Melanie Ripley selected as Paul Ambrose Scholar

Melanie Ripley (MS III) has been selected as a 2013 Paul Ambrose Scholar through the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP).  Ripley is one of 40 scholars nationwide who were selected from all U.S. medical and health professions programs.

June 20-23, 2013, Ripley will participate in the Paul Ambrose Scholars (PAS) Program Symposium in Washington, D.C., and then begin her public health project, which will be implemented at the World Academy for Total Community Health High School (WATCH), a high school in Brooklyn, New York. She will be working for five weeks with the school children and their families to teach them about incorporating healthy food practices.

Ripley will use the food that is grown in the school community garden to teach about healthy meal preparation, cooking, and nutrition/healthy behaviors. She will employ varied instructional methods, including: demonstrations, games, hands-on activities, and lectures.  Of added importance is Ripley’s work with disadvantaged families and families with varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Marilyn R. Gugliucci, Ph.D., is Ripley's PAS Project Mentor.