physical therapy program receives reaccreditation of health sciences... · nal medicine,...

In 2009, the construction of The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness led a multi-phase campaign

to renew academic facilities. Subsequent projects included the new Science Center, which opened its doors in

2014, and the renovation of Schwab Hall that is expected to be completed this fall. SFU continues to embark

on a major capital campaign to fund the fourth and final phase — the restoration of Sullivan Hall (formerly

Science Hall) — approximately 40,000 square feet of renovated space and 20,000 square feet of new

construction, which will become the new home to the School of Health Sciences. Not only will the new

building provide revitalized teaching space, but also opportunities for disciplines to come together in an

inter-professional setting that simulates the real-world healthcare environment. It is our hope that this new

cutting-edge facility will provide the foundation for future health science students to do great things as part of

innovative healthcare teams, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Stay tuned!

Summer 2016

Certification Sets SFU Senior Nursing Graduates Apart

2

Public Health Program Celebrates First Graduates

3

Athletic & Orthopae-dic Symposium

3

Seeing Double in the Dept. of Occupational Therapy

4

Greetings from the Dept. of Physician Assistant Science

5

Updates from the

Exercise Physiology

Program

6

New Communications tool-MMS/MHS

8

Message from the Dean

8

Architect Rendering of the Future Home of the School of Health Sciences

Inside this Issue:

Coming Soon — New Health Sciences Building!

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program recently received reaccreditation

status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education

(CAPTE) for a maximum period of 10 years. According to CAPTE, “the program

is meeting its mission as evidenced by program outcomes, including reports that

graduates portray high ethical standards and professionalism in the delivery of

culturally competent care.” The Physical Therapy Program has been accredited for

over 15 years, and has graduated over 400 students.

“The reaffirmation of the accreditation is a testament to the students, alumni,

faculty, staff, and administration’s commitment to the DPT Program and the pro-

fession,” said Dr. Ivan Mulligan, Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy.

“We look forward to continuing the tradition of providing the education and

training needed for graduates to be successful and caring physical therapists who

serve their patients and their community.”

Physical Therapy Program Receives Reaccreditation

facebook.com/SFUPhysicalTherapy

www.francis.edu/physical-therapy

814-472-3123

The Official Newsletter

for Saint Francis University

School of Health Sciences Alumni

Saint Francis University • 117 Evergreen Drive • Loretto, PA 15940

School of Hea lth Sc iences News F lash Summer 2016

On January 13 - 14, 2016, all SFU senior nursing students attended an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

course at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The two-day course covered a number of topics including:

Management of Respiratory Arrest CPR/AED Practice and Competency

Technology Review

Mega Code and Resuscitation Team Concept

Pulseless Arrest Ventricular Fibrillation/Ventricular Tachycardia

Bradycardia/Asystole/PEA

Tachycardia-stable and Unstable

Acute Coronary Syndrome

The program concluded with a written test and Mega Code testing — All students passed and are now ACLS

certified! The ACLS certification sets our students apart, making graduates more marketable in working in

critical areas after graduation. Congratulations!

SFU 2016 Nursing Graduates (front row, l to r) Benedict Hughes, Haley Crncic, Michaela Smith, Patricia Klein, Hannah

Bennett, Michaela Bearer, Mary Palko; (2nd row) Scott Jones, Victoria Frederick, Miranda Sheehan, Allison Lingenfelter,

Abby McCullough, Kalee Collins, Laura Weaver; (3rd row) Catherine Rogers, Cassidy Sintobin, Kori Wenner, Chelsea Elsasser,

Seth Michaels

facebook.com/SFU.Nursing

Certification Sets SFU Nursing Graduates Apart

www.francis.edu/nursing

814-472-3027

School of Hea lth Sc iences News Summer 2016

DiSepio Institute Athletic & Orthopaedic Health & Wellness Symposium The 6th Annual Athletic and Orthopaedic Health and Wellness

Symposium was held at the DiSepio Institute on May 13-14,

2016. This year's symposium was entitled "Differential Diagno-

sis, Medical Screening, and Legal/Ethical Considerations for the

Physical Therapist." The conference was attended by 65

licensed physical therapists from the surrounding region includ-

ing clinical instructors and university alumni. The panel of pre-

senters was made up of faculty from the SFU Department of

Physical Therapy, Sports and Orthopaedic Residency Program

faculty, and residents currently enrolled in the Sports and

Orthopaedic Residency Programs.

facebook.com/DiSepioInstitute www.francis.edu/disepio-events

814-472-3923

In 2012, SFU launched a new program: Public Health. This past December, the program celebrated its first two graduates, William Myers and Austin Potts. A recent addi-tion to the School of Health Sciences, the Public Health Program develops professionals to promote health and the prevention of disease through research, community-based interven-tions, and public policy. Put simply, public health professionals strive to keep people healthy by battling against deadly, contagious diseases and working to reduce incidences of preventable diseases or disasters.

William and Austin were excited to begin their careers in the field, and they were honored to be the first graduates. We’re eager to see where their degrees will take them. With the course-work and hands-on experiences gained from the program, both are well-equipped to be successful in the field.

Public Health Program Celebrates First Graduates

(L to R) Dr. Donald Walkovich, Dean, School of Health Sciences,

William Myers, Austin Potts, Dr. Trina Thompson,

facebook.com/PublicHealthAtSFU www.francis.edu/public-health

814-471-1332

Symposium speakers included: Dr. Ivan Mulligan, Dr. Mark Boland, Ms. Mary Ann Wharton, Dr. Curtis Kin-

del, Dr. Michael Groman, Dr. Kara Kobal, Dr. Kara Styles, Dr. Shawn Vanderbrook, Dr. Bridgette Sakar, Dr.

Christopher Jones, Dr. Patrick Smith, and Dr. Aaron Perez.


Seeing Double in the Department of Occupational Therapy Twins Julie (Koehle) Nagle and Jennifer (Koehle) Misiura both graduated from SFU in 2003 with a B.S. in Health Science and obtained their Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2004.

Since graduating, Julie has worked in various treatment settings throughout her profes-sional career, including school-based therapy, both pediatric and adult outpatient, and acute and skilled rehabilitation, treating patients with various diagnoses. Julie has been employed by SFU since the Fall of 2011, starting as an adjunct instructor in the De-partment of Occupational Thera-py. She now teaches the Muscu-loskeletal, Pediatric, and Geriatric components of the curriculum; she also serves as the academic advisor for Phi Delta Kappa and the Alzheimer’s Awareness Club.

Jen has worked with a vast array of patient populations as well, spending the first part of her career in Charlottesville, Virginia where she worked in both skilled rehab and acute care. She has held various leadership and management positions through-out her career. Jen has been employed by SFU since the Fall of 2012, first as an adjunct in-structor, and is now the Aca-demic Fieldwork Coordinator for the Department of Occupa-tional Therapy.

Julie and Jen are also currently pursuing their clinical doctoral in occupational therapy leadership through Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA. Julie’s doctor-al project is focusing on the edu-cation of families affected by the challenges of feeding difficulties. Jen’s project is centered on field-work education, developing a measure to incorporate the field-work educator’s perception of our curriculum in regards to fieldwork preparation.

In addition to keeping up their clinical practice in acute care and skilled rehabilitation, Julie and Jen have spearheaded the devel-opment of occupational therapy services offered at the outpatient rehabilitation services on cam-pus, at the DiSepio Center for Rehabilitation. They have devel-oped and are continuing to grow the patient caseload, treating both the adult and pediatric pop-ulation, having a particular inter-

est in serving clients and their families with feeding difficulties. This has benefitted both the community, as well as the master’s-level occupational therapy students, as this has facilitated the use of hands-on labs with live patients through-out the curriculum.

Julie and her husband Chris have four children, Owen age 14, Alena and Alivia age 7, and Elliot age 6.

Jen and her husband Duane have two children, Damon age 6, and Kaley age 4.

Julie Nagle, M.O.T., OTR/L

Instructor of Occupational Therapy

Jennifer Misiura, M.O.T., OTR/L

Occupational Therapy

Academic Fieldwork Coordinator

facebook.com/Saint-Francis-University-Master-of-Occupational-Therapy-Program

www.francis.edu/occupational-therapy

814-472-3899


Recently, didactic students navigated their way through their final semester before beginning clinical rotations. Multiple choice question tests gave way to making real life choices about patient diagnoses and treatment op-tions. On the precipice of beginning rotations, the didactic students eagerly awaited the chance to engage with real patients, while simultaneously feeling more than a little trepidation about the responsibility that comes with being a healthcare provider. Such feelings are as timeless as medicine itself. While didactic year is filled with an inevitable amount of angst and intellectual mayhem, there is comfort in knowing that wrong answers on tests do not translate immediately into poor outcomes for patients.

While the mission and the spirit of the Department of Physician Assistant Science remains high, the never-ending quest for clinical rotation sites continues to be a yoke whose weight is stiflingly oppressive. Under every conceivable rock we have looked, and will continue to look, for sites where our students can gain valua-ble, mandated clinical experience. Tracy Wright and Heather Gides lead the effort to identify and secure rota-tion sites and recently the pickings have become slim. An increased number of accredited PA training pro-grams in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as across the country, restraints imposed by healthcare systems, and a host of other obstacles impede our quest for sufficient rotation resources. Because of these hurdles, we are asking our graduates to genuinely consider reaching back to the students following in alumni footsteps and open a door, in the graduate’s own practice or within the scope of his or her influence, to make room for a student who is in need of a rotation, especially the required rotations such as family practice, inter-nal medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral medicine, general surgery, and emergency medicine. Training and guidance are available for those who have not precepted before. If you have any inclination about teaching in the clinical setting, or know of someone who may be interested, please contact Tracy ([email protected]) or Heather ([email protected]) and they will happily answer questions and assist you in the establishment of a rotation.

As your careers unfold we hope that your love of medicine, your pride in your profession, and your desire to

use your God-given gifts and talents for the betterment of those who are injured or ill continues to blossom.

Through your minds and your hands you bring hope to those in need. Your alma mater is proud of you and

we wish for you great personal and professional fulfillment.

facebook.com/Saint-Francis-University-Physician-Assistant-Sciences

Greetings from the Department of Physician Assistant Science

www.francis.edu/physician-assistant-science

814-472-3130

Clinical Coordinators

Tracy Wright, MPAS, PA-C,

Melissa Hall, MPAS, PA-C &

Heather Gides, MPAS, PA-C

arrange clinical rotations for

didactic students.

Sites are still needed, espe-

cially in family practice,

pediatrics, and women's

health.


Updates from the Exercise Physiology Program Functional Anatomy to be

Offered at Study Abroad Site

As we look to the future with regard to program growth and opportunities for our students, we are now poised to offer Functional Anatomy for those students who are looking to study in France in the fall. As many of you may recall, Func-tional Anatomy was the first class where you studied musculoskele-tal anatomy in a standalone course. We are now looking at Functional Anatomy to supple-ment and enhance the teaching of Anatomy and Physiology I and will begin to offer Functional Anatomy during the Fall semes-ter here on campus in the near future. We are also looking at other courses, which we may adapt to be available for study abroad, especially now that we have a new site in Siena, Italy.

Alumni News

We received very good news from a couple of graduates who have been accepted to profes-sional schools. Julia Baceszki, SFU BS ‘11, will begin Physician Assistant School at Liberty University, West Virginia, and Dan Grimes, SFU ‘12 will begin physical therapy school at the University of Vermont. Congrat-ulations! We have also heard from Katrina Wilhite, SFU BS ‘14 who accepted the position as head swim coach for the Gothenburg national swimming team in Sweden, and her class-mate Rhonda Watts has accepted a position as a strength and

conditioning coach at the University of Tennessee. Re-cently we were paid a visit by Cody Reimers, SFU BS ‘15 who is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Prosthetics and Or-thotics at the University of Pitts-burgh. He came back to share his experience and describe how his Exercise Physiology Degree has really helped him in grad school. Cody paid particular homage to Dr. Wisniewski’s research course as preparing him well for his research courses in grad school.

In the next newsletter, we will update you with information about the success of all of our recent graduates, and for those who we have not heard from in a while, hopefully you will let us know what you are up to!

Student Experiences & More

Dreams really do come true —sometimes quickly and some-times slower than we would like. Our dreams of adding to our number of internship sites are slowly becoming a reality. Our dreams of building on our number and variety laboratory experiences are becoming a reality. We recently purchased a device that will allow us to inves-tigate physiological responses to environmental challenges includ-ing but not limited to: tempera-ture regulation and cardiovascu-lar responses to cold water immersion, the mammalian div-ing reflex, and the diving reflex with respiratory rate, metabolism and thermal response to exercise and breathing patterns at rest and after exercise.

Dr. Fitzgerald continues to coor-dinate the Exercise Physiology SCUBA Diving minor. She re-ceived her Professional Associa-tion of Dive Instructors (PADI) Open Water Dive Instructor Rating in June of 2015. Dr. Fitz-gerald encourages majors in Ex-ercise Physiology to consider the extraordinary benefits that a mi-nor in SCUBA Diving can offer. She instructs students in recrea-tional scuba diving with Mr. Nick Weakland, Director of the Laptop Help Desk, IT Services at SFU, and Mr. Justin Skipper, SFU BS ‘15, Marine Biology. Her future travels will take her to Belize, St. Lucia, the Balti-more Aquarium, the Saint Law-rence Seaway, and Cuba. (cont.)

flickr.com/SFUExercisePhysiology www.francis.edu/exercise-physiology

814-472-3988

Cody Reimers ('15) first trans-tibial

prosthesis and patient model at the

University of Pittsburgh's School of

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

program in Prosthetics & Orthotics.

Visit us on

flickr


Updates from the Exercise Physiology Program (cont.) We have also begun collabora-

tion with Saint Michael School of

Loretto, PA. Junior Exercise

Physiology students teach the 4th

through 8th graders during their

Physical Education classes as

part of their coursework in

EXPH 312 Exercise Across the

Lifespan. Activities include

games intended to keep the kids

active and committed to lifelong

fitness. At the end of the semes-

ter, our students conduct health

and fitness assessments on the

children and encourage them to

stay active.

In a separate presentation to the

4th and 5th graders, our students

teach the importance of regular

exercise for lifelong health and

fitness using the “heart” and

“muscle” costumes created by

Ms. Bonnie Resinski, who does

great things with costumes and

designs — skills put to use when

she designed the costumes for

many plays and shows per-

formed in the JFK auditorium.

Human Performance Lab

The Human Performance Lab

(HPL) is now fully armed and

operational, and has seen an in-

crease in usage for testing,

course lab experiences, and

research. We began offering a

variety of health and fitness test-

ing to the campus and surround-

ing communities in Fall 2013

and have seen an increase in

utilization every year since. A

complete list and description of

services offered can be found at

ht tp ://franc is .edu/human -

performance-lab/. These ser-

vices, conducted by Exercise

Physiology students under the

supervision of Dr. Wisniewski,

provide additional hands-on ex-

perience for the skills learned in

the Exercise Physiology curricu-

lum. Since their addition to the

HPL in Spring 2015, students

have conducted research studies

using the new Motion Analysis

and EMG systems to examine

movement patterns in various

activities, and the electrical activ-

ity of muscles during various

exercises. Currently, researchers

are conducting a study examin-

ing how accurately adults can

rate aerobic exercise intensity

and the effect of different hand

grips on physiological markers

during treadmill exercise.

flickr.com/SFUExercisePhysiology www.francis.edu/exercise-physiology

814-472-3988

Visit us on

flickr

Exercise Physiology majors Timothy Kramer (muscle costume) and Nicholas

Bennett (heart costume) engage in fitness games with students at Saint

Michael School, Loretto, PA.

Exercise Physiology major, Ronnie

Drinnon models the Healthy Heart

costume.

School of Hea lth Sc iences News Summer 2016

twitter.com/@SFUHlthSci www.francis.edu/school-of-health-sciences

814-472-3075

The MMS/MHS Department launched a pilot program in June that allows communication through text mes-saging. By simply sending an email to the students’ SFU email accounts, the same information is simultane-ously sent as a text message to the students’ cell phones. The pilot went well and was well received. As a re-sult, students are now signing up for the program. We are excited for the potential of this new service in keeping our students informed of essential program information.

Message from the Dean

Donald Walkovich, DHSc, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA

Dean, School of Health Sciences

We have begun a Public Health Program.

Our expansion will continue with the addition of graduate Nursing programs.

Stay tuned! If you have not been on campus recently, it’s time for a visit!

No doubt you have many memories from your time on campus. We would love to hear about them and share them in subsequent newsletters. To that end, I invite you to share “My favorite memory from……” So please think about that and let us know.

Until next time…Pax et Bonum and best wishes,

Don

Greetings! I hope you enjoyed this inaugural edition of the School of Health Sciences Newsletter. We plan to publish the newsletter two times each year. Our goal is to highlight stories of interest about the school, beloved faculty and staff, as well as to share exciting news about our successes!

We have witnessed much growth at both the university and school levels in the past 10 years. For instance:

School of Health Sciences students now comprise ap-proximately 50% of the total University enrollment.

The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness facilitates active learning for our students through the Student Health Center and Center for Rehabilitation, Center for Pediatric Rehabilitation, Human Performance Laboratory, and Toy Lending Library.

The new Science Center has provided state-of-the-art facilities for our students to use for physical sciences.

New Communication Tool - MMS/MHS

facebook.com/Saint Francis University—Master of Health Science

www.onlinemhsc.francis.edu

800-494-3204

www.francis.edu/master-of-medical-science

814-472-3357

physical therapy program receives reaccreditation of health sciences... · nal medicine,...

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