School of Health Professions faculty and students receive awards, present at annual state conference
School of Health Professions Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs David Henzi, EdD, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Society for the Advancement of Health Professions at its 45th annual conference in September.
“I have had the honor of working with TSAHP since 2014 and to be recognized by the organization with the Distinguished Service Award was a wonderful surprise,” Henzi said. “I look forward to providing continued assistance to TSAHP and their mission of advancing the role of all allied health professions.”
Henzi, along with Venessa Kodosky, PhD, director of academic assessment and compliance for the School of Health Professions, and Giovannie Hoff, learning and leadership development superviser in the Office of Human Resources at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, presented “Leveraging University Faculty Resources in the Development of an Interprofessional Student Leadership Program” at the conference.
Kodosky is one of the coordinators of the TSAHP Student Development Initiative, a leadership program that provides tools to participating first-year graduate students of health professions programs. The six-month program includes monthly online meetings and a face-to-face component during TSAHP’s conference, which was held this year at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.
Also presenting at the conference was Assistant Professor Jessica Ibarra, PhD, program director of the Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences program, who shared “Adopting Social Contracts to Establish Quality Discussion Space Among Learners Working in Small Group Settings.”
School of Health Professions students participated at the conference, as well. Third-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Kathryn Hiles received a TSAHP Student Award.
"It is an incredible honor to be recognized by a society dedicated to serving and connecting health professions," Hiles said. "Although our scope of practice may vary between professions, we are all committed to providing the highest level of care possible to our patients, all the while incorporating our individual passions for practice."
Hiles “has been an outstanding leader in the Department of Occupational Therapy, and it is wonderful to see her contributions recognized through this award,” said Professor and Program Chair Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR.
Communication Sciences and Disorders student Grace Holliday and Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, PhD, CCC-SLP, presented a poster titled “The relationship between self-reported anxiety and cognition in those with mild traumatic brain injury.” Holliday won second place in the conference’s student research poster competition.
Faculty and student poster presentations from the conference may be viewed here.