Belmont PT Students Go to Capitol Hill

The Belmont Doctoral Physical Therapy Class of 2020 was given an opportunity to learn first-hand about legislation and its effect on health care. On Friday, March 8, Dr. Natalie Michaels, professor in the College of Health Sciences, brought her Health Care Systems Class to meet Dr. Joe Black, the legislative committee co-chair for the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA).

He introduced the class to Lobbyists Lou Alsobrooks and Estie Harris who spoke about their work with Congress and the Senate to support the physical therapy profession. Black also spoke to the students at length about physical therapy, the importance of staying involved and his role with the TPTA. He then led the group on a tour of the grounds.

“The students were engaged and extremely professional. I’m humbled and proud to be able to be part of the prestigious faculty-team who teach these amazing men and women,” Michaels said.

Belmont Pharmacy Graduates Excel on Licensure Exams

The results are in, and graduates of Belmont University College of Pharmacy have beaten the national average once again. After graduating with their Doctor of Pharmacy degree, students must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) to become licensed to practice pharmacy. This exam is focused on in-depth knowledge of drugs and their proper therapeutic uses. For Belmont graduates taking the NAPLEX in 2018, 93.4 percent passed on their first attempt; the remainder passed on their second attempt. This beats the national average for all first-time takers of 89.5 percent on this exam and the Tennessee average of 90 percent.
The Multistate Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) is another required licensure exam in most states, including Tennessee. The MPJE is focused on the laws governing the practice of pharmacy. All Belmont graduates taking the MPJE for Tennessee in 2018 passed on their first attempt. Among students taking the exam out-of-state, 89 percent passed on their first attempt. This compares to a national average pass rate of 85 percent, overall.

“We are extremely proud of the hard work put in by our students and faculty,” said David Gregory, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “These results come from many years of careful preparation. Not every school of pharmacy can point to the consistent results we see year after year. We are thankful for that.”

Belmont’s graduates have beaten the national average pass rate on the NAPLEX exam every year since 2013. They have exceeded the average on the MPJE five of the last six years.

Belmont Graduate Nursing Students Earn 100 Percent Pass Rate on FNP Certification Exam for 15th Straight Year

For the 15th year in a row, all graduates pass certification exam on first attempt

All 30 December graduates of Belmont’s Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) passed the national certification exam on their first attempt. The most recent class of 30 graduates, which is the College’s largest-to-date, passed the exam this spring, making this the 15th consecutive year of 100 percent first-attempt success and earning a spot well above the national average passing rate of 80 percent.

The School of Nursing began offering its MSN degree more than 20 years ago and with the addition of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2012, Belmont’s health sciences graduate programs continue to grow. Prepared to practice in a variety of settings, FNPs provide primary health care to families and individuals across the lifespan. Belmont graduate nursing alumni practice in a wide range of settings including primary care, pediatrics, genetics, urology and public health.

Continue reading

Pharmacy Student Presents at Health Information Management System Society Global Conference

Angelina Babakitis, a Doctor of Pharmacy student in the pharmacy informatics focus track at the Belmont University College of Pharmacy, recently presented a poster at the Health Information Management System Society (HIMSS) 2019 Global Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The poster, entitled “Enhancing pharmacist intervention effectiveness by implementing custom clinical decision support,” was authored by Babakitis, PharmD Candidate 2020, Wesley Geminn, PharmD, BCPP and Erica Schlesinger, PharmD. It describes the development of clinical decision support (CDS) tools to aid pharmacists when verifying medication orders for pregnant patients at four state-funded regional mental health institutes.

Continue reading

Dr. Voight Serves as Invited Faculty Member at Annual Scandinavian Congress

Dr, Mike Voight, professor in Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy, was recently an invited faculty member at the Annual Scandinavian Congress of Medicine & Science in Sports. The aim of this Congress is to create contact between physiotherapists working in sports and physical activity, provide training, share knowledge and create working relationships with other professionals with the same interest.

Continue reading

Ability App Inventor Alex Knoll Works Alongside Belmont Occupational Therapy Students

App inventor presents to class, teams up with OTD student for Experiential Component 

Students in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) Program and the O’More School of Design spoke with 14-year-old inventor, Alex Knoll, about a new tool called Ability App during a class earlier this week. OTD instructors Dr. Teresa Plummer and Dr. Missy Bryan and O’More instructor Jayme Jacobson joined students for the presentation as part of the OT/Interior Design collaboration. The students had the opportunity to discuss specific details regarding the app via Skype. The meeting came two years after Knoll first debuted his app to the world on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Continue reading

Belmont Pharmacy AI Team Featured on ‘Talk to Your Pharmacist’ Podcast

Belmont University College of Pharmacy student A.I. team’s Artificial Intelligence Software for Amazon Alexa was the subject of the “Talk to Your Pharmacist” podcast earlier this month.

The podcast is for pharmacists, student pharmacists and others across the country to hear from industry leaders about their leadership stories and current healthcare topics. Talk to Your Pharmacist was founded and hosted by pharmacist Dr. Hillary Blackburn.

In this conversation, Blackburn and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Dr. Anthony Blash discuss the intersection of health care and technology, the groundbreaking work done using AI and Amazon Alexa by the Informatics students in Belmont’s program and how current clinicians can successfully transition into an informatics role in their workplace.

The episode can be found on Itunes and Spotify.

Dr. Blash Teaches Final International Health Informatics Management Certificate Program Review Courses at HIMSS 2019 Annual Global Conference

Dr. Anthony Blash, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, recently led the facilitation of the last major Certified Associate in Health Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) Review Course before major changes in the Certification occur. This course was sponsored by the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), North America Division and held at their 2019 Global Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Continue reading

PT Students Hear Lecture from World-Renowned Ultrasonographer

Belmont University physical therapy students recently participated in a lecture on ultrasound examination of the hip and the use of ultrasound guided injections by Beth Bardowski NP, a world renowned ultrasonographer from the Nashville Hip Institute.

Bardowski is a sought out clinician/educator that has taught numerous diagnostic ultrasound courses to surgeons from around the world. While at Belmont, she guided the students through the anatomy of the hip and demonstrated how the diagnostic ultrasound is used in both the assessment of the hip as well as the follow-up treatment of various hip dysfunction.

College of Pharmacy Nominated for Strobel Award

The College of Psychiatric & Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) chapter within the Belmont College of Pharmacy has been nominated by Renewal House to receive the Strobel Award. This award recognizes Middle Tennessee volunteers who dedicate their time and service to improve the community.

Renewal House is a long-term comprehensive addiction treatment and recovery program for women and their children. Since 2010, faculty and students in the College of Pharmacy have supported Renewal House through backpack and diaper drives, painting projects and furniture assembly efforts. Each year, CPNP puts on an Easter egg hunt and Trunk-or-Treat event for the children living at Renewal House.

CPNP President Teresa Zhen said, “ It has been an ongoing privilege serving our community here in Nashville and I look forward to all our future events with Renewal House.”

Physical Therapy Students Complete International Clinical Affiliations

Belmont physical therapy students have the opportunity to complete international clinical affiliations including alongside seven Italian facilities that are coordinated by Eduglobal Associates, founded by Michael Arnall, PT, MS, MBA.  Following his tenure as Chair of the DPT program at Saint Francis University in 2006, Michael began collaborating with American PT schools to provide internships at Italian rehabilitation facilities, including Fondazione Turati in Tuscany, where he worked as a staff PT in 1981-82. Eduglobal Associates currently contracts with over 50 PT schools and Belmont has been an affiliate since 2012. A group of 34 Belmont PT students has been mentored by Italian clinical instructors through the past seven years.

Gail Bursch, PT, MSEd, CWS, director of clinical education and Belmont adjunct faculty member Janet Szczepanski, PT, MHS both serve on the advisory board of Eduglobal Associates. In Pistoia, Italy last September, they provided clinical instructor training for 45 Italian clinical instructors mentoring PT students.

The course included eight hours of content and case study activities based on the pilot course taught to 10 of the Italian PT managers during the October 2016 APTA National Student Conclave Meeting in Miami. Therefore, the majority of the clinical instructors at the Italian clinical sites have been trained. They mentor a total of 90 students each year from programs across the US on clinical affiliations that span from 8 – 12 weeks.

PT Students Present Research at National Conference

This research project is the third phase of a project investigating the strength and functional testing of Nashville ballet performers with a goal of identifying dancers at risk of developing an injury.

Student Tyler Hoek presented his group’s research poster, developed by students Tiffany Bennett, Sheyenne Turk and Zach Petrosky with faculty advisors, Kevin Robinson, Craig Parker, Pat Sells and John Halle. This project was investigated the effect of an 8-week neuromuscular training program on lower extremity biomechanics of collegiate athletes, and is geared toward helping to reduce the incidence of non-contact injuries such as ACL injuries in athletes.

Congressman Cooper Speaks to Physical Therapy Class

Belmont’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy class of 2020 received a visit from Congressman Jim Cooper during their Health Care Systems class taught by Professor Natalie Michaels last week.

Congressman Cooper interacted with students, discussing everything from the history of health care in the United States, to the current state of health and student debt in our country. He spoke candidly about the current situation in both the state and federal governments regarding health care and answered questions for the students.

College of Pharmacy Hosts Annual Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium

Pharmacy Symposium at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, February 1, 2019.

Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy hosted the Third Annual Middle Tennessee Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium this morning in the Janet Ayers Conference Room on Belmont’s campus. The event was planned and hosted by Dr. Montgomery Green, associate professor of pharmacy practice, Dr. Erin Behnen, associate dean for assessment and academic affairs, Laura Hyde, continuing education coordinator and Dr. Shaefer Spires, assistant professor with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

The symposium was attended by more than 125 healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines including pharmacists, physicians, nurses and those involved with infection prevention and patient safety and quality from 7 states and more than 50 healthcare facilities. Several alumni, preceptors and Belmont faculty were in attendance, as well.

Continue reading

Belmont PT Students Present Research at National Conference

Belmont Physical Therapy student researchers Samantha Cook, Colleen Manning and Jessie Mills presented two papers at the National Physical Therapy Conference in Washington DC on Jan. 26.  Their research was conducted at Belmont and included two other student researchers Ashley Thomas and Royale Lopez. The group was mentored by professor Kathleen Galloway.

The presentations, “Superficial to deep fibular sensory nerve communication in the foot: a study of anatomic variation” and “Normative values for deep fibular nerve conduction and deep fibular nerve musculoskeletal ultrasound” were enthusiastically received by clinicians in attendance.

Dr. Voight Presents at American Physical Therapy Association Combined Meeting

Recently, Dr. Mike Voight from the School of Physical Therapy gave a keynote presentation at the annual Combined Sections Meeting for the American Physical Therapy Association held in Washington DC. Several hundred people were in attendance to learn how to get your scientific research published.

The presentation looked at the peer review process through the eyes of a reviewer which gave the audience a glimpse into the scenes of evaluating a manuscript. In turn, this could help scholars submit better qualified manuscripts for publication.

College of Health Sciences and College of Pharmacy Hosts Inter-Professional Events

More than 200 first year graduate students in the Colleges of Health Sciences and Pharmacy participated in an inter-professional seminar focused on understanding the roles and responsibilities of each discipline as part of an inter-professional team to maximize patient outcomes. As part of this event, students worked on teams to create the tallest structure they could using spaghetti, string, tape and a marshmallow.

Approximately 190 second year graduate students from the Colleges of Health Sciences and Pharmacy also participated in an inter-professional seminar which explored the importance of communication and the risk of medical errors when there is miscommunication. These inter-professional events enable students to learn from and with students from other disciplines who will be their professional colleagues when they graduate.

Pharmacy Students Receive their White Coats

Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy first-year students,82 in total, received their white coats on January 11, a practice that symbolizes their transition into pharmacy practice experiences in institutional and community settings. The Tyler Duke family received the Friend of the College Award in recognition of their sustained support through the Tyler Duke Endowed Scholarship and support of student missions.

Dr. Condit Steil, professor of pharmacy, received the Professional Stewardship Award which recognizes a health care professional who has answered the call to service that comes with professional standing in the community.

Continue reading

Pharmacy Students Explore Big Data with Microsoft SQL

Belmont University College of Pharmacy third-year students Austin Simmons, Inmar Osi, Angie Babakitis, Mary Lankford, Deamitea’ Johnson and Lanoi Chindavanh chose the informatics program at Belmont University College of Pharmacy because it’s the only pharmacy school in the nation offering HIMSS approved courses and project experiences that prepare Pharm.D. students for advanced knowledge in health IT and healthcare.

Continue reading

Doctor of Physical Therapy Students Disseminate Research Findings

Belmont’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Class of 2019 students recently completed and disseminated their research findings with a poster presentation in the lobby of McWhorter on November 6 and a formal platform presentation in Janet Ayers Academic Center on November 13.

Several student research groups had their research accepted for a platform presentation or poster presentation at a national level conference for physical therapists, Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), which will be held in Washington D.C. in January 2019.

 

Dr. Kathy Galloway, PT, DSc, ECS and her student research group will be presenting the following 2 platform presentations at CSM:

  • Superficial to deep fibular sensory nerve communication in the foot: Samantha Cook, SPT, Royale Lopez, SPT, Colleen Manning, SPT, Jessie Mills, SPT, Ashley Thomas, SPT, Kathleen Galloway, PT, DSc, ECS
  • Normal values for deep fibular nerve musculoskeletal ultrasound and deep fibular sensory nerve conduction: Samantha Cook, SPT, Royale Lopez, SPT, Colleen Manning, SPT, Jessie Mills, SPT, Ashley Thomas, SPT, Kathleen Galloway, PT, DSc, ECS

Dr. Kevin Robinson, PT, Dsc, OCS and his student research group will be presenting the following 2 poster presentations at CSM:

  • The Use of Proximal Hip Strength and Kinematic Motion to Identify Dancers at Risk for Lower Extremity Injury: Eric Bengtson SPT, MA, ATC, Kristyn Harris SPT, Meredith Massengale SPT, Ross Gentry SPT, Kevin Robinson PT, DSc, OCS
  • Investigation of an Eight-week Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Biomechanical Parameters of the Lower Quarter in Collegiate Pivoting Athletes: Craig Parker, PT, DPT, Kevin Robinson, PT, DSc, Tyler Hoek, SPT, Tiffany Bennett, SPT, Sheyenne Turk, SPT, Zach Petrosky, SPT, Pat Sells, DA

Dr. Christi Williams, DPT, OCS, Cert. MDT and her student research group had their research accepted for publication:

  • An Animal-Assisted Intervention’s Influence on Graduate Students’ Stress and Anxiety Priot to an Examination in Open Access Library Journal: Williams C, Emond K, Maynord K, Simpkins J, Stumbo A, Terhaar T. Click here for access.

Research topics at the Belmont University Symposium included:

  • Examination of Pediatric Balance Scale, 2nd Edition (PBS-II) Performance in Children with Down Syndrome: Student researchers Maria Drake SPT, Amy Marple SPT, Cassie Mosher SPT, Macey Thornburg SPT and faculty mentors Nancy Darr PT, DSc, NCS
  • Accuracy of Heart Rate Monitoring in Apple and Garmin Watches: Student researchers Brittany Gooch SPT, CSCS, Mackenzie Jones SPT, Maura McAfee SPT , Kaylie Shingleton SPT and faculty mentor Suzanne Greenwalt PT, DPT, CCS, GCS
  • The Effect of Direct Sensory Electrical Stimulation of the Ham-string Muscles on Hamstring Extensibility: Student researchers Nathan Dyer SPT, Elie Hsu SPT, Nichole Raaf SPT, Lauren Estes SPT, Courtney Vick SPT and faculty mentor Cathy Hinton PT, PhD
  • Does using electromyography feedback improve physical therapy students’ dry needling accuracy when asked to dry needle specific muscles?: Student researchers Kendall Knisley SPT, Russell Cook SPT, Dakota Herren SPT, Michelle Klontz SPT, Spencer Petett SPT and faculty mentor John Halle PT, PhD, ECS
  • Acute Effects of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) on Physiological Variables During Low Intensity Treadmill Walking: Student researchers Justin Avila SPT, Chase Batty SPT, Clay Henson SPT, Lindsay Jackson SPT, Kara Mae Sheft SPT and faculty mentor Patrick Sells DA
  • Investigation of an Eight-Week Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Biomechanical Parameters of the Lower Quarter in Collegiate Pivoting Athletes: Student researchers Tyler Hoek SPT, Tiffany Bennett SPT, Sheyenne Turk SPT, Zach Petrosky SPT and Faculty mentors Craig Parker PT, DPT, Kevin Robinson PT, DSc, OCS and Patrick Sells DA, John Halle PT, PhD, ECS
  • Hip Rotational Range of Motion and Driving Distance in PGA Tour Golfers: Student researchers Clint Lester SPT, Jack Davis SPT, Shelby Smith SPT, Ryan Tapp SPT and faculty mentor Mike Voight PT, DHSc, SCS, OCS, ATC, CSCS, FAPTA

Continue reading

Occupational Therapy Students Named to Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Board

Three Master’s of Occupational Therapy students were recently added to the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Board including Whitney Joy, Megan Colletti and Kaylin Flamm. Joy was named as the West District Chair, Colletti was named as the East District Chair and Flamm was named as the Mental Health Chair.

Dr. Voight Presents at 2018 Orthopaedic Summit

Dr. Mike Voight, professor in the School of Physical Therapy, recently gave four invited presentations about the hip at the 2018 Orthopaedic Summit, a prestigious meeting for Orthopaedic Surgeons with a distinguished faculty from around the world.

More than 1,800 surgeons and health care providers attended the meeting, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PT/OT Professor Hosts Musical Fundraiser for Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee

Professor of Occupational and Physical Therapy Dr. Natalie Michaels recently organized a musical fundraiser at the Hotel Preston to support the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee. Michaels hosts the event twice a year, and this year, she performed her own music and songs from Whitney Houston to Portugal the Man.

The event also featured Thomas Ebner from the Physical Therapy Department and Emily Hines. Belmont occupational therapy students Roya Rezadoost, Danielle Stelbaskey, Molly Schneider-Adams and Kayla Kennedy were also there to sing a few songs.

“It’s always wonderful to have our talented Belmont Students participate,” said Michaels. “Other performing musicians included Jim Martin, Rick Michaels, Max Hulan, and Paul Hulan. It was another fun night of music and dancing, all for a great cause.”

Nursing Student Receives 2018 CASA Light of Hope Award

Hailey Brooks, a junior nursing student at Belmont, recently received the 2018 CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) Light of Hope Award which honors those who have been “lights of hope” to children and youth in the community through advocacy and making a difference.

Brooks grew up in East Tennessee and entered foster care at the age of 15. She serves as a member of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth where she was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam.

Involved in other foster care advocacy positions for years, Brooks has served as a Youth Villages peer advocate and as part of the Department of Children’s Services Children’s Advisory Council. She is also a Jim Casey Fellow and the youngest thus far to be given the role.

Brooks is committed to spreading light on both the good and the bad areas of foster care and making positive changes in the system, particularly by increasing foster youth college attendance.

Vanden Noven Presents at 2018 Lilly Conference

Belmont University was, again, well-represented at the 2018 Lilly Conference on College Teaching held at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio earlier this month. Eight Belmont faculty participants from religion, media studies, biology, English, psychological science, sport science and the Teaching Center attended the event.

Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven provided an encore presentation version of “The Elephant in the Classroom: Addressing Sensitive Topics With Skill and Courage” which she initially developed with Julie Hunt (social work) for the 2017 Lilly Conference. She explored the teacher’s role in fostering an environment where students are included and feel safe to discuss potentially taboo topics in meaningful, productive and transformative ways.