TecHealth Faculty Members Receive UofSC COVID-19 Awards

TecHealth Assistant Director Brie Turner-McGrievy (HPEB) and Assistant Professor Christine Pellegrini (EXSC) both received awards from the UofSC Office of Research to conduct studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Dr. Turner-McGrievy will build on her current dietary lifestyle intervention project “Nutritious Eating with Soul” to assess participant satisfaction with the transition of in-person interventions to e-learning environments and examine the psychosocial, physical, and behavioral health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on study participants. Dr. Pellegrini will conduct interviews with 30 overweight or obese individuals to explore current changes in stress and diet and activity behaviors.  Understanding how individuals are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic will help to better inform and tailor future adaptive weight management programs and public health recommendations, not only in the event of a future pandemic but also for everyday stressful life events.  Congratulations Brie and Christine!

Congratulations to Courtnee Harpine, undergraduate Research Assistant in TecHealth!!  

Courtnee, an Exercise Science major who plans to graduate in May 2020, received three UofSC awards in Spring 2020 – Outstanding Exercise Science Student Award, UofSC Outstanding Senior, and President’s Award.  She has been working closely with Dr. Christine Pellegrini in TecHealth to conduct research on using technology to modify sedentary behavior.  Courtnee received funding for a Magellan Project entitled “Effects of NEAT!2 Sedentary Behavior Reduction Intervention on Changes in the Percent of Weight and Waist Circumference in Individuals with Past or Present Knee Symptoms, Injuries, or Surgeries” which she is finishing up.  Way to go with the awards, Courtnee!! 

Christine Pellegrini awarded R21 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

TecHealth assistant professor Christine Pellegrini has been awarded a $600K R21 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to examine an mHealth intervention to reduce sedentary behavior in individuals with knee replacements.

TecHealth Welcomes Chih-Hsiang "Jason" Yang

Jason Yang initially pursued a career in teaching at the K-12 level. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education (concentration in psychology and counseling), he taught elementary school-aged children for six years in his native Taiwan. It was during a stint as a physical education teacher that the obesity epidemic really began to concern him.

Christine Pellegrini launching "Phone Coaching as a Rescue Strategy for Early Non-Responders Enrolled in an Internet-Delivered Weight Loss Program"

Christine Pellegrini, TecHealth assistant professor, is collaborating with Dr. Jessica Unick (The Miriam Hospital) on a recently funded NIDDK R01 to examine the effect of extended coaching by phone on weight loss outcomes from an internet-based program.  The study will also determine whether these effects are sustained once the phone coaching is removed, and if these interventions are effective from a cost perspective.

Pioneer Award for Excellence in the Field

Techealth Director, Dr. Delia West, has received the Pioneer Award for Excellence in the Field from the Obesity Society's eHealth/mHealth Section.  The award is given to recipients for demonstrating excellence in the field and paving the way for further advancements in technologies to enhance obesity research, prevention and treatment.

Chelsea Larsen Recipient of 2018 Graduate Scholar in Aging Research Award

Exercise Science doctoral candidate and TecHealth research assistant Chelsea Larsen has received the 2018 Graduate Scholar in Aging Research Award.  Each year the Arnold School of Public health recognizes up to two outstanding graduate Arnold School students who represent the highest standard of scholarship focused on aging.  The award promotes the development of students interested in innovative research on aging.  Larsen plans to use her award to present her research on caregivers of individuals with dementia at a national conference on aging. 

Jim Stritzinger Named Director of Center for Applied Innovation and Advanced Analytics

Jim Strizinger, TecHealth Entrepreneur in Residence, has transitioned to lead the USC Center for Applied Innovation and Advanced Analytics.  The Center is a public-private partnership that works with regional government, academia, and business for developing in-demand skills, accelerating research innovations into markets, and driving regional economic development. It will develop technical expertise in analytics, cognitive computing (IBM Watson) and Internet of Things (IoT) in vertical markets that include predictive maintenance and supply chain, higher education, finance, insurance and health care.

Harnessing the Cognitive Power of IBM Watson to Enhance Academic Research

Harnessing the Cognitive Power of IBM Watson to Enhance Academic Research, the April Tech Tuesday Talk presentation is now online. For additional information about the presentation or questions about IBM Watson, please contact TecHealth Entrepreneur in Residence, Jim Stritzinger.

I Am Public Health: Chelsea Larsen

Exercise Science doctoral student and MPH-PAPH graduate Chelsea Larsen builds a career using technology to facilitate and promote healthy behavior change.

TecHealth welcomes Christine Pellegrini

Looking back, Christine Pellegrini identifies her time in London as a major turning point in her career trajectory. Sports and physical activity had always been important to the Chicago native, but she became interested in behavior change and obesity treatment during her semester abroad as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Courtney Monroe joins TecHealth

Physical activity was simply a way for TecHealth and HPEB faculty member, Courtney Monroe to have fun when she was growing up. Now it’s her calling. Add emerging technologies to the mix, and she has found what is shaping up to be a lifelong pursuit.

Journal of Medical Internet Research collaboration

Delia West, TecHealth Director and TecHealth Postdoctoral Fellow Courtney Monroe in collaboration with Arnold School of Public Health colleagues Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy, Sara Wilcox, Heather M Brandt, Chelsea Larsen and Beth Sundstrom, from the College of Charleston authored “A Technology-Mediated Behavioral Weight Gain Prevention Intervention for College Students: Controlled, Quasi-Experimental Study” in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Chelsea Larsen receives Norman J. Arnold Doctoral Fellowship Award

Chelsea Larsen is a 2016 recipient of the Norman J. Arnold Doctoral Fellowship Award in the Arnold School of Public Health Department of Exercise Science. Established in 2010, this prestigious award is given to outstanding PhD students through departmental recommendation and committee evaluation. Larsen is one of only six students in the Department of Exercise Science chosen to receive the award this year. A former TecHealth research assistant and intern, she is currently a second year doctoral student in the Health Aspects of Physical Activity Program within the Department of Exercise Science. Larsen is also the recipient of the Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program (BBIP) predoctoral fellowship award with TecHealth Director Delia West, serving as her mentor during her doctoral studies.

NIH-grant awarded to TecHealth Director Delia West

NIH-grant recently awarded to TecHealth Director Delia West explores whether online behavioral weight management programs are enhanced with the addition of financial incentives. This is the third in a series of studies to design and refine a group-based online lifestyle intervention to promote sustained weight control.

Courtney Monroe awarded ASPIRE I grant 

TecHealth Postdoctoral fellow, Courtney Monroe, was awarded one of the inaugural ASPIRE I grants for postdoctoral fellows. She is examining whether augmenting the natural social support systems of individuals in a behavioral weight control program by providing physical activity trackers and electronic scales to their friends and family can improve weight loss outcomes.

It’s a new TV season — but here’s why you might want to look away

It’s late September, time for many adults to settle in for a new season of prime-time drama, comedy, sports, reality competition and the occasional three-hour political debate. But as you get comfy on your sofa, you might want to consider this: Your TV habit might be killing you. A growing body of evidence links not just sitting in general but TV viewing in particular with all sorts of health problems. Those include obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and, yes, premature death.