Events
Upcoming Events:
Please check back soon for more information about HCRI events. To receive up-to-date notifications about our events and research offerings, the HCRI community as a member.
October 27, 2026
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe animal-assisted services and the role of human-animal interaction in supporting health, well-being, and quality of life within healthcare.
- Explore emerging evidence regarding the influence of human-animal relationships in social determinants of health and their potential implications for individual and community well-being.
- Discuss opportunities for research, practice, and policy that leverage the human-animal bond to improve health outcomes and strengthen communities.
To join us, by Friday, October 23.
We look forward to having you attend the event on Tuesday, October 27 at 2:00 p.m.
Past Events and Webinars:
September 10, 2026
Hanover Grants Webinar
"Resubmitting Competitively"
Proposal rejection is common, but a thoughtful resubmission strategy can significantly improve competitiveness. This session will explore how to interpret reviewer feedback, identify the most important revisions, and decide when to revise, resubmit, or pivot to a new opportunity. Drawing on examples from NIH and NSF, participants will leave with practical strategies for strengthening proposals, navigating expectations, and responding effectively to critiques.
Presenter:
Melissa Cornish
Melissa Cornish is a Managing Grants Consultant at Hanover Research with extensive experience helping faculty and research teams develop competitive proposals for NIH, NSF, USDA, HRSA, PCORI, and private foundations. Through her work across a diverse portfolio of projects and partners, she has developed broad expertise in the strategic cultivation of both federal and foundation funding opportunities. Drawing on experience in research development, strategic planning, and proposal design, Melissa partners with colleges and universities across the U.S. to strengthen their grant competitiveness and support successful proposal development.
Event details:
Date: Thursday, September 10
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Medium: Microsoft TEAMS
April 23, 2026
Research Talk
"Using Spatial Data Science to Leverage Geonarratives as a Public Health Tool"
Presenters:
Andrew Curtis, PhD
Jayakrishnan Ajayakumar, PhD
from the GIS Health and Hazards Lab at Case Western Reserve University
Event details:
Date: Thursday, April 23
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Location: Moulton Hall Ballroom
February 26, 2026
Research Exchange
HCRI members presented their research with 1 slide in 5 minutes at our annual event designed to foster social networking, collaboration, and fundable grant applications.
April 11, 2025
Toward Equitable Autonomy in Critical Care: Patient-Specific Fluid Resuscitation
Research Presentation by HCRI Fellow Dr. Hossein Mirinejad
Fluid resuscitation is a life-saving intervention used to stabilize patients experiencing severe blood loss by restoring blood pressure and organ perfusion. This work introduces a novel patient-specific autonomy framework for fluid resuscitation, integrating data-efficient modeling with advanced control techniques. By developing a robust, nonlinear state-space model—trained on sparse and noisy clinical data—with an optimal controller using radial basis functions, the system delivers personalized and adaptive control of fluid infusion dosages in hemorrhagic scenarios. Emphasizing health equity, the research is designed to improve outcomes for underserved populations by enabling individualized therapy even in data-limited settings. By tailoring treatment to each patient’s unique physiological response—rather than relying on generalized protocols—this approach contributes to reducing disparities in critical care and advancing healthcare technologies that are both inclusive and responsive.
October 18, 2024
Research Exchange
HCRI members presented their research with 1 slide in 3 minutes at our annual event designed to foster social networking, collaboration, and fundable grant applications.
April 15, 2024
Panel Discussion:
Experiences of under-represented populations during the COVID-19 pandemic
A discussion sponsored by Healthy Communities Research Institute.
Panelists:
Bhim Dhungana, Interpreting Coordinator, International Institute of Akron
José Salinas, Director, Ohio Migrant Education Center
View panelists PowerPoints below:
April 10, 2024
Public Meeting
Join the Ohio/Pennsylvania University Research Consortium for a state of the science update. Explore the scope and limits of publicly available data collected after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Hear what we've learned about air, plant, and water exposures. Summarize the health issues and symptoms reported by the community following the derailment.
April 10, 2024
Eliminating Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: An Interdisciplinary Education Training
Co-sponsored by the Healthy Communities Research Institute, the Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, and the College of Public Health
Panelists:
Jazmin Long
President and CEO, Birthing Beautiful Communities
Natasha Takyi-Micah
Public Policy and External Affairs Associate, The Center for Community Solutions
Aimee Budnik
Vice President Community Service Programs, Akron Summit Community Action
February 21, 2024
The Division of Research and Economic Development Research and Innovation Forum
Hosted by the Healthy Communities Research Institute
Speakers:
Yaorong Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Clare L. Stacey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Sociology and Criminology
Nichole Egbert, Ph.D., Professor, School of Communication Studies
Review the event flyer (PDF) for more information.
Research and Economic Development seeks to energize the Â鶹¾«Ñ¡Research Community and facilitate collaborations by bringing faculty from diverse disciplines together to learn about research and creative scholarship across the university. Join us for brief talks by three of your colleagues, followed by a reception, during which attendees and speakers can interact over appetizers and a drink.
October 17, 2023
Why Parents Reject Vaccines and How to Move the Needle
A symposium sponsored by the Healthy Communities Research Institute, the University Research Council, and the College of Public Health
Speakers:
Jennifer Reich, PhD (Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado-Denver)
Nadine Gartner (Founding Executive Director, Boost Oregon)
April 8, 2022
Seeking and Securing Funding as a Qualitative Researcher (Part-Three of the Qualitative Research Methods Series [co-sponsored with AREI and the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods Program])
Speakers:
Session 1 (Securing External Funds: KSU Faculty Spotlight): Dr. Denice Sheehan (Nursing), Dr. Greg Smith (Human Development and Family Studies), and Rebecca Catto (Sociology)
Session 2 (Writing Fundable Qualitative Aims): Dr. Dan Dohan (Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California San Francisco)
Session 3: Networking and lunch
View the presentations and slides below:
Greg Smith's and PowerPoint
Rebecca Catto's and PowerPoint
Denice Sheehan's and PowerPoint
Dan Dohan's and PowerPoint
February 10, 2022
Planning for Analysis and Publication for Qualitative and Creative Research: After the Interview (Part-Two of the Qualitative Research Methods Series [co-sponsored with AREI and the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods Program])
Speakers: Professors Charles Vanover and Paul Mihas
September 30th, 2021
Innovations in Qualitative Research Methods (Part-One of the Qualitative Research Methods Series [co-sponsored with AREI and the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Methods Program])
Speakers: Drs. Jo Dowell (Assistant Professor of Nursing), Chris Dum (Associate Professor of Sociology), Christa Porter (Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration), Ashley Nickels (Associate Professor of Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies), and Landon Hancock (Professor of Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies)
March 11, 2021
The Initial Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Bodyweight across a University Campus (co-sponsored with the Brain Health Research Institute)
Speaker: Jacob Barkley, PhD, Professor of Exercise Science, School of Health Sciences, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡
February 11, 2021
Initial and Sustained Psychological Distress during the Covid-19 Pandemic (co-sponsored with the Brain Health Research Institute)
Speaker: Joel Hughes, PhD, Professor of Psychological Sciences, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡
October 22, 2020
The Science of Mindfulness and Meditation: An Invitation to the Practice (co-sponsored with the Brain Health Research Institute)
Speakers: Mary Ann Raghanti, PhD, Chair and Professor of Anthropology & Melissa Celko, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡of Wellness Director
September 10, 2020
Mentoring our Students (and Ourselves) in a Global Crisis – A Mental Bandwidth Perspective (co-sponsored with the Brain Health Research Institute)
Speaker: Tina Bhargava, DrPH, Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡
March 4, 2020
Black Moms Matter: Taking Action for Reproductive Justice in an Unjust System (co-sponsored with the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Student Multicultural Center, and the College of Public Health)
Keynote Speaker: Ohio House Representative Stephanie House
January 28, 2020
Publishing Challenges and Strategies to Overcome Them (co-sponsored with the College of Public Health)
Speaker: Jan Yoder, Research Professor in the College of Public Health, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡
November 1, 2019
Research Exchange
HCRI Faculty presented their work at the exchange (3 slides in 3 minutes) to foster social networking, collaboration, and fundable grant applications. The event generated groups that are currently working together on external funding opportunities.
