FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Abigail Fota, College Relations
Associate - Media, 610-740-3790
1st ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS: THEORY,
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
Workshops and Presentations Focus on Health of Body, Mind and Spirit
Allentown, PA (April 26, 2004) - In response to a national epidemic of decreasing health and well-being, Cedar Crest College hosts the 1st Annual Health and Wellness Conference on Thursday, April 29 through Friday, April, 30. The two-day event unites education, research and experience to explore a vision of health and wellness for the future.
The inaugural conference incorporates presentations, workshops and exhibits by students and faculty members - each focusing on an important health-related issue. Workshops will be throughout the day on Friday, April 30 and will explore topics such as deadly diseases, pet therapy, healthy cuisine, religion and body resilience. A complete list of workshops and descriptions is located on the following page.
Along with the workshops, paper sessions will
also be conducted throughout the day where faculty
and students will share the findings of current
research projects. Paper session topics include:
"Overeating: Setting Your Goals for a Healthier
Lifestyle"
"Can We Really Map Genes for a Complex Disease"
"Meeting the Challenge of Developing Global
Perspective in the Health Care Arena"
"Security of Personal and Medical Data:
HIPAA Model or Myth"
"A Synthesis of Nursing Research on the
Stress Management of Nursing Students"
The 1st Annual Health and Wellness Conference continues the College's ongoing commitment to providing students and the greater Lehigh Valley with programs that focus on improving the health and wellness of the community. Since its founding in 1867, Cedar Crest has continually created educational programming, activities and special initiatives that focus on changing these unhealthy habits and reversing the national trend.
The public is invited to attend any of the conference events. For more information on the 1st Annual Health and Wellness Conference, please contact the College Relations Office at 610-740-3790.
SCHEDULE OF WORKSHOPS
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Microbes on the Move: Global Health Issues in the
21st Century
Almost daily, the smallest of organisms find their
way into the largest news stories. Letters tainted
with anthrax and ricin fill us with dread as ordinary
citizens continue to be targeted in terrorist attacks.
The spread of the influenza virus seems to be greater
now than ever. Are particular strains capable of
changing hosts? When will the next pandemic occur?
The meat industry struggles to quantify and contain
mad cow disease across an ever-expanding global
market. Is our food safe? Even the Ebola virus,
a concern primarily for remote regions of Africa,
continues to find its way into American popular
literature and movies. What is it about these organisms
that make them so powerful? Why have they so successfully
invaded our lives? What new insights have come
from recent research, and what ethical concerns
have scientists encountered? Participants in this
workshop will contemplate these questions and more,
as the moderators initiate discussions on the worldwide
impact of deadly microbes.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Body Listening: How Good is Your Hearing?
Success in accurate evaluation of one's bodily
needs is essential to health and wellness. This
workshop will consider body listening as defined
by Price (1999). Exploration of practical application
of this knowledge to one's daily health includes
discussion of signals of hunger, thirst, fatigue,
and satiety. Basic physiologic pathways will be
explored. An experiential approach using self-assessment
tools and a brief Zen meditation allows personal
reflection. Participants will leave with practical
knowledge and resources to evaluate their own skill
at body listening and empower them to trust what
the body is saying in order to take action.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Spa Cuisine Made Simple
"
Spa Cuisine Made Simple" will be a one-hour
cooking program that will explore the concepts
of Spa Cuisine. We will present an array of culinary
techniques for vegetable, whole grain and legume
preparations that can easily be incorporated into
anyone's daily menu plans. Recipes will incorporate
ingredients that are available in local markets,
yet will reflect the influences and flavors of
many diverse cultures.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Introduction to Mind, Body and Spirit Paradigm
and Applications of an Integrated Approach to
Education and Psychology
This workshop will combine theoretical issues and
experiential applications for mind, body and spirit
development. The presenter is a psychologist and
educator who has developed a combination of traditional
psychotherapy (over twenty years experience with
children, families, and elders) with skill development
and application of Tai Chi, Reiki and Shiatsu.
The System Developed is called Integrated Psychology
where the total person (social, emotional, cognitive,
physical, spiritual, financial, and creative expression)
is assisted in the process of change. There are
applications and implications to professional training
of teachers and professionals with the goal of
renewal as the optimal outcome.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
The Effects of Cats on Human Physiological Reactivity
to Stress
This study will explore whether the interactions
between a person and a cat causes lower levels
of physiological signs of stress in the person.
To accomplish this, human-cat interactions will
be observed under several conditions using female
subjects from an all-women's college. Previous
research studies have shown that the presence of
a pet lowers stress responses; therefore, the same
result is expected to occur in this study. However,
this study further explores the interactive components
between the person and the pet.
10:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Prayer Ties Project
This workshop will involve the making of fabric
bundles or amulets that will hold the wishes, hopes,
dreams and prayers of the each participant. The
bundles will be made of colorful fabrics that are
decorated with beads, imagery and symbols that
reflect the interest and the diversity of everyone
involved in the project. The finished bundles will
be strung together and displayed as a testament
of a community coming together to share their dreams,
hopes and prayers.
11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Wellness and the Search for Meaning in the Changing
American Religious Landscape
Using a CD Rom, "On Common Ground: World Religions
in America," and drawing on the research of
the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, the
researchers will describe this transformation in
the American religious landscape. In particular,
they will explore the implications for community
well being of such important facilities as the
Vraj Hindu Temple in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
As the only authorized temple of Hindu bhakti or
devotional sect in India, the Vallabha Sampradaya,
this temple maintains a presence that connects
wellness with a holistic understanding of mind,
spirit and body. Pilgrims routinely consume a special
form of food called prasad that has been blessed
the resident deity, Sri Nathji. In addition, they
observe rigid standards of purity that emanate
directly from the Indian tradition. Unlike more
secular understandings of wellness, rooted in individualism,
this tradition suggests that its followers must
surrender the primacy of self to deity, performing
seva or service to Krishna.
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
What Is Your Resiliency Quotient for Today? Where
Are You In Terms Of Being Resilient?
This workshop will present Grotberg's, 1999-resiliency
paradigm of " I have, "I am", and "I
can". Participants will be provided the opportunity
to assess their resiliency quotient for the day
and to experientially try two strategies to enhance
their personal resiliency. The development of the
resiliency building blocks will be described utilizing
Erickson's developmental phases of trust, autonomy,
initiative, industry, and identity. Didactic presentation
will include the description of the seven resiliencies
and how their development influences the individual's
personal resilience to life's everyday adversities.
The strategies utilized during the experiential
section of the workshop will focus on positive
energy management rituals and the development of
effective interpersonal skills.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Biology in the News: Stems Cells and Cloning
Since the isolation of human embryonic "stem
cells" in 1998, issues surrounding the use
of these cells have been discussed in the popular
media. This workshop will provide the background
information needed to understand what stem cells
are, why they may be useful in treating human diseases,
and why there is so much controversy over their
use. We will also discuss human cloning and how
it relates to the stem cell debate. Participants
will have an opportunity to ask questions about
these complex issues and share their own opinions
on the debate.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Faculty Engagement of Students in Health and Wellness
Behaviors
Compassion fatigue and burnout are two of the buzzwords
that one hears in reference to the many challenges
faced by health care professionals. These phenomenon
are being examined as potential causes for the
decrease in the interest to become a nurse and
the subsequent nursing shortage. Nursing faculty
recognize that the rigors of the nursing curriculum
can also increase one's anxiety and stress levels
which can lead to a similar type of burnout. In
addition, the non-traditional student population's
stressors of trying to balance the family and work
responsibilities add to this scenario. Therefore,
incorporation of health and wellness behaviors
into the curriculum has been identified by the
nursing faculty as a necessary component of the
nursing program at Cedar Crest College. Caring
for the care-giver is emphasized in order to care
for others. In addition to the program of studies,
which incorporates many health promotion issues,
nursing faculty practice the art of their nursing
with their students in order to promote their well-being.
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Piece of Mind (Dance Performance)
This dance composition is a presentation of overcoming
internal fears of loneliness, failure, success
and confusion. The main female character comes
to terms with her fears by facing them through
a movement confrontation. This choreographic study
was developed through aesthetic experimentation
of creating and breaking barriers. The movement
was applied to further develop a somatic relationship
between the representation of the conscience and
the subliminal.
For more information on the 1st Annual Health and Wellness Conference, please contact the College Relations Office at 610-740-3790.
# # # #
Abigail Fota
College Relations Associate - Media
610-740-3790
afota@cedarcrest.edu
