Latest News. Stay updated on the recent team happenings.
Melissa Garnes Receives Prestigious Student Excellence Award
During Melissa Garnes' time as a student, she served as an undergraduate research assistant with Military REACH where she made significant contributions to our team, she completed a research fellowship, leading to a publication (starting on page 76), and she interned for the Rural Health Initiative to connect rural Alabamians to health care. She was an exceptional student and her dedication and accomplishments were recognized with the College of Human Sciences' prestigious Student Excellence Award. Learn more about Melissa, her achievements, and the exciting plans she has for the future.
2025 Southeastern Council on Family Relations Conference
Members of the Military REACH team attended the annual Southeastern Council on Family Relations conference, the regional conference for the field of Human Development and Family Science. During the conference, we had the privilege of sharing about Military REACH and showcasing our team's work. It was a great experience where we reconnected with old friends and networked with colleagues, and one of our team members even returned home with an award. ________________________________________ Bridging the gap: Examining institutional support needs for families in adolescent mental health transitions through a qualitative lens Presenter: Sheila Sjolseth - Received the Graduate Poster Award Leveraging public use data to advance family science and policy: Steps for success Presenter: Dr. Erin Cooper
Auburn University Research Symposium
This month, Auburn University hosted its annual research symposium. The goal is for students to have the opportunity to present their research and scholarly discoveries to their peers and colleagues. Among the presenters were two members of the Military REACH team, Emily Hanson and Melike Coskun, PhD students. Read about their presentations below. What matters and for whom? Risk and protective factors associated with food insecurity severity among military-connected families Presenter: Emily Hanson, PhD Student and REACH Research Associate Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that Service members experience food insecurity at nearly twice the rate of civilians. Indicators of financial instability tend to explain many antecedents to food insecurity among civilians, yet risk factors of food insecurity may be different for military-connected families (active duty and Veteran). Active-duty families have access to a regular income and other resources positioned to promote economic stability. However, for these currently serving families, the military lifestyle can also be highly mobile, introducing unique barriers to stability (e.g., spouse unemployment). For formerly serving (i.e., Veteran) families, differences in the civilian job market and community systems at play may impact employment and access to resources, all possible risk factors of food security and resource utilization. There are also unique facilitators that can bolster well-being among this population, such as shared culture and social support. The primary objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among 1,304 military-connected families – both active duty and Veteran – who participate in Blue Star Families, a nonprofit with the mission of strengthening military families by creating communities of support. Multinomial logistic regression models identified risk (e.g., unemployment, number of children) and protective factors (e.g., nonprofit support) associated with the severity of food insecurity. These models were fit separately based on military status, specifically, active-duty Service members, active-duty spouses, Veterans, and Veteran spouses. Findings are positioned to advance the conversation on the prevalence of food security, assist in the screening and identification of families at risk of food insecurity, and enhance understanding of how nonprofits can support at-risk families. Exploring prenatal predictors of childhood obesity in a comprehensive literature review Presenter: Melike Coskun, PhD Student and REACH Graduate Research Assistant Abstract: Childhood obesity is a significant health issue in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), data from 2017 to 2020 show that almost 1 in 5 children and adolescents were obese. In Alabama, the CDC reported that in 2023, nearly 2 in 5 people (39.2%) had obesity, ranking Alabama as the fifth highest state for obesity. Childhood obesity is linked to a wide range of health problems, including stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, depression, anxiety, chronic diseases, and increased morbidity later in life (Ayine et al., 2020). In 2019, the medical cost of obesity among children was $1.3 billion US dollars. Therefore, identifying the early life risk factors for childhood obesity is essential to implementing effective prevention. Most research has focused largely on identifying the risk factors for childhood obesity during early and late childhood, including high birth weight, excessive weight gain, shorter breastfeeding duration, problematic eating patterns, poor nutritional diet, lack of physical activity, poor sleep, and sociodemographic factors. However, emerging evidence highlights the importance of identifying the risk factors as early as prenatal periods. The primary aim of this literature review is to explore the perinatal risk factors for childhood obesity, with a specific focus on the mother’s gestational weight gain or prior obesity, tobacco use, poor maternal nutrition and diet, sleep problems, lack of physical activity, and maternal psychological problems during pregnancy (Baidal et al., 2016; Córdoba-Rodríguez et al., 2022; Sacco et al., 2013; Qureshi et al., 2018). The literature review will be guided by the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework, which suggests that environmental factors during early life can permanently affect the onset of health problems by increasing the risk of diseases in later life (Lacagnina, 2019).
Military REACH at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany
While abroad this month on official duty, Drs. Lucier-Greer and O'Neal visited Spangdahlem Air Base. They connected with Military Family Readiness consultants to brief them about how Military REACH can be a tool for creating a research-informed culture of service provision at their Military and Family Readiness Center. If your team or organization would like a brief, virtual briefing on the mission of Military REACH and the products that our team produces, contact us at MilitaryREACH@auburn.edu.
Allison Tidwell Shares Her Study Findings
Allison Tidwell, Military REACH GRA PhD student, recently conducted a study focused on participants' reactions to a mobile app-based training program designed to enhance military cultural competence among helping professionals. Feedback from participants was positive and suggests a favorable training experience that may facilitate the program's desired outcomes. She presented her findings to her colleagues and peers within the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Auburn University, where she is now officially a Doctoral Candidate and expected to graduate this year.!
Military REACH: 2024 Year In Review
Check out all the Military REACH team accomplished in
Military REACH Recognized for Contribution to Serving Military Families
This month Military REACH was recognized for their contribution to the Military and Family Readiness Foundational course. Since 2020, the team has provided briefings to newly hired Military and Family Readiness Center personnel. The aim of these briefings is to inform new personnel about the importance of making research-informed decisions for service provision. These briefings take place three times a year at Air University, Eaker Center for Leadership Development, Force Support Professional Development School, located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. This recognition acknowledges the team's success in providing practitioners access to high-quality research that supports their efforts in bolstering military families’ readiness and resilience. Congratulations are extended to each member of the Military REACH team for this achievement, as they have collectively educated 750 Department of the Air Force Human and Social Services professionals. Please join us in celebrating this achievement!
MILITARY REACH ATTENDS NCFR 2024
A generation of friends reunited at the annual NCFR conference MILITARY REACH ATTENDS NCFR 2024 Several of our team members, including past members, attended the 2024 annual conference for the National Council on Family Relations. Conferences offer valuable opportunities to promote Military REACH, foster professional development, and honor the 2024 award-winning scholars, many of whom are part of our team: Student New Professional Award (Military and Veteran Families Focus Group) Dr. Clairee Peterson, Dr. Catherine O'Neal, Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer, Rachel Okamoto Professional Award (Military and Veteran Families Focus Group) Dr. Catherine O'Neal, Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer, Rachel Okamoto, Matthew Saxey, Avery Murdie
Remembering Dr. Jay Mancini
Dr. Jay Mancini, a respected family scientist and theorist who elevated the study of military families, passed away this month (October 2024). Throughout his career, he developed partnerships with the U.S. Department of Defense as well as the service branches to evaluate military family support systems and promote community capacity building. He was a prolific scholar who authored or co-authored more than 200 publications, including books, theoretical commentaries, and empirical research. Dr. Mancini’s impact on the field expands beyond writings as he mentored students and faculty throughout the course of his 40 year career. In fact, he was a long-time mentor to Drs. Lucier-Greer (right) and O'Neal (left), directors of Military REACH. He hired them as post-doctoral research fellows in his Family and Community Resilience Lab at the University of Georgia, and then after his “retirement,” they hired him as a founding team member and co-investigator of our Military REACH team at Auburn University. He will be greatly missed as a scientist and a friend. Research Summaries featuring Dr. Mancini's work: Military adolescents' experiences of change and discontinuity: Associations with psychosocial factors and school success (O'Neal et al., 2023) When fathers are involved: Examining relational and psychosocial health among military families (Mallette et al., 2021) Toward a framework for military family life education: Culture, context, content, and practice (Mancini et al., 2020)
Team Members Receive Awards for Their Poster Presentations
This month, several Miliary REACH team members presented posters at the 2024 Outreach & Engaged Scholarship Symposium. Emily Hanson and Allison Tidwell (Human Development and Family Science PhD students) received awards in Science Communication and Outreach Efforts for their poster presentations. Lessons Learned from an International Collaboration on Veteran Family Research– Allison Tidwell and Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer Better together: Capitalizing on the collective agency of a university-nonprofit partnership to achieve actionable solutions for military families Presenter: Emily Hanson and Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer Advancing Family Resilience through Community-Based Mental Health Center Policies: Facilitating Conversations and Breaking Boundaries Presenter: Sheila Sjolseth and Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer
Military REACH presents at the Military & Family Readiness Foundational Course
This month, Military REACH presented at the Military and Family Readiness Foundational Course for the Department of the Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base. We connected with Military Family Readiness consultants from around the world to share how Military REACH can be a tool for creating a research-informed culture of service provision at their local Military and Family Readiness Centers. If your team or organization would like a brief, virtual briefing on the mission of Military REACH and the products that our team produces, please contact us as MilitaryREACH@auburn.edu.
REACH presents at the Military & Family Readiness Summit
This month, Drs. Lucier-Greer and O'Neal presented at the Military and Family Readiness Summit for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) in San Antonio, TX. Their goal was to share how Military REACH translates and synthesizes research so it can be used to support military families. Attendees included Active-Duty and Reserve Readiness NCOs as well as M&FR leadership teams from A1SA, USSF, AFPC/DPFF, AFRC, and ANG.
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