BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky University announced that Jana Michalik, a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, has been named as the inaugural WKU Innovation Campus Scholar.
Michalik, who is pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Kentucky College of Education, will work remotely and in person in Bowling Green on research with Drs. Jason Crandall and Mark Schafer in the WKU Center for Applied Science in Health and Aging (CASHA), part of the WKU College of Health & Human Services.
In her role as WKU Innovation Campus Scholar, Michalik is conducting pilot research on the effects of a program called Bingocize® on older adults’ willingness and ability to utilize technology to access health information.
Bingocize® was created by Dr. Crandall, WKU Professor of Exercise Science and CASHA Co-Director, and has been spun off into a company that is scaling use of the program. It is a socially engaging group-based program that combines exercise, health education, and the widely popular game of bingo. The program is delivered live by a trained lay leader, either face-to-face or utilizing the Bingocize® online platform.
“As the WKU Innovation Campus Scholar, I am thrilled about the opportunity to further expand Bingocize’s impact by integrating health-related technology education,” Michalik said. “This pivotal enhancement will not only continue to improve health outcomes but also help bridge the digital divide, empowering older adults to confidently utilize health technology.”
Dr. Crandall expressed his excitement to work closely with Michalik on evidence-based research as Bingocize® expands its focus on health-related technology education for its older users— especially as Michalik, a former graduate student of Crandall’s in the WKU Masters in Kinesiology program, is familiar with CASHA’s work.
“As we carried out our delivery of Bingocize using our online platform, we saw anecdotal evidence that it is impacting older adults’ willingness to use technology in general,” Crandall said. “However, we have never done any formal data collection around that aspect of our work. We are very excited by Jana’s planned research on how using our platform impacts attitude and confidence toward digital technologies among older adults.”
The WKU Innovation Campus Scholar designation is meant to acknowledge researchers significantly engaged in doctoral, postdoctoral, or other significant research work at the WKU Innovation Campus while working primarily for another academic institution.
“At the WKU Innovation Campus, we are focused on applied research work that focuses on piloting new technologies and methods in real-world settings, scaling those research activities, and collecting evidence to guide that scale and prove efficacy,” said Buddy Steen, CEO of the WKU Innovation Campus. “We seek to attract those doing cutting-edge research to come to our region to conduct their work. In the process, we want to attract research activity that benefits WKU, businesses in our region, and communities within and beyond our region.”
The University of Kentucky is collaborating closely with WKU through this WKU Innovation Campus Scholar program.
“I understand the importance of empowering Ph.D. students to explore uncharted territories and push boundaries of knowledge,” said Dr. Melinda J. Ickes, Assistant Dean of Research and Professor of Health Promotion for the University of Kentucky College of Education. “The Western Kentucky University Innovation Campus Scholar initiative aligns seamlessly with the University of Kentucky’s shared value of promoting creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking approaches to addressing challenges facing our community, especially older adults, and people with disabilities.”
WKU CASHA and the UK College of Education have a long history of collaboration on federally funded grant projects aimed at improving the quality of life of older adults.
“The WKU Innovation Campus Initiative will allow us to grow our research collaborations to even greater heights,” Dr Ickes said. “This topic is innovative and timely considering the promise in addressing the intersection of physical activity, health education, and technology adoption among older populations. The utilization of technology in interventions like Bingocize can influence older adults’ attitudes and abilities to engage with technology is of paramount importance.”
Michalik is currently concluding the first year of her Ph.D. program at the University of Kentucky and will be conducting increasing work on the ground in Bowling Green.
