Kate Hendricks is a graduate student in the Ph.D. program in Health Education and Health Promotion offered through the Department of Health Science in the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Kate is a veteran of the US military and in her third year of the doctoral program. She has an active research agenda in women’s health and veteran reintegration & holistic health. Below is a brief description of some of her recent projects:
Veteran Reintegration & Holistic Health Seminar Series
Returning to the civilian world from the active duty military can be challenging, but embracing transition and change in an agentic fashion is possible if we invest in ourselves. Created by veterans for veterans, The Just Roll With It Bootcamp is intended to bridge the gap in existing services for military members returning to civilian life. Focusing heavily on movement therapies, stress management, and the importance of social cohesion, the JRWIB curriculum is meant to empower and inspire.
Women’s Wellness Seminars at Common Ground Health Clinic
The Common Ground Health Clinic in New Orleans, LA is a nonprofit community primary care clinic that serves uninsured and underinsured citizens in one of the poorest areas in Louisiana. The surrounding neighborhood of Algiers is 75% African-American, with most residents making less than $30,000 each year. Chronic health conditions like diabetes and obesity create medical risk and need for local residents. In 2012, Kate Hendricks successfully began a women’s wellness seminar series that met weekly to cover a variety of health topics, and built in leadership development and sustainability practices that has allowed for participant-led program continuation. The programming was explicitly holistic and a main focus of effort was supportive community-building; the social network makes up a huge part of social identity and determines the level of support participants receive as they endeavor to make behavioral change. Community-building programming included: member-led discussions, potlucks, and interactive content overview that de-centered the instructor/group leader.
The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides an inclusive, forward-thinking environment and nearly 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.
