Department of Family Studies and Community Development
News
Dr. Sharon Jones-Eversley selected for PRIDE Award
Towson University’s Department of Family Studies and Community Development is proud to announce that Assistant Professor Sharon Jones-Eversley, DrPH, was selected for the 2013-2015 PRIDE Award sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since 2011, six Summer Institute PRogram to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE) sites across the country--at Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, Georgia Regents University, San Diego State University and SUNY Downstate Medical Center (2)--select cohorts of 8-12 for each site. It is a two year, all-expense-paid research career advancement opportunity sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It is a highly competitive process among junior faculty of color who are involved in health disparities research. Dr. Jones-Eversley will train at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The clinical and didactic training offered through NIH, NHLBI, American Heart Association, and SUNY Downstate Medical Center will aid Dr. Jones-Eversley’s social epidemiological research in examining social determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among African American families and communities. She is particularly interested in intergenerational distribution of CVD and the associated co-morbidities that adversely impact urban families and communities.
Kaiser Health News publishes two articles about Child Life Specialists
Kaiser Health News recently published two articles by Jenny Gold which discuss the valuable work being done by child life specialists at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C.
Child life specialists help children cope with stressful medical experiences. By providing appropriate services and promoting family-centered care, they attend to the emotional and developmental needs of children and their families. The Towson University Department of Family Studies and Community Development offers an undergraduate Introduction to Child Life track, which prepares students who want to become Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS).
The department also offers the only child life graduate program in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware or the District of Columbia. Beginning in 2013, a new Child Life B.S. to M.S. program is being added by the department.
The 6th Annual Disability Awareness Workshop, sponsored by the Department of Family Studies and Community Development in partnership with Disability Support Services, was held on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 from 3 pm - 6 pm in the University Union Chesapeake Rooms. Almost 300 Towson University students attended the workshop which was titled "Just As Real: Reducing the Stigma of Hidden Disabilities." Colleen Coffey, a member of the Active Minds Speakers Bureau, was the keynote speaker. Active Minds is a nonprofit whose mission is "To destigmatize mental health disorders by promoting open, enlightened discussion of mental health; and to create a better life for all who suffer. To capitalize on the energy and dedication of young adults in the fight against the stigma that surrounds mental health disorders, and to educate, enlighten, and empower all young adults to ensure their own mental health before it ever reaches a tragic stage."
There are over 350 chapters of Active Minds on college campuses around the nation, including Towson University.
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