Monthly News & Updates
March 2023
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It is always amazing to me how the spring bulbs emerge each year even from beneath the snow. As I walk my neighborhood and our beautiful campus, I see the little blue Scilla bulbs are in bloom and the daffodils look like they are ready to burst open any day. The School of Health Sciences is also blooming. This spring newsletter captures some of the faculty and student presentations at national and regional conferences, recent publications, and grants awarded. I could not be prouder of our faculty for their dedication to our students and for the passion and engagement of the students. This is truly a unique learning community. You will also note additional faculty and student accolades and awards in this newsletter.
Please join me in welcoming the new faculty and staff who joined our School in January.
Enjoy reading this edition of our SHS newsletter and Happy Spring!
Warmly,
Dean Francis-Connolly, PhD
Dean, School of Health Sciences
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Welcome new SHS faculty! The School of Health Sciences is very excited to have you join our community. Please help us welcome them! |
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Congratulations, Dr. Karl Minges on being named CT Magazine’s new class of ’40 under 40’! Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
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University of New Haven dental hygiene program receives $74,000 grant
Marie Paulis, director of the Dental Hygiene Program, said the money will fund both some equipment replacement as well as "additions that would assist to update the clinic and enable the students and faculty to provide more efficient and exacting clinical care that is supported by current best practices."
"Connecticut’s underserved and vulnerable populations deserve the same high-quality care as those who have the capacity to seek treatment at a private practice dental office," she said.
Paulis said the 18-seat clinic operates between September and June and provides blood pressure and vitals assessment, dental cleanings, sealants, dental x-rays, fluoride treatments, nutritional counseling, oral cancer screenings and referrals and oral decay screenings to over 1,500 patients per year, many of whom are members of minority populations or have experienced health disparities. Preventative services at the clinic are $30 for adults and $20 for children, whereas comparable services at a private practice could be in excess of $1,200.
The university's award was part of a $220,000 CHEFA grant to three statewide health care entities.
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Congratulations MPH student Muskan Kohli for receiving the Vivian Drenchkhan Student Scholarship Award
Muskan Kohli, an MPH student and WeEmbody (WE) Lab Fellow, has received the Vivian Drenchkhan Student Scholarship Award from the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She will be honored at the SOPHE Annual Conference in March and will be presenting alongside me.
SOPHE gives out only three of these awards across a national applicant poll, each year. It's a big honor!
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Chargers recently attended the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, where they networked with professionals in the field, built their confidence, and learned more about the myriad career opportunities within the field of public health.
Late in the fall semester, a group of public health students headed to Boston to attend an annual conference hosted by the American Public Health Association. There, they learned about current research taking place within the field of public health and networked with other students and industry professionals.
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This was a collaborative project with the pediatrics and biostatistics departments at an academic medical center and involved primary data collection through chart review by medical students.
They found that while individual demographics like asthma severity and age were significant in predicting unscheduled healthcare use, they only partially explained unscheduled healthcare use, since there were users and nonusers of unscheduled healthcare across all severity levels (lowest to highest) for childhood asthma, suggesting considerable room for reducing unscheduled healthcare use through proactive interventions to improve “supported self-management of asthma” at the provider and organizational levels.
Overall, the findings helped to identify short- and long-term strategies for improving supported self-management and reducing unscheduled healthcare use for childhood asthma at the patient, provider, and organizational levels
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MLK Celebration and Recognition Awards on Jan. 25th
Congratulations Dr. Yanice Mendez-Fernandez on receiving the MLK Vision Award for making a difference on our campus and community.
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Yankee Dental Congress Convention in Boston on Jan. 28th
On January 28, 2023, the junior dental hygiene students attended the Yankee Dental Congress Convention at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, Massachusetts. In cooperation with the dental societies from the northeast, tens of thousands of dental and dental hygiene professionals and students gathered at this center with an eye on the future of dentistry.
For most of the students, it was their first dental convention and an excellent networking opportunity. In addition, it was an awe-inspiring opportunity for the students to interact with the oral healthcare representatives and vendors to learn more about the dental companies that featured the latest in dental technologies, patient treatments, dental hygiene products, personal protective equipment, and oral healthcare advances.
The dental hygiene Class of 2023 would like to express their gratitude to Professors Palumbo and Grosso and Instructor Pezzolesi for organizing and leading them to this convention, and to the Provost’s Office for funding transportation.
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Cracking the Code: Employment Post-Graduation - MPH Alumni Panel | Networking Event on January 30th.
On January 30th MPH faculty Dr. Marquita Taylor and MPH student Ruth Kameswara Rao moderated the speaker series, Cracking the Code: Employment Post - Graduation.
Panelist included:
Emily Bean, Yale University, YNHH
Mabintou Darboe, WICAREHEALTH
Jennifer Jacque, Center for Outcomes Research and Engagement (CORE)
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HPAC Podiatric Medicine and Surgery event with Dr. Jesse P. Parks on on Jan 31st
This event consisted of a 45 minute lecture and Q&A on the field of podiatry as a whole by Dr. Jesse Parks followed by a 45-minute surgical suture workshop, led by Dr. Parks.
Jesse P. Parks, DPM, FACFAS
Dr. Jesse Parks is a podiatry specialist in Milford, CT. He currently practices at Milford Podiatry Associates, P.C. and is affiliated with Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Parks graduated from Northeastern University Cum Laude in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. He graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors from New York College of Podiatric Medicine in 2005 and completed his three year medical and surgical residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is Board certified in foot surgery and reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery.
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Board of Governors Anatomage Presentation on Feb. 3rd.
Santiago Gomez ’23 (Paramedicine, B.S.) and Syrena Carver ’25 (Health Sciences, B.S.) were selected to lead the SHS student showcase for the University Board of Governors and their guests on the evening of Friday, February 3rd. During their showcase, Santiago and Syrena demonstrated the capabilities of the Anatomage table, an advanced medical imaging system allowing learners to interact with high-resolution 3D models from a real human cadaver. The students illustrated various uses of the table by displaying, manipulating, and virtually dissecting different parts of the human body in full 3D while explaining its potential to enhance student learning across SHS majors.
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17th Annual UAB Healthcare Administration Case Competition
February 20 – 22
Although our student team did not win at the UAB case competition, they had an effective presentation and an opportunity to gain positive and meaningful feedback from a national panel of experts in the field.
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Our students also received direct feedback from a “presentation advisor” assigned to each team to provide input related to presentation style and team dynamics. In effect, our team walked away with great insights and lessons learned related to 1) the content of their care delivery model, 2) the design of their presentation slides, including the right balance between words and images, and 3) the alignment between their oral presentation and their slide content.
A big thank you to the various MHA faculty and advisory board members who helped our team prepare for the case competition over several weeks leading up to the event, including judging their mock presentations!
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SHS Interdisciplinary Conversations Series on Wed. March 22nd
12pm – 2pm, Moulton Lounge
University of New England: Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education “A seat at the table: Diversity, equity and inclusion through the lens of disability”
Students and faculty from the graduate Speech-Language Pathology and Public Health Programs will attend the live University of New England presentation via Zoom for an immersive discussion highlighting disability as part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations/initiatives happening in places near and far.
A panel of experts, speaking from lived experience, will explore topics including the Americans with Disabilities Act, employment, education, healthcare, sexuality, and more.
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Yoga Nidra with Gwen Grosso, RDH, MS
Beckerman Rec Center
Wednesday, March 29th,
Wednesday, April 12th or
Wednesday, April 19th
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Join Gwen Grosso for a special type of guided meditation that promises relaxation and healing.
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on Wed. April 12th
12pm – 3pm, Maxcy Quad
Fresh Check Day is a program of the Jordan Porco foundation that is an uplifting mental health fair that includes peer- run interactive booths, free food, music and exciting prizes and giveaways! This national program is a one-day event that is set for April 12th that aims to promote mental health across college campuses. We can’t wait to see you there, so join us for your mental health journey with in-person events!
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Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society Induction Dinner
Wednesday, April 19th
5pm – 7:30pm, Lorenzo’s Restaurant
The mission of the Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society is to recognize, reward, and encourage academic excellence in the study of healthcare management and policy. The School of Health Sciences and Masters of Health Administration faculty look forward to awarding twelve new inductees into Upsilon Phi Delta and congratulate them on their outstanding academic record.
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SHS Student Awards Ceremony
Friday, May 5th
5:30pm – 7:00pm, Bucknall Theater
7:00pm – 8:00pm, Reception to Follow
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Occupational Therapy Program Has been granted Candidacy Status
The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education has granted the OTD program candidacy status paving the way to admit students for the first cohort to start in Fall of 2023.
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Congratulations to Dr. Pavani Rangachari on your article on the Hartford Courant, Interview with Glamour and interview with Scripps News!
Public Health Director Pavani Rangachari wrote a 1,000 word opinion article that has been recently accepted by the Hartford Courant. Her article is titled “Engaging healthcare providers and consumers in creating a “culture of health” is the great new hope for curtailing the skyrocketing costs of health insurance.” This was her first foray into media contributions!
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Congratulations Dr. Jessica Holzer on being interviewed on Channel 3 News!
Jessica Holzer, associate professor and director of the Health Sciences Program, joined Ch. 3 Eyewitness News to talk about the risks of sending children to school when they are not feeling well enough to participate.
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Congratulations to Professor Allison Arnett for your interview with NBC CT!
Professor Allison Arnett was recently interviewed by NBC CT discussing food insecurities in connection with the opening of the new food pantry at Hartford High School.
"Allison Arnett, a lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven, says food insecurity affects everyone differently.
"While the USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent and reliable food for every person in the household, there's a big spectrum that's associated with food insecurity," said Arnett. "Food insecurity isn't necessarily a permanent condition. It could be weeks, it could be days, even that somebody feels food insecure. Therefore, having available resources for all those individuals has become increasingly more important."
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Congratulations to Practitioner in Residence for Nutrition Sciences, Maggie Lyon, on your recent live interview with News 12!
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Send any achievements or upcoming events to
for a chance to have them included in an upcoming newsletter.
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Betsy Francis-Connolly Ph.D.
Dean, School of Health Sciences
bconnolly@newhaven.edu
The Future of Healthcare. Today.
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