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SHHS News IU Indianapolis

The PARCS impact: stretching further than fitness

Posted on by T'Kai Isidahmen

The Physically Active Residential Communities and Schools (PARCS) program provides low-cost fitness and wellness services to urban areas in Indianapolis. Since 2005, PARCS has fostered a healthier Indianapolis through accessible fitness options. In partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and the Boner Fitness & Learning Center (the Fitness Zone), PARCS helps reduce barriers to physical activity in near-downtown communities. These collaborations offer residents a safe space to exercise, attend group fitness classes or receive personal training services.

Maddie Crisler, M.S., PARCS program director, leads a team of kinesiology students who work directly with clients to set health goals and develop personalized exercise plans tailored to their wellness needs. This hands-on experience equips the students with practical skills as they prepare to enter the workforce.

For clients, the program’s benefits are substantial. Thousands of Indianapolis residents have been working out with PARCS for over a decade. (more…)

IPREP fellows shine at national biomedical research conference

Posted on by Rafael Bahamonde

Fellows from the IU Indianapolis Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (IPREP) recently showcased their talents on a national stage during the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS).

ABRCMS is one of the largest, most prestigious events of its kind, bringing together aspiring scientists to present research, connect with experts, and explore opportunities with graduate and professional schools. This year’s event, held in Pittsburgh in mid-November, attracted more than 6,900 participants from across the U.S. and beyond.

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Reflecting on 20 years of leadership excellence: MSG Stephen Tatar

Posted on by Rachel Hammes

Headshot of MSG Stephen Tatar
MSG Tatar

Coming up on 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, Master Sergeant (MSG) Stephen Tatar has gained a wealth of experience and accomplishment. He has completed three combat tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan, received numerous awards, and served as senior military science instructor for the IU Indianapolis Army ROTC program over the past three years. Now, he prepares for his retirement from the Army.

Reflecting on his service, Tatar said that the proudest he’s been, and the most fun he’s had, was when he was a first sergeant at Fort Carson in Colorado.

“Being in charge of around 100 soldiers—their livelihoods, their training, their well-being—is one of the more satisfying jobs I’ve been able to have in the Army,” said Tatar about his time at Fort Carson.

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Culinary creativity takes center stage in SHHS’s new teaching kitchen

Posted on by Laura Klaum

Two students show charcuterie plates they created while standing together in front of the kitchen
St. John Jefferson and Sara Steurer show off their creative charcuterie.

As Indianapolis prepares for the World Food Championships competition this weekend at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, students studying food and beverage operations showcased their talent by creating charcuterie boards in the IU Indianapolis School of Health & Human Sciences’ (SHHS) new 1,000-square-foot state-of-the-art teaching kitchen.

Designed as a resource for both the campus and the Indianapolis community, the kitchen’s inaugural activity allowed 20-plus students to develop their food preparation skills.

“[The kitchen] allowed my classmates and me to gain experience in an area relevant to our future careers,” noted Sara Steurer, a senior double majoring in tourism, conventions and event management and communication studies. “Even if food preparation isn’t directly connected to our jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry, having a basic knowledge of it is important.”

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TESM launches new majors in tourism, event and hospitality

Posted on by Laura Klaum

Three tourism, event, and sport management students walk in front of the Indiana Convention Center on a fall sunny day
TESM students in Indy

The Department of Tourism, Event, and Sport Management (TESM) at IU Indianapolis is thrilled to announce the launch of three new majors: tourism, hospitality and event management, in addition to sport management. Each major offers an experience-based education, allowing students the flexibility to earn credit for work experience while building their resumes and professional networks.

Karnuta
Pierce

“These majors provide so much more than traditional listen-to-lecture learning,” said Professor David Pierce, Ph.D., TESM department chair. “All four majors allow students to earn credit for work-based learning experiences, equating to a semester’s worth of credit toward  graduation.”

The curriculum embeds students in all that Indy has to offer, starting with volunteer work during their first semester and continuing through internships, newly formed co-ops, and industry-driven capstone courses. Each major also includes a business foundations certificate from the IU Indianapolis Kelley School of Business, ensuring a solid grounding in essential business skills. Students will graduate with in-depth knowledge specific to their industry while also understanding the operations and finance sides.
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Teachers lead charge against obesity, inspire fitness culture in Indiana schools

Posted on by Jill Jansen

Isabel Ison extends her hand to high-five elementary school students as they pass each other.
Isabel Ison and classmates inspire healthier lives through physical activity at Stout Field Elementary in Indianapolis

First-year physical education and health teacher Sven Strom already knows the rewards of helping kids be physically active. A teacher at Brownsburg, Indiana, East Middle School, Strom believes that setting a standard for active lifestyles and creating a “culture of fitness” benefits both young people and communities alike.

a headshot of Sven Strom
Sven Strom

“The most rewarding thing for me is being able to inspire and lead my students to who they want to be,” said Strom, a 2024 graduate of the physical education teacher education (PETE) program at IU Indianapolis. “In sharing knowledge about the importance of physical activity in overall health, I’m helping them create the best possible life for themselves.

It’s a lesson that’s becoming increasingly important for children and adolescents in Indiana. From 2014 to 2022, childhood obesity in Indiana increased by nearly 36%, according to a report released in 2023 by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. One in five Hoosier children between the ages of 2 and 19 is considered obese.

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One-of-a-kind college experience strengthens student bonds and cultivates leadership skills

Posted on by Sophie Chadderton and T'Kai Isidahmen

Tucked away in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, is Indiana University’s Camp Brosius, a unique destination filled with opportunities for team building, leadership development and community bonding. Camp Brosius was established in 1921 to provide physical education courses for the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union, the precursor to IU’s physical education program. 

College camp brings together fitness management and personal training, exercise science, sport management, and physical education teacher education students in an immersive, week-long summer experience at Camp Brosius. Modeled after the Army’s leadership principles, the course fulfills leadership and teamwork development requirements for their majors.  

“College camp is designed to be a space where students get to learn more about who they are as leaders and team members,” said Roufa Hanna, senior exercise science student and second-year counselor. “They are pushed out of their comfort zone to develop foundational skills that they will need in any position in the future.” 

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Bridge Week: Spanning the gap between first-year experience and college success

Posted on by Rachel Hammes

Students smiling at each other outside while playing an active game
Kinesiology Bridge students play a game called Captain’s Coming, led by their peer mentors.

It’s the first day of classes. You walk into a cavernous lecture hall, with 200 unfamiliar faces that couldn’t be less interested in you. Your professor bustles in, and without so much as a “good morning,” starts droning about the syllabus, expectations, and exam dates. You try to introduce yourself to the person sitting two seats down from you, but notice they have both AirPods in and look like they’re nodding off. You sigh, get out your laptop, and resign yourself to a lonely semester.

This may be the experience for some first-year college students, but not those at the IU Indianapolis School of Health & Human Sciences (SHHS). Thanks to Bridge Week, a required part of the first-year experience at IU Indianapolis, students are given the chance to meet their peers and form relationships that will last throughout their college career and beyond—before they ever have to step foot into a lecture.

“My favorite part of Bridge Week has been all the connections we’re making right now,” said Jaylen Logan, a first-year SHHS health sciences student. “I feel like it’s doing exactly what it needs to do.”

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Dancing Together: Live Laugh Dance empowers youth while forging connections and rewarding students

Posted on by Sophie Chadderton

From left, Stephanie Garner with Down Syndrome Indiana, Tom Sprague with Franklin Rotary Club, Kyra Noerr with Franklin College & Co-Director of Live Laugh Dance, Rachel Swinford with IU Indianapolis & Co-Director of Live Laugh Dance, Tim Thurston with Franklin Rotary Club.
From the left pictures: Stephanie Garner with Down Syndrome Indiana,
Tom Sprague with Franklin Rotary Club,
Kyra Noerr with Franklin College and Co-Director of Live Laugh Dance,
Rachel Swinford with IU Indianapolis & Co-Director of Live Laugh Dance,
Tim Thurston with Franklin Rotary Club.

Live Laugh Dance is a summer enrichment program for adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Born out of Clinical Associate Professor of Kinesiology Rachel Swinford’s Ph.D. dissertation, the program combines adapted dance, creative movement, and meaningful connections to bolster participants’ self-confidence while providing opportunities for them to be physically active.

“This program began in 2011 with 20 dancers and a handful of volunteers,” said Swinford. “It has grown over the years to nearly 40 clients. It is such a joy to see the dancers and volunteers build relationships throughout the program, [and] my favorite day of each summer is the dance recital.”

Live Laugh Dance now operates as a collaborative partnership between the IU School of Health & Human Sciences, Franklin College Department of Kinesiology, and Down Syndrome Indiana.

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Student support, clinical excellence distinguish IU Physician Assistant Studies program

Posted on by Jill Jansen

PA student Nathan Sapal shakes hands with Jill Murphy, the IU PA program's medical director and Sapal's mentor, during the 2023 White Coat Ceremony.
PA student Nathan Sapal shakes hands with Jill Murphy, MD, the IU PA program’s medical director, during the 2023 White Coat Ceremony.

When the 44 members of the IU Physician Assistant (PA) Class of 2025 put on their white coats in a time-honored ceremony on August 2, they will be celebrating not only personal achievement, but also the collective success of their entire class.

“I recently asked these students what they were most proud of as a cohort, and the number one thing they said is that all of them are still here,” said Lauren Gilliam, MPAS, CHA/PA-C, physician assistant studies program director and clinical assistant professor. “To navigate the rigor of this PA program together and to achieve 100 percent retention is why this White Coat Ceremony is so meaningful to them. It marks the turning point from classroom study to clinical rotations, and it also acknowledges their support of one another along the way.”

The IU PA program is consistently above the national average when it comes to both student retention and graduate performance on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam. In addition to citing the program’s strong clinical partnerships, students like that it is affiliated with IU School of Medicine and has a cadaver lab—a strong distinguishing factor of IU’s PA program. But more recently, Gilliam said faculty are hearing from students that the program’s people, sense of community, and learning environment also set it apart.

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