Monthly Memo May 20, 2009

Monthly Memo from the Desk of

Interim Dean Beverly A. Sullivan

91^st Edition

May 20, 2009

A Message from Dean Sullivan

           Saturday, May 9^th, was a banner day for the College of Health Sciences: 210 College of Health Sciences students participated in graduation, received hearty congratulations from their families and friends, and heard inspiring and encouraging words from Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.  Saturday, May 9^th, was also a banner day for residents of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region who can be assured of continuing service and commitment from outstanding health care professionals.

 Did You Know?

                Graduation is a great time to think about making a gift to the College of Health Sciences Excellence Fund. Giving to the Excellence Fund is a wonderful way to thank the university and honor the college. Each time an individual gives to the fund, a student, faculty member, or staff person receives the opportunity to expand his/her opportunity to learn and thereby excel. To all who have given to the college this year, thank you very much for your commitment to, pride in, and support of the college. To those who have not yet donated, this is a wonderful time to demonstrate your appreciation as alumni and friends. To give on line, please go to https://uwsecureweb.uwyo.edu/GIVEONLINE.

News from the Divisions

            Wyoming Geriatric Education Center (WyGEC)

            The college, WyGEC, and the Wyoming Hospital Association are pleased to offer "Geriatric Care Transitions" as part of the 2009 Make It Happen Workshop Series. The day-long seminar, which will be held Thursday, June 4^th, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie, promises to be of special interest to primary care and geriatric specialty physicians; hospital, nursing home, Hospice, home health, and assisted living administrators; social workers and discharge planning staff; financial officers, directors of nursing, and chief nursing officers; and others committed to improving all aspects of care transitions for older adults in Wyoming.  Topics to be discussed include re-hospitalization, medication discrepancies, symptom management, and functional recovery. According to keynote speaker Eric Coleman, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver, "Care transitions is a team sport, and yet all too often we don't know who our teammates are or how they can help." In addition clarifying the transition process, the workshop will feature a pre-conference breakfast session"Success with Medicare Seniors: Key Insights for Primary Care Physicians"presented by Casper native Donald Murphy, MD. Deborah Fleming, PhD, WyGEC Director, notes, "This workshop comes at a critical time in our struggle to provide adequate long-term services, improve geriatric care, assist health facilities, and help families in Wyoming." For online registration, please go to http://tinyurl.com/d7kfob. To register by phone, please call 307-766-2124 or 1-877-733-3618. For more information, please contact Angela Lavery (alavery@uwyo.edu).  

            Angela Lavery Benson, Project Coordinator, received a Field Instructor of the Year Award from the Division of Social Work in recognition of her role in placing the Hartford Practicum Partnership on Aging Education at WyGEC.

            Campus Lactation Facilities

            In recognition of the well-documented health advantages of breastfeeding for infants and mothers, UW now provides a supportive environment for breastfeeding and breast-pumping employees and students during work hours. The following locations provide private space for breast-pumping mothers:

·         Wyoming Union, Room 208 (766-3765)

·         College of Health Sciences, CHS 299 (766-6120)Please visit CHS 292 for assistance with this room.

·         College of Agriculture, AG 244 (766-4145 or 766-5376)Please visit room C251 to get access to this room.

·         Knight Hall, KH 219 (766-2398)

·         Early Care and Education Center, ECEC 138 (766-4816)

School of Pharmacy

            Tracy D. Mahvan, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, and Jennifer Petrie, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, will present "Video Conferencing as a Means of Delivering Core Curriculum: A Development, Methodology, and Assessment Project" during the International Conference on Education and New Learning Technology to be held in Barcelona, Spain, July 6^th-8^th.

            Weeranuj Yamreudeewong, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, will present her poster "Evaluating the Effects of Warfarin Dosing Card on Patient Compliance to Prescribed Dosages" during the Anticoagulation Forum's 10^th National Conference on Anticoagulant Therapy in San Diego.

            Janelle Krueger, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, and Amy Stump, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Family Practice Residency Program/Cheyenne, will present their poster"Building Geriatric Competencies through Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences"at the upcoming meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

            Social Work

            Anwar Alkhurinej, Ph.D., has been a visiting professor in the division this spring semester. During her sabbatical from the University of Kuwait, Dr. Alkhurinej has shared her expertise of the special needs of women and of population groups lacking adequate access to the US health care system.

            Through the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT) at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Division of Social Work will be engaged in a new regional training projectthe Frontier Regional Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Training Centerthat is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center serves the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming in an effort to prevent, identify, refer, and care for individuals and families affected by FASD. Experience with CASAT will be an excellent way for UW's social work students to receive state-of-the-art training.

            Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing (FWWSON)

            During the school's Second Annual Scholarship Celebration, Connie Diaz Swearing, Associate Lecturer, received the school's 2009 Communication of Wisdom Award in recognition of the publication of her article "Using Nursing Perspectives to Inform Public Health Nursing Workforce Development" in the Public Health Nursing Journal. The celebration was also a time to review the school's busy, successful year during which faculty produced 14 refereed publications, 12 major presentations, and eight funded grants.

            Joan Ryan, Office Associate Senior, received the UW Bookstore's Favorite Administrative Professional of the Year Award. Way to go, Joan!

            To acknowledge their outstanding professional and academic performances, four Wyoming nurse leaders and 87 FWWSON undergraduate and graduate nursing students have been invited to join the Alpha Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau national nursing honorary. The new members were inducted during a dinner to be held on May 8^th.

            Over the summer, more than half of the junior nursing students will take part in a variety of externship programs. One student will be in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and another will be in Chesapeake, Virginia. The remaining students will be placed throughout Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Through their experiences in medical and surgery units, ICUs, and emergency rooms, the students will gain on-the-job training before moving into their senior year.

            Members of the Student Nurses Association (SNA) raised $1,011.80 during UW's Relay for Life, a team event to fight cancer. The relay represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated. As a result of their enthusiastic participation, the SNA contributed more than half of the money raised by the entire UW community and once again demonstrated their dedication to community service to improve the health of Wyoming citizens.

            Center for Rural Health Research and Education (CRHRE)

            The CRHRE continues to provide tools, technology, and support services to enable practitioners, administrators, educators, researchers, policy makers, and students to improve the quality of health care and services in rural areas. The center's Web site (http://www.uwyo.edu/health) has links to its health information, telehealth and telemedicine, privacy and security, bioinformatics, and rural health care sites and services. Please visit the site and see the many services the center maintains and updates.

            CRHRE staff members have been busy devising innovative strategies to best utilize the "jump start" funding for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act being distributed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HIT). Because of its strong foundation with telehealth, electronic health records, and HIT education, the center is ready and eager to take advantage of this timely funding opportunity.

            The center has submitted its Request for Proposal (RFP) to the Federal Communication Commission Rural Healthcare Pilot Program for a vendor to create a statewide network linking 53 hospitals, mental health clinics, and substance abut center. CRHRE Director Rex Gantenbein and Research Scientist Bob Wolverton, with support from Eric Bryant of UW Procurement Services, led the way to creating the RFP.

            Congratulations are in order for Research Scientist Barb Robinson who recently completed her dissertation "A Meta-analysis of Effects of Participation in Internet Support Groups on Outcomes Related to Chronic Illness" and received her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center College of Nursing. Research Scientist Britnee Brost, who was appointed to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, has been helping coordinate Wyoming Wellness Day, a statewide event to enhance physical activity in children. Bob Wolverton was appointed to the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center Board and attended the American Telemedicine Association's Annual Meeting, the world's largest scientific meeting and exposition focusing exclusively on telemedicine.

            The CRHRE was recently awarded an endowment from the Maude J. Mueller estate. Ms. Mueller was a long-time Laramie resident who wished her endowment to be used to aid and perpetuate clinical/medical research in Wyoming, with the primary purpose to promote quality health care to the citizens of Wyoming.  The CRHRE will fulfill Ms. Mueller's requests by funding a UW graduate assistant from the Department of Psychology to support the development of Telemental Health in Wyoming.

            WWAMI Medical Education Program

            More than 120 people attended the annual White Coat Ceremony during which each medical student received a white coat from his/her Laramie preceptor in recognition of the student's entrance into the medical profession. The students now face three weeks of exams before beginning their second year of medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle.

                      Kinesiology and Health (K&H)

            On Thursday, April 16^th, over 100 students, parents, and faculty gathered in the Wyoming Union's Yellowstone Ballroom to congratulate K&H majors during the division's Awards and Recognition Dinner. Over 30 students were recognized for their academic achievements and service to the division, and 14 scholarship recipients were named. The evening also included the announcement of this year's outstanding seniorsJaime Dinkel from Hot Springs, South Dakota; Lauren Kinde from Laramie; Jeani Walker from Lyman, Wyoming; and Jamie Scarcliff from Arvada, Colorado.  

            Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND)

                WIND is pleased to welcome William "Bill" MacLean, Jr., Ph.D., as its next executive director. Dr. MacLean is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology and brings to WIND a solid, distinguished career in disabilities studies and work with University Centers for Excellence for Development Disabilities, Education, Research, and Service. Equally important is the fact that Dr. MacLean is an outstanding colleague who has the ability to work well with everyone and bring distinction to everything he does.

            Communication Disorders

            Lynda Coyle, Senior Clinical Instructor, has been accepted as the Wyoming National Aphasia Association State Representative. Lynda is also the contact person for the local Laramie Stroke Support Group for everyone with neurological impairments, their families, and caregivers. The group meets the second Tuesday of the month from 6:00-7:30 pm at Laramie's Eppson Center for Seniors, 1560 N 3^rd Street. For more information, please contact Lynda (307-766-5714 or ldcbears@uwyo.edu).

            Mary Hardin-Jones, Professor, co-authored the fourth edition of Cleft Palate Speech soon to be published by Elsevier. Mary also presented a paper"Maternal Language Input to Children with Cleft Palate Before and After Surgical Palatal Repair"and a poster"Babbling Babies with Cleft Palate: The Effect of Early Soft Palate Repair"during the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) Annual Meeting in Scottsdale.

            David L. Jones, Professor, also took an active part in the ACPA meeting, presenting a study session"Nasal Emission: More That Meets the Ear?" and a post-conference symposium"Surgical and Prosthodontic Management of Velapharyngeal Insufficiency." Prior to the meeting during the Connections Conference, he moderated a panel of patients and parents affected by craniofacial differences.

            Family Medical Residency Program (FMRP)/Cheyenne

            In an effort to advance being environmentally friendly and reduce vehicle costs, the FMRP/Cheyenne has purchased three cruiser bikes for residents, faculty, and staff to ride to and from the hospital and on errands in Cheyenne. Rob Monger, M.D., an avid bicyclist, asked that in lieu of an honorarium for a lecture on behalf of Abbott Laboratories, his stipend be used to purchase the bikes.

            Student Affairs

            Scholarships are increasingly valuable to recruiting and retaining outstanding health sciences students. It is therefore a pleasure to congratulate this year's recipients and thank the sponsors for their generosity and foresight.

            The Dr. Gerald and Mrs. Linda Baker Pre-Medicine Scholarship was established to make scholarship grants to junior or senior Wyoming residents who are enrolled in UW's pre-medicine curriculum and who have demonstrated likely success to be admitted to and graduate from medical school. Physiology majors Steven Flynn from Laramie and Tarek Salih from Cheyenne are this year's recipients. Steven has been active in community service activities ranging from Habitat for Humanity to the Eppson Center for Seniors to Camp Wapiyapi for children with cancer and their siblings. He has an impressive background in neuroscience research and is interested in emergency medicine. Tarek is currently on a student exchange at Portland State University where he is working on a cancer biology research program. He is an active member of Mortar Board, UW's senior honor society, has been a mentor and tutor for the Wyoming Gear-Up Program, and hopes to pursue an M.D. /Ph.D. in asthma research.

            Betty Thorpe Griffith established the Virgil Thorpe Scholarship for juniors or seniors, preferably those from Weston County, in pre-medicine, nursing, or pharmacy who maintain a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or better. Rashele Ann Bartels received the 2009 scholarship. She is interested in becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist, has worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in a variety of venues, and currently a lead phlebotomist for BioLife Plasma Services.

            Tyler Quest from Casper and Sandra Smylie from Douglas received Dr. Charles and Betty Vivion Scholarships for Medical Students. Tyler, a 2008 graduate in biology, completed UW's Honors Program, researched maternal stresses and fetal health, and worked as a dialysis technician. He will attend medical school at the University of Washington through the WWAMI program. After graduating with a degree in microbiology and a minor in business, Sandra will also attend medical school at the University of Washington through the WWAMI program. She studied in Australia for a semester and chaired Laramie's first-ever MS Walk.

                Kimberly Cranford from Jackson, a May graduate in molecular biology, received Lawrence J. Cohen, M.D., and George and Nancy Potekhen scholarships. Kimberly, who maintained an excellent academic record while working as a CNA in assisted living centers, will start medical school at the University of Washington in the fall and hopes to specialize in pediatrics or international medicine.

            After graduating in May with a degree in kinesiology and health and a minor in chemistry, Jaime Dinkel from Hot Springs, South Dakota, will study dentistry at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health with help from L. Floyd Clark, Noel and Constance Wilkie Premed/Dental, and Delta Dental Plan of Wyoming scholarships. While at UW, Jaime maintained an outstanding GPS, worked with special needs clients at Laramie's Ark Regional Services, and was a teaching assistant in anatomy labs.

            With Wyoming Dental Association and Delta Dental Plan of Wyoming scholarships, Everett Maynard from Casper and Stacie Stephens from Cheyenne will attend dental school at the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry through the WYDENT contract program. Everett served six years with the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft maintenance employee and hopes to practice general dentistry in Casper. Stacie graduated in December 2008 with a major in chemistry and a minor in zoology/physiology. She was a cheerleader during her four years at UW and looks forward to practicing children's dentistry in Wyoming.

            John E. and Dorothy R. Hildreth established the Paul Hildreth Memorial Scholarship in memory of their son, Paul. Elise Scicluna from Wheatland, this year's recipient, maintained an excellent GPA while majoring in zoology and physiology. Elise is a committed community volunteer who was very active with projects for Laramie Senior Housing through the college's Community Health Advancement Program. With assistance from the Hildreth Scholarship and a Delta Dental Plan of Wyoming scholarship, she will attend Creighton University's School of Dentistry through the WYDENT contract program.

            With their Wyoming Optometric Association Scholarships, Korbin Koch from Cheyenne and David Bisbee from Sheridan will attend Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. Korbin graduated with two degreesone in secondary education and one in chemistryand David is a UW graduate in exercise physiology.

Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009