A\n memorial service for Tasia Smith, University of Oregon Evergreen \nAssistant Professor of counseling psychology and human services, will be\n held Friday, Jan. 18, in the Redwood Room at the Erb Memorial Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith died unexpectedly on Dec. 5, 2018, in Eugene from natural causes. She was 32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\n came to UO in 2016 shortly after completing her doctorate in counseling\n psychology at the University of Florida. Smith was one of four young \nscholars hired as part of the university’s Health Promotion and Obesity \nPrevention Initiative, which is part of the UO Prevention Science \nInstitute in the College of Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The initiative was started \nto help address the nation’s obesity epidemic, especially prevalent \namong young people, through collaborative efforts of researchers from \ndifferent disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith\u2019s research focused on the prevention \nand reduction of obesity and obesity-related health disparities among \nunderserved populations. Her work examined the social factors involved \nin health and mental health conditions and their role in physical health\n outcomes. She also designed, implemented and evaluated community-based \nhealth promotion programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a project done with churches in northern Florida, Smith found that regular use of health care services was associated with healthier eating and higher perceived health status among 180 African-American women battling issues related to hypertension and weight. The study was published in the journal Women & Health<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The memorial service for Smith will be from noon to 2 p.m. Smith is survived by her parents, five brothers and two sisters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Memorial for COE professor Tasia Smith set for Jan. 18 in EMU From Around the O, January 8, 2019 – 9:19am A memorial service for Tasia Smith, University of Oregon Evergreen Assistant Professor of counseling psychology and human services, will…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/csws-archive.uoregon.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/tasia_smith_1.jpg\")