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Student wins American Occupational Therapy Foundation scholarship
Second-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Kathryn Hiles has won the Charles Christiansen and Beth Jones Endowed Scholarship from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.
“These are extremely competitive awards, and it is truly testament to Kathryn's impactful leadership and contributions to the program, university and community to be selected as a 2023 recipient,” said Department of Occupational Therapy Chair and Professor Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR. The scholarship award is just over $1,400.
Leadership podcast: School of Health Professions Dean David Shelledy
School of Health Professions Dean David Shelledy, PhD, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, FASAHP, is featured in Episode 20 of the Leadership Podcast produced by the UT Health San Antonio Staff Advisory Council. Listen as he describes his own career path, his love of teaching and playing trumpet, and his thoughts on leadership.
Physical therapy students receive white coats
The 47 students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2024 received their white coats on April 7 in a ceremony representing their move from classroom learning to the clinical phase of the program.
“It’s a symbol of your dedication to the profession, service and the provision of the best possible patient care,” David Henzi, EdD, associate dean of academic and student affairs for the School of Health Professions, told the students assembled in Holly Auditorium.
Faculty and students present, compete at Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention
Students and faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders participated in the 67th Annual Convention and Exhibition of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA), held in Austin in late February.
As vice president of education and scientific affairs on TSHA’s executive board, Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor Angela Kennedy, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, served as the convention’s coordinator. Assistant Professor Casey Taliancich-Klinger, PhD, CCC-SLP, served as the volunteer and scholarship chair.
SHP President’s Council gains tools for a lifetime of leadership
First-year students on the School of Health Professions Presidents Council attended a new program designed to help them develop leadership and communication skills that will apply during their time at UT Health San Antonio and beyond.
PA students perform health checks at UT Education and Research Center at Laredo open house
Physician assistant studies students provided health screenings to attendees of a March 25 open house at The University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo.
Students performed Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and glucose screenings, said Leticia Bland, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor/clinical and admissions chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
Imaging Sciences program director selected for leadership development program
The director of the new Master of Science in Imaging Sciences program is one of 19 participants from across the country chosen for the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) 2023 Leadership Development Program.
Free community health fair to offer screening, testing and healthy living information
All members of the community are invited to a health fair that will be hosted on April 1 by UT Health San Antonio’s School of Health Professions.
The health fair will provide an opportunity for people to undergo a variety of screening tests and receive important health information, said event organizer Terri Murphy-Sanchez, MS, MLS: CSMLS, ASCPCM, assistant professor and program director in the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
School of Health Professions welcomes new associate dean for administrative affairs
The School of Health Professions in January welcomed Nicholas Dudley, the new associate dean for administrative affairs.
Physical Therapy Early Admissions Program student shares path to profession
First-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student Daniel Laereman plans to help fellow military veterans and active duty personnel rehabilitate from their injuries.
“My goal is to get back into the military as a commissioned officer for physical therapy,” Laereman said. “I have met a lot of former Marines and Air Force and Army personnel who get injured in different ways. I want to help them continue their careers in the military. It’s everything from the loss of a limb to simple injuries that prevent them from doing their jobs.”
Medical Laboratory Sciences students gain insights into what their future careers hold
Dozens of medical laboratory sciences students attended a recent professional development seminar featuring a graduate of the School of Health Professions’ Medical Laboratory Sciences program.
Occupational therapy professor joins Leadership Women Texas
Department of Occupational Therapy Professor and Chair Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, is a member of the Leadership Women Texas 2023 cohort.
The leadership program includes women leaders across a variety of industries and aligns with her professional and personal priorities, Piernik-Yoder said.
Respiratory Care Class of 2024 receives white coats
Fifty bachelor’s and master’s respiratory care students received their white coats this month in ceremony symbolizing the transition from classroom to clinical rotations.
“The white coat ceremony is always a special event on our academic calendar as it marks the point at which our students enter clinical practice and begin changing patients’ lives for the better,” said Division of Respiratory Care Program Director and Associate Professor Richard Wettstein, MMEd, RRT, FAARC, FCCP.
PT student chosen as an American Physical Therapy Association Leadership Scholar
Third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student Kaliea Green has been selected as one of 25 APTA Association Leadership Scholars from across the country.
APTA Association Leadership Scholars include PTs, PTAs and students, each of whom is paired up with a mentor and sponsored by the national APTA. The goal of the program, which runs from January through December, is to help build a diverse pool of future leaders.
Learn more about Green, vice president of the Class of 2023, in the Q&A below:
Concussion can affect communication and cognition long after injury, study finds
Concussions can cause long-term deficits in communication, according to findings from a study conducted by Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, PhD, CCC-SLP.
An SLP student shares her journey to the profession
Carmela Delacruz was teaching English to preschoolers in Seoul, South Korea, when she realized she wanted to be a speech-language pathologist.
Teaching was already a second act of sorts for Delacruz, who had taken a job with a startup company curating corporate snack programs following her graduation with a bachelor’s in telecommunications studies with a minor in business from Texas A&M University. Her original dream had been to create broadcast programming, a goal inspired by her older sister, who has Down syndrome.
Gift supports specialized equipment for patients with paralysis
The Department of Physical Therapy has received a $10,000 gift from Helping Empower a Life: Spinal Cord Injury (HEAL SCI) toward the purchase of a specialized piece of equipment for rehabilitation therapy for patients with spinal cord injury.
New Respiratory Care faculty member brings pediatric and neonatal expertise
The newest faculty member in the Division of Respiratory Care encourages her students to learn as much as possible about their patients’ overall condition.
Teaching award winner: “They motivate me more than anything”
Assistant Professor Selina Morgan, PT, DPT, NCS, is the 2022 winner of the School of Health Professions’ Shirlyn McKenzie Teaching Excellence Award — but to hear her tell it, a big part of the honor goes to her students.
“I love my students because they are the cream of the crop,” Morgan said. "They are so motivated to learn and that makes it all so rewarding."
Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences program: a student’s perspective
Grecia Almanza Castaneda wants to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, and she enrolled in the new Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences program at UT Health San Antonio as one step toward that goal.
The BS in Medical Sciences program, which welcomed its first class in August 2022, is designed to prepare students for competitive application to professional graduate school programs including medicine, nursing, dental, pharmacy and allied health professions.
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