Carolyn Mendez-Luck

Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences

School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences

Carolyn Mendez-Luck

Having the chance to be part of the beginning of a new chapter in OSU history was something Carolyn Mendez-Luck couldn’t pass up.

“I liked the idea of getting in on the ground floor of the development of an accredited College of Public Health,” she said. “I was especially excited by the opportunity to be part of this dynamic time in the College’s history.”

Mendez-Luck has just made the switch from Southern California to Corvallis, drawn to both the opportunities and the chance for a smaller town lifestyle. After completing her PhD in public health at UCLA, she was a faculty associate with the UCLA Health Policy Research Center.

Now at OSU, she is continuing to work on research projects in East L.A. that she already established, focusing on Latino caregivers and elderly diabetic care receivers and the ways they manage diabetes in the home. The work is part of a five-year NIH/NIA-funded career development (K01) award in health disparities and aging research. The topic is one she hopes to investigate here as well.

“I am eager to begin similar research in Oregon,” she said. “My first steps will be to reach out to the Latino community in the Corvallis area and throughout the state. I am especially interested in identifying the health issues that Latino families are most concerned about and the aspects of their communities that they believe enable and inhibit healthy lifestyles.”

Mendez-Luck focuses on building academic-community partnerships with local non-profits. The topic of aging, especially in the Latino community, is very relevant to the shifting demographics of the United States.

“The reason I study elder care in Latino families is because of the changing face of the aging population. The U.S. and Oregon are also becoming increasingly diverse,” she said. “The U.S. Latino elderly population is the fastest growing older adult subgroup and is expected to represent 20 percent of all older adults in 2050. Since the long-term care system in America relies heavily on informal care networks, all families will face an increased demand for elder caregiving.”

Latinos particularly face a larger burden of disease because of a lack of healthcare access over a lifetime, and diabetes, a disease that is common in the Latino population, has debilitating long-term health consequences.

“One long-term goal of my research program is to lessen the caregiving burden in Latino families by designing culturally-relevant programs aimed at improving diabetic elders’ health through good diabetes management in the home,” she said.

Mendez-Luck will be teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in gerontology, including culture, aging, and health.

~ Theresa Hogue

With the season of fever, headaches, stuffy noses and sore throats upon us, gathering together for the holidays brings an increased risk of transmitting contagious viruses. University community members can be the biggest culprits simply because of the large number of people with whom they come into contact as part of their daily routine.

To ensure a healthier community, OSU Student Health Services is extending its service to provide flu shots to all faculty, staff, and students.

“It’s not too late to get yours before Christmas,” said Colleen Schlonga, marketing coordinator for Student Health Services in Plageman Hall.

Cost to students is $15 and can be charged to student accounts. Faculty and staff pay $25 in cash or check. Walk ups are welcome. Information is available at 737-9355.

Student Health Services targets students because younger people often are contagious long before they themselves come down with any symptoms of the flu, said Dr. Phillip Histand, director of the service.

And because of where students live, mixing with others from throughout the state, country, and world, students also are exposed to many viruses Grandma just doesn’t run into at her house, Histand said.

“Because the elderly and chronically ill are the most susceptible to the flu, you don’t want to be the one who gives them unwanted gifts,” the director said.

So, what else to do when you’re really aching for Mom’s turkey dressing, Aunt Bea’s pumpkin pie, and football on the tube with Cousin Mike?

 Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze

 Throw tissues in the trash after using them

 Wash hands with soap and water often

 Try to avoid contact with people who are sick

 Frequently wash down doorknobs and handles

 If you get the flu, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others

Handwashing is the main preventative action against noroviruses, another seasonal group of viruses that hit the gastrointestinal system fast and hard and are very contagious.

Infection comes from eating foods, touching surfaces, or having direct contact with someone with the illness. Symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping, and some people have low-grade fevers, chills, headaches, and muscle aches.

Infected individuals remain contagious for up to two weeks after recovery, so it is important for people to use good handwashing and other hygienic practices long after they feel better.

The biggest danger from noroviruses is dehydration, especially for young children, the elderly, and those with other illnesses. Oral rehydration products (powder mixed with water) at pharmacies might be more than most people need, Histand said. But juices and water can reduce chances of becoming dehydrated. Sports drinks may be used but only if they are mixed half-and-half with water.

A home-made mix of one quart of water, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and four tablespoons of sugar will replenish most lost minerals, Histand said. A banana, if the ill person can handle it, provides necessary potassium, he said.

“Know how to protect yourself,” Schlonga said. “And remember, the flu season doesn’t peak until February.”

~ by Ed Curtin

Marie Harvey earned lifetime achievement award for public health work.

Winning a lifetime achievement award was “a sobering experience” for Marie Harvey, chairwoman of the Department of Public Health at Oregon State.

“It made me realize this is the last chapter of my career,” said Harvey, who received the American Public Health Association honor Oct. 27. “With so much work that needs to be done, I need to focus on mentoring the next generation of faculty, researchers, and students.”

“They are the ones who will develop the abilities to take on the challenges in the future,” she said.

Harvey, whose work has been on the sexual health of men and women, received the 2008 Carl S. Shultz Award for outstanding lifetime achievement from the Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Section of APHA.

The award, the highest recognition given by the section, cited the commitment and contributions Harvey has made to the field of sexual and reproductive health, including research, teaching, and mentorship to other faculty members, researchers and students.

Harvey, who came to OSU in 2003, is a researcher focused on the social, psychological, and cultural aspects of sexual and reproductive health.

She is a founder of the Pacific Institute for Women’s Health in Los Angeles and a member of the board of directors for the Oregon Public Health Association.

Throughout her career, she has focused on the reproductive health of women, beginning her work on the frontlines as a social worker and family planning counselor.

Harvey is “very excited” with her current research projects: understanding the factors that contribute to increased risks of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and to unintended pregnancy, including relationship dynamics as well as cultural and social determinants.

Harvey is involved in two studies, one funded by the Centers for Disease Control and the other by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, that examine sexual risk behavior and contraception use among Latinos in rural Benton, Linn, Marion, and Polk counties.

She said the award “is particularly meaningful”  because the Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Section uses evidenced-based research to promote policies, programs and services to bring about change, to make a difference, to bring reproductive rights to all men and women.

The American Public Health Association is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world and has been working to improve public health since 1872.

~ by Angela Yeager and Ed Curtin