Being sedentary is a cardiovascular-disease risk factor that’s distinct from not getting enough exercise. Prolonged bouts of sitting can cause cardiovascular harm, even in healthy people. Bethany Barone Gibbs, a researcher with the WVU School of Public Health, is studying how sedentary behavior and pregnancy may raise a woman’s cardiovascular-disease risk.
For the fiscal year from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, WVU Foundation data shows 20,206 donors – including 9,360 alumni – made 39,347 gifts totaling $213.8 million. This total is second only to $270.1 million donated in fiscal year 2021. The gifts will benefit education, health care and prosperity to make a positive impact across the Mountain State and beyond for years to come.
The prevalence of gender diversity is largely unknown, especially in rural areas. To fill that knowledge gap, researchers at WVU with colleagues at other institutions surveyed junior high and high school students in rural Appalachia about their gender identity. More than 7% of young people surveyed shared a gender identity that did not fully align with the sex they were assigned at birth, findings that appear in JAMA Pediatrics.
The return of FallFest highlights a packed Welcome Week at West Virginia University which begins Thursday, Aug. 11, and continues through the start of the fall semester Wednesday, Aug. 17. New events include a pool party for all students at the Student Rec Center Aug. 13 and a service project to benefit the West Virginia United Way Collaborative during Monday Night Lights for first-year students Aug. 15.
West Virginia University’s FirstGen Initiatives are being awarded the First-gen Forward designation. The designation comes from the Center for First-Generation Student Success. With this designation, WVU has access to additional professional development opportunities, community-building experiences, research and resources to bolster WVU’s first-gen programming.
West Virginia University is sharing updated COVID-19 health and safety guidance as campuses across the WVU System prepare for the start of the 2022-23 academic year and the first day of fall semester classes Aug. 17.
Most children who get COVID-19 recover quickly and completely, but some develop symptoms that linger for weeks or months. These symptoms constitute “long COVID,” a condition that can cause a range of issues, including altered smell and taste, fatigue and concentration problems. WVU researchers Kathryn Moffett and Lesley Cottrell are investigating how this poorly understood condition affects kids and their families.
David and Dr. Jo Ann Goldbaugh Shaw, WVU alums and Wheeling natives, have built a legacy of innovation, education and transformation at WVU through charitable giving. Their latest contribution benefits WVU Athletics, the WVU School of Medicine, the David and Jo Ann Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (STEPS) and WVU Medicine Children’s.
By interviewing researchers and physicians, Zachary Ramsey — a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health — identified four pressing health issues that sexual and gender minorities face: discrimination, heteronormativity, health care system barriers and the interconnectedness of physical, mental and social health.
With a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the University is launching an immersive, interdisciplinary program that centers on WVU’s Inhalation Facility. The 40 doctoral students who participate will use the Facility, one of only a few like it in the country, to analyze the toxicity of air samples they’ve collected in the field and investigate how air pollution affects entire systems of the body, rather than just single cells.