Public Health News
College Of Law, Falk College provide legal support to local community
“Advance planning for medical decisions and preferences is never an easy conversation to have with loved ones, but it is a necessary and responsible thing to do,” explains Cowart. “The students from the College of Law, under Professor McNeal’s leadership, filled a significant void within our community.”
Research estimates that only one in three Americans has an advance directive, a number that is substantially lower among communities of color, those of lower socio-economic status, and lower levels of education. This semester, College of Law students in McNeal’s Advance Directives in the Community course and Elder and Health Law Clinic (EHLC) gained hands-on experience educating local residents about the importance of planning for end-of-life care while helping them prepare advance directives in partnership with Falk College.
“Advance directives enable people to appoint a proxy to make decisions when they are no longer able to, and they lay out a person’s preferences for the care they want,” says McNeal. Providing general practice legal assistance for those aged 60 and over with low or moderate incomes, the EHLC offers students the opportunity to represent clients with faculty guidance and oversight.
New public health faculty bring variety of expertise to classrooms, research
Falk College’s newest public health faculty, Bryce Hruska, Bhavneet Walia, and Najah Zaaeed, bring a variety of research interests and specializations to the program, including stress, health economics, and
Bryce Hruska, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the public health program where he has served as a research assistant professor, postdoctoral researcher, and project manager. He specializes in traumatic events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress and health, occupational stress, recovery experiences, and quantitative methods.
Hruska’s research focuses on better understanding how psychological stress “gets under the skin” to impact physical health. Since coming to Falk College, his work has primarily consisted of overseeing the operations of two research projects: “Environmental Toxicants, Race, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children” and “The Psychosocial and Physiological Consequences of Taking and Not Taking Time Off from Work.” He has most recently published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, as well as Environmental Research, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, and Social Science and Medicine, among others.
Bhavneet Walia, Ph.D., an assistant professor, joined Syracuse University in 2015 from Western Illinois University where she was an associate professor of decision sciences and founding director of the business analytics post-baccalaureate certificate program. Her fields of specialization include health economics and health econometrics.
Walia’s present research efforts are focused in three areas: early child health interventions and cognitive development; mortality and behavioral effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and related neurodegenerative diseases; and markets for health care in the United States. Her research and scholarship include 14 peer-reviewed journal articles that have appeared in leading journals of applied economics, health policy, and environmental policy: the American Journal of Economics & Sociology, the Journal of Economic Education, and the Southern Economic Journal, and two in Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems, Economics Letters.
Najah Zaaeed, Dr.PH. is an assistant teaching professor in the public health program. Since 2016, Zaaeed has taught as an adjunct professor in public health at Syracuse University and at SUNY Oswego. She specializes in global health and mental health, health education and promotion, social media and health outcomes, addiction and wellness, gerontology, disability studies, maternal and child health, and refugee health and social service needs
Zaaeed’s research interests are in aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities, maternal and child health, effectiveness of ecological models for health awareness at global levels, and refugee health. Zaaeed authored a chapter in the book Refugee Education: International Perspectives from Higher Education and NGOs. She is also published in the International Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Journal of Refugee and Global Health and has presented at the North American Refugees Health Conference.
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Intelligent Lives film screening highlights inclusion in Falk College classrooms, research
“When the film, Intelligent Lives is featured as part of the 2018 Syracuse International Film Festival’s Imaging Disability showcase October 14, the audience will see how Falk College classrooms and programs are incredible places of inclusion for students with intellectual disability,” says professor of public health and faculty fellow at the Burton Blatt Institute, Katherine McDonald. The film explores how segregation of people with intellectual disability became the norm, why this segregation is slowly being dismantled, and how some people with intellectual disability are blazing a bold new path, including Micah Fialka-Feldman ’15.
In 2013, McDonald received a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to address the pressing need for scientific knowledge to improve the health of persons with intellectual disability for the study, “Project ETHICS.”
During the study, an expert panel created a survey administered to over 500 people across the U.S. to learn about their views on doing research with adults with an intellectual disability. One of the panel members was Fialka-Feldman, a then-Syracuse University student and teaching assistant, who is now a staff member in the School of Education where he teaches and works on projects in the Taishoff Center as well as McDonald’s Community4All Project. Fialka-Feldman, who graduated in May 2015 with a certificate in Disability Studies, helped design the Project ETHICS survey and assisted with recruitment and sharing findings.
During the project, McDonald was contacted by Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, Dan Habib from the Institute on Disability (UCEDD) at the University of New Hampshire. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) in 2014. Fialka-Feldman also served on the PCPID.
Habib filmed Fialka-Feldman participating in Project ETHICS work at Syracuse University and in public health classes in Falk College in 2016. During multiple site visits to campus, Habib and his team spent time with Fialka-Feldman, his friends and colleagues to capture Micah’s vibrant academic, work and social life. The visits included filming Micah at home, working at the SU School of Education, attending his public health class taught by assistant dean of student services and public health professor, Jim Byrne, and working as part of the Expert Panel on research findings in Project ETHICS with McDonald.
“Having Micah in a class of 100 students was a privilege. He participated in all aspects of the class and shared his life experience in the class and during exams. Micah’s insights about topics in the personal and social health class were thought provoking for the class and for me,” notes Byrne.
“Project ETHICS is community-engaged research. The film is about expanding ideas of intelligence – community-engaged research draws from similar ideas. Rather than trained scientists controlling research, we work hand-in-hand with community members who have lived experience and draw from their expertise to create research questions, methods, dissemination, and action to follow. This way of working legitimizes the value of lived experience, and emphasizes that a broad array of stakeholders can—and should—contribute to research,” explains McDonald, principal investigator for the study.
Since 2016, numerous research articles about Project ETHICS have been published, on which Fialka-Feldman is co-author. “This film is a key component to challenging dominant cultural narratives about people labeled with intellectual disability. We need films that reflect disability rights, and showcase people with disability leading meaningful lives as caring, capable citizens” says McDonald.
The Intelligent Lives screening will take place on Sunday, October 14 at 3:00 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art Building. The film is captioned; ASL interpretation and CART will be provided for the introduction and discussion. Watch the trailer of the film.
Throughout the month of October, the Disability Cultural Center (DCC) and a host of campus partners and student organizations will host Disability Awareness and Appreciation Month. The month’s events will focus on disability and its many intersections. For more information, visit the Syracuse University story.
Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff
Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year, including Nikki Beckwith, director of dietetic internship program, Trinity Benton, kitchen technician, and Deana Hansen-Danis, procurement coordinator in the Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition; Bradford Ducre, computer consultant in information technology, and; Lisa Liparulo, internship placement coordinator in the Department of Sport Management.
It also welcomes ten new faculty members, Chaya Charles, Jennifer Genovese, Ryan Heath, Bryce Hruska, Kenneth Marfilius, David Meluni, Jessica L. Garay, Sara Vasilenko, Bhavneet Walia, and Najah Zaaeed.
Chaya Lee Charles, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.G., C.D.N.
Nutrition & Food Studies
Chaya Charles joins the Department of Nutrition & Food Studies as an assistant teaching professor in the nutrition program.
Prior to her appointment as assistant teaching professor, Charles has worked as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Nutrition & Food Studies at Falk College since 2014. In addition, she is currently a consultant dietitian for Sodexo at Menorah Park and senior nutrition consultant for Oswego County Opportunities. She has previously held titles such as outpatient dietitian, clinical dietitian, and nutrition services manager at various health care facilities.
Charles completed both her B.S. degree in nutrition, and her M.S. degree in nutrition science at Syracuse University. Her master’s thesis is titled “Comparing Vegan and Vegetarian Attitudes, Beliefs and Perceptions with Risk for Disordered Eating Behavior.” She is also published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Charles is a board-certified specialist in gerontological nutrition, a registered instructor for the National Restaurant Association’s ManageFirst Program courses, ServSafe certified, and certified in food and beverage cost control. She is the recipient of the 2014 Sodexo Clinical Innovation Award, 2011 Sodexo Northeast Regional Dietitian of the Year, and winner of the 2010 National Sodexo Nutrition Outcomes Study.
Areas of specialization: Vegetarianism and disordered eating behaviors, malnutrition prevention in the elderly, cardiovascular and diabetic nutrition counseling, nutritional intervention for wound healing, weight loss counseling, meal planning guidance and the provision of nutritious menus in institutional and home settings.
Jennifer Cornish Genovese, A.C.S.W., Ph.D.
School of Social Work
Jennifer Cornish Genovese joins Syracuse University’s Falk College as an assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work. She has previously taught in the College’s Department of Human Development and Family Science and in the School of Social Work, including courses such as Power, Conflict, & Violence in the Family; Interpersonal Competence; Family Systems Theory; Advanced Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups; and Practice with Children, Adolescents, and Families.
Genovese is a NYS Licensed Certified Social Worker and has worked in private practice as a psychotherapist for 30 years. She specializes in the treatment of abused children and adolescents. She is a clinical consultant for the NYS Department of Social Services and facilitates monthly support groups on secondary traumatic stress of child welfare workers in multiple Central New York counties. She is also a program and ministry consultant for the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Upstate NY Synod.
Genovese has presented for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Professional Symposium in Chicago, IL and for NASW’s Annual Meeting. She was previously employed by St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center as the outpatient clinic manager of the Mental Health Services Department. Genovese formerly served on the board of directors for Girls Inc. and the Mohawk Valley Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. She was the co-host of two long-running radio programs in Syracuse, NY: Teen Talk on 93Q FM and Parenting Matters on 570 AM and 88 WAER FM.
Genovese completed a Ph.D. in child and family studies and M.S.W. at Syracuse University’s Falk College, as well as a B.A. in sociology from the State University of New York College at Cortland.
Areas of specialization: Assessment and treatment of physically and sexually abused children and adolescents, treatment of bereavement, loss and trauma in children, adolescents, and identification and intervention of secondary traumatic stress of child welfare workers.
Ryan D. Heath, M.A, L.C.S.W., Ph.D.
School of Social Work
Ryan Heath joins the School of Social Work as an assistant professor. Heath’s research seeks to understand how out-of-school programs (e.g., extracurricular, afterschool and summer programs) promote the social-emotional development of low-income youth, students of color, and other historically marginalized youth. To improve the reach, quality, and impact of these programs, his work aims to elucidate how extracurricular programs interface with other social-ecological contexts that affect youth, such as schools, peers and families, and to identify the potential mechanisms through which extracurricular programs influence youth’s social-emotional development and educational attainment. He has been involved in several research projects, most recently as a collaborator on the “Becoming Effective Learners—Out-of-School Time Study” with The Consortium for School Research at the University of Chicago. Heath has published in Youth & Society, Urban Review, Urban Education, LGBT Health, and Pediatric Research. He is also co-author of the research report, Foundations of Young Adult Success: A Developmental Framework.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Heath taught classes on research methods and cognitive-behavioral therapy at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. As a clinical social worker, Heath has implemented cognitive-behavioral interventions with adolescents and youth groups in both school-based and community settings. He previously worked as a clinical director for Chicago Adventure Therapy, as a school-based therapist at UCAN, as a therapeutic learning coach for Project EDGE of OMNI Youth Services, and as a teen outreach program coordinator at Health Quarters.
Heath earned a master’s degree in clinical social work and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. As a doctoral student, Heath received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Institute of Education Sciences and the University of Chicago Committee on Education, and completed a graduate certificate in interdisciplinary education sciences. He completed a bachelor’s degree in science with honors from Brown University.
Areas of specialization: Adolescent development, extracurricular and out-of-school programs, social-emotional learning, educational attainment, youth social services, school and community partnerships.
Bryce Hruska, Ph.D.
Public Health
Bryce Hruska is an assistant professor in the Falk College public health program where he has served as a research assistant professor, postdoctoral researcher, and project manager for the public health program. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health.
Hruska’s research focuses on better understanding how psychological stress “gets under the skin” to impact physical health. Since coming to Falk College, his work has primarily consisted of overseeing the operations of two research projects: “Environmental Toxicants, Race, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children” and “The Psychosocial and Physiological Consequences of Taking and Not Taking Time Off from Work.”
He has most recently published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, as well as Environmental Research, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, and Social Science and Medicine, among others. He has published book chapters in the Handbook of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine and in Trauma and Substance Abuse: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment of Comorbid Disorders, Second Edition.
Hruska has presented his research at conferences including the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the American Psychosomatic Society, and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. He has made multiple media appearances promoting the research that he and his collaborators are performing, and he serves as an invited reviewer for a number of peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Traumatic Stress, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Stress and Health, Addictive Behaviors, and Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Hruska earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology, with concentrations in health psychology and quantitative methods, both from Kent State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Akron.
Areas of specialization: Traumatic events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress and health, occupational stress, recovery experiences, quantitative methods.
Kenneth James Marfilius III, L.C.S.W., D.S.W.
School of Social Work
Kenneth Marfilius joins Falk College as a visiting teaching professor in the School of Social Work.
While active duty, Marfilius served in the U.S. Air Force Biomedical Science Corps in multiple roles: active duty clinical social worker, mental health therapist, family advocacy officer in charge, and as manager of the alcohol and drug prevention and treatment program. He was commissioned in 2013 and was discharged in 2016 having obtained the rank of captain. At the Barksdale Air Force Base, Marfilius served in a variety of mental health roles related to sexual assault prevention and response, suicide prevention, and traumatic stress. Marfilius has also worked for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs at the Syracuse VA Medical Center in the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program, and as a disruptive behavior committee member.
Marfilius previously taught courses such as Social Work Practice in Mental Health and Introduction to Military Culture and Social Work Practice, as well as guest and continuing education lectures at Falk College, and has presented for the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) and at the Association for Humanistic Counseling National Conference. He recently guest lectured at the University of Pennsylvania on “Trauma— Informed Care, Housing First, and Critical Time Intervention for Veteran Homelessness.”
Marfilius is honored with a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. He is a recipient of the U.S. Air Force Health Professions Scholarship and the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and has twice been awarded the Barksdale Air Force Base Medical Operations Squadron Company Grade Officer of the Quarter.
Marfilius earned a doctorate in clinical social work (D.S.W.) and master of social work (M.S.W.) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in public health from Syracuse University.
Areas of specialization: Military mental health, military families, veteran social work, homelessness, domestic violence, suicide prevention, substance use prevention and treatment, and military culture and social work practice.
David Meluni, M.S.
Sport Management
David Meluni is a teaching professor in the Department of Sport Management, where he served as an adjunct over the past four years.
Meluni has over 18 years of experience in the sport industry, including two years as vice president of sales and business development for both 805 Stats and Infinity Sports and Entertainment. He also spent five years as the vice president of sales at SIDEARM Sports. In his tenure at SIDEARM, he negotiated and signed agreements with the University of Texas, University of Kansas, the Heisman Trophy, and the Maui Invitational as well as with several Division I, II and III institutions.
He has also worked with the New York Collegiate Baseball League as a member of its executive team. Prior to working in the digital space, the Syracuse native spent 10 years with IMG College, the multi-media rights holder at Syracuse University, where he maintained a client base of over $1.1 million per year.
Meluni serves on the board for the Camillus Softball and Baseball Association, coaches multiple travel teams for the Camillus Wildcats, and is a volunteer assistant coach for the West Genesee varsity baseball team.
Meluni earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in sport management, where he also acted as captain and NCAA All-Region Infielder for the Bombers’ baseball team. In 1999, he was selected to attend the prestigious NCAA Leadership Conference. He then attended Florida State University as a graduate assistant in the Seminoles’ ticket office and earned a master’s degree in sport administration. He worked as a marketing assistant at FSU, assisting with football, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, baseball, and softball.
Areas of specialization: Sport sponsorship sales, ticket sales, technology in sport and sports marketing and promotion.
Jessica L. Garay, M.S., R.D.N., F.A.N.D.
Nutrition & Food Studies
Jessica Garay joins the Department of Nutrition & Food Studies as an instructor in the nutrition program.
Previously, Garay worked at Utica College as an assistant professor of biology: physiology & nutrition since 2016. From 2010-2016, she was an adjunct instructor at Syracuse University and has held positions at Onondaga Community College and George Washington University, as well as the Washington Cancer Institute and Food Bank of Central New York.
Garay is published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, the American Journal of Human Biology, and Current Biomarker Findings, among others. She has presented at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Conference and the NYS Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (NYSAND) Annual Meeting.
Garay is the recipient of a 2016 Emerging Dietetic Leader Award from the NYSAND and currently serves as its public policy coordinator. Garay has held several roles with the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Dietetic Practice Group and is currently the research chair. Her other volunteer work includes serving as an evidence analyst for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics’ Evidence Analysis Library, and as a member of the American Dairy Association North East’s Sports Nutrition Advisory Panel.
Garay is completing a Ph.D. in science education, specializing in exercise science, from Syracuse University. She earned an M.S. in exercise science, specializing in nutrition and eating behaviors, from George Washington University. She completed her dietetic internship at the Yavapai County Health Department in Prescott, AZ. She completed a B.S. in nutritional sciences and a B.S. in human development at Cornell University.
Areas of Specialization: Fetal programming, nutrition and athletic performance, dietary supplements.
Sara A. Vasilenko, M.S., Ph.D.
Human Development and Family Science
Sara Vasilenko joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science as an assistant professor.
Prior to joining Falk College, Vasilenko served as a research assistant professor in Health and Human Development and as a research associate in the Methodology Center at Pennsylvania State University. There, Vasilenko was a postdoctoral fellow in the Prevention Research Center and Methodology Center after working as a graduate assistant in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Prior to her time at Penn State, Vasilenko held a research apprentice fellowship in the Department of Epidemiology and worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University.
Vasilenko’s research spans topics related to adolescence and young adult health, sexual behavior, and drug use. She is currently a subcontract PI on a grant from the Office of Adolescent Health, which focuses on how multidimensional risk factors moderate effects of teen pregnancy prevention programs, and co-investigator on a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant focusing on how substance use and its predictors vary by age. Vasilenko is published in journals such as the Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Early Adolescence, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Journal of Sex Research, and Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Vasilenko is the recipient of a 2006 Graham Endowed Fellowship, Pennsylvania State University College of Health and Human Development. She currently is a consulting editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence and a member of the Society for Research in Child Development, among others.
Vasilenko earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. in English from Kalamazoo College.
Areas of specialization: Adolescent and young adult development, sexual behavior, developmental methodology, substance use.
Bhavneet Walia, Ph.D.
Public Health
Bhavneet Walia is an assistant professor in Falk College’s public health program. Walia joined Syracuse University in 2015 from Western Illinois University where she was an associate professor of decision sciences and founding director of the business analytics post-baccalaureate certificate program.
Her fields of specialization include health economics and health econometrics. Her research and scholarship include 14 peer-reviewed journal articles that have appeared in leading journals of applied economics, health policy, and environmental policy: the American Journal of Economics & Sociology, the Journal of Economic Education, and the Southern Economic Journal, and two in Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems, Economics Letters.
The recipient of numerous awards and distinctions that include the Provost’s Award for Excellence at Western Illinois University and the WIU College of Business and Technology Award, both for excellence in campus internationalization, Walia is presently associate editor of the Academy of Economics and Finance Journal. Her professional affiliations include the Academy of Economics and Finance and the American Economic Association.
Walia’s present research efforts are focused in three areas: early child health interventions and cognitive development; mortality and behavioral effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and related neurodegenerative diseases; and markets for health care in the United States.
Walia holds a Ph.D. in economics with an econometrics specialization from Kansas State University, where her dissertation was entitled, “Three Essays in Health and Labor Economics.” Her master’s and bachelor’s degrees, both in economics, are from Punjab University in India.
Areas of specialization: Health care markets and policy, early childhood development, environmental health, labor market policy, statistical expertise in applied statistical programming and methodology, health statistics, biostatistics, health information systems, labor statistics, analysis of National Longitudinal Surveys, and other social and behavioral statistical analyses.
Najah Zaaeed, E.M.P.A., M.S.W., Dr.PH.
Public Health
Najah Zaaeed joins the Department of Nutrition & Food Studies as an assistant teaching professor in the public health program.
Since 2016, Zaaeed has taught as an adjunct professor in public health at Syracuse University and at SUNY Oswego. Zaaeed previously served as a mental health specialist for Interfaith Works of Central New York and as a social worker for the Islamic Society of Central New York.
Zaaeed’s research interests are in aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities, maternal and child health, effectiveness of ecological models for health awareness at global levels, and refugee health. Zaaeed authored a chapter in the book Refugee Education: International Perspectives from Higher Education and NGOs. She is also published in the International Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Journal of Refugee and Global Health and has presented at the North American Refugees Health Conference.
Zaaeed is the recipient of the 2017 Selma Andrews Award from Loma Linda University, 2013 Global Health Institute, Loma Linda Research Funding, the 2013 Fadel Education Foundation Scholarship, and the 2008-2010 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Fellowship from the Islamic Society of North America. She is also a board member of the Society of North American Refugee Healthcare Providers.
Zaaeed earned a Dr.PH. in public health, specializing in health promotion and education, and global health, from Loma Linda University. She earned a M.S.W. and executive master of public administration from the School of Social Work and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, respectively, at Syracuse University. She also earned two graduate certificates in gerontology and international leadership and non-governmental organizations from the Maxwell School at Syracuse. She earned a B.S. in paralegal education from Chancellor University.
Areas of specialization: Global health and mental health, health education and promotion, social media and health outcomes, addiction and wellness, gerontology, disability studies, maternal and child health, refugee health and social service needs
Falk College Welcomes the Class of 2022
Falk College is thrilled to welcome back returning Syracuse students and to extend a special welcome to the Class of 2022, new transfer and graduate students! We are so happy to have you in the Orange family, as well as our family here at Falk College. As you meet your professors, classmates, and roommates, you’ll soon be feeling right at home. We are here to help you along the way. If you have any questions or concerns, please connect with Falk College’s Office of Student Services at (315) 443-3144 or falkss@syr.edu or visit 330 Barclay Hall in the Falk Complex.
Here are a few tips to help you get settled during these first few weeks:
Download the Syracuse Welcome Guide. Available through the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs, the 2018 Syracuse Welcome Guide contains the complete schedule for Syracuse Welcome 2018 and other important information about your arrival at Syracuse University.
In addition, new graduate students should visit the graduate school website and check out the calendar of events specifically for graduate students. Similarly, new international students can find helpful information by visiting the Slutzker Center for International Services.
Attend New Student Convocation for new students and families on Thursday, August 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Attend Falk College welcome events. Please join us for the Dean’s Reception for new students and families on Friday, August 24 from 10 to 11 a.m. in Grant Auditorium in the Falk Complex, followed by light refreshments served outside in the Falk Courtyard. Afterwards, the Dean’s Welcome Meeting for new students will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Grant Auditorium immediately followed by Department Meetings from 1:45 to 3 p.m.
Explore the Student Involvement Fair Wednesday, September 5 on the Quad from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In the case of rain, it will be held in Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center. With more than 300 student organizations on campus, we are confident you’ll find something that fits your interests.
Check your SU email account. As a Syracuse University student, you now have a SU email account. The University’s primary method of communication is email sent to your SU account (not your personal email account). It is very important that you check your SU email account on a regular basis so you do not miss important communications from the University. If you have any questions, please contact Information Technology Services (ITS).
Connect with Falk College on social media. You can follow us @SUFalkCollege. Many other Syracuse University offices, schools, colleges, academic programs, clubs and more are also on social media. Visit the Social Media Directory. It’s a great way to discover all that’s happening on campus.
Finally, remember the Falk College Office of Student Services is here to help you with any questions or concerns. Once again, welcome and best of luck! Let’s make this semester a great one!
Ten students complete month-long NSF-funded trauma research program
Ten student-veterans and traditional students recently completed the month-long 2018 National Science Foundation-funded Trauma Research Education for Undergraduates (REU) Program hosted by Falk College. To enhance skills for conducting trauma research while increasing their ability to gain admission to competitive graduate programs, participants attended seminars on research methods and statistics, neurobiological, psychological, and physiological aspects of trauma, and research ethics as well as weekly self-care lessons and graduate school application workshops.
Following a national review process, participants are identified and paired with experienced mentors from a broad range of disciplines. Through these efforts, students develop a hypothesis and perform statistical analysis of research data. Students will continue their research projects for the coming year, with the goal of presenting findings at a national or regional conference. Previous students presented at the annual meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association, Southeastern Psychological Association, and Association for Psychological Science.
Participants who completed the June 2018 program include Casssidy Brydon (Florida Atlantic University), John Christopher (Tarrant County College), Ansel Gautam (Drew University), Brittany Hampton (Marist College), Tyler Johnston (University of Southern California), Erin Meyer (Cleveland State University), Wilmer Rivas (University of Southern California), Naomi Ruffin (Georgia State University), Matthew Ruhnke (University of New Haven), and Ian Troidl (SUNY at Buffalo).
Project manager Ivan Castro, who completed the Syracuse REU program in 2012 notes that participants consistently report this opportunity helps them gain valuable graduate-level research experience prior to entering graduate school. When the REU program was launched in 2012, it was designed for veterans to create an opportunity to engage them in this content area. With only six veterans enrolled prior to the program start that first year, the collaborators decided to enroll non-veterans, which is an important facet of the continuing program.
With spots for five veterans and five non-veterans, the program draws on personal experiences of veterans who understand the nature and context of traumatic events. Veterans are able to acclimate to an undergraduate culture with traditional undergraduates and are appreciated for their unique perspectives. Undergraduates see the benefit of knowing their study population because the veterans provide insight into their experiences.
A joint effort by Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY Oswego, the Collaborative Research: REU Site:Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans project is directed by Brooks B. Gump, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health. Professor Karen Wolford, who coordinates the interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in trauma studies at SUNY Oswego, co-directs the program. Supported by a National Science Foundation REU grant and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, this program spans one year, including the intensive four-week summer program in June. For more information, including details about the June 2019 REU Program, contact Ivan Castro at iecastro@syr.edu or visit traumaresearch.syr.edu.
Falk College-Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group partner to support public health-focused drug policies
A four-year collaborative partnership between Syracuse University’s Falk College and the Council of Europe’s Cooperation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group) will support rigorous curricular development and training for drug policy administrators. This collaboration is an outgrowth of Falk College’s on-going partnerships with the Pompidou Group and Syracuse University’s Study Abroad Strasbourg program.
Dessa Bergen-Cico, associate professor of public health and coordinator of Falk College’s addiction studies programs, is Syracuse University’s partnership lead. She has worked with the Pompidou Group since 2010 to support drug policy administrators in developing sustainable, effective drug policies focused on public health and safety. The trainings provide managers from government and non-government institutions with objective, data-driven approaches to developing, implementing, and evaluating national drug policies that are evidence based, promote human rights, and strengthen international cooperation. Using data as a foundation, this cooperation supports effective policies and academic research. Faculty and select students with an interest in research in drug policy and drug use trends may contact Dr. Bergen-Cico (dkbergen@syr.edu) to learn more about opportunities for involvement in research and the biannual executive education trainings.
Results of these collaborations to date include published research in Substance Use and Misuse, The Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, Journal of Drug Policy Analysis, International Journal of Psychology and Psychoanalysis, and World Medical and Health Policy as well as international executive-level training and presentations.
Bergen-Cico’s research and scholarship span numerous emerging democracies focused on drug policies and emerging trends in drug use. In 2011, students and faculty from Falk College’s public health program attended the Pompidou Group – Syracuse University Trans-Atlantic Executive Training on Drug Policy: Effective Governance of Coherent Drug Policies where Bergen-Cico presented on the then-emerging opioid crisis in the United States. In 2015, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to conduct research on substance use and drug policy in the country of Georgia and across Eurasia.
Last spring, Bergen-Cico presented training for the Council of Europe on new psychoactive substance use trends and demand reduction responses in the U.S. where she shared her groundbreaking research on new psychoactive substances Kratom and Siberian Ephedra. In September 2017, Thomas Kattau and Elena Hedoux from the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group visited Syracuse University to promote internship opportunities and study abroad programs. This visit included several presentations on the role of international cooperation in fighting drug use, the migration wave in Europe and resulting challenges for public health systems, and how new psychoactive substances are bringing new challenges to societies.
After learning about Bergen-Cico’s research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based programs for prevention and drug demand reduction in the U.S., Ricardo Sánchez Huesca, Mexico’s deputy general director of youth integration centers for Mexico invited her to conduct training in Mexico. In addition to a December 2017 seminar on mindfulness for prevention of traumatic stress and addictive behaviors, Bergen-Cico gave the keynote presentation entitled, “New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) Trends and in the in the United States” at the 19th International Congress on Addictions: Dual Disorders and Comorbidity Associated with Substance Use in Cancun, Mexico.
This spring, Bergen-Cico conducted the training, “Political or scientific evaluation? Examination of legalized cannabis policy outcomes in the U.S.” with 25 participants from 17 countries representing four different continents as part of the 2018 Pompidou Group’s executive training program in Venice, Italy. This program that examined evaluating the development, implementation, and impact of drug policy will take place in Lisbon, Portugal this Fall where Bergen-Cico will participate.
Turning research into innovative solutions: Meet Fanta Drame ’18
Turning research into innovative solutions is the ultimate goal for Falk College public health alumna, Fanta Drame ’18. She originally accepted her offer to Syracuse University to pursue the pre-med track and become a pediatrician, her childhood dream. However, she learned about public health during her summer experience at the Clinton Foundation and changed her major within the first week. After sitting in Professor Jim Byrne’s Personal and Social Health class, she knew this was one decision she would never regret. Pursuing the public health route allowed her to merge her passion for health, interest in travelling and goal of enacting change to serve a larger population.
The year 2017 was an exciting time for her as she leveraged her classroom experiences and teachings as an intern at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and was the first to take part in a global comparative study abroad program for her last semester. She was accepted to the IMHOTEP Summer Program and was placed at CDC’S NCEH/ATSDR Department. She completed an independent project in health and risk communication where she assessed and analyzed the official messages distributed in Liberia during the Ebola epidemic. Using readily available, free to low-cost software, she tracked the changes in message priority, new additions, changes in wording, and changes in perceived emotional tone and its correlation with the trajectory of reported cases.
Fanta then advocated for herself to be the first Syracuse University student to complete the School of International Training’s International Honors Program. After receiving support from the faculty of Falk and the Syracuse University’s Study Abroad office, she travelled from Washington, D.C. to New Delhi, India, then Cape Town, South Africa and lastly Sao Paulo, Brazil for her last semester. “This was a fulfilling experience. I learned about different cultures, gained four new homestay families, met wonderful people and got in touch with my nature side.” While studying the health care systems as well as the socio-political and economic climates of each location, she analyzed maternal and child health globally, assessing the gap between theory and practice.
Fanta’s commitment and love for public health led her to pursue her MPH/MPA and then eventually her DrPH. “I have created my purpose and found a way to make a difference and pay it forward,” she says. Her career goal is to open her own non-profit organization geared towards alleviating maternal and child mortality globally.
Drame was one of twelve seniors named as a 2018 Syracuse University Scholar, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows. She is described by her teachers as an outstanding scholar who blended her studies in public health with a strong portfolio of research and community service to prepare for a career aligned with her unwavering social justice values. As a Syracuse University Scholar, she shared remarks during Falk College’s May 2018 Convocation:
Read Fanta’s 2018 Falk College Convocation Speech
Discussion Series for PTSD Awareness Month this June
The discussion series to raise public awareness of PTSD and its effective treatments is free and open to the public. It takes place in conjunction with the Trauma Research Education for Undergraduates program, a joint effort by Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY Oswego to improve access to research experiences for groups typically underrepresented in research.
The project, “Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans,” is directed by Brooks B. Gump, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health and co-directed by professor Karen Wolford, who also coordinates the interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in trauma studies at SUNY Oswego.
The discussion series includes:
- Monday, June 4 at 1:30 pm, Falk Complex 335
Douglas Scaturo, retired clinical psychologist, Syracuse Vet Center, “Combat Trauma: An Overview of Military Stressors, PTSD, and Its Treatment” - Wednesday, June 13 at 1:30 pm, Falk Complex 335
Scott Aubin, U.S. Air Force veteran, PTSD awareness instructor, “Dealing with unrecognized PTSD” - Monday, June 18 at 1:30 pm, Falk Complex 335
Emily Bovier, assistant professor of psychology, SUNY Oswego, “Secondary Symptoms of Concussion or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury” - Monday, June 25 at 1:30 pm, Falk Complex 335
Kyle Possemato, clinical research psychologist, Syracuse VA Center for Integrated Healthcare, “Clinical Research with Military Veterans with PTSD and Substance Abuse”
Supported by a National Science Foundation Research Education for Undergraduates grant and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), this REU program spans one year, including an intensive four-week summer program in June. This program provides research training to increase skills in conducting trauma research while increasing a student’s ability to gain admission to competitive graduate programs.
“Through a competitive national review process, we have selected a group of student-Veterans and traditional students to complete this research training this summer,” says Wolford. “The students will be paired on teams with mentors to research PTSD and will later present their research at national conferences”.
“As part of this research training, we invite guest speakers who have expertise in the area of PTSD to inform our research trainees on cutting edge developments on traumatic stress research. We open these expert talks to the community as part of the June Posttraumatic Stress awareness month, which is an ongoing national effort to educate about PTSD,” Wolford adds.
For more information about the speakers or REU program, contact Ivan Castro at iecastro@syr.edu or visit traumaresearch.syr.edu.
Falk 2018 Convocation Speech
by Fanta Drame, 18′
Good Afternoon Everyone,
It is such an honor to be here today.
During my first encounter with public health, sitting in Dr. Byrne’s class, I learned about the social determinants of health, the different aspects of one’s life and surroundings that determine his or her health status. Or more generally speaking, the factors that determine one’s outcomes.
Social determinants tell us that first generation students will struggle. Low income families will be set for failure and lack access to opportunities. Minorities will be placed at the bottom of the social ladder and be at a constant disadvantage. Tall people will play basketball and all SU students’ favorite color will be orange.
However, if I have allowed my background to determine my outcomes, I wouldn’t have travelled to India, South Africa and Brazil all in one semester to conduct preliminary global research on the healthcare systems, I wouldn’t have done a risk communication project with the CDC on Ebola messaging, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain one of the highest GPA’s in the Public Health Department and be a University Scholar and I wouldn’t be able to say that my favorite color is actually lavender.
Syracuse University, but more specifically the Falk department and faculty, my roommate and great friend Aryonna, Dr. Lane and Professor Thompson and my close colleagues Shamayan and Bre taught me how to turn my disadvantages into my biggest assets. Falk allowed me to use my background in my public health career to relate to the communities I hope to serve, and use that to my advantage to create and implement innovative solutions to decrease the health disparities.
I would like to say thank you for pushing me beyond my limits and giving me the necessary tools to think critically and actively engage, and thank you for answering my countless emails and most importantly thank you for allowing me to recognize that our social determinants don’t determine our futures, they make us more determined.
Determined to be great;
Determined to be agents of change;
and Determined to be limitless.
Thank you and congratulations to us all!
~ Fanta Drame, Falk College Department of Public Health, Food Studies & Nutrition 2018 graduate
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