ease of finding and reading it varied greatly.
Student team named first runner-up in NAHSE virtual case competition
The team of Alina Okamoto, Malik Williams, and Moriam Yarrow created a three-component digital strategy for treating hypertensive patients in the Houston, TX area.
Switching to a plant-centered diet linked to reduced diabetes risk for young adults as they age
PhD student Yuni Choi found that study participants with the greatest increase in plant-centered diet quality scores had a 48% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes compared to those who did not alter their diet.
Mapping tick-borne disease risk in Wisconsin
PhD student Austin Rau analyzed the cases of three serious — but lesser-known — tick-borne diseases in Wisconsin and found that they are increasing, moving, and varying over time across the state.
Evaluating changes in food insecurity, stress, and weight-related behaviors among mothers during pandemic
The findings of the study by PhD students Jessica Friedman and Junia N. de Brito will help clinicians and policymakers improve their understanding of how the pandemic is affecting the health of mothers and connect women and their families with community resources and support.
Children eat healthier school meals following Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
The study by recent graduate Aaron Berger (PhD ’20) found that kids ate a regular amount of the improved meals, which sets them up for healthier lives.
Two students earn POCI Caucus Internships
MPH students Tricia Alexander and Joanne Hill were selected to be interns for the Minnesota State Legislature’s People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, which focuses on criminal justice reform and reducing disparities in education, health care, and economic security in the state.
Food insecurity raised risk for disordered eating in low-income adolescents
The study led by PhD student Laura Hooper surveyed a group of diverse, low socioeconomic status adolescents and found that 39% experienced household food insecurity and 43% reported disordered eating.
Evaluating diversity and inclusion in the health services and policy research workforce
PhD student Tongtan Chantarat is co-leading a study funded by AcademyHealth to see if the research field is improving workplace culture and dismantling structural racism.
