Monthly Archives: June 2021

Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame Announces Two Years of Inductees

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Awards luncheon in 2019
2019 Healthcare Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon at Belmont University. rPhoto by Billy Kingsley

Belmont University has announced the sixth and seventh inductee classes of the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame. Because last year’s inductee class was not able to be recognized in person due to COVID-19, this year’s event will honor both the 2020 and 2021 classes at a ceremony on October 19.

With a mission to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the health and health care industries, the Hall of Fame was created in 2015 by founding partners Belmont University, the McWhorter Society and the Nashville Health Care Council.

“Over the course of the past 18 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has refocused the spotlight on the health care industry and the important role health care professionals play in each of our lives,” said Belmont President Dr. L. Gregory Jones. “Now more than ever, we want to honor the leaders in this vital field, individuals who demonstrate the character, compassion and strength of purpose that quite literally transforms lives on a daily basis.”

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Dr. Plummer Presents, Participates in European Academy of Childhood Disabilities

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Dr. Plummer

Dr. Teresa Plummer, associate professor in the School of Occupational Therapy, presented on her current research involving 40 international experts in the field of pediatric powered mobility entitled: Global Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges: The development of a training guide for teaching infants how to use the Explorer Mini (a new powered mobility device for infants 12-36 months. She and co-researchers Feldner, Hendry and Leire have created an evidence-based guide for therapists and caregivers of children with mobility impairments.

Additionally, she co-presented a poster entitled: What if ‘Early’ Is Too Late? Supporting the Theoretical Perspective of On Time Mobility In Early Childhood Intervention.

The European Academy of Childhood Disabilities is an international forum for individuals interested in advocacy and research in conditions that affect infants and children.

Physical Therapy Students Serve Virtually in Dominican Republic

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VSE Screenshot

On May 14-16, physical therapy students Ann Shikles and Marissa Arnerich participated in a Virtual Service Experience (VSE) in the Dominican Republic through a nonprofit organization called Here for Kids. Here for Kids aims to help at-risk children through sending teams of students and young adults to various locations throughout the world to share their sports and educational gifts. For this VSE, Here for Kids partnered with an organization called Kids Alive Dominican Republic.

Shikles and Arnerich worked with two sites in the Dominican Republic during their virtual service experience. These sites have both a children’s home and school associated with them that are run by Kids Alive. The students learned about the sites and the work they do there, took a virtual tour of the neighborhoods that house the sites and the sites themselves, and met with missionaries placed in the Dominican Republic.

Arnerich explained, “We also were able to virtually meet and play with the kids living in the children’s home at one of the sites. In addition to learning about our partner sites and organizations, we also learned a lot about each other through testimonies and devotionals. Together, we spoke about our faith journeys, reflected on the importance of service and what it truly means to serve, and how we as future physical therapists will be able to apply our hearts for service into our profession.”

Dr. Michaels Named New Co-Editor of the Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy

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Dr. Natalie Michaels

Dr. Natalie Michaels, PT, EdD, professor in the occupational therapy department at Belmont University, has been named co-editor of the Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy. This is the primary peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of Aquatic Physical Therapy, a section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Michaels will be serving in this capacity with Anita Van Wingerden from the School of Health Professions at Rutgers State University of New Jersey.

Dr. Michaels has been actively involved in aquatic physical therapy for many years. She was awarded the 2021 Richard Ruoti Research Award for Excellence at the 2021 Combined Sections Meeting and has published numerous articles in the field, ranging from the use of aquatic exercise for weight loss in older adults to the efficacy of activity monitors ion land and in the water. She is a recipient of the Hydroworx Research Grant and has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy. She holds an Aquatic Clinical Competency Certificate through the Aquatic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association and an Aquatic Certification through the Aquatic Therapy and Rehabilitation Institute (ATRI).

Leigh Holdsambeck, Graduate Nursing Student Wins 2021 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award

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Stewart and Holdsambeck

Tim Stewart, director of service-learning at Belmont University, and Leigh Holdsambeck, a graduate student in Belmont’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, are both recipients of a 2021 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. The awards were created and named for late Representative Harold Love, Sr. to celebrate and honor students, faculty and staff in higher education across Tennessee who have demonstrated exemplary service in their communities.

Each year, five awards are given to students, and five awards are given to faculty/staff, and each individual recipient receives a cash prize of $1,000. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was given the charge to implement this recognition, and a task force of institutional and board representatives convenes annually to review submitted proposals.

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Dr. L. Gregory Jones Casts Vision for Belmont University to ‘Let Hope Abound’ in First Day as New President

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New Belmont University President Dr. L. Gregory Jones isn’t easing into his new position. Rather, Dr. Jones—along with his wife, the Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones—is using his first day in office to make an immediate impact with campus and community leaders through a full day of meetings and conversations across the city, all introducing his theme for his inaugural year, “Let Hope Abound.” 

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