Outreach Core - Office of Research

AMES Outreach Core

The AMES Outreach Core serves as a connection between the AMES Research Center and the community. They perform services to ensure that the research performed by AMES is reaching the military, veteran, and emergency services community, the academic community, the practitioner community, and the Georgia community in a meaningful way. Their services include:

Assisting in the translation of research to practice, which promotes the practical utility of academic research.
Planning, implementing, and/or evaluating outreach events.
Promoting organizational learning and development related to mental and occupational health.

Outreach Core Personnel

Name

Position

Kristin Horan Assistant Professor of Psychology

Assistant Professor of Psychology
khoran1@kennesaw.edu
(470) 578-6225
H51-3217 104A

Director of Outreach Core

Dr. Kristin Horan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University. She has a background in Industrial Organizational Psychology and performs research on interventions to improve safety, health, and well-being, particularly for first responders. She coordinates outreach and community engagement efforts for the AMES Research Center.
Eldie Torres Vazquez Program Coordinator

Program Coordinator
etorre27@kennesaw.edu
(470) 578-4369
House 3217 - 201

Program Coordinator

Eldie Torres Vazquez is a Program Coordinator for the AMES Research Center. She has experience performing administrative and reporting duties for grant-funded work. In her role at AMES, she assists in the coordination of outreach activities and research activities. As a family member of service members and veterans, she identifies with the mission of AMES and appreciates the opportunity to help communities and families.

Recent Work, Upcoming, or Ongoing Work by the Outreach Core

The faculty and staff of the AMES Research Center recently performed outreach and engagement through community service. They assisted with delivering donations of toiletries to five local abuse and homeless shelters. Among this donation was 30,000 rolls of toilet paper! We are grateful to all parties who assisted with the organization of this donation, especially the American Legion and North Cobb Rotary.

The AMES Outreach Core offered technical assistance in the planning and implementation of a community outreach event that provided counseling for disability claims. Working with multiple organizations who assist veterans, the AMES Outreach Core gave support to implement an event that assisted veterans in enrolling in expanded benefits according to the PACT Act. The event was held on April 4, 2023, and served dozens of individuals in the veteran community in the Northwest Metro Atlanta area. The AMES Outreach Core was excited to contribute to this event!

AMES in Action

AMES in Action is a blog that focuses on translating the research performed by the Center for Advancement of Military and Emergency Services (AMES) Research into actionable information for workers and workplaces. Scientific research can be too long, too theoretical, or obscured behind a paywall. This makes it difficult for workers and workplaces to take advantage of the information. AMES in Action addresses these issues by putting short, actionable pieces of scientific knowledge related to occupational and organizational health, particularly for military, veteran, and emergency services groups, directly in your hands!

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Let’s Connect!

Let’s Connect is a two-day summit that aims to increase connection among the members of the Georgia Suicide Prevention Task Force. This event will focus on helping members of the Georgia Suicide Prevention Task Force promote health and prevent suicide among Georgia’s service members, veterans, and their families.

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