Dr. Aurelian Bidulescu elected Fellow of the American Heart Association

Dr. Aurelian Bidulescu

American Heart Association Fellowship conferred by the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention is reserved for Premium Professional members who are scientists, physicians, clinical professionals and academicians with a major and productive interest in CV disease epidemiology and/or CV disease prevention, and whose accomplishments support the stated objectives of the AHA/ASA and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Fellowship provides a means to recognize and award Premium Professional members for excellence, innovative and sustained contributions in the areas of scholarship; practice; and/or education; and volunteer service and/or leadership within in the AHA/ASA.

This year Dr. Aurelian Bidulescu, associate professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association for his outstanding dedication and achievement. Dr. Bidulescu will be honored at a reception during November where he will receive an official letter of election and FAHA certificate to commemorate his achievement.

Student Spotlight: Michaela Cisney

Michaela Cisney

Meet Michaela

Michaela Cisney earned a bachelor's of science in community health, with minors in contemporary dance and nutrition science from IUB in 2012 before deciding to return and participate in the master of public health program with a concentration in behavioral, social, and community health. Michaela chose the School of Public Health-Bloomington after working with families at a local service organization, “The connections between poverty and health and the web of factors that influence individual's choices and health outcomes confirmed my desire to earn an MPH,” she noted.

Making an International Impact

As part of her education, Michaela volunteered at a residential care facility in India for children with disabilities, and was struck by the challenges the children and families faced in low-income countries. “Children with disabilities in low-income countries, the families of those children, and the efforts of their communities to provide care and rehabilitation are some of the most neglected areas in global health research and practice,” she said. In response to her experience, Michaela spent three years further researching the need, and in 2014, after a return trip to India, established the Priyam Global Initiative with her husband.

The organization’s mission is to maximize the quality of life of children with unique abilities worldwide; replace global misunderstanding of disabilities with appreciation and equality; and end preventable child disability. Working with partner organizations around the globe, Priyam has adopted three main strategies: capacity building, advocacy, and special initiatives.

“We support the existing efforts of our partner organizations and work closely with local stakeholders to provide resources such as trained volunteers, targeted funding, and monitoring and evaluation, always with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for children. Within advocacy, our aim is to create new ways of thinking about children and abilities and to emphasize the importance of children with disabilities and their families in global health and development agendas. We also hope to collaborate with our partner organizations to design and implement long-term initiatives such as early intervention or childhood disability prevention initiatives. Up to 80% of the disabilities in the communities where we work can be prevented with proper maternal care during pregnancy and the postpartum period.”

How to Get Involved

Volunteer: Priyam works to recruit, train, and place volunteers in flexible volunteer positions any time during the year. Students who are interested in volunteering in India can learn more here.

Donate: Interested parties can also donate here or contact Michaela for more information at info@priyamglobal.org. 100% of donations support initiatives with our global partner in India.

IU is coming to Turkey!

Merhaba! Indiana University is coming to Turkey, and we want to see you!

You are cordially invited to join IU President Michael A. McRobbie;
IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie; Vice President for International Affairs David Zaret;
and a delegation of IU leaders, alumni, and friends as you reconnect with IU and your fellow alumni. This will be an opportunity to hear about Indiana University’s bold strategic
vision, recent successes, and new initiatives.

We're making 2 stops!

Ankara
Thursday, Sept. 25
Alumni Reception
JW Marriott, Prusa room, 6–8 p.m.
Presidential remarks at 7 p.m.
JW Marriott Ankara Hotel
Kızılırmak Mah. Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Cad. No: 1
Söğütözü 06520, Ankara

Istanbul
Saturday, Sept. 27
Alumni Reception
SALT, 4th floor, 6–8 p.m.
Presidential remarks at 7 p.m.
Bankalar Caddesi 11
Karaköy 34420, Istanbul

Event is complimentary. Dress is business casual.
Please RSVP by Sept. 19 to Jacquelyn Beane at jibeane@iu.edu

Visiting Faculty Profile: Meral Kucuk Yetgin

Meral Kucuk Yetgin

Meet Meral

With 15 years of experience in both nursing and physical education, Meral Kucuk Yetgin chose to continue her education earning both her Masters and PhD in Sports and Health through the Institute of Health Science, School of Physical Education and Sports, at Marmara University in Turkey in 2010. Bringing new and past experiences together, she began to focus on obesity and physical education, and began the development of a thesis entitled “Effects of resistance training on the basal metabolism rate and serum leptin levels in overweight and obese adolescents” to reflect this focus.  Currently, she is working as a faculty member at Marmara University’s School of Physical Education and Sports in Turkey where she has been since 2006.

With the sponsorship of TÜBİTAK  (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey), Meral opted to continue her research career and became a visiting scholar in the Department of Applied Health Science in the School of Public Health-Bloomington in December of 2013.

“My colleagues, who also worked as visiting scholars in past years, specifically recommended the Indiana University School of Public Health. Their positive experiences here were really appealing and they encouraged me to come,” she said.

Research Interests

Meral’s research interests specifically involve examining obesity and physical activity habits. She if focused on exploring the “…effects of obesity, obesity related diseases like diabetes and physical activity on public health, and exercising habits.”

Research at the School of Public Health-Bloomington
Meral’s research in the US is specifically focused on the effects of cross-cultural differences between the two countries (the US and Turkey) on obesity growth rates. She is currently participating in three projects, the first of which is entitled “Comparison of the Physical Activity Habits between American and Turkish College Students”, and is conducted under the advisement of Dr. Shahla Ray from the Department of Applied Health Science and Dr. Georgia Frey from the Department of Kinesiology.  Her second project, working in conjunction with Dr. Shahla Ray and Dr. David Lohrmann of the Department of Applied Health Science, focuses on the cross-cultural analysis of physical activity and nutritional habits of children from the US and Turkey through a collaboration with a local student health and wellness project called “Energize”. Her final project, working in conjunction with Dr. Shahla Ray and Dr. David Koceja of the Department of Kinesiology, is named “ Effects of Rapid Body Weight Loss and Balance in Obese Individuals Before and After Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Operation”.

Moving to Bloomington

Meral has enjoyed living in Bloomington with her family, where she feels the university has successfully united with the city.  She appreciates the welcoming, friendly nature of those she’s met and all of the great cultural, artistic, recreational, educational, and fun experiences the city has to offer families with children. In addition to her research, Meral enjoys the opportunity to develop her English langauge skills and to make friends from different cultures through classes and conversation clubs common in the city. “Bloomington not only offers academic opportunities, but also helps you develop your social network to become a more global person. I consider myself really lucky to have this opportunity”.

SPH faculty attends Groundbreaking Fenway Institute Meeting on Bisexual Health Research

Brian Dodge

During a meeting hosted on June 26th by the Fenway Institute, leading bisexual health researchers and community activists from across the country agreed to form the Bisexual Research Collaborative on Health (BiRCH). BiRCH will not only provide opportunities for high-level discussions of bisexual health research, but will also look for ways to raise public awareness of bisexual health issues. 25 individuals including local, national and international researchers, as well as representatives from prominent organizations, including the School of Public Health-Bloomington, were in attendance.

 “For all of the remarkable progress that has been made in the field of LGBT health, we still simply do not know enough about the full range of health needs and health concerns facing bisexual people. Today’s meeting was an important step toward addressing this significant gap,” said Judith Bradford, PhD, Co-Chair of The Fenway Institute.

Attendees discussed area in need of further research, as well as how bisexuality was defined in their own individual pursuits. Topics it was agreed required more inquiry included the unique risk factors and stressors that influence bisexual health, the general health of bisexual men, how geographic and cultural contexts affect bisexual identities, and the pressing need for evidence-based interventions to address health inequities among bisexual groups.

“I really feel this day was a watershed moment in the history of bisexual health research,” reflected Brian Dodge, associate professor and associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington. “I am so excited to move forward with this initiative and so grateful to have the opportunity to be involved.”

Recent IU graduate “hit the ground running”

Donisha Reed, recent IU MPH graduate, continues to receive positive publicity for her newly launched diabetes program at the YMCA of Wichita Falls, Texas. The program, designed and implemented by Donisha in her position as Health and Wellness Director, is an innovative lifestyle modification program that helps adults at high-risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk and take control of their health. 

The new program, scheduled to begin in September, focuses on preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes by educating participants on nutrition, physical activity, managing stress and creating a support system to sustain healthy lifestyle changes.

See Donisha’s recent appearance on her local news network to find out more about how she has “hit the ground running” in her local community.

Klaunig named “Highly Cited Researcher” in 2014

In an effort to spotlight standout researchers of the last decade, Thomson Reuters has launched Highly Cited Researchers, a list which represents some of the world’s leading scientific minds. These individuals have earned the distinction by writing the greatest number of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators℠ as Highly Cited Papers-- ranking among the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication.  Thus, those listed include authors whose published work in their areas of expertise has consistently been judged by peers to be of particular significance and utility.

Three investigators from Indiana University recently received this distinction including James E Klaunig, Professor from the Department of Environmental Health for his outstanding contributions to the field. Dr. Klaunig's research interests are dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of chemically induced toxicology and carcinogenesis with emphasis on human health and genetic and environmental factors affection human risk. His research has been supported by the NIH, USEPA, DOD, ACS, and non-federal sources.