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Men 麻豆精品 S檚 Health Initiative

麻豆精品 S淎 year after getting my Ph.D., I co-founded the Men 麻豆精品 S檚 Health Initiative, 麻豆精品 S� explains Rovito. The Men 麻豆精品 S檚 Health Initiative (MHI) is a collaborative effort of researchers and students who study men 麻豆精品 S檚 health issues and engage in public health outreach.

Rovito, a health sciences pre-clinical instructor in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Health and Public Affairs, began offering MHI research fellowships for students in 2011. The positions provide students with opportunities to conduct research, publish in peer-reviewed journals and conduct public health outreach. In the 2012 麻豆精品 S�13 school year, more than 40 students vied for 15 unpaid research fellow positions.

Part of MHI 麻豆精品 S檚 mission is sharing information about health and wellness. 麻豆精品 S淒uring last year 麻豆精品 S檚 Save Your Balls event, we spent five hours on campus handing out literature, playing informative trivia games and giving out prizes to approximately 500 students, 麻豆精品 S� Rovito says.

MHI 麻豆精品 S檚 research director Chase Cavayero, 麻豆精品 S�13, says, 麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 realize how much men need help in getting information. It is typical of men to ignore symptoms. 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淲hat boys are told as kids leads to health outcomes later in life, 麻豆精品 S� Rovito says. 麻豆精品 S淏oys are often taught not to cry, especially if they get hurt. 麻豆精品 S�

Mentoring Men and Women

麻豆精品 S淚 have been blessed with great mentors, and I always say that when I have the chance to mentor somebody, I will, because that is what propelled me to the next level, 麻豆精品 S� says Rovito.

He continues, 麻豆精品 S淎ny wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother or female friend has a vested interest in keeping their male loved ones healthy. Within the MHI research fellowships, 60 percent of our applicants are women. 麻豆精品 S�

MHI research fellow Amy Elliott, 麻豆精品 S�13, says she became involved in the group due in part to her father 麻豆精品 S檚 battle with prostate cancer. She says, 麻豆精品 S淧rostate cancer is known as an elderly man 麻豆精品 S檚 disease, but my father was diagnosed at age 53. 麻豆精品 S�

Elliott worked with Rovito to plan a seminar on sexual health and relationships, which was attended by more than 200 UCF students. She says, 麻豆精品 S淪ome public health officials use statistics about pregnancy and birth control to try to scare students into compliance. We were trying to relate on a personal level to create audience feedback and sharing. 麻豆精品 S� The project led to Elliott 麻豆精品 S檚 first co-authored research publication with Rovito and other research fellows in the academic journal New Male Studies.

Cavayero, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, says that working with Rovito has made him more accepting toward getting treatment, if needed, and helped him discard macho attitudes. He says, 麻豆精品 S淚 have become more involved in advocating for my family 麻豆精品 S檚 health. 麻豆精品 S�

With Rovito 麻豆精品 S檚 guidance, Cavayero recently published a piece on robot-assisted urological surgery procedures in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Undergraduate Research Journal.

Talking About Touchy Subjects

麻豆精品 S淲hat is the point of public health if you don 麻豆精品 S檛 reach out and inform people? 麻豆精品 S� Rovito asks. Offering free lectures on sexuality and health to the university community, he sums it up thusly: 麻豆精品 S淚 want to go out and talk to guys about their health. 麻豆精品 S�

Dr. James Leone, an assistant professor of health at Bridgewater State University who has collaborated with Rovito for the last three years, says that Rovito has done good work getting younger people and the community involved with the topics of men 麻豆精品 S檚 health.

Leone says, 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檝e been lulled into believing that men die sooner and take more risks, so we ignore it. We have talked about redefining men 麻豆精品 S檚 behavior and understanding how masculinity adds to the picture. 麻豆精品 S�

Rovito, who grew up in Mount Carmel Township, Pa., credits his working-class upbringing with his ability to talk about sensitive issues like testicular self-examination and colorectal cancer screening.

麻豆精品 S淚 was sweeping the floors of my dad 麻豆精品 S檚 mechanics shop, 麻豆精品 S� says Rovito, a first-generation college graduate. 麻豆精品 S淚 knew the guys who smoked cigarettes, chewed tobacco and cursed 麻豆精品 S� salt-of-the-earth guys 麻豆精品 S� and that helped me learn to talk to people. The problem is that a lot of academics lack empathy. They give you a pamphlet, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 like reading stereo instructions. It 麻豆精品 S檚 ineffective and doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 work. The message needs to be more personable, with heartfelt intentions. 麻豆精品 S�