Health

HiTOPS (Princeton)

health services & education for adolescents and young adults

What do young people recognize as Domestic- or Intimate-Partner Violence? How do people identify violent behavior? HiTOPS is interested in conducting an assessment of attitudes on this topic, and they would like to know how other health providers are addressing this issue, especially for young people and couples who do not live together.
What are the different types of messages young people receiving from their peer group, family, community, and how do these messages affect the sexual choices young people make?
How might gaming or game theory be used to reward health-promoting behaviors (such as quitting smoking) in virtual and non-virtual communities of young people? HiTOPS is interested in learning more about work being done in this area and how they might develop a program using positive psychology to improve health outcomes in young people.

Greater Trenton Behavioral HealthCare, Senior Well-Being Program

mental health services

The Senior Well-Being Program is interested in assessing the prevalence and severity of depression among participants in senior centers throughout Mercer County. A student or students may administer the Geriatric Depression Scale to gather information directly from the population; identify other sources of similar data; and perform a variety of analyses. Significant staff support and mentoring is available to a student interested in and willing to commit to this project.

GTBHC's website

St. Francis Medical Center (Trenton)

primary medical treatment & services to promote health

A project with this nonprofit partnership provides an opportunity to interact with both a healthcare facility and a coalition of similar agencies in Trenton, NJ. An ongoing need for these related organizations includes the collection and/or analysis of data from community partner agencies to assess healthcare needs of particular neighborhoods and/or ethnic groups. The Team is interested in barriers to and gaps in care and would also like to identify programs that promote overall health within the community.

Trenton Health Team's website

St. Francis Medical Center's website

Hyacinth AIDS Foundation (New Brunswick)

HIV & AIDS education, health care, and resource referral

Hyacinth runs a multi-site program that provides customized services to a wide range of clients. Students have previously worked with Hyacinth staff to analyze the relationship between program services and improved health behaviors and/or health outcomes; to develop an HIV/AIDS “toolkit” for pastors of black churches to share health information with their congregations; and researched ways in which other community-based programs across the country are responding to the CDC’s recent recommendations regarding community viral load. The organization provides a variety of interesting options for a motivated student researcher: talk with CBLI staff about your ideas for working with Hyacinth.

Students interested in working with Hyacinth should contact CBLI to discuss the organization's current needs & possible projects.

Hyacinth AIDS Foundation's website

The Suppers Program

“table-based” support groups for improved nutrition & health

The Suppers Programs are support group meetings that take place around the preparation and eating of a meal of whole foods. The goal is to manage specific physical and mental health conditions as well as to improve overall health and well-being. Some data has been collected from participants, and the program is interested in working with students to study relationships between participation and improved health outcomes—for example, successful management of Type II Diabetes.

Suppers Program's website