Monthly Archives: November 2020

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.

Dr. Maneno Presents at Rite Aid Leadership Academy

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John N. ManenoDr. John Maneno, PharmD, a second year fellow with Belmont University College of Pharmacy (BUCOP) and Aegis Sciences Corporation, was one of the guest speakers featured at the Rite Aid Leadership Academy on November 6-8, 2020.

This event is annually hosted by Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) during their annual conventions where select speakers are invited for the Rite Aid Leadership Academy. This workshop focuses on molding and preparing future healthcare leaders by having discussions about leadership amongst other topics. Dr. Maneno specifically spoke to attendees about “Authentic Leadership.”

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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.

Pharmacy Student Bassel Alhashemi Receives $50,000 Scholarship from Figs

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Bassel AlhashemiBassel Alhashemi, a fourth year pharmacy student at Belmont University, is one of five New Icons Grant winners who will receive $50,000 to put toward school loans and tuition expenses from Figs.

Alhashemi was born in Aleppo, Syria and left the country when the war broke out. Witnessing the devastating effects of lack of access to vaccines and medication, he was inspired to begin his career in pharmacy. He told Figs, “I’m dedicating my professional career goals to making sure people across the globe have access to their medications.”

“We are extremely proud of Bassel and his efforts in receiving an award that nationally recognizes him for what we already know about him as a student in our program,” said Dr. David Gregory, dean of Belmont’s College of Pharmacy. “He is a genuine professional who consistently helps his classmate and exhibits kindness to those around him. He is such a hard worker who has a bright future ahead of him, and students like Bassel are a key reason why our program continues to excel.”

Alhashemi’s goals include climbing Mount Everest, earning his Doctorate degree and one day working for the United Nations. Learn more about Alhashemi and the grant in a video on the Figs website.

Dr. Pace, Dr. McGuire Publish Article in ‘Mental Health, Religion, and Culture’ Journal

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Dr. Adam Pace and Dr. Michael McGuire from the Belmont University College of Pharmacy recently published their article “The relationship of self-stigma of depression to evangelical beliefs and religious practices” in the journal Mental Health, Religion, and Culture.

The article describes the results of a 1000-person survey of the United States population to explore differences in attitudes toward depression between Christians and non-Christians. Christians in the study did not show more negative attitudes toward depression than non-Christians on average.

However, increased frequency of many Christian religious practices was associated with more negative attitudes. Dr. David Phillippi, lecturer in Graduate Nursing, provided expertise in the data analysis for the article.