NEWS

Standardizing measurements of vaccination adherence!

Standardizing measurements of vaccination adherence!

This March, undergraduate YRG member Casey Benzaken wowed the crowd at the 2019 Human Biology Association Conference in Cleveland. In her poster, she discussed the need for a standardized metric of vaccination maintenance. She then explained how she developed a Vaccination Maintenance Score to do 

Rethinking the Value of Unpaid Care Work

Rethinking the Value of Unpaid Care Work

In a new article in Gender, Place, and Culture, led by former Cornell grad student and now Prof Youjin Chung, we challenge current notions of unpaid care work, particularly as it is measured in time. Based on participatory research in Singida, Tanzania (yes, as in 

Who wants to measure EBF self-efficacy?

Who wants to measure EBF self-efficacy?

While much of our scale work has been focused on the Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale, we care lots about IYCF too! To that end, we developed a scale to quantify exclusive breastfeeding self-efficacy: “Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale to Access Exclusive Breastfeeding”.  Prior scales were longer, required more resources, and measured any breastfeeding, not exclusive BF. My thanks to our co-authors, including Godfred Boateng, Stephanie Martin, Shalean Collins, Cindy-Lee Dennis, and Barnabas Natamba for the great thinking and careful validation.

HWISE in BMJ Open!

HWISE in BMJ Open!

The protocol for HWISE Scale development was published in the British Medical Journal Open! In it, we detail the planned work behind the creation, implementation, and validation across 30 sites globally.   “Despite the many plausible consequences for health and well-being, there is no validated tool to 

Vidya Interviewed about Nature-Based Flood Management Methods

Vidya Interviewed about Nature-Based Flood Management Methods

YRG postdoc Vidya Venkataramanan was recently invited to discuss nature-based methods for flood management on the America Adapts podcast, co-hosted by the WWF Environment and Disaster Management program. The episode, titled “Flooding,Climate Change and Art: Creative Community Engagement” is available here and through the World Wildlife 

Vidya Shares Social Science Methods at Interdisciplinary Workshops

Vidya Shares Social Science Methods at Interdisciplinary Workshops

YRG postdoc, Vidya Venkataramanan, has been representing the social sciences in workshops that are traditionally targeted to engineers and ecologists. In June 2018, she was invited to present a 90-minute interactive session on community engagement at the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Nature-based Flood Management workshop in Bangkok, Thailand. She shared her love for participatory methods with government officials and educators from 10 countries across Asia to help them develop and evaluate community-focused flood management plans.

From September-December 2018, she also participated in three workshops to help develop Chicago Wilderness’ Prairies Climate Change Adaptation Plan, where she is advising the group on ways to incorporate social and community perspectives when restoring and conserving Midwestern prairies.

Casey Presents at 2018 Third Coast CFAR Symposium

Casey Presents at 2018 Third Coast CFAR Symposium

This November, undergraduate YRG member Casey Benzaken presented a scientific poster at the 2018 Third Coast CFAR Symposium. The symposium was held at The University of Chicago in early November with the theme “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Think Globally, Act Locally”. In addition to poster 

Collaborative Crop Research Meeting in Tanzania

Collaborative Crop Research Meeting in Tanzania

The McKnight Foundation, which funds SNAP, recently hosted a two-week collaborative crop research meeting in Dr. Young. Vicky and Dr. Young (with Stella in tow) both attended to share updates on SNAP and to get progress updates from farmers involved in the project. Highlights from