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Dear SBH Family, I wanted to introduce you to an exciting new project that we have been working on over the past year. Many of you have noted that we know too little about each other's research. And this could not be more true. This led us to work with our faculty to design the new School of Behavioral Health research website.

Inez Beverly Prosser, PhD Inez Beverly Prosser, PhD, was the first African American woman to receive her doctoral degree in psychology. Dr. Prosser was born in Texas in 1895. After graduating from high school, she completed a teaching certification and taught in the segregated Texas school system. She received her bachelor of arts degree in education in 1924 and her master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Colorado. She then accepted faculty and administrative positions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the lives of vulnerable youth and their families. Homes are overcrowded, parents need to stay home to care for children attending online classes, and there is great concern for lack of basic necessities. This is especially true for vulnerable youth and their families, with reports of disproportionate risk for food insecurity, as well as poor academic, emotional, and social outcomes. Dr.

In 2016, Spirit of Children, a program that donates toys, costumes, and gaming systems for patients, funded a Child Life Fellowship position at Loma Linda University Children's Health.

The year 2020 has been full of challenges that have stretched us and encouraged greater collaboration between the University and the Hospital. When COVID-19 hit, we jointly watched as our students were pulled from their clinical placements and the Loma Linda University Children's Health Child Life Department experienced the loss of volunteers and intermittent furloughs.

As a Child Life Specialist, I'm always prepared to explain my role and rationalize the need for Child Life interventions in the medical journeys of pediatric patients. Our role is not always easily understood. In fact, Child Life services remain widely unknown around the globe. Awareness of the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients continues to increase, and active areas for growth and use of the field include Asia and the Middle East.

Tuition for all degree and certificate programs in the School of Behavioral Health will be held steady at current rates for the 2021-22 academic year. The decision to hold tuition steady is in direct response to the economic challenges that individuals and families are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever before, people all over the world are becoming aware of the importance of mental health as an essential part of wellness.

We have all been navigating loss, disrupted rhythms, and uncertainty in 2020. At the start of shelter-in-place, I cancelled travel plans to be a bridesmaid in a close friend's wedding and attended my first wedding via Zoom instead. That same week, I found out that LLU was going entirely online. This was only the beginning of a new normal. In this space, many of us find ourselves searching for home base. My spring break exchanges with Dr.

The Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health Spiritual Life and Wholeness Committee is announcing a Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Research Conference on November 13 (Friday), from 8:30am-12:00pm! Watch Replay The entire conference will be held online using Zoom. The schedule includes a presentation on the SBH philosophy of integrating spirituality and religion with the social sciences in both theoretical and clinical practice, followed by a panel discussion.

In the USA, there is a well-established correlation between low literacy level and poor health outcomes. Independent predictors of low literacy include poverty and being African-American or Hispanic/Latinx. This, in part, helps to explain the disproportionately high number of chronic conditions and mortality among these groups. To address these persistent health disparities many prevention and lifestyle programs have been developed but often suffer from poor engagement and outcomes among these target groups.