Connections
 

March 2012

Dean's Message

We were excited to learn this month that several of the College’s graduate programs were ranked among the nation’s best in the U.S. News and World Report magazine’s annual issue, America’s Best Graduate Schools:

Communications Sciences and Disorders (Speech Language Pathology) – 29th
Occupational Therapy  - 31st
Physical Therapy – 44th
School of Social Work – 66th
www.usnews.com/grad

This national spotlight is a gratifying recognition of the academic excellence that has come to define programs and faculty throughout the College.  While the recent news is indeed welcoming, it joins a roster of accolades, rankings and accreditations that continue to solidify CHPSW’s role in the research, academic and clinical practice spectrum.
 
This month, I'd also like congratulate Dr. Rich Lauer from the Physical Therapy Department and his colleagues on their recent NIH grant award for $1.26 million (see below).  This is a major accomplishment -  particularly in this challenging funding environment.  Great work!
 
Congratulations to all, and thanks to the faculty and staff who work so hard to advance knowledge and prepare students for future success.
 
All the best,
 
Michael R. Sitler, EdD
Interim Dean
 

$1.26 million awarded for cerebral palsy research

Faculty from CHPSW's Department of Physical Therapy, Department of Public Health, and Biostatistical Research Support Center received a $1.26 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health & Human Development) for a study titled “Balance and Posture in Adults with Cerebral Palsy”.

While cerebral palsy (CP) is generally thought of as a disorder of childhood, the majority of individuals with CP live at, or near to, a full life expectancy with approximately 1 million adults and children with CP in the US alone.

Richard Lauer, PhD, assistant professor and principal investigator of the project, Emily Keshner, PT. EdD, professor, Carole Tucker, PT. PhD, associate professor from the Department of Physical Therapy, and Adam Davey, PhD, associate professor from the Department of Public Health, will examine postural control strategies in adults with CP to gain insight for future development of clinical and rehabilitation techniques aimed at improving functional balance and fall reduction..

HIM students attend conference on Capitol Hill

Twenty-six juniors in CHPSW'S Health Information Management program traveled to Capitol Hill March 26  to participate in the American Health Information Management Association’s (AHIMA) 2012 Winter Team Talks.

They were accompanied by Maggie Foley, PhD, RHIA, CCS, associate professor and Director of the BSHIM program; Joe Hines,Student Services Coordinator; and Cindy Joy Marselis, MBA, MS, RHIA, Interim Chair of the HIM Department.

Team Talks is an interactive educational conference that brings AHIMA’s leadership together to engage in dialogue that sets the strategic direction of the HIM profession and the Association.
 

Public Health Program named “Best Practice”

The College's undergraduate public health program has received national recognition for its innovative curriculum and commitment to creating a new generation of public health workforce. 

The second undergraduate program in the country to be accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health and one of only 12 offering an accredited BS in Public Health, it was recently named a “Best Practice” by the Healthy People 2020 Curriculum Task Force, the Association of Prevention, Teaching and Research, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities.  The case study outlining the program is available at http://www.aacu.org/public_health/CaseStudies.cfm.

Center for Asian Health welcomes public health administrators from China

On March 14, Drs. Grace X. Ma and Yin Tan of Temple University’s Center for Asian Health hosted two public health administrators from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, Dr. Yajia Lan and Ms. Yunfang Chen.

Dr. Lan is a professor in the School of Public Health and the Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Sichuan University. Ms. Yunfang Chen is Director of the Women’s Health Center at Chengdu’s local Center of Disease Control.

[PHOTO: From left: Dr. Yajia Lan, Ms. Yunfang Chen, Dr. Grace Ma, Dr. Yin Tan]

Rehab Sciences - TR incorporates iPad use in program

Last summer, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences acquired ten second-generation iPads for use in the classroom and beyond.

Throughout the fall semester, its Therapeutic Recreation program has been developing an iPad program to incorporate within its existing curriculum. Their goal is to help recreation therapists set the standard for using iPad technology within treatment interventions.
 

Presentations, Publications, Trainings

PRESENTATIONS

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Collaborative on Community Inclusion for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities hosted nearly 60 community behavioral health administrators March 19, policy makers and service providers at an event to raise awareness about the roles for recreational and occupational therapy providers in promoting recovery and community integration. Presentations by Carlos Moreno, MS OTR/L and Gretchen Snethen, PhD, CTRS of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences provided a framework for concepts in OT and RT.

Cindy Joy Marselis, MBA, MS, RHIA, Interim Chair of Temple’s Health Information Management Department, participated in a panel called "Information Management in a Compliant World" at the Crossing the Infrastructure & HITECH Meaningful Divide Symposium March 22.

The other panelists were Shiny George, MS, RHIA, CPHIMS, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, Senior Director of HIM at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals and a graduate of CHPSW's BSHIM and MSHI programs; Paloma Hawry, Senior Manager, College of American Pathologists STS Professional Services; and Thompson H. Boyd III, MD, CHPHIMS, Physician Liaison at Hahnemann University Hospital.

Appointments and Awards

APPOINTMENTS

Michael McIntosh, PhD, RN, assistant professor in CHPSW's Department of Nursing, was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Health Promotion Council of Philadelphia (HPC), March 12.  The mission of the HPC is to promote health and prevent chronic disease among vulnerable populations in Philadelphia through education and advocacy. The nonprofit relies on community-based tactics to reach underrepresented minority groups. Dr. McIntosh will be serving on the board for a term of three years.

Linda Ruppert, CRNP, MSN was among 20 new associates inducted into the American College of Cardiology on March 27 at the 61st ACC Congress in Chicago. Of the 270 new fellows each year, only a few nurses are selected. The Department of Nursing congratulates Linda, who is a cardiology nurse practitioner at Temple University Hospital and a doctoral student in the DNP program, on this prestigious honor.

Time Out receives awards from three charitable organizations

For 26 years, the Time Out Respite Program at Temple University’s Intergenerational Center has been mobilizing college students to reduce caregiver stress, reduce the isolation of their frail elderly relatives, and increase their ability to remain living at home.

Bridging the Gap

The Kinesiology Department's Athletic Training Education Program hosted 5th graders from Lanning Square Elementary School in Camden, NJ, March 23.

The event was  part the "Bridging the Gap" project- sparked by Lindsay Reichard (Class of 2012), inspired by the Ben Franklin Bridge as the symbolic link between Lanning Square Elementary and Temple University.  The purpose is to let the Camden students experience what is available to them and give them encouragement to do well in school, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and to receive some mentoring in the process.

 

Nursing faculty holds high tech virtual meeting

CHPSW's Nursing Department held its first virtual faculty meeting in March using WIMBA technology.  Twelve faculty members from the undergraduate program were able to attend and actively participate in meeting while saving time, energy, and money.

WIMBA technology allowed faculty to connect from home instead of driving to campus, and the nursing department was able to archive the meeting, so if additional members could not attend, they could have access to the meeting at a later time. 

Athletic Training student gets internship with NY Jets

This summer, Dan Strohecker, a student in the Kinesiology Department's Athletic Training Program , will be an intern for the NY Jets professional footbal team. Dan is also the Temple student representative to the Education Committee for the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers' Association and the Pennsylvania representative to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Student Delegation.

BSN student competes in NCAA Women’s Fencing Championship

Mikayla Varadi, an undergraduate CHPSW nursing student, participated in the 2012 NCAA Women's Fencing Championships.

The event took place from March 21 to 25 at the French Field House and St. John Arena at Ohio University in Columbus.