Pharmacy student travels to Brazil with Women’s Basketball Team

CohlmeyerBBallNatalie Cohlmeyer, a current PharmD student and member of Belmont University’s women’s basketball team from Evansville, Indiana, traveled with her teammates this summer to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of a sports evangelism trip.  The team partnered with Brentwood Baptist Church for the endeavor, playing games at the 2016 Olympic basketball venue against three different teams including a Brazilian national team in the Bruins’ age group.  The team won each contest handily.

“Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Cohlmeyer.  “We went down to change those kids’ lives and it ended up changing ours.” Continue reading

Pharmacy professor featured in story about his service in Guatemala

HobsonGuatemalaDr. Eric Hobson, professor of pharmacy at Belmont, was recently featured in a story in CrossMap about his service (and that of his family and college) at the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala.  CrossMap is a digital Christian living magazine published by The Christian Post.

Dr. Hobson was instrumental in connecting Belmont’s College of Pharmacy with the Moore Center at its inception.  The Center was opened in 2011 by The Shalom Foundation in Nashville which owns and operates the facility.

Dr. Hobson provided guidance to students as they created the Center’s pharmacy.  “The hospital needed a pharmacy, so I worked with a colleague to design one for the facility and in May of 2011 we brought several students here and opened the pharmacy,” he related.  Since then, Belmont student have provided about 95% of the pharmacy services at the Moore Center.

Read the entire story here.

Pharmacy students and faculty serve in Guatemala

Guatemala-Pharmacy-TripA team from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy recently spent 10 days in Guatemala City, Guatemala as part of a multidisciplinary surgical mission team serving at The Moore Pediatric Surgery Center. Led by Professor of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences Dr. Eric Hobson, three students – Shelby Blalock, Anais Fraire and Tayler Storrs – served the hospital’s hospitality and outreach team, charged with meeting the patients’ and hospital staff’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Continue reading

Thoughts about a Wall

6th floor wall_cropped CHS faculty Great WallA few weeks ago I had the privilege of traveling to China. The group I traveled with included a faculty representative from each of the College of Health Science disciplines (Social Work, Nursing, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy), and 4 gentlemen who work at the Show Hope Foundation. The major purpose of the trip was for the Belmont CHS faculty to see the Show Hope operations in China and to explore possible ways our students could learn and serve there as a part of Show Hope, whether through short term mission trips or longer term clinical and field experiences.

When I tell people I went to China, most people are curious if we got to visit the Great Wall. We did! We were able to spend a day in Beijing before traveling back to the states, and we visited the wall from outside that city. It was, of course, an amazing experience to be able to climb part of it and walk along it. To think of how that structure was built before modernized tools, and how it still stands firmly today (at least in the place we visited) is really a testament to human capability. I am so glad I got to experience this, what a privilege! You can see all of our CHS disciplines represented in this picture from the Great Wall, at noon on a very hot summer day!

But I want to tell you also about another wall in China, a wall on the 6th floor of Maria’s Big House of Hope (MBHOH) in Luoyang, China. Continue reading

DNP Student Teaches Healthcare in Haiti as Frist Global Health Fellow

Quigley1When doctorate of nursing practice student Jennifer Quigley realized she would be the first Belmont recipient of the Frist Global Health Fellowship, she said she was eager to use her passion for global health to implement a plan for teaching health care providers in Cap-Haitien, Haiti a modern method of natural family planning. Her trip was born of a partnership between Belmont’s College of Health Sciences and Nursing and the organization Hope Through Healing Hands, which was founded by Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D.

Although the goal of the trip was to assist the Haitian people, Quigley was quick to say the trip was life-changing for her, as well. “I learned so much more from the Haitian people than they learned from me. I have never seen a more joyous people, full of life and love, and each was eager to show me love. Though they did not have much, I never went hungry, and I always had water. They joyfully give, even if they have so little to start with,” she said. “I also had the opportunity to deliver a baby, with only one other nurse, no drugs and not sterile equipment — only a clean room and the two of us. It was an experience I will hold with me for the rest of my life.” Continue reading

Social Work Student Explores Land, Life Lessons at Pine Ridge

Sanders-225x300Rising 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

Pharmacy Teams Travels to Honduras

Pharmacy-300x300A 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

Cultural humility, and remembering history

Welcome Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger, Chair of the Social Work Department at Belmont University, as she begins blogging here from time to time.

Earlier this summer I had the privilege of co-leading a student immersion trip to several destinations in the US West, including the Lakota reservation in Pine Ridge, SD and the Crow reservation near Hardin, MT.   While on the reservations, especially at Pine Ridge, I was confronted with the reality that I had not a clue about the lived experience of people there.  What I knew of native history and culture prior to the trip was limited almost exclusively to books and the occasional documentary.  As such, I was keenly aware of my lack of cultural knowledge and cultural competence (both of which are important concepts in social work) and so I was initially hesitant about how to connect with community members.

And then I remembered something: more important than cultural competence (which some would say can never be achieved) is the practice of cultural humility.    Continue reading

Hope Hospital & Home Visits

Sarah Balding

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Sarah Balding, Nursing Student

 

We started the morning early again, eating breakfast and doing our devotional around 7 am.  After we ate the group split up and got ready to head for the day.  I went with Kate, Jenni, Megan, Tiffany, and Amanda to do 4 more home visits.  The rest of the team headed to HOPE to work in the hospital and the outpatient clinic.  Once we arrived at the home care office we were greeted by the social workers, and got ready to head to the market.  We were able to get the same food and hygiene supplies for each family again.  The bags of rice and the other food items are able to feed the families for anywhere between 2 weeks to 1 month.  This is extremely helpful and will help ease the financial burden on some of these families.  Once we had gathered all of our supplies we loaded everything up on the Tuk-Tuks and headed out towards the first home.

Continue reading

Home Visits, Nursing Check-Offs, & Hope Hospital

Sarah Hintz

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Sarah Hintz, Nursing Student

 

Today (Thu 5/21) some of the Community Health clinical groups were able to partner with HOPE organization and participate in HIV home visits.  Even though it was only for half of a day, I feel that it was one of the most impacting parts of our trip.  There were only four of us; Cassie, Dani, Sarah (our wonderful social worker and leader during the visits), and myself, who went on the home visits.  Other groups went to the hospital to help with nursing check-offs, which we eventually also got to be involved in.  It was so exciting to be with these nurses and see them take the knowledge they knew to relate it to real-life situations and understand the concepts of what they were learning. Continue reading

Clinic and Sihanouk Hospital

Jenni Massie

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Jenni Massie, Nursing Student

 

Today (Wed 5/20) was a great day.  We (Belmont Nursing) had our first outdoor free clinic under a beautiful tree-covered veranda that provided shade so we could care for the Cambodian people.

JM1

JM2

A room at the guest house adjacent to the veranda was used for breast and pelvic exams.  The organizations Precious Women and the Kone Kaming clinic provided this space.  Our clinic also benefited from having a student of social services (Sarah) and physical therapy (Kate), this has allowed us to expand the care of the clinic beyond nursing.

The Clinic was set up in stations.  Triage is responsible for vital signs, height and weight, getting a short history, and chief complaint.  The assessment station, where I had the opportunity to work, further explored the patient’s history, performed a focused physical assessment, made a diagnosis, and recommended treatment or medication.  Then the patient was directed to the pharmacy and treatment area. Continue reading

Church/Shop/Rest

Hodge

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Sarah Hodge, Nursing Student

 

Today (Sun 5/25) was a great day! We attended church at Phnom Penh Church of Christ.  The church is filled with the most beautiful of souls.  People are so welcoming and inviting.  The service was filled with spirited worship, a baptism, and communion.  I was extra relieved to see Pheap, a friend of Dr. Taplin, who I have formed a friendship with.

We then ventured down to the river that runs through the city to a restaurant known as FCC, a traditional place for foreigners to come and meet.  It was fancier than where we have gone to eat.  The food lived up to the high prices!  It was exceptional.  Comparably, the view over the river and the palace was fantastic.  We were welcomed with a breeze to cool us off. Continue reading

Teaching at Asia Institute of Sciences School of Nursing

Erin Cantrell

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Erin Cantrell, Nursing Student

 

 

Today (Sat 5/23) we were warmly welcomed to the Asia Institute of Sciences in order to teach other nursing students:

erin pic 4

erin pic 3

We were each split up into groups and taught the following topics: SBAR (a communication tool for nurses at shift change), physical assessment, vital signs, hand hygiene, signs/symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as physical therapy techniques.  There were several classrooms full of students eager to learn our topics.  As we finished each presentation, we went to the next classroom to meet more smiling faces.  The students were great in that they had many questions to ask which kept us on our toes.  It was nice to work alongside my classmates and even more fun to work with Jenni Massie, who is currently in the Masters program: Continue reading

A full week in Geneva

Study Abroad in Geneva
from Dr. Ruby Dunlap, Professor of Nursing

Geneva2015-1We 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

Sonja Kill Hospital & Travel Back to Phnom Penh

Sarah Hintz

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Sarah Hintz, Nursing Student

 

Today (Tue 5/19) was our second and last day at Sonja Kill Hospital. Many of us woke up to the sun’s rays peering through the “mountains of Kampot”; however, less than 12 hours before the break of dawn, we stood under the covering of the star-filled sky.  Certainly, the most star-lit sky I have seen in my entire 21 years of existences.  During our time here we have experienced, that from the moment when we wake up to the moment when we fall asleep, we are surrounded by Beauty.  It is a beauty that goes beyond the word itself because it carries much more meaning than that.  It carries comfort, peace, and humility.  Surrounded by such beauty we are humbled to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.  Just by simply being on the hospital grounds we are in awe of the Creator of the Universe and feel a part of His continued work with humanity.  We have the opportunity to partner with God’s heart, what He is doing, and what He has planned for Hope International (the organization that supports Sonja Kill Hospital). Continue reading

Sonja Kill Hospital

Rachel Finn

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Rachel Finn, Nursing Student

 

Today (Mon 5/18) marks the end of the vacation part of our trip, and the beginning of the true work we set out for!  Today is our first day at Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital, which is located in Kampot, Cambodia!

Sonja Kill Entrance

They are a charity hospital whose goal is to give affordable healthcare to patients in need.  Payment of services is strictly based upon the patient’s ability to pay; the poor get treated for free while the ones who can afford it pay a fee.  It is staffed mostly by Cambodians; however, many doctors and nurses come from abroad to work and help train the staff.  Our, us Belmont people’s, main mission for this stop is to help further educate the doctors and nurses here, treat some patients, and help in anyway the hospital needs. Continue reading

Travel to Cambodia & Arrival

Aly Webb
Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Aly Webb, Nursing Student

 

I plopped down, out of breath and sweaty, in the front seat of a friend’s car. It was 5:45 am on the dot. I’m late. I look at my buddy Evan, my right hand man for this kind of stuff, as he turns on the car. It’s clear he knows me too well when he immediately recognizes my visible stress,  “Come on Aly Webb, I got this. I can get you to the airport in ten minutes. Tops. I give him a disbelieving raised eyebrow.

As he makes a right turn onto the interstate I freak out, “Dude! The airport’s that way!” He tries to not laugh at my obvious lack of confidence in his sense of direction. “Aly Webb I got this.

I, of course, am still not convinced and attempt to slyly look up directions to the airport. Continue reading

Church and Traveling to Kampot

picture 3_edited

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Kate Withrow, Physical Therapy Student

 

This morning we attended church at the Phnom Penh Church of Christ. What an experience! As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted with open arms and friendly faces. We found our seats next to the English translator, which was key, and service shortly started thereafter. Let me just tell you, these people are on fire for the Lord. The music was full of energy and life and it truly felt like the God we were praising was in our midst.

kate church

The passion in that room brought me to tears. A phrase that stuck out to me from the sermon seemed so appropriate for the occasion; He said following Jesus allows us to fellowship as one body, regardless of nationality. How great is it that we are all gathered together, different cultures and nationalities, under one roof praising the same God:

Continue reading

Killing Fields & Market

Hodge

Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Sarah Hodge, Nursing Student

 

Our days are starting to run together although we have been here just a couple of days. Today, however, will be stuck in our minds for weeks and years to come. We had the opportunity to visit the Killing Fields.

The Killing Fields represent the massive genocide that happened between the years 1975 to 1979. Millions of innocent Cambodians were brutally murdered during this regime. The Killing Fields pay respect to the many that died. Graves and bones are on display, many which are in the monument that was constructed to house skulls and bones of the victims. Continue reading

Market, Restaurant, & Birthday Celebration

Dani Cichon
Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Dani Cichon, Nursing Student

 

Our first experience with the “Russian Market” can only be described as… overwhelming. Overwhelming in the way of smells (some delicious, some too bad to even put into words), colors, shouts of “Miss, you want something? You want something?”, feelings of anxiety when struggling to bargain…just overwhelming. But the good, this-is-so-different-but-awesome kind of overwhelming! Plus, Dr. Taplin knew the places to go, and hooked us up with “the silk lady,” “the silver lady,” and “the gold lady.” It’s safe say that most of us had a lot less money and space in our carry-on bags afterwards. But who can resist a silk scarf being sold for $2? After a few hours there, we headed back to the hotel to prepare medical supplies that would be taken to Sonja Kill hospital in Kampot. AppleMark Later, we went to a Khmer restaurant and feasted on dishes such as fish amok, striped snakehead, and fried ice cream. With the sounds of Chapey music playing in the background (traditional Khmer dance/ceremony music) and the help of a makeshift crown and corsage made out of balloons, we also celebrated Sarah Hintz’s twenty-first birthday there.

The night finished with many group members receiving well-earned massages, and the rest getting what was probably our first full night of sleep since before the trip began.

Walking Tour & Tuol Sleng

Cassie Scott
Study Abroad in Cambodia
by Cassie Scott, Nursing Student

 

To begin this adventure, we started our day having Dr. Taplin and Mrs. Morse show us around Phnomh Penh which is where we will be living out of the majority of our trip. It also gave us our first dose of what the Cambodian heat would do to us. We got to see such sights such as the Royal Palace, the Tonle Sap river, and many of the surrounding stores. This was also our first dose of the Cambodian culture and interactions with the Khmer people. We happened to arrive during a national holiday, the King’s birthday which meant that most of the city was in celebration mode. We passed by the Prime Minister’s motor escort twice during our city tour. We took our first tuk tuk ride back from this walking tour which was an adventure. That was nerve wracking since Cambodian traffic has no rules and you feel as if everything is going to hit you, but overall a great experience. It’s a good way to watch the people interact in the city while getting a nice breeze to cool you off for a few minutes. Continue reading

Spectacular Day in Chamonix and the French Alps

Alps1-2015Study 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

Students and faculty arrive for Geneva Study Abroad

DunlapSmall2Study 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.

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.

OTD Residency Projects Provide Wheelchairs and Support to Mexican Families

ClaireGreccoTaraHarperTwo 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