Four out of the 10 Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement 2012 were presented to people directly involved or affiliated with the Center for Public Health And Health Policy. Congratulations!
Susan (Rosa) Coleman
Staff Award
Sue Coleman combines her passion for reading and promoting literacy to lead Husky Reads. Sue serves as administrative program coordinator in the Center for Public Health and Health Policy, and has been coordinating the Husky Reads program since 2007. Husky Reads, funded by the USDA SNAP-Ed program, is a one credit undergraduate experiential learning course that focuses on literacy promotion and nutrition education for preschool children in Hartford and surrounding towns.
Through Husky Reads, Coleman introduces UConn students to social issues of poverty and literacy, and successfully organizes opportunities for students to promote healthy eating while engaging with children in the community. She is the link between the students and community agencies. Husky Reads provides an enriching experience that fosters a love for reading, and an opportunity for children to try healthy foods. In the 2011-12 academic year, 76 students participated in Husky Reads, and delivered nutrition lessons to nearly 1,500 preschoolers.
Coleman oversees the selection of children’s books, and the writing and implementation of Husky Reads lessons. Students are encouraged to think creatively and critically while delivering the lessons and core nutrition messages. All lessons promote literacy and healthy eating habits in a fun, preschool-friendly way.
Community sites for the program include school-readiness preschools, Hartford Public Library branches, and physician waiting rooms. Coleman has been instrumental in developing and maintaining excellent relationships with community partners.
Ailton Santonio Coleman
Advanced Degree Student Award
Ailton Santonio Coleman is a doctoral student in the Public Health, Social and Behavioral Health Science concentration and a selected UConn Multicultural Scholar. Dr. Ann Ferris is his major advisor. He has been involved in research on the USDA/NRI project, “Effectiveness of an IMB-based Intervention for Reducing Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Preschool Children.” He evaluated parental perceptions of university students as agents of education, and also developed educational materials for Husky Programs. He is a First Year Experience Instructor on the UConn, Storrs campus and a guest lecturer on the Five Steps of Community Engagement. Coleman is also very active in student organizations which promote healthy communities and served as the Graduate Students of Color President in 2011. He has been the co-organizer of the annual UConn/OXFAM Hunger Banquet since 2010 along with Carrie Graham of the Public Health House Learning Community.
Devra K. Dang
Faculty Award
Devra Dang has been involved with the development and success of the Urban Service Track program since its inception in 2005. The first official cohort of UST scholars enrolled in 2007-08 academic year. She serves as a faculty advisor/mentor for scholars from the School of Pharmacy. She also serves as co-director with Petra Clark- Dufner for Urban Service Track, and is very committed to training UST scholars to work in inter-professional teams.
Courtney M. Beyers
Undergraduate Student Award
Courtney M. Beyers is an Urban Service Track scholar from the School of Nursing. She developed a program of study with an emphasis on nursing care for under served populations with a special focus on sickle cell disease, cancer, and aging.
Beyers also completed a nursing summer internship in oncology at the Health Center this past summer and she is currently working per diem several times a month. Beyers says she will continue to work on the Oncology 6th floor as a nursing care assistant during breaks and she looks forward to completing her nursing capstone clinical experience on MED4 during the spring semester. She will graduate in spring 2013, and looks forward to her nursing career.
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