Author Archives: Graduate Health Sciences

Belmont University School of Physical Therapy joins with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to offer residency program

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The School of Physical Therapy at Belmont University has joined with the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute (PBPRI) in the Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences to initiate a Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency. PBPRI is the outpatient interdisciplinary neurological rehabilitation program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where physical therapists work in teams with colleagues in occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and social work to promote community re-entry, and vocational and/or academic transitioning. The one-year residency is offered through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and is the first of its kind in Tennessee. The program is designed to prepare the resident to treat patients with neurological conditions using contemporary, evidenced-based treatment approaches and provide the skills and experience needed to sit for the Neurological Clinical Specialist (NCS) certification exam with APTA.

“We are very excited about this new partnership,” said Mike de Riesthal, Ph.D., director of the PBPRI. “Education of new clinicians is one of our primary missions. Partnering with Belmont’s excellent program allows us to expand that mission into the field of physical therapy.”

Christina Durrough, DPT, has been selected as the inaugural resident in the joint venture and will begin her work this August. The residency requires direct clinical care each week at PBPRI where Dr. Durrough will receive mentoring and instruction to evaluate and treat patients with acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumors and balance disorders. The Clinical Residency Director for the program is Lisa Haack, PT, DPT, NCS, who is a clinical staff member in physical therapy at PBPRI and is a neurologic specialist. Dr. Renee Brown, professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont University, will serve as the Academic Residency Director.

At Belmont, Dr. Durrough will extend her clinical work to the classroom by teaching and providing lab instruction to doctoral students in the School of Physical Therapy under the guidance of Dr. Brown. Belmont will also sponsor and coordinate Dr. Durrough’s participation with the Neurologic Physical Therapy Professional Education Consortium.

Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute was conceived when the Nashville Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, along with Nissan Corporation, USA and Ford Motor Company, Inc., made a financial commitment to the development of a traumatic brain injury program. The need for such a program was proposed by the members of the Nashville Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club when they identified the limited availability of comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation services for neurologically impaired adolescents and adults in the Nashville area. PBPRI opened its doors in 1988 to fill this critical role.

Belmont University School of Physical Therapy, part of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Science and Nursing, has been preparing physical therapy practitioners since 1997 and was among the first schools in the southeastern United States to grant the Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2000. Today, over 300 Belmont graduates are in physical therapy practice in middle Tennessee and other regions of the United States, with some graduates serving populations in need internationally. The PT residency is one option for post-professional training for graduates, allowing them to develop a specialty and become board certified.

63 health science students receive degrees at August Commencement

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Sixty-three students in the health sciences received their respective degrees from Belmont University this past Friday evening.    Sixty of the students graduated from the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing – 30 with the Doctor of Physical Therapy, 27 with the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, two with the Doctor of Occupational Therapy, one with the Bachelor of Social Work.  Three candidates received the Doctor of Pharmacy from the College of Pharmacy.  The August ceremony serves as the primary commencement for Belmont’s doctoral program in physical therapy and master’s program in occupational therapy.

The honor of delivering the student reflection at commencement was given to DPT graduate, Sarahann Callaway, who shared about the opportunity Belmont provided her to fulfill her calling and serve in mission around the world.  Her address is linked below.

Dr. Leslie Folds, Associate Professor of Nursing, who received the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award in May, carried the Presidential Banner during the ceremony.

Earlier Friday, hooding ceremonies were held for health science candidates receiving advanced degrees.   The School of Physical Therapy presented individual awards to several students:  the David G. Greathouse Award from STAR Physical Therapy to Megan Tisdale, the Results Physiotherapy Orthopedic Award to Stephen Graham, the Academic Award to Kathryn Glaws, the Class Leader Award to Laura Moore and recognition for mission work to Hannah Peck and Sarahann Callaway.  The speaker at the hooding ceremony was Dr. John DeWitt who was honored as the School’s 2012 Outstanding Alumnus.  Dr. DeWitt, a 2001 DPT graduate, currently serves as Team Leader for Clinical Development and Director for Physical Therapy residencies at Ohio State University.

 

School of Nursing graduate treated movie shooting victims

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Belmont Nursing graduate Mia (Sharp) Bransford, left, and her sister Marisa Sharp, pose for a cell-phone photo just before going into the movie.

Mia (Sharp) Bransford, a 2007 BSN graduate from the School of Nursing who currently serves as a nurse in the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, was one of the few trained healthcare workers on the scene of the tragic shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado on July 20.   Her story was shared by Wayne Wood with an article in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Reporter (linked here).

Here are some excerpts from the article:

“I heard people saying, ‘My friend’s been shot’ or ‘Somebody’s been shot.’ I identified myself as an emergency nurse and said that I could offer aid,” she said. She and a firefighter were working with several patients in the area at the back of the theater. There were two patients with whom she was working most closely, one with a head wound and wrist pain, and the other with what she described as “a bad leg wound that I applied direct pressure to and elevated.”

She remembers at some point, when it was all over, thinking to herself, “You didn’t know you had that in you.”  But of course, she did know. As an emergency room nurse and an EMT, she says, “You kind of get used to knowing how to handle emergency situations.” There was a professional pride in her ability to stay calm, to handle the situation, to offer help without hesitation.

“You’re in the theater, expecting to see a movie, and then all this chaos is going on. … How does a girl on vacation from Tennessee end up in something that makes headlines all over the country?

 

Parrum earns pharmacy excellence award

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Dr. Maurice Parrom, a 2012 graduate of the Belmont College of Pharmacy, has received the Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award.   According to its website, “Mylan Pharmaceuticals has been committed to the highest standards of quality in research and development, manufacturing and distribution and customer service since 1961. This commitment has been extended into pharmacy education through their annual Excellence in Pharmacy Award. Since 1985, the Excellence in Pharmacy Award has honored a baccalaureate or entry-level Pharm.D. graduate for his or her academic achievement, personal motivation and unique ability to communicate drug information.”

Pharmacy students and faculty donate school supplies

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Faculty, staff and students in the College of Pharmacy recently donated school supplies to children of mothers in a recovery program at Renewal House.  This non-profit organization provides women and their families with comprehensive treatment services related to alcohol and drug addiction.  This is the second year that Belmont’s College of Pharmacy has participated in a back-to-school drive for children receiving services at Renewal House.  This year a total of twenty children received  backpacks filled with new school supplies to begin the academic year.

Hutchins presents at two professional nursing conferences this summer

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Dr. B.J. Hutchins, Assistant Professor of Nursing, is presenting at two professional conferences this summer.    In July she presented a workshop on the Fundamentals of Evidence Based Practice at the National Nurse Staff Development Organization’s annual convention in Boston, Massachusetts.   In August, Dr. Hutchins will travel to London, England to present a plenary session at the International Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network Conference entitled Frailty in the Older Adult, Implications for Care.  She will also have a poster presentation at this same meeting entitled Cardiovascular Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Implications for Care.

Mission to Haiti – Day 7

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Sara Camp

Our last day in Haiti began with a lovely sunrise and something like a grits and spinach casserole for breakfast. We have so enjoyed the authentic Haitian cuisine we have had.

Then we headed halfway up the mountain for our last clinic day where we saw over 50 people, bringing our total for the week to around 200. Today the people we saw included several with severe hypertension, a 33 year old lady with bilateral pitting edema (swollen feet), and two pregnant women. All the students were thrilled to hear the fetal heart sounds! As we headed back down the mountain we stopped to make a home visit to a lady with severe ascites, who Jenny sees on a regular basis. Despite her extremely poor physical condition, her smile lit up the room. She was one of many we will always remember because of her inner joy.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 6

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Todd Lake and Martha Ezell

Today started off with a bang… Not really a bang, more of a whoosh. We got a flat tire shortly after leaving the place we stay.  We napped for two hours on the steps of a church before the tire was replaced and we were off again in our open-backed truck with 27 Haitians and Americans, three trunks of medicine, all our water and food, and several unexplained bags of cement.

We set up the clinic three hours late in a large open cinderblock church with a beautiful view of the mountains.  As always, the Haitians were endlessly patient.  We had five stations:  check-in, vitals, history, assessments, pharmacy, and prayer. We rotate each day, getting to interact with the team and patients in different ways. Late in the afternoon after the last patient was seen, we learned that our truck had yet another flat tire. FYI: we were eight miles up a mountain. The decision was mad that we would begin walking down while the tire was repaired. 3 miles down, the truck rolled by. God is indeed faithful and we made it safely home.

We have all fallen in love with the people we have met here. Each morning before clinic opens, the assembled community gathers with us for a hymn and prayer. This is not, as some of us had been warned, a “dark or godless” place. We see hope everywhere. The faces of children and the smiles of the elderly remind us that God is here and He is working. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 5

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell and Charly Hood

We apologize for the lack of news last night; we did not have internet. This is information from Sunday:

Post Saturday nights blog, we took a trip to the local smoothie shop for our first Haitian night life experience. We arrived to find a crowd of people, a single light bulb, a woman, and her blender. Our options for the night were: papaya, bread fruit, or potato. The majority of us thought we were playing it safe by choosing papaya, but the mixture of evaporated milk, sugar, and the raw fruit itself made for an interesting taste sensation.

Following a delightful late night thunderstorm, our fifth day in Haiti dawned warm and sunny. Breakfast was a traditional Haitian staple, pumpkin soup with potatoes and carrots. We were honored to attend an outdoor worship service with the group of believers in Grand Goave. Every member of our team was impacted by the passion and authenticity of the worship! We were struck by the realization that those who actually depend on God’s mercy for their “daily bread” do not find it difficult to express gratitude to Him. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 4

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Julia Jordan-Lake (The baby)

“only one life ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”.

The previous line was used in last nights devotion. Each night we have had a chance to debrief and process our day as a group. Waking up, we were greeted with mystery meat or as we later agreed upon, “spicy tuna”. After breakfast, we walked to the market. Sort of like the hip, organic farmers markets, but…not. We learned quickly to make way for various chickens, donkeys, pigs, and children carrying huge bushels of bananas. The “parking lot” at the end of the market held roughly 30 donkeys…and their waste. On the walk back, we stopped to buy cold beverages and were thrilled to hear a karaoke cover of Rhinna and see Reese’s peanut cups. Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 3

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Emily Hawley and Hailey Wickles (pictured)

Picking up from last night we will tell you about our nighttime adventure… We were getting ready for bed and miss Martha startled the room announcing “ohhh my gosh- WE HAVE A CRAB!” of course hostess Jenny came in wondering why the crazy Americans were yelling and found us trying to coax the football size crab (no joke) out from underneath Julia’s bed. We soon settled down for another night of rest and we were glad to “sleep in” until 5am when the rooster (that we have named el diablo- Spanish for the devil) had our wake up call.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 2

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Charly Hood & Reiley Heaberlin

Our day started off early as our little rooster friend woke us up at 3am. We ignored him as best we could until breakfast was served at 6am (where we had spicy peanut butter.) We then prepared for the day, loaded up our open cage truck, and headed up the mountain.

We traveled about an hour through rough terrain, holding on for dear life all the while. Thankfully, we had a beautiful view to distract us. The mountains, the trees, the crops, the houses, the animals, the water, and the people were absolutely beautiful to see. Once we made it to our sight for the day, Mt. Sinai, we unloaded the truck and hiked about a quarter of a mile to the church at where we would be setting up our clinic.

Continue reading →

Mission to Haiti – Day 1

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Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell

We arrived safely in port au prince then traveled with our hosts to Grand Goave, we are all settled in at the conscience international house. We have dined on delicious chicken and rice. Tomorrow we will travel “up the mountain” to a small community called Mt. Sinai and help conduct a clinic. We feel God’s presence and faithfulness. Love from Sara, Martha, Cilla, Todd, Julia, Charly, Hailey, Reiley, Julie and Emily.

Ficzere Published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy

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Assistant Professor Cathy Ficzere, of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences, has published “Curriculum and Instructional Methods for Drug Information, Literature Evaluation and Biostatistics: Survey of US Pharmacy Schools” in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Ficzere and her team evaluated the state of drug information education in current pharmacy curricula using the specific recommendations regarding drug information education established by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Drug Information Practice and Research Network. Their results show an increased focus on evidence-based medicine, medication safety and informatics.

Olympic Games Become Classroom for Belmont Student

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A Belmont student will go to tracks, courts and fields in London this summer to study sport performance as it relates to the world’s best athletes as they compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Last week, Colleen Arends left Nashville for London where she is taking the class Olympic Games: Sport Performance, History and Administrations through the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA). Northern Kentucky University clinical exercise scientist Renee Jeffreys is teaching the course, which focuses on training principles and conditioning for elite performance, as well as factors that affect performance in specific sports. Olympic history and what is required to conduct the Olympic Games will also be briefly discussed. The class will visit Olympic venues, various sport governing bodies and sport facilities in and around London.

“The way the course is set up, each of us have to choose a different sport within the Olympics; compile a presentation on anaerobic, vital oxygen intake max for most athletes, average BMI; focus on how athletes train and how their muscle tone and cardiovascular tone are different between sports; and how different sports require different physiological adaptions through the body,” said Arends, a junior from St. Louis, Mo., studying exercise science. She also is required to keep an exercise journal of studios and group exercise classes she visit in London as well as running and walking routes.

Field trips for the Olympic Games classes include touring Olympic venues, taking cricket lessons, watching the Olympic torch relay and volunteering at the Olympics marathon and a cycling event. The students must purchase tickets on their own to the actual Olympic events.

The class is offered through CCSA, a consortium of more than two dozen universities that do study abroad programs together, for which Belmont is the host institution. Seventeen of the 205 students in the CCSA London program are from Belmont and all are staying at Kings College, said CCSA Public Relations Specialist Joe Woolley. Other courses throughout the five-week program include art history, audio engineering, English, creative writing, theater, psychology, education and criminal justice, he said.

Click here to read Jeffreys’ blog on the Olympic Games class.

College of Pharmacy receives full accreditation

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The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Board of Directors has awarded full accreditation status to the Belmont University College of Pharmacy (BUCOP). ACPE, the official regulatory body that accredits all colleges of pharmacy in the United States, reviewed Belmont at its June meeting and made the announcement on June 28. The accreditation extends until June 30, 2014, which is the customary two-year term for a new program receiving full accreditation status.

Belmont’s College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Phil Johnston said, “This wonderful announcement is the culmination of efforts from so many great people, from our Board of Trustees, our Belmont University leadership, wonderful faculty and our students.  We also must thank so many health care professionals, especially pharmacists in the Nashville region, for working with us this past five years.  We could not have provided such rich experiences without them.  And I want to particularly thank the first graduating class who were the pioneers in the program, and who now are preparing to practice throughout the country.”

After opening its doors in 2007, BUCOP provided students with the skills to contribute to the growing health care needs of Nashville. BUCOP graduated its charter class on May 5, 2012 with 65 members of the Class of 2012 receiving their Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The initial class has paved the way for future BUCOP students, setting a high standard for academic excellence and community service. The Class of 2016, which enrolls in August, is full with 75 students taking all available seats.

Belmont President Bob Fisher said, “This accreditation represents another milestone in Belmont’s efforts to develop a premier allied health services program. I am proud of the students, faculty and staff who have worked so hard to make this happen, and deeply appreciative of Clayton McWhorter and other donors who helped to create the perfect space for Pharmacy studies to take place.”

Since the college’s first class was admitted in August 2008, students’ academic accomplishments and service has grown exponentially each year. Students have filled more than 7,800 prescriptions in Belmont’s Health Services Pharmacy.  They have earned numerous awards and honors, including ranking in the top eight out of 84 competing schools in the 2011 American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Clinical Pharmacy Challenge, receiving the Respect, Excellence and Service in Pharmacy (RESPy) Award for excellence in pharmaceutical care and placing in the top 10 in the 2011 American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists’ Clinical Skills Competition.  BUCOP faculty and students have participated in medical mission service in Cambodia, Guatemala, Ghana and Oglala Sioux Nation in South Dakota to meet health care needs of underserved residents locally and globally and performed, and its student organizations averaged 800 hours of community service a semester through their work with nonprofits and events in Nashville.

Belmont PT student selected for sports physical therapy residency at Ohio State

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Kate Glaws, a current doctoral student in the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy, has been selected for the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.  The residency is one of 22 APTA credentialed programs in sports physical therapy in the United States.   Kate was selected from among 30 applicants to the program and will begin the 16-month residency after graduating with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Belmont this August.

“This is a notable accomplishment for Kate as this process is highly competitive due to the limited number of positions available in the United States,” said Dr. Michael Voight, a professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Belmont.   He added, “Kate exemplifies all of the characteristics required to excel in this type of post-graduate education.  The residency at OSU is considered one of the best in the country with a very distinguished faculty.”

The OSU residency provides opportunity to receive clinical training in sports physical therapy from physical therapists and physicians specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine, to participate in research at the University’s biomechanics research laboratory, and to treat sports patients.  Residents gain experience working with OSU’s athletic programs, treating athletes in Division I sports, club sports and at USA National Governing Body of Sports Medicine events.  Residents also instruct orthopedic and cadaveric labs in OSU’s entry-level PT program.

As a PT student at Belmont, Kate co-authored with fellow students Sarahann Callaway, Melissa Mitchell and Heather Scerbo and faculty members Mike Voight and Pat Sells, a research study exploring the relationship between peak pelvis rotation, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus strength on a golfer’s handicap.   The study was published in the June 2012 edition of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

Kate entered the DPT program at Belmont after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Honors College with a degree in accounting.  At IUP, Kate was team captain of the women’s basketball team for two years, and in her senior season led the Crimson Hawks to the PSAC Conference Championship and the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen where she was selected to the All-Tournament team.  She also was named to ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-District II Women’s Basketball First Team in 2007 following a Second Team selection in 2006.

Mission to Cambodia Day 18

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Erin Pettepher and Audrey Robinson

Wow! This trip has been such a blessing for each and every one of us. We have had amazing opportunities to see and receive the love from God’s children here, as well as opportunities to share that same love. Our last full day in Cambodia was packed with fun activities. We started our day out with visiting Phnom Penh Church of Christ. Both of us got the chance to sing with the church. And when we say sing, we mean standing up on stage, with the microphone ON, singing our little hearts out. Both of our families can attest that we should not be leading worship, but we know that God does not ask for a pretty sound but a joyful sound. And boy were we JOYFUL! It was so amazing to hear the songs sung in English and Khmer and all the while knowing that God understood it all. Big thanks for Tyler for truly leading worship as well as encouraging us to sing higher and louder than we probably should have. Words cannot describe how thankful we are for being able to meet our brothers and sisters in the church across the world. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 18

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Tyler Moser

Today was one of my favorite days in Cambodia. I went to the Goldstone school for my last time, to help out with some painting projects that they had. I arrived late because of a communication break down (common place in Cambodia). I got to work as soon as  I could because I only had a a few hours to paint three walls with a single, 4 inch brush.

After lunch at “My Burger”, which was as close to Five Guys as they have on Cambodia, I got some much needed R&R. But the best part of the day was still to come. Erin, Audrey, and I all went to the church office to practice music for Sunday service. The practice lasted about 2 hours, and was awesome. The music was uplifting, and praising God with Christians from all across the world is one of the coolest things that I have done on this trip. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 17

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cameray Hart

Let me start off by saying that it has been an emotional week for all of us.  Between HIV home visits, trips to Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields, and our last days at the hospital, there has been strong emotions all around.  We were feeling sadness, anger, hopelessness, and even some guilt.  However, today can only be described as “joyful.”

The morning started off with our annual service project, the rice drive.  Every year, through the church, we help an impoverished population within a certain community outside of Phnom Penh.  We ended up back at the community last year’s trip donated rice to.  All of the recipients of our gifts this year were widows.  Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 16

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippin

This morning, we traveled about an hour to Tangkhiev Village to visit their mobile clinic. Twice a week, a doctor and a couple nurses go there to see patients and give the people medications they need. Many deaths are caused by people taking fake medicine, so the education provided by these healthcare workers is as valuable as the medication they give.

Cassie had a quick pharmacology lesson (pictured right) and helped fill prescriptions. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia Day 15

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cassie Wright

Today we went to the killing fields outside of Phnom Pehn. It was one of the hardest things to make myself do. Many of us did not want to go after Tuol Sleng and seeing how the people of this country were tortured, but we went anyway. I was shocked at how beautiful of a place the killing fields were despite the ugly horrors that were committed here. We were guided by audio tour headphones that gave a description of every stop along a path that went through the field. The path guided you along where the Cambodians would have been taken. The first stop was at the truck stop where blindfolded Cambodians would be taken off the truck and accounted for. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia – An Appeal

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Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin

We are writing this blog from the group to let you know about a young woman we met in Battambang province.  Her name is Chhor Wan. She is 14 years old. She was a patient at the Handa Emergency Hospital which we visited while we were there.

This is her story: Chhor Wan has been living with her grandmother since she was five years old. Her parents divorced and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care. Continue reading →