Dr. Renee Brown appointed Department Chair for Physical Therapy
Dr. Renee Brown, Professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont, has been appointed as the new Physical Therapy Department Chair as of June 1, according to Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing.
"We are indeed fortunate to have someone with Dr. Brown’s extensive academic preparation, and her notable teaching, clinical and administrative experience, assume this important position," said Taylor in making the announcement. Brown takes the place of Dr. John Halle who is returning to the classroom full-time.
PT Professor honored as Educator of the Year
Danny Smith (left), Awards Chair of TPTA, and Alan Meade (right), Vice President of TPTA, recognize Dr. Michael Voight as TPTA Educator of the Year.
Dr. Michael Voight, Professor of Physical Therapy, recently was named Educator of the Year by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA).
Dr. Voight was nominated for this honor by a former student, Dr. Ashley Campbell. “In his life, Dr. Voight has educated thousands of students and clinicians, and I am lucky to be among that group,” said Campbell. She added, “as a student, Dr. Voight guided, encouraged and challenged me to be the best. He taught me by example what it means to be great, and to never be satisfied with good. He never ceases to amaze me in his passion and dedication to the profession of physical therapy, especially the education of both future and current clinicians.”
McWhorter Giving Society Established to Support Health Sciences
Clayton McWhorter (left) and Dr. Richard Treadway (right) presented the first McWhorter Society Distinguished Service Award to Barbara Massey Rogers (center).
Belmont University’s Office of Advancement recently established the Clayton McWhorter Society, a giving society intended to further the work of Belmont’s health science programs. The new group, which held its inaugural membership lunch on May 2, is named in honor of long-time Belmont supporter Clayton McWhorter and will directly benefit the College of Health Sciences & Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and the new MBA for Healthcare Professionals.
Clayton McWhorter’s leadership and role in the development of healthcare industry giants HealthTrust, Inc. and HCA have made a strong impression in the field of healthcare. In 1996, Clayton, his son Stuart, and a close business friend created the venture capital firm Clayton Associates, which quickly evolved into a hub of strategic business development activities related to new firms in healthcare, technology and diversified services.
Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care visits Belmont
The College of Health Sciences recently hosted Leadership Health Care (LHC) members of the Nashville Health Care Council for a luncheon. Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College, and Provost Thomas Burns welcomed the group to campus.
“The future of health care is about collaboration and cooperation,” said Burns. “We are proud to have members of Leadership Health Care here today, and we welcome opportunities to work together as we develop the next generation of health care talent here at Belmont.”
After remarks and lunch, Belmont students led the group on a tour of the college. LHC members were given an overview of simulation training labs in nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
Leadership Health Care was formed in 2002 as an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to foster the next generation of health care leaders. Industry tours are part of the group's regular programming for members.
Memorial Foundation Awards Belmont $300,000 for Simulation Fellowship, Upgrades
The Memorial Foundation has awarded Belmont University $300,000 to upgrade high-fidelity simulation equipment, support interprofessional training in the College of Health Sciences & Nursing and fund a post-graduate Healthcare Simulation Fellowship. Belmont has appointed Dr. Gwenn Randall as the college’s first fellow.
“We are grateful to the Memorial Foundation for this generous gift that will enable us to markedly increase the impact of our clinical simulation program. In addition to creating exciting new clinical experiences for both students and community providers, with this funding we will create new ways of educating future leaders in this emerging field,” said College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Cathy R. Taylor.
Three faculty members from the health sciences nominated for University faculty awards
Three health science faculty members, two from the College of Health Sciences and another from the College of Pharmacy, have been nominated as finalists for two Belmont University faculty awards.
Dr. Renee Brown, Professor of Physical Therapy, and Julie Hunt, Assistant Professor of Social Work, are two of four finalists for the 2012-13 Chaney Distinguished Professor Award. This is the highest honor presented annually to a Belmont faculty member. The award will be presented during graduation festivities in May.
In addition, Dr. Kelley Kiningham, Assistant Dean in the College of Pharmacy, is a finalist for the second consecutive year for the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award for 2012-13. The award will be presented at Scholarships and Awards Day in April. The Presidential Faculty Achievement Award recognizes excellence in helping to make Belmont University a student-centered community through their support of our students outside of the classroom.
PT Professor interviewed about golf fitness in The Tennessean
Dr. Mike Voight, professor of physical therapy at Belmont University, was featured today in the sports pages of the Tennessean (http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130312/SPORTS11/303120022/2072/SPORTS). Rich Hayes interviewed Voight and Lance Gill, the head athletic trainer at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, CA for his Midstate Golf Notebook which is featured regularly in the paper. He inquired about golf fitness. Voight also serves as a consultant with Titleist Performance Institute.
Mission to Guatemala: Day 6
Mission to Guatemala
from Lisa Haack
A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University's School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont's spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.
Buenos dias! After all of our hard work this week, we spent Friday in Antigua having fun. We went to the Filadelfia coffee plantation where most of us got to see coffee plants for the first time. We took an adventurous ride up to the top of one of the mountains and took the zip line course down. The view along the zip line course was amazing! It was such a perfect and beautiful day. We enjoyed a delicious lunch there at the café and then headed off to the market to go shopping. The market was a bit overwhelming, but we all learned how to barter to get the best deals on our souvenirs and gifts. To end the day, we went out to dinner with our translators at a steak house, Hacienda Real. The food was incredible. We were all sad to say good-bye to the wonderful translators and drivers who took care of us this week. Our last night at the Nazarene Center was rather interesting. Apparently a new group of Guatemalan teenagers are having a retreat here this weekend and they kicked it off with a big party, which sounded more like mob preparing to attack us. They eventually quieted down for a few hours and we got a couple of hours of sleep. We are sleep-deprived and preparing to load up to head to the airport. We had an amazing week here in Guatemala. God showed up and did incredible things through us. It has been a wonderful time, but we are excited to get back home! See you soon!!!
Mission to Guatemala: Day 5
Mission to Guatemala
from Carolyn and Markus
A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University's School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont's spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.
Today we went to Magdalena Milpas Altas, Sacatepequez, to Karamion which is a center for children with disabilities. First we met with the directors, who are husband and wife, and learned all about the center. They started it on their own and gave up everything, including their home, in order to help children. They don’t have any support, but trust in God to provide. It was great to see such an awesome demonstration of faith and obedience to God’s will. We split into groups to start therapy and worked with children with different types of disabilities: autism, torticollis, Down’s Syndrome, meningitis, and spina bifida. I worked with a little girl with spina bifida with the help of Jessica, PT and some more of the OT/PT team. We worked on prone lying, trunk extension and postural balance reactions on a therapy ball, and ball catching for stability and balance.
Mission to Guatemala: Day 4
Mission to Guatemala
from Joe Muchmore
A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University's School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont's spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.
Another exciting day for Team Catalyst. After a two-hour scenic drive, we spent the day with the wonderful staff and children of the JT Children’s Foundation. The JT Children’s Foundation provides therapeutic services for children with disabilities and their families who reside in the Tecpan, Guatemala area. They preach the importance of a holistic approach to healing and this is evident in their practice. After learning about the organization, we had the privilege of watching a performance that was prepared through music therapy sessions with a group of children. The performers graciously invited us to join and we happily danced and laughed with our new friends.