Associate Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy Dr. Teresa Plummer was recently featured in Siloam Health’s 30th Anniversary video. Plummer spoke about the impact of Siloam’s work in global health care. Watch the full video here.
Belmont University and Nashville State Community College today announced the renewal of a nursing studies partnership between the two institutions. The partnership was created many years ago for students who plan to attend Belmont to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Before transferring, students satisfy the prerequisites needed and earn an Associate Degree in Health Science at Nashville State. Belmont holds a maximum of 16 seats for Nashville State students each year.
With the city of Nashville attracting more and more health care industry, the partnership continues to build a strong pipeline of quality nursing talent for an ever-growing workforce. The agreement’s extension was finalized at a signing ceremony held on Nashville State’s White Bridge campus Tuesday afternoon.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Nashville State through the renewal of this agreement,” said Belmont President Dr. L. Gregory Jones. “Given that Nashville is the health care capital of the world, we understand the role higher education institutions in our city must play in educating the next generation of health care talent. With the shortages health care is seeing amidst the pandemic, we are eager to support the growing pipeline of nurses across this region and beyond.”
“This program creates another Nashville State bridge to Belmont for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing,” said Nashville State President Dr. Shanna L. Jackson. “The College is focused on increasing the talent pipeline in Nashville and strengthening our transfer pathways is key. We thank Belmont for the continued partnership.”
To learn more about this program, click here.
Dr. Edgar S. Diaz-Cruz, associate professor in Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences in Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, and three College of Pharmacy alumni recently had their manuscript titled: “Leveraging Expertise from Community Resources to Improve the Role of the Pharmacist in HIV Testing and Counseling” published in the INNOVATIONS in pharmacy journal.
This work is the result of a continued 10-year collaboration with the community-based organization Nashville CARES. Nashville CARES serves more than 50,000 clients annually throughout 17 counties in Middle Tennessee. It provides targeted education, free and confidential HIV testing, and a broad range of comprehensive social services to individuals at-risk for or living with HIV.
This article describes the development of a partnership between a pharmacy school and a community-based organization to offer an HIV counseling and testing training program to help develop skills in delivering HIV testing services. The HIV counseling and testing training program contains learning modules that provide a wide array of in-depth information about HIV patient care in the community. The partnership allows for the enjoyment of a myriad of benefits for students, the pharmacy program, the community-based organization and the public health of the community-at-large. Student pharmacists feel more prepared and comfortable working with patients in discussing HIV transmission risk factors and test results because of this training. The study proved that a successful and durable relationship between a community partner and a school of pharmacy is a feasible strategy for pharmacy progress in public health.
INNOVATIONS in pharmacy focuses on the leading edge, novel ideas for improving, modernizing and advancing pharmacy practice, education and policy.
Dr. Genevieve Lynn (Ness) Engle, Director of the Christy Houston Foundation Drug Information Center and Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences in Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, recently published a book chapter titled, “Assessing Drug Promotions” in the 7th edition of the Drug Information A Guide for Pharmacists textbook. This chapter was written in collaboration with Robert D. Beckett, PharmD, BCPS from Manchester University College of Pharmacy.
Pharmacists must be able to assess both Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA) and promotions designed for healthcare professionals. This chapter outlines the requirements and legislation of such promotions, as well as a pharmacist’s role in reporting promotional concerns to the FDA.
Drug Information a Guide for Pharmacists is a collaboration of more than 50 contributors with expertise in drug information, pharmacy education, analytics and medication safety. A total of 30 chapters are presented, covering a broad array of topics relevant to drug
Dr. Mike Voight, Professor in Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy, spent the last week traveling the country lecturing.
He began in Las Vegas at the 2021 International Orthopaedic Summit, one of the nation’s most premiere Orthopaedic meetings with more than 10 simultaneous tracks. This year, the International Society of Hip Arthroscopy partnered with OSET for their annual meeting. With over 1500 orthopedic surgeons and specialists in attendance, Dr. Voight gave seven presentations on various orthopedic topics. While there, he also gave a presentation to the Hip Arthroscopy Society on return to play guidelines following hip surgery.
From there, Dr. Voight traveled to Pennsylvania to give an all-day presentation to the medical staff of the Philadelphia Phillies MLB baseball club. The topic was on movement assessment to recognize and prevent baseball injuries.
On November 13, the School of Physical Therapy celebrated the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Class of 2022 as they completed their coursework and transitioned to full-time clinical education experiences in preparation for Graduation in August 2022. The White Coat Ceremony and Reception were sponsored by Upstream Rehabilitation. In addition to students and their families and guests, the ceremony was also attended by College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Dr. Cathy Taylor, Regional Vice President Benchmark Physical Therapy Dr. Rob Colasso and School of Physical Therapy faculty and staff. Dr. Casey Kalb, Vice President of Operations at Upstream Rehabilitation, addressed the Class offering encouragement and wisdom. The ceremony also included the Presentation of White Coats by the students’ advisors, Blessing of the Hands led by University Minister Heather Daugherty and the reading of a Professional Oath.
Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy was well represented at the 2021 Educational Leadership Conference recently held in Atlanta, Georgia.
A collaborative effort of the APTA Academy of Education and American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT), the Conference is designed to excite, educate, invigorate and facilitate discussion among all stakeholders in physical therapy education. The conference seeks to provide opportunities to meet and engage in collegial discussions with physical therapy educators from across the country. This year’s theme was “Habits for the Development of an Impactful and Sustainable Future for All.”
Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education at Belmont Dr. Gary Austin (pictured above) presented a poster on “Healthcare educator’s knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about pain” submitted by he and his co-authors Sue Curfman and Ryan McConnell.
Drug Information Fellows Dr. Austin Mondloch and Dr. Matthew Sherman, working at the Christy Houston Foundation Drug Information Center within Belmont University, have formulated an Amazon Alexa Skill to give users precise information on what standards a website detailing health information must meet to be deemed credible.
Drs. Mondloch and Sherman crafted the skill as a follow up to the “Belmont Talk” they offered during the campus’s Presidential Inauguration Week regarding online misinformation, titled “How to Assess and Interpret Online Health Information.” With the influx of information at the hand of every consumer, it can be difficult to decipher what is reliable from what is not.
The Amazon Alexa skill “Check Online Sources” will perform the task of listing criteria for a credible website relaying health information as designated by Health on the Net (HON). HON is a nonprofit corporation that works with the World Health Organization (WHO) to certify quality of health information on the internet.
“We are trying to point people in the right direction in terms of where they get information, specifically wanting them to critically think when they are utilizing the internet,” said Dr. Mondloch.
The skill was developed in collaboration with the following Belmont University College of Pharmacy student pharmacists: Chresten Hanna 2022 PharmD Candidate, Jacquese Reed 2022 PharmD Candidate, Phuong (Ngoc) Truong 2023 PharmD Candidate, and Alyssa McIntosh 2024 PharmD Candidate.
Future steps for the project include incorporating specific HON qualified websites. Alexa would then be able to give a user specific examples of credible websites to visit for trustworthy health information online.
Dr. Hope Campbell, associate professor in Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, has been selected as a member of the American Association Colleges of Pharmacy’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-racism Advisory Panel.
Campbell and the other members will provide recommendations on how AACP can enhance programs and services to achieve the Association’s DEIA goals.
Campbell is a co-writer of the paper “Teaching Systemic Racism in Pharmacy Curriculum is Essential to Improving Health Equity,” which analyzes several pharmacy program curriculums and their teachings of racial issues within the healthcare system. The paper was recently published in Pharmacy Times, and Campbell’s passion for educating future pharmaceutical employees on the issues in our healthcare system is evident.
Belmont University’s School of Nursing is one of 23 nursing programs from across the country to have been named a 2021 National League for Nursing (NLN) “Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.” Belmont was formally recognized in the “Enhance student learning and professional development” category at the Honors Convocation during the 2021 NLN Education Summit this fall.
The Center of Excellence designation is a public expression of the ongoing, high quality, day-to-day work that Belmont faculty and staff do in preparing the next generation of professional nurses and nurse practitioners, reflective of a sustained pattern of excellence in nursing education set long ago.
Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Martha Buckner said, “I am so grateful for the heritage of strong past leadership of this program and for our current faculty, staff and students who give their all in pursuit of excellence.”
Buckner said the designation came after a year-long process of faculty reflection, planning, collaboration, data collection and writing. The lengthy application describes the School of Nursing as “a community of learners that fosters high levels of student engagement and professional development.” The key emphases of the application included dynamic curricula at both undergraduate and graduate levels, Belmont’s nationally accredited simulation center, a focus on interprofessional education and rich opportunities for service learning and community service.
The NLN Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education program, established in 2004, publicly recognizes schools of nursing and health care organizations that set high standards, are committed to continuous quality improvement and demonstrate sustained, evidence-based and substantive innovation. These organizations are applauded for their vision to go beyond the norm and achieve excellence in student learning and professional development, pedagogical expertise of faculty or the science of nursing education.
“National League for Nursing Centers of Excellence help raise the bar for all nursing programs by role modeling visionary leadership and environments of inclusive excellence that nurture the next generation of a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of the nation and the global community,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FANN.
Since its opening in 1972, the School of Nursing at Belmont University has remained focused on its mission of fostering a Christ-centered community that creates a culture of openness and mutual respect, excellence in teaching and the privilege of service. Belmont’s School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, an accelerated second degree program, a Masters of Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice. The school prides itself in its student’s exceptional success rates. In 2019, the NCLEX passing rate was 93 percent and the FNP Certification pass rate was 100 percent. The School of Nursing takes pride in being a Center of Excellence and looks forward to future successes to come.
The 2021 NLN Centers of Excellence include honorees in the following categories:
Enhance student learning and professional development
Promote the pedagogical expertise of faculty
Creating workplace environments that promote the academic progression of nurses
Advance the science of nursing education
Dr. Chelsa Deanes, Clinical Pharmacist Fellow in Drug Information with Belmont University College of Pharmacy and Aegis Sciences Corporation, earned board certification in medical affairs through the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA).
The ACMA’s mission is to raise the bar for pharma industry professionals with a particular focus on Medical Affairs and Medical Science Liaisons.
When asked about this achievement, Deanes shared, “Studying for the BCMAS certification while maintaining my responsibilities as a fellow was challenging. Honestly, I was somewhat intimidated by the process but, hard work always pays off! I am so thrilled to have accomplished my goal of earning my BCMAS certification. In addition to the intensive training that I have received as a fellow over the past year and a half, I am confident that I will excel in my future endeavors.”
The expertise gained from this prestigious specialized training will serve Deanes well as she continues to engage with the Belmont University College of Pharmacy students, faculty and staff in advancing the strategic priorities of the college and advancing pharmacy practice.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, many have felt the effects of self-isolation, as they stayed home to protect others. With the hope of spreading joy and a sense of togetherness, Belmont School of Physical Therapy Class of 2024 students teamed up with Lauren Scanlon, a geriatric certified specialist at Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute at Vanderbilt, to provide letters to senior adults as part of APTA’s 100 Days of Service.
Together, letters and artwork were crafted and sent to Letters Against Isolation, an organization that provides handwritten letters to residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.
Associate Professor Christi Williams said, “This project served as a great way to get connected with the community and put a smile on someone’s face. Thank you to Pi Beta Phi for collaborating with our physical therapy students on such a thoughtful project. Spread joy and togetherness today and every day!”
For more information about the Letters Against Isolation organization, visit: https://www.lettersagainstisolation.com/
Dr. Leigh Ann Bynum, associate professor in Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, recently had her manuscript “Preparing Student Pharmacists to Care for Patients Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence” accepted for publication in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning journal. Her case “When Love Hurts: Caring for Patients Experiencing Interpersonal Violence” was also recently published in the 2nd edition of the Public Health in Pharmacy Practice: a casebook.
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning is devoted to dissemination of high quality, peer-reviewed scholarship relevant to all areas of pharmacy education—promoting educational research excellence.
Public Health in Pharmacy Practice: a casebook, is a collaboration of more than 90 individuals with expertise and training in public health pharmacy. A total of 54 chapters are presented, covering a broad array of topics relevant to pharmacy applications of public health. This work is the result of a successful collaboration with The University of Mississippi Pharmacy Administration Program.
Intimate partner violence–IPV–is a serious public health problem. Little is known about pharmacists’ IPV knowledge and awareness. This study assessed student pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and awareness of IPV and examined the impact of a brief curricular unit on these factors. Moreover, the published case defined IPV, examined its impact and identified methods to appropriately respond to IPV.
On October 17, Dr. Natalie Michaels, professor in Belmont’s School of Occupational Therapy, hosted and performed in a musical fundraising event at Kat’s Bar and Grill in Mount Juliet, Tennessee in support of the Nashville Dolphins. Occupational therapy alumna Dr. Roya Rezadoost and psychology alumna Audrey Thresher also sang for the cause.
“We always have a good time at this event, especially with our talented Belmont graduates,” said Michaels. “This year was extremely successful. When we do this event, everything in the tip jar goes directly to the charity, and this year we raised more than ever before. We were thrilled with the turnout for this fundraiser, thanks to Kat Reed of Kat’s Bar and Grill, Rick Michaels for his never ending support and to our awesome graduates. Belmont graduates rock!”
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Dr. Mike Voight, professor in Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy, was recently accepted as one of the newest members of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). WAME began in 1995 as an association of editors of peer-reviewed medical journals from countries throughout the world who sought to facilitate worldwide cooperation and communication among editors of peer-reviewed medical journals.
Given the world-wide proliferation of predatory journals, the goal of WAME is to expand the voice and influence of medical editors to enhance the exchange of educational information, while at the same time improving editorial standards. Enhancing editorial standards helps to promote peer review as a vehicle for scientific discourse and enhance quality assurance in medical education. This in turn will help to achieve the highest level of ethical medical journalism.
On October 3, Belmont University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students volunteered at the annual Sara Walker Run to honor the life of a 2003 Belmont DPT alumna, Sara Pigg Walker. The Sara Walker Run is a fundraising event for various missions supported through the Sara Walker Foundation that are intended to help spread Walker’s message of hope to others through Jesus Christ.
This year marked the 12th Sara Walker Run, which takes place on the campus of Lipscomb University. The first Run occurred in April 2011 when Walker’s ‘Belmont PT family’ sought to find a way to raise funds for medical expenses to help Walker and her family when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Due to its huge success, and to continue to honor Walker, the annual Sara Walker Run continues today and serves as the Sara Walker Foundation’s main fundraising event.
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The Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame this week inducted its 2020 and 2021 classes at a ceremony held in Belmont’s newly opened Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The dual-year class is made up of 10 health care leaders and legends from across the state.
The Hall of Fame, which was created by Belmont University, Belmont’s McWhorter Society and the Nashville Health Care Council, seeks to recognize and honor the leaders that have formed Tennessee’s heath and health care community.
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College of Health Sciences and Nursing Dean and Professor Dr. Cathy Taylor recently served on the Chronic Disease Prevention Task Force for the State of Tennessee, spearheaded by Senator Rosalind Kurita. Taylor, along with two other experts, received an invitation from the Governor’s Office, in conjunction with the commissioner of health, to act as a subject matter expert to make recommendations for improving the health of Tennesseans.
Taylor and her team, which included Belmont public health students Genevieve Delano and Deviyani Bajpai, conducted online research and interviews to make recommendations to the task force. Despite the interruption of COVID-19 on the team’s research, Taylor and her team contributed to the final recommendation to allow local authorization to limit tobacco smoking and vaping in public spaces. The recommendation was passed into legislation by the 112th General Assembly.
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Sara Saif, a second-year student in Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy, was given the opportunity to conduct research in a polypharmacy project within the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC-19), a consortium of more than 120 cancer centers and other organizations who have come together to collect data about patients with cancer who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
This project aims to analyze and assess the impact of polypharmacy and select medication classes on COVID-19 outcomes among patients in the geriatric population who have or have had a diagnosis of cancer. By utilizing the CCC-19 registry database, a statistical analysis plan will be created for certain medication classes of interest.
Saif was invited to become a member of the research team because of her excellent work during the 2021 Biomedical Informatics internship at Vanderbilt University. By participating in this project, Sara will not only be using her clinical knowledge, but will also be using her knowledge of healthcare informatics and analytics to accurately assess and evaluate the clinical impact of certain medication classes on the geriatric population within the CCC-19 database registry.
Among others, Saif will be working with Dr. Christopher Jensen, MD, a Hematology/Oncology clinical fellow at the University of North Carolina; Dr. Samuel Rubinstein, MD, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Division of Hematology University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine; Dr. Tanya Wildes, MD, MSCI; and Dr. Ariella Elkrief, MD, a Research Fellow.
Dr. Mike Voight, professor in the School of Physical Therapy, was an invited speaker this past week at the 16th Annual University of Colorado Sports Medicine Fall Symposium.
This marks the second time Voight has spoken at this well-attended meeting for physicians and rehabilitation providers. The focus of this year’s meeting was the management of injuries to the lower quarter. In addition to serving as a panelist with other surgeons, Voight presented on multiple topics: “Return to play after non-operative and operative treatment to the knee;” “Rehabilitation following regenerative injections for the knee;” “Overview of the clinical examination of the hip;” and “Five keys to the successful management of core muscle injuries.”
In addition to in-person attendance at this meeting, there was also a large virtual audience participating. Following the meeting, Voight was a special guest at the Colorado Buffalo vs Texas A&M football game held the following day.
First-year students in the Belmont College of Pharmacy program have all worked to create successful machine learning models or “skills” that were certified, accepted and are now available for use by the general public on the Amazon Alexa store.
This project pathway introduced the students to the concepts and terminology of artificial intelligence and machine learning. By the end of this project, students were able to select and apply machine learning services to primarily build study aids, but the skills may be applied in the future to help solve complex research and clinical problems. The students each were able to label, build, train and deploy a custom machine learning model under the direct supervision of Dr. Anthony Blash.
The machine learning models “Opioids Quiz” and “Top 300 Drug Game” were one of the many developed to help pharmacy students study and review the most commonly prescribed drugs. These models include brand and generic names of many of the most commonly prescribed medications. The information in these skills are provided for informational and educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.
Senior nursing major Veronica Bernaba was recently selected as one of six 2021 recipients of the BlueCross Power of We Scholarship. The scholarship, funded by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, awards $10,000 to outstanding minority students pursuing careers in the health care field with a goal of helping to reduce health disparities by improving diversity in the state’s health care workforce and combating systemic racism and injustice.
Bernaba has been on a clear path to health care, but there have been obstacles. This scholarship will allow her to reach her goals without worrying about financial support. “I understand what it’s like to be affected by health disparities and what it’s like to feel underrepresented and not have anyone advocate for you,” Bernaba said in a video in BlueCross’s announcement. “I want to be that type of nurse that evokes change in her community.”
To do that, Bernaba said you have to understand your patients’ lives in order to treat their bodies holistically.
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Sara Saif, a second-year student at Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy, accepted an internship at Vanderbilt University’s Biomedical Informatics Summer Research Program. By joining this program, Saif will actively apply the subject of informatics to address healthcare challenges.
Throughout her internship, she will be working directly under the guidance of Dr. Jeremy Warner, an associate professor of medicine and biomedical informatics at Vanderbilt University. With Dr. Warner as a mentor, Saif will be able to work with data regarding the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium.
As a current student in the Belmont University College of Pharmacy, Saif not only receives a strong clinical foundation, but also valuable training on healthcare information technology and its use in the practice of pharmacy. This training in informatics has proved to be useful to her in the application process and will continue to be a valuable resource throughout her internship at Vanderbilt.
Continue readingGrant Recipients Receive Additional Coursework Specific to Nurse Educator Role
For the second year in a row, Belmont University’s School of Nursing received the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to train nursing educators. A cost matching award, Belmont was awarded federal funds of $422,317 from HRSA, and the University will match with $46,924. This grant addresses the ongoing shortage of nurse educators by offering Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student scholarships of 85 percent tuition reduction with an agreement that the students will serve as nursing faculty or FNP preceptors for four years after graduation.
In addition to the traditional DNP education in the family nurse practitioner (FNP) role, students will obtain coursework specific to the role of a nursing educator. Students in the Belmont NFLP will benefit from mentorship, strong nurse educator preparation, and monetary support to pursue doctoral education and loan forgiveness. Easing the financial barrier to doctoral education will improve the supply of nurse educators and nurse practitioner preceptors.
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On July 13, the College of Health Sciences and Nursing hosted approximately 70 high school teachers and advisers for the Tennessee Career and Technical Education Conference. The participants rotated through demonstrations and presentations of each of the disciplines in the College of Health Sciences and Nursing, exposing them to the professions and giving them suggested activities to introduce their students to these careers.
In addition, this was an opportunity to showcase the Belmont facilities to teachers and advisers who will be working with high school students as they consider their college options.
The feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive, including “I have been going to this conference for years and this has been the best.” Many expressed interest in bringing their students to campus.