Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, recently had an abstract accepted for presentation at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The work is titled “Effect of letrozole is superior to tamoxifen in limiting preneoplasia in both ERα and aromatase over-expressing mice.” As co-principal investigator, Diaz-Cruz and his collaborators determined that the impact of letrozole was greater than tamoxifen in reducing prevalence of mammary gland preneoplasia in both ERα and aromatase over-expressing mice. These results suggest that letrozole should be considered as a chemo-preventive agent based on individual estrogen signaling prognostic factors.
Recent Scholarly Work and Presentations in the College of Pharmacy
Here is a sample of scholarly work and presentations over the past year by faculty in the College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Ashton Beggs
Peer Reviewed Manuscripts
- Beggs AE, Reeves DJ, Noel NS. Leukopenia Caused by Chronic Colchicine Administration. Am J Health – Syst Pharm. 15 Dec 2012;69:2147-2148.
- Beggs AE, Morrical–Kline KA. Wilhoite JE, Fick LB. Effect of an Educational Continue reading
Pharmacy professor to be published in Journal of Proteome Research
Dr. Amy Ham, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, recently had a paper published online, ahead of print of her manuscript in the American Chemistry Society’s Journal of Proteome Research. The paper is titled “IDPQuantify: Combining Precursor Intensity with Spectral Counts for Protein and Peptide Quantification. Ham is part of a team that developed new software, IDPQuantify, to align multiple replicates using principal component analysis, extract accurate precursor intensities from MS data and combine intensities with spectral counts for significant gains in differentiation and quantification. The software is able to associate peptides with peaks that are otherwise left unidentified to increase the efficiency of protein quantification, especially for low-abundance proteins.
Health Sciences faculty receive promotions
Congratulations to the following faculty members in the College of Health Sciences who received promotions this summer.
School of Nursing
Martha Buckner from Associate Professor to Professor
Angela Lane from Full-time Adjunct to Assistant Professor
Erin Shankel from Full-time Adjunct to Assistant Professor
School of Occupational Therapy
Shelley Hix from Instructor to Assistant Professor
Tamara Garvey from Full-time Adjunct to Assistant Professor
Camille Turner from Full-time Adjunct to Instructor
Emmy Dagnan from Full-time Adjunct to Instructor
School of Physical Therapy
Renee Brown from Professor to Professor & Chairman
Social Work Department
Jennifer Crowell from Full-time Adjunct to Assistant Professor
Martha Buckner
Erin Shankel
Shelley Hix
Tamara Garvey
Camille Turner
Renee Brown
Jennifer Crowell
Pharmacy students publish review of the movie Nerve
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wo Belmont Pharmacy students recently published a review of the movie, Nerve, in Mental Health Clinician, a monthly publication of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP). CPNP is a professional society of pharmacists practicing in the psychiatry and neurology specialties.
The two PharmD students, Meg Aldstadt and Kelly Maguigan, under the guidance of Dr. Michael McGuire, Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy, provided a review of how social anxiety disorder and medications used to treat it were depicted in the movie, an indie favorite where a young man battles the disorder with the help of a psychology student.
In the review, Aldstadt and Maguigan conclude that while Nerve provides an excellent portrayal of social anxiety disorder, it falls short in depicting relevant treatment options They write: “Anxiety disorders respond to cognitive strategies and pharmacotherapy, but Nerve does not present any current, accepted treatment options. Instead, Aurora (the psychology student character) hurries Josh (the main character) through some experiments with her thesis deadline as the goal. It is not reasonable to expect an individual to improve in such a short period of time. We believe that she actually harms Josh more than she helps him. While the movie’s representation of treatment options fails, it does demonstrate the complexity of Josh’s disorder. It realistically shows the impact of inappropriate treatment, as opposed to giving the viewer a cinematic ending where he improves regardless of the quality of therapy.”
Nursing professor selected as a reviewer for federal government’s Health Care Innovation Awards
Kathy Jordan, Program Chairperson for Undergraduate Nursing, has been selected as a registered reviewer by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) to evaluate proposals for the Health Care Innovation Awards. The Center will provide up to $1 billion in funding for projects that develop new payment and service delivery models that will reduce costs while preserving or enhancing the quality of care for beneficiaries in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The review process will begin October 1.
PharmD graduate receives Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy award
Dr. John Barnwell, a 2013 graduate from Belmont University College of Pharmacy, was recently awarded the Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award and was recognized in the official publication of the American Pharmacist’s Association, Student Pharmacist. While a student in the College of Pharmacy, Barnwell was an active leader in various pharmacy organizations including American Pharmacist’s Association, American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Phi Delta Chi, Phi Lambda Sigma and Rho Chi. He resides in Nashville, Tenn. and is employed by Kroger.
School of Physical Therapy presents Distinguished Alumni Award and graduates 35
Dr. Terry Grindstaff
Belmont University School of Physical Therapy honored Dr. Terry Grindstaff (04) with its Distinguished Alumni Award at August graduation ceremonies for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2013. Dr. Grindstaff addressed the graduates at the School’s annual hooding ceremony prior to commencement.
In his address, Dr. Grindstaff reminded the graduates that their accomplishments were not achieved alone, but through contributions of many others including family, friends, faculty and fellow students. He encouraged them to continue to surround themselves with people that will provide guidance, boundaries, motivation and support in future endeavors. He challenged the graduates to pursue their passion and approach each task with an optimism that reflects that passion, and to embrace the opportunity to make an impact on the world through the patients they treat.
Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger chosen to chair Social Work Department
Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger has joined the Belmont University faculty as the new Chair of the Social Work Department in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences.
“We’re so glad to welcome Dr. Sullenberger,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College. “Sabrina has a wealth of experience and qualifications for her new role, and a commitment to mentoring students in a Christian environment. I look forward to working together in the days ahead.”
Dr. Sullenberger comes to Belmont from Indiana University where she was an associate professor and interim associate dean for the School of Social Work. While at Indiana University, Dr. Sullenberger twice received the Trustee’s Teaching Award and was named as College Advisor of the Year by Best Buddies Indiana.
OT professor presents at conference of association fighting Batten Disease
Dr. Teresa Plummer, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, recently presented at the annual conference of the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA) held this year in Nashville. Dr. Plummer shared her expertise in a presentation on handling and positioning children with Batten disease and assistive technology products for children with the disease.
Batten disease affects children from birth and causes mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight and motor skills over time. Eventually, the child becomes blind, bedridden and unable to communicate, and the disease is always fatal. Although Batten disease and related disorders are considered rare, they often strike more than one person in families that carry the defective gene.
BDSRA was formed in 1987 by a family who had three children with the disease. The association provides technical assistance and support to families who battle the disease while promoting research and education.
Belmont’s Joint PT Residency with Vanderbilt Medical Center receives Accreditation
Lisa Haack, PT, DPT, NCS, works with a patient for balance retraining. The Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency instituted last year is a partnership between Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy and Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute.
Photo by Amy Woosley
Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy and Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute (PBPRI) have received accreditation from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for their collaborative Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency instituted last year.
The one-year residency is one of 23 programs of its kind in the United States to have achieved this status, and is the only such program in Tennessee.
PBPRI is an outpatient interdisciplinary neurological rehabilitation program 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.
“Being the first neurological physical therapy residency program in Tennessee, we have the responsibility and the privilege to train the next generation of outstanding neurological clinical specialists,” said Lisa Haack, DPT, NCS, Neurological Clinical Residency director, a PBPRI clinical staff member in physical therapy and a neurologic specialist.
Academic Residency Director Renee Brown, PT, Ph.D, professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont University, said completion of the credentialing process is an affirmation of the program’s commitment to its patients.
Recent Publications of Faculty in the College of Health Sciences
Dr. Martha Buckner
Professor of Nursing
Buckner, M. M., Dietrich, M. S., Merriman, C., & Keeley, J. P. (2013). Identifying at-risk nursing students using a midcurricular examina-tion. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 31(4). Retrieved from 10,1097/NXN.0b013e31828a0dda.
Dr. Ruby Dunlap
Professor of Nursing
Dunlap, R. K. (2013). Nursing theory and the clinical gaze: Discovery in teaching theory across a cultural divide. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(2), 176-180.
Dr. John Halle
Professor of Physical Therapy
Halle JS. The Neuromuscular Scan Exam (Chapter Four), in Voight, Hoogenboom, and Prentice (ed), Musculoskletal Interventions: Techniques for Therapeutic Exercise, McGraw-Hill Medical, New York (Scheduled for 2013 publication).
College of Pharmacy alumnus selected as first clinical pharmacist at hospital in east Tennessee
Dr. Julie Masterson (Class of 2012) recently completed a PGY-1 residency at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville and has accepted a clinical pharmacist position at LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Dr. Masterson will serve as the first clinical pharmacist at LeConte and will develop clinical programs to aid patients in the East Tennessee area. She will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team to make pharmacy related interventions where appropriate. She will focus on completing consults and making interventions via Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) based on generated reports.
Dr. Masterson states that she will be implementing policies and protocols with pharmacists from other local hospitals to help standardize pharmacy care among the different treatment centers of which LeConte is a member.
Pharmacy Students, Faculty Assist Guatemalan Pediatric Surgical Center
An 11-member team from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy is traveling to Guatemala twice this summer to provide aid and expertise to the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center (MPSC). Open since March 2011, more than 800 needy children have received free life-altering surgical care from MPSC.
The Belmont team just returned from its first trip July 8-13 in which it teamed with MPSC to implement the hospital’s first computerized inventory system. During the week-long mission, the seven-person team worked with MPSC leadership to finalize the inventory categorization model and to set coding conventions. In addition, the team purchased and implemented inventory management software, documented and coded more than 750 individual items, created and affixed barcodes to all inventory and determined IT needs to link the new system across multiple computer stations.
School of Nursing stories in Nashville Medical News
Nashville Medical News featured two stories about Belmont earlier this month on expansion of the School of Nursing’s patient simulation program and Dean Cathy Taylor’s perspective (among others) on the future of the DNP degree.
You can read the full stories on the their website: Belmont Expands Simulation Program, Adds Fellow and Local Deans Weigh in on DNP
Belmont Pharmacy students attend annual TPA meeting
Belmont pharmacy students recently attended the 126th annual Tennessee Pharmacist’s Association meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kelly Maguigan (’14), Mandy Newman (’14), Alexander Tu (’16) and Kyle Robinson (’14) (pictured at right) represented Belmont’s College of Pharmacy in the Self Care competition. Dr. Traci Poole, advisor of Belmont’s chapter of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists, stated, “It was wonderful to see our student pharmacists engaged with their state association in a variety of ways, ranging from discussion of policy in our House of Delegates to the Self-Care Competition.”
Pharmacy faculty present at AACP meeting
Several Belmont pharmacy faculty participated in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting from July 13 through 17 in Chicago, Ill. The meeting is the primary source of innovations in teaching in colleges and schools of pharmacy, offers a large selection of faculty development opportunities and provides a merging of academia and accreditation issues.
Belmont faculty learned new techniques in the areas of student recruitment, student remediation, the scholarship of teaching and practice innovations as well as learned new standards of accreditation, new CAPE competencies and software products.
Marilyn E. Thompson Odom presented at a round table session on Assessment of Student Learning and Level of Empathy Through Use of Creative Expression. Elisa Greene, Ashton Beggs, Mark Chirico, Alisa Spinelli, Condit Steil, Kristina Wood and Phil Johnston–presented Integration, Innovation and Collaboration at Belmont University College of Pharmacy at the poster session. Leigh Ann Bynum, Hope Campbell and Lindsay Hahn presented Making Cross-Linkages Work Between Clinical and Management Classes in the College of Pharmacy at the refereed poster session. Andrew Webster and Angela Hagan served as administrative representative and faculty representative, respectively, in the House of Delegates. Phil Johnston served on the Council of Deans.
Voight Speaks at National Athletic Trainers Meeting
Dr. Michael Voight, professor of physical therapy in the College of Health Sciences at Belmont, recently presented at the annual meeting of the National Athletic Trainers Association in Las Vegas, NV. His presentation, attended by over 400 conference delegates, was on assessing and developing rotational speed in athletes. Dr. Voight shared his work in assessing fundamental movement and in turn correcting the impairments discovered. Examples were given utilizing several of the PGA tour players that he works with.
PharmD graduate accepts position in Washington state
Dr. William Gibson ’12, has accepted a position as a Clinical Pharmacist for Central Washington Hospital following completion of his PGY-1 residency. Central Washington Hospital is a 206 bed Regional Level III Trauma and Heart Center and is the major medical facility and referral center for patients in the North Central Washington area. Dr. Gibson will provide pharmacy services for a spectrum of clinical disciplines including general medicine, oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, intensive care, obstetrics, surgery, and emergency medicine. He states that his residency gave him the opportunity to better determine his specific practice interests and that Central Washington Hospital is a great place to begin his career.
Hallmark presents at simulation conference
Dr. Beth Hallmark, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Director of Simulation for the College of Health Sciences at Belmont, recently presented two workshops at the annual meeting of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) in Las Vegas, NV. INACSL promotes research and disseminates evidence based practice standards for clinical simulation methodologies and learning environments.
Dr. Hallmark was a co-presenter in a session about implementing cost saving and waste reduction measures in simulation laboratories. In addition, she was part of an expert panel of simulation coordinators for an advanced workshop providing an overview of operational management systems used in simulation, covering inventory, scheduling, and development of policies and procedures.
Pharmacy student awarded scholarship for academic excellence
Class of 2016 pharmacy student Amy Schnees has received a Mary Molina Education Scholarship. This $2,500 award is given to doctoral students who excel academically. Applicants must either work for or be a dependent of an employee within Molina Healthcare. Schnees worked closely with Belmont Pharmacy Assistant Professor Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz to prepare her application. This summer Amy has been working with Dr. Amy Ham and colleagues at Vanderbilt University to study resistance of targeted drug therapies for colon cancer.
Susan G. Komen Organization names Belmont University School of Physical Therapy as Outstanding Volunteer Group of the Year
Belmont University PT students help coordinate the 2012 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Nashville
Belmont University School of Physical Therapy has been recognized as the “Outstanding Volunteer Group of the Year” by the Susan G. Komen Organization at their annual Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. Susan G. Komen is a global leader in the fight against breast cancer with local Affiliate offices in more than 120 locations in the U.S. and around the world. Each year the organization recognizes volunteers who demonstrate dedication, commitment, creativity, initiative and dependability.
The Belmont Physical Therapy students began their commitment to Susan G. Komen Greater Nashville two years ago when they volunteered as a group to manage the race course at the organization’s annual Susan G. Komen Nashville Race for the Cure® event. The Belmont students utilize this opportunity to enhance the schools community involvement and establish teamwork within the physical therapy school.
Residency Project takes OT student on mission to Peru
from 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.
OT Professor presents at Seating Symposium in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dr. 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.
Belmont PharmD graduates coordinate internship program for Walgreens
Class of 2012 Belmont College of Pharmacy Alumni, Dr. Rebecca Lucas Chapman and Dr. John Pustulka, are currently co-coordinating the summer internship program for Walgreens in the north and south Nashville areas. Dr. Chapman states that the majority of students in the program are currently enrolled in pharmacy school at either Belmont or Lipscomb. The main focus of the program is to develop strong future pharmacists who prefer to practice in a community setting. The program provides not only real-life experiences to the interns but the tools and resources that the current community pharmacist utilizes on a daily basis.
In addition, Dr. Chapman has recently accepted the position of pharmacy manager for Walgreens in Hermitage, Tennessee. Dr. Chapman will be implementing quality assurance protocols to increase drug safety, providing medication therapy management services as well as overseeing drug inventory. Dr. Chapman’s store is located near Tulip Grove in Hermitage.