The Pulse: News from the James Madison Univeristy Health Sciences Department

• Home
• Links
• Feature Article
• Department Chair Message
• Faculty Profiles
• News
• Publications/Presentations
• Program Highlights
• Health Sciences Home

News

The Office of Substance Abuse Research received $76,185 from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) to support the delivery of fifteen, one-day Prevention Basics for VTSF (PBVTSF) Workshops. Dr. Jeanne Martino-McAllister and Dr. Terry Wessel are the co-principal investigators. The proposed dates of workshop delivery are between mid May 2006-November 2006. Please view the confirmed workshop dates at http://web.jmu.edu/osar/preventionbasics. We invite alumni to participate in any and all of the prevention basics workshop! This funding will build on the successes of the State Incentive Grant Prevention Basics for VTSF series funded by the Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention. Three different workshops are available, each building on the information learned in the previous program.

1. Prevention Basics for VTSF Level I – Building a Common Knowledge Base
2. Prevention Basics for VTSF Level II – Skills for Assessing Needs and Evaluating for Results
3. Prevention Basics for VTSF Level III – Building Capacity for Sustainability

The Workshop Objectives are to:

• Ensure VTSF grantees, potential grantees, community- and school-based prevention professionals/personnel throughout Virginia are “reading from the same page,” by offering up-to-date knowledge and skills to develop and implement scientifically sound prevention strategies
• Promote science-based prevention programs and strategies in communities throughout Virginia.
• Make information, training, and technical assistance readily available to prevention professionals throughout the Commonwealth.
• Increase the capacity of prevention professionals to select and implement successfully scientifically sound prevention programs.

James Madison University and the Department of Health Sciences have opened the National Center for Youth Sports Injury. The mission of this center is to “serve as a comprehensive clearinghouse of information for the prevention and care of injuries to our youth.” Still in its development phases, the Center is actively seeking health care professionals to serve as faculty members, advisory board members, partners, and donors. Once established, Director and founder Dr. Jeff Konin anticipates the center will provide an educational outlet for anyone involved in youth sports. “We believe that those providing healthcare services to injured children can benefit from the information that will be provided on this website, as well as parents and coaches who have little to no formal training with respect to preventing and treating children's injuries. What is unique about our center is that we want to be able to assist the media professionals in disseminating information to those managing children's sports injuries. Providing television, radio and print media professionals with current and factual information regarding techniques for preventing injuries will ultimately end up in the hands of parents and coaches who play such a critical role educating our youth.”

Additional information can be found by accessing the center’s website at: http://www.jmu.edu/youthsportinjury.