2000-2001 ANNUAL REPORT

Introduction

The Department of Health Education (DHE) supports the universitys mission of teaching, research and community service through its work of:

• teaching courses for credit, offering advanced instruction and mentoring interns and volunteers
• serving as service learning advisors, instructors, and community partners
• conducting and partnering in research, e.g., on alcohol/tobacco social norms, student health behavior
• managing multi-year grants in HIV prevention, and public health advocacy
• serving the university by strengthening student agency and student health promotion efforts

DHE has 5.3 fte staff and more than 189 students providing services across all RU campuses, as well as 7 grant staff providing HIV prevention policy and training services to its constituencies across the state.

Our vision is for discovery and researching ethically to advocate for models of social justice and student support (DREAMS). We believe that college students want to succeed academically while contributing to their communities and gaining skills that will prepare them for work, relationships, and life in general. At DHE they find opportunity, responsibility and allies.

Accomplishments

Our underlying philosophy is to create and support opportunities for student to experience success, as this inspires healthful coping mechanisms and health-seeking behavior. In addition, our work helps make the university and community a smaller place, one with a sense of connection and community, which also promotes health.

Teaching/training/supervising/coaching/mentoring
123 students in courses for academic credit

• Student Athlete Mentor training courses, courses in Newark, Camden, New Brunswick
• Sexual health advocacy > student health advocacy
• SHADES  8 actors, 2 student directors
• RA training
• Student advocate overnight retreat, other student meetings (eg, with elmira, Richard Piech, semester transitions), student/alumni reunion
• Scarlet Key tour guide training, student health professions career night
• Highland Park Community Teen Center senior partner, where RUHS peer educators mentor high school students and teach health to middle school students
• Students mentored as interns, volunteers and for advanced academic instruction
• 130 students earned academic credit (600 credit hours awarded) for their work with DHE; as well as conducting over 2220 hours of community service
• Overall, 272 programs and presentations for 14,222 students, faculty or staff

Policy Development/advocacy

Eating Issues Working Group policy recommendations

Presentations in classes

Public testimony at Capitol with students (10/16/00 and 4/12/01 for access to reproductive services for minors, 6/16/01 for comprehensive sex education in public school)

Student advocacy interns

UMDNJ Advocacy mini-grant and special projects: legislative scorecard by students, legislative dialogue on campus, press conference at Capitol, public testimony, presentations and publications)

Stimulated professionals and students to speak out on important health issues, writing articles to policy makers and editors, creating relationships with coalitions and legislators Participation on New Brunswick Hospitality Resource Panel Technical assistance to the graduate student developing a discussion guide for her community service sites abortion education video

Academic/Research Collaborations

Guest speaking (classes, faculty meetings, eg, UMDNJ medical resident program)

Facilitation, workshops and plenary presentation at UMDNJ Human Sexuality Week for all 2^nd-year medical students

Newark academic advising assistance (over 100 students) and academic probation involvement

Client in student design consortium for 8 posters with health messages

CHI interventions and publications with the Dept. of Communications, social norms

Messages infused in RC first-year residence halls

Senior partner to Highland Park Community Teen Center (student CASE placements)

Relationship with University of Balamand, Lebanon, re service learning (international visitors in our classes, consultative visit to Beirut)

Institute for Research on Women seminar participant on data, discourse and advocacy

Served as faculty reviewer for undergraduate thesis defense on eating disorders

Technical assistance and collaborations with UMDNJ, CASE, graduate psychology and graduate management faculty

Student Life Activity/Collaborations

First-year student, EOF and international student orientations

Community service fraternity help with NCHA survey

6^thBAW, Black Student Union, womens student organizations activity, Recreation Services, CASE partner fair, stress-free zones, Newark Midnite madness

Received $2000 2^nd place award for College Challenge quitnet programs (broadcast email, posters, dumping site for cigarettes) in statewide competition from NJDHSS Commissioner of Health

RUHS tobacco task force leadership and support

RUHS Got Milk? campaign with student athletes

Camden alcohol task force creation and co-chairing, crafted crisis response

National alcohol screening day on Newark and New Brunswick (20% of students screened found to be at highest risk)

Camden student mocktail bar at campus holiday party

BSE hangtags in New Brunswick womens shower stalls

Healthy dining team, sports nutrition advocates initiatives

Increased number of student SHRIMP applications (eg, funded Newark Womens health conference)

Public Information/communication/media

Brochures (GERD, ecstasy, emergency contraception, factsheets, flyers)

Website, 642 questions to ask the staff

Staff and student interviews and editorials in campus and local newspapers (on stress, nutrition, drugs, alcohol, etc)

Brochure racks in dining halls

SHADES filmed for Channel 12 news, contact with other electronic and print media on- and off-campus

RUTV showing of health videos in residence halls

RUHS executive updates for Student Affairs

Support for students seeking information and referrals (grief, health fairs, STIs, etc)

Assessment/evaluation

76% increase in Nutrition Wiz forms analyzed, and increase in clinical referrals

NCHA survey and analysis

Photovoice class project and qualitative analysis

CQI projects: preceptor follow-up, mass mailing follow-up, student and staff assessment of awareness and satisfaction with services, breast-self exam hangtag follow-up, PR student material review and critique, Newark student interviews about services

Staff/staff support/development

Student infrastructure progress

50+ letters of recommendation written for students and faculty (for promotion and tenure packages

Consultation to other colleges (College of NJ, Columbia U, U of West Virginia, St. Peters, Bloomfield, Montclair, Rider, NYU, etc.)

[Note: these accomplishments are supported by numerous, meetings, committee work, and extensive supervision and collaborative relationships.]

Awards

Robert Russo  Camden Student Advisor of the Year

Jenna Sheinfeld  nominated for NJSOPHE 2000 Health Educator of the Year

Richard Powell  nominated for RU 2000 Human Dignity award

Fern Walter Goodhart  SOPHEs 2001 first Profiles in Courage citation, nominated for APHA David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health

Students: 2 Renaissance Awards (Sara Mazzuto, Vanessa Hortian), Care Bear Award (Patricia DeBari), NJSOPHE Anna Skiff student scholarship (Vanessa Hortian), CASE Women in Social Service Award (Vanessa Hortian and Sara Mazzuto), ACHA Lewis Barbato Award (Brian Grossman, RC 01), George H. Cook scholarship (Mark Boren), Outstanding Senior Nutrition Student award (Mark Boren)

Presentations/Publications

Richard Powell 

ACHA, May 29, 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada. RU Strong: Developing Student Athlete Mentors (SAMs).

University of Balamand, Tripoli, Lebanon, June 4-13, 2001. International and Local Experiences in Community Service and Volunteerism.

RU SURE? Using communication theory to reduce dangerous drinking on a college campus. Lederman, L., Stewart, L., Barr, S., Powell, R., Laitman, L., & Goodhart, F. Accepted for publication in R.E. Rice and C. Atkin (Eds.) Public Communication Campaigns, 3^rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

RU SURE? The role of communication theory and experiential learning in addressing dangerous drinking on the college campus. Lederman, et al., in Communication Theory: A Casebook Approach, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendell Hunt.

Using qualitative and quantitative methods to triangulate the research process: The role of communication in perpetuating the myth of dangerous drinking as the norm on college campuses. Lederman, et al., in Qualitative Research: Applications in Organizational Communication, 2^nd ed. Cresskill, NJ: S.L. Herndon & G.L. Krep (Eds.).

Collaborative Effort to Address Dangerous Drinking on the College Campus.

Lederman, et al., article to be submitted to Journal of American College Health.

Jenna Sheinfeld 

ACHA Presentation, Picture this! A healthy campus. Using photovoice to document health on our college campuses, Las Vegas, NV, June 2001

SOPHE Presentation,  The Health Educators Role in Advocacy, Part II Principles, Processes, Programs, & Partnerships, Seattle WA

APHA Poster Presentation, Amplifying our voices: Empowering public health professionals for advocacy action, Boston, November 2000 (Also accepted at the NJ PH CARE conference in November 2000)

Speaker, Communities Against Tobacco Youth Summit, "You can be an advocate: How teens can influence the tobacco industry," September 2000

Article under review for Health Promotion Practice: The Health Educators Role in Advocacy and Policy: Principles, Processes, Programs, and Partnerships

ACHA newsletter article on ethics

Fern Walter Goodhart  UMDNJ human sexuality graduate course

UMDNJ medical residents guest lecture, June 21, 2001, Piscataway, NJ, Advocacy and Health Care Providers.

ACHA annual meeting, May 31, 2001, Las Vegas, NV,  Assessing Student Advocate Motivation and Satisfaction.

SOPHE annual meeting, May 5, 2001, Seattle, WA, The Health Educators Role in Advocacy, Part II. National Health Education Advocacy Summit, February 24, 2001, Washington, D.C., Advanced Advocacy

Strategies for Public Health Professionals.

Leadership New Jersey Seminar on Health, February 15, 2001, Princeton, NJ. Crafting Effective Public Health Policy for New Jersey.

UMDNJ School of Public Health Research Symposium, January 31, 2001, New Brunswick, NJ. Strengthening the Role of the Public Health Profession to Influence Public Health Policy and Legislation through Advocacy.

UMDNJ Human Sexuality Week, January 2, 2001, Piscataway, NJ. Human Sexuality and Public Health and January 4^th workshop, Adolescent Sexuality.

RU Student Life/Student Services Conference, November 17, 2000, Piscataway, NJ. The Changing Nature of Our Work.

APHA, November 13, 2000, Boston, MA. Health Education in the 21^st Century: A Look in the Rear-View Mirror, Amplifying Our Voices: Empowering Public Health Professionals for Advocacy Action (poster)

SOPHE, November 11, 2000, Boston, MA. Risking Success Through Coalitions: Three States, Three Strategies,  and SOPHE and the Profession as Risk Takers: The Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda Panel.

MACHA, October 30, 2000, Baltimore, MD. "Advocacy for College Health: Influencing Decisions and Policies."

NJSDHSS, October 18, 2001, Trenton, NJ, Advocating for Public Health.

Medical Society of NJ, October 1, 2000, Teaching Advocacy to Public Health Students: The New Jersey

Experience. (poster)

NEPHLI, September 7, 2000, PowerPoint conference call presentation, Legislative Scorecard as a tool in

Public Health Advocacy.

RU Sure? Using Communication Theory to Reduce Dangerous Drinking on a College Campus, Lederman, LC, et al, in Public Communication Campaigns 3^rd ed, Rice RE and Atkin C\K, eds, Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. 2001

Teaching Advocacy to Public Health Students: How and Why, Health Promotion Practice, in press.

The Health Educators Role in Advocacy and Policy: Principles, Processes, Programs, and Partnerships,

Health Promotion Practice. under review

Institutionalizing a Partnership among Health Professionals, Communication Faculty, and Students: A Collaborative Effort to Reduce Dangerous Drinking on the College Campus, Lederman LC, et al, JACH, under review

Leadership/community service  In addition to our routine functions of teaching and facilitating educational experiences, staff models our values through our work serving the community as well as our professions, through work on local/state/national task forces, volunteer boards, elected office, grants, teaching outside RU, and being certified. Staff is also sought out by other colleges for consultation and technical assistance, as well as by faculty and student life staff here at RU

Jenna Sheinfeld  IRB certification, NJSOPHE advocacy committee chair, ACHA ethics committee,

RU- Eating Issues Working Group

Richard Powell  CASE Advisory Board, ACS Freshstart quit smoking program certification, RU - Standing Committee on Alcohol Policy, Education Committee of GLBT Center, NYC, and Men of Standards, NJ.

Ellen Zaltzberg- national advisory board of NiteStar (CDC-funded project)

Fern Walter Goodhart  IRB certification; Highland Park Borough Council, Advisory Board to the HP Community Teen Center, co-authored The Health Education Profession in the Twenty-First Century Progress Report, 1995-2000, NJPHA advocacy committee chair, RU Task Force on Womens Center; RU Ambassador, making phone calls to help recruit the RU class of 2004 and 2005.

Community Outreach/Service/Grants

Grant activity  HIV Prevention and Development Initiative686,008/year, 3-year MOA

HIGHLIGHT OF ACHIEVEMENTS

New Jersey HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (NJHPCPG)  provides staff support

to the 45-member statewide planning body that provides recommendations for HIV prevention in the state of New Jersey.

Volunteer Member Development: arranged for 7 members and 3 staff to attend the Community Planning Leadership Summit (CPLS) in Houston, Texas in March 2001. NJHPCPG Retreat - 27 members/5 alternates attended Day 1of the retreat, and 26 members/2 alternates attended Day 2. A work group was formed as part of an action plan of the retreat and has met with support staff 6 times since April.

Needs Assessment - a study of trends in heroin use among 200 18-25 year olds was conducted through interviews and focus groups of 200 adolescents in and out of drug treatment. In this age group, heroin use and use by injecting (as opposed to sniffing) is increasing. This study was planned, developed, in collaboration with staff at the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services. In February 2001, three more populations were identified by the Needs Assessment Committee to be researched. Literature reviews are in the process of development.

Priority Setting - By September 2000, the NJHPCPG successfully ranked populations in need of prevention, and 12 fact sheets describing relevant gaps in services for HIV prevention services have been developed for this years process.

Staff Support for Group Meetings and Related Services - Planned and provided staff support for: 10 full group meetings; approximately 113 committee meetings; 3 Community Planning Orientations for potential new CPG members; and 5 special interest meetings were held including a session on the Cooperative Agreement, membership issues, retreat planning, and other work groups.

NJHPCPG Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan (NJ-Plan) - In February 2001, the NJHPCPG voted to approve the NJ-Plan with revisions suggested. The NJ-Plan is due to being published in July.

Epidemiological Data - Current epidemiological profiles of persons living with HIV/AIDS categorized by State, 21 individual counties, and municipalities within those counties, was developed. This data was included in the NJ-Plan, and will be distributed to the community as individual reports.

Organizing for Community Development (OCD) - offers capacity building for New Jersey community-based organizations, AIDS Service Organizations, the interfaith community, and statewide HIV/AIDS Planning Coalitions.

Two Grassroots Schools of GrantWriting held (in Perth Amboy and Toms River) for 34 participants. Evaluation revealed approximately $608,700 grant funds received by recent OCD graduates between January-June, 2001.

Technical assistance offered to: The African American Office of Gay Concerns, a youth drop-in center in Paterson, a Spanish HIV prevention curriculum targeting farm workers, Horizon Health Center in Jersey City (to obtain $150,000 for HIV counseling and testing).

Emerging issues: Three retreats, in Newark, Monmouth-Ocean, and Atlantic-Cape May for their HIV Care Consortia. As a result, OCD has prepared a 3-year MOA for $215,000 to continue this work.

OCDs Capacity Building work profiled at a published report from the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, and is profiled as a study in progress on capacity building that works through the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, DC.

Maintains a website and database for grant searches on HIV prevention for community based organizations.

Health Education/Risk Reduction Workshops (HE/RR)  cycles of training for funded community based organizations to strengthen their skills in helping clients change behavior. Outreach workers, prevention case managers and peer educators attend one of the four cycles offered.

Other Grants

Collaborations (with ADAPS):

With the Department of Communications: $100,000 for one of six schools nationwide to be a model program for Safe and Drug-Free Schools Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention

With the Department of Communications: $15,000 for the RU SURE? prevention campaign from the NJ Higher Education Consortium on Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Education.

With the Department of Communications: $10,000 to study college student smoking from the Middlesex County chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

• With UMDNJ/NJPHA - $15,500 for public health advocacy in New Jersey
• From NJDHSS, Statewide Collegiate Tobacco Control Initiative, ($45,000 for New Brunswick and Newark assessment and programs)
• With Highland Park  senior partner for School-Based Youth Services program

NJ Division of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In collaboration with RUPD. Requested $90K. Education portion $15K  pending

With RC Counseling Center, Henry van Ameringen Foundation for eating issues, $15,000  not funded

UMDNJ Violence Prevention grant collaboration  not funded

APHA minigrant on advocacy  not funded

Community Outreach

Facilitated njserves testing for a municipal website, arranging a client relationship for the graduate organizational psychology course for Highland Park.

Placing 4 courses of student health advocates in the community for their service learning experiences

Innovations/Process Improvements

The student/staff infrastructure project  resulting in revised student positions and relationships and greater responsibility and communication. Interviews, focus groups and analysis revealed students motivations and satisfactions, as well as strategies for recruitment, retention, and leadership development.

Preceptor program request follow-up  resulted in overall excellent feedback, with minor suggestions for improving the confirmation process.

Breast self-exam shower hangtag follow-up  resulted in overall good feedback, but has questionable cost benefit for routine activity.

Mass mailing annual follow-up  600+ recipients satisfied with information and want to remain on mailing list.

Storybook follow-up to residence leaders  resulted in excellent feedback and requests for additional books.

Student and staff awareness and satisfaction surveys (convenience and gatekeepers, respectively)  resulted in high satisfaction and moderate awareness (2/3s aware of RUHS services, = aware of Health Education services). Those who were aware were very satisfied.

Review and critique of health information vehicles  public relations student reviewed RUHS material (brochures, website, health notes and ads) based on objective criteria, and evaluated them very highly, with minor suggestions for revisions.

National Collegiate Health Assessment Survey  2500 anonymous surveyed mailed to random sample of undergraduates on all campuses, 20% response rate (and therefore some concerns with representativeness of the data), preliminarily: 88% in very good or excellent health; in last 12 months: 16.6% in emotionally abusive relationships, lower condom use, 33% felt overwhelmed by all they had to do 11+ times (77% 5+ times), 48% females hadnt had a gyn exam, 50% had back pain, more than half use internet/computer games to detriment of their academic grades and more than half had relationship difficulty affecting their academic performance; misperceptions regarding peer tobacco use (88% perceived norm, 20% actual).

Of note: a Camden student death and the resulting services and protocols, with RUHS staff leadership and support.

Trends

Focusing more on population-based approaches, such as advocacy, policy development and environmental influences, and away from individual-based activities (such as patient information, peer education, and information-only activities), with a focus on social justice as a tool for advocacy and a reason to be healthy.

Focus for 2001-02

Teaching/training/supervising: continue courses and internships for academic credit; further evolve student infrastructure project and relationships;

Policy Development/Advocacy: re-examine syllabi to build skills in inquiry, analysis, advocacy and social justice; promote Photovoice results to key stakeholders at University (e.g., housing, dining halls); increase tobacco control efforts (in residence halls, programs for quitting)

collaborate with legislative dialogue and scorecard as student projects,

Student Life Collaborations: stress grant with Livingston College, celebrate 20^th anniversary of the Department of Health Education; apply selected alcohol task force report recommendations and initiation of innovative strategies (eg, 21^st birthday card messages); allocate $1000 gift for lesbian/gay education, continue SHRIMP and other student action activities

Academic Collaborations: continue CHI research teamwork for RU Sure? and RU Smoking?, continue relationships with academic advising and academic probation, and honors colleges

Public Information/Communication: build on RUNet activity and develop electronic strategies for web, video and broadcast messages; recreate RHB student health journalism award where journalism and student health advocates submit articles not necessarily written by themselves;

Assessment/Evaluation: continue academic collaboration for assessment and evaluation of selected services with graduate public health class, interpret and apply results from NCHA survey; CQI project of staff patient education needs and services

Service Learning: continue as senior partner with Highland Park Community Teen Center

Research/Grants: provide guidance to HIV Prevention and Development Initiative through the transition

Note: this works was accomplished with one staff person on medical leave for one semester, and with grant staff positions vacant. Another health education vacancy is expected for Fall 02.