Category Archives: Inman College of Health Sciences

Nursing Alumna Starts Revolutionary Telehealth Company

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kristen_stirling

Nursing alumna Kristen Stirling (’06) MSN, APRN, FNP-BC founded Tennessee Telederm, PLLC, earlier this year. This is the first telehealth company of its kind in Tennessee, which focuses on diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions.

Prior to founding Tennessee Telederm, Stirling worked in dermatology at a large multi-specialty practice in Nashville for 13 years and the Burn Unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center prior to that.

At the onset of COVID-19, Stirling began offering telehealth appointments to her patients. Telehealth proved to be a popular and effective means for treating many skin conditions. Tennessee Telederm grew as a natural result of these safe and convenient appointments.

Tennessee Telederm strives to give everyone across Tennessee access to high-quality dermatology care through online video appointments.

 

Belmont Public Health Major Interns for Alignment Nashville

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Kirsten Fox headshotPublic health senior Kirsten Fox began interning with Alignment Nashville in mid-August in addition to starting her final semester at Belmont. Fox has been completing the internship virtually with the organization and working on a project to “impact the growth and development of Metro Nashville Public School students.”

Alignment Nashville’s goal is to collaborate with resources and community organizations to ensure that public schools are set up for success. With 20 alignment teams, 150 community organizations and 275 alignment team members, their vision is that “all Metro Nashville Public Schools students meet their unique potential.”

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OT Alumna Publishes Article in Disability and Neurorehabilitation Journal on Her Work with Soldiers

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Alumna Jenny Owens head shotBelmont undergraduate (2005) and School of Occupational Therapy (2007) alumna Jenny Owens was recently published in Disability and Neurorehabilitation. As a clinical occupational therapist, Owens worked for the Department of Defense treating active-duty soldiers with mild traumatic brain injuries. With cognitive rehabilitation as a focal point of her work, she observed that some soldiers were not able to translate traditional compensatory strategies to real-world situations.

Owens and a team of experts sought and received a federal grant to study the feasibility of teaching active-duty soldiers to use implementation intentions (a novel approach to treating executive dysfunction) to advance self-identified goals. Her role on the team was to administer the experimental and control interventions to Ft. Campbell soldiers over the course of six sessions.

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Belmont Alumnus, Legacy Milton Johnson Achieves TICUA Hall of Fame

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Milton Johnson

Milton Johnson for the President’s Report at Belmont University.

Belmont alumnus and former Chairman and CEO of HCA Healthcare Milton Johnson was recognized in the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s Hall of Fame Class of 2020. The TICUA recognizes these members as “honorees that exemplify the value of the liberal arts education and how it can be used in a variety of career fields.”

The Hall of Fame recipient graduated with an accounting degree from Belmont and rapidly advanced his career in the healthcare industry where he led a company that now includes 184 hospitals and 2,000 sites of care located in 21 states and the United Kingdom.

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School of Physical Therapy Shines as APTA Magazine Highlights Department

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Image from APTA Magazine

Dr. Christi Williams, an associate professor in the School of Physical Therapy, and Dr. Stacey Lindsley, adjunct faculty in the School of Physical Therapy, were highlighted last month in the October edition of the APTA magazine. Drs. Williams and Lindsley spent valuable time this summer focused on “finding a better way” to provide objective physical therapy assessments through telehealth methods.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic placed a halt on formal research studies, Williams and Lindsley performed some pilot testing of a virtual measurement technique with plans to perform a full research study once restrictions are lifted and in-person research studies are allowed to resume.

In the meantime, the APTA magazine published their methodology to provide PT’s across the nation with ideas to improve the objectivity of the assessments they are performing virtually. To read the full article in APTA magazine, click here.

Belmont Public Health Students Talk Election Day with Students of Queen’s University Belfast

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Queen's University students discuss with Belmont public health students over Zoom

Belmont’s Public Health Policy course presented students with the unique opportunity to learn from and discuss policy on election day with students from the Queen’s University of Belfast.

Belmont students were assigned to choose a ‘hot topic’ from the second presidential debate, hosted at Belmont University, and present an overview of the candidates’ plans for addressing the issue to the class. The topics students chose included climate change, COVID-19 management, health care access and finance.

The course included Belfast professors Dr. Frank Key and Ciaran O’Neill and public health students Rachel Carlin, Prishaani Govender and Rupali Chauhan. Throughout the course, these students were able to discuss topics with Belmont seniors Levi Blazer, TJ Jiles, Jesslyn Sloan, Cassidy Townsend, Janae Thompson and Marisa Thompson, alongside Dr. Marquinta Harvey, assistant professor of epidemiology and Dr. Cathy Taylor, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Nursing. Continue reading →

PT Students Receive Sara Walker Scholarships

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The two winners of the Sara Walker Scholarship: Courtney Alama and Elyse Mann

Sara Walker scholarship recipients Courtney Alama (right) and Elyse Mann (left).

The Sara Pigg Walker Scholarship recipients were recently announced even though the annual Sara Walker Run was not able to be held in-person this year. This year’s recipients were Belmont students Courtney Alama and Elyse Mann.

Belmont PT students continued to stay involved with the organization, helping to raise money and awareness of the many missions that the Sara Walker Foundation supports.

The department thanks all the PT students for continuing to serve despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. To read more on the Sara Walker Foundation, visit the website.

Exercise Science Alum seeks to Empower Clients in New Center

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IN THE NEWS

Belmont Exercise Science alum Jaleesa O’Neal was recently featured in a local article about a new physical therapy and sports rehabilitation center she and a partner have opened in East Jordan, Michigan.  The aim of the new center is to empower clients to take an active role in pursuing health and wellness goals.  The article can be accessed online in the Petoskey News-Review.

Dr. Espiritu, Alumna Harcrow Published in OT Practice Magazine

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Alumna Madeline Harcrow, OTD, OTR/L, and Associate Professor Dr. Elena Wong Espiritu, OTD, OTR/L, BCPR, co-wrote an article entitled “Occupational Therapy’s Role in Breast Cancer Prehabilitation Protocol Recommendations to Enhance Clients’ Function,” which was published in the October 2020 edition of OT Practice magazine.

Harcrow is a 2019 graduate of Belmont University’s Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy. She completed her doctoral capstone experience in the areas of program development and advocacy with Nashville Breast Center. Harcrow now works in the acute and inpatient rehabilitation settings in Nashville.

Harcrow said Belmont’s OTD program offered her the opportunity to develop and exercise creativity, self-discipline and professionalism as a student. As a result she states, “I felt well-suited to leave the nest, with the ultimate goal of benefiting others and furthering the field of occupational therapy”.

Dr. Greene, Dr. Adam Published in ‘Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning’

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Dr. Elisa Greene and Dr. Jamie Adam

Pharmacy and nursing faculty members Dr. Elisa Greene and Dr. Jamie Adam published “’Providing care across a language barrier’ – A program at the intersection of inter-professional education and co-curricular engagement” in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning.

The article describes a novel 6-hour inter-professional, co-curricular program addressing barriers, resources, misconceptions and strategies for improving health care provision across language barriers. This collaborative effort was made available for continuing education in nursing and pharmacy, and students from both disciplines were invited to attend.

The authors discuss the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate services and the fertile ground for inter-professional collaboration in practice and education. The full article is available here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bx7A6gprIBGlY.

MSOT Alumna Creates New Occupational Therapy Program

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Kimberly Breeden headshotKimberly Breeden, a graduate of Belmont’s MSOT Bridge program, is currently serving as one of the founding partners of Aspire OT. Her company’s mission is to “empower passionate occupational therapy practitioners through affordable continuing education courses,” which are hosted by other occupational therapy practitioners.

In addition to her successful business, Breeden has also developed her professional education experience by taking on the roles of co-author, contributing author, mentor, guest lecturer and instructor for continuing education workshops across the nation.

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Belmont Announces Plans for New College of Medicine in Collaboration with HCA Healthcare

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Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher speaks during an announcement that Belmont University intends to start a new College of Medicine in partnership with one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, HCA Healthcare at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, October 15, 2020.Nashville’s stalwart reputation as the nation’s health care capital grows even stronger today. Belmont University announced this morning its intent to start a new College of Medicine in collaboration with with one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, HCA Healthcare. HCA Healthcare’s Nashville-based TriStar Health will provide clinical elements in support of Belmont’s plans to pursue Liaison Committee on Medical Education(LCME) accreditation for the new college.

Sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association, LCME is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in the U.S. (and Canada). Belmont College of Medicine would seek to become the nation’s 156th LCME-accredited medical school, and its graduates would be well positioned to help fill the significant physician gap anticipated to be felt between now and 2033.

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Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger shares about her recent research project

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Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger, Professor of Social Work, answers questions about her recent research project entitled, Pedagogical Service User Model.

What is your research topic? Why did you choose it?
Broadening pedagogy work begun last year with Dr. Joe Duffy from Queen’s University Belfast. Service user (client) focus groups were brought in to determine how (if) sharing their experiences with students and engaging in the pedagogy of social work could shape the client’s understanding of themselves as teacher, leader, and service recipient.

What are some of your most interesting results?
At present, we have only initial results from last spring. Covid-19 has postponed focus groups and service users in spring classes.

What is the importance/application of your research?
This pedagogical practice models collaboration, practice skills, listening to the experiences of clients, and elevates clients into teachers and experts in a way that traditional guest speakers do not.

Where have you presented your research?
We will present at the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in November 2020 and hope CSWE will be interested in developing this into a practice guide as well.

Dr. Michaels, OTD Students Perform Virtual Fundraiser Concert for Nashville Dolphins

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Michaels Does virtual concert

Each year, Dr. Natalie Michaels, professor in the Occupational Therapy Department, performs a concert for a charity benefiting the Nashville Dolphins, and encourages her students to sing on stage with her. But this year, because of COVID, her students couldn’t be there for the event in person. However, the group was able to utilize Zoom to allow the show to go on.

The event raised money for the Nashville Dolphins, a dedicated group of people who teach water safety and swimming to children and young adults with Down Syndrome and other conditions. Michaels, along with fellow musicians, Jim Martin and Peter Gallinari, played everything from Willy Nelson and Styx to Whitney Houston, as well as some original music, all in the name of this wonderful organization.

First-year OTD student Kendall Jackson and new OTD graduate Roya Rezadoost both sang solos for this Zoom event, and were both a hit. Michaels’s husband, Rick , also sang a song for this extraordinary charity, and Michaels said, “He’s my rock! I couldn’t do this without him and my awesome students!”

Dr. Willams, Students Elected to TN Public Health Association Leadership Positions

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Williams and students

Dr. Christian Williams, director of the Public Health Program at Belmont University, has been chosen as president-elect for the Tennessee Public Health Association (TPHA), one of the nation’s largest affiliates of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Dr. Williams will step into the role of president in 2021-2022. She has been an active member of TPHA since 2009 where she has served on various committees and held several leadership positions. Most recently, she was the 2018-2019 co-chair and 2019-2020 chair of the Program Committee.

Two BSPH juniors, Jaylen Palmer and Lillian Adamson, were also appointed to leadership positions by their peers. Palmer will resume her role as chair of the Student Section and Adamson will continue as the Middle Tennessee representative for the Student Section.

TPHA is the state’s official professional organization for those engaged or interested in public health and is endorsed by the administration of the Tennessee Department of Health. Through TPHA, professionals and students who represent diverse service areas have opportunities to meet and share ideas in an effort to maintain high standards of quality in all aspects of public health.

OTD Student Wins Scholarship from the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Foundation

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Rebecca Denton headshotBelmont University School of Occupational Therapy student Rebecca Denton recently won the Scholarship of Distinction Award from The Tennessee Occupational Therapy Foundation.

She earned the award and scholarship by maintaining a GPA of 3.97 in the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program while serving in the community with the Leah Rose Residence for Senior Citizens and Dismas House. In addition, she serves on the TNOTA Student Involvement Committee.

Bursch Named Honoree for Arthritis Foundation Bone Bash

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Gail BurschGail Bursch, PT, MSEd, CWS, FACCWS, has been a physical therapist for 42 years and joined Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy as Director of Clinical Education in 1997. Bursch has served on the TN Board of the Arthritis Foundation since 2003 and was named the adult honoree for this year’s virtual Bone Bash Event on October 29.

Serving as Administrative Director of Rehabilitation Services for Centennial Medical Center in Nashville from 1984 through 1995, Bursch led 90 multidisciplinary employees, developed community rehabilitation programs and established a 20-bed inpatient Rehabilitation Center. Her clinical focus is wound management, attaining national board certification as a Certified Wound Specialist in 2009.

Bursch served as vice president of the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) for six years and as chair of the Nashville District for twelve years. Since 2004, she has been a national Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program Trainer for the American Physical Therapy Association and is currently the chair of the Tennessee Clinical Education Consortium.

OTD Student Wins Award from Tennessee Occupational Therapy Foundation

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Morgan Sondergeld headshotBelmont University School of Occupational Therapy student, Morgan Sondergeld, recently won the Scholarship of Excellence Award from The Tennessee Occupational Therapy Foundation. She earned the award and scholarship by maintaining a GPA of 4.0 in the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program while volunteering with Sprocket Therapy, GiGi’s Playhouse and Room at the Inn.

Belmont Graduate Nursing Students Selected for 2020 AHEC Scholar Program

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Kelsey Wolfe and Mosam Patel
Kelsey Wolfe, pictured left, and Mosam Patel, pictured right

Graduate Nursing students Mosam Patel and Kelsey Wolfe have been selected as the 2020 Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars at the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center.

This program is designed for health professions students interested in supplementing their education by gaining additional knowledge and experience in rural and/or underserved urban settings. In this two-year program, students will receive 40 hours of didactic training and 40 hours of clinical training each year along with a stipend. The students will receive core content around interprofessional education, behavioral health integration, social determinants of health, cultural competency, practice transformation and current and emerging health issues.

This experience is an opportunity for these students to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that will help them meet the needs of underserved populations.

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Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven shares about her recent research project

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Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven, Associate Professor of Exercise Science, answers questions about her recent research project entitled Complementary and Alternative Medicines for Menopause.

What is your research topic? Why did you choose it?
Two studies, to understand the types of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and practices women use to treat symptoms related to menopause and to determine if the loss of sex hormones associated with premature and early menopause in women contributes to higher muscle sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure, and attenuates baroreflex function.

What are some of your most interesting results?
The most commonly chosen form of treatment for symptoms related to menopause was exercise, with walking, swimming, and group fitness classes being the most commonly utilized.

What is the importance/application of your research?
Menopause age was not significantly correlated with blood pressure reactivity. The goal is to share this study with health care professionals to help with medical management of Cardio Vascular Disease in postmenopausal women as well as decision-making related to medical procedures that can lead to early or premature menopause.

Where have you presented your research?
Because of Covid-19, this research has been shared only with the University of Minnesota Department of Physical Therapy. We hope to share this information at the Menopause conference in October, and publish the results of the CAM menopause survey later this year.

OT Alumna Completes Neurological Occupational Therapy Fellowship

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Charmaine UyCharmaine Uy, a 2019 alumna of Belmont’s School of Occupational Therapy, recently completed a neurological occupational therapy fellowship at the Brooks Rehabilitation Institute of Higher Learning. The Brooks Neurological Occupational Therapy Fellowship is a one-year program in which fellows-in-training gain extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with various neurologic diagnoses but with an emphasis on spinal cord injury, brain injury and stroke.

Fellows-in-training received 1:1 direct mentorship from expert clinicians in these fields with a focus on enhancing clinical reasoning and improving general practice management. In addition to working full-time and managing a full-case load, Uy attended neurologic-focused classes. She completed a total of three case studies examining occupational therapy treatment interventions for pain, upper limb ataxia and stroke in order to improve ADL (Activities of Daily Living) performance and overall independence.

Of her experience in the program, Uy said, “My participation in the neurologic fellowship over the past year has allowed me to become a more knowledgeable and efficient occupational therapist. I feel that it was a great first step as I start my career as an OT and would not have done it any other way.”

Public Health Major Akia Thompson Receives BlueCross BlueShield Power of We Scholarship

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Akia Thompson headshotSenior public health major Akia Thompson is a recipient of BlueCross BlueShield’s 2020 Power of We Scholarship. The scholarship is funded by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation and grants $10,000 to its recipients each year.

The organization awards minority students pursuing degrees in health care in order to “reduce health care disparities by improving workforce diversity.” This year, the organization decided to double the number of recipients from 3 to 6, Thompson being one of them.

Thompson first developed her goals for post-graduation through an internship at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. “Shadowing health professionals in multiple roles was so educational, and now I’m pursuing a career as a family nurse practitioner,” she said. “I like that I’ll get to spend time with patients, get to know them and deliver hands-on, holistic care.”

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Dr. Laura Gray shares about her recent research project

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Dr. Laura Gray, Assistant Professor of Nursing, answers questions about her recent research project.

What is your research topic? Why did you choose it?
Sleep in children with ADHD and their families.

What are some of your most interesting results?
Parent ADHD symptoms can impact children’s sleep hygiene and some objectively measured sleep parameters such as sleep onset latency (time it takes the child to fall asleep) and wake after sleep onset (waking up during the night).

What is the importance/application of your research?
Since about half of children who are diagnosed with ADHD will have a parent with ADHD, it is important for clinicians to recognize the shared behaviors and how they impact child sleep. This may point to a need for specifically tailored sleep education with structured schedules, sticker charts, checklists and other concrete supports.

Where have you presented your research?
Presented at the Southern Nursing Research Society meetings. Published in Pediatric Nursing. I am working with researchers at Vanderbilt to expand sleep education to families of typically developing children.

MSOT Alumna Presents at Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Conference

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Whitney JoyBelmont alumna Whitney Joy, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy class of 2018, co-presented at the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association (TNOTA) Virtual Conference on Wednesday, August 26.

Joy’s workshop was titled Strategies for OT Practitioners to Elevate Cultural Humility & Cultural Responsiveness.

Dr. Sells shares about his faculty research project

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Dr. Pat Sells, professor of physical therapy, answers questions about his recent research project.

What is your research topic? Why did you choose it?
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR). Muscle mass and aerobic capacity may increase with BFR training, and this suggests that reduced exercise intensity may achieve gains similar to more intense exercise.

What are some of your most interesting results?
BFR compared to non-BFR in patient’s treadmill walking at 3 miles per hour creates a physiological response similar to exercising at much higher intensity, e.g., 6 miles per hour.

What is the importance/application of your research?
BFR could allow improvements at much lower, safer levels of activity. This could mean better outcomes for elderly, cardiac and pulmonary patients, or among any patients who could benefit from increased functional capacity.

Where have you presented your research?
American College of Sports Medicine and the research symposium for the School of Physical Therapy.