Michigan State University ExtensionConnecting to Research in Autism, Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (RAIND)

1. MSU Extension
Connecting to Research in Autism,
Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental
Disabilities (RAIND)
Jeff Dwyer, Interim Director, MSU Extension (1/1/2016)
Dawn Contreras, Director, Health & Nutrition Institute
Julie Chapin, Director, Children & Youth Institute
December 11, 2015

2. Agenda
• Overview of MSUE and statewide platform
• Health and Extension Health Research
• Health and Nutrition Institute
• Children and Youth Institute

3. Who is MSUE?
• Faculty and Academic Staff on Campus
• Extension Educators and Senior Extension Educators
• 4H Program Coordinators
• Program Instructors, Program Associates, Program
Assistants
• Support Staff Members, on and off campus; MSU or
county employees

4. MSU Extension Across the State
• 4 program areas
• 14 districts
• 273 educators
• 145 specialists
• 183 program staff
• 100+/- Temporary,
On-call & Students

5. MSUE and funding for FY 2014-15

7. CHM: COMMUNITY CAMPUSES & CLINICAL SITES

8. National Framework for Health and Wellness
Core Theme
Build Partnerships and
Acquire Resources for
Extension’s
Framework for Health
and Wellness

9. • Involves existing MSU Extension educators
• Matches community, training and dissemination
needs of researchers to educator expertise
• Emphasizes funded research to grow program
and insure sustainability
• Creates new funding opportunities for education
& Implementation Science
• Funded by CHM, MSUE and VPR
Extension Health Research
Michigan State University Model

10. • Jeffrey Dwyer, Ph.D. (Senior Associate Dean)
• Dawn Contreras, Ph.D. (Institute Director)
• Cheryl Eschbach, Ph.D. (statewide)
• Linda Cronk, M.A. (Traverse City)
• Cathy Newkirk, M.S. (Flint)
• Holly Tiret, M.Ed. (Grand Rapids)
• Erin Carter, M.S. (Marquette)
• TBA (Midland)
These locations coincide with the MSU-College of Human Medicine
Community Campuses where research faculty are also located
Extension Health Research Team

11. • “Speed Dating” Meetings
• Are You Research Ready?
• Rx for Health for patients/clinicians
• Prioritize health needs in engaged communities
• Refer health providers and patients to local MSU
Extension programs and community resources
• Connect scientists to MSUE specialists to
enhance competitiveness of proposals and
implementation of research once funded
• LeeAnn Roman/Jean Kerver/Jennifer Johnson
MSU Extension and Connecting to Research

12. Areas of Programming Emphasis
1. Social-Emotional Health and Wellbeing
2. Disease Prevention and Management
3. Nutrition and Physical Activity
4. Food Safety
5. Extension Health Research
MSU Extension Health and Nutrition Institute

13. Health and Nutrition Staff:
• 54 masters-prepared educators
• 140 program instructors and program
assistants
• Partnering with department faculty,
specialists and collaborators.
Our Programming Staff

14. • Social-Emotional Health
– Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
– Anger Management – “RELAX – Alternatives to
Anger”
• Disease Prevention and Management
– Chronic Disease Management
– Dining with Diabetes
– National Diabetes Prevention Program
– Matter of Balance – Fall Prevention
– Powerful Tools for Caregivers
Programming Area Highlights

15. • Nutrition and Physical Activity and Food Safety
– Educated over 107,000 children, youth and adults in 2015.
– Offers programming for diverse audiences
• Cognitively Impaired – “Healthy Eating Adds Up”
• Blind/visually impaired – develop audio-files/pod casts
for nutrition curriculum
• Spanish-speaking/migrant community – culturally and
linguistically appropriate materials
• Arabic speaking/refugees - culturally and linguistically
appropriate materials
• In Development – research project to develop materials
for Chinese speaking
• African American – culturally appropriate materials
• Deaf/Hard of hearing – developing a distance learning
program
Programming Area Highlights

16. MSUE Children & Youth
Institute
Helping children, youth and the adults
who support them thrive
and contribute in a complex
and changing world.

17. How we do our work
• Early Childhood Education Programs (Birth to age 8)
• The priority of MSU Extension early childhood education programming is to ensure that
every Michigan child is prepared with the knowledge, tools and skills to lead a healthy
and productive life. Our goal is to increase Michigan’s parents’ and caregivers’
knowledge of basic concepts of early childhood development techniques that promote
school readiness and academic success.
• Michigan 4-H Youth Development (Ages 5-19)
• 4-H is the youth development program of MSU Extension. The mission of Michigan 4-H
Youth Development is to create non-formal, experiential, educational opportunities
designed to connect in-school learning with out-of-school time activities and real
world experiences. As a result of participation in 4-H sponsored programs, young people
will be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers, workforce ready and financially
literate and making healthy life choices related to nutrition, physical activity and
resiliency, and active advocates in addressing community needs related to this issue.

18. Our Programming Staff
 Educators, Program Leaders, Associate Program Leaders, Specialists and Visiting
Faculty. These individuals are the “content” experts who give leadership to the
design and development of educational resources for use in our programming.
(47 Masters-prepared individuals)
 Early Childhood Education Program Instructors and Program Associates. These
staff work in in local communities with parents, child care providers and others
who support children from birth to age 8. (3 Associate-level individuals)
 4-H Program Coordinators. These individuals charged with developing and
managing the local 4-H program in the county(s) where they work. These staff
market programs, recruit and train volunteers, recruit youth participants and
provide educational experiences for youth between the ages of 5 and 19.
(95 Bachelor-prepared individuals)

19. Long Term Indicators of Success
• Children and youth demonstrate readiness for and
engagement in lifelong learning.
• Children and youth develop and apply life skills.
• Youth and adults are civically engaged and active in their
communities.
• Youth are workforce ready and financially literate.
• Youth and adults possess global and cultural
competencies.
• Adults understand how and are committed to helping
children and youth develop assets and life skills.

20. Areas of Program Emphasis
• Academic Success: early childhood education and youth
life skills education
• Leadership & Civic Engagement: leadership, citizenship,
civic engagement and global and cultural education
• Career Exploration & Workforce Preparation:
employability skills, youth financial literacy and
entrepreneurship
• Science Literacy Education
• Community Capacity Building: volunteerism, experiential
learning, planned youth mentoring, age appropriate
programming strategies

21. Possibilities for Collaborating with RAIND
• Statewide assessment with MSUE as facilitators
• Targeted programming for 4-H groups
• Targeted programming with parents and child care
providers through early childhood education
programming
• Collaboration on funded research
• Development and dissemination of educational
curriculum and interventions
• Co-coordination of locally based entitles of similar
missions using collective impact strategies
• ???

22. Questions?