Horace Mann - Winter 2012 - (Page 23)

celebrating 125 years: preparing great and giving lives students trips, lectures and opportunities to connect with faculty and distinguished visitors. it also offers financial aid. Disla took advantage of those opportunities, and was able to quickly zero in on the academic discipline that moved her most: psychology. “There was a really good psychology class at Horace Mann, but i didn’t take it. at the time i was thinking of going in a completely different direction. i wanted to do something helping people, but professionally, i thought i’d go into business. My interest in business came from my family’s working experience in the U.S. a lot of my family members, given that they were immigrants, opened a store or a business,” Disla said. Her parents came to new york from the Dominican republic when they were in their early twenties, met and married here, and went into business. When it came time for norbelina to declare her major, she followed her heart’s desire, and chose to pursue a ba in psychology. “it was completely the right decision,” she said. During Disla’s junior year at franklin and Marshall she was named a Hackman Scholar, in a program that brings students and faculty together to work on challenging, high-level research projects. Disla did her research with Dr. roger Thompson, Director of f & M’s primate laboratory and a leader in the field of animal behavior. “We were doing research on monkeys that got a lot of media attention,” said Disla of studies on responses among monkeys to reward systems. The excitement of doing research had Disla hooked. it also gave her the necessary experience to apply for similar positions. anticipating her next step after graduation from college, she searched for research opportunities in new york city, where she planned to return. “When i found the noMaS study, a light went off in my head,” said Disla. “i saw that it involved working with the caribbean population. When i was applying online, i noted that it included people from Dominican republic. i gave it my all to get into that program.” norbelina Disla began working with noMaS in 2005. Since that time she has contributed significantly to its research while also earning her Ma in psychology at columbia in 2010—a feat she accomplished by fitting graduate school classes into her full time workload. “i came into noMaS planning to stay for three years. i stayed longer because i enjoyed the research. it also means a lot to me.” noMaS’ overall goal is to investigate stroke risk factors in different race-ethnic groups, and to develop better stroke prevention programs to improve the health of the surrounding community. The study is helping fill gaps in knowledge of stroke epidemiology in minority populations. because of the broad scope of the study, it also considers conditions including diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, and such issues as diet, education, and physical activity. Until the study was launched there was no sufficient research of Hispanic communities and their risks for stroke and heart disease. Disla’s work in the study involved administering blood tests, depression scales, memory assessments and doing neuropsychological testing with its adult participants. noMaS’ research has generated several sub-studies. because the overall research has a genetic aspect, for a time norbelina traveled periodically to the Dominican republic, applying medical tests to study participants there who were relatives of participants in new york. Disla found this aspect of her research particularly rewarding because it involved her in the healthcare of an underserved population. “people would come from all over the country to Santo Domingo where we were conducting our tests at a small private hospital. Some traveled three or four hours. They understood how important this research was, and while they were seeing us, they were able to have health exams they may not otherwise have had access to in their routine medical visits. Most participants in the new york-based research come in to the columbia University Medical center to meet with the researchers, but some are seen in their homes. “if a participant is elderly, or house-bound, we make home visits,” said Disla. This is an area where Disla is particularly adept. “i tend to go to doctor appointments with my grandmother and other family members, if they don’t speak english, or need help filling out forms, or understanding the system. i know how relevant our studies are, because when i am at these doctor visits, i see a lot of hypertension and other diseases that are risk factors for stroke. Today, people are getting strokes at earlier ages. it could be diet, or lifestyle, or the stress of finances or moving to new york after growing up in a much different place. “The experience i gained with noMaS has helped me look at the clinical aspects of my career. My interest in studying depression comes from learning that depression affects so many other health areas, and that, in turn, health issues can contribute to depression. Many therapists are focused on the mental health status of a patient. However, they have to factor in other medical conditions that may be affecting mental health, like dementia or diabetes, for example. in these cases, combining mental health counseling with appropriate medical treatment is important. norbelina Disla’s focus on studying depression may seem a bit surprising: ten years before earning her Ma in this specialty she wrote in her Mannikin yearbook “Ser feliz es Vivir”, or, “To be happy is to live.” if everyone was held accountable to the words they chose for their high school yearbook page, at age 17 or 18, yearbook quotes might become a thing of the past. but one doesn’t have to ask if the thoughts norbelina Disla expressed in that 2001 Mannikin apply to what she’s done since her days at Horace Mann. looking at the contributions she has already made, and her plans for the future, help understand that “norbe” has always been one step ahead in planning out a course in life that will enable her to be as effective as she can be on behalf of others. another example? That yearbook page also has a picture of Winnie the pooh hanging onto his balloon, and floating next to Disla’s smiling face. “My family called me Winnie the pooh because i was the one who was always playing with the little kids, or talking to the older people at all of our gatherings, trying to make them feel good,” Disla explained with a laugh. it’s no wonder, for norbelina’s Mannikin quote went on to show her appreciation for her family and friends, in a prescient indication of her dedication to others: “Y fue por ti…”—it was for you. $ Horace mann magazine Winter 2012 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Horace Mann - Winter 2012

Horace Mann - Winter 2012
Contents
Letters
Greetings from Dr. Tom Kelly
Greetings from Melissa Parento ’90
Horace Mann School’s 125th Anniversary Observances Begin
Strategic Thinking
New Initiatives in Institutional Research and Admissions
HM's New Director of College Counseling
Timothy HO and Monica Merlo are 2011 Tina and Dave Bellet Teaching Excellence Award Winners
Langfan Oratorical Contest, 2011
Horace Mann School Graduates 178 in June, 2011
Alumni Council Corner
Bookshelf
Class Notes
Memorials
Philanthropy and You

Horace Mann - Winter 2012