Monthly Memo, Nov. 3

Monthly Memo from the Desk of
Interim Dean Beverly A. Sullivan

86th Edition
Nov. 3, 2008

A Message from Interim Dean Sullivan

Interim Dean Beverly A. Sullivan

What a beautiful fall we are having here in Laramie! The fantastic weather greeted our alumni as they returned, in some cases from quite a distance, to visit with friends, faculty, and staff during Homecoming. As you read this month's Memo, you'll see that the students of our college certainly deserve their reputation as the best and brightest at UW. Activities such as the college-wide student-organized health fair underscore the talent, commitment, and humanity of our dedicated health sciences students. As I look around at this wonderful college and its students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I feel a great sense of pride at the accomplishments and aspirations of all who have been a part of our notable enterprise.

Did You Know?
We're excited that so many of our alumni and friends are reading our Monthly Memo. We have heard from many of you and would love to hear from others and appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Please feel free to forward this to others you feel might be interested in our news, and if you know of others who might like to be on our e-mail list, please contact Virginia Cole (vcole@uwyo.edu) with their name and e-mail address. Thank you very much for your continued support and commitment!

News from the Divisions
Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities (WIND)
Connect Wyoming, one of WIND's many services for all citizens of Wyoming, provides the following comprehensive collection of information and referral resources:
  • basic needs (food, shelter, transportation, and financial assistance);
  • consumer needs;
  • criminal justice and legal services;
  • education;
  • environmental quality (public health and safety);
  • health care;
  • income support and employment;
  • individual and family life (case management, in-home care, support groups, faith programs, etc.);
  • mental health care and counseling; and
  • organizational and community services (disaster services, community groups, etc.).

Connect Wyoming provides useful information for all Wyoming citizens.

With its Pathways Plus Database, Connect Wyoming is also valuable in finding information by keywords or subject headings, discovering a specific program within a particular field or region, developing a listing of client services, providing program and service information, and searching for potential colleagues or gaps in services. Furthermore, the program's newsletter is distributed electronically to more than 1,200 subscribers. Please visit www.uwyo.edu/wind/connect or call 800-889-8309.

Kinship Training is WIND's new program for grandparents raising grandchildren with disabilities. According to the AARP, more than 6 million children in the United States (approximately 1 in 12) are being raised in households headed by grandparents and other relatives. In Wyoming, 5,150 children live in grandparent-headed households. The purpose of Kinship Training is to assist grandparents and relatives with the challenging task of raising grandchildren who have disabilities and to understand the world of disabilities. Training modules will include special education rules and regulations, the legislative process, self-determination, and disability resources in Wyoming communities. Twenty hours of video conference training sessions in 11 Wyoming towns are set to begin this semester.

Members of the college's Memory Walk team.

Memory Walk
Fifty walkers raised $2,500 during Laramie's first Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® held on September 26th. Since 1989, the Memory Walk, which is sponsored by Genworth Financial, has brought families, friends, caregivers, and concerned community members together to help those battling Alzheimer's disease. The College of Health Sciences' team of 13, organized by social work master's student Michelle Eckers, raised $350 to benefit the more than 5 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's disease.

Fall Commencement
Fall Commencement, with a reception afterward, will be held December 6th at 10 a.m. in the Yellowstone Ballroom of the Wyoming Union. Students should contact Phyllis (307-766-3010; Brecher@uwyo.edu) or Nancy (307-766-3495; Holman@uwyo.edu) or come to Health Sciences 235. Fay W. Whitney, Professor Emerita of Nursing, will address the graduates and their family and friends.

Flu shots were available during the college's health fair.

Pharmacy
Phi Lambda Sigma, the student leadership society within the School of Pharmacy (SOP), organized the College of Health Sciences' health fair held Saturday, October 18th. Many individuals took advantage of the event's free services that included blood pressure and hearing screening, rapid HIV testing, and depression assessment and visited booths providing information on a variety of health issues such as poison prevention, immunization education, and diet recommendations. Thank you to all those who raised the awareness of the value of proactive health care.

Kevin Trippone of three UW Distinguished Alumni.

Kevin Tripp, who earned his degree in pharmacy from UW in 1978, received one of three UW Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Awards. He is currently vice president and president of Retail Midwest Supervalu Inc., where he oversees the retail operations of Cub Foods, Hornbacher's, Jewel-Osco, and Shop ‘n Save. Kevin attributes his professional success to the personal quality of his education in the SOP and to his "terrific" teachers, mentors, and family.

Alumni of the Year
The College of Health Sciences considers its alumni invaluable assets as they conscientiously and professionally serve their communities and actively support programs of the college and the university. It was therefore a pleasure to honor this year's outstanding alumni during a luncheon held on October 10th.

Janis Miller is this year's outstanding alumna for the Division of Social Work. Janis received her bachelor of social work degree from UW in 1992 and later completed her master of social work degree at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. For almost 10 years, she has been the social worker for the Radiation Oncology Department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Janis finds her career professionally challenging and personally gratifying as she works with an average of 25 cancer patients a day. Her goal is to make her clients' journeys "a little easier for patients, families, and caregivers by advocating, education, and supporting (counseling) them. " She adds, "I feel privileged every time someone shares their story, and I feel driven to continuously find ways to improve the way services are provided."

College 2008 Alumni of the Year(from left) Robert Abramowitz, Janis Miller, DeAnne Owre, and John Bragg. (Will Smith and Guardia Banister were unable to attend the October 10th luncheon.)

Robert Abramowitz, the 2008 outstanding School of Pharmacy (SOP) alumnus, received his bachelor's degree from UW in 1976 and his doctorate from the University of Arizona in 1986. He is currently Director of Formulation Research at the Fairfield, New Jersey, facility of Taxolog, Inc. Robert is an active member of many national pharmacy associations, maintains a productive research focus on immediate and controlled-release dosage forms, and has published numerous articles in scientific publications and presented papers at more than 27 scientific conferences. He consistently supports the programs and policies of the SOP and UW and was a recipient of the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute President's Award in 1995 as part of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Negations Team.

Guardia Banister, the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing's 2008 alumna of the year, earned her bachelor of nursing degree from UW in 1980 and her doctorate in psychiatric/mental health nursing from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988. She is currently executive director of the Institute for Patient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where she is responsible for developing innovative programs and initiatives to advance clinical excellence through collaboration, education, and research for the departments of nursing, social services, therapies, chaplaincy, and volunteers. Guardia is also very active in community humanitarian services and has garnered over $8 million in support of her research efforts.

William "Will" R. Smith, M.D., is this year's outstanding alumnus for the Division of Medical Education. Will completed his bachelor's degree in molecular biology/pre-med at UW in 1997 and by 1997, was a certified paramedic through the Colorado Association of Paramedic Education in Denver. From 1997-2001, he was part of the inaugural WWAMI class for Wyoming and completed his medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Will was chief resident during his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 2004 and became board certified in emergency medicine following graduation. Will is currently Medical Director for Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Search and Rescue, and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve. He will complete his second deployment in Iraq in mid-January 2009.

John D. Bragg, M.D., completed his master's degree in kinesiology and health (K&H) in 1993 at UW and is K&H's outstanding alumnus for 2008. His master's thesis, "The Effects of Strength Training on Prepubescents," was directed by Ward Gates, K&H Professor Emeritus, and Tami Benham-Deal, Associate Professor of K&H. From 1993-1997, John attended medical school at Creighton University and has practiced medicine in Laramie since finishing his residency in 2001.

DeAnne Owre, the Division of Communication Disorders' 2008 Alumna of the Year, received her bachelor's degree from UW in 1965. DeAnne has made many notable contributions to the field of speech-language pathology and is currently Chair of the Speech-Language Pathology Department of the Woonsocket, Rhode Island, school system. In recognition of her term as Vice President for Governmental and Social Policies of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and her many clinical achievement awards, DeAnne is also the 2008 Outstanding Alumna for the College of Health Sciences.

CNAs will now be trained to work with residents of the state's long-term care facilities.

Wyoming Geriatric Education Center (WyGEC)
In its continuing efforts to enhance the health care of Wyoming's rapidly aging population, the WyGEC has received $150,000 in state funds to expand its innovative Wyoming Care with Confidence Project (WCCP). WCCP addresses the state's critical gap in mental health services for older adults through a partnership with the Wyoming Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division by teaching certified nursing assistants (CNAs) how to work with problematic behaviors of residents in long-term care facilities. Using a curriculum developed by Northern Wyoming Mental Health Center's Rita Van Norman, participants learn about behaviors caused by dementia, depression, and anxiety. During its "train the trainer" pilot program, WCCP prepared six mental health professionals who trained 161 CNAs in 10 Wyoming facilities. The new funding will allow expanded training of additional Wyoming providers of long-term care. Christine McKibbin in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences provides assessment and evaluation of the program. For more information, please contact Deb Fleming, WyGEC Director (307-766-2719).

Communication Disorders
Mary Hardin-Jones, Professor, was one of 25 individuals inducted into Texas Tech University's School of Allied Health Sciences Hall of Fame at the school's 25th anniversary celebration on September 25th. Mary received her bachelor's and master's degrees in speech pathology from Texas Tech and completed her doctorate at the University of Iowa. With her many publications and nationally and internationally recognized research into the factors that influence treatment outcomes for children with cleft palate, Mary is an impressive representative of her alma mater and is credited for her many contributions to the division, the college, and the university.

The Division of Communication Disorders' "spirited" contingent at the recent Salt Lake City convention.

The division is pleased to welcome Jennifer Keeler, M.S., Part-time Assistant Lecturer. Jennifer, who supervises the division's first-year graduate students, has a strong medical speech pathology background.

The division had a strong showing at the Intermountain Area Speech and Hearing Convention held in Salt Lake City. Christiane Dechert, Assistant Lecturer, and Lynda Coyle, Senior Lecturer, helped organize the convention. The division's13 graduate students earned a silver medal in the Praxis College Bowl Competition, and with cheers, school colors, pompons, and enthusiasm, the entire contingent won the Spirit Award.

Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing (FWWSON)
Laura Meloche, Assistant Lecturer, presented a poster"Problem-based Learning Is Like Mozart Playing Jazz"at the 35th Annual Professional Nurse Educators Group Conference in Albuquerque. During the conference, Laura also spoke to a special interest group.

Four faculty members addressed the American Public Health Association meeting held in late October in San Diego. Connie Diaz Swearingen, Assistant Lecturer, presented "Linking Education and Practice for Excellence in Public Health Nursing"; Pamela Clarke, Professor, spoke about "Community-based Clinical Prevention: Health as Human Capital"; Carol Macnee, Professor, presented "Rural Latino Community-initiated Assessment: Process & Outcome"; and Susan McCabe, Associate Professor, talked about "Health Experiences of Women Living in Rural Frontier Communities."

Ashley Lair spent time last summer in the Dominican Republic learning about its public health system.

Ashley Lair, a junior from Rock Springs, recently recounted her summer 2008 experiences in the Dominican Republic as a member of a group sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange. In addition to taking classes, Ashley was stationed for a time in a public health clinic. She was impressed with the fact that lower-class individuals in the Dominican Republic could receive free health care but found the clinics themselves overcrowded. According to Ashley, "My respect and appreciation for Laramie's Downtown Clinic continues to rise as a result of my experience." She also spoke in Spanish as she addressed groups about the difficult topic of domestic violence. The FWWSON is fortunate to have this generous, public-spirited young lady in its BSN program.
 

Posted on Monday, November 03, 2008