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ETR Blog

Check out what our people and partners are researching, thinking, reading, writing, watching and doing! (Note: The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ETR as an agency.)


Increase Stakeholder Engagement Through Data Parties
August 8, 2019

Increase Stakeholder Engagement Through Data Parties

By Eleanor Hayden | August 8, 2019
Research Assistant, ETR

Have you ever wanted to increase stakeholder engagement in your research? Or introduce participatory data analysis to your work? If you have, a data party might be for you!

I recently attended a webinar on data parties presented by Kylie Hutchinson at Community Solutions Planning & Evaluation. I learned how to host a data party as well as the potential benefits they can provide to everyone involved, from researchers to evaluators to community stakeholders. Here are some key take-homes.

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Tags: Data, Evaluation, Research
Qualitative Research: Helping to Move Health Equity Forward
May 16, 2019

Qualitative Research: Helping to Move Health Equity Forward

By ETR's Qualitative Evaluation Sub-Core Group | May 16, 2019
 

Advancing health equity is one of ETR’s core values. We are part of a movement to improve health and education outcomes for all communities. Qualitative research—the kind that asks questions, gathers stories and provides rich contextual information—is a valuable tool in this work.

Qualitative research helps us better understand how communities see themselves, their future, their history, and the ways they change over time. It gives us information about structural and social influences and how these affect individuals, neighborhoods and society at large. This is essential knowledge as we engage in efforts to address inequities.

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Tags: Health equity, Research
Educational Equity IS Health Equity
April 25, 2019

Educational Equity IS Health Equity

By Amy Peterson, MSc | April 25, 2019
Strategic Development Manager, ETR

Educational equity is closely related to health equity. In fact I’d like to suggest that they are essentially inseparable—that educational equity isn’t merely an element of health equity, but that the two are inextricably linked. Put simply, one cannot exist without the other.

In 2014, I was among a group of colleagues who sought out a framework that would help us unify the work we were doing across ETR’s projects. We found that no existing framework covered all the aspects of our work so we adapted, developed and iterated to create ETR’s Health Equity Framework (HEF). 

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Tags: K12T9, Title IX, Health Equity Framework, School health, STEM equity, Equity, Educational equity, Health equity
Beyond the Literature: 4 Things Young Fathers Have Taught Me
April 2, 2019

Beyond the Literature: 4 Things Young Fathers Have Taught Me

By BA Laris, MPH | April 2, 2019
Program Manager, ETR

“I was 14 and I just didn’t know…”

Many of us work with teens who face challenges because they didn’t have health information and resources they needed. We put a lot of effort into gathering our own information about their circumstances so we can offer them the best support possible.

But what do you do when you don’t know?

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Tags: Young parents, Young fathers
A Real Smoking Gun: Cigarettes, HIV and Cancer
February 26, 2019

A Real Smoking Gun: Cigarettes, HIV and Cancer

By BA Laris, MPH | February 26, 2019
Program Manager, ETR

Today, cancer is the leading cause of death of people living with HIV (PLWH). A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that between 1996 and 2009, there was a 50% increase in cancers of people living with HIV compared to the general population. Non-AIDS-related cancer deaths increased from 11% to 22%. People living with HIV had higher rates for 4 out of 5 forms of cancer. 

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Tags: Community Impact Solutions Project, CISP, HIV-AIDS, Tobacco prevention, Tobacco, HIV
Let's Talk About the Mistrust Trans Community Members Have for Researchers
February 19, 2019

Let's Talk About the Mistrust Trans Community Members Have for Researchers

By Bo James Hwang | February 19, 2019
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Student, UCLA Extension

The All of Us Research Program, a project of the National Institutes of Health, aims to gather health data from one million people living in the United States. I was chosen to participate in one of the University of California, San Francisco’s research feedback sessions for the initiative.

Many of the trans and non-binary people participating in the feedback session discussed their personal experiences with medical providers and researchers. Many brought up the mistrust that trans people have for researchers. 

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Tags: Community voices, LGBTQ, Transgender, Health equity, Ethics, Research
Three Ways to Rock a Recruitment Pitch for a Study
January 8, 2019

Three Ways to Rock a Recruitment Pitch for a Study

By ETR | January 8, 2019

ETR has a nationally recognized Research Department. Our multidisciplinary research team engages in research addressing a wide range of educational and public health issues.

One of the challenges in research is recruiting participants for studies. In work we did recently, our research assistants went to college classrooms. They delivered a five-minute “pitch” inviting students to participate in an online survey about their learning experiences.

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Tags: Recruitment, College, Research
What Is "Scaffolding" In Adolescent Relationships?
November 29, 2018

What Is "Scaffolding" In Adolescent Relationships?

By ETR | November 29, 2018

We had an outstanding Kirby Summit IV this fall. This invitational gathering brings together experts from around the country who know a great deal about emerging issues in adolescent health. The Kirby IV summiteers focused on scaffolding for adolescent relationships. If you're not quite sure what that is, you'll want to watch this lively 3-minute video from ETR Senior Research Associate Pamela Anderson.

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Tags: Scaffolding, Romantic relationships, Adolescents, Kirby summit
Supporting Diversity & Inclusion: Harry Potter's Greatest Spell
November 13, 2018

Supporting Diversity & Inclusion: Harry Potter's Greatest Spell

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD, and Rebecca A. Dore, PhD  | November 13, 2018
Senior Research Associate, ETR (EM) and Senior Research Associate, The Ohio State University (RAD)

Harry Potter is the best-selling book series of all time. The books and their derivatives have made author J.K. Rowling the world’s first billionaire author. The novels and subsequent movies are certainly engaging and entertaining. Indeed, entertainment is the primary goal of most media and works of fiction.

But how we engage with fiction and media is a serious area of study for researchers in fields as diverse as psychology, education, literary studies, philosophy and communications. 

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD
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Tags: Reading, Stigma, Diversity and inclusion, Research
A Drop in The Bucket: Mentoring Young African-American Men
November 6, 2018

A Drop in The Bucket: Mentoring Young African-American Men

By James Walker | November 6, 2018
Project Specialist, ETR

This past September I was faced with a sobering reality. I had to witness my father’s passing and subsequently oversee his homegoing. Although the process was earnest in nature, I was emotionally detached. It is hard to feel attached to someone who was never really in your life. 

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Tags: Underrepresented youth, Youth empowerment, Mentoring
Losing the Phobia: HIV PrEP is Bridging the Serodivide
September 27, 2018

Losing the Phobia: HIV PrEP is Bridging the Serodivide

By Ifeoma Udoh, PhD | September 27, 2018
Senior Research Associate, ETR

Access to PrEP is changing minds and behaviors. As an HIV prevention option, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) has provided individuals who may be at risk for HIV an important tool in the way they conceptualize choices about sex partners.

The practice of serosorting—selecting a sexual partner based on HIV status—has often been seen as either stigmatizing or divisive. However, PrEP is changing this practice among both older and younger men who have sex with men (MSM). I contributed to a just-published paper that demonstrates this in some persuasive ways.

By Ifeoma Udoh, PhD
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Tags: Equity, Stigma, PrEP, HIV prevention, HIV
Who Has The Power? A Call for Black and Brown Leadership in Public Health
July 31, 2018

Who Has The Power? A Call for Black and Brown Leadership in Public Health

By Antwan Matthews, BS | July 31, 2018
SHARP Scholar, ETR and San Francisco Department of Public Health

I am Antwan Matthews, a native of Meridian, Mississippi, and recently graduated from Tougaloo College in Biology. This summer I have the privilege to serve as a scholar for the Summer HIV AIDS Research Program (SHARP), an NIH-funded initiative of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.    

I have an argument to offer about the ways we think about public health. 

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Tags: Advocacy, Empowerment, Internship, Health equity, Equity
The Choices We Make: Social Dominance Theory in Health, Politics & Life
May 1, 2018

The Choices We Make: Social Dominance Theory in Health, Politics & Life

By Beverly Iniguez-Conrique | May 1, 2018
Research Assistant, ETR

In 1994, two very important events happened in my life. First, one of the earliest papers on Social Dominance Theory was published. Second, I was born.

Social Dominance Theory holds that people develop a set of beliefs—“legitimizing myths”—that support their attitudes about social inequities.

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Tags: Discrimination, Health equity, Stress, Social Dominance Orientation
ETR's Health Equity Framework: A Mission-Focused Tool
April 24, 2018

ETR's Health Equity Framework: A Mission-Focused Tool

By Vignetta Charles, PhD & Karin Coyle, PhD | April 24, 2018
CEO (VC) & Chief Science Officer (KC), ETR

At ETR, we advance health equity through science-based solutions. We’ve been doing it for 37 years. But it wasn’t until recently that we developed our own framework to explicitly and transparently ground our work in health equity. This more intentional approach to health equity has energized our mission-driven work.

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Tags: Health Equity Framework, Health equity
Positive Social Media Use for Youth: 6 Recommendations to Guide Parents, Educators & Other Professionals
April 12, 2018

Positive Social Media Use for Youth: 6 Recommendations to Guide Parents, Educators & Other Professionals

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD | April 12, 2018
Director, Professional Learning Systems, ETR

Worried about social media’s influence on youth? A lot of people are.

In the first part of this blog post, I talked about some of the reasons we worry. Here are 6 recommendations that can guide parents and those who work with youth in supporting healthy use of these new tools.

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD
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Tags: Media, Teens, Social media
Social Media, Traditional Media: Really Different? Or Really the Same?
April 5, 2018

Social Media, Traditional Media: Really Different? Or Really the Same?

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD | April 5, 2018
Senior Research Associate, ETR

From a fairly young age, today’s kids are growing up with all kinds of social media. Parents and professionals struggle to keep up with the latest trends and protect children from possible harm. As a media researcher and a parent, I'm also working to stay abreast of the latest technology and how it impacts children and adolescents.

But rather than looking at every new app as a focus of research, I'm interested in the larger issues related to social media use—things like why and how we use social media.

By Elizabeth McDade-Montez, PhD
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Tags: Social media, Media
Becoming a Trauma-Informed School Professional
February 26, 2018

Becoming a Trauma-Informed School Professional

By Stephanie Guinosso, PhD | February 26, 2018
Senior Research Associate, ETR

“Our goal is to create a beloved community. This will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

This quote resonates deeply for me. It truly captures the journey we must embark upon to become trauma-informed professionals working within trauma- and healing-informed systems.

By Stephanie Guinosso, PhD
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Tags: Educators, Adverse childhood experiences, Trauma informed schools, K12
Disrupt Your Thinking: It's Good for Sexual Health Education
February 6, 2018

Disrupt Your Thinking: It's Good for Sexual Health Education

By Karin Coyle, PhD | February 6, 2018
Chief Science Officer, ETR

The Kirby Summit has disrupted the ways I think about sex education. I hope it’s going to disrupt your thinking, too. ETR’s invitational Summit assembled some of the nation’s best-known developmental neuroscientists, along with similarly respected sexual and reproductive health specialists. The things we’ve learned by bringing our disciplines together are altering the ways all of us are conceptualizing sex education.

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Tags: Kirby summit, Developmental neuroscience, Sex education, Adolescent health, Sexual and reproductive health
Sex Trafficking: Helping Students Get Informed
January 11, 2018

Sex Trafficking: Helping Students Get Informed

By Pamela Anderson, PhD | January 11, 2018
Senior Research Associate, ETR

Sex trafficking among U.S. teens is real. It’s happening in most communities—in schools, at the mall, online and in other situations. If you work with young people, I hope you’ll check out some new free resources you can use to share facts about youth trafficking with both young people and adults. 

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Tags: Sexual violence prevention, Peer to peer trafficking, Sex trafficking
Far and Away: Benefits of the Distributed Workforce
November 28, 2017

Far and Away: Benefits of the Distributed Workforce

By Sue Potter, MS | November 28, 2017
Research Associate, ETR

I’m with the “away team.” For the last several years, I’ve been part of ETR’s Distributed Workforce. Roughly one in five staff are located away from our organization’s main offices in Scotts Valley, Oakland and Sacramento, California. You’ll find us in other regions of California and in other states across the country. I live in Boston.

It hasn’t always been easy being one of the remote staff. But we’re an organization that believes in continuous improvement. 

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Tags: Organizational development, ETR staff, Distributed workforce

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