Greetings from Milledgeville!

Happy Holidays from the Health Sciences team! We are completing the term and at the same time, getting ready for our spring courses and graduation the weekend of December 14th. We have had a successful fall with the acquisition and roll out of the new mobile health unit and success in the area of research and grants as well. This week we learned that Dr. Ernie Kaninjing’s research received one of a few provost office seed grants to support his efforts in men’s health. We have had a record number of hours logged in the Simulation and Translational Research Center, and we have had successful on-site screenings through the Center for Health and Social Issues across Middle Georgia.

Students from the College of Health Sciences have also completed numerous projects in community health that support the middle Georgia region, and we continue to have our nursing faculty and students present to support pop-up screening clinics as well. All these efforts represent opportunities for hands-on, community-focused learning.

While we prepare for a short break prior to the new year, we hope that you and your family can enjoy the season as well and that you all travel safely over this holiday period. Thank you for all you do to spread the word about Georgia College and State University as well as the support you give the College of Health Sciences. We appreciate you!

As always, when in Milly, please stop in and say hello. We love to see alums and friends of the college when they have time to pay a visit.

Happy Holidays!

Will

Dr. Ernie Kaninjing- College of Health Sciences

Project Title: Grounded theory study of the social determinants of migrant health factors impactingprostate cancer care and survivorship among sub-Saharan African and Caribbean immigrant mendiagnosed with prostate cancer

Funded Amount: $45,812

While most of us have experienced the magic of fresh air, a beautiful blue sky, and the scent of real trees and "know" that it makes us feel better, can it do more than put a smile on our face?

Some time ago, Dr. Liz Speelman, health and human performance faculty, was asked to join a team of faculty and graduate students from University of Utah and University of New Hampshire who were studying the impact of nature on individuals with mental illness. As a result, she worked with the team to conduct two separate meta-analyses. One focused on individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and the other with individuals who experience symptoms of mental illness but aren't officially diagnosed. These reviews included studies with participants from college-age to seniors and took place in green spaces within city limits to wilderness areas.

Both of these studies concluded that time in nature could have a significant impact on mental illness symptoms including anxiety, stress, depression, social functioning, mood, cognition, negative emotions and quality of life. Even a short amount of time at a green space within a city can make a difference. The healthcare implications of these studies are that nature exposure can be used as an accessible and affordable part of the treatment plan for individuals with mental illness.

Bettmann, J.E., Speelman, E., Blumenthal, E., Couch, S., & McArthur, T. (2024). "How does nature exposure affect adults with symptoms of mental illness? A meta-analysis." International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33, 1889-1907.

Bettmann, J.E., Speelman, E., Blumenthal, E., Couch, S., & Schmalz, D. (2024).

"Nature exposure, even as little as 10 minutes, is likely to yield short-term benefits for adults with mental illness: A meta-analysis." Ecopsychology, 16(3), 174-190.

The annual Poster Showcase is the culminating experience for our Community Health course, allowing students to display their service leaning efforts during the Fall semester.

Students serve in a community organization where they learn through experience how to identify community health needs and develop strategies for addressing those needs through mutual learning, critical thinking about the root causes of the health needs and sustainable solutions. Students also learn how to interact with community members from diverse backgrounds.

A major aspect of the service-learning experience is for students to learn how to work collaboratively with community partner(s) in addressing health and social issues and take their learning beyond the classroom by applying concepts learned in class to real-world challenges.

This year, students selected to perform their service learning from a list of over 20 community partner organizations working in fields such as sustainability, human services, and after-school programs.

Through the service-learning experience, the public health program at Georgia College was able to give over 900 total hours to the community and impact the lives of individuals served by our community partners.

This fall the Poster Showcase took place in the Peabody Auditorium and attracted many Baldwin County community members as well as Georgia College faculty and staff who were eager to observe what students had achieved in their semester-long endeavors.

A panel of four judges, consisting of Dr. Turner, Dr. Berger, Dr. McClure and Dr. Speelman visited each of the 14 posters on display and listened to students provide a 5-minute oral presentation of their work and its impact on the community.

At the end of the event, two posters received awards as the first-, and second-best posters. The first place went to Cierra Brantley who performed her service learning with the High Achiever’s Program. The second place went to Scarlett Patton and Brooke Trogdon who performed their service learning with Dr. Francis and Maddy Meiser at the Center for Health and Social Issues.

After feedback from previous years, two new awards were introduced this year: The Best Presenter and Student Choice. Kathryn Kaveney who performed her service learning at Communities in Schools, won the inaugural Best Presenter award, and Grace Hatcher who performed her service learning at the Salamander Springs Farmwon the Student’s Choice award for the content of her poster as voted by her classmates.

Below are photos highlighting the award winners of the fall 2024 Poster Showcase.

The third annual Professional Developement and Networking Dinner was held last month in the Pat Peterson Museum Education room under the direction of Dr. Damian Francis.

Dr. Francis thanks all the mentors, faculty and staff for another inspirational and educational experience for the public health seniors.

GCANS donated $100 to assist with the School of Nursing Honduras Abroad project. Funds were used to purchase vitamins, first aid materials, and basic hygiene supplies.

At the fall meeting, GCANS hosted a speaker from the counseling office, Andrea Paugh, who discussed health stress management and coping techniques for school and nursing.

GCANS held a candy gram fundraiser where members could order candy grams to be delivered to their friends. Over 50% of the proceeds were donated to the Navicent Health Foundation.

This upcoming month, GCANS is assisting in the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital Drive! Toys can be collected and dropped off in front of Dr. Johnstono’s office, which is located in Parks Memorial Room 118.

Georgia College & State University congratulates Adam Hammond (’08), Michele Howard (’09), and Dr. Joy King (’09, ’15, ’17), for earning a spot in Georgia Trend Magazine’s 2024 '40 Under 40.'

The three Georgia College alumni were recognized in the magazine’s September issue for their achievements and service to others in their workplace and community.

See the full Front Page story here. Dr. Joy King, our own School of Nursing Alum and College of Health Sciences board member is highlighted.

Dr. Joy King

A triple-alumna, King earned her bachelor’s in nursing, master’s in family practice and doctorate in nursing practice from Georgia College. She also holds a master’s in healthcare administration, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in nursing and serves as the president-elect of the Georgia Nurses Association.