Quicklinks
School of Health Professions
Results: 156 news stories
New PT faculty member discovered the profession while in the military
By Kate Hunger
Associate Professor Bradley Tragord, PT, DPT, DSc, OCS, FAAOMPT, was five years into his military career when he decided to become a physical therapist.
“I had more of an inclination to interact with patients, and when I learned I could still stay in the Army and do that, it was a slam dunk,” said Dr. Tragord, who recently joined the faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy after retiring from the Army with more than 22 years of active-duty service.
Building community: Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders hosts adult education program
High school math teacher Simone Bailey has primary progressive aphasia, a disorder that affects speaking and understanding language, as well as reading and writing.
This summer, Bailey attended an adult education program for improving communication skills that the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders hosted on campus. The program was designed for people whose ability to communicate has been affected by stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurological conditions, including primary progressive aphasia.
Committed to the profession, OT students win Ellsworth scholarships
A passion for helping people participate more fully in their daily activities drew third-year occupational therapy (OT) students Nestor Gonzalez and Erin Hobbs to the profession.
The daughter of two nurses, Hobbs discovered OT halfway through her undergraduate study as she sought a health care profession that matched her values.
“It’s a profession that really cares about health and quality of life for our clients and patients,” Hobbs said.
Emergency Health Sciences faculty participate in summer EMS conferences
Faculty from the Department of Emergency Health Sciences participated in several leading EMS conferences this summer.
Professional milestone: PA students receive white coats and pins
Students in the Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2023 received their white coats and pins in an annual ceremony signifying their entrance into the profession and the responsibility that comes with it.
How PAs discover — and choose— their profession
Physician assistants often do not learn about their future profession until they are already in college — or even afterwards, according to a pilot study led by Steven “Tony” Skaggs, PA-C, assistant professor and associate chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
Communication Sciences and Disorders professor named journal junior editor
Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, PhD, CCC-SLP of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has recently been selected as a junior editor for the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.
Although Dr. Norman has served as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed medical journals, this is her first role as an editor. Her experience as both a clinician and a researcher have prepared her well for the opportunity, she said.
Students conduct pediatric speech, language, hearing and literacy screenings
Students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders have been performing pediatric speech, language, hearing and literacy screenings this summer.
Perfect score: Speech-language pathology graduate aces national exam
Mitzi Hardeman had been working in customer service for a decade when she decided she wanted a different career.
“I wanted to help people in a more meaningful way and to do something in the sciences,” Hardeman said.
A passion for the laboratory and leadership
Nemo Muñoz loves the opportunity microbiology provides to step into the role of detective.
“To me, it’s like solving a mystery: You start with a plate reading, and from there you can go as far as figuring out the species and genus of what the bug is,” Muñoz said.
OT pilot program helps adolescents and young adults with disabilities develop independent living skills
A new pilot project developed by a recent graduate of the occupational therapy program helps adolescents and young adults with disabilities develop independent life skills such as making meals and doing laundry.
Respiratory care students take oath, don white coats
The coronavirus pandemic delayed the traditional white coat ceremony for the Division of Respiratory Care Class of 2022 by several months—but the wait was worth it, says master’s student Destiny Mayfield.
On May 28, Mayfield was one of 52 bachelor’s and master’s respiratory care students who slipped on their white coats in a rite of passage for those in the profession.
SHP co-hosts first UT Health SA Rehabilitation Research Day
The School of Health Professions and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine hosted the first UT Health San Antonio Rehabilitation Research Day.
SHP graduates participate in historic commencement ceremony
Students from the School of Health Professions’ Class of 2021 walked the stage at the Alamodome on May 22 in an historic commencement ceremony that included all five of UT Health San Antonio’s schools — a first in the institution’s 53-year history.
More than a degree: MLS graduate found support and encouragement
When Damilola Daniels decided to chart a fresh course in her career, she did her research.
A former industrial scientist in the oil and gas industry, Daniels wanted to find a specialty within health care. She shadowed health professionals in a hospital to learn more about the possibilities. She decided medical laboratory sciences was a good fit and applied to UT Health San Antonio.
Speech-language pathology graduate persisted despite two hurricanes
Robyn Hernandez didn’t let a couple of hurricanes derail her focus on finishing her master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
Hernandez was living in Fort Polk, Louisiana, and taking classes online when Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta hit six weeks apart in 2020. The deadly hurricanes knocked out power and internet service throughout the state and caused billions in damages.
SHP dean coauthors second edition of respiratory care textbook
School of Health Professions Dean David C. Shelledy, PhD, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, FASAHP, coauthored the second edition of a respiratory care textbook published in February.
On site in Laredo: Professor excels at founding PA programs
Assistant Professor Rosalyn Rosas, MMS, PA-C, had planned to be a nurse, but a chance encounter with a physician assistant inspired her to pursue a new path.
The PA—who Rosas had initially mistaken for a surgeon—invited her to observe an open-heart surgery. Rosas accepted. In the OR, she was enthralled not only by the opportunity to hold the patient’s heart during the procedure, but also by the realization that she had just discovered her future profession.
Pursuing an online respiratory care master’s degree as a working professional
Carolyn Adams, RRT-NPS, is a full-time senior respiratory therapist, but one day, she hopes to teach.
In addition to working nights at a pediatric hospital, Adams serves a clinical instructor for one of the technical schools in Madison, Wisconsin, where she lives. She is also a student in the Division of Respiratory Care’s online degree advancement master’s program, which is designed to help working professionals reach their career goals.
Speech-language pathology professor selected for research mentoring program
A year-long research mentorship program will help Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Assistant Professor Casey Taliancich-Klinger, PhD, develop her research program on developmental language disorder among bilingual children.
Subscribe to recieve a monthly email newsletter with information on academic programs, events and campus news from the School of Health Professions.
First Name
Last Name
Email
