Media Coverage

News Outlets Publicize Toma's Concussion Research

Apr 06, 2023

Multiple news outlets, including Medical Xpress, Tech and Science, Port Washington Patch, and others reported on a new study by NYITCOM Assistant Professor Milan Toma, Ph.D., which finds that helmet design can impact concussion severity. Using 3-D computer models, the research team, which included NYITCOM students, simulated brain-skull interaction during a low-speed, head-on collision. The simulations accounted for the enhanced features found in many of today's helmets (a hard exterior with soft inner padding), as well as the presence of cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain and protects it from hitting the skull. The team's findings revealed that conventional helmet designs do little to limit concussion severity. 

 

Jul 01, 2024

Psychiatrist Liat Jarkon, D.O., director of the Center for Behavioral Health, was interviewed for a News 12 segment about the nation’s loneliness epidemic. Jarkon noted staggering statistics, including that approximately 40 million people in the United States live alone and 10 percent of Americans report loneliness daily. Among other points, she also explained the difference between loneliness and self-isolation as well as why in-person visits to those in need can be more beneficial than a phone call.

 

Rothstein Quoted in U.S. News & World Report

Jun 28, 2024

U.S. News & World Report featured insight from Alexander Rothstein, M.S., coordinator and instructor for the Exercise Science program, in an article about weighted vests. While it may be tempting to work out in the heaviest vest you can find, Rothstein cautions against this.

“With more weight, we tend to move slower, which can cause an individual to become stronger but potentially less powerful. The additional weight can also change our biomechanics,” he says. “One’s running form with a weighted vest will be altered just from the redistribution of weight and the change in their center of mass. Because of this, it can be argued that training with a weighted vest is potentially beneficial to sports performance but also potentially detrimental particularly if precise form is required.”

 

Jarkon Pens Article for The DO

Jun 28, 2024

As seen in The DO, an editorial by Liat Jarkon, D.O., director of the Center for Behavioral Health, reminds the supervisors of physicians-in-training to practice compassion and emphasize teamwork. Each July, medical students transition to interns and recent medical school graduates begin their residencies, which can be a stressful period for both trainees and seasoned mentors. However, Jarkon reminds physicians that both groups are collectively experiencing the trials and tribulations of medical training together, a mindset that could lessen physician burnout and help produce more well-adjusted physicians.

“During ongoing life-and-death medical scenarios, sleep deprivation, and crises, we may become negligent and overlook these basic facts. When frustrated, overwhelmed, and under pressure, we can even regress into negative and hostile interactions with one another. However, during these intense moments, it is crucial to remain cognizant of the fact that we are training physicians to be empathic, kind, approachable, and professional with their patients. As such, it behooves us to model this behavior. We all function as role models. We should be teaching, mentoring, and encouraging professional growth with patience and respect, regardless of the situation,” she writes.

 

First for Women Quotes Haar

Jun 22, 2024

First for Women quotes numerous experts to provide insight into and perspective about “slow carb” diets. Among the experts included is Clinical Associate Professor and Chairperson for the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Mindy Haar, Ph.D., RDN, who notes that eliminating fruit isn’t a smart approach to any diet. “A variety of fruit has a plethora of nutrients and fiber and can satisfy the desire for something sweet during the day,” she says, adding that “cheat days” are also a bad idea. “With so many calorie-laden meals and snacks available, it’s possible to pack thousands of calories consumed in one day and offset weight lost during weekdays.”

The article has also appeared in The Sacramento Bee, Fort Worth-Star Telegram, The Wichita Eagle, The Charlotte Observer, and 22 other media outlets.

 

Dongsei Kim Provides Expert Commentary to CBS News

Jun 21, 2024

CBS News reports that North Korea has started construction on possible tranches of wall near its border with South Korea, new satellite imagery shows. Assistant Professor of Architecture Dongsei Kim, who has researched the DMZ, confirmed that the cleared land and new road is within the original DMZ area. However, he said both sides have pushed into this original area multiple times over the past 70 years, the article notes.  

 

Varghese Advocates for Electric Schools Buses in New York

Jun 21, 2024

In an op-ed published in Crain’s New York Business, Assistant Professor of Nursing Jessica Varghese, Ph.D., writes in support of legislation to transition to zero-emission schools buses throughout New York. “Today, the vast majority of the school buses in New York run on diesel fuel. Given the negative health impacts that diesel exhaust exposure has on our children, it haunts me to think of them sitting in traffic, forced to breathe toxic fumes. Diesel exhaust, a known carcinogen according to the World Health Organization, puts kids at increased risk for serious conditions like asthma – the leading cause of chronic disease-related school absenteeism in the United States. It’s also linked to negative cognitive development impacts, endangering students’ academic progress,” she shares.

 

Jun 19, 2024

NYITCOM-Arkansas Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Research and Publications Rajendram Rajnarayanan, Ph.D., was featured in several Salon articles about bird flu. On June 19, he was featured in the article “Experts Say Bird Flu is a Pandora's Box. Are We About to Open It?” His insight was also featured in a June 9 article about the risk to household cats, as well as a May 22 article about the risk to humans.

 

Jun 13, 2024

Associate Professor of Clinical Specialties Maria Pino, Ph.D., was quoted in a Live Science article about RSV vaccines and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy nerves. While there have been reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults who received the vaccines, Pino, a pharmacologist, notes that this risk is very low. However, for all patients deciding whether to get an RSV vaccine, the best source of information is always their own doctor, Pino advised. During that discussion, doctors and patients can weigh that specific person's risk factors for RSV complications. Similar coverage appeared in Yahoo.

 

Jun 07, 2024

Consumer psychology researcher Colleen Kirk, D.P.S., associate professor in the School of Management, was interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for a radio segment about her research into the consequences of declining social invitations. Kirk, who conducted the research with a faculty member from West Virginia University, found that declining an invitation doesn't typically bring the backlash people expect. While people tend to assume that the person who invited them will react poorly, the study showed inviters are relatively unaffected.