Apr 22, 2004 -- Research papers on how adult children cope with divorce, together with aspects of adolescent behavior and obesity and myths about marriage, highlighted Yeshiva University’s first annual conference on behavioral sciences hosted by the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology on April 22. Morton Lowengrub, PhD, and YU's vice president for academic affairs, called the conference "an historic day for Yeshiva University." "This is the first time we've brought together the graduate and undergraduate schools and formed a community of scholars, which is what a university is all about." The studies showcased 56 research projects conducted by students and graduates primarily from the Ferkauf, but also from Wurzweiler Graduate School of Social Work, Stern College for Women, and Yeshiva College. Ferkauf’s Oshra Cohen, studying for her PhD in clinical health, used the April 22 gathering at YU’s Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Bronx to shed light on the growing obesity epidemic among many American teenagers. “We joined with health professionals to learn why many obese adolescents were not succeeding in losing weight,” said Ms. Cohen, referring to her project, “Teenways: A Motivational Program for Overweight Adolescents.” She pointed to poor diet, lack of exercise, and inadequate funding as factors contributing to a problem that, say experts, threatens to wipe out improvements in children’s health and safety over the past three decades. She said her goal was to identify ways to treat overweight kids to avoid type-II diabetes and other weight-related ailments. The Teenways project brings together students and faculty of Ferkauf along with doctors nutritionists, social workers, and dieticians. In another study, Ferkauf graduate Wanda Edwards, PsyD, focused on young, mostly unmarried, African-American fathers and determined that many are responsible, caring parents, despite the negative stereotypes that television and other media often portray. Dr. Lowengrub, Lawrence Siegel, dean of Ferkauf, and Esther Joel, PhD, a 1983 Ferkauf alumna, received honorary awards for their contributions to Ferkauf and the research conference. Also recognized were Karen Bacon, the Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College, Norman Adler, dean of Yeshiva College, and Sheldon Gelman, dean of Wurzweiler.