Faculty Spotlight - KRLD 1080 interviews Mandy Golman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Mandy Golman, Ph.D., of TWU Health Studies discusses with KRLD 1080 the "alarmingly high birth rates" among adolescent girls, ages 15 to 19 in several zip codes in the Dallas area.

"We have several zip codes in the Dallas County and Dallas area that have significantly higher birth rates [...]" Dr. Golman explains as she emphasizes: "Alarmingly higher birth rates than the national birth rates!"

Here are the facts that Dr. Golman gives in terms of numbers.

• Nationally the birth rate is 26 per 1,000 girls, ages 15-19, every year.
• In Texas that hovers around 41.
• In Dallas that number is around 50 girls per 1,000 - ages 15 to 19, per year.

"In some of these [Dallas] zip codes, we have anywhere from 84 up to 112." Dr. Golman concludes.

Source: Paul Mann (News Director). (Sep. 24 2015) News Radio 1080 KRLD, CBS Dallas/Fort Worth.

Undergraduate Students to Present Research Findings at Regional Conference

Right to left: Nicole Tien, Karen Asay,
Megan Nawrocki, and Mariah Lewchuk 

TWU undergraduate students in the department of Health Studies Mariah Lewchuk, Karen Asay, Megan Nawrocki, and Nicole Tien will have the opportunity to present their findings on Dallas teen pregnancy rates at a state conference with the Texas Society for Public Health Education (TSOPHE), a regional professional service organization formed to promote public health across Texas.

“Presenting research findings at a state conference is a big thing for undergraduate students because they usually don’t get research opportunities,” explains TSHOPE President Laura Valentino.

As part of a project extension in their Community Health class with professor Mandy Golman, Ph.D., these four students will present their research poster entitled ‘Adolescent Pregnancy Rates in the Dallas Area’ during the 2015 TSOPHE Conference on October 23, 2015 in Austin TX. 

Professor Golman is also part of a recent $4.9 million grant project that seeks to address teen birth rates in Dallas.

September: National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Am I at Risk For Ovarian Cancer?

Every woman is at risk of developing ovarian cancer.  Because there are no early detection tests, many women are diagnosed when the disease is in advanced stage.   A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 75. A woman’s lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100.   Early diagnosis is the key to survival.

What is Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer begins in the ovaries.  Ovaries are the female sex organs that produce eggs and make the hormones estrogen and progesterone.  It accounts for 3% cancers among women, but causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

                                         

Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer

• Family history of ovarian cancer
• Age - Average age of diagnosis is 63
• More common after menopause and using hormone therapy may increase risk.
•  Obesity
• Reproductive history – women who have been pregnant and carried it to term before age 26 have a lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who have not.

Symptoms

• Abdominal bloating
• Feeling of pressure in abdomen
• Abdominal or pelvic pain
• Frequent urination
• Feeling satiated quickly when eating. 

Prevention Strategies

• Pregnancy – women who had never given birth are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who have biological children
• Breastfeeding
• Birth control pills
• Tubal ligation (tied tubes) or hysterectomy
• Removal of ovaries
• Diet
• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Decrease intake of fat
• Minimize intake of cured, pickled and smoked foods
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise.

Screening tests

• Only recommended for women at high risk
• Ultrasound of the ovaries
• Measurement of levels of protein called CA-125 in the blood.

 Diagnosis

• Sampling of the ovarian tissue (biopsy)

Resources:

American Cancer Society.  http://www.cancer.org/

Foundation for Women’s Cancer.  http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org

Bola Sijuwade, RN, RHIA, CPHRM, BSN, MS

I am a Registered Nurse and I have been in the health care field in both clinical practice and health education for over thirty years.  I have a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Health Information Management and a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration.  I am currently a doctoral candidate in the Health Studies department at Texas Woman’s University.

Faculty Spotlight: Mandy Golman, Ph.D. (Health Studies), and Nila Ricks, Ph.D. (Social Work) Partner in $5 Million Grant

"Texas Woman’s University faculty members Mandy Golman, Ph.D., [right] and Nila Ricks, Ph.D., are part of a North Texas coalition working to reduce teen pregnancy in Dallas County through a $4.9 million grant ($987,500 a year for five years) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Golman, an assistant professor of health studies..." -TWU Press release. Read more here.

2 Graduate Research Assistant Positions

Applications are invited for a graduate level research assistant (GRA) position to begin immediately. Dr. Mandy Golman, Department of Health Studies, and Dr. Nila Ricks, Department of Social Work are seeking two GRA positions to participate in a teen pregnancy prevention research project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Health. The project is a 5 year project, refunded annually. The GRA position will be renewed each semester. This project includes conducting a community needs assessment in 5 targeted zip codes in South and West Dallas for the first six months. Subsequent months will be focused on managing the program intervention with several community partners. Hours will be flexible as will require some weekend and evening data collection. Potential Job Tasks: Conducting focus groups with parents, teens, and teen parents Distributing surveys to community partners. Intervention fidelity monitoring and data collection and entry. Working on quantitative and qualitative research projects using statistical software. Providing assistance in all phases of this project, including data collection, analysis, presentation, and dissemination. Helping to make results accessible for lay audiences (newsletter articles, results flyer). Frequent travel to Dallas to the program locations. Preferred qualifications: Interests in community health, public health, women’s health, adolescent health, health disparities, social work, sociology, psychology. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Strong computer skills. Mode of transportation for travel to Dallas. Women and members of underrepresented minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply. To apply: Submit your name, CV or resume, and a one paragraph statement of interest to mgolman@twu.edu as soon as possible.