Pacific Journal of Health

Hot off the press! "Building capacity, changing teaching practices: insights from a professional development program for educators in a low-income country" - by Caroline Havery, Mary Kililo et al. at Univ Technology Sydney scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess #health

Hot off the press! "Late Local Recurrence of #GastricCancer After Preoperative Radiochemother Radiochemotherapy: Three Case Reports and Literature Review" - by Mateusz Gajek, Magdalena Szymala-Cortez et al. from Gilwice, Poland scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess #cancer

Cross-cohort meta-analysis reveals conserved gut microbiome signatures of #insomnia. Insomnia shows a reproducible gut #microbiome signature, with specific taxa driving targeted functional shifts. sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #OpenAccess

Hot off the press! "Racial #Disparities Among Pregnant Women of Color and Their High Risk for Developing Periodontal Disease" - by Darrylnn Mayo @UOPacific scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess #OralHealth #pregnancy

Hot off the press! "Behavioral Personal Protective Equipment and Staff Safety: A Pilot Study Evaluating Its Impact Among Speech-Language Pathologists" - by Jennifer J. Bekins @UOPacific scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess

Whether you're #walking, swimming 🏊🏽‍♂️ , or lifting weights 🏋️‍♀️ , the protective #PhysicalActivity payoff comes from making movement a lifelong habit, not a occasional burst. Small steps, sustained over decades, add up to major #health gains. New research in @NatureComms followed 231,000 people for 32 years and found that consistency matters as much as volume when it comes to #physicalactivity and chronic disease prevention. People who steadily met the recommended 7.5+ MET-hours/week had lower risk of #NCD noncommunicable diseases such as #diabetes, heart disease, and #cancer - even compared to those who exercised intensely but sporadically. Staying #active through middle adulthood (ages 40–60) was linked to 10–28% lower disease risk after 60. nature.com/articles/s4146…

That line looks awfully vertical.

Based on a major new study analyzing global health data from 2000 to 2050, non-communicable diseases #NCDs like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases #CRDs remain the world's leading cause of death and disability. In 2021 alone, these conditions accounted for nearly 65% of all global deaths, with cardiovascular disease being the single biggest killer. The research projects a troubling future: by 2050, NCDs could be responsible for over 75 million deaths annually. A particularly alarming trend is the sharp global rise in #diabetes, which saw the fastest increase in both new cases and related disability over the past two decades. The burden, however, is not shared equally. Stark disparities exist between regions, income levels, and genders. High-income areas face the highest rates of diabetes and #cancer, while mortality from chronic respiratory diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, often linked to #airpollution. Men generally bear a higher burden of death and disability from most major NCDs, though the study notes a notable and concerning rise in cardiovascular deaths among women in Europe. These inequities highlight that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient; achieving global health targets will require precision strategies that address specific local risk factors, from hypertension management to #tobacco control and clean air policies. journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…

Hot off the press! "Comparing Educational Pathways for Denturists to Become Maxillofacial Prosthetic Specialists in the US and the UK" - by Minseok Kim @UOPacific scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/oral-health/vo… #OralHealth #education #dentistry

Pacific Faculty, you have one more week to apply for the 2026 OER Stipend. Review, Adopt/Adapt, or Create Open Educational Resources for your Courses and get paid for it! Stipends range from $250 - $4,000. The deadline is February 2nd. Apply here: pacific.libwizard.com/f/oer-2026

Hot off the press! "Assessing Predoctoral Dental Student Interest in #Nutrition #Education : A Study Across Two Dental Schools" by Nadine Tassabehji, Xiaoyuan Han et al. @tufts @UOPacific @dugoni_dental @Stanford scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OralHealth

Hey bestie! We have those photos from Spring Week of Welcome you were looking for 🤳 #PacificProud #SpringWoW2026

So grateful for the smiles, conversations, and connections that filled Dugoni Alumni Weekend🦷 Our alumni community is something special. See you next time! #PacificProud #DugoniAlumni

Hot off the press! "Removing Barriers in Graduate #Health #Education for Students with Disabilities" - by Daniel Nuss @UOPacific scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess

Hot off the press! "Determining the fidelity of multiple casts made from a single polyvinylsiloxane impression" - by Steven Curtis, Steven Sadowsky, Eric Salmon @dugoni_dental @UOPacific scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/oral-health/vo… #OpenAccess #OralHealth

New study provides compelling evidence that disconnecting from work apps on our phones is crucial for our #mental well-being.   Findings show that healthcare workers who received a simple educational intervention, encouraging them to activate out-of-office #emails, reduce screen time, and uninstall work apps from personal devices over a weekend, doubled their #stress reduction compared to those who didn't. The intervention group saw a significantly greater decrease in Perceived Stress Scale scores and reduced their overall screen time by about an hour.
 The most impactful action? Completely uninstalling work applications. While all suggestions helped, the most significant stress #reduction was seen in those who removed work access from their personal devices, a powerful step toward true psychological detachment. 
 This isn’t just about fewer notifications; it’s about reclaiming leisure time to recharge. For healthcare systems and all professions with blurred #digital boundaries, this research highlights a practical, low-cost strategy to combat burnout: empower your teams to disconnect. Their well-being, and likely their work, will benefit.   link.springer.com/article/10.100…

Pacific's chess club defeated teams from over 20 other schools including Northwestern, University of Chicago and University of Texas to win its category in the U.S. Chess Federation-sanctioned 2026 Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship. WTG Tigers! #PacificProud 🐅

🌱 Pacific alumna Kendra Bruno ’09 helps power sustainability at Straus Creamery: the first organic creamery in the U.S. and the first worldwide to earn TRUE Zero Waste Certification. 🐄Read her story in the latest Pacific Magazine ➡️ pacific.edu/magazine #AlumniSuccess

Hot off the press! "Evaluating the Analgesic Activity of the Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Ipomoea aquatica (convolvulaceae)" - by Blessy H. Vale, Lenny Shai Somer et al. scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pjh/vol9/iss1/… #OpenAccess #pharmacology