ASU College of Health Solutions

"Navigating my health challenges gave me firsthand insight into the complexities and frustrations many people face when trying to advocate for their well-being," says College of Health Solutions alumna Chanelle DeGraff.

"Returning to school as a nutrition communication major felt like coming full circle — I was able to transform my personal experience into a passion for helping others."

Today, Chanelle not only owns a thriving private nutrition practice, she has recently earned her doctorate in clinical nutrition and guides the next generation of nutrition professionals as an adjunct professor — all while raising seven children.

🔗 We chatted with Chanelle about her career journey and the advice she'd like to pass along in this Q&A: https://ow.ly/JX9l50WiHPQ

Do you know the difference between an athletic trainer and a personal trainer? Hint: Their education and practice are quite different.

🔗 We break it down for you with this Q&A from ASU Online: https://ow.ly/oAeJ50W5eU8

We're proud to celebrate our students and faculty who showcased award-winning work at this year's American Society for Nutrition conference, the largest nutrition meeting of the year! 👏👏👏

🏆 Assistant Professor Min-Hyun Kim received the Bio-Serv Award in Experimental Animal Nutrition, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field of nutrition. The judges note: "Dr. Kim has significantly advanced our understanding of how diet-gene interactions in the brain influence energy metabolism and the development of obesity."

Our PhD students in the exercise and nutritional sciences program showed why they're rising stars in the field:

🏆 Busayo Oladun earned the George Bray Obesity Research Student Award for his outstanding research abstract, "Hypothalamic JMJD3-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation of Leptin Signaling Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity." Only two students nationwide were selected to receive this award!

Busayo also won the Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science poster competition, precision nutrition/nutrient-gene interaction category, for his "outstanding efforts to advance nutrition science."

Fang Zhou and Merina Dahal were also recognized as finalists in the Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science poster competition, both in the obesity research category.

Sajjad Rezaei presented his research poster "Water Intake And Hydration Status in Children," with the important findings that more than 50% of the children studied were not meeting water intake guidelines.

Their achievements reflect the College of Health Solutions’ deep commitment to advancing evidence-based nutrition research and training the next generation of health leaders.

Congratulations to all! 🎉

Arizona is a bellwether for the nation when it comes to kids being diagnosed with autism. The latest research findings, led by Joshua Anbar, an assistant teaching professor at the College of Health Solutions, have made national news.

Arizona State researcher conducts 'me-search' on autism with national impact The report's findings made national headlines: one in 31 children is now being diagnosed with autism by age eight.

Arizona has the 12th highest drug overdose mortality rate in the nation. Clinical Associate Professor Swapna Reddy spoke with KJZZ Phoenix about how money from the recent opioid settlement could be used to change that.

Arizona will receive $108 million from the opioid settlement. How this will help the state crisis All 50 American states, plus D.C. and some territories earlier this month reached a settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of the pain-killer Oxycontin. Arizona has been hit hard by this crisis.

Dietetics majors, we have great news for you ...

🔗 More info: https://ow.ly/9hQ550WefJJ

"We know that many people suffer health consequences of poor access to nutritious food, adequate housing and other factors," says Health Solutions Professor Marisa Domino.

Her recent study on an innovative state program found that using Medicaid on nonmedical services that improve health — such as healthy food boxes — created cost savings down the road.

🔗 The change benefits both individuals and taxpayers: https://ow.ly/Iz4j50WjnW1

⚾️ Talk about a home run! For the second year in a row, students in our movement sciences programs were chosen to work alongside the pros at the MLB Draft Combine.

Kinesiology major Landry Stow says, "Thank you, College of Health Solutions, for this opportunity! I had an amazing time. I'm thankful that ASU has great connections that allow students to get real hands-on experience!"

Another perk of being a Health Devil! 🔱

We're looking forward to welcoming all our new Health Solutions families! 🔱

Welcome to our families who have an ASU student starting in the fall! Registration is open for our festive ASU Family Welcome Events, designed just for incoming families, during move-in weekend:

Downtown Phoenix: Friday, Aug. 15
Polytechnic: Saturday, Aug. 16
Tempe: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17
West Valley: Sunday, Aug. 17

Details: links.asu.edu/famwelcome2025

The College of Health Solutions was well represented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world!

Among the highlights:

🥇 We're proud to announce that exercise and nutritional sciences PhD student Sai Tejaswari Gopalakrishnan won the nutrition interest group student award for her research on a sugar-free oral rehydration solution.

Her results indicated that this ORS could be an effective, low-calorie way to rehydrate athletes and people under clinical care.

💡 Faculty members Stavros Kavouras and Floris Wardenaar, along with exercise and nutritional sciences PhD student Kinta Schott, joined other international experts on the 10 Questions/10 Experts panel hosted by Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sports.

More than 300 people attended this popular session to hear from top minds in the field!

💧 Kinta also presented a research poster about an ongoing FEMA-funded study, led by Wardenaar and involving multiple faculty from our college, that aims to help wildland firefighters stay hydrated and healthy.

Look for a link in the comments if you'd like to learn more about this study. ⤵️

Volunteering is not only good for your resume, it's good for your health, too. And when you're getting a scholarship along with that opportunity, the benefits are huge!

Hear from Odalis Lopez Villegas, a health care administration and policy major who's making a difference through an ASU scholarship that blends giving back with student support: https://ow.ly/WPF650W3Pvl

Congrats to Dana West with our partners at Home Base Arizona, who was recently recognized for her work with veterans in the Arizona Warrior Health and Fitness program!

This initiative, developed by Home Base and the College of Health Solutions' Military and Veteran Resilience and Health Collaborative, teams Arizona service members, veterans and their families with our strength and conditioning and nutrition experts for a personalized 90-day wellness plan.

📺 Go behind the scenes at the gym and hear why Dana is so passionate about the program: https://ow.ly/4a1650WgiTA

🍴 Alumni, we're planning a cooking class with Chef Kent especially for you!

We want to pick a time that's convenient for as many people as possible. Please help us choose by commenting which of these times works best for you.

All times are weekdays, Arizona time:

Option 1: Morning, 9–11 a.m.
Option 2: Midday, noon–1:30 p.m.
Option 3: Afternoon, 3–5 p.m.

Thank you! 🧑🏽‍🍳🍽

Why does metabolism slow with age — and what can we do about it?

Health Solutions Assistant Teaching Professor Robin DeWeese, a registered dietitian nutritionist, answers four questions about losing weight and keeping it off.

🔗 Read her Q&A in the Doing Well newsletter: https://ow.ly/r2KW50Wb1gt

Teams of researchers and practitioners at the College of Health Solutions and across ASU are working to support individuals with autism — from children to adults.

Here are 6 ways their discoveries are contributing to changing the world for neurodivergent people: https://ow.ly/BWxl50WfcaR

The College of Health Solutions biomedical informatics program goes beyond the classroom, connecting students to clinical health care settings where they document industry challenges firsthand.

During the end-of-semester BMI Mock Boards, students apply what they've learned and pitch their data-driven solutions for improving frontline care to a panel of Phoenix-area health care leaders acting as a "mock board of directors."

We were honored this spring to welcome nearly 30 judges from leading health care organizations, including Sonora Quest Laboratories, the Phoenix VA Health Care System, Barrow Neurological Institute, Mayo Clinic, Copa Health and HonorHealth, along with our BMI program alumni and faculty experts from our college.

Opportunities like these set our program apart, giving students the chance to solve real problems, build professional networks and prepare for future careers in health innovation.

🔥 As wildfire season heats up, College of Health Solutions hydration experts are leading efforts to keep firefighters healthy.

Both undergraduate and graduate students, led by Assistant Professor Floris Wardenaar, have been working with wildland firefighters in Arizona's Tonto National Forest to teach them about hydration.

This research project is just one example of how College of Health Solutions and ASU students and faculty are stepping up to support those who protect our communities!

🔗 Find out more about this and other projects with first responders: https://ow.ly/QvK850W0x0t

The College of Health Solutions' Center for Health Information and Research plays a vital role in translating complex health data into actionable insights for Arizona and the nation.

At the most recent stakeholders meeting, partners and collaborators from across the health sector came together to network and learn about CHiR's latest research findings and ongoing projects, including:

• "Severe Maternal Morbidity in Arizona," presented by Cady Berkel, associate professor, College of Health Solutions
• "Sepsis Co-Occurrence and Ethnoracial Prevalence," presented by Edward Ofori, assistant professor, College of Health Solutions

Elizabeth Da Costa, housing administrator for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and collaborator with CHiR Executive Director Marisa Domino, also presented updates on the AHCCCS Housing and Health Opportunities demonstration.

The H2O program aims to improve housing services and health outcomes for AHCCCS members who are unhoused or at risk of housing instability.

We appreciate the continued collaboration of our partners as we work to improve access, equity and outcomes in health care.

🔗 See more work from CHiR and find out how you can collaborate: https://chs.asu.edu/chir

Does it really matter if it's a dry heat? Health Solutions physician and researcher Dr. Pope Moseley shares tips on how to survive the summer in this timely edition of Doing Well. ☀️💧

Before the next heat wave, read this Plus: What happens when the power goes out during a heat wave + What’s “resilience”? + Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?

Artificial intelligence is transforming health care — but what will its impact look like in the years ahead?

Associate Professor Hassan Ghasemzadeh presented "The Future of AI in Healthcare" to a capacity crowd at WESTMARC's 2025 Healthcare Summit, highlighting trends and actionable insights on integrating emerging technologies into patient care to help people lead healthier lives and reduce the burden of chronic conditions.

We're proud to see our faculty contributing to the innovation that will define the future of health in the West Valley and beyond.

Discover the secrets to a longer, healthier life! ❤️

Join our online, self-paced course from the College of Health Solutions, in collaboration with Blue Zones. Learn the science behind longevity and how to apply it to your life.

🔗 Sign up today! https://ow.ly/kjRy50T0MVo

Our new dean, Michael Yudell, recently met with Health Solutions alumni to discuss the exciting future ahead for our college, including our pivotal role as part of ASU Health.

We appreciate everyone's thoughtful questions and enthusiasm to get involved.

Be among the first to know about events like this by joining our alumni networking groups on Facebook or LinkedIn!

👍 https://www.facebook.com/groups/655843252211793
🤝 https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12608417/

Reach out to us any time at [email protected], and be sure to check out the resources available to you at chs.asu.edu/alumni. Forks up for life! 🔱

For parents of children with autism, Julie Matthews is a lifeline. The Health Solutions alumna, who earned her degree in medical nutrition, uses the power of food to create "a roadmap to hope, health and improved quality of life" for kids with neurological disorders.

🔗 We talked with Julie about the impact of her work in this Q&A: https://ow.ly/GxmB50W565v