Greetings,
In this, our third issue of the newsletter, I wish to revisit the SHP RISES Strategic Initiatives with a focus on the "I" component - Influence and Impact. With this initiative, SHP seeks to forge strong partnerships and collaborations that increase the visibility and influence of SHP. In each of our five departments, we have superb examples of inter-and intra-departmental community and global health programs, as well as programs that cut across the entire UTMB institution. This initiative uses a variety of mechanisms to accomplish the ultimate goal to utilize the talents and progressive forethought of our faculty and students to make a substantial difference to the communities in Galveston, the Gulf region, Texas-wide, and globally in terms of advancing access to innovative health care programs. For us, success means providing services that are otherwise unobtainable and helping individuals achieve their highest potential.
Our commitment to the "I" initiative is illustrated by the development of our new Office of Global Health and Community Engagement (GHCE), led by our new Assistant Dean, Dr. Laurie Farroni. Under Dr. Farroni's innovative leadership, we are building the internal administrative mechanisms for development, resource gathering, and oversight of the variety of programs that our faculty and students play major roles in executing. Dr. Farroni has organized an impressive number of important community engagements, some already in place and others. emergent, along with an advisory group of faculty and students from SHP, SON, SOM, and SPPH.
Within this newsletter, you will see a progress report from Dr. Farroni and others within our Office of Academic and Student Affairs. If you are part of a community group that would like to partner with us or want to contribute to an already existing program, please reach out to me or Dr. Farroni. We look forward to developing an ever-widening sphere of influence and impact on improving the health and well-being of our key community partners.
David A. Brown, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Senior Vice President and Dean
George T. Bryan Distinguished Professor
School of Health Professions
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J. Shayne Washington, EdD
Director, Student Success Center
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Student Success Center
Support for our students is a critical component of their success in school and as they transition into the workforce. We are proud to share a new endeavor designed to empower our students and set them up to thrive.
The Student Success Center (SSC) is a collaborative effort between the UTMB School of Health Professions and the UTMB School of Nursing.
Our goal is to provide an inclusive, welcoming environment for students to find academic and non-academic support. The SSC will be a unique, centralized, shared center that will provide SHP, SON, and GSBS students with the following services:
- Specialized advising/counseling
- Individual and group academic support services
- Scientific writing assistance
- Supplemental instruction as a tutoring resource
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The SSC will launch its services this fall with plans to move into its permanent location on the first floor of the SHP/SON Building later this year. Look for our website to launch soon. We look forward to strengthening and growing our services so our students may excel at UTMB and in their careers.
Shayne Washington, EdD, will serve as Director of the Student Success Center. Dr. Washington currently provides support to students in SHP as a Senior Specialist for Learning and Career Counseling. She has been at UTMB for 10 years and has more than 15 years of experience in higher education.
Each school’s Student Affairs Office will provide oversight of the center’s activities, under the leadership of Diana Pressley, EdD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs for SON, and Dana Wild, PhD, PT, PCS, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for SHP.
By focusing on student success, we can help students overcome the barriers that interfere with academic success, and ultimately contribute to decreased shortages and increased diversity in the nursing and allied health fields.
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Research and Publications | |
Researchers in the School of Health Professions at UTMB
Descriptions of research areas and links to additional information are provided about faculty researchers in the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.
Learn more by visting: SHP Office of Research and SHP Researchers
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Occupational Therapy
Amber B. Armstead, DrPH, OTR, BCPR
Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence, Functional Independence, and Falls among People with HIV
| "Chronic disease management coupled with education may improve outcomes for those with chronic disease. As Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is now a chronic disease, addressing the needs of as people living with HIV (PLWH) is essential as they experience an accelerated aging process due to the mechanisms of the disease and medications taken." | |
Occupational Therapy
Chih-Ying "Cynthia" Li, PhD, OTR
Examining the Clinical Utility of the Brief Interview for Mental Status
| "The Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) is used to identify delirium and needed support in patients living in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and long-term care facilities (LTCFs). We analyzed 3,537,404 patients discharged from acute hospitals to SNFs or LTCFs with factor and Rasch analyses to examine the clinical utility of the BIMS." | |
Occupational Therapy
Effectiveness of Nontraditional or Home-Based Programming on ADL Performance
of Individuals Living with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
Hajare, A., Rogers, S., Belveal, K., Gunkel, S., Lambropoulos, A., Hilton, C. Armstead, A.
"Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects individuals’ abilities to participate in activities of daily living (ADLs).
To examine the efficacy of evidence-based nontraditional and home-based interventions for
use in PLMS to improve ADL performance."
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Physical Therapy
Tony Chao, PhD
The effects of short bouts of ergometric exercise for severely burned children in intensive care: A randomized controlled trial
'"To determine the effects of short bouts of ergometric exercises on the number of days in the burn intensive care unit (ICU), body mass, and functional ambulation."
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Occupational Therapy
Karthik Mani, OTD, OTR, FACOT
Type of Findings Generated by the Occupational Therapy Workforce Research Worldwide: Scoping Review and Content Analysis
Jesus, T., Mani, K., von Zweck, C., Kamalakannan, S., Bhattacharya, S., Ledgard, R., & WFOT.
"Occupational therapists are needed to meet the health and occupational needs of the global population, but we know little about the type of findings generated by occupational therapy workforce research conducted worldwide. We aim to synthesize these findings and their range of content to inform future investigations."
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Occupational Therapy
Riqiea F. Kitchens, PhD, OTR, BCPR, CSRS
Exploring the Experiences of Black/African American Students in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant Programs:
A Survey Study
Kitchens, R. F., Armstead, A. B., Mani, K., Ghulmi, L.,
& Collins, D. M.
"Black/African American students account for 6.5% of the enrollment in entry-level occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs (AOTA, 2019). OT and OTA programs serve as the entry point to increasing diversity in the profession and contribute to a diverse healthcare workforce."
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Student and Faculty Spotlights | |
Faculty & Student Accolades | |
Interprofessional Team Award for Excellence in Interprofessional Education Educator Award
Blair Brown, Dr. Janet Enderle, Dr. Chris Messenger, Dr. Loree Pryor, Dr. Melissa Yanes, and
Dr. Daneen Nastars (not pictured: NP Julian Quiceno, Nurse Martha Diaz)
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Interprofessional Team Award for Excellence in Interprofessional Education Student Award
John Davis, Weston Decker, Candace Hebert, Claire Leighton, Gabrielle Manno, & Jenna Reisler.
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Interprofessional Practice Experiences: Caring for Uninsured Patients at a Student-Run Clinic
Enderle, J., Pryor, L. & Yanes, M.
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2022 Outstanding Volunteer
in Occupational Therapy Clinic
Michelle Gonzalez, Candace Hebert, Kaitlyn Horn, Joanie Kelso, Melinda Lau, CeCe Madison, Sarah Reeder, Madeline Snell.
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President’s Community Service Award, Excellence in Interprofessional Education Student Award
Efficacy of Non-Traditional Client-Centered Occupation-Based Hand Therapy in Pediatric Patients Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review
Hebert, C., Greenwood, J., Fontenot, H., Hoff, B., Froehlich, A., Cowan, A., & Hilton, C
"Few published studies have explored client-centered occupation-based hand therapy interventions for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), other than constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). This systematic review was conducted to increase therapists’ understanding of alternate evidence-based intervention options for children diagnosed with CP. Viable options for effective client-centered occupation-based"
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AOTA 2022 Inspire Conference Presenter
Candace Hebert,
Occupational Therapy Student
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Physical Therapy
Michael Furtado, PT, DPT, EdD, NCS
Dr. Furtado received the UTMB AMT Educational Scholarship Grant ($5K award) for his research project entitled, “Integrating Computer Simulated Cases into Asynchronous Modules and Synchronous Problem-Solving Sessions in a Hybrid Curriculum".
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Global Outreach and Community Engagement | |
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Assistant Dean for Global Outreach & Community Engagement in the School of Health Professions
This role is accountable for designing and implementing systems and processes that support the UTMB School of Health Professions in the equitable and inclusive expansion of global professional networks and community partnerships. Dr. Farroni will lead in fostering lasting collaborations that advance opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to improve the health of the people of Texas and around the world.
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In the Community
Each semester The UTMB community engagement committee partners with the Christina Sullivan Foundation to have interprofessional teams coach local athletes in adapted sports including tennis and bocce ball! 30 OT, PT, nursing, and medical students are paired as buddies with individual athletes to learn the sport and have fun! Adaptations are built as needed and at the end of the 6-week curriculum, athletes are ready to compete in Special Olympics Texas.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | |
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Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the School of Health Professions
SHP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force
The task force is charged with:
- Identify ways to improve diverse representation in SHP Faculty and Staff from recruitment to the hiring process.
- Identify ways to remove inequities in the policies and procedures, processes, and access to resources for SHP Faculty/Staff/Students associated with their roles and occupation. As well, and revise all documents related to policies and procedures, and formal and/or informal processes.
- Identify ways to allow for diverse opinions and perspectives to be expressed and incorporated for SHP Faculty/Staff/Students associated with their roles and occupation. As well, revise all verbal, visual, and written material to allow for full access and inclusion to all resources at SHP.
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Chad D. Davenport, PT, DPT, SCS
c/o MS 2007 & DPT 2011
READ FULL BIO
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Distinguished Alumni Award
Chad Davenport named the 2022 School of Health Professions Distinguished Alumni
The School of Health Professions Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the association and honors alumni who have made significant contributions to health care through a commitment to excellence in patient care, research, publications, education, and community service and leadership.
The School of Health Professions recognizes the Distinguished Alumnus (DA) during their commencement ceremony that is scheduled for Friday, August 19, 2022, at 10 am, at Moody Gardens Convention Center in Galveston. More Information on Commencement
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Support the Alumni Association
Be a part of UTMB's Be One,
Bring One Alumni Challenge!
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100% of your gift goes to support the School of Health Professions and its current students | | | |
Alumni Association Helpful Web Links | |
Working Together To Work Wonders
by Educating the Future of Health Care
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