IU professors awarded prestigious honors, recognition

The year came to a successful close for IU faculty as three IU professors won prestigious awards in December.  The professors were given national recognition for research and field contributions in multiple areas of study, according to the individual press releases.

Mohammad Torabi, Chancellor’s Professor and chair of the Department of Applied Health Science, received the Distinguished Service Award from Eta Sigma Gamma, the National Health Education Honorary, for what he described as lifetime service contributions to the field of health education.

Professor of school health promotion in the Department of Applied Health Science, David Lohrmann, was presented the American School Health Association’s William A. Howe award, the Association’s highest honor, for his work in school health.

Adding to the honors, biologist Ellen Ketterson became IU’s newest fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her research in animal behavior.

Torabi’s tobacco research educates public
Torabi received the Distinguished Service Award during Eta Sigma Gamma’s annual conference in Denver.

According to the press release, “the award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to health education and outstanding service to furthering the goals of Eta Sigma Gamma.”

Torabi said those goals reflect a highly selective honor society in the health field, whose main focus is promoting excellence through research, leadership and education.

He said two main goals of the organization involve preventing disease and promoting health.

Torabi’s research is in disease prevention and tobacco abuse. He further studies the role public schools and the community play in such prevention.

After 25 years of dedication, tobacco use and abuse is Torabi’s passion.

“My own family background led me to this topic of research,” Torabi said. “Members of my family were smokers, and I saw the devastating effects of tobacco.”

His work demonstrating that tobacco can be a gateway drug has received national and international attention, he said. He focuses his research on informing the public that tobacco affects every organ and cell in the body, and  it is the number one risk factor for six of the leading causes of death.

Torabi’s research has been published in a number of professional publications. He also serves as the editor of the Health Education Monograph Series and has been assistant research editor for two other health journals.

Torabi has received other awards and honors including the Outstanding Researcher Award by School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and IU’s Presidents’ Award for Distinguished Teaching.

“I share the spirit of these awards with many of my colleagues,” Torabi said.

Lohrmann improves HIV prevention programs
Lohrmann received the Howe award at the same conference in Denver – a joint meeting of Eta Sigma Gamma and the American School Health Association.

“The award is a career achievement award,” Lohrmann said. “It spans work of over 35 years.”

Lohrmann’s research that led to this recognition dealt with HIV prevention programs, including the study of policy, curriculum, staff development and outcomes of such programs, he said.

“We hoped the research drove not only evaluation, but also program development,” Lohrmann said. “We want the agencies to use the results to help them improve what they are doing.”

Lohrmann’s research has led to extensive publication including his co-authorship of multiple books and articles, he said. He also spends time coordinating different programs and conference presentations in his area of study.

The Howe award is described as the American School Health Association’s highest honor for a member of the organization to receive. As a past president of the Association, Lohrmann describes the group as one that draws in professionals from multiple disciplines, placing award winners in highly esteemed company.

Lohrmann credits much of his success to his passion for influencing the development of healthy adolescents.

“I really did not start with research,” Lohrmann said. “I started with programs that affect kids. You want to capture programs that work and spread them.”

Ketterson explores Snowbird behavior
Becoming IU’s 38th AAAS fellow, Ketterson attributes the honor to the dedication of her colleagues, specifically the IU students she works with.

“I am pleased for all of my colleagues who I’ve done research with because a recognition of the research is a recognition of them,” she said.

Ketterson researches behavioral evolution and ecology at IU. Her focus is on how hormones, such as testosterone, influence behavior. She does this through extensive study of the Snowbird, a type of songbird that is particularly accessible in Indiana and highly conducive to laboratory research.

Ketterson and her colleagues study the Snowbird to determine relationships among testosterone, behavior and fitness. It is her commitment to this study that Ketterson believes earned her this achievement.

“I have shown a long standing effort to study the life history of a single bird in many environments,” she said.

Ketterson will attend an AAAS ceremony in San Diego on Feb. 20 to become officially inducted as a fellow.