Sullenberger is among 30 most influential social workers

SullenbergerSmallSocial Work Program Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger was recently honored as one of The Social Work Degree Guide’s 30 most influential social workers alive today. Sullenberger has been a faculty member at Belmont since the summer of 2013, after spending 10 years at Indiana University.  She holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with research interests in poverty and child welfare. Her work has been internationally published with areas of exploration in the scholarship of teaching and learning. She teaches social work by infusing service learning and hands-on assessment. Sullenberger believes in passing the torch of change in social service to her students.

Selection was based on merit, scholastic study, and political activism. From celebrities to university professors, the list includes individuals who plan, engage, and support social work. Many belong to professional associations that provide ethical guidance and support to various communities. Most have authored books or published journal articles on policy, reform, crisis intervention, and civil liberties.

Information about all 30 social workers can be found at socialworkdegreeguide.com.

 

College of Pharmacy offers certificate programs

PooleSmall  BeggsSmall2Belmont University College of Pharmacy recently hosted an interactive and innovative certificate program for pharmacists entitled “Delivering Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Services.” Developed by the American Pharmacists Association, the training program explores the pharmacist’s role in providing medication therapy management services to patients.

The goals of the certificate training program are to advance public health and patient care through improved medication use, provide training to enhance pharmacists’ ability to effectively provide MTM services, motivate increased numbers of pharmacists to establish MTM services, and communicate benchmark practices for providing MTM services. Thirty pharmacists- from New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee- attended the one-day training session led by College of Pharmacy faculty members Dr. Traci Poole and Dr. Ashton Beggs.

College of Pharmacy attends regional meeting and brings home awards

APhA-MRM-2014-300x257The College of Pharmacy’s student American Pharmacists Association (APhA) chapter, advised by Dr. Traci Poole, had 20 attendees at the annual Midyear Regional Meeting, held in Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 24-26. Student pharmacists participated in various professional development activities and networking events with students from 24 schools and colleges throughout the southeast.

The festivities were kicked off when second-year pharmacy student Kayla Hill was announced as Belmont’s Student Membership Recognition winner due to her work as Fundraising Chair. Belmont second-year student Kathryn Litten participated in the Prescription Relay Race, where she worked with three other student pharmacists from different schools in filling, verifying and counseling a “patient” regarding their prescription.

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Nursing faculty member presents at national conferences

Erin-poster-300x206Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Erin Shankel has presented her work on tele-monitoring and app-based symptom management in pediatric asthma at two recent national conferences. She presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June and at the national Doctor of Nursing Practice conference in October.

Nursing faculty, students publish journal articles

HarveySmallAssociate Professor of Nursing Dr. Carrie Harvey along with nursing graduate students Cassandra Gladkowski, Chelsey Medley, Heather Nelson and Angela Price published a manuscript in the September issue of Journal for Nurse Practitioners, the premier peer-reviewed journal for nurse practitioners. The manuscript was titled “Opioids versus physical therapy for management of chronic pain.” They presented an extensive review the literature and critique of the evidence.

Also, nursing faculty Dr. Jamie Adam and Dr. Leslie Folds published a manuscript in the October issue of that same journal titled “Depression, self-efficacy and adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes.” Their research explored various factors that affect diabetes adherence, finding that as depressive symptoms increase, self-efficacy behaviors decrease.

Nursing adjunct presents poster at Nursing conference

Witherspoon-poster-presentation-300x237Dr. Brianna Witherspoon, adjunct faculty member in the School of Nursing, presented a scientific poster titled “ACNP Intensivists – Evaluating A Model of Care” at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference in Dallas Texas last week. Witherspoon’s work described patient outcomes such as mortality rates and intensive care unit length of stay before and after acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) joined the critical care team. Witherspoon teaches adult health clinical and lab in the undergraduate nursing program.

Pharmacy Students, Faculty Raise Money for Nashville Cares

NashvilleCares2014Members of Belmont’s College of Pharmacy Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) walked in the Oct. 4 HIV/AIDs Walk and 5k benefiting Nashville Cares. For the third year in a row, SNPhA has raised more than $1,500 to benefit Nashville Cares. The entire College of Pharmacy contributed through a bake sale as well as individual fundraising efforts. Nashville Cares is a charitable organization that provides lifesaving services to Middle Tennesseans living with HIV/AIDS as well as offers education, prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS. Continue reading

Italian health professionals visit School of Physical Therapy

ItalianVisitors

Dr. Kevin Robinson, Professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont University, demonstrated the school’s Motion Analysis equipment for Mike Arnall and Dr. Paolo Milia, visiting health professionals from Umbria, Italy.

The Belmont University School of Physical Therapy recently hosted two health professionals from Istituto Prosperius Tiberino, a 75-bed rehabilitation hospital in Umbria, Italy. Since 2012, nine Belmont physical therapy students have completed a clinical affiliation at the hospital and three more students are scheduled for an 8-week clinical affiliation during the spring of 2015.

Istituto Prosperius provides both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for patients with neurological and orthopedic disorders and injuries in a team model of care which includes physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, nurses, art therapists, psychologists and social workers. The Istituto staff conducts ongoing research projects and pilots technological devices for the rehabilitation of neurological patients. The hospital serves as one of leading centers in Italy using robotic therapy to assist in ambulation for patients with spinal cord injuries. The facility also houses two large therapy pools for patients, one equipped with underwater steppers and treadmills. Continue reading

Pharmacy Faculty Engage in Leadership Development

FiczereSmall  KinninghamSmallDr. Cathy Ficzere, associate professor and director of drug information services, and Dr. Kinsley Kiningham, College of Pharmacy assistant dean of student affairs, recently completed the 2014 Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program (CAAMP). The Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) held the 2014 Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program (CAAMP) this past summer at the Georgia Tech Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia. CAAMP is a top-notch leadership and management course designed specifically for department chairs and academic administrators within colleges and schools of the health professions. Since its inception in 2009, over 250 administrative leaders from institutions over the country have participated in CAAMP. Participants developed their leadership abilities through assessments and through peer feedback and individualized, professional coaching. Sessions included learning to lead, managing new tasks and challenges, faculty performance and assessment, strategic planning and budgeting, conflict management, work-life balance, and legal issues in academia.