This month, our users shared a wealth of interesting information and sparked engaging conversations. Dive into August’s highlights to learn something new or jump into a discussion!
Hub User Spotlight
Our August user spotlight is Dr. Derrick K. Mobley, a retired physician, health educator, certified health coach, and addiction counselor committed to empowering underserved communities through lifestyle medicine and health education. He is a firm believer in our capacity to prevent, treat, and often cure many of the health challenges that are disrupting lives and consuming health care dollars that could be better spent in other areas. He enjoys cycling—he hasn’t met a hill that he couldn’t ascend, weight training, and other gym activities. His favorite go-to place is the ocean shore where he indulges in sun, sand and seawater as often as he can. The ocean soothes him like nothing else that he knows.
What are your interests? I’m passionate about health education, reducing chronic disease prevalence, and improving the quality of life for families and communities through culturally responsive health strategies. Federal government literature estimates that close to 90 percent of Americans are health illiterate to various degrees. I suspect that health illiteracy is more profound and more prevalent in communities of color and I want to do my part to change that. I read somewhere that health literacy is the currency of the health care industry and the humongous health care problems that we have in the United States will never improve until we help people understand the language of health care.
What are you working on that most excites you? I’m currently working on educating and motivating communities in the Philadelphia area about the power of healthy eating and healthy behaviors. I do this by speaking at health fairs, writing articles for local newspapers, and through my website. I am also interested in the intersection of lifestyle medicine, health care, and substance use disorders. I simply adore the work and mission of NextGenU.org that is leading the way toward the democratization of health education around the globe and into the homes of students with challenging financial circumstances—and it is all free. If you aren’t familiar with them, please check out their website.
What do you welcome Hub users to connect with you about? I welcome connections around lifestyle medicine, health literacy and education, community-based health interventions, addiction counseling, health coaching, and opportunities to collaborate on wellness initiatives for marginalized communities.
In Discussions
You’ll want to see this—the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope!
You may want to consider screen time limits. A new study found that since the widespread adoption of smartphones around 2007, traits like diligence, organization, and self-discipline have plummeted, particularly in those under 30.
Oh the wonders of nature! A fungus that can break down plastic and another that can absorb radiation and potentially convert it into usable energy.
…and many more in the Discussions page!
In Groups
- Opportunities: Funding for health equity researchers whose funding was partially or fully rescinded due to federal administration actions.
- Arts, Culture, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (ACIKS): Check out this user-recommended documentary—The Eternal Song, a cinematic journey through timeless lands and their Indigenous cultures.
- Artists in Residence: Get a look at this surrealist piece in progress.
- Nova4Nutrition: Share your communal cooking traditions.
- Nova Meditations and Practices: A five-minute meditation if you’re short on time, or longer ones to choose from.
…check out all the Groups (or create your own)!
In Events
- September 24: Join for the next free, virtual Nova Campfire: “In Search of Consciousness: New Frontiers in Science, Wisdom, and the Nature of Reality.” In a time when science and society are both confronting the limits of material explanations, this conversation invites us to consider consciousness not as a byproduct of the brain, but as foundational to reality itself.
- September 24: Microbes & Social Equity Speaker Series
- See more events and submit your own on our Community Calendar!
Hub Features & User Tips
- Now available! The Nova Integration Hub app for iOS and Android users.
- Tip for engagement: Tap into the great minds here on the Hub! Post your requests for information, research help, articles, etc., in a relevant group or discussion topic, or directly to your profile as a status update.
- Invite friends to join the Hub! Click on your profile photo, navigate down to “Email Invites,” and click “Send Invites.” Customize a message or just send the link – it’s easy!
- Just getting started on the Hub? Check out the Hub User Guide to watch a video or get step-by-step instructions.
Thank you again for being part of our community. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know how you like using the Hub, share your ideas and suggestions, or just say hello! Message Airynn Strout or Tolu Adewole on the Hub or email us at airynn@novainstituteforhealth.org or tolu@novainstituteforhealth.org.
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