Category Archives: School of Occupational Therapy

Residency Project takes OT student on mission to Peru

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LongResidency4smallfrom Mary Beth Long
2013 Belmont Graduate with
Occupational Therapy Doctorate

As part of my residency project for the Belmont University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program this year, I worked with Eleanore’s Project, a non-profit organization focused on ergonomically appropriate wheelchair provision and education for families and clinicians in Peru.  This spring, I traveled to Lima, Arequipa and Cusco to participate in the Eleanore’s Project wheelchair clinics. We provided education and 95 properly fitted wheelchairs for children and families throughout Peru.

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OT Professor presents at Seating Symposium in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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PlummerLatinAmericaDr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Belmont, was a featured presenter at the 2nd annual Latin American Seating Symposium in Buenos Aires, Argentina earlier this month. The conference aims to educate, train and update health professionals with the latest technology to provide solutions of sitting for people with lifelong disabilities and conditions such as neuromuscular disorders, injuries and diseases of the spinal cord, orthopedic problems, systemic diseases, obesity and polytrauma. Over 250 therapists and medical doctors from 14 South and Central American countries attended.

Dr. Plummer was one of four invited international speakers for the event. She presented on the relationship between vision, posture and mobility, and the kinesiological principles of seating and positioning.  She also served on an expert panel to evaluate children with neurological injuries. Dr. Plummer has over 30 years of experience in occupational therapy and has conducted workshops nationally and internationally in the areas of rehabilitation and assistive technology.

McWhorter Giving Society Established to Support Health Sciences

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Clayton McWhorter (left) and Dr. Richard Treadway (right) presented the first McWhorter Society Distinguished Service Award to Barbara Massey Rogers (center).

Belmont University’s Office of Advancement recently established the Clayton McWhorter Society, a giving society intended to further the work of Belmont’s health science programs. The new group, which held its inaugural membership lunch on May 2, is named in honor of long-time Belmont supporter Clayton McWhorter and will directly benefit the College of Health Sciences & Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and the new MBA for Healthcare Professionals.

Clayton McWhorter’s leadership and role in the development of healthcare industry giants HealthTrust, Inc. and HCA have made a strong impression in the field of healthcare. In 1996, Clayton, his son Stuart, and a close business friend created the venture capital firm Clayton Associates, which quickly evolved into a hub of strategic business development activities related to new firms in healthcare, technology and diversified services. Continue reading →

Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care visits Belmont

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The College of Health Sciences recently hosted Leadership Health Care (LHC) members of the Nashville Health Care Council for a luncheon.   Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College, and Provost Thomas Burns welcomed the group to campus.

“The future of health care is about collaboration and cooperation,” said Burns. “We are proud to have members of Leadership Health Care here today, and we welcome opportunities to work together as we develop the next generation of health care talent here at Belmont.”

After remarks and lunch, Belmont students led the group on a tour of the college. LHC members were given an overview of simulation training labs in nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Leadership Health Care was formed in 2002 as an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to foster the next generation of health care leaders.  Industry tours are part of the group’s regular programming for members.

Memorial Foundation Awards Belmont $300,000 for Simulation Fellowship, Upgrades

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The Memorial Foundation has awarded Belmont University $300,000 to upgrade high-fidelity simulation equipment, support interprofessional training in the College of Health Sciences & Nursing  and fund a post-graduate Healthcare Simulation Fellowship. Belmont has appointed Dr. Gwenn Randall as the college’s first fellow.

“We are grateful to the Memorial Foundation for this generous gift that will enable us to markedly increase the impact of our clinical simulation program. In addition to creating exciting new clinical experiences for both students and community providers, with this funding we will create new ways of educating future leaders in this emerging field,” said College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Cathy R. Taylor.

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Surgeon Connects Faith, Science to Restore Eyesight

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Nashville eye surgeon Dr. Ming Wang shared with students the importance of making connections between their faith and science and how he has used health care as a ministry during convocation Thursday in the Neely Dining Hall.

“We have to confront the controversies of faith and science. It is one of the most important questions in this age of society … so we can move forward in good conscience and with peace of mind when faced with issues society is trying to figure out the answers to,” Wang said.

He told the story of the successes of his amniotic membrane contact lens, for which he has two U.S. patents. Using tissue from fetuses to prevent scarring of the corneas, he has successfully restored eyesight to several people. The procedure is covered by Medicare and insurance companies and has been performed by more than 500 doctors in the United States, he said.

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OT Doctoral Students to present research collected at Abilities Expo

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Doctoral students in the School of Occupational Therapy will present findings of various research projects on Wednesday, April 17 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the lobby of McWhorter Hall on Belmont’s campus.  Two of the thesis groups collected data earlier this semester at the Atlanta Abilities Expo, an event that attracted several thousand participants including those with disabilities, their families and caregivers.

Ashley Ganus, Jordan Carver and Mark Ivey interviewed wheelchair users regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of their mobility device on their ability to function and complete desired tasks.  Meanwhile, Rachael Restko and Rachel Rarig conducted interviews about hotel accessibility.  The three-day event in February featured workshops, a sports carnival, and exhibits dedicated to providing solutions to enhance quality of life for the disabled.

Click on photos to enlarge.

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School of Occupational Therapy co-sponsors Dr. Ming Wang on campus Thursday

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The School of Occupational Therapy is co-sponsoring a convocation event with Dr. Ming Wang on Thursday, April 11 in Neely Dining Hall on Belmont University’s campus.  Dr. Wang will speak on Healthcare as Ministry.

Dr. Wang is a path-breaking eye surgeon with degrees from Harvard Medical School and MIT. He established the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration, which has provided free surgeries for patients from 40 states and 55 countries, and the Wang Foundation for Christian Outreach to China.  All are invited to this event.

Mission to Guatemala: Day 6

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Mission to Guatemala
from Lisa Haack

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

Buenos dias! After all of our hard work this week, we spent Friday in Antigua having fun.  We went to the Filadelfia coffee plantation where most of us got to see coffee plants for the first time.  We took an adventurous ride up to the top of one of the mountains and took the zip line course down.  The view along the zip line course was amazing! It was such a perfect and beautiful day.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch there at the café and then headed off to the market to go shopping. The market was a bit overwhelming, but we all learned how to barter to get the best deals on our souvenirs and gifts.  To end the day, we went out to dinner with our translators at a steak house, Hacienda Real.  The food was incredible.  We were all sad to say good-bye to the wonderful translators and drivers who took care of us this week.  Our last night at the Nazarene Center was rather interesting.  Apparently a new group of Guatemalan teenagers are having a retreat here this weekend and they kicked it off with a big party, which sounded more like mob preparing to attack us.  They eventually quieted down for a few hours and we got a couple of hours of sleep.  We are sleep-deprived and preparing to load up to head to the airport.  We had an amazing week here in Guatemala.  God showed up and did incredible things through us.  It has been a wonderful time, but we are excited to get back home!  See you soon!!!

Mission to Guatemala: Day 5

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Mission to Guatemala
from Carolyn and Markus

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

Today we went to Magdalena Milpas Altas, Sacatepequez, to Karamion which is a center for children with disabilities. First we met with the directors, who are husband and wife, and learned all about the center. They started it on their own and gave up everything, including their home, in order to help children. They don’t have any support, but trust in God to provide.  It was great to see such an awesome demonstration of faith and obedience to God’s will. We split into groups to start therapy and worked with children with different types of disabilities: autism, torticollis, Down’s Syndrome, meningitis, and spina bifida. I worked with a little girl with spina bifida with the help of Jessica, PT and some more of the OT/PT team. We worked on prone lying, trunk extension and postural balance reactions on a therapy ball, and ball catching for stability and balance. Continue reading →

Mission to Guatemala: Day 4

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Mission to Guatemala
from Joe Muchmore

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

Another exciting day for Team Catalyst. After a two-hour scenic drive, we spent the day with the wonderful staff and children of the JT Children’s Foundation. The JT Children’s Foundation provides therapeutic services for children with disabilities and their families who reside in the Tecpan, Guatemala area. They preach the importance of a holistic approach to healing and this is evident in their practice. After learning about the organization, we had the privilege of watching a performance that was prepared through music therapy sessions with a group of children. The performers graciously invited us to join and we happily danced and laughed with our new friends. Continue reading →

Mission to Guatemala: Day 3

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Mission to Guatemala
from Katie Hein and Julie Golden

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

Today was full of adventures! We visited 4 different loactions. In the morning we went to the Children’s Rehab Hospital and the Guatemala Association for People with Down’s Syndrome.  Then in the afternoon we went to Hope for Tomorrow/Nutrition Center and Las Conchas.

The Children’s Rehab Hospital Day 2- We met little Carlos, Kenneth and his wife to have little Carlos casted for AFO’s. Meanwhile, the rest of us participated in the morning therapy sessions (OT/FT- fisotherapy (PT)). The Guatemalan FT’s asked us for help with an exercise program for Christopher, one of the boys who suffered from Meningitis and is extremely weak. The only thing they have done for him in the past month is have him on tilting board to have him in a vertical position for 30 min. Lisa and Jessica (DPTs) evaluated his lower extremity and trunk strength, range of motion, and vestibular-occular system. He was getting bored with laying down, so  we sat him up to work on strengthening and postural control.  He was automatically happier and willingly participated in the activities.

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Mission to Guatemala: Day 2

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Mission to Guatemala
from Darcy King

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

In order to beat rush hour traffic our group got an early start with breakfast at 7:00a.m.  Even though we thought we had an early start, we know that the Shalom Foundation staff were hard at work long before we got out of bed.  Today was the first day we experienced the weather we had been anticipating.  The sun was out in full force and many of us got a little more than our fair share.  Our first destination for the day was a children’s rehab hospital.  The hospital staff gave us a tour of the facility and then we broke up into our respective professions to participate in therapy sessions.  We had the unique opportunity to collaborate with the OTs and PTs at this rehab center in order to exchange ideas and share information.  This was a humbling learning experience for clinicians and students alike.  During the OT sessions we observed how they conducted group therapy sessions, learned about how they taught families to make piñatas to be sold as a source of income, and had the opportunity to work one on one with many of the children.

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Mission to Guatemala: Day 1

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Mission to Guatemala
from Lisa Haack

A team of students, faculty and partners from Belmont University’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy are ministering in Guatemala during Belmont’s spring break, the seventh year a team has traveled there.

All three flights came into Guatemala without problems Saturday.  Much to our surprise everyone “passed” immigration and no pat-downs were required.  Guatemala welcomed us with weather that reminded us of home…45 degrees and windy!  Burr!!!  In contrast, the reception was warm and we all settled into our rooms.  We were grateful for the amenities including flushable toilets and a warm shower.  It was a restful sleep with an occasional celebratory fireworks launched from near-by. 😉

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OT Advisory Board Member named Person of the Year

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Photo by Rutherford Photography

New Mobility magazine, a national publication that encourages the integration of active-lifestyle wheelchair users into mainstream society, has named newly-elected Tennessee State Representative Darren Jernigan as its Person of the Year.   Jernigan serves on the Advisory Board for the Belmont University School of Occupational Therapy.

In November, Jernigan defeated incumbent state representative Jim Gotto for a seat in the Tennessee state legislature.   Since 2007 he has been a Nashville city councilman, winning re-election in 2011 with 77 percent of the vote.  Jernigan is employed as director of government affairs at Permobil, Inc., an international company with its USA Corporate Offices in Lebanon, Tennessee.  Permobil develops and manufactures powered wheelchairs and transport and communication systems for people with functional disabilities.

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OT Professor presents in Singapore at Ablities Expo

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Dr Plummer assisting a young man with cerebral palsy to sit in a wheelchair. This is his first time out of his home in 35 years.

Dr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, traveled recently to Singapore where she was one of eleven presenters at the inaugural Abilities Expo in that country.   The event attracted nearly 1500 people including those with disabilities, their families and caregivers from countries throughout the Far East.   The three-day event featured workshops, a sports carnival, and exhibits dedicated to providing solutions to enhance quality of life for the disabled.

Dr. Plummer presented three scheduled workshops during the Expo, including a session on aging, another on the U.S. model of occupational therapy, and a third on wheelchair seating assessment and prescription that was presented in collaboration with Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists.  Dr. Plummer was also asked to conduct a workshop for OT professionals in attendance.

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President of Tennessee Hospital Association Discusses Future of Healthcare

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Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association, spoke recently to Belmont faculty and students about the future of the healthcare industry, focusing his remarks on the new changes that will be brought about by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

While he realizes that the healthcare industry is about to undergo radical change, he does not fear those changes. “I really am an optimist,” he stated. “And I’m invigorated by chaos. Chaos brings change.”

In the past, he argued that the existing system was not perfect, that there were quality of care issues. The new legislation will force the industry to address these issues sooner rather than later. “Hospitals will be forced to look outside of their four walls.”

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Occupational Therapy faculty and students present safe transportation workshop

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Faculty and students from the Belmont University School of Occupational Therapy recently presented a workshop for community volunteers on providing safe transportation and door-through-door support to elder citizens.  Working in collaboration with the Greater Nashville Council on Aging, Dr. Debra Gibbs, Dr. Teresa Plummer and six second-year students in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program conducted the workshop at the North Nashville Police Precinct.   About 25 local volunteers attended.   Student presenters included Brittni Thompson, Carrie Beth Henson, LaRae Murray, Danielle Paulsen, Rebecca Lynn and Kelly Dennison.
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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.

 

Mission to Guatemala – Day 6

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Mission to Guatemala 2012
by Allison Toole

Today we woke up in beautiful Antigua!  Its safe to say we all got an amazing night of sleep after a hard day of work yesterday in Tecpan!  I was part of the team that spent the day at the JT Children’s Foundation and it was such a rewarding experience! We saw 5 patients in the morning and 4 patients in the afternoon.  It was amazing to see the teamwork between us and the clinicians there in Tecpan.  The parents of the patients we saw were so open and wanting to understand how they could help their children out even more at home. We started out by assessing their children and ended each session with educating the parents on exercises and strengthening techniques they needed to do at home.  We stressed to the parents that most of their children will not get better unless they continue doing their exercises at home.  Overall, the teams had a very rewarding experience at the JT Foundation and felt very blessed for the opportunity to work with such beautiful children.

After our team finished at the JT Foundation, we got on the bus and headed over to the where the other team had spent the day building steps and installing a rope.  I was completely in awe when we pulled up and saw the numerous amounts of kids that lived in this part of the village! They were SO loving and immediately hugged and greeted us as we got out of the van.  After talking with the other team for a while, I was told that the kids were very eager to help out with their project and were an integral part in helping build the steps.  It warmed my heart to know and see how hardworking these children are… that isn’t something I am used to seeing every day.   It was a very humbling experience to see how grateful these children were for all the work we did.

I can’t believe how fast this week has gone by! I feel like I have learned and grown so much in such a short amount of time. My heart is completely on fire for this beautiful country and I cannot wait for future opportunities to come back and hopefully continue these projects we have started here this past week.  Today is zip lining and shopping in the market and we are all very excited to explore the market and get some good shopping in (including the delicious coffee!!)

Mission to Guatemala 2012 – Day 5

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Mission to Guatemala 2012

Feliz Dia de Madre!  Today is Mother’s Day in Guatemala.  We all got this message at 4 am with a 5 minute blast of fire crackers in the courtyard!

The team headed to Tecpan – a rural farming village about 2 hours west of the city.  We teamed up with JT Childrens Foundation – an organization that provided physical and occupational therapy for kids. 1/2 of the team stayed at the foundation assisting with therapy and the nurses gave CPR training.

The other half went out into a community in the mountains. We were at Melvin’s home. Melvin is a 14 yr old kid with CP. His home is on top of a steep incline – maybe 200 meters from the main road. Melvin walks down the stairs to the main road to get to therapy.  The stairs have been washed smooth over time. His handrail….barb wire! Yikes.

We spent the day cutting out new stairs and installed a rope for a hand rail.  Pretty good day of manual labor.  We did of course find time to play with all the kids.  Spanish is the 2nd language in this area. the main language is a Mayan dialect of Q’eqchi.  Super nice folks.

After work we headed into Antigua were we will be for the next 2 nights. Friday is our day off – zip lining and shopping.

Mission to Guatemala – Day 4 – More

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Mission to Guatemala 2012
by Rachel Haddock

Today was as busy and fun filled as the previous few days. I was a part of a team who spend the majority of the day at the school meeting classrooms full of children ages kindergarten through the 6th grade. With entry into each classroom we were greeted with songs. We watched as they made gifts for their mothers and had time to play as well. We spent the rest of our time painting a classroom that was built a few years ago and really needed a fresh coat of paint.

The highlight of the day, for me was when we went into the village where we got to see how great the poverty is and what seemed to me was the ‘real Guatemala’ and what daily life is like for people here. We met a wonderful family whose daughter is suffering from chronic renal failure. She was hooked up to a make-shift dialysis device and we heard from her mother that the young girl wanted most was to ride a bike again before she died. This statement was not only incredibly touching and heartbreaking but motivating for our team. As we left them, we made the decision to buy her a bicycle before we left. In the middle of dinner she and her mother and father came to the Nazarene Center to get her gift. We were all overwhelmed by her father’s gratitude and her mother’s tears. The little girl was so excited and was able to practice immediately, her joy was undeniable. It was so humbling and rewarding to know that we made a difference in her life and hopefully made her time before and after surgery a time she can enjoy and have fun like other kids.

I am looking forward to the adventures and challenges that we face tomorrow but I am so encouraged after tonight, seeing the impact we made simply by giving a little girl a bike- something we take for granted everyday back home.

Mission to Guatemala – Day 4

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Mission to Guatemala 2012

Our first visit was to Lucy. The nursing team and I were honored with an invitation inside her home, and witnessed a kind of gratitude for that home (which had been built by The Shalom Foundation) that far outdid what any of could have expected from someone living in such extreme poverty. Our hearts broke in unison when Lucy disclosed that the beautiful baby girl in her womb was past due, and that she completely lacked access to any kind of hospital, clinic, or even midwife to facilitate delivery… Las Conchas simply didn’t have anything to offer her or her baby to be… And Lucy simply didn’t have access to transportation. Her plan, when the time came, was to take to the bumpy dirt road outside her home and walk until she passed someone who could help. Not long after, we ran into Julio, another man Shalom had provided for in the past. With one of his precious daughters wrapped around his legs, Julio lamented that he no longer had a job and that he was struggling to provide food and fulfill basic needs for his family. Heart-wrenching visits like these passed one by one throughout the day until finally, standing outside a small tin home on a hillside of the Las Conchas community while the nursing team examined another helpless baby girl, I stared down the steep dirt road toward the masses of other small tin houses, and thought to myself that there was simply too much.

Luckily, I had someone there to remind me that miracles happen one by one. And the reminder was well-timed. Today was a day of miracles. I even think I may have contributed to one very special miracle at the clinic that we visited in Las Canoas. The nurses were overjoyed at the bags and bags of medical donations that we brought with us. They dug right into everything, and with great care they organized it all between the two small rooms that functioned as their office and exam room. Their gratitude for the donations was unmistakable. still it wasn’t long before I became aware of a rather large deterrent to their actual ability to use many of the supplies that we were leaving them with: They couldn’t read any of it. In fact, they couldn’t read any of the bottles or instruction sheets for any of the drugs that they had so neatly organized in their cabinets from previous rounds of donations. It was therefore with great honor that I was able to translate the function and dosage information for their entire cabinet. The nurses enthusiastically noted and labeled everything, with their minds undoubtedly full of the many local people that they would now be able to treat with the medicines they had received.

The need here is overwhelming. But with the right mixture of generosity and sharing of skills… perhaps these small miracles can be even more so.

Mission to Guatemala – Day 3

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Mission to Guatemala 2012

Click here for photos.

Tuesday May 8th was our third day in Guatemala, and the second day we were out in the community doing work. The team of nurses started the day at the Hospital for the children with infectious diseases and in need of rehabilitation. First we met the nurse director who gave us a tour of the entire hospital, she was amazing and taught us about how they run all of the separate units in the hospital. We were introduced to the pediatricians and the staff nurses and they showed us around each of their respective units and we met some of their patients. The last unit we went to was the intensive care unit. There we were met by the supervising nurse of the ICU where she welcomed us in and we had to wash our hands and get on gowns. We met all of the patients in the ICU and learned their stories. After that we all split up into three groups, one group in the ICU, one in the emergency room and one group taking vital signs in the general admission unit. All of the groups helped take care of patients and worked side by side with the nurses in the hospital. After lunch we left the hospital and went to the university to teach the physical therapy students there CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. Last we went back to the Moore surgery center, to hold a fabulous baby shower for Maria Jose. We had an amazing day and were completely blessed to spend it together helping the children in Guatemala.

OT and PT got to visit the hospital again this morning and worked with the Guatemalan therapists to treat several children.  The therapists seemed happy to see us again this morning and involved us in each treatment session.  My favorite memory from the hospital was working with a little boy named Oscar who is diagnosed with microcephaly and is blind. Oscar doesn’t have proper strength within his trunk in order to sit up straight, so his spine kind of looks like a “c”.  Tamara worked on positioning Oscar to help straighten his spine, but needed a little “something extra” to help involve Oscar in the therapy session. She asked us to start singing and as we did he immediately responded to everything Tamara was doing! It was such a great experience to be involved in something so simple but so monumental for this little boy. Oscar most definitely melted a piece of my heart today.  After the hospital we traveled to the surgery center to see patients. OTs and PTs split into two groups and worked with patients that had previously visited the surgery center. This was a great learning experience and everyone was able to learn more about our disciplines and about how to work together to give the best treatment possible.  We then joined the nursing students for the baby shower and had a fantastic time playing baby shower games and showing love to Maria Jose and her family.  Today was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to see what else Guatemala has to teach us!