Recent News
Student-Faculty Research Tackles Cancer Prevention, Infant Feeding
Apr 19, 2018
Julia Alber - Cancer Prevention
Julia Alber’s research interests include using communication technologies such as social media to understand and promote cancer prevention behaviors to reduce cancer disparities. Her research involves conducting analyses of social media content and combining qualitative methods such as focus groups with quantitative methods such as online surveys to evaluate health messages and strategies.
In collaboration with a national non-profit organization, she is working with undergraduate students on a research project that aims to understand the most effective channels and message strategies for increasing awareness around hepatitis B among young Asian Americans in order to reduce liver cancer disparities. This year, her undergraduate students have helped create online survey instruments, conduct statistical analyses of survey data, code YouTube videos, and prepare results for publication and conference presentations.
Stefanee Maurice
Stefanee Maurice’s research focuses on the psychology and sociology of sport. Her primary focus is the athletic injury recovery and rehabilitation process, such as the impact of social support and re-injury anxiety on the recovery and return to play process.
Her undergraduate research team is investigating the perceptions of coach-provided social support for injured athletes from the perspectives of both coaches and athletes at NCAA Division I athletic programs. In addition, the team is developing a study that uses feminist theory to explore the gendered experiences of high school soccer referees. Maurice and her students are also working with students and faculty at John F. Kennedy University to investigate the training of sport psychology consultants and how debriefing is taught and used in the field of applied sport psychology.
Suzanne Phelan
Suzanne Phelan’s team investigates ways to prevent and treat obesity in the time surrounding pregnancy and in early life. Team members are examining whether behavioral weight control before pregnancy can prevent gestational diabetes. They are also investigating whether and how intrauterine exposures to excess gestational weight gain can program offspring to develop obesity and a range of other related health problems, from diabetes to tooth decay.
Another study focuses on the characteristics of long-term successful weight losers in Weight Watchers and will result in a dataset of 20, 000 individuals who have beat the odds and managed to lose weight and keep it off long-term. In addition, the team is developing and testing weight control interventions that can be delivered online via virtual and augmented reality and that are effective in diverse, multicultural populations.
Marilyn Tseng
With a background in anthropology and nutritional epidemiology, Marilyn Tseng is interested in the importance of the environment to health. She and her students work on various projects that explore the concept of ultra-processed foods in the current food environment, and the relevance of these foods to human health.
A second area of research considers environment more broadly, including the social, cultural and economic environments of immigrant neighborhoods and their importance to health trajectories among immigrants. In a research project funded by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, her team is examining whether and how stress might contribute to higher risk for diabetes in Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia.
Alison Ventura
Alison Ventura’s research program aims to understand how feeding experiences and growth trajectories during early childhood affect the development of eating behaviors and weight status across the lifespan. Specifically, Ventura is interested in the individual, familial and sociocultural factors that contribute to individual differences in the self-regulation of food intake in response to hunger and fullness cues and weight change trajectories across infancy and childhood.
A key focus of her research is on the bidirectional influences between children and parents. The overarching goal of her research is to identify potential targets for future efforts to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based prevention programs to promote optimal feeding behaviors, self-regulatory abilities and weight gain trajectories during infancy and childhood.
Currently, undergraduate research assistants are working with Ventura to analyze data from studies of maternal-infant feeding interactions. Students are helping answer questions such as: Does mothers’ use of handheld devices during feeding reduce the quality of the feeding interaction? Are certain mothers more likely to use food to soothe their infants, and is the use of food to soothe associated with infants’ risk for rapid weight gain? Are mothers more responsive to their babies’ satiation cues when they are breastfeeding compared to when they are bottle-feeding? Findings from these studies are an important foundation for later intervention efforts aimed at primary prevention of obesity during infancy.
Students Take Home ACSM Trophy
Apr 19, 2018
Senior kinesiology students Sean Stanelle, Mami Takeda and Sarah Tasci represented Cal Poly at the Southwest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) meeting in Long Beach, Calif., winning the regional Student Bowl, a jeopardy-style competition showcasing sports medicine and exercise science knowledge. They will compete against twelve other regional teams at the national meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., at the end of May.
All three students also worked as Frost Summer Research Fellows during summer 2017 and will present their research findings at the national meeting.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, and the annual meeting attracts more than 6,000 participants each year.
Department Welcomes New Faculty
Apr 19, 2018
Sarah Keadle
I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and then went to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, mostly to play soccer, but I also got a degree in health and exercise science. I attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship, which included an MPH degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and research as a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute.
My research focuses on two areas: first, developing and validating methods to assess physical activity and sitting time and second, conducting studies to understand the associations between sedentary behavior, physical activity and health. My favorite course to teach is KINE 319, Introduction to Research Methods. This class is often the first time students are able to ask and answer their own questions through the research process. I love working through that process with students and encouraging them to be inquisitive and incorporate research into their future careers.
Cory Greever
I
began my career by earning a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and exercise science from Virginia Commonwealth University. I went on to pursue a master’s in exercise physiology at James Madison University, where my work centered on performance in endurance athletes. From there, I went north to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and spent 4 years working towards a doctorate in kinesiology with focuses in physical activity, health and exercise physiology.
Currently I have two active lines of research, one in each of my areas of interest. From a health perspective, I am conducting work on the relationships between physical activity, sleep quality and cognitive function in children and young adults. On the human performance end, I am working with competitive level surfers to identify physiological training parameters that may improve a surfer’s ability to survive when taken under by a big wave.
My favorite things about teaching are the moments that I spend in the laboratory with students. Whether it’s for a course or research, I love the energy I feel when they actually see the physiological concepts in action. To me, that’s the definition of Learn by Doing.
Julia Alber
I completed 
my postdoctoral fellowship at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and joined the Kinesiology and Public Health Department to help implement the new public health degree program. I earned my doctorate from University of Florida, and my research focuses on cancer prevention and health communication. I am currently teaching Introduction to Community and Public Health and Healthy Living.
Marilyn Tseng
Teaching feels like a career that I was re-born
into: after earning my doctorate in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health, I spent more than ten years doing cancer and nutritional epidemiology research and didn’t start teaching until recently.
Now, I’m happy to be teaching KINE 255, Multicultural Perspective to Personal Health, and KINE 298, Disease Epidemiology. Their objectives and content are so closely tied to my area of research and study: the importance of the environment to our health.
I currently work with Cal Poly students on various projects to explore the concept of ultra-processed foods in our current food environment and how they affect human health. My second area of research considers environment more broadly, namely the social, cultural and economic environment of immigrant neighborhoods and their importance to health trajectories among immigrants. In a research project funded by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), we are examining whether and how stress might contribute to higher risk for diabetes in Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia.
Stefanee Maurice
I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Riverside, a master’s in experimental psychology from California State University, Northridge, a master’s in counseling and a certificate in university teaching from West Virginia University, and am currently working to complete my doctorate in sport and exercise psychology from West Virginia University.
My research interests encompass several areas within sport psychology and sport sociology, but my primary focus is on the psychology of injury and women in sport. My favorite thing about teaching is having the opportunity to challenge my students' preconceived notions about the structure of sport and guide them to think critically about how their own life experiences impact the ways they perceive the world of sports.
Cal Poly Kinesiology and Public Health Professor Wins CSU Award for Outstanding Scholarship
Jan 31, 2018
Cal Poly kinesiology and public health Professor Suzanne Phelan has received the $20,000 Wang Family Excellence Award for outstanding commitment to student achievement and scientific contributions.
Phelan was one of five California State University faculty and staff members to receive the award.
“The combined contributions of this year’s Wang Family Excellence Award recipients are reshaping the university and global learning community,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “Through the generosity of Trustee Emeritus Stanley T. Wang and his family, these faculty members and administrator — each of whom exemplifies the California State University mission — will receive well-deserved recognition and support for their continuing work.”
The annual award celebrates CSU faculty members who have distinguished themselves through outstanding teaching, scholarship, service and innovation in student success. It also honors a staff member whose contributions and impact significantly exceed expectations. In addition, each honoree receives $20,000 that is established through a gift from Wang, who served on the board overseeing the 23-campus CSU system from 1994-2002.
Phelan directs Cal Poly’s STRIDE Center for Obesity Research. Her research on how to help mothers achieve healthy weight management before, during and after pregnancy is influential in the field of obesity prevention. She has received more than $12 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, and her work has been published in several respected academic journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Phelan and her collaborators recently found that an online weight loss program led to significant weight loss in low-income, at-risk mothers during the year following pregnancy. Study participants were women enrolled in the federal assistance program Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (or WIC). Phelan’s other research projects topics include gestational diabetes, a couples-based approach to weight management during pregnancy, and maternal and toddler feeding interactions.
“Suzanne’s truly remarkable achievements are making a difference in her academic community, in the professional lives of her students and colleagues, and in the personal lives of young families in California and across the U.S.,” said Dean Wendt, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.
In addition, Phelan is spearheading a new program that will provide prenatal and postpartum care to underserved populations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The Cal Poly Women and Infants’ Mobile Health Unit will contain a medical office that can travel to underserved populations, as well as facilities for Cal Poly students to get hands-on experience in clinical research.
Kinesiology Professor Receives $2.8Mil Grant to Study Gestational Diabetes
May 31, 2016
Suzanne Phelan
Kinesiology Professor Suzanne Phelan recently received $2.8 million from the National Institutes of Health for ongoing research into ways to prevent the recurrence of gestational diabetes. This condition develops during pregnancy and can cause long-term health problems in mothers and their babies. It can also lead to severe pregnancy and delivery complications.
Phelan, her fellow researchers, and a group of Cal Poly students will examine whether improving weight, eating and activity before pregnancy reduces the mother’s long-term risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and the baby’s risk of obesity.
“I hope findings from this study will form the basis for shifting current healthcare models toward a provision of care before pregnancy,” Phelan said.
Through a five-year clinical trial, Phelan’s group will track a group of pregnant women as they implement lifestyle changes such as a different diet and increased exercise. Student researchers will participate in all stages of this research, including recruitment, physical assessment of the women’s weight changes and health, and data analysis.
“Obesity and gestational diabetes tend to go hand in hand. A healthier weight reduces risks of all kinds of problems,” Phelan tells The San Luis Obispo Tribune.
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Kinesiology Students Put Health Snacks on Display
Dec 3, 2015
The Kinesiology Department in the College of Science & Mathematics on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 held its annual Iron Chef Event, which sees students in KINE 443, School Health for Teachers, recreate popular snacks in a healthful way.
The purpose of the event, which is the final project for the students, is to help the students identify national health objectives for school-aged children.
Kinesiology Professor Named 2015 Simms/Mann Faculty Fellow
Nov 5, 2015
Alison Ventura, a professor in the Kinesiology Department, has been selected as a 2015 Simms/Mann Faculty Fellow.
Alison Ventura
The fellowship, sponsored by the Simms/Mann Institute for Education and Community Development, provides professional development to faculty from the California State University and California Community Colleges in the fields of early childhood education, psychology and nursing, among others.
Ventura, one of 13 recipients this year, was introduced at the institute’s think tank session in Beverley Hills, Calif., on Nov. 3.
The selected faculty members spend one year completing projects that translate neuroscience research into practical applications and integrate the latest research into their classrooms.
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Professor, Associate Dean Named National Kinesiology Fellow
Nov 5, 2015
Camille O’Bryant has been selected to join the ranks of this year’s National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education Fellows.
The fellowship designation acknowledges leaders who have made significant contributions to the field of kinesiology, according to NAKHE officials.
Camille O'Bryant
O’Bryant, a former NAKHE president, is one of 16 fellows selected this year. The fellows will be recognized during the NAKHE conference in San Diego in January.
O’Bryant has been at Cal Poly since 1999. She currently serves as associate dean for student success, inclusion and diversity in the College of Science and Mathematics, interim chair of the Kinesiology Department, and diversity and inclusivity faculty mentor for the Office for University Diversity and Inclusivity.
O'Bryant is also a recipient of the 2014-15 Cal Poly Distinguished Teaching Award as well as the E.B. Henderson and Rachel E. Bryant awards from the Society of Health and Physical Educators of America (SHAPE America). The E.B. Henderson award is given to a minority member who has increased involvement of ethnic minorities and/or underserved populations within their profession, SHAPE America or society. The Rachel E. Bryant award honors those with strong leadership and futuristic thinking in girls' and women's sports.
Professor, Associate Dean Named National Kinesiology Fellow
Oct 26, 2015
Camille O’Bryant has been selected to join the ranks of this year’s National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education Fellows.
The fellowship designation acknowledges leaders who have made significant contributions to the field of kinesiology, according to NAKHE officials.
Camille O'Bryant
O’Bryant, a former NAKHE president, is one of 16 fellows selected this year. The fellows will be recognized during the NAKHE conference in San Diego in January.
O’Bryant has been at Cal Poly since 1999. She currently serves as associate dean for student success, inclusion and diversity in the College of Science and Mathematics, interim chair of the Kinesiology Department, and diversity and inclusivity faculty mentor for the Office for University Diversity and Inclusivity.
O'Bryant is also a recipient of the 2014-15 Cal Poly Distinguished Teaching Award as well as the E.B. Henderson and Rachel E. Bryant awards from the Society of Health and Physical Educators of America (SHAPE America). The E.B. Henderson award is given to a minority member who has increased involvement of ethnic minorities and/or underserved populations within their profession, SHAPE America or society. The Rachel E. Bryant award honors those with strong leadership and futuristic thinking in girls' and women's sports.
Kinesiology Alumnus Volunteering across the U.S.
Jul 29, 2015
July 27, 2015
After graduating from Cal Poly and before plunging into a medical school program, Cooper Ehlers (B.S., Kinesiology, 2015) decided he wanted to give back to the community — in all 48 contiguous states. Ehlers plans to volunteer with local nonprofits in every state except Hawaii and Alaska.
“This is something that I’ve been working on for quite a while now,” Ehlers said.
He began planning the road trip in March of this year, but the idea was sparked nearly five years ago after a conversation with his father.
“We were joking and talking about an awesome dream trip,” he said. “This past year I decided to look into it and found that it was more and more possible to do. Now I’m actually doing it.”
Ehlers, a former Interfraternity Council vice president and past executive board member of the Delta Chi fraternity, isn’t a stranger to volunteer work. And, he says the lessons he learned while at Cal Poly have served him well on his road trip.
“While at Cal Poly, I learned the ability to relate to people of very different backgrounds,” he said. “This makes it much easier to relate to the various people you meet across the United States.”
By late July, Ehlers had finished volunteering in North Dakota, the fifth stop on his trip, and was headed to Minnesota with plans to work with Habitat for Humanity.
Despite living out of his car, eating only bagels and peanut butter for most meals, and not having many people to talk to for long stretches of time, Ehlers says the trip is worth the sacrifices.
“I hope to make some sort of difference. I don’t think that on my own it will be too significant, but maybe I’ll be able to raise money or bring large groups of volunteers out to accomplish something significant,” he said.
Ehlers has even started his own blog, gapyearvagabond.com, to document his travel and volunteer efforts across the country.
“Maybe my story will help encourage others to volunteer in their communities,” he said.