Tag: Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences

Students Selected for Institute for Future Scientists in O.T.

Lanoris Parker

Each year, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), selects 20 participants from a nationwide pool of promising entry-level occupational therapy students for the Institute for Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy.

During the first AOTA/AOTF institute, OT class of 2017 student Bryce Carsone Smith, represented the NSU Tampa Bay O.T.D. program. This year, two NSU of the selected twenty participants include entry-level O.T.D. students, Lanoris Parker­–Fort Lauderdale, and Deborah Kofsky–Tampa Bay.

First year O.T.D. student Lanoris Parker was a personal trainer prior to entering the O.T.D. program, and upon graduation with a Masters in Kinesiology, received a commission with the US Army Medical Specialty Corps as an Army Reserve Second Lieutenant. His interest is in learning about the interconnectedness of physical activity, brain science, and occupational therapy. Due to lack of resources and inadequate teaching and aware of health disparities, he is motivated to participate in occupational science and help elevate research to improve mental health and fight against the rise of mental disorders.

Deborah Kofsky

Deborah Kofsky, fourth year O.T.D. student, is completing her final clinical rotation and doctoral capstone experience for her OTD degree. Her academic performance is marked with grades on the top 5% of her cohort, and qualified her for scholarships, including repeat awards of the NSU Chancellor’s scholarship.  She completed the rigorous 6-sequence OTD research curriculum, capped with a podium and poster presentation and a manuscript for submission to a juried publication. In addition, she served a one-year internship with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Rehabilitation and Disability Special Interest Section supporting initiatives for community-based activities.

The future scientists will participate during in-person sessions at the AOTA INSPIRE Annual Conference & Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, when they will be matched with leading occupational therapy scientists to address topics such as possibilities within OT science, considerations when evaluating potential doctoral programs, and career opportunities as a scientist. The facilitators and mentors of the will be composed of faculty and doctoral/post-doctoral students from established research programs around the nation.

Hopefully, both Deborah and Lanoris will achieve the purpose of the AOTA/AOTF Institute for Future Scientists, which include being part of a group of potential scientists, connecting with other potential entry-level scientists with mentors in the occupational therapy scientific community, and developing a peer scientific network.

Posted 04/23/23

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student Receives Scholarship

Arianna Sewell

Congratulations to Tampa Bay Regional campus third-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Arianna Sewell, by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) to receive the Florence M. Stattel Endowed Scholarship.

AOTF is a charitable, scientific, and educational non-profit organization whose purpose is to advance the science of occupational therapy to support people’s full participation in meaningful life activities.

The foundation is governed by a board of trustees and awards grants for scientific research and scholarships. It also publishes a scientific Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR), Occupation, Participation and Health,[1] indexed by the National Library of Medicine and others. It sponsors the honor society Pi Theta Epsilon. It is based in Rockville, Maryland.

Arianna submitted an essay in which describes her qualifications to receive this award. Her academic performance at NSU qualifies her to receive Florence M. Stattel Endowed Scholarship, and in completing at least one year of occupational therapy specific coursework.

Arianna has a B.A. in psychology and worked as a research assistant in the HeartLAB of the University of South Florida.  As a current O.T.D. student, Arianna has earned an internship with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), planning activities and events relative to the goals of the Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Section.

Posted 04/23/23

Interprofessional Project Aids Underserved in Immokalee

Fort Myers Physician Assistant (PA) program students hosted Project SEED in Immokalee for its 13th year. This event is completely organized and run by the PA students with support from the nursing students as an interprofessional project. Project SEED (Serving Everyone, Embracing Diversity) provides health screening and education to the underserved people of Immokalee.

This area Southwest Florida has many migrant workers and homeless people without access to care. In addition to screening for hypertension, diabetes and vision changes, the students provide education on nutrition, STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) prevention, sun safety, and dental hygiene.

They give away protective eye wear, sunscreen, work gloves, clothing, and hygiene products. Participants who complete the screenings are entered into a raffle for a free bike, computers, and household items. This year the event attracted over 150 participants at its new venue with St. Matthew’s House.

To donate to Project SEED for next year, visit our GiveCampus page at https://www.givecampus.com/schools/NovaSoutheasternUniversity.

Posted 04/09/23

NSU Hosts Free Online Conference on Autism, April 1-21

The annual Issues in Autism Conference will be held online from April 1-21, 2023. Hosted by the NSU Satellite of UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, this year’s topic is Social Emotional Engagement:  The “Fuel” for Learning with Emily Rubin as the featured speaker. The sessions are pre-recorded so that participants can view them at their convenience. There is no cost to attend but registration is required by March 27. Register at: https://bit.ly/3ymmh1L.

About the Conference

Findings of research in social neuroscience foster our ability to create supportive learning environments where social-emotional engagement is a “fuel” for learning and emotional well-being, both with our neurodiverse students as well as our educators. While standards-based instruction is our focus in the classroom, our learners are more likely to access the curriculum when they are invested, independent, and initiating with their peers and teachers.

This session will begin with a review of the neuroscience of learning and shift toward a practical discussion of the “why” we need to measure and enhance learner engagement.  Participants will learn about the Social Engagement Ladder, a freely accessible tool for measuring learning engagement and identifying opportunities for enhancing engagement. In addition, participants will learn “what” to do when there are opportunities to enhance engagement. The session will introduce a freely accessible tool, the SEE-KS Quick Reference tool, as a reference for identifying strategies for enhancing engagement that is consistent with a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.  Participants will also learn “how” to mentor one’s multidisciplinary team members using appreciative inquiry to identify what is already working as well as opportunities for the next steps.

Questions can be addressed to CARD@nova.edu or 954-262-7111.

Professor Patricia Gaffney Receives Outstanding Educator Award

Patricia Gaffney, Au.D.

Each year, the American Academy of Audiology asks colleagues, friends, and mentees to look around their professional circles and recognize members who are deserving of recognition for outstanding service to audiology and the hearing sciences. This year, Patricia Gaffney, Au.D., was chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award and the Department of Audiology could not be prouder!

Gaffney has distinguished herself as a superior professor in the Department of Audiology, where her demanding didactic courses, clinical supervision, and research mentorship have earned her high respect from her students and her faculty colleagues.

Gaffney has been teaching doctoral audiology students since her appointment to Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in 2007. She teaches multiple courses in vestibular science and amplification where she skillfully weaves theory to practice from classroom to clinic. In the clinical realm, Gaffney precepts students and provides care to patients in the NSU Audiology Clinic.  Most of her clinical focus is seeing adult and pediatric patients with vestibular complaints. This is where you can truly see Gaffney’s impact as students start translating what they have learned in the classroom to clinical practice.

Gaffney’s teaching philosophy is simple:

“Make our students into the best audiologists. When you produce good audiologists, that speaks for itself in the profession. The impact of well-trained audiologists is a continuous process because it means that patients will be treated in the way they need, and when the graduate become a preceptor, it will enhance the knowledge of the next generation of audiologists. Every day when I teach, that is in the forefront of my mind. This guides how I plan my semester, write lectures, precept students in the clinic, and counsel them.”

Gaffney represents the very best in education and we are all better for having been her colleague over the years.

Posted 03/05/23

Student Receives AOTF National Scholarship for Research

Claire Mireau

Claire Mireau, a Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences Ph.D. student in Occupational Therapy, was awarded the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s (AOTF) Bonita Kraft Occupational Therapy (OT) Doctoral Student Scholarship for the year 2022-2023 for her dissertation project.

This scholarship recognizes outstanding emerging OT scientist acquiring their degree and pursuing research in the areas of mental health and serious mental health. Her project is titled: “Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Services for Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders in Intensive Residential Treatment: A Retrospective Study.”

Claire has been working closely with her dissertation committee members – Rebecca Estes, Ph.D., OTR, dissertation chair (NSU), Steven Hecht, Ph.D., NSU professor, Department of Education, and Sally Wasmuth, Ph.D., OTR, Trustees of Indiana University. On April 2023, AOTF will announce the award at the upcoming State of the Science Symposium at the AOTA Conference.

Posted 03/05/23

Health Care Sciences Faculty to Represent U.S. at International Meeting

Carole Zangari, Ph.D.

Carole Zangari, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA-F, BCS-CL, professor of Speech-Language Pathology, was elected to the Board of Directors for the U.S. Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC). She also will serve as the liaison to the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). Additionally, Zangari is the new Coordinator for ISAAC Region 1, which includes the U.S., Canada, Peru, and Brazil. These organizations work to improve the lives of children and adults with the most severe communication disabilities who are unable to meet their communication needs with speech alone.

For the past six years, Zangari has been actively involved with the USSAAC Disaster Relief efforts, helping nonspeaking people with ALS, autism, and developmental disabilities prepare for and recover from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other major disasters. The group’s activities support disaster preparedness and recovery across the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Zangari will represent the U.S. at the ISAAC biennial meeting in Mexico this summer. She has also been invited to present a pre-conference workshop entitled “Baby Steps: Fostering AAC and Language Development in Preschool Children.”

Posted 02/19/23

Health Care Sciences Faculty Receives Simulation Award

Melissa Morris, MSN, RN, CPN, CHSE

Melissa Morris, MSN, RN, CPN, CHSE, the director of simulation and interactive technology with the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, recently received the Award for Research in the Field of Virtual Reality Simulation.

The honor was presented to Morris at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare 2023 in Orlando on January 21-25.

The criteria considered for the award were:

  • How current is the research
  • Impact on patient care and learners and cost
  • Innovation (new or modified; how it is different from the current solutions)
  • Generalizability (how many programs/departments/professions can use it with success, (i.e., meeting outcomes)”

Morris was the primary investigator and team leader on this project.

Posted 02/06/23

Retreat Draws Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay Faculty Members

The Tampa Bay Regional Campus (TBRC) and Fort Lauderdale faculty met Friday, November 5, for a departmental retreat. The retreat highlights included discussions of Tampa Bay’s recent accreditation experience, team-building activities, a tour of the TBRC Occupational Therapy (OT) department, and the collective creation of our department’s vision board. Ricardo Carrasco Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, program director, welcomed our team with a delicious homemade meal.

The following two days the OT faculty attended the annual Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) conference. The conference was sponsored and held at the TBRC. Eighteen faculty, from the department of occupational therapy, presented their poster, short courses, and/or workshops along with students from both Fort Lauderdale and TBRC campuses. A special thank you to Beverly Seredick Murphy, OT.D., OTR/L, assistant professor, for her efforts in coordinating with the FOTA representatives and NSU to make this event happen.

Overall, the conference attendees were impressed with the campus, presentations, classroom space, building technology, and labs. The conference provided a great opportunity to promote all OT programs.

Posted 12/12/22

PT Program Helps Provide Free Parkinson’s Course

NSU Tampa Bay’s Physical Therapy program teamed up with a local non-profit Parkinsonlife Corporation (pdLIFE) and provided a FREE Continuing Education Course on the rehabilitative management of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) on November 19 – 20, at the Tampa Bay campus.  The continuing education course included both presentation and lab sessions where individuals with PD allowed rehabilitation treatments to be practiced and applied.

Individual with PD allowing concepts to be applied.

The goal of the continuing education course was to train local therapists in the best practices of care for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and increase the number of therapists in the bay area who can effectively treat individuals with PD.

Ryan Duncan D.P.T., PT, a researcher and faculty member at Washington University, presented to 30 Bay Area therapists, including alumni from the Tampa Bay D.P.T. program.  Parkinsonlife Corporation was founded and developed by Meredith Defranco, D.P.T., PT, during the pandemic and has continued to thrive.  Providing this continuing education course was one step in pdLife’s goal of establishing interdisciplinary care teams for the management of individuals with PD in the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, please visit Parkinsonlife Corporation (pdLIFE) at https://parkinsonlife.org/.

Posted 12/11/22

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