Connect Bridgeport
Ad
FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeRSS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Community
    • Community News
    • Anniversaries
    • Announcements
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Calendar
    • Churches
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Directory
    • Farmer's Market
    • File Complaint
    • Greeting Cards
    • Library
    • Lost And Found
    • Obituaries
    • Parks & Recreation
    • Sponsorships
  • Trading Post
    • For Sale
    • Local Deals
    • Services
    • Yard Sales
  • Visitors
  • Relocation
  • Education
  • Jobs
  • Alumni
Ad

WVU Professor, Liberty Alumna Melissa Marra, Set to Work with $1.1M Grant to Empower Women 50-Plus

By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on March 17, 2025

Melissa Ventura Marra, associate professor of human nutrition and foods in the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is part of a multistate research team awarded a $1,091,218 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to support women’s health and well-being as they age. The project, called StrengthenHER, is an innovative virtual exercise and nutrition program designed to support women over 50 by reducing the risk of sarcopenia.
 
Sarcopenia—a condition characterized by a loss of muscle mass, strength and function—affects not only functional ability, making everyday activities like climbing stairs difficult, but it can also make managing diabetes and weight more difficult. Treatment for sarcopenia is lacking, making prevention especially important.
 
“Age-related muscle loss can begin as early as mid-30s, with some people losing 5% per decade — even those who stay active,” Marra said. “Women are particularly vulnerable due to biological factors like low peak muscle mass and hormonal changes that come along with the menopausal transition.”
 
The StrengthenHER program will address these issues head-on. Through 32 hours of virtual engagement, including on-demand strength-training videos and weekly nutrition and activity lessons, it will offer a flexible, at-home solution tailored to the needs and preferences of middle-aged and older women. The program, provided free-of-charge to participants, will also provide promotional materials, training resources and an online course for seamless delivery.
 
Over the next five years, team members from seven universities —WVU, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, New York University, University of Arkansas, University of Rhode Island and University of the District of Columbia—will work with women aged 50 to 75 in their states, including West Virginia, to create and evaluate a 16-week, extension-delivered, virtual nutrition and strength training program.
 
In its first year (2025), the multidisciplinary teams will work to create the intervention, with plans to begin participant recruitment early 2026. 
 
“One of the strengths of the project is our team-based approach that leverages our diverse perspectives and skill sets, which can lead to better problem-solving," Marra said.
 
Marra will collaborate on developing the program’s nutrition curriculum and recruitment of women in West Virginia. The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute will provide statistical consultation for the project.
 
The project’s impact will extend beyond its five-year timeline, too.
 
“The StrengthenHER program will empower women to stay strong, healthy and independent as they age by giving them the knowledge and confidence to overcome barriers they perceive to nutrition and strength training activities,” Marra said.
 
“And at the end of the five years, not only will we have made an impact on women who participate in this version, we will have created an evidence-based program that can be implemented through Extension services across the nation, fee-of-charge to participants and reaching even more women.” 
 
The collaborators are part of a USDA Multistate Research Project, NE2439: Improving the health span of aging adults through diet and physical activity. 
 
To keep up to date with the StrengthenHer program, visit healthspan.wvu.edu/strengthenher. If you're interested in becoming a participant, complete this interest form, and a team member will contact you once recruitment begins in 2026. 

Share


Sign up/stay connected

Create your profile to start adding photos, posting comments, and more.

SIGN UP

Ad
Ad

Related Articles

  • WVU's Gee Pens Farwell Letter to WVU, Morgantown
  • Final Words: WVU President Gordon Gee Talks about His Career as 45-Year Run Set to Conclude July 14

Blogs [ view all ]

  • Photo

    From the Bench: Props to BHS Team One of...

    There have been plenty of great boys’ basketball teams in Bridgeport High School’s history. Certainly, thi...

    Posted by Jeff Toquinto

  • Photo

    Time Travel: Early 1980s Bridgeport Yout...

    See anyone you remember from this youth soccer photo from the very early 1980s - likely 1981 or 1982? The team...

    Posted by Dick Duez

  • Photo

    It's Happening: Baylor Comes Home

    Many have been following the journey of 2-year-old Baylor Waggamon since early-2025 when he was awaiting a heart transplan...

    Posted by Julie Perine

  • Photo

    ToquiNotes: Unlucky 13-Year Anniversary ...

    It was August 20, 1970, when what many will consider the worst storm in Bridgeport’s history took place. A torna...

    Posted by Jeff Toquinto

  • Photo

    The Grapevine: New Feature Nearing a Deb...

    Guess what’s happening? Starting this month, the Grapevine is going to have a new feature.   On...

    Posted by Rosalyn Queen

Calendar [ view all ]

Thu
10

Tech Savvy: Rebooted (Bridgeport Public Library)

Thu
10

Sew Simple: Lotus Flower Pin Cushion (Bridgeport Public Library)

Fri
11

Monthly Matinee: Mamma Mia! (2008) (Bridgeport Public Library)

 



Bridgeport, WV
Editorial Board Advertise Privacy Policy Contact Us
FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeRSS

©2014 Connect Bridgeport.