Sixteen Belmont faculty and staff members attended and contributed to the 2015 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) joint meeting with the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, recently held in National Harbor, Maryland.
Due to changes in the pharmacy market and pharmacy practice act and the number of new schools, this year’s conference, attended by approximately 2,000 people, was particularly active. Continue reading
Rising junior exercise science and Spanish major Morgan Tweddle has spent the last two months shadowing three Ph.D. candidates for the School of Kinesiology at Texas A&M as a lab assistant, aiding in data collection and gaining experience in the field she hopes to join.
Tweddle’s main focus has been an infant intervention called “tummy time,” an intentional placing of an infant on their stomach during play time that has been proven to build core muscles, allowing infants to explore their surroundings sooner and begin their cognitive development. In the candidates’ study, the researchers looked specifically at the effects of tummy time on infants with Down Syndrome. Tweddle collected data and evaluated the babies’ developmental progress.
Post graduation, Tweddle plans to attend physical therapy school to obtain both a Doctor of Physical Therapy, allowing her to practice in a clinical setting, and a Ph.D., allowing her to conduct research and teach. Tweddle explained that this opportunity gave her new excitement for her future goals. “I am a planner, and this gave me a look at one of the possible roads I can take. God led me to this opportunity, and it is exciting to see His plan for me starting to unfold,” she said.
Destin Lenz and Kelsie Graham, third year Belmont pharmacy students, recently attended the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2015 Summer Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Lenz and Graham serve as president and vice president, respectively, in Belmont’s Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP).
This year’s meeting had the highest attendance of any in nearly a decade, consisting of four content-targeted conferences including the Ambulatory Care Conference, Informatics Institute, Medication Safety Collaboration and Pharmacy, Practice and Policy.
The duo participated in a student leadership development workshop focused on leadership opportunities in pharmacy practice and attended a session entitled, “A Student’s Guide to Provider Status,” where updates on the latest developments in provider status legislation were discussed. In addition, they attended poster presentations, a session exclusively for students entitled, “Career and Life Success,” and a number of educational seminars on a variety of topics.
For more information, click here.
Alumni Jenny and Evan Owens may not have ever gone through basic training, much less served in combat, but the couple has still developed a passion for ministering to soldiers and their families. In fact, helping soldiers overcome the spiritual wounds of war has become this couple’s mission and led to them founding REBOOT Combat Recovery in 2011.
Jenny received her B.A. from Belmont in 2005 followed by a doctorate in occupational therapy, also from Belmont, in 2007. After graduating, she worked in neuro-rehabilitation at Vanderbilt and then with patients suffering traumatic brain injuries at the Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center at Fort Campbell’s Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. Continue reading
Rising senior social work major Rebecca Sanders trekked many miles and asked many difficult questions during Professor Dr. Andy Watt’s Maymester program as she and her team learned the history of the western U.S.’s land and people.
The trip began May 12 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where Sanders met with tribal elders and local artists to hear their stories and visit important, local sites. The next stop was the Crow Reservation in Montana to learn about the Battle of Little Big Horn and Crow culture. Soon after, the group traveled to Yellowstone National Park to participate in the park’s Wolf and Bear Exploration and Cody, Wyoming for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The trip concluded May 29 in Keystone, South Dakota with stops at Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Sylvan Lake and Badlands National Park. Continue reading
A group of faculty members and a student from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy recently traveled to Honduras as part of the Baptist Medical Dental Mission. Drs. Adam Pace, Leela Kodali, and Emily Russell, a fourth-year student, joined a team of 20 medical professionals for the medical missions trip.
The team set up a medical clinic, dentistry clinic, and pharmacy in a schoolhouse in San Fernando, a rural community in the state of Yoro. Together, they saw more than 1100 patients, dispensed 5300 prescriptions, pulled 240 teeth for 101 patients and distributed 325 eyeglasses. Additionally, the trip included church services and personal evangelism at the medical stations, bringing more than 130 people to Christ. Continue reading
Aegis Sciences Corporation, in partnership with Belmont, recently announced the launch of a pharmacy fellowship program. The fellows will complete an intensive two-year postgraduate training program focused on drug information, evidence-based practice, teaching and research. The Clinical Scientist fellows selected for the 2015-2017 program are Kate Claussen, Pharm.D., and Amber Watson, Pharm.D.
Claussen, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Lipscomb and previously interned and completed a pharmacy rotation at Aegis. Watson, of Hardy, Arkansas, received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee and completed a pharmacy rotation at Aegis. Continue reading
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Thirteen Belmont students recently completed the Vanderbilt Experience Student Nurse Internship Program’s Summer 2015 Nurse Residency.
Out of these, Tisra Fadely was recognized with the Credo Award for her hard work on the perioperative track. According to her certificate, Fadely “is a student that made our patients the highest priority by communicating effectively with patients and their families and was committed to being a team player.”
As stated on her certificate, some of her preceptors attested to the qualities Fadely has that earned her the award. “Tisra demonstrates a rare sensitivity and dedication to patient centered care, as well as a keen interest in evidence-based practice. She was consistently kind, attentive and professional. 
As a coworker, she was respectful, conscientious and hardworking. One of her most impressive attributes is her gracious manner of asking questions and sharing information. She researches questions she has relating to patient care and shares her knowledge with true intellectual enthusiasm. I have found her deeply committed to patient care and genuinely committed to nursing.”
Associate Professor of Social Work Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger has been working with four former colleagues from Indiana University on a five year, ongoing research project to study attitudes of poverty and construction of social class.
Sullenberger and her team’s research was recently featured in an article in The Atlantic entitled, “Teenagers are Losing Confidence in the American Dream.” For more information, click here.
Belmont University nursing graduate Alison Alcott (Dallas, Texas) has been named one of the nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award for her achievements on and off the field as a member of the Bruins’ women’s soccer team.
Last month, Alcott was presented the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award for her stellar career on the pitch and in the classroom along with good sportsmanship and citizenship, becoming only the second women women’s player to garner the honor. Continue reading
Dr. Scott C. McInturff, a 2002 graduate of Belmont University’s doctoral program in physical therapy, was featured this week on Atlanta and Company, a weekday television show on Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, WXIA, 11Alive.
Dr. McInturff practices physical therapy at the Wellstar Health System’s pediatric center in Kennesaw, Georgia, treating children and young adults. Many of Scott’s patients are gymnasts, swimmers, dancers, cheerleaders, baseball/softball, football, soccer and basketball players. As part of his practice, he spends a lot of time educating parents and children on the importance of proper technique as it relates to reducing and possibly preventing injuries.
“Pediatrics and adolescence is unique: kids are not like adults, their bones are still maturing,” said McInturff in a 2014 Wellstar feature story. “Typically, they don’t have adult conditions, so we tailor their treatments to injuries or conditions specific to kids.”
The television segment featuring Dr. McInturff is linked here.
Study Abroad in Geneva
from Dr. Ruby Dunlap, Professor of Nursing
We started off Monday afternoon at the UNHCR with a great talk by Carol Laleve with years of experience in Syria. She was not very positive about any short term improvement in that situation, unfortunately. Tuesday was a packed day: first at the International Federation of the Red Cross and some excellent speakers followed by an afternoon at the WHO and some excellent speakers there. The global perspective on the world’s health issues is hard to take in, it is so vast. Continue reading
(L to R): Dr. Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld (Occupational Therapy), Dr. Leslie J. Higgins (Nursing), Dr. Beth Hallmark (Nursing), Dr. Cathy Taylor (Nursing), Dr. Erin Shankel (Nursing), Dr. Renee Brown (Physical Therapy)
Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing, was recently honored as one of Nashville Medical News’s 2015 Women to Watch. For the 10th year, Nashville Medical News has profiled a group of women in Middle Tennessee who are making a difference in the health care landscape of Nashville, Tennessee or beyond through their work as clinicians, public health officials, advocates, administrators, association executives or professionals.
Taylor has served as Dean of the College of Health Sciences since 2012. She came to Belmont from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Bureau of Health Service Administration where she was assistant commissioner. Before that, she was an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Nursing School of Nursing and the director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance Disease Management Program. Continue reading
Study Abroad in Geneva, Switzerland
from Dr. Ruby Dunlap, School of Nursing
We had a spectacular day in Chamonix and the French Alps today. After spending a couple of hours at the local farmer’s market, we took a cable car up to Aiguille de Midi, the highest ride in Chamonix. The weather was mostly brilliantly sunny with peaks sharply outlined against a blue sky as you can see from these pics but big clouds would move across and make everything foggy for awhile. Aiguille is 3842 meters high, roughly 11,526 feet.
More photos on our Facebook Page. Continue reading
Study Abroad in Geneva, Switzerland – See more photos on our Facebook Page.
Study Abroad in Geneva, Switzerland
from Dr. Ruby Dunlap, Professor of Nursing
Seventeen Belmont students and 3 faculty members traveled to Geneva, Switzerland on Monday for the University’s fourth Geneva Study Abroad.
photo by Haley Flickinger
Arriving in Switzerland.
We have done similar study abroad trips to Geneva in 2012, 2013, and 2014. We will be there three weeks, having all sorts of adventures, and visiting Geneva centers of culture, history, global organizations, and science. Our community health nursing course will focus on global health and health systems. The humanities course will focus on Jean Calvin, Rousseau, poets Shelley and Byron, and Frankenstein. The writing course will hone our writing skills, using our experiences in Geneva as material for different kinds of writing.
Here are the places we plan to visit this coming week: Geneva Museum of Art and History. While this museum has lots of exhibits, the one we are going to focus on is down in the basement. There are exhibits of Geneva’s prehistorical inhabitants including the skeleton of an individual who had been sacrificed.
Following that, we plan to visit the archeological dig underneath St. Pierre’s cathedral where the multiple layers of buildings on that site are explained.
Thursday is Ascension Day, an official holiday in Switzerland. Lots of shops and businesses will be closed that day.
Friday the nursing students will visit the International Council of Nurses (ICN) headquarters and hear about what is happening in the profession of nursing around the world.
Saturday is an all-day excursion to Chamonix and the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in the French Alps. We hope this page will be a place we can share pics and comments about our adventures and give our family and friends a place to comment, too!
You can also follow the Geneva Study Abroad through their Facebook page.
A 2014 thesis project by three graduate students in Belmont University’s doctoral program in occupational therapy was recently published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. Co-authored by Dr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, the project studied the impact of mobility assistive technology devices on participation for individuals with disabilities.
The research team included Jordan Carver, who earned her OTD from Belmont last week, along with Ashley Ganus and Jon Mark Ivey, both who both earned the OTD in 2014. Ann Eubank, a Nashville area occupational therapist and social worker associated with the School of Occupational Therapy, was an additional co-author.
Belmont University College of Pharmacy was recently featured with an article in Directions in Pharmacy, a special supplement of Pharmacy Times. The article included a short interview with Dr. Philip Johnston, Dean of the College.
Pharmacy Times is a clinically-based, monthly journal providing practical information pharmacists can use in their everyday practice. Continue reading
Inaugural class represents Tennessee’s greatest health and health care pioneers
During a McWhorter Society Luncheon held on Belmont University’s campus this week, the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame announced the eight health care professionals selected as the Hall of Fame’s inaugural inductees. With a mission to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the health and health care industry, the Hall of Fame was created by Belmont University and the McWhorter Society and is supported by the Nashville Health Care Council, a Hall of Fame Founding Partner.
Among the highly qualified candidates nominated, the inaugural inductees were reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of health and health care leaders from across the state. Selected inductees represent some of Tennessee’s greatest health and health care pioneers, leaders and innovators. Inducted individuals include:
In April, pharmacy students in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy course led educational classes at Room In The Inn, a community of participants, guests, volunteers and staff who work together to offer hope to Nashville’s homeless population. The organization serves more than 4,000 homeless individuals each year.
Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy Dr. Ashton Beggs teaches the course to second and third year students each spring, focusing on disease states seen in primary care settings and best practices for patient education. Continue reading
Two doctoral students in the Occupational Therapy program at Belmont recently completed their residency projects, which together provided wheelchairs and professional support to children and their families in San Carlos, Mexico. Claire Grecco and Tara Harper completed complimentary projects under the academic advisement of Dr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, and with assistance from the faith-based charitable organization, Reach Out and Care Wheels (ROC Wheels), based in Bozeman, Montana.
For her project, Grecco piloted the creation of a local chapter of Youths Empowered with the Helper Spirit to Reach Out and Care at Ezell Harding Christian School in Nashville. Through the program, students learned about the international need for wheelchairs and helped raise money to provide wheelchairs for children in need. Continue reading
Dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. Cathy Taylor was recently featured “The Mother & Child Project: Raising our Voices for Health and Hope,” a compilation of personal narratives, research and essays from inspirational leaders, politicians, philanthropists, speakers and musicians including Kimberly Williams Paisley, Amy Grant, Melinda Gates, Senator Dr. William H. Frist and Michael W. Smith, among others.
The project was compiled by Sen. Frist’s Hope Through Healing Hands, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote improved quality of life for all people around the world. Using health to lead the charge, Hope Through Healing Hands seeks to educate all people on ways to have access to a fuller, healthier lifestyle. Continue reading
The Belmont Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) has joined forces with Passion Partners, a nonprofit missions organization, to launch their annual Pad Project campaign that collects feminine hygiene products for Ugandan and Kenyan girls who would otherwise be unable to attend school. The donations are wrapped as gifts and distributed at monthly Purity Project meetings at high schools in Wakiso and Kampala, Uganda, where girls are taught about health, self-worth and the Bible. Continue reading
Gail Bursch, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, received the 2015 Carol Likens Award (CLA) presented by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) at their annual meeting recently. The award is given annually to a TPTA member who has provided exceptional service to the profession of physical therapy. Bursch served as Chair of the Nashville District of TPTA for 11 years, was Vice President of the Tennessee Chapter for 5 years and most recently chaired the TPTA Nominating Committee for 4 years. The Likens award is named for its first recipient who served the chapter as president from 1985 to 1995 and whose vision, leadership and commitment to the profession brought the TPTA through one of its greatest periods of growth and service to members. Continue reading
Dean of the College of Health Sciences Cathy Taylor was part of the original design team of national experts, supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), who worked to develop and launch the MCH Navigator beginning in 2010.
The MCH Navigator is an online portal and clearinghouse for maternal and child health professionals, students and others working to improve the health of women, children, adolescents and families for training on key MCH and leadership topics. The project contains in-depth training portals on specific issues of importance to public health professionals and highlights learning opportunities focused on MCH topics.
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