The center is led by Professor Joseph Gaugler and seeks to foster interdisciplinary, community-engaged approaches to support students, researchers, and the community when addressing critical issues related to aging.
Faculty
School of Public Health to establish the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving
The center is led by Professor Joseph Gaugler and will focus on identifying and disseminating promising research findings and best practices for addressing social determinants of health to support family members, friends, and other unpaid individuals who care for people living with dementia.
Nguyen creates distance public health course for people in prison
Associate Professor Ruby Nguyen created an introductory public health class for the Minnesota state prison system that will teach incarcerated residents how to understand the issues of today, and possibly, open the door to a future career in the field.
Black newborns die less when cared for by Black doctors
A study co-authored by Associate Professor Rachel Hardeman found that the in-hospital death rate of Black newborns is a third lower when they are cared for by Black physicians rather than white physicians.
Gum disease raises the risk of developing dementia
Associate Professor Ryan Demmer studied a large group of people with varying levels of gum disease and found 19% of them developed dementia.
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.
Measuring SARS-CoV-2 infection among a sample of symptom-free Twin Cities health care workers
The results of the study led by Associate Professor Ryan Demmer suggest that the prevalence of active infection at any single point in time is potentially low among health care workers without symptoms.
Rural areas have higher individual health insurance premiums and fewer plan choices
Professor Jean Abraham led the study and believes that undetermined need and cost for health care during the COVID-19 pandemic will only add to the uncertainty surrounding plan choices and pricing in rural and other markets.
Rural nurse practitioners work with more autonomy than urban nurse practitioners
The study by Assistant Professor Hannah Neprash found that nurse practitioners in rural areas have greater practice autonomy in every category that was measured.
Discovering the genetic source of diabetes
Professors Baolin Wu and Jim Pankow are leading a new study to identify the segments of human genetic code associated with the onset of diabetes.
Surveying social interactions during the pandemic
Professor Shalini Kulasingam is leading a survey of Minnesotans to learn about their daily social contact patterns during the outbreak. The data from the study will be incorporated into one of the models used by the State to plan its response to the pandemic.
The science behind the 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be based on a scientific report co-authored by Associate Professor Jamie Stang.