Some things—like death and taxes—are certain, but a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be. A new study led by Adam Baus—a researcher with the WVU School of Public Health—shows that diabetes-prevention programming can reduce the rate of diabetes diagnoses, lower healthcare costs and add 4.4 quality-adjusted life-years to participant average lifespan.
Following a year of missed milestones, celebrations and traditions, West Virginia University’s first in-person commencement ceremony since December 2019 ushered in a renewed sense of optimism for the nearly 4,500 graduates who walked across the stage to receive their diplomas in four ceremonies this weekend (May 15-16).
As COVID-19 and its variants continue to spread throughout the country, workplace safety has taken on a new meaning. West Virginia University’s Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene, newly moved to the WVU School of Public Health, is designed to help students address modern day occupational health issues as they gain the ability to anticipate, evaluate and control occupational health hazards.
West Virginia University researcher Jennifer Mallow and her colleagues completed a systematic review of studies that dealt with telehealth and chronic conditions. They found that—in general—telehealth services benefitted patients more if they continued for about a year, rather than ending after six months or so. But perhaps their most significant finding was just how much we have left to discover.
As part of continuing efforts to increase transparency and better evaluate resources, West Virginia University recently launched a new Public Safety Advisory Committee to partner with the University Police Department to meet the needs of its diverse campus community.
West Virginia University graduates will return to in-person commencement ceremonies this May; and although some restrictions will be in place because of COVID-19, the celebrations will be no less memorable for the 4,499 who walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. Graduates from May, August and December 2020 are also eligible to participate in the exercises.
Under the quiet surface of near-stilled campuses over the past year, West Virginia University researchers, faculty and administrators have scrambled to learn more about COVID-19 and mitigate its spread, calculated how to teach online and hybrid classes and figured out how to better ensure people on those campuses could remain safe from the virulent disease that has killed more than 500,000 U. S. citizens to date.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a barrier to care for West Virginians living with chronic disease, meaning many residents needed to find a new way of managing their health. The West Virginia Prevention Research Center, housed in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, is providing support to organizations that needed to quickly adjust their focus, an extension of its already community-focused mission.
Eligible, degree-seeking students at any West Virginia University campus can receive emergency grants through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II, part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. WVU will continue distributing its allotted $10,087,116 in emergency grants to students who qualify.
West Virginia University confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 have been detected in the Morgantown area – two are WVU students. Genetic sequencing of samples from the WVU Medicine testing program detected the B.1.1.7 variant in Morgantown campus test samples analyzed this week. The University is working closely with the Monongalia County Health Department in its case investigation and contact tracing. It is believed that the three individuals who have tested positive for the variant are related to one another and have not visited the WVU campus during their infectious period.