Health and Human Performance Department News and Events

Dr. Geidner Appointed to National Board

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:30:19 +0000

Dr. James Geidner, an Associate Professor in the Health and Human Performance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has been appointed to the National Association for Rural Mental Health Board of Directors. The Association is a membership organization comprising of county mental health programs, rural agencies, and individuals throughout the nation. Over 80% of counties within the United States are classified as rural.

In the appointment Dr. Geidner was cited for his expertise in working with mothers, infants, and young children in small and rural communities. The plight of the rural community is well known from the popular media. Rural Americans are struggling economically, physically, and psychologically. Mechanization and large corporations have altered the traditional rural farming economy, leaving less than ten percent of people in rural areas still working in farming related occupations. Rural populations have less access to healthcare and the care tends to be of lower quality. Psychologically, rural areas have higher suicide rates, child poverty is higher, and children and families have minimal access to quality mental health services. Yet contrary to the doom and gloom reporting that dominates rural coverage, Dr. Geidner points out that rural culture also is comprised of strong, supportive communities actively engaged in the process of transformation. Sophisticated organic farms are replacing large scale operations. Telemedicine is replacing traditional medical care. Dr. Geidner also points out that rural culture is deeply rooted in faith and family, both of which are driving a quiet Rural Renaissance throughout Wisconsin.

For the past five years Dr. Geidner has been exploring the lives of mothers, infants, and young children in rural communities. Specifically, Dr. Geidner established the Child Development Project. The Project conducts longitudinal research on the state of infant and early childhood mental health in small towns and rural communities. Over the past five years Dr. Geidner has provided over $300,000 in free clinical care to mothers and children throughout Northern Wisconsin. Currently, Dr. Geidner is working on developing a model for delivering sustainable, high quality infant and early childhood mental health services to small and rural communities.

Mulhern Shines in 2012

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:43:33 +0000

Marie Moore's college internship includes helping storm victims

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:16:52 +0000

Marie Moore begins a trip Saturday, Nov. 3, not knowing where she'll end up or what she'll be doing. Only one thing is certain: she will be helping people on the East Coast to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

Moore, an exercise science major at UW-Superior, is in the midst of an 800-hour internship with the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross in Duluth. She requested the Red Cross deploy her along with its other volunteers to assist people in storm-damaged areas.

"I've always had a desire to help people," she said.

Moore's first destination is Charleston, S.C. From there she will be sent to wherever her skills are needed. For up to 21 days she'll be on the ground to help with what the Red Cross terms "mass care" - feeding and sheltering people.

However, because she also had training in feed preparation and distribution, Moore's assignment could change depending on the needs of the area where she ends up working.

Moore, who is from Osceola, Wis., is gearing her academic program and internship toward disaster response. She was helping the Northland Chapter to plan a disaster response training program for next spring when Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast.

Judy Gonzalez, executive director of the Northland Chapter, said the Red Cross is interested in internship partnerships with institutions like UW-Superior and works hard to give interns a valuable experience, such as disaster relief missions.

The Red Cross is deploying 3,900 volunteers to the 10-state area affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Exercise Science major interns at Duke University

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:06:47 +0000

Julia Carr, a senior majoring in Exercise Science, is currently interning at Duke University Center for Healthy Living.

Carr is working both in the general fitness center and cardiac rehabilitation.

Her responsibilities at the fitness center include working with a number of clients, many who are considered high risk secondary to their medical condition. She monitors vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. For diabetic clients, she also tests their blood glucose levels.

In the area of cardiac rehabilitation her duties are similar. However, there she is working with people who are post-myocardial infarction, by-pass surgery, or other cardiac or metabolic diseases. She anticipates the opportunity to observe a heart bypass procedure while serving as an intern.

A possible career path that interests Carr is obtaining her masters degree in clinical exercise physiology as well as a masters degree in dietetics and nutrition, which would lead her on to becoming a registered dietitian as well as a registered clinical exercise physiologist.

Her mentor at Duke is a registered dietitian and clinical exercise physiologist. Carr will graduate in December 2012.

Dr. Bill Simpson to speak at fitness workshop in Japan

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:08:05 +0000

Dr. William Simpson,associate professor of health and human performance at UW-Superior, will present two lectures and a short presentation in Tokyo from Oct. 1 to 6 on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Each fall the Japanese Fitness Association hosts a Health Fitness Specialist Workshop for examination candidates and continuing education students. As part of the workshop, the association invites one member from the American College of Sports Medicine to lecture and meet participants.

Simpson was asked to give two one-hour lectures on exercise and recovery, with one lecture focusing on cancer recovery and the other on training and recovery. In addition, he will give a short presentation on credentials and certification.

"It's simple but exciting," Simpson said.

In preparation for the presentations,Simpson has researched leading causes of death and types of cancer in both the United States and Japan. That research has benefited both his upcoming presentation and his students at UW-Superior.

"That's something to talk about when I teach pathopsychology - the cultural differences," he said.

As part of his research, Simpson has looked into rates of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan and the United States. In this country, Alzheimer's ranks among the 15 leading causes of death while in Japan it ranks 26th.

"The reason we're seeing more Alzheimer's in the U.S. is that people are living longer; but they live longer in Japan - longer and healthier," he said. "That's the kind ofthing I look at and think (about) what they are doing differently. Cultural, genetic - what causes the discrepancy? I'll bring that to my classes."

Simpson hopes to use his research as an opportunity to encourage his students to think critically about the topic and others like it to enable them to become problem-solvers in their careers.

Whilein Japan, Simpson also hopes to make connections for possible future internships for students.

HHP Senior Experience Presentations

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:10:03 +0000

The Health and Human Performance Department invites you to attend our annual Senior Year Experience Presentations. They will be held on Friday, May 11th from 12:00-1:30pm in MWC 2420/2430. Light refreshments will be served. Hope to see you there!

Superior Students Hit the Pavement During Track-O-Rama

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:05:39 +0000

UWS Among A Handful Offering A New Online Degree

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:04:29 +0000

Community Health major turns internship into full-time job

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:21:46 +0000

Amanda Peterson, a graduate of the Department of Health and Human Performance, completed a summer internship at the Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

What happened next was even better: She was offered -- and accepted -- a full-time job at the center.

As an intern, Peterson's responsibilities included: working one-on-one with clients providing exercise supervision and designing exercise programs, shadowing master personal trainers learning the ins and outs of high-caliber programming, and working with youth programs including high school fitness programs.

Peterson had the opportunity to meet Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the founder of the Cooper Aerobics Center located in Dallas. Dr. Cooper is extremely concerned with the childhood obesity epidemic and the Cooper facilities have many programs to help combat the problem.

Peterson recently worked the Cooper Spring Triathlon gaining valuable experience in setting up a major race event. The feedback from the facility is that she is one of their best interns and serves as an excellent representative of the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

"Having Amanda intern at the Cooper institute and do such a great job is a testament to her hard work and our program at UW-Superior," said Dr. William Simpson, associate professor and director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at UW-Superior. "Internships at this facility are highly competitive, however, having this on one's resume is highly respected by potential employers and graduate schools. The Cooper research institute is responsible in part for what we now know about the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle and its relationship to early death from heart disease and cancer. "

The Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch opened in 2006. It is an extension of the international famous Cooper Aerobics Center located in Dallas. The center's founder, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, is often referred to as the Father of Aerobics. He has authored many well know fitness books, starting with the classic publication of "Aerobics" in 1968. To learn more about the facility at Craig Ranch, visit its website.

Exercise Science Major Jason Lindelof featured on CBS Sports

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Exercise Science Major Beth LeQue is Sportswoman of the Year

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

UWS Alumnus Kimberly Hart Prepares Students for the Madison Challenge

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Check out the HHP Majors Club page for updated conference and training information!

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

HHP Graduate Samantha Hackbart Publishes Research on College Student Food Consumption

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Dr. William Simpson contributes to new textbook

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Dr. William Simpson wrote the chapter on nutrition for the new book "Primary Care for Sports and Fitness: A Lifespan Approach," published in September 2008. The book is intended for health care professionals such as nurse practioners and physician assistants to give them more tools regarding exercise principles, sports nutrition and orthopedic examination of the active child through older adult.

Where Are They Now?

Thu, 29 May 2008 05:00:00 +0000