2024 HHD Research Excellence and Innovation Conference Schedule

Open the accordion items below for details on each event.

8:00 to 10:00 A.M., Registration is available in the Van Nuys Room.

Flintridge Room

8:30 to 9:00 A.M., Continental Breakfast

Lake View Terrace Room, East Conference Center

9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. General Session

Opening Remarks:

• Conference Co-Chairs Dr. Andrew Bartlett and Dr. Laurie Gelardi
• HHD Dean Mechelle Best 

Introduction of Dance Performance by Dr. Paula Thomson

Dance Performance:  Rock and Sway

• Choreographer: AJ Pati
• Music: Rock and Sway (featuring Kapu System & Mahkees) by The Vitals 808
• Dancers: Nalu Bauman, Olivia Blaire, Ronica Cartwright, Devawn Crawford, Anggia Davia, Gerald De Jesus, Ashley Escobar, Britney Flores, Leanna Fodor, Aly Joy, Victoria Jugarap, Jade Mendoza, Cherish Moore, AJ Pati, Antonella Podesta, Micahcamille Punzalan, Caitlin Roddick, Emalee Solares

Introduction of President Erika D. Beck by Dean Mechelle Best

• Remarks - CSUN President Erika D. Beck

Introduction of Keynote Speaker by Dean Mechelle Best

• Keynote Speaker:
  • Dr. Andrew Spencer, President of the Caribbean Maritime University

Introduction of Premier America Credit Union Representative by Dr. Andrew Bartlett

• Message from Daisy Castaneda, Premier America Credit Union Representative

Van Nuys Room

10:30 to 11:30 A.M., Mindfulness-Based Art for Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain Through Creative Expression

• Anjum Padyal, Faculty, Kinesiology; researcher, author, and international mental performance consultant

Tujunga Room

10:30 to 11:30 A.M., How to Survive Human Subjects Review by Writing the Dullest IRB Protocol Imaginable: A Discussion with the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects

• Jennifer Bloom, CSUN IRB/IACUC Regulatory Integrity Analyst
• Elizabeth Dabach, Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences
• Shane Stecyk, Professor, Kinesiology

Tujunga Room

Relieving Stress Through Yoga and Meditation with Christine LaMonica, M.S., C.S.C.S., Instructor, Kinesiology

Lake View Terrace Room

11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., Podium Session 1 

Moderator: Kader Tekkas-Kerman 

Featuring Family and Consumer Sciences faculty and student:

• Rosalia Garcia-Torres
• Nasrin Golshany
  • Exploring the Impact of Spatial Lighting Patterns and Color Temperature on Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Study in Virtual Environments
• Sean Jefferson
  • Revenge Sex: Weaponizing Infidelity
• Destiny Parks
  • Factors Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Ventura County (VC) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Participants

Van Nuys Room

11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., Research Grants and Sponsored Programs

• Erika Bautista Lopez
• Edgar Fidel Lopez

12:30 to 1:00: Lunch

• General Guests: Lunch On Your Own

Where to eat on campus? Find out at Matador Eats.

• Volunteers, Presenters, and Speakers: Boxed Lunch Provided in the Burbank Room
  • Featured Presentation by Premier America Credit Union Representative

Tujunga Room

1:00 to 2:00 P.M., Alumni Panel:

Moderator: Dean Mechelle Best

• This is a great opportunity for students to engage with alumni and find out about their experiences as industry professionals. Learn what kinds of job opportunities to look for. Ask questions and listen to their career stories to help you develop your own.

Alumni Panelists:

• Olga Vigdorchik, Health Sciences
• James Sherman, Kinesiology
• Ty Avendano, Environmental and Occupational Health
• Tim Szczepanski, Recreation and Tourism Management

Van Nuys Room

1:00 to 2:00 P.M., Panel Discussion, Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, Partnering for the Common Good:  A Community Engagement Panel

• Mirna Troncoso Sawyer, PhD, PhD, Director, Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, Health Sciences Department, College of Health and Human Development

• Alejandra Acuña PhD, LCSW, Executive Director, CSUN Valley Nonprofit Resources, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Danielle Spratt, PhD. Director, Office of Community Engagement, English Department, College of Humanities

• Annette Besnilian, Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics (Family and Consumer Sciences)

Lake View Terrace Room

1:00 to 3:00 P.M., AI Workshop, Student and Faculty Focused: How Artificial Intelligence Can Help with Research

• Helen Heinrich, AVP, Academic Technology, CSUN IT
• Mathew Williams, Director, Instructional Technology, CSUN IT

Flintridge Room

2:00 to 2:30 P.M., Coffee/Snack Break and Posters Preview

Lake View Terrace Room

3:00 to 4:00 Podium Session 2,  featuring:

• Joysworth Eyitayo, Nursing
  • Joining Forces with Valley Presbyterian Hospital and CSUN Nursing Students for Community Wellness: Blood Pressure Awareness
• Kadar Tekkas-Kerman, Nursing
• Veda Ward, Recreation and Tourism Management
  • Application of Experiential Reflection Analysis to Professional Growth
• Tom Smith (info to come)

Open the items below for details.

8:00 to 10:00 A.M., Registration is available in the Altadena Room.

Pasadena Room

8:30 to 9:00 A.M., Continental Breakfast

Pasadena Room

Opening Remarks:

• Conference Co-Chairs Dr. Andrew Bartlett and Dr. Laurie Gelardi

Welcome back:

• Dr. David Wakefield, Associate Dean

Remarks:

• Dr. Meera Komarraju, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Guest Speaker:

• Mike Paciello, Chief Accessibility Officer (C.A.O.), Audio Eye, Recipient, HHD’s Inaugural Heroes Award

Introduction of California Rehabilitation Institute Representative by Andrew Bartlett

• Message from Maneshka Cohen, Executive Director, California Rehabilitation Institute Representative

Pasadena Room

10:00 to 11:30  A.M., Podium Session 3, featuring:

• Aaron Acquisto, Faculty, Nursing
  • The Impact of Authentic Nurse Leadership Behaviors on Psychological Empowerment
• Zahra Sharifi-Heris
  • Addressing Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity: Rethinking
    Identification Guidelines for Ethnic Minority Populations
• Khanh Karley Tran, Undergraduate, Communication Disorders and Sciences
  • Is the Bilingual Advantage Real? Unpacking the Debate 
  • Do Bilinguals Really Face Lexical Disadvantages
• Maryna Bankovska 
  • Loneliness and Mental Health Predict Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

Altadena Room

11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., NIH Panel: Why NIH Grants Matter: Future Opportunities and Their Impact on Research Trajectories

NIH Panel Discussion with moderator, Hessam Ghamari, Family and Consumer Sciences

• Shu-Sha Angie Guan, Associate Professor, Child and Adolescent Development 
• Patchareeya Patty Kwan, Professor, Health Sciences
• Hui Jimmy Xie, Professor, Recreation and Tourism Management

Pasadena Room

11:30 to 12:30 P.M., Podium Session 4  featuring:

Andrew Bartlett, Physical Therapy

• An Interprofessional Collaboration between Physical Therapist and Nursing Students Using a Simulated Older Adult Patient with Dementia: A Pilot Study

Myra Stewart, Physical Therapy

• The Impact of Asynchronous Video Interview on the Doctor of Physical Therapy Admissions Process: An Exploration of Student and Faculty Perceptions

Douglas McLaughlin, Chair, Kinesiology

• No Enclosing Walls: Endurance Sport in the American Philosophical Tradition

Paula Thomson, Kinesiology/Dance

• Disclosure Difficulties and Coping

12:30-1:00 P.M., Lunch 

• General Guests: Lunch On Your Own

Where to eat on campus? Find out at Matador Eats.

• Volunteers and speakers: Boxed Lunch Provided, Burbank Room

Pasadena Room

1:00 to 2:00 P.M., Alumni Panel

• Moderator: Dean Mechelle Best
  • This is a great opportunity for students to engage with alumni and find out about their experiences as industry professionals. Learn what kinds of job opportunities to look for. Ask questions and listen to their career stories to help you develop your own.

Alumni Panelists

• Lance O’Keefe, Recreation and Tourism Management
• Helen Cordova, Nursing
• Mariko Iwabuchi, Kinesiology

Altadena Room

1:00 to 2:00 P.M., Presentation: Centering Students

• Presenter: Reneé M. Martínez (EOP Retention and Data Support in HHD)
  • “Centering Students: Creating Opportunities to Explore Their Values and Passion for Learning in the College of Health and Human Development”

Burbank Room and Glendale Room

1:00 to 2:00 P.M., Poster Presentations, East Conference Center, Flintridge Room

Meet the presenters and talk with them about their posters.

Pasadena Room

2:00 to 2:30 P.M., Coffee/Snack Break

Pasadena Room

2:30 to 4:00 P.M., Innovation and Collaboration

Host: Dean Mechelle Best

• Innovation and collaboration are integral to health and human development. This is evident in the various workshops, panel discussions, podium presentations, research spotlights, posters, performances, installations, and exhibits offered in this two-day conference. In our final session, we showcase the work of recipients of HHD’s Innovation and Collaboration Challenge Award.

Presenters:

• Rosalia Garcia-Torres (Family and Consumer Sciences/Food Science)
• Hessam Ghamari (Family and Consumer Sciences/Interior Design)
• Joyce Marie Brusasco (Child & Adolescent Development) with
  • Christa Dunlap (Child and Family Studies Center)
•  Toni (Antoinette) Walker with
  • Lisa Chaudhari (Health Sciences)
• Annette Besnilian (Marilyn Magaram Center & Family and Consumer Sciences)
• Joo Kim (Health Sciences) with Student (name TBA)
• Jamey Fitzpatrick (student, Communication Disorders and Sciences)
  • with Vickie Yu (Communication Disorders & Sciences)
• Nasrin Golshany (Family and Consumer Sciences/Interior Design)

Pasadena Room

4:15 to 5:15 P.M., Closing Reception