Category: Health Care

Faculty Elected State President of Athletic Trainers Association

Pradeep R. Vanguri, Ph.D.

Pradeep R. Vanguri, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, was elected president of the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida (ATAF). Having previously served as the education committee chair, secretary, and vice-president, Vanguri is currently serving a one-year term as president-elect before officially entering the role of President in January 2024.

ATAF is the fourth-largest state association, by membership, in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and the largest state association within the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association (SEATA). The president of ATAF serves as the leader of the state association and a member of the district (SEATA) board of directors. Through these leadership roles, the ATAF president directly supports the practice of over 2000 athletic trainers in Florida and influences policy at the district level.

Pattie Tripp, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, current ATAF president, states, “I started serving within ATAF as a member of the Education Committee, chaired at the time by Dr. Vanguri. During the past 15 years our organization has expanded membership support, recruited diverse individuals, and provided evidence-based information through our symposium educational sessions and committee resources.”  During his time on the ATAF Board, Vanguri also contributed to the revision and update of the rules and regulations for the Florida Board of Athletic Training which affected the practice for athletic trainers working with lobbyists, lawyers, and state government officials.

NATA Hall of Fame member Frank Walters, Ph.D., LAT, ATC states, “The role of the incoming ATAF president carries great significance, and Dr. Vanguri past service, leadership, and experience serves as a testament to his commitment and dedication to advancing our profession. He is an individual with a strong track-record of clinical, administrative, and professional organization knowledge.” As president, Vanguri can pave the way for innovation, professional growth, and improved professional standards in Florida for athletic trainers.

Posted 11/05/23

Fischler Alum Named Teacher of Year for S.C. School District

Haley Taylor

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice graduate Haley Taylor has recently been named Teacher of the Year for the Florence One School District in South Carolina.

Taylor graduated from NSU with her Ed.S. in Instructional Leadership and has been teaching in South Carolina for 12 years. In Florence, she was selected among 26 other schools in the district and named Teacher of the Year. The principal for her school was also named Principal of the Year.

“It was pretty fun leading up to it, just the excitement, just the energy of it, because it’s a long process. And it’s a pretty prestigious process here in Florence 1, and so it was it was a great experience,” she said.

Taylor is no stranger to accolades for her hard work. She has been named Teacher of the Year on the school level three times. However, this is her first time earning the title on the district level. The next step is the Teacher of the Year contest on the state level. For that process, she has met with the winners of other South Carolina school districts to discuss issues impacting education in their respective districts.

In addition to working as a teacher, Taylor works as a mentor/coach. One of the issues she said she’s noticed in her time was that teacher retention within the first five years was low. She is now considering ways to help teachers feel supported.

“Everybody probably agrees that you deserve more pay, but we thought about how we can better support these teachers, what do they need outside of financial sources to get them to stay to make them feel good and make them feel supported.”

Taylor said the degree she got from NSU helped prepare her to be a coach for other teachers.

“[The degree] was a perfect segue for being an in-class leader to now being able to step in and mentor and help younger teachers coming in.”

Congratulations Haley! Fins up to you!

Posted 11/05/23

Miniaci Sets the Stage for an NSU Eclectic Extravaganza

Shannon Hall, the general manager of the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center

Theatre. Numbers. People.

These are the three ingredients in life that bring joy to Shannon Hall, the general manager of the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center. Hall has been with the Broward Center of the Performing Arts for more than 15 years and GM for the Miniaci PAC for five of those years.

The Miniaci PAC, a venue affiliated with the Broward Center of Performing Arts, is a 498-seat seat theatre that is part of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center on Nova Southeastern University’s main Davie Campus. This gem is in its 22nd season and supports many NSU academic engagements as well as promoting and contributing to the cultural life of the NSU community and of the community at large.

The Miniaci family, led by the late matriarch Rose and her late husband Alfred, inspired their family to generously support NSU and the South Florida community, helping create the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center.

The world has been a stage for Hall since she was a young girl, getting cast in shows in elementary school and capturing the lead role in a Girl Scout production as “Daisy,” the affectionate nickname of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts. From there, Hall took part in numerous high school production and received a theatre scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Theatre.

“Fresh out of college, I was fortunate enough to get a job with Broadway Across America, the largest Broadway company of touring shows in Fort Lauderdale as an assistant bookkeeper,” she says. “From there I worked for Live Nation Concerts and eventually found my way back to my first love, theatre, and then took a job as the settlement accountant working with numbers, my second love.”

Now Hall calls herself “lucky” to be the GM of the Miniaci PAC, where she enjoys working on a “beautiful campus and building some exciting programming and partnerships.”

Hall beams when asked about the joys of her job.

“You know what’s great?  Being surrounded by young adults just beginning their life journey,” she says. “I feel like we are in a new beginning here too at the Miniaci PAC, especially post-COVID. The passion that each collaboration affords me feels refreshing, fun, and energetic.”

Over the years, the Miniaci PAC has been home to some top acts. In collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs, the center held an NSU Life 101 Speaking Series with artists such as John Legend, Jason Taylor, Vanessa Williams, Anthony Bourdain and Dwayne Johnson also known as “The Rock.”  It also has held sellout concerts such as the Peruvian superstar Eva Ayllon and Matisyahu, as well as a mix of iconic groups such as the doo wop group The Coasters, popular Irish folk group The High Kings, and Ken Block and Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel.

And the future continues to be bright, when it comes to upcoming acts, Hall says.

The dance company Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami returned with two ballets this season, the first “Falling for Dance” and a soon-to-be announced Mother’s Day brunch and ballet event. Miniaci PAC also is introduced its first-ever comedy series featuring HBO and BET’s Shang, Greek American LGBTQ+ stand-up comedian Gus Constantellis, Netflix’s Abby Hatcher, and the jaw-dropping Samantha Ramsdell, known for earning the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest mouth.”

“With a new team and outlook here, we are looking forward to recreating what we do at the Miniaci PAC,” Hall says. “It’s so heartwarming to see patrons moved by the performing arts when they watch or learn from an event – with every spectrum of emotion.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MINIACI PAC AND ITS UPCOMING PERFORMANCES.

Posted 10/22/23

Honors College Student Publishes Poetry Book

Lakshmi Srikari Ravulaparthi and the front cover of her poetry book.

Farquhar Honors College student Lakshmi Srikari Ravulaparthi published a self-written poetry book on BookLeaf Publishing titled “Intricate Simplicity.” Ravulaparthi’s book is a collection of short poems that focuses on embracing life’s myriad emotions through escapism while remaining in the truth of reality.

Ravulaparthi’s inspiration for her poetry book sprouted at a young age when she discovered her fascination with art, nature, beauty, and the world around her. From traveling and living in numerous places to being trained as an Indian classical dancer, photographer, and music experimenter, that fascination cultivated into a passion as Ravulaparthi grew to express herself through poetry to convey her inner thoughts.

“I always hoped to publish an original work, and Intricate Simplicity is only the beginning of this personal journey towards self-discovery,” said Ravulaparthi, a senior behavioral neuroscience major. “Storytelling has always been a part of my life in distinctive ways, be it dance or reading books to my younger sister during childhood. I derive fun and happiness from creating and communicating scenarios.”

While being a full-time undergraduate student and a self-published writer, Ravulaparthi has no upcoming writing projects but has already envisioned potentially publishing a children’s fantasy book in the future.

After graduation, she plans to attend medical school to become a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and a social worker for her community. Ravulaparthi is dedicated to helping others around her. She hopes to someday combine her passions for the arts and community service by establishing her own non-profit organization to help underserved children who can’t pursue an interest due to financial issues.

“Being an honors student helped me grow in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise,” said Ravulaparthi. “From the Carreyrou Reading Seminar my sophomore year to the Microorganisms Open Classroom my junior year… each experience either offered new insight into significant topics or became an unforgettable experience as part of my undergrad journey. I will forever be grateful for all my connections through this honors family.”

Posted 10/22/23

Psychology Associate Professor Publishes Manual on Grief

Christopher Layne, Ph.D., Associate Professor in NSU’s College of Psychology and colleagues recently published a manual on grief. This new manual, which was released on Sept, 14, 2023, is based on Multidimensional Grief Theory, and “provides counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists (as well as students in these fields) with a flexible program for assessing and supporting children and adolescents who have experienced bereavement.”

The manual is the result of more than 20 years of work in the field and is available on Amazon. Read more about this manual HERE.

Posted 10/22/23

Magazine Features Piece by Assistant Director in Facilities

Mallica D. Reynolds

Mallica D. Reynolds, assistant director of regional facilities with the NSU Office of Facilities Management, published an article in the APPA Facilities Manager Magazine September/October 2023 edition. The piece focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, particularly the endeavors of the NSU Office of Facilities Management DEI Committee.

The FAC DEI committee was formed around three years ago by Daniel Alfonso, the vice president of Facilities Management and Public Safety at NSU. The committee focuses on educational, service, and recreational activities within the department. These activities engage the 200+ employees from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds with the aim of improving their sense of belonging at NSU. Each month the team identifies a diversity topic and host lectures, service opportunities, and/or luncheon highlighting opportunities for the department to expand its DEI mindset and viewpoints.

FAC has also collaborated on student events to improve DEI culture throughout the university. FAC employee Assistant Director Dr. Rod Colas serves on the NSU DEI team. Decisions and events from that university wide team are also incorporated into the FAC endeavors. The FAC diversity committee is currently under the leadership of Building Manager Candice Leaty, M.S.

NSU is an active member of APPA/SRAPPA and is a driving force setting new Facility Management trends on a national level. APPA is an international facilities management organization representing more than 17,000 educational facilities professionals from over 1,200 learning institutions. APPA is the Diamond standard for Higher Educational Facilities Management.

Posted 10/08/23

Hispanic Student Dental Association Chapter Places Second

From left, Dr. Liliana Mosquera, vice president and faculty adviser of the Hispanic Dental Association Florida Chapter and Selena Sanchez , the chapter president of NSU’s Hispanic Student Dental Association.

Nova Southeastern University’s College of Dental Medicine Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) won second place in the 2023 Orgullo Scholarship Competition at the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) Student Regional in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2023, and were awarded $2,000.

This HSDA Student Chapter program and competition is designed to accomplish two important goals:  Outreach and Recruitment.  In order to participate, each student chapter must accomplish a minimum of two activities.

  • Crest Oral-B Community Outreach Program:The outreach program can be geared toward any age group, from pre-elementary to senior citizen. The outreach portion of the competition is designed to be a delivery of services such as oral screenings and oral health education (for example, providing patient education services at a community health fair).
  • Hispanic Dental Association Recruitment Program:The recruitment portion of the competition is recommended for middle school or high school students.  The object of this program is to encourage young Hispanics to strive for a career in dentistry.  This can be accomplished during the same outreach programs discussed above or at specific events such as high school career days.

For some background about this scholarship, Orgullo means “Pride”. The vision for this scholarship sponsored by Crest & Oral-B, is to celebrate and recognize student chapters of the Hispanic Dental Association that share their pride and commitment to the pursuit of excellence in preventative dental education and patient motivation.

For the contest, students developed a video of about three minutes long demonstrating oral hygiene instructions, caries prevention, and nutritional counseling. The NSU video beat out projects by six other dental schools’ students.”

Posted 10/08/23

Former Dean and Professor Emeritus Co-edits Book

Honggang Yang, Ph.D., Dean and Professor Emeritus from the former NSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), is co-editor of the upcoming book, “The Rise of Chinese American Leaders in U.S. Higher Education: Stories and Roadmaps.” The other co-editor is Wenying Xu, Ph.D., professor of English and former Provost at Jacksonville University.

The book presents the roads traveled by Chinese American university leaders using stories and reflections. The book will be published later this fall. For more information, please see https://link.springer.com/book/9783031423789.

Yang designed and implemented the Residential Institute (RI) in 1999, still used by the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS).  RI brings distance learning students to campus to engage in on-campus learning, attend keynote lectures, and participate in working groups and social activities. DCRS recently held the 48th RI on September 29-October 2. In addition, he implemented other programs such as the Campus Diversity Dialogues.

Posted 10/08/23

Honors College Launches Alumni Mentorship Program

Honors student Ruthie Fogel meets with her mentor Mariam Haroun, D.M.D., over Zoom.

The Farquhar Honors College alumni mentorship program has created lasting relationships between honors students and alumni. Launched during the winter semester, the program connected students with alumni mentors with similar career interests who could help them achieve their professional and academic goals for the year.

Meeting every month over Zoom, alumni were able to advise their assigned students on everything from mental health and stress management to college and career advice. Some students were even fortunate enough to receive special opportunities from their mentors like research, publication, and shadowing experience.

For Ruthie Fogel, this was an especially lucky match, as her mentor Mariam Haroun, D.M.D., is a practicing orthodontist in her hometown. As an aspiring orthodontist herself, Fogel was able to shadow her mentor every week over the summer.

“Shadowing [Dr. Haroun] was a very valuable and rewarding experience . . . Her dedication to the art and science of orthodontics has motivated and inspired me to keep dreaming of attending dental school and pursuing orthodontics!” said Fogel, a sophomore engineering major. “A big takeaway from the alumni mentorship program is that it taught me to try new things, to always be curious of the unknown, and to be unafraid to step outside of one’s comfort zone.”

For alumni, the voluntary program gave them a meaningful way to stay connected to the college and help shape the paths of current honors students.

“These mentees are so mature and bright, and they’re involved in so many aspects of education, which is so wonderful to witness,” said Tia Cifu, a class of 2017 honors alumna with a B.S. in mathematics and an M.B.A from NSU. “I’m very proud to be an alum of this program.”

The program will run each year with mentoring relationships lasting for the entire academic year. The next round of the program will begin this fall.

“As someone who is considering pursuing a Ph.D. directly out of undergrad, [my mentor] was a perfect match for me because we were able to talk about her experiences, and I was able to see what life looks [like] for someone who was in my shoes not so long ago,” said Courtney White, a senior chemistry and marine biology major. “Mentor-mentee relationships are special connections, and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to establish a relationship with someone who can provide me with a point of view I didn’t have access to before.”

Posted 09/25/23

Levan Center Called ‘Theme Park for Global Entrepreneurs’

Alan B. Levan I NSU Broward Center of Innovation and John Wenzveen, the center’s executive director, were recently featured in Global Miami, a monthly print and digital publication designed to serve as an information resource and hub for Miami’s booming international business community. The center was characterized as “A Theme Park for Global Entrepreneurs.” Global Miami is a leading source of intelligence about the people, companies, trends, and opportunities as a trade nexus for the Americas and beyond.

Posted 09/24/23

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