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Associate Professor Fang-Ling Lu, PhD, CCC-SLP, FASAHP , was inducted as a fellow of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions at its annual conference in October. Lu is chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and directs the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Communication Sciences and Disorders certificate programs. She has been a member…
Assistant Professor/Clinical Vanessa Flores, MEd, RT(R)(ARRT), director of clinical education for the Master of Science in Imaging Sciences program, once dreamed of being a professional photographer. While Flores ultimately decided to become a radiologic technologist, she found a way to adapt her passion for creating images within the context of a career in health care. “I wanted to help…, , “The students are going to be well versed in the roles and leadership skills they are going to need,” she said, noting that medical imaging technologists play an essential role on the health care team. “You often can’t do operating room procedures without having some form of medical imaging available,” Flores said. “Many medical conditions are going to require an X-ray, CT or MRI.” The Master of…
People with Parkinson’s disease face a greater risk of falls because the progressive neurological disorder impairs their balance as their levels of dopamine decrease. The resulting fear of falling can lead to reduced activity and isolation. Anjali Sivaramakrishnan, PhD, PT , an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health Professions at The University of…, , Sivaramakrishnan was recently awarded a K12 Mentored Career Development grant for her study titled “High-intensity endurance exercise as a primer to virtual reality for optimizing cortical excitability and neuroplasticity in Parkinson’s disease.” Funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the grant is administered under the Institute for Integration of Medicine…
School of Health Professions students kicked off National Allied Health Week by reviving the Allied Health Games, a fun tradition that had been on hiatus for several years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Nov. 4, students from across the school participated in the games, including a sand volleyball tournament, tug of war, wheelbarrow racing and a team relay race. Teams were awarded points…
In a year of firsts, the Master of Science in Imaging Sciences program held its first white coat ceremony for its inaugural cohort of students on Dec. 13. The program welcomed its first cohort of 20 students this fall. The students were joined by their family and other guests for the ceremony, which highlighted the symbolism of the white coat as a commitment to high ethics and compassionate…
The 48 members of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2023 graduated on Dec. 8. The commencement ceremony, held in the Holly Auditorium, marks the successful completion of the 30-month MPAS program. Jacqueline Mok, PhD, vice president of academic, faculty and student affairs for The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, noted in her remarks during the ceremony…
Department of Occupational Therapy 2023 Faculty Highlights , Assistant Professor Angela Benfield, PhD, OTR,, co-authored three chapters on professional reasoning (Chapter 25: Professional Reasoning in Practice in Willard & Spackman’s Occupational Therapy, 14 th edition, and two chapters in Schell and Schell, Professional Reasoning in Occupational Therapy (Chapter 7: Scientific Reasoning and Evidence in Practice and Chapter 24: Development of Professional Reasoning). She continues to work on the…, Assistant Professor Michael Bermudez, EdD, OTR,, is a reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine . He gave three presentations on coding and other technology use, sickle cell anemia and early childhood intervention in Uganda at the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education Annual Meeting, Oviedo, Spain in October 2023. He is also scheduled to present a technology-based workshop at the American Occupational Therapy…, Associate Professor/Clinical Autumn Clegg,, EdD, OTR, co-authored two published articles related to doctoral capstones: “A Snapshot of How Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs Collect and Use Doctoral Capstone Outcomes” (Rivera et al., 2022) and “An Exploration of the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone: Perspectives from Capstone Coordinators, Graduates, and Site Mentors.” (Kiraly- Alvarez et al, 2022). Clegg was part of a team…, Assistant Professor Mei-Ling Lin, PhD, OTR,, achieved significant academic milestones this year, including three first-author peer-reviewed journal articles, two published abstracts, six conference presentations and two funded grants in which she serves as a co-investigator. She played an active role by applying her methodological and pediatric clinical expertise to support data collection, personnel training, as well as data management and…, Professor and Chair Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR, FAOTA,, had several publications this year, including a co-authored article in the New England Journal of Medicine . The article focuses on an interprofessional project at UT Health San Antonio in which a graphic novel was created as a teaching and learning tool to help students understand the needs of family caregivers of older adults. Piernik-Yoder began her term in July 2023 as the Chair of the AOTA…, Associate Professor Chinyu Wu, PhD, OTR,, had a great first year with the OT Department at UT Health San Antonio. She submitted a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant titled “Sonrisas": Training Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners and Occupational Therapy Students to Address Behavioral Health Needs for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults in Underserved Communities . She is funded by the Institute for…
Associate Professor Greg Ernst, PT, PhD, ECS , has retired as chair of the Department of Physical Therapy after 17 years of service to the School of Health Professions. Ernst joined the faculty in 2006, after a 24-year career as an active duty U.S. Army and U.S. Navy physical therapist. While in the military, Ernst practiced, taught and held various leadership roles, including serving as…
David Miramontes, MD, FACEP, FAEMS NREMT-P, medical director for the San Antonio Fire Department, received the 2023 EMS Medical Director Award at the Texas EMS Conference from the Texas Department of State Health Services in November. Miramontes, associate professor/clinical in the Department of Emergency Health Sciences and the Department of Emergency Medicine, has served as medical director…, , honors a physician who continually demonstrates a commitment to excellent patient care while serving as a medical director for an EMS organization. But to Miramontes, the award represents the efforts of a much larger, committed team whose work benefits patients and as a result, benefits the entire health care system and community. “I think it really reflects all of the hard work of my team,” he…
The UT Health Science Center San Antonio Department of Respiratory Care will host its 29th Annual Respiratory Care Symposium, Innovate to Elevate: Shaping the Future, on March 14–15. The event, including program speakers and vendors, will be held in the Academic Learning and Teaching Center on the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus. Twelve continuing education units can be earned at the…