Healthy Classrooms: A Public Health in Education Symposium

Date		Presentation
04/22/2009		Heroes Prevail Where Systems Fail: The Role of Communities and Schools in Promoting Lifelong Health J. Lamont View description The school district has a tremendous role in community and public health, and the community has a reciprocal responsibility to appropriately support the delivery of health care in the school setting. Jeffrey Lamont, MD, FAAP, discusses the need for community awareness of and involvement in local school districts, as well as the role of school nurses and medical advisors in bringing healthy choices to the K-12 classroom. Preventative health starts with grassroots efforts toward improving the health of children in schools—efforts which might originate in a single school, or even a single classroom, and which have the power to affect health outcomes for a lifetime.
		Effective Approaches to Sex Education G. Mejicano
		Self-Care and Spirituality in the Classroom A. Rindfleisch
		Is it Normal or Illness? Recognizing and Managing Depression and Anxiety in Children D. Skripka
		Healthy Lifestyles in a Multicultural Community: Culturally Competent Approaches and Resources S. Bidar-Sielaff
		Effective Approaches to Drug and Alcohol Abuse Education S. Livingston
		Effective Approaches to Physical Education and the Importance of Childhood Fitness C. Kuhrasch
		Childhood Nutrition: Does How Our Kids Eat Affect How They Learn? J. Shropshire
		Social Environment and Bullying L. Leavitt
04/09/2008		Healthy Communities: A Collaboration between Educators and Medical Providers C. McCauley View description Chuck McCauley, MD, discusses the vital role school educators and medical providers have in providing community youth and adults with the resources to embrace healthy lifestyles and long term, productive health habits. With these goals in mind, he discusses specific strategies to achieve these goals through collaborative efforts. Essential to their effective implementation, these leadership efforts can be made in the spirit of having fun while working towards these goals with fellow educators, medical providers, friends, neighbors and family.
		ADHD in the Classroom H. Johnston View description Hugh Johnston, MD, discusses ADHD in the context of the classroom, expanding educator and parent understanding of this condition and its ramifications at school.
		Teacher as Healer - Perceptions and Spiritual Connections D. Rakel View description David Rakel, MD, will show the similarities of facilitating health and learning. He discusses the importance of self-reflection in enhancing teaching and the understanding of the science of perception and how this influences a cascade of physical effects in the body. This fascinating presentation will teach you how to change perception to facilitate positive emotions and show how spirituality (exploring a connection that gives life meaning and purpose) can influence teaching quality and enjoyment.
		Trends in Teenage Pregnancy C. Gilmore View description Claude Gilmore explores current trends in teenage pregnancy through information gathered from the Milwaukee Community. He assesses the impact of the problem, ranging from racial disparities to STI rates and occurrence of sexual abuse to the monetary cost of teen childbearing for the taxpayers of Wisconsin. Lastly, he explains current state action being taken to decrease teenage sexual activity and pregnancy.
		Childhood Obesity: A Growing Epidemic A. Adams View description Alexandra Adams, MD, explores the causes and consequences of childhood obesity. She discusses the implications of obesity in the classroom and how it affects other aspects of children’s health. She also touches on the role that schools, teachers, and communities can assume to help battle this epidemic.
		Bringing Global Perspectives to the Classroom G. Fischer View description Today’s global challenges to healthy living demand both global and local solutions. It is therefore imperative to frame the learning experience of today’s students in a global context. Dr. Fischer focuses on pathways to educating globally literate students in Wisconsin’s public schools. He elaborates on current initiatives, which focus on advocacy, school partnerships for student exchanges, and project-based international learning, as well as the use of technology to facilitate interaction with students around the world.
		The CHILD Project: How to Insure Wisconsin's Children M. Jacob View description Health insurance is a key component to the health of our students. Michael Jacob will describe the Connecting Health Insurance to Lunch Data (CHILD) project, a three-year endeavor to enhance the public health of Wisconsin’s children through insurance coverage. Sharing early results from this project, he will describe the essential role of schools in assuring health insurance coverage for their student populations. The audience will gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in working with school districts to enhance the insurance coverage of children throughout the state.
		Developing the Mind of a Child D. Navsaria View description While many aspects of "health" focus on the physical, much of what we do in the classroom is centered on cognitive, emotional, and social well-being of children. Navsaria discusses what can we do to help ensure positive outcomes in these areas. More specifically he introduces strategies as to how educators and parents can best communicate with health care providers on these topics. Navsaria proposes the kinds of advice educators and health care providers can jointly provide to parents and families about their children.
		Improving Childhood Fitness in Schools: Bringing the Exercise Lab to the Classroom A. Carrel
		Approaches to Sexuality Education R. Popkin View description Ronna Popkin discusses key information on current approaches to sexuality education including comprehensive, abstinence only, and abstinence-plus curriculum. Regarding these often confusing and controversial topics, she discusses the prevalence of the different programs in use and presents research on their effectiveness.
		Enhancing Nutrition in Our Schools J. Perkins View description We are what we eat! This is not just a saying, but it is literally true, as every cell in our bodies is constructed and fed from the building blocks contained in the food we eat. This is true for our children as well. Academic performance, attention span, behavioral problems, mental, and emotional health all are directly related to whether children’s developmental nutritional requirements are being met. Hear about the successes that other districts have had in implementing healthy foods, and how these efforts are working in Madison, Wisconsin.