Highlights, Events & Resources
PRC Faculty & Staff Highlights
PRC SIP: DiscoverU Featured at PRC Week 2023
Lenora Goodman, MPH, RDN, graduate research assistant on the PRC Special Interest Project DiscoverU presented her poster, “Understanding is Hard to Find: Community Based Participatory Research Practices Improve Afterschool Program Feasibility” at the 2023 PRC Virtual Meeting, held March 2023. HYD-PRC faculty and DiscoverU Co-Investigator Barbara McMorris, PhD, along with School of Public Health faculty and DiscoverU Co-Investigator Katie Arlinghaus, PhD, MS, RD, were co-authors on the poster.
Longtime Community Advisory Board Co-Chair Gabriel McNeal Transitions to New Role
After 26 years at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), long-time adolescent health champion and PRC community advisory board (CAN) co-chair, Gabriel McNeal, has transitioned to a new role at the St. Paul - Ramsey County Public Health Department. McNeal was an Adolescent & Youth Development Specialist and served as the state coordinator for the Minnesota PREP (Personal Responsibility Education Program) and SRAE (Sexual Risk Avoidance Education) grants for many years, in addition to a variety of other roles at MDH. Her new role will be in the Healthy Communities Division with a focus on opioids, mental health, healthy aging, Hmong health promotion, and as a Trusted Messenger.
Shlafer Awarded “Julie Ross Faculty Recognition Award”
HYD-PRC Director Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH was awarded the 2023 Julie Ross Faculty Recognition Award for Behavioral/Community Science Paper of the Year. The annual event acknowledges faculty scholarship, at all rank/track levels, and promotes opportunities and synergies that exist in the Pediatrics Department and across the university. This specific award highlights a senior faculty member who has authored a paper that contributes high significance in behavioral/community science. Shlafer, who served as the senior author, along with co-authors Luke Muentner, Katie Stone, and Laurel Davis received the award for their paper, “Youth at the intersection of parental incarceration and foster care: Examining prevalence, disparities, and mental health.”
MPR’s “For Jailed Parents, In-Person Visits with Children are Rare” Interviews Shlafer HYD-PRC Director, Rebecca Shlafer, was interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News for their story highlighting the importance of in-person visits for children and their incarcerated parents.
Events, Trainings & Resources
UMN LEAH Program Looking New Program Manager
As one of nine nationally funded Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) programs, the UMN LEAH program is looking to hire a new program manager. The LEAH program aims to improve the quality of care and equitable access to appropriate health services for adolescents and young adults (AYA) by preparing leaders in AYA through interdisciplinary training at the graduate and post-graduate levels. If you or anyone you know is interested in this position, please apply on the UMN employment website and use posting number 354777.
2023 Adolescent Health Summer Institute
A New Way Forward: Transforming Adolescent Sexual Health
The field of adolescent sexual health is at a pivotal moment in history. Young people are dealing with the fallout of a global pandemic, changing political landscapes, and evolving access (or lack of access) to reproductive and sexual health care. The current climate provides opportunities to advocate for change, while also acknowledging the challenges adolescents face. We know that young people’s multifaceted identities shape how they experience health. It’s imperative that we examine our field through an intersectional lens in order to empower adolescents to navigate their sexual health.
At the 2023 Summer Institute in Adolescent Health, we invite you to challenge what you know and disrupt the status quo. Examine current and historical trends in adolescent sexual health and explore ever-changing laws and policies regarding access to abortion and contraception. Apply an intersectionality framework to sexual health education, health disparities research, and the impact of mainstream pornography. Hear directly from young people who are organizing for reproductive justice and building youth power in Minnesota. Connect with other caring adults who are passionate about supporting adolescents in this critical time.
Click here to register!
Minneapolis Urban Initiative – Sexual Health Education & Resources for Teens and Caregivers
Every young person deserves to have the information, support, and resources they need to make the best decision for themselves. The Minneapolis Urban Initiative (MUI) is a group of organizations dedicated to providing confidential, comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare and education for young people, parents, teachers, and youth-serving professionals. MUI believes sexual and reproductive health is an essential part of healthcare and should be available to people of all genders, sexualities, races, ethnicities, and abilities. Providing teens with the opportunity for one-on-one appointments with trusted providers, MUI aims to help the next generations navigate their sexual lives in responsible, respectful, and safe ways by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make informed decisions.
Learn more about MUI and the work they do by visiting www.muiyouth.com.
Move and Thrive – Free Movement Videos for all Young People
Move and Thrive, a University of Minnesota-based project aims to create free and fun movement videos for youth. Frustrated by available fitness options for teens, Move and Thrive has created resources that focus on enjoying physical activity – not weight, dieting, or body shaming – and believes that movement should feel good, support emotional and physical health, and be a safe space for all bodies.
The Move and Thrive Project is currently looking for members to join their dissemination team. They are searching for people from a variety of healthcare backgrounds who love working with adolescents and are interested in health equity. Join the team to participate in quarterly virtual meetings and help aid in the promotion and dissemination of the Move and Thrive Project. For more information or to join the team, please fill out this Google form or contact Sarah Espinoza, [email protected].
STI/ST Awareness Week - April 9-15, 2023
This week provides an opportunity to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including their impact on our lives and the importance of testing and treatment. This week provides an opportunity to advocate for the reduction in STI-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge for prevention, testing, and treatment. Check out these great resources available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
May is Sex Ed For All Month
This year’s Sex Ed For All Month is coordinated by the Sex Education Collaborative—representing 23 national, regional, and state-based organizations with extensive experience training educators to deliver school-based sex education—in collaboration with the federal Sex Education Coalition, as well as other national, regional, and state-based partners. National organizing partners include Advocates for Youth, Answer, Cardea, Center for Reproductive Rights, Healthy Teen Network, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, and URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, among others.
We encourage all organizations who would like to join the efforts to celebrate Sex Ed For All Month to use (and adapt as you wish) the materials in the tool kit and have your organization sign on to The Principles of Sex Ed for All Month.