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Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness

Dr. Kimberly Murphy
Dr. Kimberly Murphy
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The Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness is an interdisciplinary center led by Dr. Kimberly Murphy. Founded in 2022, the center strengthens campus and community well-being through applied student research, internships, community service and other experiential learning opportunities.

The center¡¯s focus aligns with the six dimensions of wellness developed by Dr. Bill Hettler of the University of Wisconsin. These are occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual and emotional. The center's mission connects broadly with the Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø's curricular and co-curricular programs.

The center's inaugural project was a partnership with Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø's Upper Mississippi Center for Sustainable Communities and the city of Rock Island to identify and inventory lead water service lines in the city. That project included student research assistants and more than 100 student volunteers who engaged in canvassing events. 

Dr. Murphy explained that the water line inventory project was ¡°very much an interdisciplinary project, bringing together students and faculty from all majors ¡ª with different skill sets and perspectives ¡ª to help tackle a real-life problem close to campus.¡±

Other projects led by the Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness have included movement classes for older adults, a maternal health survey and contributing resources to and designing programs for a Rock Island community resource center.

Dr. Kimberly Murphy, professor of biology, joined Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø in 2011. She has a  Ph.D. in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University

Fit & Strong! participants

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students lead fitness program for older adults

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø student instructors lead the low-impact course at the Moline Activity Center.

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø student research assistants and staff

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø officials, students canvas neighborhoods for lead drinking water pipes survey

Student research assistants were joined by President Andrea Talentino and Dr. Dianna Shandy for a morning of knocking on doors in Rock Island to encourage residents to report the material of their water service lines. 

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Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø surveying women on maternal health care in the Quad Cities

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø's Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness is partnering with the Healthy Pregnancy Coalition and the Healthy Outcomes Planning Task Force on Low Birth Weight to better understand maternal health experiences and outcomes for women in the Quad Cities.