A new, biennial West Virginia population-based health survey—the Mountain State Assessment of Trends in Community Health—will gather information to help health officials and policy makers better understand the critical health needs of all 55 West Virginia counties, with the goal of directing resource allocations to communities that need them most.
Twenty years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an associate professor in West Virginia University’s College of Law still has “the most vivid pictures” in her head of that morning in New York City.
As the world watched the twin towers fall on Sept. 11, 2001, Americans everywhere questioned what would come next. Jonathan McGee, now a senior studying political science, however, knew what was ahead for him. At the time, he was delayed enlistment for the U.S. Air Force and waiting for an open spot in the firefighting school. Amanda McCarty, currently a senior chemistry major, was in ninth grade when the attacks on Sept. 11 took place. It was then that she decided she wanted to do her part to defend her country. When she turned 18, she enlisted.
Two decades after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, members of West Virginia University’s Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC will stand vigil in shifts for 24 hours, as is tradition, to mark the 9/11 anniversary at the downtown campus memorial site. It is among several planned events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
About 90% of Americans who need treatment for a substance use disorder don’t get it. West Virginia University researchers have developed a program that allows people who have already walked the path of substance use disorder through recovery to be their guides to a healthier life.
Nicolas Zegre and Jamie Shinn, experts in hydrology and adaptation to climate change, respectively, used flooding in the Greenbrier County communities of Rainelle and White Sulphur Springs in 2016 to focus not only on what the floods did and the damage they caused, but how residents reacted and adjusted how and where they live in relationship to the water.
The vast majority of people who overdose on an opioid will survive the experience. Yet scientists know little about how nonfatal overdoses affect the brain and cognition. WVU School of Medicine researchers Erin Winstanley and James Mahoney systematically reviewed journal articles that examined the topic. Overall, the studies supported a link between overdose, brain abnormalities and cognitive impairment, but more research—with more precision—is needed. Their findings appear in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
West Virginia University Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons has announced a contract extension for men's basketball coach Bob Huggins to serve as head coach through the 2023-24 season, with the option to continue to coach or extend his relationship with the University to June 30, 2027. The amended employment agreement takes effect immediately.
This fall, West Virginia University researchers will drill three miles into the ground to test the potential of geothermal energy. If successful, it might eventually help to reduce the carbon footprint of the University and decrease energy costs.
WVU researchers are monitoring wastewater for COVID-19 concentrations and thanks to a nearly $3 million grant will develop a testing network throughout the state. The new testing process has possibilities beyond the pandemic to test for influenza, RSV, HIV and other viruses, as well as signs of antibiotic-resistance genes.