Professor of Exercise Physiology Examines Weight Control and Physical Activity in Cancer-Risk Reduction
Current
statistics reveal a grim reality about our ability to achieve and maintain
a healthy body weight. About 63 percent of Americans are currently overweight
or obese, and Massachusetts' residents are following the latest trend.
Nearly six out of ten adults in the Commonwealth are above a healthy body
weight. Nearly one in four are 30 pounds above an ideal weight and considered
obese. And it's not just about how our waists look in our favorite pants;
being overweight predisposes more than 100 million Americans to a host
of chronic diseases and conditions. Of particular concern is the growing
number of overweight children and adolescents, which has more than doubled
in the past 10 years alone.
Studying the relationship between physical fitness and one's health, weight, and disease control is the crux of Kyle McInnis's groundbreaking work in exercise physiology. "In the United States alone, approximately 300,000 deaths each year are attributed to a combination of dietary factors and physical inactivity - the two primary culprits of obesity - making these lifestyle habits second only to cigarette smoking as the leading cause of death," says McInnis, professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Protect Yourself Against the Flu!
On November 3, the University Health Services (UHS) Department of General Medicine will conduct its annual Flu Vaccine Clinic. The clinic will run for two weeks, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. The cost for the influenza vaccine is $10 for students and $20 for faculty and staff. This year UHS is also offering FluMist, a live intranasal influenza vaccine, for $50.
The influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone who wants to minimize their risk of catching influenza. People who are allergic to eggs or have a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome should discuss the risks versus benefits of the influenza vaccine with their primary care providers. If you have a high fever or are ill, you should wait until you are improving to receive your influenza vaccine.
Live, intranasal influenza vaccine also is available. FluMist, an attenuated (weakened) live vaccine that is sprayed into the nostrils, is approved for use in healthy people ages 5 through 49.
Third Celebration of Collaborative Leadership
By Sherry Penney
The
third annual leadership lunch sponsored by the College of Management's
Center for Collaborative Leadership was held October 15 at the Fairmont
Copley. Approximately 250 business leaders and their nominees attended
to congratulate the 2003 cohort for completion of the leadership training
program. There were 39 participants in 2003, half of which represented
Boston's minority communities, hailing from the corporate, non-profit,
and governmental sectors.
Sherry H. Penney, professor of leadership, welcomed the guests and introduced the principal guests, which included members of the Center's Board of Advisors, as well as business and community leaders.
Marshall N. Carter, retired CEO of State St. Corporation, congratulated the fellows and presented them with certificates. Former governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis delivered the principal address, on the need for enlightened leadership, and Chancellor Gora gave closing remarks.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts was the lunch sponsor for 2003, and several individuals from Blue Cross attended.
Also attending, in addition to those from the business-sector and community organizations, were representatives from UMass Boston's Urban Scholars, Taylor Scholars, Beacon Leadership Program, the Honors Program, Golden Key, and the Latino Leadership Opportunity Program.
Support for the program has been provided by State Street Corporation, ATT Foundation, Boston Globe Foundation, The Boston Foundation, Sovereign Bank and Mellon New England-Eugene Fay Trust.
Nominations were accepted in October, and those admitted to the 2004 program begin January 26.
Image: 2003 fellows Lisa DeAngelis of Liberty Mutual and Ruth Coffin-Villaroel of the Boston Globe were two of 39 who completed the leadership training program this year. (Photos by Harry Brett)
Summit Addresses Political Future of Women
By Anne-Marie Kent
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine have never elected a woman governor; Vermont and New Hampshire have never sent a woman to the U.S. Congress. In the last year, Massachusetts watched as an acting governor withdrew her election bid and the Democratic woman nominee lost in a contest where18-to 25-year-old women voted for her male GOP opponent at a rate greater than that of male voters of the same ages.
Hundreds of women--including some well-known political figures--gathered October 26 and 27 at the JFK Library to discuss the future of women in politics in Massachusetts, at the inaugural New England Women's Political Summit, presented by UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.
"This summit is the first time women from the six New England states have come together like this." UMass Boston's Carol Hardy-Fanta, director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP), remarked. "It's a 'summit' -- not just a conference -- women worked together to develop concrete targets for each state and individual action plans for increasing women's political participation, representation, and influence region-wide."
The center collaborated with a national partner, the White House Project, and regional partners, the Coalition of New England Women's Commissions, and the YWCA New England Regional Council, to organize the call-to-action event.
The summit opened with a look at the critical shortage of women elected to local and statewide offices in Massachusetts and states throughout the region. Moderated by ABC News' Martha Raddatz, the forum "Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in American Politics" drew on the expertise of U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-California) and former Massachusetts acting governor Jane Swift.
Swift returned on October 27 when the summit reconvened to join an impressive roster that included former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin and Massachusetts lt. governor Kerry Healey. Other high-profile participants included honorary co-chair Gloria Larsen, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority; Connecticut State Treasurer Denise Nappier; Melba Depena, president of the Rhode Island Latino Civic Fund; and Roni Thaler, executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus.
Each attendee received a 250-page publication called "Women in New England Politics: A Profile and Handbook for Action," published by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy. It included: a regional overview of the current political status of women in New England; a chapter on the status of women in each state (including a history, analysis of the factors that explain their current status, and strategies for change); a full bibliography; a directory of political resources for women, and a Summit workbook.
Hardy-Fanta noted that the center will be following up to track participants' progress on implementation of the action plans. The center will also monitor and report on progress in women's representation at the local, state, and national levels over the next several years.
The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy serves as a public resource for women in Massachusetts. The center is committed to advancing women's participation in the public life of Massachusetts, the New England region, and the nation.