Author Archives: Graduate Health Sciences

Social Work students honored at Belmont University Awards Day

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scholarship-awards-2014-105In a ceremony marked by numerous standing ovations, students and faculty were honored this week during the University’s annual Scholarship and Awards Day convocation. All of the awards given reflected Belmont’s mission and commitment to scholarship, service and leadership.

In one of the most moving presentations, graduating senior and social work major Matthew Thompson was awarded the John Williams Heart of Belmont Award, which is given to a student committed to Belmont’s values including innovation, persistence, advocacy for change, community development and service. Before coming to Belmont, Thompson served in the Navy on the USS George Washington for five years.  In 2005, he enlisted in the Army where he served an additional four years and afterwards completed one year of service in the Tennessee National Guard. After 10 years of service and three deployments, he was honorably discharged and began pursuing a degree at Belmont. Continue reading →

Pharmacy students volunteer at community health fair

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Kappa Psi at Health FairRecently several students from the College of Pharmacy’s Kappa Psi, Epsilon Kappa chapter assisted with a health screening fair at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Burns, Tennessee.  The students provided bone density checks, blood glucose checks and surveys of diabetes mellitus.  They also assisted with blood pressure measurement and counseling about blood pressure and nutrition.  Participants included Kelly Maguigan, Chris Conkling, Fred ONeal, Niki Walker, Fernando Diggs, Kyla Cunico, Jessica Yost, Chris Kepinski, Joshua Ferrall, Destin Lenz and Sarah Gobin.

Pharmacy student receives scholarship for diversity and inclusion

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ErinToddSmallErin Todd, a second year student in Belmont’s PharmD program, has been awarded the Walgreens Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award. This monetary award is given to a student “who embraces diversity and promotes diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus”. Through Erin’s work in the Belmont chapter of SNPhA and as a student ambassador she has worked diligently to promote diversity in pharmacy.

Nursing Students, Faculty Support March of Dimes

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Nursing students pictured left to right are Tiffany Jenkins, Erin Pettepher, Patrick Haltom, Emily Graehler and Elaine Seneff.

Nursing students pictured left to right are Tiffany Jenkins, Erin Pettepher, Patrick Haltom, Emily Graehler and Elaine Seneff.

Belmont School of Nursing students and faculty participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies on April 13 at LP Field. The walk raises awareness and funding for the March of Dimes work to support community programs that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. The March of Dimes also funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten babies. The March for Babies has been going since 1970 and raised over $2 billion. Nine nursing students and two faculty members participated in the walk. The students were led by senior Patrick Haltom and were sponsored by Assistant Professor of Nursing Angela Lane and Instructor of Nursing Barb Padovich. The Belmont Nursing team raised $1,160 for March of Dimes.

Social Work Students, Professors Present at National Conference

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matt-poster-BPD-300x224Social Work senior Matt Thompson recently presented a poster at the Baccalaureate Program Director’s (BPD) national conference on social work education.  His poster, which was selected to be a part of the student conference within the larger BPD conference, was entitled “Welcome Home: Current Military Pre and Post Separation and Transition Protocol.”  This poster provided an overview of current practices that are followed as men and women leave the armed services. As Thompson discussed the poster with conference attendees, he noted areas where policies should be reviewed as well as areas where social work expertise could be utilized to provide more effective services to new veterans.   Thompson, drawing on his social work education as well as his experience in the military, summed it up this way:  “Compassion and caring are not substitutes for action and advocacy.”

Assistant Professor of Social Work Julie Hunt and Associate Professor of Social Work Sabrina Sullenberger also presented at the BPD conference.  Sullenberger co-presented a workshop entitled “High-impact Educational Practices in Teaching Social Work Research” with colleagues from Indiana University.   Hunt’s roundtable presentation was entitled ““Integrating Spiritual Sensitivity into Cultural Competence Education for our Changing World.”

Reflecting on her work at the conference, Hunt said, “It was an honor to lead a roundtable discussion with a diverse group of colleagues from universities around the country on ways to integrate spiritually sensitive content in their social work curriculum. We had a productive and meaningful sharing of ideas, and their interest in this conversation has continued as we have been corresponding since the meeting, sharing syllabi, and ideas for readings and course assignments.”

Social Work students look to influence state legislators

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Social work juniors in Dr. Jennifer Crowell’s Policy II class recently participated in Social Work Day on the Hill at the Tennessee Legislative Plaza.  They met with legislators, observed committee meetings and participated in a policy presentation and poster competition. Prior to the Day on the Hill, students worked in class to identify bills under consideration at the state level, and analyze the bills in the context of social work values, ethics and populations served, and then made recommendations on how to improve the bills they had studied.  This collective work led the class to identify one topic to focus on for the policy presentation, the issue of Human Trafficking in Tennessee.  At Day on the Hill, junior Christi Sidwell was selected as Belmont’s representative to speak in front of a crowd of students, faculty and social workers from across the state about Senate Bill 1655 and House Bill 1870. Christi spoke passionately about the issue in Tennessee and also about how the bills as proposed could be strengthened to ultimately provide better services and seek justice for people in Tennessee who have been trafficked.  The hard work of all the students was recognized when Belmont University was announced the winner of the undergraduate competition.

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Pharmacy professor published in education journal

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HahnSmallDr. Lindsay Hahn, assistant professor of pharmacy, recently had a manuscript published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE).  The article reviewed the development and implementation of a solid organ transplant elective course for second- and third-year pharmacy students, assessing the course’s impact on their knowledge in the management of medications, adverse effects, and complications in organ transplantation patients.  Dr. Hahn concluded that course participants  significantly improved their confidence and knowledge regarding solid organ transplantation and became open to exploring careers or residencies in this area.  The full manuscript can be found on the AJPE website.

College of Pharmacy leads first health-focused immersion to Guatemala

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pharm-spring-breakThe College of Pharmacy partnered with University Ministries for an international spring break Immersion trip geared towards health professional and pre-health professions students. The team was comprised of four faculty and staff members, one professional medical interpreter, eight undergraduate students with an interest or major in healthcare-related fields and two fourth-year pharmacy students. Together they provided diabetes, asthma and vision screenings, as well as nutrition, hygiene and first-aid education to migrant workers at Finca la Azotea coffee plantation, in Antigua, Guatemala. Additionally, the team spent one day working with at Escuela Proyecto la Esperanza, an non-governmental organization school for underprivileged children assessing height weight, and vision percentile projections.

Immersion activities included learning about the processes of growing, harvesting, roasting and packaging coffee, grocery shopping in a neighborhood market, visiting a private university, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, touring the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center and attending religious services on Ash Wednesday.

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PT professor leads doctoral students in concussion study

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SellsSmallDr. Pat Sells, associate professor of physical therapy, and a group of doctoral PT students from Belmont University are in the midst of conducting research on how multiple sub-concussive hits affect children ages 5 to 12.  The research team has enlisted The Brentwood Blaze, a youth football organization, for study participants, and those efforts were recently featured in an article on the Brentwood Home Page.  The article, written by Jonathan Romeo, is linked here with an excerpt below.

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Belmont student honored as Social Work Student of the Year by local organization

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ThompsonMediumMatthew Thompson, a senior Social Work student at Belmont University, recently was honored as the undergraduate Student of the Year by the Middle Tennessee branch of the National Association of Social Workers.  The award honors a student who has created a positive influence on classmates for the profession, and maintained academic achievement.

“Matt has demonstrated a tremendous aptitude for scholarship and scholastic activity,” said Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger, Social Work Department Chairperson.  She adds, “He is also a dedicated and courageous individual, respected and valued by his colleagues and peers.”

Thompson is a decorated Army veteran and a bronze star recipient who served honorably in the Middle East and Persian Gulf in 2002 and then was again deployed in Iraq in 2007.   He was the recipient of a competitive national fellowship through The Mission Continues, in which he was awarded a 10 month grant designed to provide a stipend for veterans working in social service fields.  He was one of 80 grantees from a field of just under 2200.

Thompson has deep and abiding commitment to the needs of veterans in the community.  Continue reading →

Pharmacy professor earns Healthcare Information, Management certifications

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BlashSmall2Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Dr. Anthony Blash is now certified, (CPHIMS and CAHIMS) by examination, in the area of health care informatics.  Faculty with these credentials continuously set Belmont College of Pharmacy apart as an institution where student pharmacists can pursue a concentration that prepares them for specialization in the practice of pharmacy.

Certified Professional in Healthcare Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS)  CPHIMS is a professional certification program for healthcare information and management systems professionals. Many organizations require candidates have this internationally recognized certification and are encouraging existing employees to obtain the certification.  Continue reading →

Belmont Announces Formation of Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame

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McWhorter Hall

First inductees to be announced at McWhorter Society Luncheon May 1

With a mission to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the healthcare industry, Belmont University announced today the formation of a new Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame. Sponsored by Belmont’s McWhorter Society, the Healthcare Hall of Fame will announce its first inductees at the McWhorter Society Annual Luncheon on May 1 on Belmont’s campus.

Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns, co-chair of the McWhorter Society, said, “Tennessee has become a premier hub for healthcare and healthcare education in the United States. It’s only appropriate that we recognize and honor the countless men and women who have contributed to the growth of the industry, creating ever higher standards for patient care and well-being. With Belmont’s strong interdisciplinary programming in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, healthcare business and pharmacy, we’re proud to host this new Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame as these leaders can inspire our students for generations to come.”

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Belmont pharmacy students featured in Tennessean article

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www.tennessean.com

March 19, 2014

Guatemala trip is life-changing for Belmont pharmacy students
By Mignonne Bryant
| mbryant@tennessean.com

Gena CurlIn a Guatemalan hotel, 23-year-old Belmont University student Gena Curl carefully unpacked all that she had brought from Nashville. A wave of doubts swept across her mind: “Am I going to be able to do this? I’m by myself in the pharmacy. Can I handle this?” Curl knew no one in this foreign place and barely spoke the local language, but the experience changed her life forever.

In October 2013, Curl traveled to Guatemala City as a fourth-year pharmacy student to provide free services at the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center — an opportunity offered by Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy, which partners with the Shalom Foundation and BUCOP Medical Missions.

According to Phil Johnston, dean of the pharmacy school at Belmont, roughly 25 students go each year to one of two locations: the surgery center in Guatemala City or a clinic on a coffee plantation in Antigua. Both locations are enabled by the Shalom Foundation. The building in Guatemala was remodeled and created as a surgery center by people from Nashville.

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Pharmacy professor has manuscript published

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KinninghamSmallDr. Kelley Kiningham, Associate Dean of Student for the College of Pharmacy, recently had a manuscript accepted for publication in PLOS One. The article titled, “Nuclear Interaction Between Adriamycin-Induced p65 and p53 Mediates Cardiac Injury in iNOS (-/-) Mice” identified inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to be important in preventing cardiotoxicity secondary to adriamycin administration. The results support recent findings where oral delivery of inorganic nitrates is suggested for patients receiving adriamycin therapy.

Nursing students reach out to serve Nashville’s homeless

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NCF Safe HavenMembers of Belmont University’s Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) recently gathered to fill 62 boxes with school supplies and treats for the children of Safe Haven. The students asked for donation of fun age appropriate items and treats and the students gathered to wrap and fill the boxes; making the event a great time to spend with one another while serving others!

Safe Haven is a mission serving vulnerable populations with research-grounded, holistic methods.  It is the only shelter-to-housing program of its kind in Middle Tennessee that accepts the whole homeless family.  Executive director, Joyce Lavery, states that “Safe Haven is about preventing, reducing, and intervening in family homelessness with evidence-based and community-based solutions; moving the family from homelessness to self-sufficiency.”  Currently there are 22 children at Safe Haven ranging from 2 months to 22 years of age, living in a beautiful new facility that houses up to six families at a time.

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PT students assist local preschool and clinic with move

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High Hopes MoveBelmont University physical therapy students recently assisted High Hopes, a non-profit preschool and therapy clinic serving children with and without disabilities, in moving to a new location in Franklin, Tennessee. The students sorted and packed High Hopes’ kitchen, classrooms and therapy clinic supplies. The evening packing sessions enabled High Hopes to move to their new location with minimal disruption in preschool or therapy services to children.   The mission of High Hopes Inclusive Preschool and Pediatric Therapy Clinic is to equip children and youth with the skills necessary to achieve success thorugh education, rehabilitation and loving support. High Hope services as a clinical affiliation site for Belmont PT students.

Schools of PT and OT join to provide continuing education to health care providers

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Over 70 physical and occupational therapists attended a continuing education course, An Evidence Based Approach to Standing and Walking for Children with Moderate to Severe Motor Dysfunction, at Belmont University on Saturday, February 22. This course was sponsored by Belmont University Schools of Physical and Occupational Therapy along with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.   The course was taught by Ginny Paleg, a nationally-recognized expert in pediatric standing and mobility, and was underwritten by Prime Engineering. Course participants learned how to select and fit appropriate standing and walking assistive devices for children with special needs.

Pharmacy students participate in interprofessional training

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Meharry-Team-Photo-300x200Fourth-year pharmacy students recently participated in interprofessional team geriatric case training with the Meharry Consortium Geriatric Education Center. To ensure health professional students develop skills for working in interprofessional teams, the Center hosts this annual team training. This is the third year the College of Pharmacy has been involved in this event.

This experience serves as an opportunity for students to develop interprofessional collaborative skills by working as a team on a geriatric case and developing a patient assessment and treatment plan. Faculty experts are available to consult with teams, and nurse practitioners observe and rate team dynamics. The program concludes with an interactive general assembly where an interdisciplinary expert panel provides feedback and answers questions.

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PT professor recognized by Komen as a Pink Tie Guy

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VoightSmallDr. Mike Voight, Professor of Physical Therapy, has been recognized as a Pink Tie Guy by the Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest organization fighting breast cancer.   The recognition was made at a Komen celebration dinner this week that honored a group of ten individuals from middle Tennessee this year.

The Pink Tie Program features influential leaders who help mobilize, energize and engage audiences in the breast cancer movement through their role within the community, within their organizations, and through their personal involvement.  Pink Tie Guys bring a male voice to the urgency of finding a cure for breast cancer.

“Mike is the perfect Pink Tie Guy,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College of Health Sciences.  She added, “His positive energy is contagious, and he has worked tirelessly to mobilize others to race for the cure.  We are so proud of his accomplishments and appreciate our Komen partners for rewarding his work in this way.”

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Pharmacy students learn about medication adherence first-hand

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pill-boxes-300x200Second and third-year pharmacy students enrolled in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Elective spent the past month learning about the difficulties of medication adherence first-hand. Nineteen students were given a pillbox and 15 candies representing medications with various schedules of administration. Students were required to fill their pillbox according to their medication list. At the midpoint, students were given two medication changes mimicking real-life scenarios. Following the four-week project, students submitted a focused reflection and discussed the experience with their classmates. Students consistently deemed the pillbox experience a positive one.

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Pharmacy student gets practice experience in Haiti

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IMG_2503-300x200Fourth-year pharmacy student Shaneika Walker and pharmacy faculty member Ashton Beggs recently returned from a one-week medical mission trip to Gobert, Haiti. Walker was selected for this Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) last spring. Under the supervision of Beggs, Walker was involved in all medication-related aspects of the trip planning, which began summer 2013. The medical team purchased medications from Blessings International, and it was the responsibility of the pharmacy student and pharmacist to decide which medications and the appropriate quantities to order to treat the variety of disease states encountered. Medications were packaged and labeled appropriately for shipping to Haiti for both the general and health literacy of the Haitian population.  While in Gobert, Walker and Beggs were in charge of dispensing medications and counseling patients on each medication dispensed.

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PT students and faculty visit Tennessee lawmakers

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On Tuesday, February 18,  70 physical therapy students along with 4 PT faculty participated in the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association Day on the Hill.  They attended a session that covered an introduction to the legislative process, how to visit with a legislator, and how to become an advocate for the physical therapy profession. State Senator Doug Overbey spoke with them on the importance of getting to know their legislators.  The students were then given a guided tour of the Legislative Plaza and the Tennessee State Capitol.

Dr. Cathy Taylor Named to 2014 Nashville Health Care Council Fellows Class

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TaylorSmallDr. Cathy Taylor, dean of the College of Health Sciences & Nursing, was recently selected as a member of the 2014 class of the Nashville Health Care Council Fellows. The Fellows initiative engages industry leaders in clearly defining health care’s greatest challenges and exploring new strategies to meet these issues facing the U.S. health care system.

“It is an honor to be selected as a 2014 Council Fellow, and I am eager to expand my knowledge and network with others in the health care field,” Taylor said. “The Fellows class is an elite group of industry leaders, and I consider it a privilege to learn from and alongside each of them.”

The 2014 class, selected by the Council Fellows Advisory Committee led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., includes 32 of the nation’s top health care executives.

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College of Health Sciences and College of Pharmacy to partner in Haiti with LiveBeyond

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CIMG1313-300x225During his recent visit to Thomazeau, Haiti, College of Pharmacy Dean Phil Johnston visited villages with LiveBeyond workers and a Belmont delegation to aid and dispense medications to a woman in postpartum, a father with high blood pressure, a small boy with worms and a man with a hip injury. The most powerful experience of them all was when a man who received medical attention sang a Christian hymn in Creole as his Voodoo-practicing neighbors gathered around and listened.

“It was like watching a Bible story about caring for the least of these,” Johnston said.

He, along with College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Cathy Taylor and Nursing Assistant Professor Robin Cobb, visited LiveBeyond’s base in Haiti last week to identify areas of student mission participation and to flush out unique partnerships between the University and the nonprofit organization that would allow Belmont Continue reading →