Brain Healthy<\/em> was created in response to the dual challenges of preparing traditionally underrepresented students for data and health science careers and addressing the alarming increase in reported mental health issues among children, adolescents, and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program builds on BrainWaves<\/em>, a prior NIH SEPA-funded program led by Davidesco successfully implemented in 25 New York City public schools.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want our students to make use of data and interpret the data they see in the news and elsewhere,\u201d says Davidesco, who is the primary investigator on the project. \u201cWe will do that by engaging them in collecting and analyzing data to determine how it can be used to impact their health. We hope to equip students with better tools to make assessments about their health.\u201d<\/p>\n Davidesco and fellow Brain Healthy<\/em> researchers – Wendy Suzuki, professor of Neural Science at NYU, and UConn professors Sandra Chafouleas and Eric Loken \u2013 will partner with public school teachers in Connecticut and New York City to engage ninth and tenth grade students in a \u201ccitizen science\u201d research project evaluating their brain health and wellness. Using data from surveys and wearable devices, students will be taught how to analyze research-generated data and apply it to draw conclusions about, for example, the connection between the amount of sleep they get and their ability to focus during the day.<\/p>\n The month-long unit will be integrated into the required health education curriculum at schools that primarily serve students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).<\/p>\n The Brain Healthy<\/em> unit will begin with students participating in a comprehensive survey about their health and lifestyle practices developed with their input. They will then measure their heart rates with fitness trackers and complete a computerized cognitive task and mood survey tied to research about brain plasticity and how life experiences, such as physical exercise and stress, impact the brain.<\/p>\n Near-peer mentors – UConn and NYU undergraduate students from similar backgrounds as the high school students \u2013 will work with students to design data-driven investigations using de-identified data collected across all participating schools. The unit will culminate with a school-wide health science fair where students share their findings with the wider school community and beyond via social media.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re promoting and presenting skills students can use to maintain a healthy brain,\u201d says Chafouleas, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Neag School.<\/p>\n The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the daily drumbeat of negative news about climate, politics, gun violence, and more have pushed reports of depression and anxiety among young people to the boiling point, Chafouleas says. In late 2021, the crisis prompted the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Children\u2019s Hospital Association to jointly declare<\/a> a national state of emergency in children\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cIdo has put together a dream team of experts from different spaces to be part of a solution to a very big problem,\u201d says Chafouleas.<\/p>\n![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Ido_Davidesco_IMG_6670-300x200.jpg\")