Short Stories

Friendly Faces of CHES

The 2015–2016 Ambassadors represent every CHES major. ​

CHES Ambassadors serve a vital function at the College, acting as hosts and hostesses at special functions such as homecoming, honors day, graduation and recruitment events. They provide service, promote school pride and can communicate a thorough knowledge and understanding of CHES. They also give tours of the College to incoming freshmen, transfer students, parents, alumni and other visitors.

Ambassadors encourage students to continue their relationship with the College after graduation by active membership in the CHES Alumni Association. Each Ambassador works closely with the dean and faculty members and interacts with alumni and potential students.

In serving as a CHES Ambassador, Anna Claire Leary says she has “learned how special and diverse our college is.” Alex Mathis says the experience has opened up many opportunities to grow professionally. Ambassador Amanda Cox says she has appreciated the chance to share her experience with future college students and help them achieve their goals.

To become Ambassadors, students must meet specific qualifications: 1) be CHES majors who have been in the College for at least one semester; and 2) be able to serve throughout the academic year, maintaining a GPA of 2.75 or higher. They also must receive a faculty recommendation and serve in an Ambassador role for at least 12 hours per semester.
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Applicants are interviewed and judged by a panel chosen by the faculty adviser and student coordinator. Evaluation criteria include poise, communication and persuasiveness.

Cooking to Heal

Dr. Linda Knol conducts the new Culinary Medicine class, which meets in the CHES foods lab.
CHES is partnering with the College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) in offering a course for the new Culinary Medicine elective. The first class met in January.

Through lectures, hands-on cooking classes and follow-up discussion, the class teaches CCHS medical students and family medicine residents — along with CHES nutrition students — how to better educate patients about their diets. Students learn the basics of cooking so they can provide patients helpful information when addressing chronic disease management and obesity. Classes meet in the CHES foods lab. 

Dr. Jeannine Lawrence, chair of the CHES department of nutrition and hospitality management, believes this collaboration is critical. “In the health care field, medical professionals need to work well as part of a patient—centered, interprofessional team. UA’s Culinary Medicine program is innovative, bringing together future nutrition and medical students to collaborate,” says Lawrence.

Last semester, 24 students were enrolled in the course — 10 medical students, eight nutrition students and six residents. The instructors are Dr. Jennifer Clem, assistant professor in family medicine, and Dr. Linda Knol, CHES associate professor of human nutrition.

The course draws from modules of the curriculum of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and includes principles of diabetes, weight and portion control, hypertension, sodium, carbohydrates and the Mediterranean diet.

​During the first class, students divided into eight teams of three and participated in a cooking exercise. Teams prepared a dinner of whole-wheat spaghetti, some with meat sauce and some with lentils and vegetables, as well as salads with lettuce, kale, carrots and other vegetables. Students discussed the nutritional content of the dishes, learning, for example, that using whole-wheat pasta increases the amount of fiber in the diet.

Providing for Parents

Canine Comfort
Child Development Resources in CHES received more than $93,000 in state grants this year for community programs that benefit parents. The grants came from the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention.

The programs include Baby TALK (Teaching Activities for Learning and Knowledge), which provides services to families in well-child clinics and Women, Infant and Children clinics, along with parenting materials and children’s board books at the clinics and local hospitals. Baby TALK’s message is that parents can give their children a wonderful start in life with an environment of language, literature and love. Parents receive a gift book to read to their child to enhance the parent-child relationship, while also encouraging the child’s mental, social and language development.

The grants also support Alabama’s Parenting Assistance Line (PAL), which receives phone calls related to discipline and guidance, as well as parental stress and support issues such as divorce, single-parenting, incarcerated parent, family crisis, blended families and overseas military spouse. Calls have come from every county in Alabama, as well as 40 other states, plus Canada and England. ​

“The grants enable us to further build these programs,” says Dr. April Kendrick, director of child development programs, “and encourage repeat use of these services.”

Watermelon for Wellness

University of Alabama researchers are evaluating the cardio-protective effects of three compounds present in watermelon juice.

In a study, Drs. Amy Ellis and Kristi Crowe-White, professors in the CHES nutrition and hospitality management department, are providing 100 percent watermelon juice to older adult women.

The compounds lycopene, arginine and citrulline found in watermelon juice are individually regarded as heart-healthy. They increase nitric oxide production and reduce oxidative stress — two factors that play major roles in vascular stiffness and cardiovascular disease.​

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only one–quarter of older adults meet fruit intake recommendations, with preparation of fresh fruit cited as a barrier. Watermelon juice may represent a convenient serving of fruit while also packing a cardio-protective punch.
 PictureScotty snuggles with 11-year-old patient Amiya.
When Scotty the golden retriever looks with his big brown eyes at the anxious young girl lying in the hospital bed, her anxiety melts into smiles. She’s suddenly oblivious to her strange surroundings, completely entranced by this soft-eared charmer. That’s the job of a Child Life specialist, to soothe the fears of children in the hospital setting and make them feel as normal and comfortable as possible. Anything that feels familiar can help, which is why the students in the HDFS Child Life practicum love to work with volunteer pet therapist Jackie Jackson and her golden retriever.
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The Child Life practicum gives students the opportunity to work directly with medical personnel and young patients. The experience builds the students’ confidence and helps prepare them for the highly competitive internships that will follow. Students learn to introduce services to the patients and tell them what to expect. They also help distract a child during a procedure. At other times, they implement play and help bring fun into the hospital environment.

“Anything that can help a child feel more normal, that brings a connection to home or regular activities, can calm a child and give her a sense of emotional control in a setting that’s beyond her control,” says Leslie Dollar, coordinator of the Child Life practicum at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa.

On this day, when it’s time to go, Scotty doesn’t want to leave the warm lap of his new friend propped up in the sunny hospital bed. But there’s more work to be done, as practicum students get word that a 5-year-old and an 18-month-old have just entered the emergency room.

“The ER can be a traumatic experience, especially if it’s a child’s first trip to a hospital,” says HDFS student Elissa Gargiulo. “Scotty does a lot of good work in the ER, and it’s such fun to see the surprise on their faces when he comes in. They love him down there!”