BACKGROUND:Vascular aging, often defined in terms of arterial stiffness and impaired arterial hemodynamics, is an important factor associated with hypertension and CVD. Aortic stiffness, a more particular measure of arterial stiffness focusing on central hemodynamics (ie, the aorta), is an independent predictor of hypertension and CVD risk. Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower arterial stiffness in various White populations, for peripheral and central measures of stiffness, but further investigations into Black populations are warranted. We examined the association between physical activity and aortic stiffness among participants in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). METHODS:We analyzed data from JHS participants who completed applanation tonometry assessment as part of an ancillary study (2012-2017). A total of 1,226 Black adults (age 59.0 ± 10.0, 60.4% female) were included for analysis. Associations were assessed using multivariable linear regression models, adjusted for age and sex and then further adjusted for other demographic and CVD-related risk factors. Physical activity was measured via self-report, and aortic stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) using applanation tonometry. RESULTS:Higher total physical activity was associated with lower cfPWV when controlling for risk factors associated with arterial and aortic stiffness (estimated B = -0.96; 95% CI: -1.59 to -0.33). When considering American Heart Association physical activity recommendations (ie, ideal activity vs. not meeting recommendations), this relationship remained. CONCLUSION:Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower levels of aortic stiffness in the Jackson Heart Study.

INTRODUCTION:A novel Graduate Training and Education Center (GTEC) under the National Institutes of Health funded Jackson Heart Study (JHS) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) was launched for doctoral students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences. UMMC GTEC supports scholars through a program in cardiovascular epidemiology with research training institutes, scientific mentoring, and participation in professional coaching. This manuscript describes the program's origins, features, and evaluation findings, and discusses the feasibility and limits of complementary research training and mentoring to enhance the biomedical research workforce. METHODS:A program evaluation framework was used to describe the processes, outcomes, and lessons learned. Data from program graduates were synthesized using a convergent parallel design. RESULTS:Between 2021 - 2024, 22 scholars graduated from UMMC GTEC, all of whom were from groups characterized by the National Science Foundation as underrepresented in biomedical research in the United States. There was evidence of convergence between the qualitative themes with eight quantitative measures to support the findings of significant increases in self-efficacy for science communication, varying changes in career outcome expectations, and no significant changes in science identity. Five findings diverged on career interests and mentor influence. Five scholars (22.7 %) submitted their UMMC GTEC project manuscripts to a peer-reviewed journal, four (80.0 %) of which have been published. Fifteen of 22 scholars (68.2 %) submitted abstracts for presentation at national conferences. DISCUSSION:The feasibility of peer-reviewed publication during the training program was low but the submission of conference abstracts from completed projects was high. Mentors worked effectively with each scholar, and the program contributed positively to the number of next generation cardiovascular epidemiology researchers in Mississippi.

Background: The disproportionality of chronic disease deaths such as breast cancer among Black women, has become a growing public health concern. Researchers are attempting to utilize primary prevention techniques in the form of physical activity to prevent future breast cancer diagnoses and deaths among Black women. Unfortunately, existing physical activity-based interventions have not thoroughly explored the cultural needs of a physical activity-based intervention that targets Black women specifically. The purpose of this study is to identify the needs of a culturally tailored physical activity intervention among Black women with a family history of breast cancer using constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory. Methods: Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Once participants expressed interest in the study, they were screened for eligibility and enrolled once they provided their consent. A total of twelve individuals were invited to participate in focus groups to answer a series of questions reflective of the barriers and motivators related to physical activity engagement. All findings were thematically analyzed using Dedoose software. Results: Common barriers were as follows: environmental-level factors were both childcare and access to resources/gym, behavioral-level factors were fear/intimations and beliefs about physical activity, and personal-level factors were time management. Motivators were discovered to be: the environmental-level factor of an accountability partner, the behavioral-level factors of rewards/incentives, and the personal-level factor of self-motivation. Conclusions: Findings from this study showcase that the cultural needs of Black women with a family history of breast cancer are essential for designing an effective physical activity-based intervention.

Purpose: Prior studies have investigated how barriers and motivators (B&M) impact women’s participation in heart health-related research, but there is limited understanding of how women’s perceptions of their own heart health risk impact such B&M. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-perceived risk of heart disease and B&M to heart health-related research participation. We hypothesize that self-perceived risk of heart disease will be associated with encountering increased barriers or motivators to research participation on average. Methods: Data from the Barriers and Motivators to Research survey from the American Heart Association’s Millennial Women’s Health Study (MWHS) were used to conduct this analysis. B&M were measured using the established B&M research scale employed in prior health research. B&M were tallied among each participant and the number of total B&M were counted. We performed descriptive statistics and the association between B&M and perceived risk of heart disease was assessed by performing one-way ANOVA Kruskal-Wallis tests for nonparametric data. Results: A total of 200 women participated in the study. Of these, 39% were Black and 21% were Hispanic, with an average age of 44 (10.9). Sixty-five percent of women within the study population perceived themselves to be at risk of heart disease and 60% of the population reported that they did not experience barriers, instead reporting that they felt motivated to participate in research. We found that there was no significant difference in average total amount of barriers or motivators between any groups that perceived themselves to be at risk of heart disease ( = 8.5, = 4, p = 0.07, = 7.6, = 4, p = 0.11). Additionally, women who reported a single barrier to participation in research were more likely to report encountering at least 3 motivators to research participation. Conclusion: Women who perceived themselves to be at risk for heart disease reported strong motivation to participate in heart-related research. Although most women in our sample did not report encountering barriers to participation, those who did identified barriers such as difficulty finding time to participate and lack of interest in learning about the information research may provide about their health. Further research is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the specific motivators and barriers experienced by women from minoritized backgrounds when invited to participate in heart research.

Background Left ventricular mass (LVM) is suggested to be a sensitive predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart failure. In recent years, genome-wide association studies have discovered loci that associate with outcomes related to LVM, providing an opportunity for the development of genetic risk scores. However, the relevance of these genetic variants to non-European ancestry groups requires additional testing. Here, we examined if variants that have been associated with heart failure and LVM in multi-ancestry populations are associated with LVM among African American individuals in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS).Methods Heart failure and LVM associated variants were identified from two published multi-ancestry studies. Two polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were computed for 2175 African American participants (mean age 53, 63% female). We assessed the linear association of both PRSs with LVM indexed to height (LVMh) and indexed to body surface area (LVMbsa) and fit a multivariate general linear model to LVM containing both PRS and covariates (age, sex, body mass index (BMI), diabetes and hypertension). Type III MANOVA Pillai tests were run to assess the effects of the PRS on the log LVM values.Results Linear correlation analysis showed positive associations between age and LVMh (r=0.278) and LVMbsa (r=0.296) as well as BMI with LVMh (r=0.320). A strong linear correlation was observed between LVMh and LVMbsa (r=0.894). Elevated LVM among individuals with diabetes and hypertension was observed. When accounting for age, sex, BMI, diabetes and hypertension, we found insufficient evidence to suggest that the heart failure PRS affected either measure of LVM; the same can be said for the LVM PRS.Conclusion We find insufficient evidence to suggest that heart failure and LVM genetic variants derived from predominantly European multi-ancestry populations are linearly associated with log LVM among African American participants in the JHS.

Purpose: Women are underrepresented in cardiovascular health research and our understanding about the association between women’s research participation and healthy behaviors is limited. This study aimed to determine the association between women’s engagement in moderate physical activity (MPA) and perceived risk for heart disease (HD). We hypothesized that women who engage in MPA will have a lower perceived risk for HD. Methods: Data was leveraged from the Barriers and Motivators to Research survey from the Millennial Women’s Heart Study funded by the American Heart Association Research Goes Red for Women. In a self-reported survey, women were asked “I am able to engage in 30 minutes of MPA (Y/N)” and “I feel that I am personally at risk for HD”. Perceived risk responses were measured on a Likert scale: “strongly agree,” “somewhat agree,” “neutral,” “somewhat disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” The Mantel-Haenszel Chi-square test was used to assess the association between categorical variables, and ANOVA was applied to compare continuous variables. Results: Among the 192 women in this analysis, the study population included 37.5% Black women, 79.7% employed, and 63.5% who engage in MPA, with a mean age of 44 (±11) years. A larger proportion of women reported feeling at risk for HD than not. Black women were more likely than White women to report feeling at risk for HD (41.8% vs 31.9%), and employed women were more likely to report perceived risk for HD compared to unemployed women (78.1% vs 21.9%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in perceived risk for HD between women who engage in MPA and those who do not (p = 0.18). Conclusion: Our findings align with previous research on the relationship between physical activity and HD risk perception, but no significant association was observed between MPA and perceived risk for HD in this sample. However, proportionately, a greater number of women who reported engagement in MPA noted less perceived risk for HD. Future studies should explore additional factors influencing women's perception of HD risk and include larger epidemiological cohorts to better detect potential differences in risk perception between women who engage in MPA and those who do not.

What people eat is a major contributor to health outcomes, including development of metabolic, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases. Dietary quality varies widely is influenced by factors including sex, race, geographic location, socioeconomic status, self-perception of community standing, and occupation. These factors potentially interact, making an understanding of dietary quality difficult to fully disaggregate and therefore challenging to modify from a population health perspective. This study sought to analyze the interaction between subjective social status (SSS) and occupation on dietary quality among African Americans in the Deep South, as well as assess their marginal effects. Hypotheses Dietary quality will vary by occupational groups and levels of SSS. There will be an interaction between occupational groups and (SSS) on dietary quality. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of data from participants of the Jackson Heart Study was completed. Participants ( n = 4,727) who had complete data for occupation, the alternative healthy eating index (AHEI, a measure of diet quality) score, and SSS (as measured by the Community MacArthur Scale) at exam 1 were included in the analysis. A general linear model with main and interaction effects for SSS and occupation group was fit to AHEI. Results: Type III F -tests from ANOVA showed no significant interaction between SSS and occupational groups with respect to mean AHEI scores ( p = 0.7635). Significant main effects were found for both the occupational groups and SSS level ( p < 0.0001). Pairwise comparisons of occupational groups revealed significantly different mean AHEI scores among several groups. Most notably, those in the management/professional occupation appeared to have higher mean AHEI compared to all the other groups. Mean AHEI was estimated to increase by 0.3723 units (SE = 0.0781) for every one-unit increase in SSS. Residual diagnostics and goodness-of-fit methods verified model adequacy. Conclusions In conclusion, occupation and SSS each contribute significantly to dietary quality as measured by AHEI; some occupational groups show significant differences in dietary quality; and there is no evidence of an interaction between occupation groups and SSS, indicating that the positive association between subjective social status and dietary quality is the same for each occupational group.

Background: Increased left ventricular (LV) mass is an outcome of LV remodeling that can result in development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a maladaptive disorder that increases the risk of heart failure. Elevated LV mass is a sensitive predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of heart failure risk and development of LVH. The influence of genetics on this health disparity is unclear and a topic of interest. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered many variants associated with numerous adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart failure and LV phenotypes. However, the relevance of these studies for African Americans may be limited as these analyses have been conducted in multi-ancestry populations with limited representation of African heritage. The question of whether these genetic risk variants can be used to predict LV phenotypes in an independent African American population remains unanswered. Hypothesis: Variant loci that have been associated with heart failure and LV mass in multi-ancestry populations will be associated with LV mass amongst African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Methods: Thirty-nine (39) SNPs associated with heart failure and ten (10) SNPs associated with LV mass were identified from two published studies in which participants of African ancestry or Black individuals comprised less than 15% and 2%, respectively. Using the published effect size estimates, genetic risk scores (GRSs) for heart failure and LV mass were computed for 2,175 African American participants (mean age 55, 63% female) in the JHS with complete data and consent for genetic research. We assessed the linear association of heart failure and LV mass GRSs with LV mass indexed to height (LVM h ) and indexed to body surface area (LVM bsa ). A multivariate general linear model was fit to both LVM h and LVM bsa containing both GRS predictors and accounting for age, sex, BMI (mean 31.5), diabetes (22%), and hypertension (52%). No multicollinearity was noted among these explanatory variables using variance inflation factors. Due to non-constant error variance, a log transformation was conducted on both LV mass response variables. Type III MANOVA Pillai tests were run to assess the effects of the GRSs on the log LVM bsa and log LVM h values. Conclusion: When accounting for age, BMI, sex, diabetes, and hypertension, we found that neither the heart failure GRS (p-val = 0.4012) nor the LV mass GRS (p-val = 0.8332) had an effect on both log LVM bsa and log LVM h . There is insufficient evidence to suggest that heart failure and LV mass variants derived from predominantly European multi-ancestry populations are linearly associated with log LV mass amongst African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. Our work highlights the need for greater recruitment and targeted studies of populations with African ancestry for GWAS of LV phenotypes.

Introduction: Arterial stiffness, defined as high rigidity of the arterial wall, results from vascular aging, and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in the lifespan. The reference standard for central aortic stiffening is carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV). Hypothesis: Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower levels of aortic stiffness, as measured by CFPWV, among African Americans. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on data from 1,226 participants in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) who underwent arterial tonometry assessment for CFPWV (2011-2016) and had physical activity data available. Physical activity was assessed using a 30-item questionnaire that measured four domains: active living habits, work, home life, and sport/exercise activities. Scores were summed across all domains, with higher scores representing higher physical activity (range = 0-16). Higher CFPWV, measured in meters per second (m/s), indicated increased arterial stiffness. Linear regression models (adjusted for sex and age, and multivariable-adjusted for CVD risk factors) were used to assess the association of physical activity with CFPWV. Results: The sample was 60.3% female with a mean age of 59.02 (SD=10.02). The mean physical activity score was 6.16 (2.27) and mean CFPWV value was 10.3m/s (3.84). There was a significant inverse association between physical activity score and CFPWV across both models. With each 1-unit increase in the total physical activity score, CFPWV was -0.14 m/s lower [95% CI -0.22, -0.06] in the model adjusted for age and sex. In the multivariable adjusted model, the magnitude of the association was similar, B = -0.13, 95% CI [-0.20, -0.05]. Conclusions: In this sample of African Americans, greater physical activity was associated with lower levels of aortic stiffness. Given that aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of CVD, longitudinal investigations of the association between physical activity and CFPWV are needed, including exploring whether physical activity interventions can improve aortic stiffness.

Abstract Introduction Elevated blood pressure (BP) is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the world. Elevated BP in adolescence increases the risk for CVD in adulthood. Unfortunately, 1.3 million adolescents (ages 12 to 19) have extremely elevated blood pressure or hypertension (HTN). Evidence suggests that sleep duration is associated with HTN in adults, but less is known about these relationships during adolescence. Furthermore, there is limited research focused on specific developmental stages, particularly late adolescence, which is the last age group before adulthood. Also, there is a paucity of research on BP including other sleep variables like sleep efficiency. Therefore, the purpose of this secondary data analysis was to determine if sleep duration and sleep efficiency were associated with BP during late adolescence. Methods This secondary data analysis included older adolescents (16-18 years) who participated in the Cleveland Children’s Sleep and Health Study, a cohort study examining sleep disturbances and health outcomes. Height, weight, and BP (systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)) were measured using standard clinical procedures. Objective sleep duration and sleep efficiency were measured by at least five days of actigraphy. Subjective sleep duration was averaged from daily self-report. The association was evaluated using Pearson correlations and multiple linear regressions. Results This sample included 259 adolescents (age 17.7±0.4, 63.3% White, 55.6% female). Pearson correlation analysis indicated a negative relationship between sleep efficiency and SBP (r = -0.210, p < 0.001) with a small-medium effect size (95% CI [-0.316, 0.098]). However, the negative correlation between sleep efficiency and SBP was no longer significant after controlling for assigned sex, race, and body mass index percentiles in a multiple linear regression model. Conclusion This secondary data analysis did not provide sufficient evidence on the associations between sleep duration and sleep efficiency with BP in older adolescents, possibly due to the homogenous sample with small variations in BP, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency. Therefore, there is a need for future studies including more heterogenous samples to evaluate the relationships between sleep and BP in this age group. Support (if any) 1st author - NHLBI T32HL105349 & NICHD 5T32HD101397-03

Background Personalizing approaches to prevention and treatment of obesity will be a crucial aspect of precision health initiatives. However, in considering individual susceptibility to obesity, much remains to be learned about how to support healthy weight management in different population subgroups, environments and geographical locations. Subjects/methods The International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) has been launched to facilitate a deeper and broader understanding of the spectrum of factors contributing to success and challenges in weight loss and weight loss maintenance in individuals and across population groups. The IWCR registry aims to recruit, enroll and follow a diverse cohort of adults with varying rates of success in weight management. Data collection methods include questionnaires of demographic variables, weight history, and behavioral, cultural, economic, psychological, and environmental domains. A subset of participants will provide objective measures of physical activity, weight, and body composition along with detailed reports of dietary intake. Lastly, participants will be able to provide qualitative information in an unstructured format on additional topics they feel are relevant, and environmental data will be obtained from public sources based on participant zip code. Conclusions The IWCR will be a resource for researchers to inform improvements in interventions for weight loss and weight loss maintenance in different countries, and to examine environmental and policy-level factors that affect weight management in different population groups. This large scale, multi-level approach aims to inform efforts to reduce the prevalence of obesity worldwide and its associated comorbidities and economic impacts. Trial registration NCT04907396 (clinicaltrials.gov) sponsor SB Roberts; Tufts University IRB #13075.

Purpose To explore the social context of physical activity (PA) among active Black women, we examine the patterns of PA engagement and the benefits of social support in PA maintenance. Design A cross-sectional study design and descriptive phenomenological approach were used to examine social support and lived experiences of active Black women. Setting The study setting was an online survey of active Black women, ages 21 to 71 years who were recruited from across the United States. Participants This secondary data analysis was conducted among a sample of 187 active Black women who maintained PA for ≥6 months. The mean age was 41 ± 12.3 years, 83.4% completed some college, 37.7% were married, and 30.0% had children. Measures Participants self-reported ‘with whom’ they engaged in PA and provided qualitative responses about their strategies for PA maintenance. Descriptive statistics were used to examine between-group differences among demographic characteristics and PA variables by category of PA engagement using SAS 9.4. Descriptive phenomenology was used to explore social support themes across and within categories of PA engagement. Results On average, the active Black women in this study reported engaging in 57.0 ± 18.9 minutes of moderate intensity leisure-time PA per session. Most engaged in PA alone (n = 87), with a group (n = 72), or with another individual (n = 28). Social context themes within categories included: alone – self-management, groups - motivation and accountability, family – values health, and friends – shared interests in PA. Subthemes across social context categories included: who? - people, what and how? - types of social support, and where? – place of social support. Conclusions Our findings suggest that some Black women may need added social support from others beyond family and friends, while other Black women may prefer additional self-management skills. Nonetheless, this study provides data for developing hypotheses about the mechanisms by which social context may facilitate PA maintenance among Black women. Therefore, intervention studies targeting PA maintenance among Black women should include an in-depth query of social support needs.

Changes in hepatic vein, hepatic portal vein and aortal plasma levels of glucose, lactate, nonesterified fatty acids, and D-3-hydroxybutyrate as well as changes in hepatic glycogen and lactate levels were studied during feeding after 12 h of food deprivation in rats. Feeding caused an increase in portal vein lactate concentration and a transient net hepatic lactate uptake that led to hepatic lactate accumulation. As in previous experiments, feeding was associated with hepatic glycogenolysis and net hepatic glucose release, despite a profound increase in portal vein plasma glucose. Net hepatic uptake of nonesterified fatty acids and net hepatic release of D-3-hydroxybutyrate declined during feeding but did not cease, suggesting that hepatic fatty acid oxidation continued throughout feeding. A prandial net intestinal uptake from arterial blood was observed for nonesterified fatty acids and D-3-hydroxybutrate, while a net intestinal release was found for glucose and lactate. The results are consistent with the idea that under the conditions tested, glucose, lactate and nonesterified fatty acids jointly activate a hepatic metabolic mechanism of satiety.

Introduction: Black women are disproportionately classified as overweight or obese and physically inactive. Social support and culturally relevant and age-appropriate physical active interventions are needed to reduce inactivity and to prevent weight gain among this group. Mobile-health text messages have shown to be an acceptable, feasible and interactive way to promote physical activity among older Black women. Study Design: This feasibility, 12-week RCT, deployed between August 2020 and December 2020, aimed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a mobile health intervention that focused on increasing physical activity behaviors among community-dwelling, older Black women who were age >= 60 years and classified with overweight or obesity. Setting/participants: Community-dwelling, older Black women. Intervention: The intervention group received physical activity promotion text messages daily, whereas the control group received 1 neutral message related to general health information weekly. Measures: At baseline and post intervention assessments, researchers obtained HbA1c levels, weight, BMI, waist circumference, and questionnaires related to physical activity. Post-intervention satisfaction was also collected through a survey. Results: The intervention group had an average increase of approximately 700 steps per day more than the control group, lost more waist circumference inches (2.2) than the controls, and averaged more pound loss (2.5) than controls. The control group had a greater HbA1c reduction, whereas the intervention group remained stable. The text messages were 100% readable, and 95% of the women stated the study was motivational. Overall, 12% of participants suggested that future studies should include more in-person social support, and 8.3% said that daily text messages were too much. Conclusions: Findings suggest that a mobile health physical activity intervention that uses self-monitoring techniques in conjunction with motivational cues, is an acceptable delivery method and a promising strategy to increase physical activity behaviors among this population, which is feasible, potentially efficacious, and low cost. (C) Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

To evaluate racial disparities in weight gain velocity and body composition among preterm infants. This observational study analyzed race differences in fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), percent body fat (%BF), and weight gain at discharge of infants born at 25–32 weeks of gestation. No racial differences in FFM, FM and %BF measurements were found between black and white preterm infants after adjusting for birth weight, gestational age, and the presence/absence of breastfeeding (n = 143). Black infants born preterm had lower birthweights and higher weight gain from birth to discharge in unadjusted and adjusted models (13 ± 3 vs. 11 ± 3 g/kg/day; <0.001). Black infants had higher weight gain from birth to discharge, but comparable body composition measurements at discharge. More research is needed to understand contributing factors and long-term implications of this finding.

ABSTRACT Background Despite the long-term health benefits of physical activity, many Americans across the life span do not meet the recommended levels. However, physical activity discussions in the clinic setting may hold promise. The purpose of this study aimed to understand health care providers’ beliefs and practices about physical activity discussions being a part of patients’ health care treatment. Methods Semistructured, audiotaped interviews were conducted to elicit narratives from 10 health care providers. Interview data were transcribed verbatim, and then coded and analyzed by two qualitative researchers using NVivo12. Results Three major themes emerged were as follows: importance of regular physical activity counseling for vulnerable populations; patients’ lack of regular physical activity, including subthemes of lack of time, current health conditions, and social determinants of health; and health care provider’s reflections about their own physical activity. Conclusions Health care providers have an important role when it comes to promoting good health. Having physical activity discussions with patients at every clinic visit is a great opportunity to encourage patients to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors such as regular physical activity. From this pilot study, implications for practice may include increased awareness of the health care providers to discuss physical activity at every visit, which may lead to improved provider–patient communications related to the benefits of daily physical activity behaviors. These discussions may even have a secondary gain of encouraging the providers themselves to adopt the healthy behavior and thereby serve as a role model for their patients.

My purpose for participating in the 2017 Society for Behavior Medicine (SBM) Leadership Institute was to redefine my career goals in an effort to do more work that mattered. I felt overwhelmed by the numerous tasks as a mid-level researcher, including leadership roles outside of my university to fill a desire to pursue activities that were purposeful but not valued by the academy. For example, I served on the Board of Girls on the Run (GOTR) where I was chair, leading a team of about 12 board members to provide a running-based life skills program for girls in Grades 3-5. After stepping down from the Board, I chose to develop a partnership between GOTR and the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) that would provide an opportunity for me to lead an outreach effort extending the GOTR program into Birmingham City Schools. The goal was not only to reach more girls from disadvantaged backgrounds but also to also reach their family members. We used survey results to assess parent/ family preferences for receiving physical activity training resources to be able to support their girls at the end-ofthe program 5K celebration. The resources were made available via the UCEM website and a link was sent by GOTR to all families of participants in the program. Overall, the partnership allowed us to reach more girls and their families and I know that the SBM Leadership program contributed to my delegation and organizational skills coupled with coaching to reveal my strengths and blind spots.