Katherine Anderson , CEHD 2008
Optimizing Cardiovascular and Bone Health in Overweight Hispanic Children
Major
Kinesiology
Mentors
Moira Petit, Kinesiology
Brief Bio
I will be graduating with honors. I enjoy working out, teaching spin classes, and spending time with my family.
Future Plans
I want to go to graduate school for exercise physiology. Then pursue an M.D. in public health.
Why Research?
It is a career interest. I would like to do research throughout my career. I have always been interested in doing research, and I wanted to see if I should pursue it as part of a career. I think it has potential to influence our community
What Did I Get from Research?
It gave me an opportunity to network. I met some influential people in the department, and they have helped me in numerous ways. I realized there were numerous things out there that should be studied, and needed to be studied. I realized there was a lot out there to learn.
How Did I Start?
I heard about the program through my roommates. They did the program a year earlier. I was introduced to my mentor through the honors programs. I then asked her if I could work with one of her Ph.D. students on another study.
My Advice for Another Student:
I would say take advantage of the opportunity in an area of your interest. It took a semester of my time, and my perception of research has changed after doing it. There is a lot more work to it then I realized.
Research Summary
We were looking at Hispanic kids who were classified as overweight. We used the videogame Dance Dance Revolution to study their bone mass and bone density. The intervention phase was the kids got the game to play at home. We will see if there is a change in bone mass and bone density. We will also see if there is a change in their their cardiovascular health.