If you want to know childhood obesity rates within a local elementary school district or find the location of every bank in Lucas County or learn how a neighborhood demographic has changed during the past 20 years, a new online database created by the Jack Ford Urban Affairs Center at The University of Toledo has the answers.

ToledoView is a compilation of economic, education, social, health and environmental data for the city of Toledo and surrounding communities that can be analyzed via downloadable maps, spreadsheets, charts, graphs or reports.

“There was a need for a one-stop data repository for economic planning and development, demographic analysis, forecasting and many other applications,” said Dr. Neil Reid, director of the center and professor of geography and planning. “In addition to the database, the ToledoView team also is available to provide advice and assistance for projects ranging from site selection for a new health care facility to an economic impact analysis.”

The public launch of ToledoView will be 3 p.m. Monday, March 14 in the Thomas and Elizabeth Brady Engineering Innovation Center on UT’s Main Campus.

UT President Sharon L. Gaber will give opening remarks followed by a presentation on how to use the new resource by Reid and Dr. Peter S. Lindquist, professor emeritus of geography and planning who is one of the main architects of the database. Local elected officials also will attend the launch event.

The database includes information such as population demographics, home values, public transportation service areas, business locations and types, street and interstate networks, and health and social services.

ToledoView will be available to use as a desktop application with a paid membership for businesses, real estate developers, governmental agencies and other community organizations. The resource also will be available for a fee for individual research projects and reports. The fees will support efforts to maintain and grow the resource.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 15, 2016)

The fourth annual Ohio Latino Education Summit will bring community members together at The University of Toledo on Friday, March 11 to discuss best practices, challenges and opportunities when it comes to the education of Ohio’s Hispanic students.

“The growth of Latinos in Ohio is incredible,” said Lilly Cavanaugh, executive director for the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission. “And the big equalizer is education, so every effort that can be made to include and increase the opportunities for Latinos is going to be a well-spent effort.”

The summit began in 2013 as an initiative from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission in an effort to bring together local leaders to discuss education with a different flair.

“Instead of just talking about the disparities and the problems there are, we wanted to know how we could speak about best practices,” Cavanaugh said.

The summit, which will be from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Student Union on UT’s Main Campus, will feature presentations on best practices, workshops, roundtable discussions and a luncheon.

Dr. Lonny Rivera, Ohio interim superintendent of public instruction, will give the keynote address at 1 p.m. Other speakers include Bob Vasquez, president of the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education, and Dr. Sharon L. Gaber, president of The University of Toledo, among others.

“This year’s focus is on education and leveraging education for Latino students,” said Tamika Mitchell, UT dean of students. “It allows for learning and engagement in terms of service and providing resources to the Latino community.”

“When we’re talking education, we need to involve many audiences,” Cavanaugh said. “We have to get together the educators, the administrators, the nonprofit leaders, the parents, the students and, of course, the policymakers as well to ensure all support initiatives result in access and opportunity for our students.”

UT is the host of the 2016 event. In years past, the summit has been held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio State University in Columbus, and the University of Akron.

For more information about the summit, visit utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/omss/oles.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (March 14, 2016)
La Prensa (March 15, 2016)

Children who are abused could be more likely to experience migraines as young adults, according to a study by a University of Toledo neurologist.

The link between migraine and abuse was stronger for emotional abuse than for physical or sexual abuse, said Dr. Gretchen Tietjen, the Clair Martig Endowed Chair in Neurology at UT and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Emotional abuse showed the strongest link to increased risk of migraine,” said Tietjen, who will present her research at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting April 15-21 in Vancouver, Canada. “Childhood abuse can have long-lasting effects on health and well-being.”

Dr. Tietjen

In the study, emotional abuse was assessed by asking, “How often did a parent or other adult caregiver say things that really hurt your feelings or made you feel like you were not wanted or loved?”

The study included data from 14,484 people age 24 to 32. About 14 percent reported they had been diagnosed with migraines. The participants were asked whether they had experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse in childhood. Physical abuse was defined as being hit with a fist, kicked, or thrown down on the floor, into a wall, or down stairs. Sexual abuse included forced sexual touching or sexual relations. About 47 percent of the participants answered yes to having been emotionally abused, 18 percent physically abused and 5 percent sexually abused.

Of those diagnosed with migraines, 61 percent said they had been abused as a child. Of those who never had a migraine, 49 percent said they were abused. Those who were abused were 55 percent more likely to experience migraine than those who were never abused after accounting for age, income, race and sex.

Those who were emotionally abused were 52 percent more likely to have migraine than those who were not abused, after accounting for other types of abuse as well as age, income, race and sex. In contrast, those who were sexually or physically abused were not significantly more likely to have migraine than people who were not abused.

The relationship between emotional abuse and migraine remained when researchers adjusted the results to take into account depression and anxiety. In that analysis, people who were emotionally abused were 32 percent more likely to have migraine than people who were not abused.

Tietjen noted that the study shows an association between childhood emotional abuse, a very common occurrence, and migraine. It does not show cause and effect, although the finding that the likelihood of having migraines increases with increasing number of abuse types is suggestive of it.

“More research is needed to better understand this relationship between childhood abuse and migraine,” Tietjen said. “This is also something doctors may want to consider when they treat people with migraine.”

Tietjen’s latest research builds on previous studies that show a connection between maltreatment in childhood and headaches later in life.

A study lead by Tietjen published in the Dec. 24, 2014 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, showed a higher connection between people who were emotionally or sexually abused with migraine than those who had tension-type headaches.

Her body of research has shown that early life stress is associated with blood markers of inflammation and clotting, as well a number of different medical and psychiatric conditions in adulthood.

Click here to download photo of Dr. Tietjen.

Real Leadership in the 21st Century is the theme of the 2016 KeyBank Global Leaders Forum, which will be presented by The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation in two weeks on Thursday, March 17 in Savage Arena on Main Campus.

The morning-long program is free, but seating is limited and registration is required.

The keynote speaker will be global engagement authority Jim Haudan, CEO of Root Inc., which is located in Sylvania, Ohio and has been recognized nationally as a Great Place to Work. He will discuss “The Power of Engagement.” Haudan also is the author of the best-selling book, The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities.

Also presenting at the event will be Jim Hoffman, president of KeyBank; Dr. Sharon L. Gaber, president of The University of Toledo; Dr. Clint Longenecker, UT Stranahan Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Organization Excellence; and Marc Lautenbach, president and CEO of Pitney Bowes Inc.

“The KeyBank Global Leaders Forum provides a wonderful opportunity for our regional business owners and leaders to hear from difference-making leaders such as Jim Haudan, Marc Lautenbach, Dr. Longenecker and President Gaber,” Hoffman said. “It is part of our vision at KeyBank to help our community, and our businesses, thrive.”

“The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation is extremely pleased to again partner with KeyBank to present another Global Leaders Forum,” said Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the College of Business and Innovation. “Holding the event in UT’s Savage Arena assures that hundreds of area professionals, as well as many UT students, will have an outstanding opportunity to learn, network and benefit from the presentations and discussions at this unique event.”

“As leaders are attempting to deal with the challenges of this turbulent economic environment, this event is a great way to discover new ideas for becoming a better leader and creating competitive advantage with people,” Longenecker said. “We invite them to come, be ready to learn, and be in a better position to make 2016 a great year.”

In 2008, KeyBank and the College of Business and Innovation presented the first Global Leaders Forum, which featured John Snow, former secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, and the second event in 2013.

The Global Leadership Forum was created to provide an environment for regional business leaders to talk about contemporary issues, discuss cutting-edge leadership practices, and explore trends.

Convenient parking is available, and a continental breakfast will be served.

To register for this free forum, go to utoledo.edu/business/keybankforum.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 4, 2016)
The Blade (March 18, 2016)

In honor of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center will be hosting an event called “A Different Shade of Pink” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3 on The University of Toledo Health Science Campus.

“The nature of this disease cries out for more attention and research,” said Dr. Iman Mohamed, UT professor and chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology. “We hope to educate and empower.”

An estimated 15 percent of all diagnosed breast cancers are triple negative breast cancer tumors.  This type lacks the three receptors commonly targeted in chemotherapy – estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

The disease is often hard to diagnose because it is common in younger women and not always detected in mammograms.

“The receptors known to fuel breast cancer simply aren’t present,” Dr. Mohamed said.  “Compared to other types of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancers are usually more aggressive and not responsive to targeted therapeutic drugs.  Patients have a higher risk of recurrence and a shorter survival rate.”

Topics for the “A Different Shade of Pink” program include medical updates related to treatment options and clinical trials, as well as emotional, intimacy and survivorship issues.

UTMC patient Melissa Paskvan of Toledo was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2009 and has been in remission for six years.

“I found a lump by accident while scratching an itch at the age of 41,” Paskvan said. “My heart sunk. I knew it was cancer, but I had no idea it would be this rare form. I went through a lumpectomy, nearly four months of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation.  At 48 years old, I am a survivor.  I am happy and relieved to have made it past the three-year mark. I only hope my story offers hope to newly diagnosed patients.”

To learn more about Paskvan’s story and how she raises money for triple negative breast cancer research, read her blog at mlsspaskvan.blogspot.com.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (March 4, 2016)

The University of Toledo Foundation achieved a 2.3 percent total investment return for the 2015 fiscal year, surpassing the 2.0 percent average for participants of similar asset size, in the NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments.

The UT Foundation also outperformed national averages for the three-, five-, and ten-year returns for its asset class in the industry survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Commonfund. The Foundation’s five-year-average return was 11.3 percent, compared to a 9.5 percent average for peer institutions.

Investments are overseen by the UT Foundation Board of Trustees and its investment committee.

Broad diversification and a focus on long-term growth are major components of the Foundation’s investment success, noted Russ Mitchell, investment committee chair.

“While we are always mindful of our short-term performance, UT Foundation funds are held in perpetuity. Therefore, we remain focused on long-term results rather than year-to-year returns or attempting to time the market,” he said. “Our investments continue to perform well against our benchmarks.”

The University of Toledo and the UT Foundation’s combined endowment totaled $419.2 million as of June 30, 2015.