Latest News

Celebrating CSUN Students During Black History Month

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 19:11:01 +0000

February 1, 2024

This story is re-posted from CSUN Today. Read the story in CSUN Today.

February is Black History Month, and the nationwide theme for this year’s festivities is “African Americans and the Arts.” CSUN is celebrating all month with a variety of activities to recognize Black excellence. As part of an ongoing project to feature student voices during cultural awareness months, CSUN Today spoke to students about the importance of their identities and how that corresponds to their celebration of Black History Month.

CSUN’s Black History Month festivities kick off with an opening ceremony on Feb. 1, at 11 a.m. near the Matador Statue. CSUN’s Black House has a roundup of events online.

Caitlin Goodwin, 22, Junior: “In the future, I’m looking forward to seeing more representation of black people. Whether that’s in media, or on campus, I envision more representation as well as more inclusivity in multiple spaces as much as we can.”

Sydnee Roddy, 23, Senior: “Some black individuals who have inspired me are Barack Obama, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ida B. Wells, and Rosa Parks. I value their fight, their struggles, and the way that they brought their knowledge to the world. They brought a certain level of understanding and representation to the black experience.”

Jordan Cox 20, Junior: “CSUN has influenced the black community by creating an outlet for a lot of black students on campus to connect with each other. From the CSUN black house, to BSU, to the Divine Nine, and there’s a lot of opportunities for us to connect.”

Tyrone Jeffries, 20, Junior: “The black community is on the uprise in today’s society. We are seeing the community become stronger in unity. My current goal is to create peace among everybody, inside and outside the black community.”

Breanna Small, 25, Senior: “It means a lot to celebrate black history as a whole month, because we are giving the flowers (honor and recognition) to people who paved the way to become who we are today.”

This story is re-posted from CSUN Today. Read the story in CSUN Today.

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Roberto Marcial/CSUN Today

MPH Online Ranked #9 in by Best Online Master's in Public Health Programs

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 20:05:13 +0000

January 23, 2024

The team at Best Accredited Colleges has released their 2023 rankings, and California State University-Northridge has been ranked #9 on the list Best Online Master's in Public Health Programs. Among hundreds of institutions across the country CSUN was ranked using data around financial aid awards, the quality of education, faculty, campus resources, and more.  The CSUN Online MPH program is a collaboration of the College of HHD and the Tseng College of Graduate, International, and Midcareer Education.

Best Accredited Colleges wrote that they create their "guides and school rankings with student education in mind, and this list will help our readers and your potential students learn about 91��ý's excellent offerings."

Also from Best Accredited Colleges:

"Online master's degrees in public health aim to prepare students to identify, analyze, and solve public health problems that affect people and their communities. Depending on the program offerings, students pursuing this degree can choose to study a variety of specializations that focus on environmental health, maternal and child health, infectious disease, or even the policies that affect our health and the institutions that protect us. Since the health of our societies is a global issue, graduates may choose to seek work in the US or abroad. Master's degrees in public health are most commonly awarded as a Master of Public Health (MPH)."

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HHD

Congratulations to 2024 Jerome Richfield Memorial Fellow, Patchareeya Kwan

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:29:30 +0000

January 23, 2024

We have received word that Health Sciences faculty Patchareeya (Patty) Kwan has been named the 2024 Jerome Richfield Memorial Fellow by the CSUN Office of the Provost and Research and Grant Committee, Research and Sponsored Programs.

The announcement is as follows:

On behalf of the Provost and Research & Grant Committee, Research and Sponsored Programs is pleased to announce that Dr. Patchareeya (Patty) Kwan has been named the 2024 Jerome Richfield Memorial Fellow. Dr. Kwan is a highly accomplished scholar with a focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander health using mixed-methods, community-based research approaches.

Her research, particularly the NIH-funded SEA US, HEAR US Study, addresses the health disparities faced by Southeast Asian Americans (SEA) in Greater Los Angeles, emphasizing the importance of disaggregating data to understand the diverse needs of SEA subgroups.

Dr. Kwan's work extends to mentoring students and faculty, promoting research culture, and contributing significantly to the BUILD PODER program, aimed at diversifying the biomedical research workforce. She is recognized for her impactful publications, presentations, and community service that contribute to social change in science, health, and healthcare.

The Richfield Memorial Fellow celebrates a CSUN faculty member engaged in high-quality, high-impact research. Dr. Kwan will present a lecture in the spring semester (date to be determined) as part of the Provost Colloquium Series.

PT's Janna Beling Receives Fulbright Specialist Program Award

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 23:39:23 +0000

January 10, 2024

The US Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have announced that PT Professor and former Chair Janna Beling has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to complete a project at Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy in Vietnam. The project aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefitting participants, institutions, and communities in both the US and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities.

The formal press release from the US Department of State goes on to say:

Dr. Janna Rae Beling is one of over 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. Recipients of Fulbright Specialist awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global issues in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 60 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 88 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 39 who have served as a head of state or government.

For further information about the Fulbright program, please visit the website for the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.

Read about Beling and CSUN PT helping people around the world (2018).

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HHD/Press release via US Department of State
Photo: CSUN College of HHD

In Memoriam: CDS Faculty Member, Laurie Cartwright

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 18:38:12 +0000

January 5, 2024

With heavy hearts, the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences (CDS) shared via Instagram about the passing of beloved faculty member, Ms Laurie Cartwright, (’70, Cred. ’92, M.S. ’92) Communication Disorders and Sciences). Cartwright served as an instructor, Clinical Supervisor, and Speech Language Pathologist, and had served as an Alumni Chapter representative.

Cartwright began working in the department as a Supervisor/Preceptor in the Language, Speech and Hearing Center in Fall 2003. As a graduate student in the Program, she was a Clinic Assistant in 1991 and 1992 for the Early Intervention Program before she graduated with her Master’s Degree.

The department expressed that, "Ms Cartwright's commitment to education and her dedication to giving back to the community have left an enduring imprint on the CDS family. She was not only a mentor but also a cherished colleague and friend to many. Her absence will be deeply felt and her legacy of compassion and expertise will be fondly remembered."

Cartwright was among several CSUN Alumni Chapter representatives honored at the 2012 CSUN Volunteer Service Awards Luncheon.

Cartwright's family members shared the following:

"We never imagined we would have to make this post and are devastated to announce that our beloved Laurie Sanson Cartwright passed away on December 15, 2023 after a brief battle with blood cancer. Laurie was passionate about giving back to her community and supporting the performing arts in every way imaginable. Her presence is sorely missed and her loss is deeply felt. If you would like to celebrate her further, donations can be made in her honor to a charity or organization close to your heart. She was an equal opportunity supporter and giver of everything that she loved and supported."

A Celebration of Life was held in January 3rd in Palos Verdes CA. The College of Health and Human Development extends sympathy to our friends and colleagues in CDS and to the family of Laurie Cartwright.

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HHD Communications

Photo courtesy CSUN Today

Health Sciences Team Packs Food Donation Boxes for Food-Insecure Children

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 21:24:19 +0000

December 20, 2023

Giving Creates Happiness All Around.

When Health Sciences Department Chair Bethany Rainisch got into a conversation with her children about how important it is to serve the community and how good it feels to give, the family did some searching for local organizations focused on helping others. They found the Children’s Hunger Fund in Sylmar (not a CSUN organization) and decided to participate in their Project Food Pak which provides food to children who are food-insecure. The family had such a great experience, Rainisch told the Health Sciences faculty and staff all about it and they wanted to participate, too. So, ahead of the holidays in December, they held a food packing event to assemble donation boxes.

“The faculty and staff were eager to compose these packages,” Rainisch said. “The Children’s Hunger Fund provides all the instructions to fill larger boxes, and within them go smaller boxes which will go to individual children. The Fund let me know what to buy to fit the boxes perfectly and sent me a shopping list. Each participant signed up to let us know what food they wished to contribute. We pooled our money, and we all had a great time packing the boxes.”

Once packed, Rainisch dropped off the boxes at the Children’s Hunger Fund offices in Sylmar. From there, the Fund distributed the boxes to congregations and shelters. The faculty and staff group filled 10 large boxes containing 40 small boxes, each for a child.

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Jean O'Sullivan/HHD

Healthy Holidays, Happy New Year, 2024

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 21:56:14 +0000

December 16, 2023

Healthy Holidays
Happy New Year, 2024

With Appreciation for the Ways
You Enhance, Enrich, and Empower
the Human Experience
for Our Students and Communities

CSUN College of Health and Human Development
We Are the College of Life

On Gift Giving for Kids: Going Back to the Basics

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:20:36 +0000

December 14, 2023

This story is re-posted from CSUN Today. Read the story in CSUN Today.

In an era where there seem to be endless options when shopping for kids’ toys, California State University, Northridge experts in child development and the dynamics of play are offering advice on holiday shopping this season.

Kandice Grote, an associate professor of child and adolescent development, and Robin Sachs, a lecturer of in the Department of Recreation and Tourism Management, shared important insights about childhood development and toys.

“Every year, every holiday season, there’s this really big push for a bunch of toys that are new or the latest and greatest, but you know, a lot of those are just marketed in a way to sell them, not to really benefit your child,” said Grote, who, along with Sachs, teaches in CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development. “Just because something is visually engaging, doesn’t mean it is mentally, physically or socially engaging a kid.”

There are three key aspects of developmental growth that can be fulfilled via play, both professors said, pointing to a number of “multi-dimensional toys”— including Legos, Play-Doh, dolls, stuffed animals, balls and outdoor activities, art sets, magnet sets and even Rubik’s Cubes—that promote skill building in regards to physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth for a child.

“There are often differences between what a child wants and what a child needs,” said Grote, referring to the importance of toys that address basic skills.

She said when a toy engages a child and simultaneously addresses developmental needs, it will improve their play experience.

“It’s the overall development, physical, cognitive and psychosocial that makes for a child’s development and play lends itself to that,” said Sachs. “I firmly believe if a child is not allowed to play, or is not given the right opportunity, it makes a huge difference in their overall development.”

However, not all toys benefit child development.

“I think if it’s advertised in such a way that it’s ‘the newest thing’ and it’s ‘the greatest latest thing,’ the reality is most children don’t need it,” said Grote. “Most children need some of the basic things and they need opportunities to develop their own version of play.”

Selecting a toy that will interest a child, spark creativity and imagination, but also encourage them to develop their key skills can feel overwhelming, Grote and Sachs said.

“Each child has their own way of playing and each person has their own way of playing,” said Sachs, promoting unconventional toys such as handmade toys, gardening kits and other imaginative activities.

“When thinking about what would be a perfect gift to give the child, listen to what that child is interested in, because they’ve given you some helpful hints,” she continued. “Really pay attention to what the child is saying, it could be some activity that they’re doing in school or something they’re helping adults with. Things like that will really make a difference.”

Additionally, when making toy selections both experts stressed the importance of doing informed research.

“It’s important for parents – or anyone that’s interested in purchasing something for a child – to do their homework and be a critical consumer,” said Grote. “Things are marketed in such a way that they just want to sell a product, so something may be labeled as educational, but it’s really not educational. I encourage people to do their due diligence, to ask others and really look at toys to see if they are really going to spark some element of development in a child.”

This story is re-posted from CSUN Today. Read the story in CSUN Today.

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Kaley Block/CSUN Today

CDS Faculty Ed Hall Retires After 52 Years with CSUN

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:29:16 +0000

December 6, 2023

In 1971, Ed Hall came to work 91��ý (then, San Fernando Valley State College) in the department now known as Communication Disorders and Sciences and began teaching Speech Pathology. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Communicative Disorders from USC (1979). This semester, after 52 years, he is retiring.

Friends, family and colleagues will celebrate Ed's retirement with him in the coming days. The department has provided this brief overview of Hall's life and career.

During his high school years, Ed Hall lived on Governors Island in New York and had a great interest in Chess. He studied under a professional chess master who required that he memorize 100 chess openings.

He Attended the University of Hawaii majoring in Tropical Agriculture. His main interests, however, were Judo and Kendo and he studied under Migita and Mikami respectively. After graduation, he spent two years in the Airforce and got married and started a great family resulting in four wonderful children.

Wishing to share his good fortune, he adopted in addition two five-year-old boys from an orphanage in Korea and one five year old girl from an orphanage in Hawaii. At that point he became interested in communication difficulties and applied to the Doctoral Program in the Department of Communicative Disorders at USC. This was an extremely challenging program and highly effective.

When he was ready for graduate school, the Masters Program 91��ý was well developed under Dr. Jim Egbert who accepted Hall's application. At that time, the academic department was not located on campus. It was eventually moved closer, to Plummer Street. Dr. Hall (who lived in Reseda) was able to ride his horse to the campus and park the horse during his seminars in the back lawn.

This came to an end when the Department moved to Monterey Hall. Since that time Hall has very happily taught as part of the Communication Disorders and Sciences faculty. He also adopted five more children of native American Indian heritage from Montana. That brought the family to a total of 12 kids. With the birth of Adele Hall 26 years ago, Hall will tell you that the family has reached it’s zenith!

Now in retirement, Hall said he is swarmed with wonderful memories, especially of all the gifted and supportive staff and colleagues that he has been so privileged to work with 91��ý. That, he says, is the overall reward that he has received as a result of his tenure 91��ý.

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CSUN Communication Disorders and Sciences

Video: Colaboratoria 2023 Dance Concert

jean.osullivan@csun.edu — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 18:23:44 +0000

December 4, 2023

We are excited to share the video of this fall's dance concert, Colaboratoria 2023. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed and valued the process of creating, producing and editing the dance concert. Special thanks to all those who worked on the dance concert and to Maurice Godin for editing the dance film. - Dance Program Director, Paula Thomson

Where does dance lead in life? Kinesiology students in the Department of Kinesiology's Dance program choreograph, produce and perform dance concerts every year for the campus and local communities. But beyond the dance, what are students learning – and how?

While the dance concerts are by nature performances for audiences, from the perspective of educators, the productions are known to be High Impact Practices (HIPs) because the experience also leads students into self-discovery while helping them develop skills for further education and life overall.

As students produce the shows from conceptualization to curtain, they are learning movement and staging, performing scientific research, exploring social issues, discovering meaning, gaining empathy, developing communication and storytelling skills, and learning best practices for health and wellbeing.

Some of our dance students have gone on to pursue PhD’s, some have become professional dancers and performers, teachers, physical therapists, Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs). Wherever their careers take them, each can point to dance as helping them connect to qualities within that are leading them today.

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Jean O'Sullivan/HHD