The annual UNH College of Health and Human Services Research Conference showcases the wide range of important ideas being explored in the College, from how in-home robots can help people living with dementia through social engagement to how participating in outdoor activities can change our hormones.
The most recent edition of the Conference was held on Friday, March 8, when more than 45 faculty and staff from across the College’s departments and institutes came together to share their passions, learn about each other’s research—and spark new ideas for collaboration.
Collaboration was the goal that Dain LaRoche, Associate Dean for Research, had in mind when organizing the event: “The CHHS Research Conference is a place where faculty and staff from our eight departments and three institutes can make new connections and share their research. Scientific approaches to solving societal problems are becoming increasingly more interdisciplinary, and it’s essential that the CHHS research community embrace and leverage the knowledge and skills our colleagues have.”
Dr. LaRoche led the morning with opening remarks along with Sajay Arthanat, Chair of CHHS’s Research Council. The group then broke up, with half of the attendees presenting posters that summarize their research and the other half learning from them. After a period of time, they switched; the first group now getting to walk around while the other group showcased their latest work.
The event ended with three presentations from previous recipients of the Research Support Initiative. The Research Support Initiative provides monetary awards to support CHHS faculty and staff conducting preliminary studies in hopes to increase potential for external funding. The latest recipients were interdisciplinary groups of faculty that have been using funding from the RSI to research, publish, and apply for external grants over the past year. Attendees learned about their projects through short presentations given by Patti Craig, Jill Thorson and Kimberly Nesbitt, and Gibran Mancus.
According to Dr. LaRoche, “The Research Support Initiative-funded project presentations are perfect examples of the contributions interdisciplinary research programs can make that increase the profiles of CHHS and UNH as the state’s flagship R1 research institution.”
Dr. Arthanat summed it up: “The conference to me is all about making connections and getting to know the breadth and depth of research that is happening within the College that we otherwise wouldn't get to hear. For a ‘research guy’ like me, this is the best day of the year!”
