Stempel College delegation tackles public health in Colombia

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] A delegation of Stempel College representatives, led by Dean Tomás R. Guilarte and Carlos Espinal, director of the Global Health Consortium, recently visited Colombia as part of the college’s efforts to strengthen ties and improve public health in the country. The Global Health Consortium is focusing much of its efforts in Colombia, while the college looks to strengthen ties with deeper and broader collaborations in the region. The four-day, multi-city tour was a chance for researchers and leadership to engage with local stakeholders and organizations that can boost the college’s collaborative opportunities in research areas that include neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. [/su_column] [/su_row]

Childhood trauma affects brain and increases risk of substance use in adolescence, study finds

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] A new study led by social work professor Nicole Fava and psychology professor Elisa Trucco, from the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, found that traumatic childhood experiences like domestic violence, abuse and parental incarceration impact brain functioning and increase the risk of substance use during adolescence. The study was done through the FIU Center for Children and Families in collaboration with researchers at the University of Michigan. They assessed 465 children that experienced adversity beginning at ages 3-5 and followed them through early adolescence. Researchers were interested in understanding why children exposed to adversity in early childhood are more likely to misuse substances later in life. [/su_column] [/su_row]

Dietetics and Nutrition Department Hosts First Research and Creativity Day

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] The Department of Dietetics and Nutrition recently hosted its first annual Nutrition and Dietetics Research and Creativity Day to give student the opportunity to showcase their research via posters presentations and oral presentations. The event also included several afternoon speakers who inspired Stempel students to think outside the box and strive for healthier living. “This was truly a wonderful time to showcase of hard work of our Ph.D. students and their commitment to furthering nutrition research that will benefit individuals and communities alike,” Deborah Abel, Director, Graduate Certificate in Pediatric Nutrition, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition and event organizer. [/su_column] [/su_row]

U.S. News & World Report ranks School of Public Health for first time, School of Social Work also climbs rankings

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] U.S. News & World Report has ranked FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work’s public health program for the first time in the college’s history, under the leadership of Dean Tomás R. Guilarte. The School of Public Health moved from the honorable mention category in 2015 - the last time the magazine ranked public health schools across the nation - to 78 out of 113, with an additional 60 programs in the honorable mention category. In addition, Stempel College’s School of Social Work was ranked No. 77 among peer programs – an 11- point improvement. [/su_column] [/su_row]

$3 million grant funds study of Colombian river contamination, effects on locals

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] One of the largest rivers in Latin America, the Atrato River in Colombia has been tainted by decades of illegal mining, leading to mercury contamination and other pollutants. Stempel College — in collaboration with Universidad de Córdoba and Universidad Tecnologica del Choco Diego Luis Cordoba, both in Colombia — has been awarded a $3 million grant to evaluate the degree of contamination throughout the river basin and how it is impacting the health of local populations. [/su_column] [/su_row]

Falsified Data in Meta-Analyses – a novel study finds Trojan horse inside the gold standard

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[su_row] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Pills [/su_column] [su_column size="1/2" center="no" class=""] Clinical trials under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) purview have been shown to suffer from falsified data. While the FDA warns researchers when falsified data are discovered, these data still make their way into medical literature. In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a team of researchers at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, led by Dr. Craig A. Garmendia, has found that almost half of all meta-analyses had conclusions altered by falsified data publications. This resulted in nearly 1/3 of all analyses having considerable changes in outcomes. [/su_column] [/su_row]