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Department of Physical Therapy
By Kate Hunger
When it appeared COVID-19 could jeopardize the graduation timeline for the Department of Physical Therapy Class of 2021, students came up with a solution.
“Our Class of 2021 was supposed to go out on clinical rotations in May this year, but obviously that was a time when things were bad and a lot of our clinical rotations were canceled,” said Department Chair and Associate Professor Greg Ernst, Ph.D., ECS.
Speech-language pathology students raise money for ALS
Speech-language pathology student Leslie Lewis loves to be a part of the moments that matter in life, something her future profession will allow her to do regularly.
Respiratory care students have standardized patient encounters
First-semester respiratory care students had the opportunity in November to perform their first examination of a living, breathing patient during standardized patient encounters.
“This is a hands on with a real live person—no mannequins,” said Assistant Professor–Clinical Thomas Stokes, M.A., RRT. “It’s preclinical. This is their first semester in the program. They are in labs and doing didactic learning.”
Occupational therapy professor is appointed to two associate editorships
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Ana Allegretti, Ph.D., ATP, OTR, has been appointed as an associate editor for two assistive technology journals.
Speech-language pathology professor’s study continues despite COVID-19
Speech-language pathology Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, Ph.D., never thought she would be donning personal protective gear to conduct a study of mild traumatic brain injury.
Yet despite the challenges, Norman and Tara Flaugher, the 91PORN neurobiology doctoral student she is working with on the study, have been able to collect data from human subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Physical Therapy professor’s collaborations yield robust research program
Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Gustavo Almeida, PT, Ph.D., joined the faculty in June 2019. Since that time he has pursued a range of collaborations that he credits for helping him establish a robust research program. “The summer was very productive,” he said.
Two Physical Therapy students receive scholarships from TSAHP
The Texas Society of Allied Health Professions (TSAHP) has awarded scholarships to two students in the Department of Physical Therapy.
Third-year student Peter Trinh and second-year student Kevin Hamilton received the $500 awards because of their outstanding academic achievement and service to the community and profession, said Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs David L. Henzi, Ed.D.
MLS program earns 10-year accreditation
The Medical Laboratory Sciences program received its 10-year accreditation this year from the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).
NAACLS accreditation is an external peer review process conducted by educators in the profession. The process assures the quality of programs, including their efforts to innovate and ensure the safety of patients, said Assistant Professor Terri Murphy-Sanchez, CSMLS, ASCP, interim program director of the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
PA professor began her career as a respiratory therapist
Tiffani Burgin, MPAS, PA-C, worked as a respiratory therapist for 10 years before deciding to go to school to become a physician assistant.
“Medicine has its own language, and it’s not easy to learn a new language as you are learning new information, so I had the advantage of having most of the medical language under my belt prior to PA school,” said Burgin, now clinical coordinator and assistant professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies—the same program from which she graduated in 2006.
PA students to receive career tips during virtual session
The Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2020 will learn the finer points of preparing for a job search during a virtual career information session planned for next month.
The Zoom session, scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6 p.m., is open to students graduating from the Physician Assistant Studies program in December, said Class President Caitlin Schwein. The event’s featured speaker will be John Kodosky, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, a clinical instructor in the Department of Orthopaedics at 91PORN’s Long School of Medicine.
Speech-language pathology program gains new faculty member
Assistant Professor Cathy Torrington Eaton, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in September.
“My goal has always been to start and develop a research program,” Eaton said. “I am thrilled to be at 91PORN because this position will enable me to do that.”
Emergency Health Sciences professor lived a life of service
Emergency Health Sciences Assistant Professor Craig A. Manifold, DO, FACEP, FAAEM, FAEMS, passed away on Sept. 20.
Manifold, a national leader in emergency medicine and emergency medical services, was also the medical director of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.
Physical Therapy students post 100% first-time pass rate on national exam
All 38 Physical Therapy students who took the National Physical Therapy Examination this summer passed on the first try.
The school’s 100% first-time pass rate puts it in the company of a select number of programs in the country, said Department Chair and Associate Professor Greg Ernst, PT, Ph.D., ECS.
The national average pass rate was 93%. In 2019, just eight programs out of 250 had a 100% first-time pass rate, he said.
One student from the graduating class will take the exam in October.
OT student receives scholarship honoring late OT professor
Stephanie Urigwe already had a master’s degree in public health when she decided to become an occupational therapist.
“I was yearning for a connection with patients and working with people in their daily lives and needs,” she said. “You really get to connect with people where they are in their illness or whatever they are going through. You help them form their goals and work with them to reach those goals. That's what I liked about OT.”
Respiratory Care professor treated COVID-19 patients in South Texas
Respiratory Care Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education Kristina Ramirez, MPH, RRT, CHES, FCCP, spent two weeks this summer treating COVID-19 patients in South Texas.
Ramirez was deployed to Laredo and Edinburg by a recruiting agency that works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“They send you to areas that are overwhelmed and understaffed and need as much help as they can get,” she said. “It was a great opportunity and very rare, so I was excited to be able to work on the front lines.”
PA Studies Gains New Faculty Member
Associate Professor Owen T. Hill, Ph.D., joined Department of Physician Assistant Studies on Aug. 1 and will retire as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army on Sept. 1 after 32 years of active service.
Hill, MPAS, PA-C, earned his Ph.D. in epidemiology in 2006 and is a board-certified physician assistant specializing in epidemiology and emergency medicine.
Experiment by MLS faculty demonstrates effectiveness of masks and distancing
Two faculty in the Division of Medical Laboratory Science conducted an experiment to demonstrate the impact of masks and social distancing in reducing the spread of potentially contagious aerosols – including COVID-19. Aerosols are a suspension of tiny particles or droplets in the air.
Conducted in July, the experiment was a collaboration with , which reported on the results.
PT student completes inaugural interprofessional student leadership program
School of Health Professions second-year physical therapy student Kevin Hamilton was one of 10 students from graduate schools across Texas to complete the first Texas Society of Allied Health Professions Student Leadership Development Program.
Designed to train future leaders in health professions, the seven-session, synchronous online program began in February and ran through August. The pandemic didn’t impact the sessions, which had been planned as virtual to allow student participants to remotely attend readings and online discussions.
OT professor and colleagues publish paper on dementia-friendly communities
Occupational Therapy Clinical Assistant Professor Laura Novak, OTD, OTR, BCG, is the lead author of an article on dementia-friendly communities that was published in Current Geriatrics Reports in August.
Pediatric speech-language summer telepractice program was a success
Speech-language pathology graduate student Caleb Mize admits to being a little anxious about providing quality pediatric speech-language services via an online platform during a pandemic.
Yet the experience of participating in CONNECT, a summer telepractice pediatric program created by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinical Coordinator and Assistant Professor Angela Kennedy, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, turned out to be inspiring, Mize said.
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