Collaboration with peer institutions, especially from an international perspective, offers new insights regarding program development and engagement.
Recently, 15 Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) educators and leaders, along with 560 other attendees representing 35 countries, attended the XXV World Congress of the International Federation of Home Economics Conference (IFHE) in Galway, Ireland.
The theme of the 25th World Congress was Home Economics in a Time of Transformation: Bridging the Past - Charting the Future.
Lorrissa Dunfee, Belmont County Extension Educator, said it was a great opportunity to meet other professionals, share new ideas, hear the latest research being done, and learn from colleagues all over the world. She added, “We walked away from the conference with new ideas, potential new partnerships, new professional opportunities, and excitement for the future of our profession.
During the conference, the following FCS presentations were given:
Oral Presentations
Engaging At-Risk Youth Using Experiential Learning– Lorrissa Dunfee (Belmont County) and Alisha Barton (Miami County)
Extending Family and Consumer Sciences Programming with Extension Public Health AmeriCorps – Beth Stefura (Mahoning), Emilee Drerup (program director), Dan Remley (state specialist), Susan Zies (Wood County), Nicole Debose (Cuyahoga County), and Pam Montgomery (Morgan County)
Generation Rx: Safe Medication Practices for Better Health – Susan Zies (Wood County) and Marie Economos (Trumbull County)
Implications of Teaching a Diabetes Education Program Online versus In-person – Dan Remley (state field specialist), Margaret Jenkins (Clermont County), Beth Stefura (Mahoning County), Alisha Barton (Miami County), Marie Economos (Trumbull County), Susan Zies (Wood County), and Shari Gallup (Licking County)
Poster Presentations
An Old Strategy Used in a New Way: Measuring Health Behavior and Skill Adoption Using a Non-Traditional Method – Lorrissa Dunfee (Belmont County), Ryan Kline (Ross County), Lisa Barlage (Ross County), Jessica Lowe (Pickaway County) and Tammy Jones (Pike County)
Sharing Our Professional Story: Charting our Future in a Complex World – Marie Economos (Trumbull County), Heather Reister (Butler County), Margaret Jenkins (Clermont County), Melissa J. Rupp (Fulton County), Beth Stefura (Mahoning County), and Susan Zies (Wood County)
Generation Rx: Safe Medication Practices for Better Health – Susan Zies (Wood County), Dr. Ruth Emptage (staff pharmacist), Marie Economos (Trumbull County).
To learn more, conference details are available at ifhe2024.com. Explore FCS programs at fcs.osu.edu/programs.
Photo (row 1, l to r) Marie Economos, Heather Reister, Melissa J. Rupp, Ryan Kline, Alisha Barton (back row) Emilee Drerup, Marybeth Motasem, Beth Stefura, Margaret Jenkins, Dan Remley, Lisa Barlage, Jessica Lowe, and Lorrissa Dunfee. Not pictured: Nicole Debose, Ruth Emptage, Tammie Jones, Shari Gallup, Pam Montgomery, and Susan Zies.