The Family Resiliency Center Podcast topics cover a wide range of relevant and informative issues. From early aspects of children's health in areas such as chemical exposure and breastfeeding to helping military families thrive, FRC podcasts offer something valuable for everyone. Hear for yourself by listening to the interview sessions below!

Mindful Parenting: What it is and Why it's Important

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Ye Rang Park

Hosted by Sal Nudo, this podcast with Ye Rang Park covers a study Dr. Park conducted on mindful parenting. In addition, Dr. Park discusses a community-based participatory project through cross-discipline collaboration that she is working on with Drs. Jacinda Dariotis and Amy Lehman. Parents who are interested in how mindful parenting can reduce conflicts with their children and promote positive youth behaviors will want to hear this interview!

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Executive Function and Its Development in Individuals

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Samantha Iwinski, predoctoral fellow in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies

Hosted by Sal Nudo, this podcast with Samantha Iwinski goes in depth on the topic of executive function and its development in individuals. The predoctoral fellow in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies also discusses a study she co-authored with Professor Kelly Bost.

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Supporting College Students with Autism through the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative (I-N-I)

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Jeanne Kramer

Hosted by Sal Nudo, this podcast with Dr. Jeanne Kramer highlights the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative, which began as a pilot program on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus in the Fall 2022 semester. Kramer is the director of The Autism Program and a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

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Patterns of and Variation in Food and Beverage Offerings at Dinner by Parents During COVID-19

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Jenny Barton, postdoctoral researcher at the Family Resiliency Center

Hosted by Sal Nudo, this podcast with Dr. Jenny Barton highlights a 10-day study Dr. Barton conducted that documented patterns of and variation in food and beverage offerings at dinner by parents of preschoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Food and Family Conference Preview Podcast

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast previewed the Food and Family Conference from 2019 with guests Barbara Fiese and Brenda Koester. The conference took place on Sept. 26 in Chicago and brought together the nation’s foremost experts in human nutrition, obesity research, and child and family health. The event was hosted by the Family Resiliency Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in partnership with the Christopher Family Foundation.

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Breastfeeding: Education a Key Influencer, FRC Research Shows

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast with guest Carolyn Sutter explores factors that influence the likelihood of women breastfeeding at six weeks postpartum based on a study, which was conducted by researchers at the Family Resiliency Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The study found that women were not receiving education and information about breastfeeding at the same rates, which could result in health disparities. Researchers also discovered that more education and support for breastfeeding increases the likelihood of breastfeeding at six weeks postpartum.

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Childhood Obesity: An Inside Look at Cells-to-Society Approach to Research and Intervention

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast with guest Erin Davis explores the STRONG Kids2 research project at the Family Resiliency Center and what it could mean for the future of childhood obesity prevention and interventions. Using a cells-to-society approach to nutrition, the transdisciplinary project will provide unique insights into how individual biology interacts with the family environment to promote healthy eating habits in young children. It is one of the first studies to take a longitudinal look at such habits, which includes milk and dairy consumption, from birth.

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Plastic Chemical Exposure Linked to Brain Development

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast highlights research that shows a relationship between phthalates and deficits in cognitive function in rats. The discussion with Janice Juraska and Daniel Kougias explores what the findings could mean to humans and society as a whole. Investigators call it a "cautionary study" that shows exposure to phthalates at critical stages in human development could lower the baseline of how smart humans are as a society. The research team successfully mimicked the average phthalates exposure in humans with subjects and found that the exposed subjects responded slower to task changes, behaved differently than those not exposed, and showed physical changes to the front part of their brain.

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Kids Packing School Lunches Linked to Health Benefits

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast "unpacks" the health benefits behind kids packing their own school lunches. Research shows children who are involved with packing their own lunches tend to make healthier choices, end up with more fruits and vegetables, and have an opportunity to learn responsibility. The conversation highlights the in-depth research conducted by Dr. Carolyn Sutter in the areas of food and family mealtimes. Dr. Sutter explains the importance of researching school lunches and how both parents and children can benefit from the lunch-packing process. This research was part of the Parents to Peers project at the University of California at Davis.

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Military Families Learning Network: Resources to Help Families Thrive

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast with guest Robin Allen highlights the Military Families Learning Network and the opportunities it provides members of the military, their families, and other service providers. The conversation with Robin Allen covers personal and professional development opportunities that are accessible worldwide.

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Kids in the Kitchen: Involvement Links to Health Benefits

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast with Jessica Jarick Metcalfe brings together researchers from the Family Resiliency Center at Illinois to help put research into practice to help families thrive. This episode highlights research showing that kids who are involved in the kitchen and in mealtime preparation tend to have healthier diets and are set up to have more success with future healthy eating habits.

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Holiday Chaos in the Kitchen: Ease Tension, Improve Health, and Enjoy the Holiday

Hosted by Ryan Monahan, this podcast with guests Jaclyn Saltzman and Jessica Jarick Metcalfe explores ways that family mealtimes can be improved during the holiday season by highlighting health benefits to both parents and kids. The interview also covers why cooking in the kitchen with your children during the holiday season is important, and how it can improve your family's health.

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Exploring the Influence of Diet and Obesity on Children's Brain Functioning and Development

Hosted by Ryan Monahan, this podcast offers an eye-opening look at how a child's body weight and nutrition may influence his or her brain functioning and development. The conversation explores how Dr. Naiman Khan and his research team are contributing to the Family Resiliency Center's innovative STRONG Kids Program, a longitudinal study that follows participants from birth through toddler age to provide unique insights on how individual biology interacts with family environment, with the goal of reducing childhood obesity and promoting healthy eating habits in young children.

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Picky Eating: How Nature and Nurture May Influence Eating Behavior in Young Children

Hosted by Ryann Monahan, this podcast with Natasha Cole highlights published research exploring how nature and nurture may be influencing children's eating behavior.

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Family Health in Developing Regions and the JUS Media? Programme

Unhealthy eating is a major risk factor for obesity and associated chronic, non-communicable diseases, with the Caribbean having the worst rates in the Americas. This podcast features Dr. Gail Ferguson, who discusses her research project, the JUS Media? Programme, which focuses on combatting risk factors for unhealthy eating in Jamaica and implementing effective family health prevention programs in developing regions.

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Exploring Childhood Obesity with STRONG Kids2

Hosted by Tyler Wolpert, this podcast with Jen Themanson covers the goals and project recruitment of the STRONG Kids2 (SK2) Program, which takes a cells-to-society approach to nutrition. More specifically, SK2 examines how individual biology interacts with the family environment to promote healthy eating habits in young children.

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Cooking With Your Kids

Hosted by Tyler Wolpert, this podcast features Jessica Metcalfe, whose research at the time of the interview focused on children participating in cooking and the positive influence this may have on their food preferences. Metcalfe worked closely with Illinois Extension to develop and evaluate the Illinois Junior Chefs Program, a cooking program geared toward school-aged children.

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Healthy Child Care Environments

Hosted by Anne Johnson, this podcast with Dr. Barbara Fiese covers ways to reduce harmful exposures and create healthy environments in child care settings. At the time, three-quarters of American children under the age of 5 spent at least 20 hours per week at an out-of-home child care facility, where they were vulnerable to environmental contaminants. Thanks to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for making this podcast possible.

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Childhood Obesity: A Complex Picture

In this podcast, host Jennifer Shike talks with Dr. Barbara Fiese, a former director of the Family Resiliency Center, about factors that contribute to childhood obesity. Dr. Fiese also answers questions on Twitter using the #askACES hashtag.

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The Family Resiliency Center Podcast