PULLMAN — Some athletes turn to steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) to get a competitive edge. Some baby boomers do the same, trying to look younger in order to boost their careers and social lives.
“The issue of performance-enhancing drugs goes far beyond sports,” said Jennifer Beller, an associate professor at Washington State University who serves as a consultant to the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Clean Sport Alliance. “The boomers are trying to get an advantage in life. They hear Sylvester Stallone and Suzanne Somers call HGH the fountain of youth.”
Beller will discuss the personal and social impacts of drug use from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on March 18 in Smith CUE room 202, at a WSU College of Education Research Forum. The forum, an ongoing series of presentations featuring faculty members, is free and open to the public.
At the forum, Beller will explain what research shows about the reasons people use performance-enhancing drugs, and how they affect “our bodies, our health care costs, and our children’s growth.” She will relate those impacts to anti-doping education at all levels of sport, and explain why many current anti-doping education programs may not be effective in deterrence. She will also discuss the latest legal issues relating to steroids and hormones, and changes in drug testing.
Beller holds a doctorate in education from the University of Idaho. Her research specialties are sports ethics, moral reasoning in competitive populations, and evaluation of moral and social reasoning. For more information, she can be reached at jbeller@wsu.edu, or (509)-335-4907.
