Dr. Jerome Kotecki
<b>Department: </b>Nutrition and Health Science<br><b>Research Area: </b>Diet quality screening in the community and clinical settings<br>
Department: Nutrition and Health Science
Research Focus: My current research focus is on diet quality screening in the community and clinical settings. My most recent peer-reviewed publications include a student as a co-author and my last 10 national conference peer-reviewed presentations included a student as a co-author.
Potential Student Project(s): We are interested in moving our recently published Diet Quality Screener© (DQS), validated by two rigorous methodological approaches, research forward. This includes employing further validity and reliability testing on the DQS to meet established criteria set by the 2020 American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement on “Rapid Diet Assessment Screening Tools Across Healthcare Settings” for desired rapid diet screening tools. This includes both theoretical and practice-based factors. This project is unique because it offers the student the opportunity to be part of a community and clinically based research project. The student would gain experience in research activities such as how to conduct a literature search, how to read and understand a research article, scientific writing, how to conduct ethical research with human subjects, and gain “hands on” expertise in survey design and behavioral epidemiology. In short, I will train you on data collection, data analysis, and translating the results into health education practice. Our findings will not only provide us with a knowledge-to-action framework to advance community health education practice but challenge your mind and train you to think in new ways.
Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate:
Self-motivated, organized, strong work ethic, a curious mind, a passion for health education, attention to detail, works well independently and as part of a team.
Mentoring Plan: You will work with me and my DQS co-developer, to conduct, analyze, further research to meet the AHA’s established validity and reliability criteria. Hourly commitment is negotiable, but over the course of a semester will average approximately 5 hours per week. The student and mentor will meet each week, either in person or via phone/Zoom throughout the experience.
Contact: 317-595-8557, 7214 Pymbroke Circle