Children's Hospital Funds New Graduate Research Traineeship For Fresno State Student

An $8,000 sponsorship from Children's Hospital Central California has enabled the Central California Children's Institute at California State University, Fresno to offer their first graduate research traineeship in childhood/adolescent health.

The funding will allow a graduate student at Fresno State to gain valuable experience in research activities related to child/adolescent health issues. The recipient of the traineeship will be involved at the forefront of research design, data acquisition and analyses and will assist with new publications and present information at public forums.

"We have worked hard to establish our first traineeship so that we can provide opportunities to students that will advance their professional growth, while advancing the research agenda of child and adolescent health. We are extremely grateful for such an opportunity and plan to establish many more traineeships in the coming years," stated Dr. Virginia Rondero Hernandez, Fresno State professor and associate director of research and evaluation for the Central California Children's Institute.

This opportunity allows the Children's Institute to become more involved in research projects, presentations, development of policies and programs, as well as the facilitation of community discussions/efforts.

In the past year, the institute has released three reports relating to key Central California health issues, including childhood asthma, obesity/physical inactivity and teenage births. It also held two regional leadership summits focused on solutions to address asthma and childhood obesity. This new traineeship will serve as a focus for graduate student research, as the institute continues its activities to address the growing health concerns for children and adolescents in the Central California region.

"Opportunities such as this graduate traineeship help ensure that we will continue to grow and expand critical areas of childhood health research," said Diana Dooley, vice president and general counsel for Children's Hospital Central California. "That same research means we will always be working to provide the best care possible to the children of Central California."

The Children's Institute was established in 2001 under the auspices of the Central California Center for Health and Human Services within the College of Health and Human Services at Fresno State. The mission of the Children's Institute is to develop a regional approach to conduct studies and provide training and technical assistance on issues affecting children and families in Central California. The institute is dedicated to improving the well-being and quality of life for all children, youth and their families in the Central California region.

For more information about the graduate research traineeship or about the Central California Children's Institute, contact Brandie Campbell, communications specialist at (559) 228-2150.

Contacts:
Shirley Melikian Armbruster, (559) 278-5292 or (559) 593-1815
Brandie Campbell, Central California Children's Institute, (559) 228-2150