Nutrition and human fertility: what we know and what we wish we knew

March 11, 2024 | 11:45 am (followed by lunch)
Peterson Hall Multipurpose Room
RSVP Here

Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Sc.D.
Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
 

Although it has long been recognized that extremes of body weight has a strong influence on fertility in both females and males, the relation between diet composition and human fertility has received less attention. This talk will review how nutritional, lifestyle and metabolic factors impact different aspects of human fertility. Emphasis will be placed on nutritional factors and metabolic pathways that may influence both female and male reproductive function, while highlighting important knowledge gaps and key research opportunities. The talk will also examine how dietary factors may mitigate the health effects of environmental exposures or be the main exposure source of potentially hazardous environmental exposures. Last, the talk will address how dietary recommendations for overall health overlap with dietary patterns associated with natural fertility and outcomes of infertility treatment and the implications for the primary prevention of infertility and the role of nutritional interventions during the course of infertility treatment.

Advancing health equity in the Southwest US during the COVID-19 pandemic: A community health workers/promotoras’ driven intervention

February 26, 2024 | 11:45 am (followed by lunch)
Peterson Hall Multipurpose Room
RSVP Here

Flavio Marsiglia, Regents Professor and Director, Global Center for Applied Health Research 
Arizona State University School of Social Work

The COVID-19 pandemic brought existing health disparities into the surface, spurring unprecedented efforts to overcome multifaceted barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. This presentation focuses on a cross-sectoral collaboration of university researchers, community health organizations, a testing lab, local community health centers and other community leaders. The project engaged the expertise of Community Health Workers,also known as promotoras, to address the social determinants of health (SDoH) that contribute to COVID-19 disparities. CHWs with strong and long-lasting community embeddedness implemented the intervention and effectively reached out and engaged vulnerable and underserved residents across Arizona. The presentation will discuss the practice, policy and research implications of the model and its potential for sustainability and replication with other vulnerable and underserved communities. Learn more about Marsilgia here.

Previous Guests in the Dean's Speaker Series

Racism Undermines the Public’s Health: Examining the Evidence and Addressing Hate

October 16, 2023 | 12 - 1 pm (followed by luncheon)
Peterson Hall Multipurpose Room

Dean Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH
Hunterdon Professor of Public Health and Health Equity and Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Rutgers University School of Public Health

RSVP Here - Please also RSVP for lunch on the form provided