Faculty interests and student opportunities
Public Health faculty engage in a variety of scholarly activities, including academic research, frequently in collaboration with students. The projects described below are in varying stages; Students interested in getting involved with academic research with Public Health faculty should contact the sponsoring faculty member directly to discuss research opportunities.
Community & Work Disparities for People with Disabilities
Category: DisabilityPeople with disabilities experience an array of disparities, including in social determinants of health. However, little information is available to understand these disparities and inform action to reduce them. The American with Disabilities Act Participatory Action Research Consortium (A.D.A.-P.A.R.C.) is a collaborative research project of Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) Regional Centers and affiliated university researchers. The A.D.A.-P.A.R.C. is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (N.I.D.I.L.R.R.), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living.
Dr. McDonald leads the Work and Economics data team with the Region 4 Southeast Americans with Disabilities Act Center.
Project Status: This project is current. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. Katherine McDonald, kemcdona@syr.edu.Visit the project website
Community4All Project
Category: DisabilityThe Community 4All Project is a collaborative research project involving Syracuse University faculty, The Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (S.A.N.Y.S.), and the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities. The project’s aim is to support the right to community living and participation for all people with intellectual disability. Community 4 All is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (N.I.D.I.L.R.R.), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living.
Project Status: This project is current. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. Katherine McDonald, kemcdona@syr.edu.Visit the project website
Dried attractive bait stations for the control of Aedes aegypti
Category: Environmental Health, Global HealthThe Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for the transmission of dengue and zika, and is not easily controlled. Funded by the Department of Defense, a CUSE grant, and other mechanisms, we are examining how ingested insecticide might control this mosquito.
This project is co-directed by professor Anna Stewart-Ibarra from Upstate Medical University (Co-PI) and Marco Neira from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Co-PI).
Project Status: Currently running experimental house trials in Machala, Ecuador with a CUSE grant. Students interested in learning more should contact David Larsen, dalarsen@syr.edu..Examining Changes in the Stress Response, Cognition and Neural Networks in Response to Mindfulness Interventions Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Category: Complementary Health, Mindfulness, Traumatic StressThis research focuses on identifying the mechanisms of change in neural networks and physiological (biometric) measures that occur as a result of participating in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs. This study aims to identify neural networks associated with traumatic stress and to measure neural responsiveness to change following MBSR. More specifically this research uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), heart rate and galvanic skin response (GSR) in conjunction with psychometric measures to triangulate mechanisms of change pertinent to trauma and stress.
Project Status: Project is ongoing. Students interested in learning more should contact Dessa Bergen-Cico, dkbergen@syr.edu.Global health lab
Category: Global HealthSince the late 1980s large survey datasets have been conducted in lower income countries across the globe. These survey datasets present a wealth of information with potential to investigate numerous research questions. Students participating in the lab will gain experience coding data in R and using Quantum Geographical Information Systems. Previous student-driven initiatives include examination of how sanitation access affects children in neighboring houses, an assessment of community-level indoor residual spray coverage across sub-Saharan Africa, quantifying the impact that conflict has on health access, and measuring trends in dietary diversity in lower income countries.
Project Status: Numerous projects are ongoing and present students with opportunities to join the team and contribute. Students interested in learning more should contact David Larsen, dalarsen@syr.edu..Mindfulness-Based Meditation for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress
Category: Behavioral Health, Mindfulness, Traumatic Stress, VeteransThis research evaluates the psychological and physical benefits of integrating mindfulness-based stress reduction (M.B.S.R.) into primary care for Veterans with posttraumatic stress (P.T.S.D.). To date this research has found that even brief (4-week) mindfulness-based programs have a beneficial physiological impact on Veterans with posttraumatic stress (P.T.S.D.) and improve depression and P.T.S.D. symptoms. This research is led by Dr. Dessa Bergen-Cico.
Project Status: This project is current. Students interested in learning more should contact Dessa Bergen-Cico, dkbergen@syr.edu .Mindfulness-Based Programs in Schools
Category: Behavioral Health, MindfulnessDr. Rachel Razza (Human Development and Family Science) and Dr. Dessa Bergen-Cico (Public Health) have been conducting research on the benefits of integrating mindfulness and yoga into public schools in Syracuse, Boston and Philadelphia. To date, their research has found that mindfulness-based interventions promote facets of self-regulation and self-awareness including inhibitory control, attention, response to stress, and self-compassion across students from preschoolers through adolescents. Self-regulation and self-awareness are important factors in psychological and physical well-being; they also reflect key mechanisms of contemplative education and are associated with school engagement and success. The majority of their work focuses on at-risk urban children and youth from communities experiencing high levels of trauma. Their research findings support the integration of mindfulness-based practices and programs as public health and educational strategies to promote school success and well-being across the lifespan. Their research team includes both graduate and undergraduate students from Falk as well as colleagues and students from Psychology.
Project Status: Project is ongoing. Students interested in learning more should contact Rachel Razza, rrazza@syr.edu, or Dessa Bergen-Cico, dkbergen@syr.edu .Mosquito net fishing and implications for human health
Category: Environmental Health, Global HealthHundreds of millions of insecticide-treated mosquito nets have been distributed across the globe to fight malaria. These nets are often used as fishing nets by subsistence farmers. With overly fine mesh size and insecticides toxic to aquatic environments, the implications of mosquito net fishing could be quite serious. We are examining how mosquito net fishing affects food and economic security, as well as malaria control itself.
Project Status: With preliminary funding from a CUSE grant we are conducting interviews with fishers and others in the Barotse flood plain in Zambia. Students interested in learning more should contact David Larsen, dalarsen@syr.edu..Nature Inspired Scenes for Guided Mindfulness Training: Presence, Perceived Restorativeness and Meditation Depth
Category: Complementary Health, MindfulnessThe research focuses on the development and testing of a virtual reality (VR) meditation interface to support mindfulness meditation practice. The aims of this research are to test whether VR simulation of an outdoor natural space has a restorative effect on attention; and the mediating effects of the sense of presence participants’ feel. This study uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), heart rate and galvanic skin response (GSR) to measure the neurophysiological relaxation response.
Project Status: Project is ongoing. Student research opportunities exist. Students interested in learning more should contact Dessa Bergen-Cico, dkbergen@syr.edu.Operational research of indoor residual spraying for the control of malaria
Category: Environmental Health, Global HealthIndoor residual spraying is a key intervention to control malaria transmission, but is often poorly implemented. Funded by USAID, this research initiative aims to better understand how indoor residual spray is implemented, and factors associated with its success.
Project Status: Although the targeted IRS trial is technically over, current student opportunities exist in the analysis of existing datasets. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. David Larsen, dalarsen@syr.edu.Syracuse Lead Study
Category: Environmental HealthLead, an environmental toxicant, causes serious mental and developmental defects in children and young adults. Research indicates that lead may affect the cardiovascular system (heart and veins). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Syracuse Lead Study hopes to learn more about how very low levels of lead in children’s blood can affect cardiovascular health throughout life.
Project Status: While data collection continues, current student opportunities exist in exploration and potential presentation using existing datasets. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. Brooks Gump, bbgump@syr.edu.Visit the project website
The Psychosocial and Physiological Consequences of Taking and Not Taking Time Off
Category: Environmental HealthTo demonstrate the potential costly effects of not taking time off from work as well as the beneficial effects that can result from vacationing, Funded by Project: Time Off, “The Psychosocial and Physiological Consequences of Taking and Not Taking Time Off,” examines the association between paid time off and health outcomes. This research may help inform perceptions of paid time off and identify the benefits of vacations both for businesses by increasing productivity and individuals/families by increasing quality of life.
Project Status: Current student opportunities exist in exploration and potential presentation using existing datasets. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. Brooks Gump, bbgump@syr.edu.Visit the project website
Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans
Category: Environmental Health, VeteransThe Undergraduate Trauma Research Training program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Education for Undergraduates (REU) program, a collaborative venture between Syracuse University, SUNY Oswego, and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
This project is co-directed by professor Karen Wolford, who also coordinates the interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in trauma studies at SUNY Oswego.
Project Status: This project is current. Students interested in learning more should contact Dr. Brooks B. Gump, bbgump@syr.edu.Visit the project website