Division News
Monthly Memo from the Desk of
Interim Dean Beverly A. Sullivan
92nd Edition
June 8, 2009
A Message from Dean Sullivan
Research is vital to the growth and success of the University of Wyoming, and the College of Health Sciences is a major contributor to UW's reputation as an outstanding research institution. Researchers design studies and need knowledgeable, conscientious graduate assistants to administer tests and collect data. The college is therefore pleased to be able to add the Mueller/Bresnahan Endowed Graduate Assistantship to enhance the college's studies to answer questions that directly affect the health care and social welfare of people in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain area.
Brandon Alderman, Assistant Professor and Director of UW's Exercise and Sport Psychology Laboratory in the Division of Kinesiology and Health (K&H), examines the relationship between exercise and the relief/reduction of stress. Alderman recently received the first Mueller/Bresnahan Endowment. As a result and with the aid of a qualified, motivated graduate assistant (GA), he will be able to continue his studies as he seeks to be able to illustrate that exercise causes reductions in depression and anxiety and exercise causes enhancements of cognitive function. This is a lofty goal but an extension of his current efforts to answer the questions "Can exercise make you smarter?" and "Can exercise actually cause your brain to grow?" Brandon highly values GAs, saying, "Things don't get done without my graduate students who administer tests and collect and collate data." The GA will benefit, too, as he/she gains firsthand experience of the research process and develops the invaluable habits of patience and observation gained from hands-on lab experience. The consequence of the Mueller/Bresnahan Endowment cannot be overstated and beautifully illustrates the productive partnership between generous friends and alumni and the aspirations of inquiring, qualified UW faculty and students.
News from the Divisions
Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing (FWWSON)
Fay Whitney, Professor Emerita, received an honorary degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) and addressed graduates during the school's May 17th commencement ceremonies. Fay has been a pioneer in family nurse practitioner education and practice. According to David R. Smith, M.D., SUNY President, "Awarding an honorary degree to Dr. Whitney will highlight the importance of SUNY's nurse practitioner and advanced nursing programs supporting the health and well-being of patients in communities throughout upstate New York, particularly in rural areas and underserved larger communities in the region."
Mary Anne Purtzer, Assistant Professor, received $7,000 in College of Health Sciences seed grant funds for her proposal "Processes Inherent in Mammography-screening Decisions of Rarely or Never-screened Women.
May 9th graduation was memorable for 146 FWWSON graduates, the largest number of students ever to graduate from the school at one time. The convocation ceremony, set in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, was well attended by an enthusiastic audience of students' friends and families. Outstanding students were recognized for their academic excellence, leadership and responsibility, commitment to the profession of nursing, and exceptional spirit and enthusiasm.
The school is pleased to welcome two new faculty members. Anne Bowen, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, will be the coordinator of the Nightingale Center for Nursing Scholarship. Anne has a strong background in behavioral health and has received extensive external and internal grant funding. Sue Steiner, Ph.D., from Idaho State University will serve as the school's associate dean for clinical and community partnerships. Her duties will include looking at all the school's clinical activities and coordinating preceptor orientation.
In March, the Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBON) granted full re-approval to the FWWSON. Mary Kay Goetter, Executive Director of the WSBON, noted that talking with students, community and health agency members, and faculty and staff during the review was like an "info-mercial" because of the overwhelmingly positive comments made about the school that received an impressive 228 points of a possible 230. Mary Burman, Professor and Dean, commented on the outstanding results saying, "We are very pleased with this re-approval, although we won't stop here! We will continue to explore ways to enhance the quality of our programs."
The FWWSON, in conjunction with the Wyoming Community Foundation and other statewide partners, is working to build a sustainable Wyoming nursing workforce center. The groups recently held an advisory board meeting in Jackson Hole in conjunction with the 2009 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions. Summit sessions focused on innovative and collaborative relationships to build a stronger, are connected workforce throughout the state. Advisory board members attended workshops to learn how the future center may target and address the needs of nurses in Wyoming.
Kinesiology and Health (K&H)
K&H faculty members have been recognized for their excellence in research, teaching, and service. Marci Smith, Academic Professional Lecturer and lead instructor in the division's human anatomy program, received the college's 2008-09 Outstanding Teacher Award during commencement exercises held May 9th. UW's Division of Student Affairs honored Gary Werhonig, Associate Lecturer, as its Outstanding External Contributor to Student Affairs in recognition of his many contributions to the university community. According to Pat Moran, Director of Campus Recreation, "When we partner together, we can better serve our students, most importantly, but also all members of the university. That's what Gary has been doing for several years now." Congratulations, Marci and Gary!
Brandon Alderman, Assistant Professor; Matt Bundle, Assistant Professor; and D. Paul Thomas, Professor, received College of Health Sciences' Summer 2009 Research Grants. Brandon will continue his research-"The Effects of Moderate-intensity Aerobic and Resistance Exercise on Psychophysiological Responses to Mental Stress." Matt will further his study of the effects of muscle blood flow during exercise, and Paul, working with Ji Li, Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine in the School of Pharmacy, will carry on his work "Glucose Transporters Regulated by AMP-activated Protein Kinase." With his College of Health Sciences' Summer 2009 Travel Grant, Tristan Wallhead, Assistant Professor, will present "A Didactic Analysis of Content Development during the Reciprocal Style of Teaching" in Besancon, France.
Communication Disorders (ComDis)
With increased technological capabilities, shifting market conditions, and growing demands for educational opportunities without increasing budgets, many educational institutions such as the University of Wyoming are expanding their distance education programs. At its most basic, distance education takes place when a teacher and student(s) are separated by physical distance and technology (voice, video, and print), together with occasional face-to-face communication, is used to bridge the instructional gap. Many educators and consumers ask if distant students learn as much as students receiving on-campus instruction. Ample research exists indicating that teaching and studying at a distance can be as effective as traditional instruction. Jennifer Massey, who received her master's degree in speech-language pathology in May, stands as testament to the fact that distance learning is a boon to institutions and individuals. Jennifer, who lives in Montana, was dedicated to completing her degree, which included attending classes on campus during two summers and serving two three-month practica, in the standard three years. She fulfilled and exceeded her goal. She stared the program with four young children, maintained an excellent scholastic record, and even studied for a final exam while in her hospital's delivery room just prior to giving birth to twins! Jennifer is honored to be the "poster child" for distance learning in ComDis and takes every chance she can to tell others about the extraordinary benefits of the program. Teresa Ukrainetz, Professor and Division Director, was an invited speaker at the Arizona Speech and Hearing Convention where she presented "Narrative and Expository Language Intervention for School Age Children" and at Arkansas State University where she presented "Speech-language Pathology Issues Associated with Response to Intervention."
The division's 3rd Annual Capstone Silent "Signing" Party was a great success. Over 40 individuals, all communicating in American Sign Language (ASL), enjoyed pizza and Pepsi and talking to one another using ASL. The event exposes division students and faculty and members of the Laramie deaf community, including students in the Cathedral Home for Children's Deaf Program, to various signing styles and sheds light on the social nuances of deaf culture.
Pharmacy
The School of Pharmacy is proud of its new laboratory. Actually, the "new" lab is a completely renovated, equipped, and up-to-date facility in Room 483A, which housed a lab installed and furnished when the building was completed in 1969. Associate Professors Michael Zawada and Mita Das will use the lab to continue their critical research of therapies for treating Parkinson's disease and drug dependence and the role of hypoxia in pulmonary hypertension and cancer.
Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities (WIND)
WIND, which envisions a Wyoming where all people can participate in everyday community life as they choose, is Wyoming's resource for individuals with disabilities and their families and caregivers. WIND's number of active projects is impressive and includes the following:
· A visionary program for children using a combination of public and private funds, hundreds of children are screened in WIND's Early Childhood Vision Screening efforts.
· Assistive technology programs that inform, train, even provide financing options--WIND helps provide assistive technology devices loans, demonstrations, recycling, information, and referral services for consumers, families, providers, educators, employers, and others.
· The last word on breast health for women with disabilities,WIND helps raise awareness of breast health among women with disabilities, heath care providers, and related individuals.
· Greater access to and more opportunity for recreation--WIND's Sports and Outdoor Recreation program works with many Wyoming towns and businesses to enhance their abilities to offer recreational experiences for children and adults with disabilities.
· Providing disability information to ranching and farming families--WIND partners with Wyoming's Cooperative Extension Service through the AgrAbility Project to provide outreach of disability information and assistive technology assessments to farming and ranching families in the state.
· The most comprehensive collection of disability resources in the state--The WIND Resource Library provides access to over 2,000 disability-related materials, with a special focus on developmental disabilities.
· Providing residents access to the only database of disability resources in Wyoming--WIND's CONNECT Wyoming serves as the primary gateway to human services resources in the state and is the most complete database of human services available in Wyoming.
· Educating university students through the Disability Studies Program--WIND facilitates the academic and professional development of OW students and Wyoming professionals in disability content and issues and offers a minor in disability studies.
· Helping older citizens and people with disabilities through a variety of programs and services--WIND provides a central source of long-term services and support information through its Aging and Disability Resource Center.
· Creating awareness about crimes committed against people with disabilitiesWIND leads the nation in disseminating information about people with disabilities who are victims of crimes, provides a Web-based resource guide for professionals who work with those victims, and increases awareness about the abuse of individuals with disabilities.
For more information, please visit http://www.uwyo.edu/wind/.
Health Sciences Minor
Several years ago, the college instituted a minor in health sciences designed to give students a broad introduction to the issues, resources, and environments in health care. It was intended primarily for non-providers who want to work in a health care setting. For example, a student who wants to be an administrator of a hospital or nursing home can major in business administration and minor in health sciences, or a counselor/psychologist who may want to practice in a hospital would find this minor useful. Students with creative ideas can custom tailor degrees to satisfy their goals and interests.
One of the requirements of the minor is an internship. Internships allow students to put knowledge gained in the classroom to work in the real world and to make connections between the classroom and professional life. Sometimes they learn that they aren't in the right area, but often, they learn that they're in just the right place.
What differentiates an internship from regular work experience?--its companion academic requirements. In addition to their tasks on site, students are required to submit daily journals, review professional publications, and write a final reflective paper requiring them to pull together school, the internship, what they learned, and where they want to take it. It's rigorous, but it's evident from the student experiences described in the following paragraphs that it's also rewarding.
Amy Mehlhaff, a business major from Big Horn with an interest in health administration, did her internship at Laramie Care Center. She rotated through all divisions of the facility and learned the many facets of the operation from the intricacies of admissions through laundry to food service and resident activities. Amy learned a lot and was able to put the experience to work for her when she got a job in a hospital administrative office.
Marti Jo Griffith, a psychology major with an interest in health psychology and wellness from Laramie, recently completed an internship at Laramie Reproductive Health during which she acted as a receptionist, observed pregnancy counseling, watched and performed HIV testing and counseling, and worked with other agencies on publicity.
Britanny Jones, a business management major from Laramie, completed her internship at Laramie's Eppson Senior Center during which she designed and administered surveys and then analyzed the data. Most of the surveys were service and needs assessments, which will help the center move forward in a useful, constructive manner. She worked with staff members and seniors and with other centers in the region to get the necessary information and received rave reviews when she presented her results to the board of directors.
Ivana Cernokova, a psychology major from Laramie, is interning at Laramie's Cathedral Home for Children where she takes an active role in the establishment of a substance abuse treatment program and facility. She will receive education in substance abuse and addictions and then put that knowledge to use as she helps get the new program up and running.
Students, without exception, praise their internships as some of the most valuable experiences of their educations, and the program preceptors are equally grateful to their student interns who often help them do or complete projects that would otherwise be impossible. And they're always impressed with the caliber of our students!
Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2009
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Dept. 3432
1000 E University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
236 Health Sciences Center
(307) 766-6556
Fax: (307) 766-6608 (fax)
Email: admin.hs@uwyo.edu
