Kinesiology and Community Health :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Featured Student

Featured Student Kahlilah Cooke

Changes Affect Health in Latin American Countries

Flavia Andrade notes that dramatic changes in diet combined with stagnant levels of physical activity in Latin American countries and the Caribbean are contributing to higher rates of chronic conditions when compared to other developed countries. Her research explores the impact of obesity-related diseases and socioeconomic inequalities on the well-being and life expectancy of older adults in these countries—most notably Brazil and Mexico. Read more about Dr. Andrade's research.

Visioning Future Excellence at Illinois (VFE) is a campus-wide attempt to capture what challenges the world will face in the next twenty to fifty years and what role our preeminent institution will play in addressing those challenges. Twenty groups totaling over 700 people gathered for focus group sessions over the Spring 2012 semester. Represented in these groups were faculty, academic professionals, civil service staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, alumni, community members and corporate leaders.

The groups were asked to address two questions:

• What are society’s most pressing issues?
• What distinctive and signature role Illinois can play in addressing those issues in the next 20 to 50 years?

At the completion of the process, six major categories, or themes, emerged from the focus group sessions, including: Health and Wellness, Economic Development, Education, Information and Technology, Energy and Environment, and Social Equality and Cultural Understanding.

In the Kinesiology and Community Health department, in our own VFE retreats we have attempted to articulate how our own work interfaces with the 6 VFE themes identified by the campus. For more information about the VFE outcomes and process visit the VFE website.

(View a text-only version of the KCH Visioning Future Excellence report)