UofL News: Can you provide a brief synopsis about this new book?

Patel: The book makes an effort to broaden the COVID-19 pandemic鈥檚 potential impact on different sectors worldwide, particularly in India. It intends to prepare all critical areas like economics, public health, education, digital strategies,听psychology and telemedicine, by providing insights through valuable research and opinions of authors worldwide. This way, it will offer a single author鈥檚 perspective and the richness of research qualities from multiple experts.

UofL News: How did you get involved as co-editor?听

Patel: The lead editor reached out to me with a proposal for the book. I accepted and reviewed all potential papers for conceptual work and originality. I then provided feedback to the shortlisted papers, which qualified the first pass inclusion criteria. We also developed the editor鈥檚 note, table of contents, book summary and preface. Additionally, we reached out actively to experts in the field with the book’s impact report for the potential foreword and sponsorships. I also applied for a couple of book grants and reached out to potential N.G.O.鈥檚 involved in COVID-19 work. We finally received a foreword and book sponsorship from India professor, , Padma Shri Award winner and renowned economist.

UofL News: How did you become interested in this field of study?听

Patel: During my final year of dental school, I took a public health dentistry course, through which my interest developed. I continued to explore by earning a Master鈥檚 degree in Public Health (M.P.H.) and publishing my research work in several journals. I was honored to graduate with an Academic Excellence Award. Additionally, I got the opportunity to work in the corporate world through Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical company, which introduced me to health management as a feasibility specialist in clinical trial optimization. I鈥檝e continued my interest by undertaking doctoral coursework at UofL through a merit-based scholarship.

UofL News: Tell us how you landed at the University of Louisville.

Patel: I hold a Bachelor鈥檚 in Dental Surgery (B.D.S), and was accepted at NYU for an M.P.H Epidemiology major. I completed one semester, continued working as a graduate assistant for the NYU Tobacco SEED lab and completed one publication with the lab. I then wanted to pursue general public health rather than a specific major and NYU wasn鈥檛 offering it at the time. I accepted a transfer student offer with a merit-based scholarship to Long Island University鈥檚 M.P.H. program.

At LIU, I graduated with Alpha Eta honors, the Academic Excellence Award and worked as a GRA. I have one publication in a reputable pedagogy journal through that position. Over this period, I explored health management in oncology as a feasibility specialist intern (clinical trial designing) at a top pharmaceutical company. This led me to study health management and systems science as a doctoral degree at UofL. I thank the faculty who interviewed me, Drs. Johnson, Creel and Jennings. Without the golden opportunity of acceptance, it wouldn鈥檛 have been possible to be part of this wonderful academic environment at UofL.

UofL News: What are your future career goals?听

Patel: I鈥檓 yet to decide as I am in the second year of my coursework. However, I would love to continue working in academia or a health policy research-intensive position in the industry like my previous position as a feasibility specialist or a Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) professional.

UofL News: Anything else you’d like to share?听

Patel: You can now find the book on ! It wouldn鈥檛 have been possible if the University of Louisville and my department had not been so supportive. In these uncertain times, I cannot give enough thanks to the university for making sure graduate research assistants and students receive the resources we need. The people of UofL are welcoming, wonderful, and I cannot trade being part of UofL for anything in the world.听

The study, published this month in the , included 193 third-and-fourth-grade students at three Texas elementary schools throughout听a two-year period. Children in the control classrooms sat at traditional desks, while those in the test group learned at what the study calls “stand-biased desks,” equipped with a footrest and stool. These desks, designed and researched by Texas A&M co-investigators on this study, are meant to encourage longer standing periods since students can occasionally sit on a stool and prop their feet on a footrest underneath the desk to relieve back tension and leg fatigue.

In the study, 62 children remained in the test group for two years, 82 students were in the test group one year and the control group one year, and 49 students were in the control group both years. At the initiation of the study, researchers recorded the students鈥� height, weight, gender, birth date, and age to calculate their BMI, BMI percentile and BMI category 鈥� normal or underweight, overweight or obese. The same information was collected at the end of the second year.

After adjusting for grade, race/ethnicity and gender, Wendel and her colleagues found a 5.24-percent decrease in BMI percentile in the group that used stand-biased desks for two consecutive years relative to the group that used standard desks both years. There was no significant difference between the group that used standing desks for two consecutive years and students that used the desks for only one year of the study.

鈥淪chool-age children spend most of their waking hours during the week at school. Changing classrooms to stand-biased environments has the potential to affect millions of children by interrupting sedentary behavior, and this can be done simply, at a low cost, and without disrupting classroom instruction,鈥� Wendel said.

National data from 2012 shows 16.9 percent of children ages 2-19 are obese, and another 14.9 percent are overweight. Wendel says as a growing body of evidence shows that prolonged sitting greatly increases a person鈥檚 risk for obesity, metabolic issues and chronic disease, a change in philosophy to incorporate standing desks in the classroom could have a major impact on public health.

Jennings will work alongside the editorial board and executive editor of the section to offer detailed criticism and analysis of manuscripts that have the potential for increasing the value of Anesthesia & Analgesia to the clinical and scientific community.

鈥淚 am thrilled for this opportunity to work with more senior colleagues, as well as provide service to the academic community. Furthermore, examining topics where I have expertise within a different context, in this case anesthesiology, offers me a truly enriching experience,鈥� Jennings said.

Jennings received a PhD in Health Services Administration with a concentration in Strategic Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also holds a BBA in Economics from the University of Georgia and a MPA from the University of West Georgia.

Her research interests include the integration of public health and health care through collaborative relationships, population health management in hospital settings, and topics related to the broad theme of public health services and systems research. Jennings鈥� most recent research focuses on the predictors and performance outcomes of hospital community orientation, and research surrounding the elimination of disparities in health outcomes.

Jennings is an active member of the Academy of Management Healthcare Management Division, as well as the AcademyHealth Membership Committee and Public Health Systems Research Interest Group.

The institute, established in 2015 with initial funding from KentuckyOne Health, recently named 18 researchers inaugural Commonwealth Scholars, from academic areas ranging from health promotion, economics, medicine and urban affairs to health policy.

The first CIK Scholars include:

• Joseph Benitez, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Craig Blakely, Ph.D., M.P.H., dean, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Susan Buchino, Ph.D., OTR/L, senior research manager, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Ryan Combs, Ph.D., M.A., assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Liza Creel, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Robert Esterhay, M.D., associate professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Jos茅 Fernandez, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Economics, UofL College of Business
• Jeremy Gaskins, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• J鈥橝ime Jennings, Ph.D., M.P.A., assistant professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Brandy Kelly Pryor, Ph.D., director, Center for Health Equity at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness; assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Jelani Kerr, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Bert Little, Ph.D., professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Gilbert Liu, M.D., professor and Director of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, UofL School of Medicine
• Paul McKinney, M.D., associate dean for research; professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Elizabeth Munnich, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Economics, UofL College of Business
• Matthew Ruther, Ph.D., director of the Kentucky State Data Center; assistant professor, Department of Urban and Public Affairs, UofL College of Arts and Sciences
• Monica Wendel, Dr.P.H., M.A., associate dean for public health practice; acting director, Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky; associate professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences

鈥淭he complex health issues facing our communities such as poverty and preventable health disparities, require individual scholars to recognize the valuable knowledge and methods of other disciplines,鈥� said Craig Blakely, dean of the UofL School of Public Health and Information Science and CIK Executive Committee member. 鈥淲e are convening researchers from across the globe with wide-ranging expertise to improve population health and affect health policy.鈥�

The primary operations of the CIK involve community-based research, health policy support, data analytics, and education. Commonwealth Scholars are able to access a variety of national data sets. Researchers also benefit from infrastructure support, such as financial management and biostatisticians, as well as connections to CIK community partners to develop new research.

Initial CIK projects underway include the development and pilot of neighborhood-focused health literacy interventions and a mentoring program for justice involved youth. An experiential study of LGBTQ Kentuckians enrolling in and using health insurance and an evaluation of health care access and utilization in Louisville Metro are among the completed projects.

Interested researchers should submit a short statement and current CV to sherry.duffy@louisville.edu. Applications will be reviewed by the CIK Executive Committee and applicants will be notified of their acceptance as a Commonwealth Scholar.