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Renee Umstattd Meyer

Professor of Public Health, Baylor University
Dr. Umstattd Meyer’s work focuses on promoting health and health equity through an active living lens. She collaborates with communities using mixed methods to understand cultural context and advance approaches and policies to foster healthy and active opportunities and lifestyles for all people. She focuses much of her work partnering with underserved rural communities and families, which has been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through Active Living Research and the Physical Activity Research Center (PARC), the Physical Activity Policy Research Network Plus (PAPRN+) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Education, the American Heart Association through Voices for Healthy Kids, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She co-leads the Physical Activity Research Center (PARC) and the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (PAPREN) Rural Active Living Workgroup, and has been invited to serve on advisory panels and/or lead webinars for American Heart Association, Voices for Healthy Kids, America Walks, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Physical Activity Alliance, and the Diversity Committee for the 2016 National Physical Activity Plan, to name a few. In addition to serving in these capacities, she co-chaired the 2019 Active Living Conference and is a Fellow and Past-President of the American Academy of Health Behavior, a multidisciplinary society of health behavior scholars and researchers.

4 low-cost ways to create safe public spaces where all kids can play

Aug 06, 2021 10:21 am UTC| Insights & Views

Outdoor play is critical for child development it decreases stress, increases communication and social skills, attention and physical activity, and enhances physical development. During COVID-19, opportunities for...

Economy

Asian Markets Retreat as Gulf Crisis Fuels Oil Surge and Inflation Fears

The fragile ceasefire in the Gulf showed fresh signs of collapse on Thursday, rattling Asian share markets and sending oil prices sharply higher as investors confronted the reality of a prolonged inflationary shock to the...

Gulf Ceasefire Cracks Rattle Asian Markets and Push Oil Prices Higher

Optimism in Asian financial markets faded quickly on Thursday as early signs of instability in the Gulf ceasefire sent oil prices climbing again, reinforcing fears of a prolonged inflationary impact on the global economy....

Dollar Stabilizes Amid Fragile US-Iran Ceasefire as Markets Watch Hormuz Strait

The U.S. dollar edged higher in early Thursday trading after suffering broad losses, as investors cautiously monitored the durability of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The dollar index climbed a...

Gold Prices Dip Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Inflation Fears

Gold prices edged lower during Asian trading on Thursday, retreating after modest gains in the previous session as investors continued monitoring escalating Middle East tensions threatening a fragile ceasefire between the...

Oil Prices Rebound as Hormuz Disruptions and Middle East Tensions Rattle Markets

Oil prices recovered Thursday following their sharpest single-day decline since April 2020, as ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and escalating Middle East tensions renewed fears over global crude supply. By...

Politics

U.S. Pushes for Crypto Regulation to Keep Digital Asset Growth at Home

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling on Congress to pass landmark federal cryptocurrency legislation, warning that regulatory uncertainty is pushing blockchain innovation and investment out of the United States. In...

North Korea Tests Advanced Cluster Bombs, Electromagnetic Weapons in Latest Military Display

North Korea has conducted a series of weapons tests this week, showcasing cutting-edge military technology including cluster-bomb warheads, electromagnetic weapons, and carbon-fibre bombs, according to state media outlet...

Trump Pardon Clears Juan Orlando Hernández as U.S. Court Dismisses Drug Conviction Appeal

A U.S. federal appeals court has dismissed the case against former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, vacating his prior conviction following a presidential pardon granted by Donald Trump in December. The...

Taiwan Defense Budget: U.S. Senator Urges Legislature to Pass Spending Plan

Republican Senator Jim Banks visited Taipei and delivered a direct message to Taiwans President Lai Ching-te: the islands parliament must stop stalling and approve a proposed special defense budget. Banks, a member of the...

Haiti Election 2025: Voter Registration Delayed Amid Ongoing Security Crisis

Haitis Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has officially announced the postponement of a voter registration drive that was originally set to begin on April 1. The council stated that updated registration dates would be...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Alibaba Shares Slide as Jefferies Slashes Price Target Over AI Spending and Business Losses

Alibabas Hong Kong-listed shares (HK:9988) dropped 2.9% to HK$122.70 on Thursday, emerging as one of the heaviest drags on the Hang Seng Index, which closed 0.6% lower. The selloff came after investment bank Jefferies...

Anthropic Fights Pentagon Blacklisting in Dual Federal Court Battles

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has refused to halt the Pentagons national security blacklisting of AI company Anthropic, delivering a temporary win for the Trump administration. The ruling comes as another...

U.S. Disrupts Russian Military Hackers' Global DNS Hijacking Network

The U.S. Justice Department has successfully executed a court-authorized operation to dismantle a DNS hijacking network tied to Russian military intelligence. The network was run by GRU Military Unit 26165, a cyber unit...

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...