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PROJECT TEAM
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Mildred A. Horodynski,
PhD, R.N.C., Professor Michigan State University, College of Nursing
Dr. Horodynski has conducted numerous child community-based intervention studies over the past two decades.
Her research and intervention programs focus on nutritional education for toddlers, early infant feeding, and parent-infant/toddler
mealtime interaction within diverse low-income populations. Dr. Horodynski is currently funded through DHHS: Administration
for Children Youth and Families in a University – Early Head Start Partnership on Measurement Development; USDA: Cooperative
State Research Education, and Extension Service, “Healthy Toddlers and Strong Families through a Positive Feeding Environment”;
and previously funded by the Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan State University.
Co-Principal Investigator: Beth Olson,
PhD, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture
Dr. Olson’s areas of research focus include breastfeeding support for working and low-income women, early infant
feeding, and the role of the family environment on the feeding of children. She is currently involved in a research project
to evaluate the MSUE/WIC collaborative breastfeeding support program, The Breastfeeding Initiative, and research on
support for breastfeeding in the workplace. Dr. Olson is currently funded through the USDA National Research Initiative
on Human Nutrition and Obesity and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, and previously funded by the Michigan
Department of Community Health.
Co-Investigator: Mary Jo Arndt,
Ed.D., R.N., Associate Professor, Michigan State University, College of Nursing
Dr. Arndt has clinical and supervisory experience in the nursing care of parents and children. She is
a qualitative researcher and her primary focus is the clinical application of theoretical models.
Co-Investigator: Georgia Padonu,
R.N., Dr.PH, Associate Professor, Michigan State University, College of Nursing
Dr. Padonu specializes in community-based health care. She has experience with recruiting and
conducting focus groups with low-income African-American women.
Co-Investigator: Holly Brophy-Herb,
Ph.D., Associate Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Family and Child Ecology
Dr. Brophy-Herb has conducted community-based studies and has experience with both quantitative
and qualitative methods. Her previous projects have focused on parent-child interaction with low-income families.
Co-Investigator: Karen Shirer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Family and Child Ecology
Dr. Shirer has developed curricula and evaluated educational interventions for low-income families in the
areas of relationship education. She has also researched the organizational change needed to effectively
implement new programs for at-risk families.
Co-Investigator: Kami Silk,
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Silk conducts research in the area of health and risk communication. She has conducted and participated
in research in the areas of communicating genetics information to the lay public, health message design, obesity
prevention and nutrition literacy, and breast cancer prevention.
Collaborators
Collaborator: John Sherry,
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Sherry’s research focuses on the use of media for educational and prosocial interventions. He focuses on how
individual differences affect the reception of media messages. He also has a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and
worked in advertising and public relations before returning to academia.
Collaborator: Patricia Benton, M.S., R.D.
Ms. Patricia Benton is the Program Leader for the Michigan Breastfeeding Initiative and has extensive e
xperience working with nutrition and health education programs for families with low-incomes including,
Family Nutrition Program, (FNP), Project Fresh and WIC.
Collaborator: Diane Ruonavaara,
PhD, Extension Specialist, Children, Youth, and Families, Michigan State University Extension (MSUE)
Dr. Ruonavaara has worked as an evaluation specialist for the past four years on various projects within 4-H
Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences.
Collaborator: Tammy Sullivan, MPA
Mrs. Tammy Sullivan is the Program Leader for the Maternal Child and Well Being program
area and has extensive experience working with health education programs for families with
low-incomes including, Building Strong Families, Project Fresh, WIC and others.
Partners
Michigan State University Extension
MSU Health Information Technology Web Design
Cheeney Media Concepts2
Michigan Department of Community Health
Michigan State University, College of Nursing
Michigan State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Michigan State University, Department of Family and Child Ecology
Michigan State University, Department of Communication
Michigan State University Extension
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