-
About
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
HHD COVID-19 Response
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Return to Research
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Process to Request Access to Campus Facilities
- Steps Required Before Returning to Campus
- Researcher Responsibilities
- Human Subjects Research
- University Guidance for Researchers
- Adjustments to Work Arrangements
- On-Campus Facility and Building Use
- Personal Safety Practices
- Returning to On-Campus Research Activities
- Undergraduate Research Experiences
-
Return to Teaching
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Creative Approaches to Teaching this Fall: Where to Start
- Adapting to Mixed-Mode, Remote, or Web-Based Teaching and Learning
- Assessments and Academic Integrity
- Policy and Safety Updates
- Technology and Library Resources
- Resources to Assist Faculty and Staff Support Student Welfare
- Remote Teaching and Learning
-
Return to Work
Explore
-
Additional Resources and References
Explore
- Center for Health Care and Policy Research Hours of Operation
-
HHD Hours of Operation
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Center for Childhood Obesity Research Hours of Operation
- Center for Healthy Aging Hours of Operation
- Center for Student Advising and Engagement
- Clinical Research Center Hours of Operation
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute Hours of Operation
- Dean's Office
- EPIS Hours of Operation
- Ford Buildling
- Hours of Operation - CSD
- Hours of Operation - HDFS
- Hours of Operation - HPA
- Hours of Operation - KINES
- Hours of Operation - NUTR
- Hours of Operation - RPTM
- Hours of Operation - RPTM
- Hours of Operation - SHM
- PA Office of Rural Health Hours of Operation
- PA SNAP-Ed Hours of Operation
- Prevention Research Center Hours of Operation
-
Return to Research
- Overview of the College
- Meet the Dean
- News
-
Events
Explore
-
Profiles
Explore
-
Diversity and Inclusion
Explore
-
Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
College Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
Explore
-
Diversity Achievement Award
Explore
-
Martha “Marty” Adams Undergraduate Advising Award
Explore
-
Ann C. Crouter Early Career Faculty Award
Explore
-
Evelyn R. Saubel Faculty Award
Explore
-
HHD Alumni Society Excellence in Teaching Award
Explore
-
Leadership in Outreach Award
Explore
-
Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Achievement Award
Explore
-
Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award
Explore
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
-
HHD Alumni Society Awards
Explore
-
College Awards
-
Commencement
Explore
-
Strategic Plans
Explore
- Employers and Industry
- Our Valued Partners
- History
- Donate
- Contact
-
HHD COVID-19 Response
-
Undergraduate
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Getting Started
Explore
-
Majors and Minors
Explore
-
Honors Program
Explore
-
Advising
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Academic Integrity
Explore
- Academic Progress
- Advising Resources
-
Change of Campus
Explore
- Declaring a Major/Minor
-
Enforcement of Recommended Preparation
Explore
- Learning Support
- Petitions to University Policies and Procedures
-
Policies and Procedures
Explore
- Schedule an Appointment with Your Adviser
-
Undergraduate Adviser and Student Handbook
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Academic Integrity
- Student Organizations
-
Student Profiles
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies
Explore
-
Kinesiology
Explore
-
Nutritional Sciences
Explore
-
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
Explore
-
Student Research
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health
-
Study Abroad
Explore
- Take a Professor to Lunch
-
Research Opportunities
Explore
-
Internships and Career Opportunities
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Health Professions Exposed
-
Career Areas by Major
Explore
- Careers by Setting
-
Program Overviews by Major
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Athletic Training
Explore
- Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies
Explore
-
Kinesiology
Explore
-
Nutritional Sciences
Explore
-
Athletic Training
- Health Professions Exposed
- Share your internship experience
-
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Explore
-
Women's Leadership Initiative
Explore
-
Summer Session
Explore
-
Undergraduate News
Explore
- Dean's Welcome Meeting
- Parents and Family Association
-
Visit and Apply
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Discover HHD
Explore
-
HHD Instagram Ambassadors
Explore
-
Getting Started
-
Graduate
Explore
-
Alumni
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Events
Explore
-
News
Explore
-
Get Involved
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Mentor a Student
Explore
-
Join an Affiliate Program Group
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders APG
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration APG
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies APG
Explore
-
Kinesiology APG
Explore
-
Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society (NDAS)
Explore
-
Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS)
Explore
-
Recreation Park and Tourism Management APG
Explore
- Get Involved with an Affiliate Program Group
-
Professional Golf Management APG
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
-
HHD Alumni Society
Explore
-
Mentor a Student
-
Awards
Explore
-
Alumni Profiles
Explore
- Alumni Magazine
- Career Resources for Alumni
- Update Your Contact Information
- Volunteer Leaders
- About A Greater Penn State Campaign
- Donate
- Contact
-
Alumni Career Snapshots
Explore
-
Events
-
Research
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Departments
Explore
Our Story/Kaelah Shaffer
June 2015
Even before college, Kaelah Shaffer had opened her heart to help those with medical needs.
And then when she came to Penn State, it was the Department of Kinesiology that opened doors.
More than 4,500 Penn State students are enrolled in the College of Health and Human Development (HHD) studying a wide-array of fields, each committed to the concept of improving the quality of life for others. Shaffer, who found a home in the Department of Kinesiology, is one of those HHD students, and this is her story.
“I’ve always loved the health care field,” Shaffer said, explaining her deeply-rooted passion. Her mother was a hospice nurse, she said, and her family has always been interested in physical activity.
The Pittsburgh native graduated in May 2015 from the Department of Kinesiology.
Starting in high school, Shaffer worked as a home aid for a pair of brothers, both with muscular dystrophy. She helped with chores around the house and coordinated meal delivery through her local church.
Shaffer said she learned a great deal caring for the men, such as the importance of maintaining positive attitudes, and not to take health for granted.
“There are not bad or good circumstances, there are just circumstances,” she said.
The men, though bed-bound, kept a bright outlook, she said, which helped put her own life into perspective and also sparked some more enthusiasm about the work she wanted to do.
“I became interested in the human body,” she said. “Specifically, I’d like to focus on athletes and end-of-life care, and people with disabilities. All of these populations can benefit greatly from physical therapy.”
Though Shaffer first got real-world medical experience before attending Penn State, she said her major presented her with a multitude of opportunities.
“The major is great preparation for a variety of jobs and careers,” she said. “Many of the classes teach about the human body and its many functions. There are a lot of different angles you can take with kinesiology. It’s a very holistic major.”
Shaffer worked for three years with Melissa Bopp, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, in the Physical Activity and Public Health lab. She conducted research with Bopp, and helped present their findings at the Penn State 2013 and 2014 Undergraduate Exhibitions and the 2014 Society for Behavioral Medicine Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Shaffer’s final project before graduation was to use data to connect participants’ subjective answers of self-reported health with their actual physical measures. This included looking at body mass index, resting blood glucose, the ability to do certain exercises like sit-ups, percent body fat index and grip strength.
“I was more interested in general markers of overall health,” Shaffer said of the project.
Shaffer was also a member of Global Medical Brigades, the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization.
“I attended a brigade to Panama in 2012, during which time we set up temporary clinics for underserved individuals,” she said. “This sparked my interest in global health, as well as attending to diverse populations.”
There are many chapters of Global Brigades across the world. The Penn State chapter works with more than 300 other university groups around the world to deliver and implement one of nine skill-based programs that benefit more than 130,000 Honduran and Panamanian, Ghanaian, and Nicaraguan community members annually. Global Medical Brigades develops sustainable health initiatives and provides relief where there is limited access to healthcare. Each community receives a brigade every three to four months where hundreds of patients are treated and volunteers deliver public health workshops. Electronic patient records are collected for future visitations and to monitor overall community health trends.
In the summer of 2014, Shaffer interned at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, during which she observed doctors in the traumatic brain injury and amputee units.
“They had a Military Advanced Training Center that is a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with the newest equipment for getting soldiers back in good health to either return to civilian life or even the line of duty,” she said.
Shaffer also held an internship at Drayer Physical Therapy in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, where she observed licensed therapists during treatment and assisted patients with exercise routines.
“I gained familiarity with equipment and standard procedures,” she said. “And I gained experience working with pediatrics, geriatrics and orthopedics.”
A peer mentor for Kinesiology students, Shaffer also served on the Kinesiology Club from 2011 to 2015. As secretary her final year, she had the opportunity to provide students with opportunities for leadership, hands-on experience, networking and certification programs. As secretary, she kept track of active membership, planned monthly agendas and managed the club’s email.
Shaffer plans to attend Drexel University in fall to obtain her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
In addition to Kinesiology, there are a variety of areas for students to study within HHD through the Departments of Biobehavioral Health, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Health Policy and Administration, Human Development and Family Studies, Nutritional Sciences, Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, and the School of Hospitality Management.