Product News Post Archives

Plan My Ride Could Protect Young People from Increased Risk of Unsafe Driving Around the Holidays

Elizabeth Porter2025-12-11T19:58:13+00:00

December 11, 2025, Durham, NC – At the end of the year, drivers are at a higher risk for unsafe driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports an uptick in the number of deaths from traffic accidents involving alcohol impairment and occurring in the evening hours during the month of December.1 Holiday parties and get-togethers at this time of year may be related to increased driving while impaired. In addition, fewer daylight hours may mean more drivers are on the road after dark. To protect themselves and others, drivers must have skills to avoid unsafe driving and understand the [...]

Plan My Ride Could Protect Young People from Increased Risk of Unsafe Driving Around the HolidaysElizabeth Porter2025-12-11T19:58:13+00:00

Boost Your Research Proposal’s Competitiveness with DigiKnowIt News

Elizabeth Porter2025-12-09T21:00:34+00:00

December 9, 2025, Durham, NC – If you are planning to apply for grant or contract funding to support your pediatric research projects, it is important to develop a clear strategy to include in your proposals for how you will recruit participants. When reading your proposal, reviewers will look to see if it is realistic and feasible to recruit the number and types of people you want to participate in your study. In other words, your research proposal should not only include who you plan to recruit, but also how you plan to recruit and retain participants. Carefully strategizing and writing [...]

Boost Your Research Proposal’s Competitiveness with DigiKnowIt NewsElizabeth Porter2025-12-09T21:00:34+00:00

Connected Scholars Program Positively Impacts College Student Retention and Graduation Rates

Elizabeth Porter2025-11-24T19:13:21+00:00

November 24, 2025, Durham, NC – Recently published research reported that the Connected Scholars program has significant positive impacts on college student retention and graduation rates. Connected Scholars teaches high school and college students how to build social capital, expand their social networks, and develop mentoring relationships that can help them reach their academic and life goals. The program helps students proactively seek out mentoring relationships and practice their networking skills, so they can thrive academically and socially. These skills may be particularly important for students of color and first-generation college students, who often have fewer connections to mentors and less [...]

Connected Scholars Program Positively Impacts College Student Retention and Graduation RatesElizabeth Porter2025-11-24T19:13:21+00:00

Plan My Ride Found to Effectively Impact Safe Driving Attitudes, Knowledge, and Beliefs

Elizabeth Porter2025-10-20T19:38:14+00:00

October 20, 2025, Durham, NC – Distracted and impaired driving are two of the leading risk factors for vehicle crashes in the United States, and young people are at particularly high risk for engaging in these unsafe behaviors. iRT developed the Plan My Ride program with the goal of preventing distracted and impaired driving to support young drivers in staying safe on the road. A randomized controlled trial found that Plan My Ride is effective in improving young drivers’ attitudes and knowledge related to safe driving in the short- and longer-term. Findings from the evaluation were recently published in Transportation Research [...]

Plan My Ride Found to Effectively Impact Safe Driving Attitudes, Knowledge, and BeliefsElizabeth Porter2025-10-20T19:38:14+00:00

College Students Find New Sexual Health Education Program Relevant and Engaging

Elizabeth Porter2025-03-28T16:38:26+00:00

March 28, 2025, Durham, NC – In a recent study, nearly 40% of community college students reported that they had not received school-based sex education since the ninth grade.1 Gaps in high-school sex education may put students at risk for negative sexual health outcomes as they enter adulthood. Colleges have the opportunity to fill these gaps and address students’ needs by providing high-quality sexual health resources to their students. Media Aware is an online, evidence-based program that was designed to meet the need for sex education for young adults and to promote sexual and relationship health and prevent sexual violence. Media [...]

College Students Find New Sexual Health Education Program Relevant and EngagingElizabeth Porter2025-03-28T16:38:26+00:00

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Reinforcing Safe Driving Skills

Elizabeth Porter2025-03-13T21:01:44+00:00

March 13, 2025, Durham, NC – iRT is dedicated to preventing distracted and impaired driving and helping drivers, prevention professionals, and community members protect themselves and others on the road. Plan My Ride is iRT’s interactive, multimedia, eLearning program developed with and for young drivers to teach safe driving skills to prevent distracted and impaired driving. Unlike many other safe driving educational programs, Plan My Ride uses a science-backed and theory-driven approach to change behavior by teaching concrete, practical strategies to avoid impaired and distracted driving, and providing opportunities for young drivers to practice the skills they have learned in 360-degree virtual scenarios. The [...]

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Reinforcing Safe Driving SkillsElizabeth Porter2025-03-13T21:01:44+00:00

iRT to Evaluate the Impact of Training Mentors on Youth Impacted by Substance Misuse

Elizabeth Porter2025-02-21T19:34:28+00:00

February 21, 2025, Durham, NC – iRT is excited to announce that it has received funding from the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the impact of a web-based training program on mentors working with mentees who have been impacted by substance misuse. Approximately 14.7% of youth 12 to 17 years old reported using illicit drugs in 2023, and more than 21 million children in the U.S. lived with a parent who misused substances between 2015 and 2019.1,2 Thus, youth can be impacted by substance misuse in more than one way – they may be at risk for misusing substances themselves; [...]

iRT to Evaluate the Impact of Training Mentors on Youth Impacted by Substance MisuseElizabeth Porter2025-02-21T19:34:28+00:00

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Practicing Avoiding Riding with an Impaired Driver

Elizabeth Porter2025-02-18T16:07:38+00:00

February 18, 2025, Durham, NC – iRT is dedicated to preventing distracted and impaired driving and helping drivers, prevention professionals, and community members protect themselves and others on the road. Plan My Ride is iRT’s interactive, multimedia, eLearning program developed with and for young drivers to teach safe driving skills to prevent distracted and impaired driving. Unlike other safe driving educational programs, Plan My Ride uses a science-backed and theory-driven approach to change behavior by teaching concrete, practical strategies to avoid impaired and distracted driving, and providing opportunities for young drivers to practice the skills they have learned in 360-degree virtual scenarios. The program [...]

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Practicing Avoiding Riding with an Impaired DriverElizabeth Porter2025-02-18T16:07:38+00:00

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Practicing Avoiding Substance Use and Driving

Elizabeth Porter2025-01-28T19:41:49+00:00

January 28, 2025, Durham, NC – iRT is dedicated to preventing distracted and impaired driving and helping drivers, prevention professionals, and community members protect themselves and others on the road. Plan My Ride is iRT’s interactive, multimedia, eLearning program developed with and for young drivers to teach safe driving skills to prevent distracted and impaired driving. Unlike other safe driving educational programs, Plan My Ride uses a science-backed and theory-driven approach to change behavior by teaching concrete, practical strategies to avoid impaired and distracted driving, and providing opportunities for young drivers to practice the skills they have learned in 360-degree virtual [...]

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Practicing Avoiding Substance Use and DrivingElizabeth Porter2025-01-28T19:41:49+00:00

Journal of Health Communication Publishes the Impacts of Media Aware on Young Adults’ Sexual Health Cognitions

Elizabeth Porter2025-01-16T16:08:22+00:00

January 16, 2025, Durham, NC – The Journal of Health Communication recently published an article detailing findings from an evaluation of iRT’s media literacy education-based sexual health promotion program called Media Aware. The article, entitled “A Media Literacy Education Approach to Sexual Health Promotion: Immediate Effects of Media Aware on the Sexual Health Cognitions of Young Adult Community College Students,” was authored by iRT Researchers Dr. Tracy Scull, Dr. Christina Dodson, Dr. Janis Kupersmidt, Dr. Reina Evans-Paulson, Dr. Katie Stump, and Liz Reeder. Media Aware is an interactive, web-based program that provides young adults with comprehensive, medically-accurate information about sex and [...]

Journal of Health Communication Publishes the Impacts of Media Aware on Young Adults’ Sexual Health CognitionsElizabeth Porter2025-01-16T16:08:22+00:00