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Hooding Ceremony recognizes the contributions of outstanding alumni
May 12, 2010
Stewart G. Trost
Keith J. Zullig
Two Arnold School of Public Health alumni who have dedicated their careers to the cause of good health in young people are the recipients of the 2010 Norman J. and Gerry Sue Arnold alumni awards.
The awards were presented Thursday, May 6, at the school’s 23rd annual Hooding Ceremony at the Koger Center for the Arts.
The Norman J. Arnold Medal went to Dr. Stewart G. Trost, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at Oregon State University. Trost earned his doctorate from the Arnold School in 1998.
The Gerry Sue Arnold Award went to Dr. Keith J. Zullig, an associate professor in the Department of Community Medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. Zullig earned his doctorate from the Arnold School in 2000.
The awards, established by the school’s leading patron and his wife, are an annual feature of the Hooding Ceremony.
In nominating Trost for the Arnold Medal, two of the university’s ranking exercise scientists Dr. Steve Blair and Dr. Russ Pate described their colleague as “one of the most highly regarded early-career exercise scientists in the world.”
In accepting the award, Trost described two of his projects involving children and adolescents that have brought recognition to the Arnold School. One was advancing the development of objective measures of physical activity. The other involved developing community-based programs to promote physical activity and prevent obesity.
“My public health training in the Arnold School of Public Health was instrumental in nurturing a strong commitment to developing and testing community-based interventions to promote physical activity and prevent obesity in children and adolescents. I currently serve as the director of the Obesity Prevention Core of the newly established OSU Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families,” Trost said.
Since graduating from USC, Trost has published 75 peer-reviewed research articles at a rate of approximately eight per year. He also contributed to the establishment of children’s physical activity guidelines for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
He also has received research grants from a broad array of agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several foundations.
Trost’s ties to OSU date back to 1989 when he earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in health education and promotion. In 1994, OSU awarded him a master’s degree with a major in health and human performance.
Trost was unable to attend Thursday’s ceremonies but Arnold School Associate Dean Dr. Cheryl Addy said she will deliver his medal and check to him at the OSU campus later this month.
Zullig was nominated by Dr. Robert Valois, a professor in the Department of Health Education, Education, and Behavior, who served as his master’s degree thesis adviser. The topic of the research was the relationship between adolescent substance abuse and perceived satisfaction with life.
The paper launched Zulig’s highly productive career in adolescent health research, said Valois.
Zulig published his thesis as first-author in 2001 and has since published 36 peer-reviewed publications and has another seven in press.
Zullig has been awarded more than $1.8 million in external funding to support substance abuse research efforts, including innovative efforts to reduce high-risk drinking among college students and the development of community coalitions to combat substance abuse in youth.
More recently he secured funding for a toll-free prescription drug abuse quit-line in West Virginia, the first of its kind in the nation.
In his letter nominating Zullig for the award, Valois wrote, “I am proud of Dr. Zullig’s research and personal achievements. At the age of only 34, he assumed directorship for West Virginia University’s new Public Health Sciences Ph.D. program after being promoted and tenured at his former faculty post at Miami University of Ohio.”
Zullig serves on the board of associate editors for the American Journal of Health Education and reviews for eight peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of School Health, the Journal of Adolescent Health, and the Journal of Early Adolescence.
Zulig earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1996. He earned his master’s degree (1999) and his doctorate (2002), both from the Arnold School’s Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior.
The Norman J. Arnold Medal honors an alumnus who graduated in 1999 or earlier and who has demonstrated work that has had both a positive impact on the profession and on the health of an identified community or population and has brought recognition to the Arnold School of Public Health. It carries a cash award of $2,500 and a bronze medal.
The Gerry Sue Arnold Medal honors an alumnus who graduated in 2000 or later and whose work has both made a difference to the profession and in the health of an identified community or population. It carries a cash award of $2,500 and a commemorative plaque.
Trost and Zullig were selected by a committee of the Arnold School’s Alumni Council from among nominees submitted by faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the school.
The alumni awards are just one example of the Arnold family’s philanthropy. Norman Arnold made a major gift in 2000 to endow the University of South Carolina’s School of Public Health, which now bears his name.
