28 TAMIU RECEIVES $400K THECB GRANT TO REDUCE MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES TAMIU received a $400,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) Minority Health Grant Program to help reduce mental health disparities among low-income adults in Laredo. The two-year project will conduct robust data collection, targeted outreach, and workforce development. The project is led by Dr. John Kilburn, professor of Social Sciences; Dr. Cindy Lynn Salazar-Collier, assistant professor of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Dr. Adriana Blasco-Rubio, instructional associate professor of Psychology and Communication, in partnership with the City of Laredo Public Health Department and Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center. Laredo faces significant mental health challenges, including a 20% diagnosis rate of depression, frequent mental distress affecting 16.2% of residents, and limited access to services, according to project principal investigators. “We are excited about being able to perform this study that will fill an urgent need in this region,” Dr. Kilburn said, “This program works toward understanding how friends and family may offer support to those suffering.” The project will expand community outreach, screenings, literacy, and professional training to build sustainable mental health support. Read more at go.tamiu.edu/thecb400. DR. CYNTHIA SOSA NAMED TCEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT The Texas Computer Education Association has appointed TAMIU College of Education instructional associate professor Dr. Cynthia Sosa as president of its Board of Directors. Dr. Sosa took office in April. She is the first Latina president from South Texas to hold the office since its inception in 1980. TCEA is a nonprofit, member-based organization that has supported the use of technology in education since 1980. Its primary focus is on integrating technology into the PreK-16 environment and providing members with cutting-edge knowledge and resources through conferences, online and print publications, workshops and collaborations between higher education and business. Dr. Sosa joined the TAMIU faculty in 2018. She holds her Doctor of Education from Concordia University-Portland and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, both from TAMIU. NEW LECTURE SERIES TARGETS COMMUNITY, ENGAGEMENT TAMIU's new lecture series aims to rekindle the spirit of community by fostering menaningful engagement. The TAMIU Community Engagement Lecture Series was launched this October with an inaugural speaker with national visibility in civic leadership, fiscal responsibility, public administration and urban growth -- Sheryl Sculley, former San Antonio City Manager. Sculley presented her talk, “From Challenges to Change: Redefining Growth for Our City - A Talk with Sheryl Sculley,” before an appreciative and varied audience of business and community leaders and undergraduate and graduate students in the Student Center Ballroom. The lecture, free and open to the public, was generously sponsored by David Killam. To expand access, it was livestreamed for students enrolled in fully online programs. Sculley’s address was followed by an energetic Q&A session moderated by Dr. Andy Hillburn, associate professor, TAMIU College of Arts and Sciences, department of Social Sciences. Sculley retired as city manager of the City of San Antonio in April 2019 after 14 years as CEO and a total of 45 years in public service in local government management in Kalamazoo, MI; Phoenix, AZ, and San Antonio. She is the author of “Greedy Bastards: One City’s TexasSize Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis.” Sheryl Sculley
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