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Shiriki K. Kumanyika, Ph.D., M.P.H. Professor of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Research that motivates change is what keeps Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika inspired each day. Her lifelong goal is to reduce care disparities affecting African American communities, especially as they relate to and weight management.

As a professor of epidemiology in biostatistics and epidemiology and in pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Kumanyika researches the effects dietary change and weight management have on chronic diseases. Her recent studies and clinical trials focus on preventing or treating obesity among in clinical or community-based settings.

“I became interested in obesity and nutrition because this is something people can modify to help their health,” Kumanyika said. “Nutrition affects everyone, so it’s a way for me to reach the whole population. The research I do will, hopefully, make a difference in how many people develop diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.”

Kumanyika also has been involved in many clinical trials on the impact of other dietary changes such as sodium reduction, and she is now completing a weight-control study that is exploring the long-term effect a support system has on a person’s ability to lose weight and keep it off. She soon will begin a study to evaluate a feasible weight-loss program model for primary care physicians who serve African American and Latino communities to use with their patients.

“Over the last 20 years, I have been able to create new ways of thinking about African American nutrition and how to address obesity,” she said. “There are not many scholars of color in obesity research. I think it’s really important for the black community to have people in academic institutions who are seen as experts.”

To ensure her legacy of health promotion research and policy change continues, Kumanyika makes it a priority to mentor young African American scientists, researchers and health advocates.

“I work to keep others motivated to change the world for the better through research. Research creates new knowledge or helps us to put the knowledge we have to work in the real world,” she said.

Kumanyika also has created the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network, a group of scholars, researchers in training and community partners dedicated to addressing African American weight, nutrition and physical activity issues in a culturally sensitive and community-responsive manner.

“My efforts alone will not change African American health statistics, but I will feel as if I have made a difference when the proportion of adults who are overweight is lower and fewer children are overweight,” Kumanyika said. “I want my efforts to contribute to the broader effort to improve the health profiles in our communities.”

uly “There are not many scholars of color in obesity research. I think J it’s really important for the black community to have people in 2007 academic institutions who are seen as experts.” – Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1234567 1889: Frederick Douglass named U.S. 1872: Elijah McCoy patents first self-lubricating 1688: The Quakers in Germantown, Independence Day 1892: Andrew J. Beard patents rotary engine. 1957: wins women’s singles 1948: Cleveland Indians sign pitcher Minister to Haiti. locomotive engine. The quality of his inventions Pennsylvania, make first formal protest 1900: Traditional birthdate of Louis 1991: Nelson Mandela elected president of title at Wimbledon, first black to win tennis’s Leroy “Satchel” Paige. helped coin the phrase “the real McCoy.” against slavery. “Satchmo” Armstrong, jazz pioneer. the African National Congress. most prestigious award.

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1943: Faye Wattleton, first black director 1893: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs 1875: Educator Mary McLeod Bethune, 1905: W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe 1937: Actor, comedian Bill Cosby born. 1965: Thurgood Marshall becomes first black 1951: George Washington Carver Monument, of , born. first successful open-heart operation. founder of Bethune-Cookman College, born. Trotter organize the Niagara Movement, 1949: Frederick M. Jones patents cooling appointed U.S. solicitor general. first national park honoring a black, is dedicated 2000: wins women’s singles a forerunner of the NAACP. system for food transportation vehicles. in Joplin, Missouri. championship at Wimbledon.

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1867: Maggie Lena Walker, first woman and 1822: Violette A. Johnson, first black woman 1959: Singer dies. 1899: L.C. Bailey issued patent for the folding bed. 1925: Paris debut of Josephine Baker, 1950: Black troops (24th Regiment) win first 1896: Mary Church Terrell elected first first black to become president of a bank, born. to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, born. 1998: African American Civil War Soldiers entertainer, activist and humanitarian. U.S. victory in Korea. president of National Association of 1862: Anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells- Memorial dedicated, Washington, D.C. Colored Women. Barnett born.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1939: Jane M. Bolin of New York City 1962: Jackie Robinson becomes first black 1807: Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge born 1916: Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas 1948: President Harry S. Truman issues 1880: Alexander P. Ashbourne patents 1868: 14th Amendment, granting blacks appointed first black female judge. baseball player in the major leagues inducted in New York City. mask, rescues six people from gas-filled Executive Order 9981, ending segregation process for refining coconut oil. full citizenship rights, becomes part of into baseball’s Hall of Fame. tunnel in Cleveland, Ohio. in armed forces. the Constitution.

29 30 31 1895: First National Conference of Colored 1822: James Varick becomes first bishop of 1874: Rev. Patrick Francis Healy inaugurated Women Convention held in Boston. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. president of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

FACT NO. 7

A healthful diet provides all the nutrients you need, and enough calories — typically 1,200 to 1,800 daily — to African American History Calendar minimize hunger and maintain your energy level. www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com