While everyone enjoys a sweet treat from time to time, it’s important to remember the negative impacts of sugar on oral health – especially this time of year! Dental cavities, also known as caries, are the most common chronic disease…
Did you know that October is Squirrel Awareness Month? At KDHRC, our mascot Earl the Squirrel reminds us that curiosity, agility, and preparation are not just traits of squirrels; they are qualities that drive intrepid research and meaningful impact. Earl…
As a women-founded and -led company focused on savvy approaches to complex problems, KDHRC cares deeply about breast cancer education and prevention. Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer diagnosed in women, after skin cancer, with approximately…
Wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers are becoming powerful tools for understanding and improving health. Our latest research brief, “Exploring the Role of Wearable Devices in Promoting Behavior Change and Monitoring Health Outcomes,” highlights how these devices track sleep,…
Did you know KDHRC also provides IRB services? KDHRC provides commercial Institutional Review Board services to social-behavioral researchers and institutions, organizations, and companies ready to launch their research studies and investigations. Since 2007, our Institutional Review Board (IRB) has been…
KDHRC recently published a new research brief series entitled Oral Medical Care Coordination in the U.S. This research brief series breaks down our report on a systematic literature review and our recommendations for future oral medical care frameworks. Oral Medical…
Last fall, KDHRC shared, “Oral Medical Care Coordination: A Systematic Literature Review and Guide Forward,” a report that we created in collaboration with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD). This report provides a systematic literature review on oral…
With summer in full swing, KDHRC is here to break down some common sunscreen misconceptions. Here are three myths with corresponding facts about sunscreen! Myth #1: I don't need sunscreen because my skin tans, but it never burns. Fact…
Did you know May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month? As KDHRC continues to develop the Personalized Approaches to Habits - Sleep (PATH-S), a gamified phone app to encourage teens with asthma to improve their sleep, we want to remind…
May is Lupus Awareness Month and, at KDHRC, we’re honored to stand with individuals living with lupus and those who support them. KDHRC is proud to work alongside dedicated partners to expand awareness, education, and support for lupus communities. In…
As we continue to enjoy the spring weather of May, it’s also the start of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month! The KDHRC staff are serious about all aspects of health, including physical movement and wellness. With a fully remote…
Last month, our Senior Account Manager Jordan Hartley and Account Manager Morgan Fleming traveled to New Orleans to engage with peers in the tobacco prevention field at the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco. They focused on sessions exploring…
On March 11, 2025, KDHRC hosted a 3-hour webinar titled Postpartum Health: Navigating Barriers to Mental and Physical Well-Being Among High-Risk Populations. Experts and attendees discussed the challenges and issues surrounding maternal mortality and identified critical gaps in maternal health…
In collaboration with ProVention Health Foundation, KDHRC recently published a research brief on the Health and Lifestyle Training (HALT) program that increases accessibility to quality prediabetes and diabetes prevention information using a fully remote, asynchronous approach that reduces barriers to…
The U.S. is currently facing one of the most intense flu seasons in the last 15 years, with flu activity surging across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctor’s visits for flu-like symptoms have…
Happy Valentine’s Day! On this love- and heart-focused day, we want to highlight the KDH Research & Communication-developed program CARDIAC, or Cardiac Rare Disease and Conditions. CARDIAC is designed to address the gap of information about Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM)…
In collaboration with our amazing partners at the American College of Rheumatology, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the University of Rochester Medical Center, KDHRC published evaluation findings from an Office of Minority Health- (OMH) funded project to engage…
We’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Guardians Receiving Information through Navigators (GRIN), our online professional development course designed to prepare community health workers (CHWs) to provide oral health outreach to low-income Black parents and guardians…
This past year, KDHRC published a wide range of Informing Public Health research briefs, sharing insights on key issues that impact our communities, such as youth vaping trends, challenges faced by caregiver, and the potential roles of artificial intelligence in…
KDHRC is proud to partner with Alelo in creating a groundbreaking conversational artificial intelligence (AI) avatar to train community health workers (CHWs) through the Monitoring and Outreach for Maternal Safety (MOMS) Postpartum course. MOMS equips CHWs to support postpartum minority…
Happy New Year! KDHRC is excited about the impactful work we will undertake this year and the opportunity to explore new endeavors. In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, the American Public Health Association (APHA) has launched their 2025 Winter…
KDHRC Highlights from the Southeast CHW Networking Summit KDHRC participated in the third Annual Southeast Community Health Worker (CHW) Networking Summit, a two-day event held in midtown Atlanta. This gathering brought together CHWs and allies from 11 states, including Georgia,…
KDHRC partnered with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to conduct a systematic literature review of oral medical care coordination for whole person care. Poor oral health is associated with a range of systemic conditions including cardiovascular disease,…
KDHRC is proud to announce we have been awarded funding for Phase II of our Small Business Innovation Research program entitled “Intervention to Help Orient Men to Excel (IN-HOME). IN-HOME addresses the pressing need for a culturally appropriate, evidence-based online…
KDHRC’s “Informing Public Health” research brief series aims to disseminate innovative, objective, and timely information to solve public health and social issues. KDHRC recently published a new research brief titled Flavor Danger: Exploring Toxin Exposure During ENDS Use. Electronic nicotine…
Earlier this month, KDHRC Account Associate Morgan Fleming traveled to Chicago, Illinois for the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) 23rd Annual Mid-Year Training Institute. As an avid conference presenter and attendee, Morgan was impressed with the variety in workshop…
Did you know that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is opening a new hospital in September 2024? The Arthur M. Blank Hospital, which will be located in North Druid Hills, will have 19 stories and more than 446 beds to…
The sun is not the only thing shining bright this summer – so is KDHRC! We are proud to announce we were awarded funding for Phase I of our SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program entitled “Personalized Approach to Habits-…
Last month, Program Manager Dexter Cooper and Senior Research Manager Nikki Wanty attended the Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) Community Meeting. Each year, the Lupus Therapeutics and Lupus Research Alliance holds an annual two-day LuCIN Community Meeting, and this year’s…
Earlier this month, Morgan Fleming, an Account Associate at KDH Research & Communication, presented new research at the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) Conference in Jekyll Island, GA. During her 30-minute roundtable discussion, Morgan shared our analysis of how parents…
Nicole Wanty, KDHRC’s senior research manager, attended the Patient Advocates for Lupus Studies (PALS) 2.0 training in Palm Springs, CA from March 20-22, 2024. The PALS program is a peer-to-peer program to increase diversity and participation in lupus clinical trials…
Did you know that KDHRC releases new, exciting research briefs each month on topics as varied as youth vaping behavior, wearable fitness devices, and artificial intelligence? Our Informing Public Health research series summarizes our research advances across our areas of…
On February 7 and 8 2024, KDHRC had the privilege of attending the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors’ (NACDD) Open House and Annual Public Health Program Success Showcase. At the Open House, KDHRC was able to reconnect with many…
In exciting news to kick off project work in the new year, KDHRC has been awarded funding for Phase II of our SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program Guardians Receiving Information through Navigators (GRIN). GRIN is a health-equity oral health…
In September, Project Manager Dexter Cooper attended the Meharry Oral Systemic Integration Summit hosted by the Meharry Medical College’s School of Dentistry in Nashville, TN. At this meeting, a diverse group of attendees, including those representing the dental profession, academia,…
Happy Flounder’s Day! No, that is not a typo. Today, we’re celebrating the founding of KDHRC. Yes, we recognize that KDHRC’s mascot is a squirrel, not a fish. But somewhere along the way, FOUNDER turned into FLOUNDER! So, what is…
This month, ACR Open Rheumatology published a new paper authored by several KDHRC staffers: Andrew Simkus, Nikki Wanty, Annie McNeill, and Kristen Holtz. In this article, KDHRC and our colleagues assessed outcomes on the Lupus Therapeutics’ Patient Advocates for Lupus…
In May 2023, Lupus Therapeutics and Lupus Research Alliance held a two-day Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) Community Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. The meeting was for stakeholders including researchers, pharmaceutical companies, community leaders, and people living with lupus to…
Did you know tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children in the U.S.? It afflicts nearly one in four Americans ages 3 to 5 and is preventable. The prevalence of tooth decay increases from 21 percent among…
Follow KDHRC's new one-pager series on youth vaping Vaping seems ubiquitous among youth. In KDHRC’s one-pager series Vaping Attitudes Youth Perspectives Survey, or VAYPS, we use a robust proprietary data set to explore associations between youth vaping usage and various…
Want to stay updated on the latest and greatest public health news? Or have you ever wanted to know why ice hockey fans throw objects on the ice? KDHRC has got you covered! KDHRC is excited to announce the reinvigoration…
On May 03, 2023, KDHRC co-hosted a day-long meeting in Atlanta, Georgia with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Oral Health. The goal of the meeting was to…
Research has consistently shown that female adolescents have experienced worse pandemic related stress than males. While a multitude of social, biological, and behavioral factors help explain gender differences in pandemic related mental wellness, we wondered whether parents’ interpretations of their…
Holtz, K., Simkus, A., Fleming, M., Wanty, N., & Twombly, E. How self-ratings of risk-taking, self-control, and leadership relate to youth vaping onset Youth with higher vape usage had significantly higher self-ratings of risk taking than youth who had not…
Wanty, N.I., Cooper, D.L., Simkus A., Twombly, E.C., McCalla, S., Holtz, K.D., et al (2022). A provider-based approach to address racial disparities in lupus clinical trial participation An online educational course to train medical providers to refer Black and Latino…
Holtz, K., Simkus, A., Fleming, M., Wanty, N., & Twombly, E. (2022). Sleep deprivation and adolescent susceptibility to vaping in the United States Adolescent sleep deprivation is associated with susceptibility to vaping, which suggests new approaches for prevention. Click here…
Holtz, K., Simkus, A., Fleming, M., Wanty, N., & Twombly, E. How exposure to influencers promoting vapes on social media relates to degree of use among adolescents Youth with higher vape usage report significantly greater exposure to influencers promoting vapes…
If you’ve ever tried to change a habit—or convince someone else to do so—you know firsthand that behavior change is hard. Because we like the hard stuff at KDHRC, a large part of what we do every day is helping…
In March and April of 2020, KDHRC successfully conducted 28 virtual focus groupswith adults across the U.S. to gather qualitative input for a national preventioncampaign, Every Try Counts (ETC). The unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic escalatedquickly and prompted many rapid changes to…
On November 19, 2019 KDHRC launched AVOID -- our anti-vaping prevention program for middle and high school students. We are proud to offer a science-based prevention program for schools and communities to teach middle and high school age youth about the risks…
KDHRC started the year off strong at the 4th annual National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) Showcase 2020, which took place in Atlanta, GA. This year's Showcase theme was “Elevating Public Health to Social Health – Establishing Multisectoral Partnerships…
KDHRC launched AVOID on November 19, 2019! We are proud to offer an evidence-based prevention program for schools and communities to teach middle and high school age youth about the risks of vaping. AVOID was designed to make prevention efforts easy and comes…
KDHRC had the pleasure of hosting the AVOID Scientific Panel on Youth Vaping. On December fifth, we invited members of the Atlanta community who work with youth to join us at the Friendly Human studio to engage in discussion with…
In November, KDHRC celebrated our thirteen-year anniversary. As part of our annual "Flounder's Day" (= Founder's Day- but if you know, you know) we headed to the Atlanta Beltline to participate in a scavenger hunt. We split into three teams…
In November, KDHRC president and founder, Kristen Holtz, was interviewed by WSB-TV's Tom Regan to talk about AVOID - our anti-vaping prevention program for middle and high school students. In the interview, Kristen gave Tom an overview of all the…
In late October, KDHRC attended the fourth annual National Institutes of Health Tobacco Regulatory Science Meeting (NIHTRSM). The NIHTRSM was created through the common goal of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to…
In collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health's (MDH) Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control (CTPC), KDHRC seeks to better understand statewide trends in vapes and tobacco use among youth and young adults in Maryland. As a part of this…
Last week the AJC reported that Atlanta Public Schools are preparing to update their drug and alcohol policy to specifically include vaping. Kristen Holtz, KDHRC president and APS parent, helped rewrite the policy to include clearer language on vaping and emerging…
-- September 2019 Kristen Holtz, KDHRC founder and president, co-authored a manuscript recently published in the British Medical Journal outlining results from qualitative research conducted by the Food and Drug Administration with evaluation assistance from KDHRC to test their ENDS…
--October 2019 KDHRC launched the AVOID Vaping Fast Facts Webinar, an 8-part series that covers a wide range of vaping product topics. Topics will include coverage on vape-related deaths and illnesses, vape-related policy change, the history of big tobacco marketing…
-- September 2019 Congratulations to KDHRC researchers Nikki Wanty, Joncel Stephens, and president Kristen Holtz, for their recent publication in the Journal of Clinical Medicine! This article was written in collaboration with Saira Sheikh from UNC and Sheryl McCalla from…
--August 2019 In late August, KDHRC attended the National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While in attendance, KDHRC presented new research findings from the FDA’s The Real Cost Campaign and from our very own program, AVOID…
--July 2019 KDHRC Attends CADCA Mid Year to gain program development insight from leaders in the anti-drug community. To promote AVOID, a media-based online toolkit for vape prevention for youth ages 12 to 16, and gain program development insight from leaders…
--May 2019 The Georgia Public Health Association held its 90th Annual Meeting and Conference in early May in Atlanta, GA. KDHRC staff members attended and delivered 30-minute workshops on five different projects. Two of our promotores training programs were on the…
--January 2019 KDHRC supplies drug prevention resources for North Dakota school administrators conference KDHRC was invited to attend The North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals (NDASSP) Mid-Winter Conference from January 30th- February 1st. The association consist of more than…
--January 2019 KDHRC attends PALS training hosted by Lupus Therapeutics KDHRC visits Miami, Florida for the Patient Advocates for Lupus Studies (PALS) training hosted by Lupus Therapeutics. During this two-day training, 12 lupus patient advocates will receive education and instruction…
--January 2019 KDHRC launches fourth year of support to ACR’s CDC co-op, kicks-off VERA. KDHRC has been supporting and collaborating with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for more than seven years. Since 2016, we’ve supported ACR’s work on a…
--December 2018 KDHRC staffers named to Board of Directors for state hearing loss organization. KDHRC proudly recognizes two staffers for their election to the Board of Directors for AG Bell's Georgia chapter. Nicole Wanty, Senior Research Associate, will serve as…
--November 2018 KDHRC launches monthly newsletter KDHRC proudly announces the launch of our monthly electronic newsletter. The e-newsletter highlights recent accomplishments, partnership opportunities, and introduces program, services, and staffers. You can view the first edition or subscribe, here.
--Octubre 2018 KDH Research and Communication anuncian orgullosamente el lanzamiento de Dientes Fuertes, Vida Sana, un programa de entrenamiento para promotores que realizan actividades de salud dental para niños de familias latinas con bajo ingresos. Para la liberación el 11…
--October 2018 KDH Research and Communication proudly announces the launch of Dientes Fuertes, Vida Sana (Strong Teeth, Healthy Life), a training program for promotores conducting children’s dental health outreach with low-income Latino families. For release on October 11, 2018 from…
--September 2018 FDA launches first-ever national teen vaping prevention campaign with Surgeon General Jerome Adams and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Today, the FDA launched “The Real Cost” Youth E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign. The campaign consists of hard-hitting advertising on digital and…
--August 2018 Teen tobacco prevention campaign, The Real Cost, saves more than $31 billion in smoking-related costs. A report from RTI states that since its launch in 2014, FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ (CTP) campaign, The Real Cost, has saved…
--August 2018 KDHRC licenses oral health program for promotores training. KDH Research & Communication (KDHRC) recently the sold licensing rights for the Dientes Fuertes, Vida Sana (DFVS) program to the South Texas Promotora Association (STPA). On October 6, 2018 STPA…
--August 2018 KDHRC granted advocate status from The National Afterschool Association. The National Afterschool Association, a membership association for professionals who work with child and youth, has added KDHRC as an advocate. The award-winning organization has a membership bank of…
--August 2018 Researcher receives promotion, now Senior Research Associate KDHRC is proud to announce that Nicole I. Wanty has been promoted to Senior Research Associate. Nicole has been on our research staff for more than eight years. During her time…
--July 2018 Presenting the dangers of vaping to local school faculty and staff In addition to developing AVOID, our vaping prevention program for youth, KDHRC presents regularly to school boards and schools about the dangers of vaping. Recently, one of…
--July 2018 KDHRC receives Puentes Fast Track Funding from NIH KDHRC is proud to announce a FastTrack award for an NIH SBIR grant. To complete Puentes, we will develop, implement, and rigorously evaluate a culturally competent, online professional development course…
--July 2018 KDHRC receives Cochlear Implant University Phase 2 funding from NIH KDHRC is proud to announce their award of SBIR Phase II funding to continue the development and evaluation of Cochlear Implant University (CIU). This program is designed to…
--July 2018 KDHRC attends and exhibits at CADCA MidYear in Orlando KDHRC attended CADCA’s MidYear event, a training session for drug prevention coalition leaders across the county. The event was attended by more than 2,000 professionals and had a record-breaking…
--July 2018 KDHRC presents on cochlear implant program at Healthy Aging Summit in Washington D.C. Hearing loss researcher, Nicole Wanty, presented preliminary findings from an evaluation of the RCCI prototype. RCCI, or Cochlear Implant Resource Center: Online Resources for Older…
--June 2018 Laura Gover and Nicole Wanty attend AG Bell’s 2018 Convention in Scottsdale, KDHRC exhibits We recently attended AG Bell’s annual convention to promote KDHRC’s three cochlear implant programs; The CI Toolkit, Cochlear Implant University, and Online Resources for…
--June 2018 Laura Gover and Nicole Wanty attend Hearing Loss Association of America’s 2018 Convention in Minneapolis, Nicole presents on RCCI. We recently attended HLAA’s annual convention to promote KDHRC’s three cochlear implant programs; The CI Toolkit, Cochlear Implant University,…
--June 2018 Dr. Kristen Holtz presents on lupus awareness campaign at the 2018 USF Social Marketing Conference in Clearwater, FL Dr. Holtz presented findings from the American College of Rheumatology’s CDC-funded lupus awareness campaign to a room full of behavior…
--June 2018 Dr. Kristen Holtz presents on lupus awareness campaign at the 2018 USF Social Marketing Conference in Clearwater, FL Dr. Holtz presented findings from the American College of Rheumatology’s CDC-funded lupus awareness campaign to a room full of behavior…
--June 2018 KDHRC completes CAP program through NIH We recently led a closeout session for NIH’s commercialization acceleration program (CAP). The session outline changes we have implemented to our corporate commercialization efforts throughout our participation in the program. We gained…
KDHRC Travel Series: HLAA 2018 KDHRC Researchers Laura and Nicole enjoyed their time at the Hearing Loss Association of America’s convention last month in Minneapolis, MN! Our staffers learned a lot about hearing loss with older adults and the organizations…
--May 2018 Laura Gover and Nicole Wanty present and attend GA Bell’s Semi-Annual Chapter Meeting KDHRC staffers, including our cochlear implant program manager, attended GA Bell’s chapter meeting, held at the Atlanta Speech School. We presented on one of our…
— May 2018 KDHRC publishes a research brief on the effectiveness of online and in-person training on lupus for promotores. Research brief number 16 examines the effectiveness of in-person and online lupus assessment trainings to promotores at Latino-serving health nonprofits. …
--April 2018 KDHRC attends and exhibits at the National RX Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta With the continued opioid epidemic, attending this year’s summit was particularly important and engaging. Staffers connected with professionals from local, state, and federal…
--March 2018 Volunteering at GA Bell’s Hispanic Action Group Meeting. KDHRC staffers Laura Gover and Nicole Wanty attended several meetings this spring for GA Bell’s Hispanic Action Group . The group was created under an AG Bell initiative to support…
-- March 2018 KDHRC reaches science teachers at NSTA. KDHRC staffers joined hundreds of other companies to exhibit at the National Science Teacher Association’s conference in Atlanta, GA. While there, staffers conversed with teachers, administrators, and school-support staffers to disseminate…
--March 2018 KDHRC returns from Washington, DC following their second NIH commercialization presentation. KDHRC presented their strategies to a room full of investors, thought-starters, and researchers during their FeedForward session for NIH’s Commercialization Acceleration Program (CAP). This is the second…
--February 2018 Leveraging CADCA’s Leadership forum for anti-vaping focus groups. KDHRC staffers Nicole Wanty and Melody Simpson attended CADCA’s 28th National Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. to lead focus groups for AVOID, KDHRC’s NIH-funded project, to inform youth of the…
--February 2018 Becoming change agents. KDHRC staffers Meghan and Laura joined thousands of professionals striving to change people’s health behaviors at Rescue’s Agents of Change Summit in San Diego, California. The event included presentations, workshops, networking, and break-out-sessions allowing attendees…
--January 2018 KDHRC staffers Rosa Smith and Debra Kozlowski attend the GA State of Latinos conference in Atlanta. Hosted by the Latin American Association, the conference focused on the critical issues facing Georgia’s rapidly growing Latino population. Staffers enjoyed networking…
-- November 2017 KDHRC publishes brief that explores characteristics of staffers most likely to benefit from TPC. The Todo Promotores Clearinghouse (TPC) strives to build the capacity of staffers at Latino health nonprofits to effectively run promotores programs. This brief…
— November 2017 KDHRC publishes a research brief on the effectiveness of Todo Promotores Clearinghouse. Research brief number 14 examines the effectiveness of the Todo Promotores Clearinghouse, an online resource to support the creation, implementation, and evaluation of promotores programming among…
KDHRC launches Todo Promotores Clearinghouse (TPC). Todo Promotores Clearinghouse (TPC): Resources for nonprofit organizations to formulate, implement, and evaluate promotores programs that support low-income Latinos. KDH Research & Communication proudly announces the launch of the Todo Promotores Clearinghouse. For release…
Todo Promotores Clearinghouse (TPC): Recursos para organizaciones sin fines de lucro con la finalidad de formular, ejecutar y evaluar programas de promotores que apoyan a latinos de bajos ingresos. KDH Research & Communication se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento…