Hood to Woods Project: SF BUILD team explores anti-racist healing in nature
By Rebecca Margarita Mendez
Deaths from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, disproportionately affect communities of color in the San Francisco Bay Area. Factors such as lack of health insurance, unemployment, food insecurity and homelessness contribute to this problem.
To address the needs of these communities, San Francisco State University (SF State) faculty and staff researchers have collaborated with community organizations to establish the Hood to Woods study.
The Hood to Woods project is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) transformative research grant and is led by staff from the NIH-funded SF BUILD undergraduate research program. The goal is to promote the well-being of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities in a culturally-appropriate nature intervention. This initiative also aims to provide mentorship and training opportunities to BIPOC students, fostering their success in biomedical research careers.
The SFSU Hood to Woods program reclaims nature as a means of anti-racist healing
The program reclaims nature as a means of anti-racist healing for marginalized communities. SFSU researchers work with community organizations that adapt ancestral knowledge and cultural practices to develop nature programs promoting health. The initiative is led by Student Insider Researchers (SIRs), pronounced “seers,” who come from the same communities as those represented in the Bay Area.
The goal is to create culturally appropriate and transformative nature programs that alleviate stress among young adults ages 18 to 26 years old, who are from BIPOC communities in the Bay Area. The program aims to prevent the continuation of chronic diseases associated with prolonged stress and strive for health equity.
“The project works with the community to reclaim the ancestral connection to nature for wellness, as this practice has been lost in many communities of color,” said Rebecca Mendez, project manager for the Hood to Woods program and lab manager for the SF BUILD Health and Equity Research Lab.
“In many BIPOC communities, nature is viewed as medicinal and grounding, providing a respite from the toxic experiences of daily life. To reduce the impact of toxic stress, we seek to ensure equitable access to green spaces such as redwoods and parks.”
The program also collects data, including biospecimen and survey measures, that will be used to inform policy changes. Hood to Woods relies on strong partnerships between academics, researchers, the San Francisco community, nonprofit organizations, outdoor specialists from both public and private sectors, and government leaders.
In collaboration with Save the Redwood League, the organizers were able to reserve a pristine Redwood old grove exclusively for participants of the program. This reserved space is surrounded by redwood trees, some of which are thousands of years old.
The reserved Redwood old grove allows participants to immerse themselves in nature at their own pace. The program also provides transportation, as well as lunch and snacks, for those who take part in the weekend trips. For more information, visit SFSU’s Reclaiming Nature website.
Hood to Woods participants out in nature
Spotlight on a Student Insider Researcher
Juan Rojas is a sophomore at SFSU majoring in microbiology with minors in public health and chemistry. He is dedicated to helping people from BIPOC communities. Rojas is passionate about science and said he is motivated to give back to his community through scientific endeavors.
SFSU sophomore Juan Rojas is a Hood to Woods Student Insider Researcher (SIR)
Inspired by his Mexican heritage, Rojas joined the Reclaiming Nature: Hood to Woods project as a SIR.
“My experiences with hiking in the mountains near my family's home in Mexico during holidays have always made me feel free and alive, especially in contrast to the city environment,” he said.
As a SIR, he hopes that program participants will develop a stronger connection to their community and gain insights on how nature experiences can help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.
“The project works with the community to reclaim the ancestral connection to nature for wellness, as this practice has been lost in many communities of color,” said Rebecca Mendez, project manager for the Hood to Woods program and lab manager for the SF BUILD Health and Equity Research Lab.
If you would like to join, email hoodtowoods@gmail.com or visit linktr.ee/hoodtowoods.
New on MyNRMN: Grad school prep guide
By David Kallison
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) is offering new courses on its MyNRMN platform to help mentors and mentees through the application process for graduate school or summer research experiences.
From guides on letters of recommendations to seeking financial support, this suite of eight short courses helps participants present the best version of themselves to graduate institutions and other programs. The courses are fully captioned and all feature videos elucidating the complex graduate admission process.
The series was created by a broad coalition of authors and developed by the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). NRMN curates quality course content and will continue in the future.
NRMN has long offered a number of courses centered around mentoring, such as its unconscious bias course with almost 4,500 enrollees.
“We are now excited to offer resources for those looking to enter graduate school or summer internships,” said Roda Cotanay, NRMN Resource Center program manager.
“We believe that by offering these mini courses, we will be able to increase the number of successful scientists entering the field of biomedical research by equipping them with the basic knowledge that they need to get started."
Any mentor, mentee or member can access this series, numbered and marked with a red banner, under “courses” on MyNRMN.
For more information, email Roda Cotanay at roda.cotanay@unthsc.edu.
Celebrating recent honors for CSULB BUILD students, alumni and faculty
By Nicole Streicker
A number of students, alumni and faculty from California State University, Long Beach’s BUILD program recently received honors. Read about their accomplishments below.
CSULB BUILD Students and Alumni
BUILD Scholar Diana Than was the recipient of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Outstanding Baccalaureate in March 2023.
Tammy Nguyen, BUILD Fellow, won second place in the Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences category at the 35th Annual Student Research Competition at CSULB in March 2023.
Katrina Jensen, BUILD Scholar, won first place in the Biological and Agricultural Sciences category at the 35th Annual Student Research Competition at CSULB and advanced to represent the university at the statewide competition at San Diego State University in April 2023.
Jeremiah Sabale, BUILD Scholar, won first place in the Undergraduate Research category at CSULB’s Psych Day Research Competition in April 2023.
BUILD alum Trong (Dan) Pham won the 2023 Best Master’s Thesis Award from the College of Liberal Arts in April 2023. Pham worked with Young-Hee Cho, PhD, as his BUILD Research Mentor.
Emma Rosas received a Travel Award to the 2023 Western Psychological Association (WPA) annual convention for her outstanding abstract, titled "The Effectiveness of Dual-Task Training in Improving Balance, Strength, and Executive Function of Community-Dwelling Older Adults."
Top row (from left): Diana Than, Isabel Ramirez-Flores, Emma Rosas. Bottom row (from left):Trong Pham, Tess Nguyen, Katrina Jensen, Jeremiah Sabale
Her abstract was rated in the top 2% of over 1,200 abstract submissions. The convention took place in April 2023.
BUILD Fellow Isabel Ramirez-Flores received the CSULB Sociology Department’s Student Leadership Award in May 2023.
Tess Nguyen is a recipient of the Sally Casanova California Pre-Doctoral Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year.
CSULB BUILD Faculty
CSULB BUILD Principal Investigators Kim Vu, PhD (left), and Panadda Marayong, PhD (right)
BUILD Principal Investigator (PI) Kim Vu, PhD, is a 2023 University Achievement Award recipient. She has been awarded with the 2023 Outstanding Professor Award at CSULB. Read more about the award on the University Achievement Awards website.
BUILD Principal Investigator (PI) Panadda Marayong, PhD, is a recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement. Learn about this award and recipients on the President’s Awards for Outstanding Faculty Achievement website.
The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
Grow Together.