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Center for Political and Economic Thought to host Economist on Health in Appalachia

Center for Political and Economic Thought to host Economist on Health in Appalachia

by Public Relations | March 14, 2022

LATROBE, PA – On Tuesday, March 22nd, the Center for Political and Economic Thought, part of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government at Saint Vincent College, will host Professor Jane Ruseki of West Virginia University at 7:30 p.m. in the Fred Rogers Center on campus.

Ruseki’s lecture, “Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities in Appalachia,” is free and open to the public.Jane Ruseki headshot

Jane Ruseki is a Professor of Economics in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University and joined the faculty in 2013. Previous appointments include faculty positions at the University of Alberta and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and non-academic appointments at the Federal Trade Commission and Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. She has had visiting appointments at the University of Paderborn, University of Zurich and the German Sport University. Ruseki’s’s research interests  include health economics, sports economics and industrial organization. Much of her published work and current projects lie at the intersection of these fields.

Current research projects study the longitudinal effects of physical activity on health; the role of present bias and habit formation on physical activity; disparities in maternal smoking in Appalachia; economic freedom, physical activity and health disparities; spatial variation in opioid abuse in Appalachia; disability and poverty in the United States; the impact of professional sporting events on influenza mortality; socioeconomic disparities in physical activity and nutrition; and the effect of subsidized sports facility construction on infant health. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals including “Contemporary Economic Policy,” “Health Economics,” “Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics” and “Journal of Sports Economics.” She is the executive editor of the “International Journal of Sport Finance” and a co-editor of “Contemporary Economic Policy.” She serves as the secretary for the North American Association of Sports Economists.

For more information, contact Mary Beth McConahey, Assistant Director of the Center for Political and Economic Thought, at marybeth.mcconahey@stvincent.edu or (724) 805-2120.

Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and considering encouraging local COVID-19 trends, the College has recently adopted a mask-optional policy for all students, faculty, staff and visitors. Therefore, visitors to the Center are invited to wear masks based on one’s personal level of risk. Should the CDC determine that the rate of transmission in Westmoreland County increases above LOW, mitigating measures may be re-implemented at the discretion of the College. For the latest information about these protocols, please visit https://www.stvincent.edu/resources/covid-19-updates/index.html

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Photo 1: Jane Ruseki

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PR2022-023

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