UB in the News

Gary Giovino, professor of health behavior, is quoted in an article on PBS Newshour's The Rundown blog that reports one in five Americans is a smoker, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control, a percentage that has remained unchanged since 2005. He said many researchers believe a "hardening" of the smoker population might be contributing to the stalled decline.

An article on the Huffington Post about political scientists' predictions that forecast significant losses for Democrats in the midterm elections in November reports James E. Campbell, professor and chair of political science, is predicting a gain of 50 to 52 seats for the Republicans. An article also appears in The Atlantic.

An article distributed by the Associated Press about corrections officers who return from Afghanistan and Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder reports that nationwide, law enforcement groups are taking notice of veterans starting or returning to jail or prison jobs and quotes John Violanti, research associate professor of social and preventive medicine. The article appeared in news outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada, including The Seattle Times, Metro Canada Toronto and NPR.

An article in the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog interviews Bruce Jackson, Samuel P. Capen Professor of American Culture, about the work he began in the early 1960s, visiting prisons in the South, first to record folk songs and then to interview inmates about their lives in and out of the criminal justice system.

An article in USA Today about Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson's efforts to help protect and intellectually nourish at-risk young African-American males reports he recently took a group on visits to UB and another local college, where they were taught the importance of SAT/ACT prep work.

Richard D. Blondell, director of addictions research, is quoted in an article distributed by HealthDay news service about a study that casts doubt on the argument that marijuana is a "gateway drug" that plays a major role in leading people to try other illegal drugs. "The study doesn't really answer the question," he says. "There is no single answer to why someone develops addiction." The article also reports that in a recent study, Blondell and colleagues at UB reported that new research suggests that many people first get addicted to drugs while using prescription painkillers. The article appeared in BusinessWeek.

An article distributed by HealthDay reports on research that found it isn't personal success of failure that make up the best and worst moments of a person's life, but the events that occur within relationships, and quotes Shira Gabriel, associate professor of psychology, who conducted the research. The article appeared in BusinessWeek and U.S. & World Report.

An article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about a decision by a federal judge that allows Native American nations to continue to sell cigarettes without the state collecting sales tax quotes Donald A. Grinde, professor and chair of American studies and an expert on Native American history, who said the state has no right to collect taxes on reservations.

An article on CNBC about a new poll that suggests Democrats will face significant losses in the midterm elections reports that a UB paper has predicted a 51-seat gain for Republicans in November. An article that appeared in the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and other newspapers also reports on the research, which was conducted by James Campbell, professor and chair of political science.

Research by James E. Campbell, professor and chair of political science, is featured in an article in The Washington Post about a Gallup poll that said if the midterm elections were held now, Republicans would take control of the House, and probably with a comfortable margin. Campbell's research received considerable media attention, with articles appearing in the Winston-Salem Journal, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Financial Times, WABC-AM in New York City and England's Guardian newspaper. The research also is the subject of articles on the Conservative blogs, Left Coast Rebel and VOX, as well as on AOL's Propeller and England's popular political blog, PoliticalBetting.com,