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“You are at your best when your physical, mental, and emotional needs are being met.

Dr. Figueroa is a public health scientist who combines concepts and methods across disciplinary boundaries to examine interconnections between the social and behavioral determinants of health and nutrition, with a particular focus on children’s energy-balance behaviors in underrepresented and low-income communitites. his reserach includes studies on children’s energy balance behaviors in early childhood education and family contexts, as well as public perceptions owf the obesity epidemic in the US and global cultures.

ABOUT ME

The FIG Research Laboratory urges its group members, as artistically and eloquently proposed by O’Dwyer, Pinto, & McDonough (2017), to: “demand and protect the time, space, and reflective practice” to balance activities within and outside of academia. We encourage our members to adopt strategies that best suits their productivity and selfcare needs. Learn more about Cornell University’s self-care, work-life balance resources, and the seven dimensions of well-being.

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchInterdisciplinary Research in Nutritional Sciences and Equitable Health among Priority Populations

Dr. Roger Figueroa Bautista, PhD, MPH, MScAssistant Professor

Email: rf453@cornell.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

Laboratory Syllabus

Mission StatementThe FIG Research Laboratory is a group of interdisciplinary stakeholders conducting academic research and developing strategies to prevent childhood obesity and to address health disparities through a socio-ecological lens. Our mission is to leverage community assets, diverse methods, and team science to build capacity for equitable health in priority populations.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

The FIG Research Laboratory embraces Cornell’s “Any Person, Any Study.” founding mission. Our group is committed to diversity and inclusiveness across campus; “where intercultural skills are developed and used everywhere: throughout our diverse campus groups, with our community partners, within our classrooms and in our workplaces.” Everyone is and will be welcomed, celebrated, and respected in the FIG Research Laboratory environment. Learn more about Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee Initiatives.

(https://test-cornell-diversity-2017.pantheonsite.io/policies-and-other-initiatives)

Equity and Respect Statement(https://titleix.cornell.edu)

The FIG Research Laboratory is dedicated to promoting equity and respect across domains. In our group, we share Cornell’s institutional commitment to “providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning, living, and working environment” for all its members. We also “share the responsibility for creating a safer, more caring campus culture in which bias, harassment, and violence have no place—and every member of our community is free to flourish.” Please refer to Cornell University’s Title IX resources and statement for additional information.

“Self-care and Work-Life Balance” Statement

Remember:

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There are no set of requirements or gen-eral expectations for members of the FIG Lab beyond conducting ethically-sound, rigorous laboratory research. In doing so, members are expected to delve into areas not very well understood yet (or requiring better understanding).

In such process, we are encouraged to:• ask good questions,• formulate testable hypotheses,• design, implement, execute (and

other times evaluate) research processes, and

• analyze data without a bias to-wards a particular “answer.”

Many times, in research, we will fail to reject null hypotheses and our challenge is to learn from these and examine new questions and/or test new hypotheses. While more experienced members of the team may have ideas about what to try, please remember that in research, the whole point is that no one really knows yet.

General Expectations

Important Information

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchInterdisciplinary Research in Nutritional Sciences and Equitable Health among Priority Populations

Dr. Roger Figueroa Bautista, PhD, MPH, MScAssistant Professor

Email: rf453@cornell.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

TrainingMembers of the FIG Lab should consult with Cornell’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) regarding individual needs for ethics and responsible conduct of research (RCR) training to conduct academic research. In addition, it is highly recommended to acquire training through CITI prior to participating in any research activities in the lab. Consult with the director if you have further questions.

Lab organizationThe FIG Research Laboratory is physically located in Ithaca, NY (Cornell University campus). The specific location is Savage Hall, room 411. The FIG Lab director, Dr. Figueroa, is at his faculty office directly across from 411 Savage Hall (room 412). A remote lab is also available for key members participating in specific research projects through a web applwication called Slack. This remote space is a system for members of the FIG lab to collaborate/communicate remotely as a team.

Group and individual meetingsBased on individual availability, members of the FIG lab will meet as a group and individually as agreed upon. Each academic term, the team will come to a consensus about a regular schedule for term meetings to discuss research projects. Remote presence in these meetings is also encouraged.

Data security and storageIn the FIG lab, two (2) key approaches will be considered to address data security, storage, and management. First, members of the FIG lab will consult with specialists across the data lifecycle, the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER) prior to working on research projects that require handling/managing data. Secondly, an archive to store files, including data files, will be developed through Cornell Box (https://cornell.account.box.com/login). In the meantime, consult Dr. Figueroa on best practices until these two approaches are pursued regularly by members of the lab.

Breaks and vacationMembers of the FIG lab are encouraged to take breaks and vacation as needed. It would be ideal to provide a notice in advance of any break or vacation plans, but not required. Please consult with your immediate departmental unit and/or university’s policies regarding breaks and vacation.

Your curiosity, creativity, and willingness to innovate (try, fail, and try

again) are valued and encouraged.

Requesting letters of supportPlease refer to the Letter of Support Template on the next page.

AUTHORSHIPGUIDELINES

Decisions regarding authorship will be agreed upon in the early stages of abstracts, grants and manuscripts development. Constructive discussions to assign authorship order and roles can also be set up as an on-going process in situations where early decisions might need to be re-visited. In particular, changes to authorship order and roles may take place based on the level of project involvement within the research lifecycle (i.e., from project initiation to completion). As a general authorship guideline, see this resource from NIH to conceptualize authorship contributions and roles.

(Adapted from: NEFFW 2017 [https://faculty.northeastern.edu/advance/facultyrecruitment/future-faculty-workshop/ffw-2017/])

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Additional Statements

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchInterdisciplinary Research in Nutritional Sciences and Equitable Health among Priority Populations

Dr. Roger Figueroa Bautista, PhD, MPH, MScAssistant Professor

Email: rf453@cornell.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

CourseworkThere are no course pre-requisites or requirements to participate in the FIG lab’s research. If you are a student in DNS, please adhere to the recommendations from your graduate and undergraduate curriculum advisors. I do recommend a baseline understanding of research design in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Please contact me if you would like to consult on specific plans to take new courses relevant to your research in the FIG lab.

Dissertations & ThesesWhether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, there is an opportunity to work within the FIG lab to complete your final project towards completion of your degree-granting academic program (i.e., Honor’s Thesis, Master’s Thesis, or Doctoral Dissertation). Such experience should be conceptualized as a foundational career stage to be leveraged post-graduation. It is expected of each student to develop a final project that makes a clear contribution to the existing knowledge base in the field (i.e., address specific gaps, develop a new method or measure, among others). As an iterative process, your project will evolve over time and many factors will shape the final output (i.e., approach, resources, support, skills, timeline). Ideally, the final output will be disseminated in the form of a conference abstract and/or academic journal article. For students working on doctoral dissertations, a set of 2-3 conference abstracts and/or academic journal articles are usually generated within dissertation research.

Dr. Figueroa is available to work with each student on their final projects as research chair or as a committee member. Students are expected to reach out to Dr. Figueroa in the early planning stages to facilitate the process. All students should follow the guidelines established by the university and/or their respective academic units.

Establishing Independence & Transferable Skills

As early-career trainees and future professionals in your respective fields, it is critically important that you develop transferable skills to maximize the training opportunities afforded to you by the FIG lab. Some examples of transferable skills that you should develop over time include:

• Analysis & Problem-Solving• Interpersonal & Leadership Skills• Project Management & Organization • Research & Information Management• Self-Management & Work Habits • Written & Oral Communication

You are always welcome to consult with Dr. Figueroa about brainstorming ideas or planning your projects. Nonetheless, you are encouraged to use your own good judgment and execute responsibility as you work independently on your projects. It is expected that by the time each trainee completes their training, a majority of transferable skills would be mastered, which will equip each trainee post-graduation to function as independent practitioners, researchers, educators, and professionals.

(https://careercenter.umich.edu/article/phd-transferable-skills)

FundingFunds to support trainees’ professional development and research activities is incredibly important. Trainees in the FIG lab are encouraged to seek funds to support their educational and research activities through intramural and extramural sources. Funding opportunities may present themselves in the form of awards/prizes, grants, stipends, and others. Please reach out if a funding opportunity of interest emerges or if/when Dr. Figueroa may assist in identifying funding opportunities.

Professional Development & Scientific MeetingsParticipating in activities that enrich trainees’ professional development are encouraged to all members of the FIG lab. These may involve conferences, courses, institutes, trainings, workshops, among others. As a reference, Dr. Figueroa recommends that each trainee elect to participate in these activities if/when their work fits the scope of a particular program, they wish to participate in. Please consult with Dr. Figueroa if you have any questions.

Minimizing ConflictsIt is critical that we work together on minimizing conflicts while participating in educational and research activities. Some key assets that may be leveraged to being most assertive in the work that we do include regular communication, setting up realistic expectationsw, team consensus, among others. If any concerns or misunderstandings arise, please do not hesitate to bring anything up to the team’s attention. You may also communicate any concerns to external sources of support at the university level and beyond.

Career PathsAs the director of the FIG lab, Dr. Figueroa’s role is to be an advocate of FIG lab trainees’ success in their degree-granting academic trainings. Such an outcome is directly linked to your career goals post-graduation. Career goals usually evolve over time, especially for early-career trainees. Most opportunities within the FIG lab will prepare you for an academic career. Nonetheless, many of you may prioritize careers in other sectors (i.e., healthcare, industry, policy), and Dr. Figueroa will work with each of you to maximize your training within the FIG lab to make you marketable in any sector post-graduation.

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Letter of Support from Dr. Figueroa

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchInterdisciplinary Research in Nutritional Sciences and Equitable Health among Priority Populations

Dr. Roger Figueroa Bautista, PhD, MPH, MScAssistant Professor

Email: rf453@cornell.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

Please send the following 3 items to me at least 2 weeks before the earliest deadline. please do not hesitate to contact me for additional details.

Letter of Support Form:

Name:

Email:

List of Award/Program/School

Full name of Award/Program/School DeadlineConcentration(if applicable)

Whom it should be addressed to

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Summary of the following:

How do I know you?

How long have I known you?

What qualities would you like me to highlight?

Your CV/Resume

A Cover Letter/Personal Statement

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3(Adapted from Hardesty, J., UIUC)

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Academic Year

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Cornell University

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchInterdisciplinary Research in Nutritional Sciences and Equitable Health among Priority Populations

Dr. Roger Figueroa Bautista, PhD, MPH, MScAssistant Professor

Email: rf453@cornell.eduOffice Hours: By appointment

Division of Nutritional Sciences Mission Statement(https://www.human.cornell.edu/dns/about)

Understanding these relationship necessitates the study of:

Scholarly activities across the disciplinary spectrum are undertaken in both developed and less developed countries. They address causes and consequences of inadequate or inappropriate nutrition resulting from both over-and under-consumption of food and nutrients.

The academic field of nutrition is multidisciplinary at its foundation because of its integration of scientific knowledge across the physical sciences, life sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. The nutritional sciences embrace theories and methods across many academic disciplines to understand the complex relationships among human health, nutritional status, human genetics, food and lifestyle patterns, social andinstitutional environments and governmental policies. (https://www.cornell.edu/about/mission.cfm)

UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT

Cornell’s mission is to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry

throughout and beyond the Cornell University community.

• Human metabolic regulation and function of nutrients• The influence of genetic/epigenetic variation on nutrient

function• The role of nutrients in genome programming• Nutrient requirements through the life spanw• The role of diet in reducing risk of disease• Nutritional quality of foods• Relationships among food/agriculture systems and health• Interventions and policies designed to promote nutritional

health and well-being of individuals and populations

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This multidisciplinary nature of DNS is also manifested in its placement within the organizational structure at Cornell as it bridges CALS and CHE. These two colleges represent two important forces in our society: agriculture and human ecology. Expertise across these disciplines is required to address many of the most pressing nutritional problems facing individuals, societies and governments.

Systematic Program of Academic Research: Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) ResearchSituation: Childhood obesity; Health disparities; Contextual conditions in priority populations (SDoH)

Inputs(What we invest)

Outputs(What we do and who we do it to/with)

Outputs - Impact(The incremental events/changes that occur as a result of the outputs)

Activities Participation Short Medium Long (Impact)Group members (advocates, community stakeholders, facilitators, partners, principalinvestigator, staff, students, trainers, volunteers)

Resources (i.e., infrastructure, equipment, funding)

Information and Technology (i.e., computers, data, research dissemination, software)

Coalition development (i.e., community partnerships, needs and resource assessment, stakeholder engagement)

Collaborative opportunities

Data management and analysis (including secondary dataanalyses)

Grant writing

Pilot data collection

Research implementation anddissemination

Training (i.e., CBPR,communication, ethics andresponsible conduct of research,research methods, professionaldevelopment, software, teamscience)

Participants (i.e., prioritypopulations)

Group members (advocates,community stakeholders,facilitators, partners, principalinvestigator, staff, students,trainers, volunteers)

Acquire training prior toexecution of projects (on-going)

Assess needs and resourcesamong priority populations (on-going)

Daily writing (~30min/day)

Establish healthy relationships,trust, and sustain communitypartnerships with prioritypopulations (on-going)

Establish system to ethicallyanalyze, collect, manage, secure, and store data from projects (by Fall 2019)

Produce and disseminate research outputs (on-going)

Seek external funds for careerdevelopment and pilot research annually (on-going)

on-going +

Develop a conceptual model of thecontextual (including social andbehavioral) factors associated withchildhood obesity and healthdisparities in priority populations(by 2023)

Develop and establish a communitycoalition for sustained researchefforts (by 2023)

Identify potential mechanisms ofchange to prevent obesity inpriority populations (by 2023)

Increased awareness of communityassets to mitigate inequitiesaffecting priority populations (by2023)

Seek external funds for career dev.and large research projects (by 2023)

on-going +

Priority populations’greater ability toparticipate in allaspects of life throughincreased access toequitable contextualconditions

Reduced childhoodobesity risk in prioritypopulations targeted

Reduced healthdisparities in prioritypopulations targeted

Translation outputsfrom researchevidence

Example of program evaluation questions: Example of program evaluation questions: Example of program evaluation questions: • What is the effectiveness of these inputs in

helping to accomplish the long term goal?• Was funding for the program adequate?• Were trainers effective?

• Do program components effectively support the needs of priority populations?

• Was training effective?

• Did the program target the right participants?

• Did group members fulfill their roles?

• Were priority populations targeted?

• Was the process productive?

• Were the program goals met?• Did trainees accomplished their

goals?

• Do participants have equitable access to health?

AssumptionsExternalFactors

Adequate funds are available. Participation is expected from all parties.Socio-ecological lens through which group preliminarily assesses problem.

Set timeline is flexible. Time constraints will be variable across sub-groups. Current degree of capacity and resources at community level is unknown.

(Abbreviated version; adapted from OPM.gov)

Figueroa Interdisciplinary Group (FIG) Research Conceptual Framework