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The Center for ActiveWV was recently recognized for its commitment to healthier communities across the state at the 2024 Celebrating Healthy West Virginia Awards. The Center for ActiveWV, housed in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, was one of 42 organizations acknowledged for its positive health initiatives during a ceremony at Glade Springs Resort.

The award highlights the Center’s ongoing efforts to increase physical activity levels among West Virginians, in alignment with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. By fostering statewide collaboration, supporting research, and guiding policy, the Center for ActiveWV aims to improve the health and quality of life for all residents.

A researcher at West Virginia University is working to prevent risky behaviors like sexting and self-harm in rural youth. With $343,719 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, assistant professor Kristine Ramsay-Seaner, a counseling expert at the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, will oversee the development of trainings and other resources to support professionals who work with youth in rural communities across the United States, in collaboration with the University of Georgia, South Dakota State University and North Dakota State University.

Jeannette Garcia, a West Virginia University kinesiologist and health psychologist, is a community-based researcher who studies how children with neurodivergences, like autism, can benefit from judo and jujitsu classes, along with their caregivers.

Carla Brigandi, associate professor in the School of Education in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences, has co-authored the 2023 Paper of the Year as selected by the editors of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted. This prestigious recognition highlights significant contributions to the field of gifted education.

The award-winning paper, titled "Who Gets Identified? The Consequences of Variability in Teacher Ratings and Combination Rules for Determining Eligibility for Gifted Services for Young Children," makes an important contribution to the field of gifted education as it looks at the effectiveness of using teacher rating scales to identify students for gifted services. The results highlight the importance of finding alternate ways to identify students with academic talent, which is particularly important for students living in rural and low socioeconomic communities, who are often overlooked and underserved in gifted education programs compared to their higher-income counterparts.

The Center for ActiveWV recently welcomed nearly 100 leaders from around the state to Stonewall Resort for its 2024 WV Physical Activity Symposium to discuss how to better promote physical activity and health and inspire other organizations to join the initiative.

The symposium also gathered an array of speakers and prominent figures from West Virginia, including:

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences recognized four for their outstanding contributions to the college during the 2023-24 academic year. Sean Bulger, Dana Musick, Emi Tsuda and Sam Zizzi were recognized among their peers at its annual all-college assembly on May 8.

Sean Bulger was the recipient of the Laddie R. Bell Distinguished Service Award for his demonstrated authentic, servant, and visionary leadership. As Associate Dean for Online Education and Technology, he reimagined master’s programs, developed new online graduate certificates, and strategized a transition plan for the university’s new learning management system. Bulger also led the development of the YOU at WVU app, the CAHS Digital Learning Hub, and the college’s online portfolio. Additionally, he stepped in to serve as the Interim Director for the School of Counseling and Well-Being in January to lead that unit through the conclusion of the academic term. Beyond his administrative roles, he coordinated the master's in physical education online program, served on multiple college and university committees, and mentored key leaders within the School of Sport Sciences. His forward-thinking impact is evident in his efforts to foster excellence, innovation, and continuous development within the academic community.

When Paige Zalman went to sleep on the night of Tuesday, April 2, she was still a PhD candidate. By the time she went to sleep on Wednesday, April 3, not only was she now Dr. Paige Zalman after successfully defending her thesis, but she was also the winner of WVU’s 3-Minute Thesis competition, capping a day she likely won’t forget anytime soon.

It’s not an ideal circumstance to undergo the stress of a dissertation defense and an intense competition like 3MT within hours of each other. Zalman certainly didn’t draw it up that way.

In 2019, even before the pandemic and many lives and professions turned into hybrid worlds, Margaret Glenn and her colleagues were investigating the use of novel technologies in simulation education. Glenn readily admits she was not familiar with much of the technology that existed then but saw a presentation about how immersive videos could help people expand their experience of different subject matter via a virtual reality headset. Five years later, WVU is leading the way in the field of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling with its innovative use of virtual reality technology.

Glenn, a professor in the School of Counseling and Well-Being, serves as the principal investigator in the development of the Accessible, Innovative, & Relevant Training for Vocational Rehabilitation (AIR4VR) project. It is funded by the US Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration’s Innovative Training Program. Glenn’s team also includes David Smith from the Reed College of Media who serves as a co-principal investigator. The project is in its fifth and final year and recently received funding for an additional year.

The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences is pleased to announce the receipt of a $768,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's High Obesity Program. The grant, awarded under a five-year cooperative agreement, will support the growth of CAHS's existing HOP grant and the implementation of the Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program.

The Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program aims to enhance the capacity and partnerships of CAHS in developing and implementing targeted approaches to improve access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities for residents in eight counties across three distinct geographical regions of West Virginia. These counties include Clay, Braxton, Calhoun, Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Summers, and Monroe.

The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences received $390,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the first year of a five-year cooperative agreement for its WV Healthy Schools in Action project. The initiative, which aims to address the pressing health challenges faced by West Virginia schools and students, is anticipated to have $1.95 million in funding over five years.

The WV Healthy Schools in Action project aims to develop targeted approaches that enhance physical activity, healthy dietary behaviors, and self-management of chronic health conditions among underserved students statewide, with a special focus on Mercer County. By implementing comprehensive knowledge and capacity-building strategies aligned with the "Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child" framework, the project seeks to improve school health policies, practices, programs, and services that promote healthy behaviors and health equity practices.