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HealthNets: Teaching the Teachers of Health Education
How sweet it is! Hosted for the 16th year on the Adelphi campus by the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, HealthNets Partnerships in Health Conference drew more than 75 health educators from across Long Island and New York City to share health education ideas.
HealthNets—which started as a simple “meeting of the minds” for health educators to exchange teaching ideas on various aspects of health education—stands out as the first and for many years only conference dedicated exclusively to health education in the greater NYC area.
At the latest daylong event, on November 7, 2017 in the Ruth S. Harley University Center, Shannon Whalen Gifford, Ed.D., health education professor at Springfield College, headlined a general session with a lively talk titled “My Health Class Dull? No Way.”
An Ammon School faculty member before joining Springfield, Gifford helped start the HealthNets conference with two other former Ammon School professors, Monica Homer, Ed.D., and Mary Barrese.
At the other general session, Charles Rizzuto, M.A. ’11, an Oyster Bay High School educator, focused on “Prepare, Present, Assess.”
Three breakout sessions—two led by Adelphi alumni—gave conference-goers opportunities to hear new ideas from fellow educators.
Victoria Vagnone ’13, a Richmond Hill High School educator, and Angela Matinale ’11, M.S. ’14, with the High School of Fashion Industries—both Ammon health and physical education majors—discussed, respectively, “Educational Methods for a Diversified Classroom” and “The Reality of Being a Dual Subject Teacher in an Alternative Setting.”
Nathalie Zarisfi, director of Adelphi’s Faculty Center for Professional Excellence, and Emilia Zarco, M.D.M. Ed., chair, Department of Exercise Science, Health Studies, Physical Education and Sport Management, jointly presented an informative breakout session explaining “Grant Writing for Teachers—From Daunting to Doable.”
In addition, organizers and attendees praised the exhibition area. Melissa Wayne, M.A.’06, said that area was enhanced from past years so that exhibitors could better connect with HealthNets participants. “For 2017,” she said, “the exhibitors not only surrounded the conference area to support the breakout sessions but had the opportunity to highlight their work in our large general meeting area.”
She added, “The goal of the exhibition area is for participants to see firsthand the innovative programs offered by community-based organizations, engage in discussions on how to utilize services and programs, and create new partnerships to further everyone’s mission of creating healthier communities.”
For more information about HealthNets, please contact:
Cynthia Proscia
HealthNets Coordinator
p – 516.877.4256
e – proscia@adelphi.edu
About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning
Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students’ lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi is one of just four companies and the only university on Long Island to be named among America’s Best Employers by State for 2023 by Forbes.
A surge in 2024 rankings by U.S. News & World Report—up 19 spots as a Best College, up 85 spots for Social Mobility and up 35 spots as a Best Value College—supports Adelphi’s rising reputation. Adelphi serves more than 7,400 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City’s cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.
More than 119,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director
p – 516.237.8634
e – twilson@adelphi.edu
