by Edward Mamary

I am pleased to announce that Alexis Fields is the recipient of a Community Engaged Research Scholarship awarded by the Association of Accredited Public Health Programs.   As Alexis’s faculty sponsor, I am so proud of her achievement – she is one of two national recipients of the award!

She is proposing an innovative research project during a time that just happens to coincide with our Health Science Department’s merger with the Department of Recreation. Her MPH graduate project will be the first in our newly merged department (Health Science and Recreation) that values the role of nature and recreation, and their combined contribution to enhancing health of communities. Her qualitative research project aims to increase our understanding of the roles of physical activity, outdoor space, and health from the unique perspective of adolescent minority girls living in an urban environment.

The results of her research will help to inform policies that promote recreational activity in parks, with the ultimate goal of addressing the obesity epidemic among our minority youth.  Please join me in congratulating Alexis Fields.