Happy New Year 2021!
I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are not sad to see 2020 come to a close. It has been a very difficult year for most, and a devastating one for many. At WCU, we continue to grapple with decisions around the health and safety of our community, as we persevere for the greater good of our university and the students we serve.
Although life was anything but typical this fall semester, we did find ways to make the best of our circumstances. Below are a just few of the stories we are proud to share. These are examples of the spirit of the College of Health Sciences; resilient and committed. As we adapted to the "Zoom" life, we found some positive and meaningful ways to connect with our students and the wider community.
Cheers to a bright and healthy 2021 and Be Fit, Be Well, Be Restored,
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Scott Heinerichs, Dean, College of Health Sciences
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The Zoom mosaic has become an important part of everyday life. We held everything from classes to holiday gatherings online. At times, it enabled us to connect with those that are far away that we may not have otherwise seen, and sometimes, it just kept our
students and colleagues connected.
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2020 brought a few retirements from our college. We are grateful for decades of service that each of these very committed individuals brought to our students and the college. Thank you to them and we wish them success in the next chapter. They've earned it!
Deb Murray, CHS Business Manager
Eve Atkinson, Department of Kinesiology
Debra Bill, Department of Health
Lynn Carson, Department of Health
Stan Cramer, Department of Kinesiology
Monica Lepore, Department of Kinesiology
Shelly Tucker, Department of Nursing
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Congratulations to Associate Dean Cheryl Gunter for her election to the National Board of Directors for the Alpha Eta Society. The national honor society recognizes scholarship in allied health students and Dr. Gunter was instrumental in bringing a chapter to the WCU campus. |
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Center for Contemplative Studies |
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Abigail Zimondi, an MPH graduate who is now working on her Applied Mindfulness Certificate, has secured a foundation grant for community service for the Center for Contemplative Studies. The Center will be partnering with the PALM Center (Positive Aging in Lower Merion) to help with loneliness among the elderly by offering Shared Reading groups this spring. Dr. McCown will be training Abigail and several other students, as well as PALM Center staff, to be 'reader leaders' so that we can create a sustainable program. Shared Reading is imported from the UK, where it plays a significant role in work with elderly—a country that approaches loneliness as a public health issue.
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Last Spring, CHS student groups were tasked with creating an innovative tagline that spoke to all six of our departments. What evolved was "Be Fit, Be Well, Be Restored." To further promote their idea, the Dean's office sponsored a t-shirt fundraising drive to benefit the groups and one of our local partners, Community Volunteers in Medicine. Associate Dean Cheryl Gunter presents the profit ($450) to Maureen Tomoschuk, CVIM.
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We are excited to watch the progress of the new Sciences & Engineering Center! We hope to be moving three of our departments and the Dean's Office by the end of the summer! During this time, the Sturzebecker Health Sciences building will also undergo a long awaited renovation. |
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CSD Communication Sciences & Disorders
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When the University shifted to remote instruction last spring, the CSD faculty and staff quickly adapted to continue service delivery. In the spring, summer, and fall 2020 semesters, the graduate clinicians served about 120 clients and their caregivers via Zoom; all were greatly satisfied with the quality of telepractice services. In fact, some clients and caregivers preferred telepractice services to traditional in-person service delivery. As a result, the CSD faculty will continue to offer the telepractice services even after we return to the face-to-face operation
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The WCU/Bryn Mawr Hospital respiratory care program has been named a recipient of the 2021-2022 Apex Recognition Award. According to the American Association of Respiratory Care, "This respiratory care program has demonstrated best practices in educating our future practitioner and promotes patient safety by providing access to respiratory therapists to deliver their care. Your program is among an elite group of respiratory care educational programs from across the U.S. to receive this award." This award is an honor that only 8 Educational Programs in the U.S. received!
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Professor Gopal Sankaran was selected by the International Health Section of the American Public Health Association to receive the 2020 Carl E. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health. The Carl Taylor Award honors the visionaries and leaders who have shaped or continue to shape the direction of International Health.
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Professor Tammy James was asked to participate in an an NCAA-wide collaboration project. The project is a series of blog posts from campus representatives (student-athletes, administrators, athletic trainers, dietitians, coaches, academic counselors, etc.) on their experiences and takeaways from this unprecedented time during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
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This semester teacher candidates enrolled in Health and PE Curriculum & Instruction: Elementary Physical Education, are teaching physical education to students at the Chester County Family Academy. Dr. Cleland designs the lessons and the teacher candidates teach the children via Zoom. Check out the Channel 6 story below with Tafari Lawrence learning from our students Sarah Sherman and Cameron Orwig. |
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Health and PE Teacher Certification major Abby Forlino, was selected to receive the Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship; a national honor bestowed by SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) based upon her academic performance and extra-curricular accomplishments.
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Members of the Nursing faculty volunteered, over their semester break, to assist Chester County Hospital in their Covid-19 vaccination roll out to their employees. Pictured from left to right are: Lauren Stoltzfus, Nancy Barker, and Cheryl Monturo.
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Associate Professor Christine Thomas was recently recognized by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educators-Advanced (CHSE-A). Dr. Thomas is one of only 76 Simulation Educators from 12 countries who have earned this level of certification. |
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The Ram Chef program is a weekly, virtual cooking program powered by faculty member Dr. Jeanie Subach and seven nutrition students who act as coaches. Ram Chefs are young adults with developmental disabilities. The group meets via Zoom every Wednesday for a virtual cooking session. Ram Chefs work with their coaches for individual instruction. The program uses an active engagement framework as a method of teaching food preparation skills while accommodating the strengths and weaknesses of participants.
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Nutrition students experienced a virtual coffee cupping hosted by Golden Valley Farms. Students received two blends of coffee and slurped their way through the cupping. |
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Despite the obstacles presented by COVID, fifteen students completed winter clinical immersion rotations in four states.
Pictured is Cameron Corbett at his clinical rotation with the Delaware State University Hornets
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The Eastern Athletic Trainers Association Annual Meeting was hosted virtually this year, and students and faculty from the WCU Sports Medicine Department were well represented. Emily Duckett presented on “Cultivating empathy and compassion during therapeutic relationships, ” while student Emily Schmidt was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Paul Grace Scholarship Award and Max Coulter represented the WCU AT program in the first ever virtual Quiz Bowl. Faculty members Lindsey Keenan & Dan Baer helped to successfully transition the event to be online and one of the largest in the history of EATA!
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College of Health Sciences | West Chester University | 610-432-2825 | www.wcupa.edu/chs |
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