University Times

The University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR) has announced the winners of the eighth annual Steven D. Manners Faculty Development Awards.

The awards were established in memory of the center’s assistant director, who died in 2000.

UCSUR offers annual awards in two categories: research development grants to support pilot research in the social, behavioral and policy sciences, and infrastructure development awards aimed at enhancing faculty capabilities to carry out interdisciplinary research in the social, behavioral and policy sciences.

Manners faculty development award winners are:

• Peter J. Gianaros and J. Richard Jennings of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic for “A Teaching and Student Research Laboratory for Integrative Biological and Psychosocial Assessments.”

Through the Manners faculty development award, a laboratory will be designed and equipped for the purpose of enabling faculty and graduate students to develop, acquire and disseminate new research skills in relating biological measures to concepts in the social, behavioral and policy sciences.

• Elizabeth LaRue of the Department of Health and Community Systems in the School of Nursing for “The Validity and Utility of a Tool for Evaluating Web Pages Presenting Health Content.”

A pre-test/post-test experimental design will be used to establish the validity of SPAT, a mnemonic tool used by people to help them pre-evaluate web page health information for accuracy. Results will be used to assist in converting the paper-based SPAT instructional sheet to a web-based format and to provide support for examining the impact of SPAT on self-care behaviors.

• Keith H. Morgenlander of the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine for “Assessing Health-Seeking Behaviors, Fatalism and Cancer Knowledge by Reticent, Difficult-to-Reach Populations in McKeesport, Pa.”

The research aims to use respondent driven sampling (RDS) to: develop a pilot survey research program to assess health-seeking behaviors, fatalism, primary care utilization and cancer-related knowledge among hidden populations in McKeesport; obtain practical experience with the administration of RDS; develop experience in the use of RDS in western Pennsylvania, and leverage the results to obtain future funding.

For more information about the awards, contact UCSUR at 412/624-5442.