Dean Noviello led the College of Health Sciences(COHS) for four years. Her passion and leadership positively impacted the college, faculty and staff, and the college is better today because of her dedication, wisdom and creativity.

Her initial plan to retire from the University System of Georgia(USG) changed in the last few weeks leading up to her last day. She was offered and accepted the Interim Provost position at Valdosta State.

We congratulate Dean Noviello and know she will leave a lasting imprint just as she has at Georgia College & State University.

See the article in the Scrub, the School of Nursing's student-led newsletter, on Dr. Noviello.

This popular community event, sponsored by Georgia College & State University in partnership with CREATE Inc., attracted up to 2,000 people from Central Georgia in a celebration of health and fitness Saturday, April 15, on Front Campus.

Fulfilling CREATE's vision to "Provide Innovative Responses to Quality-of-Life Barriers," the ArtHealthy Festival is held to address the epidemic of obesity using the arts, education and recreation.

The 9th Annual ArtHealthy Festival—with popular activities like the Kid Zone, Human Foosball, Human Hungry Hippo, Warrior Jump's inflatable obstacle course and a Zip Line—was a fun, physically-active experience for all ages. This year's festival featured a concert by Dynamic Sounds of Phunk and a magic show.

"Because of its art and healthy living focus, the ArtHealthy Festival encourages the community to take care of themselves and one another," said Toyia Barnes, coordinator of ArtHealthy Festival and Georgia College & State University School of Health and Human Performance.

Georgia College & State University recently approved the promotion of 23 faculty members for their excellence in teaching, scholarship/creative activities and service to the university, community and profession. The Office of the Provost also announced that 12 faculty members earned tenure. All promotions and tenured statuses become effective with the start of the 2023-2024 contract year. Below are the College of Health Sciences faculty who earned tenure and promotion. Congratulations!

• Ernest Kaninjing – tenure and promotion to associate professor
• Sterling Roberts – tenure and promotion to associate professor
• Josie Doss - promotion to full professor
• Sheryl Winn – promotion to full professor

Congratulations, Damian Francis, Ph.D., assistant professor of Public Health and director of the Center for Health & Social Issues, for receiving a grant/funding for the Diversity in Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program from the Morehouse School of Medicine, for $66,000.

The College of Health Sciences Awards Celebration was held on April 20 in the Magnolia Ballroom on the GCSU campus. The event was set aside to celebrate faculty, staff, students, alumni, and previous employees.

Recipients of the Faculty Excellence Awards will become the COHS nominations for the GCSU awards in their respective categories. Historically, the Staff Excellence Award has been awarded to one outstanding staff person; however, all thirteen staff members from across the college were recognized and honored for their significant contributions during the past few years.

The night’s festivities also included a new inductee into the COHS Hall of Fame and the recognition of the COHS Alumni Awards and the COHS Outstanding Student. The evening was a wonderful reminder of the great individuals that contribute to the overall success of the College of Health Sciences.

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Brandon Thomas is an intern for the Office of Health Promotion at Georgia College & State University. As a health educator intern, his responsibilities entail promoting all aspects of health to college students on our campus through disseminating infographic flyers and organizing promotional events throughout the academic year. Moreover, Brandon has been actively involved in the JED Initiative for mental health and Georgia College & State University's 5-year Quality Enhancement Plan.

In addition to these contributions, he has successfully coordinated a community outreach event with the Freedom Church/Café Central, where he hosted a health fair for the attendees. The health fair showcased various community resources that offered attendees a wide range of information on all aspects of health. Upon graduation, Brandon will be furthering his education at the University of Georgia, pursuing a master's degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

For more about Brandon Thomas, read the Front Page Story below.

Decorated basketball athlete Brandon Thomas spent his time at Georgia College & State University balancing athleticism, academics and community service.

Now, he’s graduating with the dream of becoming an infectious disease epidemiologist, hoping to study emergent tropical diseases like malaria.

Thomas worked one and a half years at the Center for Health & Social Issues(CHSI), assisting Dr. Damian Francis, assistant professor of public health and director of the CHSI. He’s also gone above and beyond to serve communities in Baldwin County, earning him the center’s Community Service Medallion.

“He was integral in planning breast cancer outreach events and working with the Georgia War Veterans Home to bring awareness to lung cancer and conduct lung function screenings,” Francis said. “As an aspiring epidemiologist, Brandon exhibits the intellect and empathy required to change lives through advocacy and public health.”

Read the rest of the Front Page story here.

Pictured below: Brandon Thomas

SHHPS currently has three ongoing studies:

Balance Study – This study looks at balance and postural stability in dancers and non-dancers. Males and females aged 18-35 are welcome to participate. The study is searching for individuals with previous dance training and those without dance training. Participants must be available for three data collection sessions in the Exercise Science lab, each lasting around 45 minutes. Lead Student Researcher for this project is Christina Snider. Additional student researchers include Katie Briggs, Mackenzie Rich, Mackenzie Zimmerman and Megan Daniel.

The Incidence of ACL Injury in Females Study examines the relationship between menstrual cycles and ACL-related injuries. The study is searching for female athletes and non-athletes aged 18 -25 with previous ACL injuries. Lead Student Researcher for this Project is Kate Granata.

Body Composition Perceptions in Females (BCP) Study – This study aims to see if the results of a single body composition analysis session would be enough to cause a female to incorporate lifestyle changes solely based on the analysis. By offering a complete body composition analysis and accompanying detailed consultation on the results by a qualified professional, this research hopes to determine what, if any, portion of the results constituted enough of a response to elicit positive lifestyle changes within the female subject. The study is searching for females aged 18 – 65 interested in a complete body composition analysis. They must be willing to return for testing in three months. Faculty researchers on this project include Kelly Massey, Helen DuPree and Jinkyung Park. Student Researchers include Alyssa Wright and Lauren Bynum.

Christina Snider has been named SHHPS Lead Student Researcher for the ‘23- ‘24 academic year. She will oversee new undergraduate students interested in joining SHHPS and working on their research studies. Christina will assist them in learning the equipment and the study methodologies. If you are interested in joining a study, contact Christina at christina.snider@bobcats.gcsu.edu

Undergraduate student researchers, under the leadership of the ‘22- ‘23 Lead Student Researcher Elizabeth (Lizzy) Niswonger, completed the Examining Pain Levels in Female Competition and Performance Athletes and recently presented the findings in their Georgia College Research Day March 29th, 2023. Additional students on the study were Sylvia Clark, Molly Dyer and Christina Snider. The students are currently writing up the manuscript for publication.

Presented at GCSU Graduate Research Event:

• Michael Hill, Jr: "Factors That May Influence Job Satisfaction and Commitment to the Career Within the Profession of Athletic Training"
• Zoe Hollowell: "The Perceived Differences Between Male and Female Athletics"
• Alexa Pellack: "Perceptions of Athletic Trainers' Support During an Athlete's Injury"
• DeLayne Rotolo: "Determining Ankle Stability in College Athletes"
• Ashlyn Alligood: "The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on the Overall Health of Active Women"

Presented to Targeted Audience Specific to Their Research Topic:

• Adrienne Henderson: "Efficiency of Athletic Training Curriculum in Preparation of Handling Mental Health in Student-Athletes"
• Madison Martin: "The Effects of Caffeine on Physiological Responses of Long-Distance Runners"

Non-experimental Research Projects:

• Madyson Osborn: "Creating Transgender Inclusive Educational Materials for Athletic Training Preceptors"
• Kaitlin Hailey: "The Importance of Flexibility and Mobility Training in Athletic Performance"

Conducted Research That Was Not Presented:

• Kaitlyn Helmey: "Preceptors' Perspectives on the Immersive Clinical Experience in Athletic Training Master's Programs"

The Exercise Science Club attended the 15th Annual JOY Prom at Walnut Grove High School on the evening of April 15, 2023. JOY Prom is a collaborative effort to host a full-scale prom for special needs individuals. This event is designed for ages 13 and older with developmental and/or physical impairments. Formally-attired guests arrive on the red carpet and are escorted by volunteers who help show them a night of glitz & glamour, including shoe shines and the photo booth. JOY Prom includes food followed by an evening of dancing the night away with their friends.

Exercise Science students Eric Davis, Ariana Bridgett, Will Ansel, and Kaitlyn Smith are pictured below.

Our Master of Science in Athletic Training and graduate human performance students would like to extend a special thank you to Jennifer Novak, MS, CSCS*D, for her presentation on photobiomodulation. The students were so appreciative of this learning experience.

Kirby Kelley MA, LAT, ATC, OTC (Georgia College Athletic Training Alumna) shared her knowledge for sutures, casting, bracing, imaging and administration professional development with our current Masters of Science in Athletic Traning students.

Since the pandemic, many students have experienced increasing rates of depression and anxiety. But this can be doubly felt by nursing students, who encounter stressors in both classroom and clinical settings.

Priya Polanco understands these pressures all too well. She’s a graduating nursing student, a member of the Honors College, valedictorian and a student speaker at her commencement ceremony.

When she thought about her transition from high school to college and the nursing program, she wondered if she could help her peers by learning more about what makes them anxious.

“It can be a big academic adjustment to the rigor of nursing school,” she said, “and we have educational clinical rotations where—for many of us—it’s our first time dealing with sick and dying patients.”

Read the rest of the Front Page story here.

Pictured below: Priya Polanco

Congratulations to Dr. Joyce Norris-Taylor and the Georgia College Association of Nursing Students(GCANS) group on receiving the Student Organization of the Year Award! Dr. Norris-Taylor and the GCANS leadership board worked tremendously hard to make GCANS fun and affordable for all pre-nursing and nursing students.

They organized and implemented several community service activities and fundraisers throughout the year.

Congratulations are also in order for GCANS president Clara White, who received the 2023 Unsung Hero Bobcat Award. Read more about this amazing lady on Front Page: Clara White - "Leaving a Legacy for Fellow Nursing Students."

GCANS is helping donate items for the study abroad group to take to Honduras. If you're interested in helping contribute, please get in touch with Dr. Joyce Norris-Taylor or Dr. Sallie Coke. The deadline to donate is July 25th.

GCANS had another successful Pie A Professor fundraiser with the nursing faculty. Thank you to Dr. Queen, Mrs. Fordham, Dr. Goldsberry, and Mrs. Parrish for participating, and thank you to our amazing members for an outstanding year.

Pictured below: Pie A Professor Fundraiser

Read the entire newsletter here.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

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• Raised $10,836 – 108% over the goal of $10K. In 2022, we raised $13,645; in 2021, we raised $13,002.
• 82 donors in 2023 versus 89 in 2022 and 74 in 2021.
• 2023 Avg Gift = $132.14 versus 2022 Avg Gift = $153.31 and 2021 Avg Gift = $175.70.
• 50% participation from COHS Leadership Board.
• 55% participation from COHS Faculty and Staff.

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