Monthly Archives: August 2013

Pharmacy students publish review of the movie Nerve

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AldstadtTmaguiganwo Belmont Pharmacy students recently published a review of the movie, Nerve, in Mental Health Clinician, a monthly publication of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP).   CPNP is a professional society of pharmacists practicing in the psychiatry and neurology specialties.

The two PharmD students, Meg Aldstadt and Kelly Maguigan, under the guidance of Dr. Michael McGuire, Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy, provided a review of how social anxiety disorder and medications used to treat it were depicted in the movie, an indie favorite where a young man battles the disorder with the help of a psychology student.

In the review, Aldstadt and Maguigan conclude that while Nerve provides an excellent portrayal of social anxiety disorder, it falls short in depicting relevant treatment options   They write: “Anxiety disorders respond to cognitive strategies and pharmacotherapy, but Nerve does not present any current, accepted treatment options. Instead, Aurora (the psychology student character) hurries Josh (the main character) through some experiments with her thesis deadline as the goal. It is not reasonable to expect an individual to improve in such a short period of time. We believe that she actually harms Josh more than she helps him. While the movie’s representation of treatment options fails, it does demonstrate the complexity of Josh’s disorder. It realistically shows the impact of inappropriate treatment, as opposed to giving the viewer a cinematic ending where he improves regardless of the quality of therapy.”

Nursing professor selected as a reviewer for federal government’s Health Care Innovation Awards

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JordanSmallKathy Jordan, Program Chairperson for Undergraduate Nursing, has been selected as a registered reviewer by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) to evaluate proposals for the Health Care Innovation Awards.   The Center will provide up to $1 billion in funding for projects that develop new payment and service delivery models that will reduce costs while preserving or enhancing the quality of care for beneficiaries in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  The review process will begin October 1.

PharmD graduate receives Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy award

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BarnwellMediumDr. John Barnwell, a 2013 graduate from Belmont University College of Pharmacy, was recently awarded the Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award and was recognized in the official publication of the American Pharmacist’s Association, Student Pharmacist.  While a student in the College of Pharmacy, Barnwell was an active leader in various pharmacy organizations including American Pharmacist’s Association, American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Phi Delta Chi, Phi Lambda Sigma and Rho Chi. He resides in Nashville, Tenn. and is employed by Kroger.

School of Physical Therapy presents Distinguished Alumni Award and graduates 35

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GrindstaffSmall

Dr. Terry Grindstaff

Belmont University School of Physical Therapy honored Dr. Terry Grindstaff (04) with its Distinguished Alumni Award at August graduation ceremonies for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2013.  Dr. Grindstaff addressed the graduates at the School’s annual hooding ceremony prior to commencement.

In his address, Dr. Grindstaff reminded the graduates that their accomplishments were not achieved alone, but through contributions of many others including family, friends, faculty and fellow students.  He encouraged them to continue to surround themselves with people that will provide guidance, boundaries, motivation and support in future endeavors.  He challenged the graduates to pursue their passion and approach each task with an optimism that reflects that passion, and to embrace the opportunity to make an impact on the world through the patients they treat.

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Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger chosen to chair Social Work Department

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SullenbergerSmallDr. Sabrina Sullenberger has joined the Belmont University faculty as the new Chair of the Social Work Department in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences.

“We’re so glad to welcome Dr. Sullenberger,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College.  “Sabrina has a wealth of experience and qualifications for her new role, and a commitment to mentoring students in a Christian environment.  I look forward to working together in the days ahead.”

Dr. Sullenberger comes to Belmont from Indiana University where she was an associate professor and interim associate dean for the School of Social Work.  While at Indiana University, Dr. Sullenberger twice received the Trustee’s Teaching Award and was named as College Advisor of the Year by Best Buddies Indiana.

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OT professor presents at conference of association fighting Batten Disease

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PlummerSmallerDr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, recently presented at the annual conference of the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA) held this year in Nashville.   Dr. Plummer shared her expertise in a presentation on handling and positioning children with Batten disease and assistive technology products for children with the disease.

Batten disease affects children from birth and causes mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight and motor skills over time.  Eventually, the child becomes blind, bedridden and unable to communicate, and the disease is always fatal.  Although Batten disease and related disorders are considered rare, they often strike more than one person in families that carry the defective gene.

BDSRA was formed in 1987 by a family who had three children with the disease.  The association provides technical assistance and support to families who battle the disease while promoting research and education.

Belmont’s Joint PT Residency with Vanderbilt Medical Center receives Accreditation

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Lisa Haack, PT, DPT, NCS, works with a patient for balance retraining. The Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency instituted last year is a partnership between Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy and Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute.
Photo by Amy Woosley

Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy and Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute (PBPRI) have received accreditation from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for their collaborative Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency instituted last year.

The one-year residency is one of 23 programs of its kind in the United States to have achieved this status, and is the only such program in Tennessee.

PBPRI is an outpatient interdisciplinary neurological rehabilitation program where physical therapists work in teams with colleagues in occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and social work to promote community re-entry and vocational and/or academic transitioning.

“Being the first neurological physical therapy residency program in Tennessee, we have the responsibility and the privilege to train the next generation of outstanding neurological clinical specialists,” said Lisa Haack, DPT, NCS, Neurological Clinical Residency director, a PBPRI clinical staff member in physical therapy and a neurologic specialist.

Academic Residency Director Renee Brown, PT, Ph.D, professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont University, said completion of the credentialing process is an affirmation of the program’s commitment to its patients.

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Recent Publications of Faculty in the College of Health Sciences

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BucknerSmall3Dr. Martha Buckner
Professor of Nursing
Buckner, M. M., Dietrich, M. S., Merriman, C., & Keeley, J. P. (2013). Identifying at-risk nursing students using a midcurricular examina-tion. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 31(4). Retrieved from 10,1097/NXN.0b013e31828a0dda.

 

DunlapSmall2Dr. Ruby Dunlap
Professor of Nursing
Dunlap, R. K. (2013). Nursing theory and the clinical gaze: Discovery in teaching theory across a cultural divide. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(2), 176-180.


HalleSmall2Dr. John Halle
Professor of Physical Therapy
Halle JS. The Neuromuscular Scan Exam (Chapter Four), in Voight, Hoogenboom, and Prentice (ed), Musculoskletal Interventions: Techniques for Therapeutic Exercise, McGraw-Hill Medical, New York (Scheduled for 2013 publication).

 

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College of Pharmacy alumnus selected as first clinical pharmacist at hospital in east Tennessee

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masterson__juliaDr. Julie Masterson (Class of 2012) recently completed a PGY-1 residency at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville and has accepted a clinical pharmacist position at LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Tennessee.

Dr. Masterson will serve as the first clinical pharmacist at LeConte and will develop clinical programs to aid patients in the East Tennessee area.  She will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team to make pharmacy related interventions where appropriate.  She will focus on completing consults and making interventions via Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) based on generated reports.

Dr. Masterson states that she will be implementing policies and protocols with pharmacists from other local hospitals to help standardize pharmacy care among the different treatment centers of which LeConte is a member.

Pharmacy Students, Faculty Assist Guatemalan Pediatric Surgical Center

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PharmacyGuatemala-300x300An 11-member team from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy is traveling to Guatemala twice this summer to provide aid and expertise to the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center (MPSC). Open since March 2011, more than 800 needy children have received free life-altering surgical care from MPSC.

The Belmont team just returned from its first trip July 8-13 in which it teamed with MPSC to implement the hospital’s first computerized inventory system. During the week-long mission, the seven-person team worked with MPSC leadership to finalize the inventory categorization model and to set coding conventions. In addition, the team purchased and implemented inventory management software, documented and coded more than 750 individual items, created and affixed barcodes to all inventory and determined IT needs to link the new system across multiple computer stations.

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