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As part of the university’s strategy to stop the spread of COVID-19, the College of Public Health at �鶹ӰԺ partnered with the �鶹ӰԺ City and Portage County Health Departments to conduct contact tracing for students and faculty on �鶹ӰԺ Campus. Melissa Zullo, Ph.D., an associate professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, reached out to students within the college to ask for volunteers for the testing events. The health departments then ask the students to assist with contact tracing across the university.

While the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine is finally being administered around the world, folks in Columbiana County are also receiving their immunizations at the local level with the help of nursing students from the �鶹ӰԺ State East Liverpool and Salem campuses.

In the course Community Health Nursing, Taryn Burhanna’s students are required to complete 60 clinical hours and eight laboratory simulation hours. Burhanna, community health nursing coordinator, wanted to ensure students in this course could get their hours and gain real-life experience by tapping into coronavirus relief efforts on campus.

As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches a one-year mile marker, the temptation and opportunity to socialize, party, and indulge in public events grows increasingly stronger. Associate Professor Clarissa Thompson received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences to reinforce the dangers of the virus to the public.

Faculty researchers from �鶹ӰԺ’s College of Nursing were recently funded by the prestigious Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation with a yearlong President’s Grant award totaling $35,000. The goal of their study is to help ensure the competencies of new healthcare providers to facilitate vital family communication at the end of life.

In the medical field, demand for technological advances that can speed data analysis and be less prone to human error continues to increase. Robert Clements recently received a federal grant to continue his work creating a more efficient and improved system to analyze medical data that will benefit not only the biomedical industry but also students at �鶹ӰԺ State.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder sometimes have a difficult time with social interaction and building relationships. The Autism Society of Greater Akron wanted to help those on the spectrum socialize with others freely and make friends by creating an adult social club. The club was then made possible with two �鶹ӰԺ State affiliates and Wendy Cline, a support specialist and licensed social worker at the Autism Society of Greater Akron.

When the order came in the spring of 2020 to go remote, faculty and students in �鶹ӰԺ State Ashtabula’s nursing program were concerned. How would they stay connected in a remote environment? How would the students stay engaged? Enter “The Net,” a virtual community for nursing students, faculty and nursing support staff at �鶹ӰԺ State Ashtabula. 

While it's no secret that many college students drink alcohol, how COVID-19 affected these behaviors and patterns is the focus of recent research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors by the collaboration of William Lechner from the Department of Psychological Sciences and Deric Kenne from the College of Public Health. The pair sought to study the effects that a major stressor such as the pandemic could have on addictive behaviors and how vulnerabilities such as anxiety and depression played a part in the coping process of college students. 

Since March, COVID-19 has become a widespread topic of conversation. Finding ways to explain what this virus is, how one can treat it and how to slow the spread of the virus are just a few commonly asked questions with few clear answers. Xiaozhen Mou, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and her research team recently received funding for their hard work as part of Ohio’s statewide collective effort to discover traces of COVID-19 virus particles in wastewater.