Tag: Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences

Physician Assistant Grad Continues to Grow Her Business

Karli Plunkett and her staff

When Karli Plunkett – a 2017 alum and graduate of the NSU physician assistant program – graduated, she started the Orlando business Nectar Aesthetics, a medical spa specializing in tailored aesthetic treatments. Now, Plunkett is planning to open a second location in downtown Orlando in November.

Plunkett attributes her drive and success to the lessons learned at NSU. Surrounding herself with other passionate PAs from NSU also has been her recipe. Two of Plunkett’s practitioners are Jenni Jagers and Rheema Islam, 2022 and 2023 graduates.

“I remember when NSU accepted me I felt so lucky, and then once didactic started I transitioned straight into feeling overwhelmed,” she said. “Fortunately, I was surrounded by great people.”

Plunkett says the relations she formed in school meant a lot. She credits the student acceptance screening with making NSU’s program “an overall great experience.”

“I think this is often underappreciated, but NSU’s screening for students is excellent, and surrounded me with wonderful classmates to encourage and be encouraged by,” she said. “PA school was one of my greatest challenges, but the rewards have been undeniable.”

Posted 09/10/23

Professor Elected Vice Chair of SoFIA Advisory Council

Alina M. Perez, J.D., M.P.H., LCSW

Alina M. Perez, J.D., M.P.H., LCSW, a professor at the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences in the Department of Health Science, was elected vice chair for the Advisory Council of the South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA) , https://www.thesofia.org/.

SoFIA, formerly known as Impact Broward, is a nonprofit organization focused on providing equitable and quality services to the aging community and their families in South Florida.

SoFIA engages older adult volunteers who will assist with services virtually and in person to offer services to seniors and caregivers by providing companionship to isolated individuals, veterans, and military families as well as support to community centers. They also provide technical training to help seniors navigate the digital environment.

Posted 09/10/23

ASHA Committee Appoints NSU SLP Associate Director

Steven P. Vertz

Steven P. Vertz, M.S., CCC-SLP, associate director of Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program, has been appointed to the Committee on Nominations and Elections (CNE) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

ASHA’s CNE is charged with reviewing and interviewing applicants for openings on ASHA’s Board of Directors, overseeing procedures for increasing the awareness of ASHA members regarding the elections process for the national office, providing input to ASHA’s National Office staff, and cultivating and recruiting future candidates for board positions.

His two-year appointment, which began January 1, 2023, will end December 31, 2024. Vertz is proud to represent both his profession and Nova Southeastern University in this capacity.

Posted 08/27/23

Faculty Presents at International Conference in Iceland

Hinckley presenting at the University of Iceland.

Jackie Hinckley, Ph.D.

Jackie Hinckley, Ph.D., a professor in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences of the Department of Speech/Language Pathology, was one of the platform presenters at the Nordic Aphasia Conference June 14 – 16, 2023, held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland. The conference was attended by over 200 experts from Europe, Australia, and North America.

While in Iceland, Hinckley also participated in a meeting of the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists. Her presentation was titled, “Characteristics of Good Responders to Activity-Focused or Impairment-Focused Treatment.”

Posted 08/13/23

NSU PT Professor Receives Excellence in Research Award

Alicia Fernandez-Fernandez, D.P.T., Ph.D., PT, CNT, a professor in NSU’s Physical Therapy Department, was recognized with the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) Excellence in Research Award at the NANT conference in April 2023.

This annual award was created to honor neonatal occupational therapists, physical therapists, or speech-language pathologists who tirelessly contribute to quality research in the specialized field of neonatal therapy. Fernandez-Fernandez maintains clinical practice in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) since 2003, and she holds a neonatal therapist certification (Certified Neonatal Therapist), which recognizes the neonatal therapy expertise, education, and knowledge needed to effectively serve high-risk infants and families in the NICU.

She is also a Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist. She serves as a board member of the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board since 2014, and is the exam liaison for neonatal therapy certification, responsible for the training of item writers, and development, deployment, and outcome analysis of the international certification exam.

Additionally, she participates in development, deployment, and outcome evaluation of the neonatal therapy practice analysis, leading to multiple publications that explore ongoing trends in this clinical area of practice. She has presented at national and international conferences on various neonatal therapy topics including neonatal referral patterns, safe sleep protocols, and neonatal certification.

She has also contributed to the Spanish translation of the first and second editions of the SENSE program, which provides education to engage families in providing developmentally appropriate positive sensory exposures to optimize outcomes for their infants.

At NSU, Fernandez-Fernandez collaborates with Raquel Garcia, S.L.P., CCC-SLP, CNT, BCS-S, an associate professor in NSU’s Speech-Language Pathology Department, and Daphna Barbeau, M.D., medical director of Neonatal Neurodevelopment at Envision Health and HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) Florida University Hospital, in the Tiny Tots Transition to Home program, a weekly education program series which is offered to caregivers of infants in the NICU at HCA Florida University Hospital with the goal of improving caregiver-child attachment and reducing caregiver stress.

The program is funded by an NSU Quality of Life grant and involves the collaboration of multiple departments at NSU.

Posted 08/13/23

SLP Faculty, Craniofacial Team Hold Boot Camp

Shown in the center right, is Tambi Braun, encircled around her are SLP students and alumni.

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) faculty; Raquel Garcia, SLP.D, CCC-SLP; and Tambi Braun, SLP.D., CCC-SLP, joined with the Joe DiMaggio Craniofacial Team, Kristen Deluca Diaz, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Diana Acevedo, M.S., CCC-SLP, to lecture and train other speech language pathologists at a one-day event for patients and families from the Cleft and Craniofacial Center held at Memorial Regional Hospital Conference Center, Hollywood, Florida, on July 22, 2023. The NSU SLP graduate student clinicians and alumni also volunteered and assisted at the speech therapy boot camp.

Speech-language pathologists from across Florida were trained in anatomy and physiology of cleft palate and resonance disorders, and assessment and treatment of compensatory articulation.

All participants are looking forward to future hands-on trainings.

Posted 08/13/23

Applications Open for Provost’s Research & Scholarship Awards

Starting August 7, 2023, nominations will be accepted for the annual Provost’s Research and Scholarship Awards. Last year this program was expanded to increase recognition opportunities for NSU faculty, and to improve accessibility to faculty from all academic disciplines and career stages.

The Provost’s Research and Scholarship Awards (PRSA) program now awards up to four awards. The PRSA program has two disciplinary categories and two awards within each category by career stage (one for early career and one for established faculty). Therefore, the below four awards, given sufficient candidates in each category, will be awarded annually:

  1. Assistant Professor in the Arts, Business, Humanities, Law, and Social Sciences
  2. Associate/Full Professor in the Arts, Business, Humanities, Law, and Social Sciences
  3. Assistant Professor in STEM and Health/Medicine
  4. Associate/Full Professor in STEM and Health/Medicine

The purpose of this program is to recognize demonstrated achievement in research, scholarship, and creative pursuits by NSU faculty members. These annual awards recognize distinguished accomplishments in the pursuit of research, creative, and scholarly activities across disciplines and career stages, as noted above.

More information and the link to the application is available here: http://www.nova.edu/academic-affairs/provost-award/index.html.

The deadline to submit a nomination or to self-nominate is September 6, 2023, 5:00 p.m., EDT. The winners of the Provost’s Research and Scholarship Awards will be announced in November 2023.

Posted 08/04/23

Medical Sonography Board Exam Class Of 2023

Medical sonography students, class of 2023, who are completing their clinical externship have also spent several hours studying in preparation of their board examinations.

Six students passed their vascular board examination, and one student passed the abdomen board examination six weeks before graduation.

This is a great accomplishment!

Posted 07/30/23

Tiny Tots Transition to Home: A NICU Pilot Study

From left, Amanda Perry and Vanessa Lewinsky presenting their poster at FLASHA 2023 convention.

Speech-language pathology graduate students Amanda Perry and Vanessa Lewinsky presented their research at  the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA) annual convention in Orlando on July 14, 2023.

Their poster presentation titled “Tiny Tots Transition to Home : A NICU Pilot Study” shared data collected from a parent and caregiver support group that provides peer to peer networking and education to medically fragile families in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU).

 Their research found that a parent and caregiver support group  supporting capacity building strategies, promoted peer to peer networking, increased parental confidence with the transition to home process as well as decreased stress, anxiety, and trauma. In collaboration with their research mentor, Raquel Garcia, SLP.D., CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT, BCS-S, assistant professor, Vanessa, and Amanda continue to collect data to determine tiny tots’ impact on infant development and parental health literacy.

This is an ongoing grant funded research study with many opportunities for interprofessional collaboration within the university and community. If you are interested in participating, please contact Raquel Garcia, rw602@nova.edu.

Posted 07/30/23

Weekly Seminar Focuses on Newborn/Neonatal ICU

Daphna Barbeau, M.D., neonatologist at University of Florida Hospital, and Raquel Garcia, SLP.D., CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT, BCS-S, NSU speech-language pathologist, hosts an education seminar every week to parents and caregivers in the newborn/neonatal intensive care unit.

Tiny Tots Transition to Home is supported by the NSU Quality of Life Grant. Tiny Tot’s is geared toward supporting health disparities for families of diverse backgrounds who proportionally receive less support and guidance during the discharge to home process from the critical care unit.

The aim for Tiny Tots program is to promote safe transition to home, health literacy, and support mental health/anxiety. This is an interprofessional education opportunity, where providers share digestible information with parents.

We are currently recruiting faculty and would like to extend an invitation to you, your colleagues, and students.

Posted 07/30/23

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