Diabetes prevention program wins Hancook Award

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A program that uses a game to educate Hoosiers about diabetes has earned the Purdue Cooperative Extension Specialists Association's top award.

The Ann Hancook Award honors Purdue Extension educators and specialists who work together to develop programs that benefit families. This year’s winning team developed “Don’t Let Diabetes ‘Jeopardize’ Your Health,” an educational program that uses activities based on the game show “Jeopardy!” to teach adults ways to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

The award was presented during Extension’s annual Professional Development Conference Thursday (Nov. 3).

Diabetes is a disease affecting the body’s ability to absorb glucose, leading to complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and tissue death. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Indiana and the United States, accounting for approximately 3 percent of deaths each year. An estimated 10.7 percent of the Indiana population was living with the disease in 2014.

The team consists of Purdue Health and Human Sciences Extension educators Stacey Faith of Johnson County, Christina Ferroli of Marion County, and Jane Jett of Posey County; former Extension educator Janeen Longfellow of Noble County; and nutrition science specialist and HHS Extension assistant program leader Lisa Graves.

The Hancook Award is named in honor of the late Ann Hancook, a former associate dean of the school of consumer and family sciences at Purdue and assistant director of Purdue Extension. The award is co-sponsored by the Indiana Extension Educators Association and the Alpha Lambda chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Extension honor society.

Other awards presented:

Team Award: Be Heart Smart - Purdue team of Jennifer Cannon, HHS educator, Purdue Extension - Putnam County; Jan Dougan, Purdue Extension - Dubois County director and HHS educator; Peg Ehlers, Purdue Extension - Switzerland County director, 4-H educator and HHS educator; Molly Hoag, HHS educator, Purdue Extension - Wells County; Megihann Leininger, NEP regional supervisor; Susan Plassmeier, Purdue Extension - Vanderburgh County director and HHS educator; Ashley Roberts, NEP regional supervisor; Janet Steffens, Purdue Extension - Floyd County director and HHS educator; Brooke Wilkinson, HHS educator, Purdue Extension - Clay and Owen Counties; Stephanie Woodcox, HHS Extension assistant program leader and health and wellness specialist; and Karen Yehle, associate professor, Purdue School of Nursing.

Early Career Award: Travis Legleiter, weed science program specialist, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.

Mid-Career Award: Peter Hirst, tree fruit specialist and professor of horticulture, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

Career Award: Rosie Lerner, consumer horticulturist, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

Leadership Award: Paul Ebner, associate professor of animal sciences, for his work in international Extension, education for non-agricultural audiences on food animal production, and food safety and security.

Friends of Extension Award: Tim Beck and Chris Clark, hunter education coordinators, Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement, for teaching, outreach and engagement with 4-H shooting sports volunteers and Extension faculty and specialists.           

Writer: Jessica Merzdorf, 765-494-7719, jmerzdor@purdue.edu 

Source: Nick Rogers, 765-496-0108, rogersn@purdue.edu

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Photos of the winners are posted at https://ag.purdue.edu/extension/awards/Pages/2016p1.aspx

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Darrin Pack, dpack@purdue.edu 
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