UNE Online students present research projects resulting from experiential learning and community connections
UNE’s commitment to experiential learning and building community partnerships were recently highlighted through student projects presented at the Maine Public Health Association Conference in Augusta on October 16, 2018.
Online student Tiffany Corvino presented a poster titled “Prevalence and Correlates of Cigarette Smoking among High School Students in Maine,” which analyzes data from the 2017 Maine Integrated Youth Survey to demonstrate that the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among high school students could be a sign of deeper mental health issues. She conducted the research under the direction of Titilola Balogun, Dr.P.H.
The project was completed in collaboration with Toho Soma, M.P.H., of UNE’s Center for Excellence in Health Innovation, Liam O’ Brien, Ph.D., Colby College and adjunct faculty with UNE’s Graduate Programs in Public Health (GPPH), and Reid Plimpton of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The team proposes that preventive health care visits by high school students include questions about the use of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
Recent UNE Online graduate Norhuda Alsahlawi, M.P.H., ‘18 presented a poster titled “Substance Use Disorder in Portland, Maine: A Resource Assessment”.
The project was based on a collaboration between UNE’s GPPH and Portland Public Health and Human Services Department. It concluded that currently available resources for substance use disorder in Portland are siloed and mostly geared toward short-term rehabilitation initiatives.
The team proposes novel resources, educational initiatives, inclusive treatment options and law enforcement strategies to ensure full social rehabilitation for individuals with substance use disorder.
GPPH partners with community-based organizations within and outside Maine to provide online students with increased opportunities for experiential learning.
