Families, educators, and community leaders gathered at the Rise Early Learning and Family Support Center to celebrate a groundbreaking first year serving West Baltimore.Housed within the University of Maryland School of Social Work's Center for Restorative Change, RISE is a first-of-its-kind model in Maryland that integrates early childhood education, family services, workforce development, and health support — all under one roof in the Upton/Druid Heights neighborhood.#RiseBaltimore #EarlyLearning #FamilySupport #WestBaltimore #SocialWork #UMB #PromiseHeights #CommunityCare #WholeFamilySupport #BlueprintForMaryland #BmoreForHealthyBabies #FamilyConnections

What if one of the most powerful ways to ease the side effects of cancer treatment didn’t come from a drug prescription, but from movement?That’s the focus of Ian Kleckner, PhD, MPH, associate professor and director of the Cancer Control Mind & Body Lab at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. A physicist-turned-psychologist and neuroscientist with a passion for understanding how the mind and body work together, Kleckner is studying how exercise can reduce the painful, long-lasting nerve symptoms caused by chemotherapy — known as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.Backed by the National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society, Kleckner’s lab uses methods from neuroscience, physiology, and behavioral science to examine how walking and resistance exercise can improve not only physical function, but also brain activity, balance, and mood in people with cancer. The lab’s work is grounded in his belief that the key to treating neuropathy lies not only in the nerves in the hands and feet, but in the brain’s ability to adapt and retrain the body.This spotlight is part of Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today, a campaign highlighting how federally funded research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore is driving health innovation.🔗 Learn more about his research: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs #BreakthroughsCantWait #NIHResearch #HealthInnovation #ExerciseScience #PainRelief #MentalHealthMatters #OncologyCare