A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) Athletic Training program faculty members Kenneth Lam, ScD, ATC, and Tasha Anderson, AT, received awards at the January meeting of the Arizona Athletic Training Association (AzATA) earlier this year.

Dr. Lam, associate professor, received the AzATA Service Award. This award is given to an outstanding athletic trainer for their continued efforts, time, and skills relating to the improvement of the profession. Dr. Lam’s efforts include serving on committees, working with licensure boards, and serving as an officer within the AzATA.

Anderson, an instructor at ATSU-ASHS, received the Warren H. Lee Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. This award is given to an individual who has helped elevate the status of the athletic training profession at the state level and set themselves apart as an outstanding professional in the field. The award is meant for an individual who has contributed to the profession, the association, their place of employment, and the community beyond the call of duty.

Congratulations Dr. Lam and instructor Anderson!

A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) faculty members Mai-Ly Duong, DMD, MPH, MAEd, ’12, and Kim Perry, DDS, MSCS, associate vice president recently attended the American Dental Association 2018 conference. At the conference, Drs. Duong and Perry were inducted as new fellows into the American College of Dentists (ACD).

ACD was founded in 1920 by a group of dental professionals who believed the profession needs to plan for the future. The founders advocated for educational reform that set a new standard for dental education. ACD is dedicated to the highest ideals of the dental profession and service to patients, and helps professionals practice the best ethics and leadership possible.

To be considered for the ACD fellowship, candidates must have a good reputation for ethical conduct and an unquestionable professional standing. Candidates must also have good moral character that aligns with strong integrity and professional ideals.

The ACD’s fellowship is by invitation only. Candidates are nominated by current ACD Fellows and selected by a committee that considers merit, education, and professional experience of each nominee.

“Becoming of a fellow of the ACD is a huge accomplishment for me because the process was based on my merit and my contribution to the dental profession, not on my age, stage in my career, or who I know,” said Dr. Duong, “I’d like to thank Dr. Khanh Chu and Dr. Randy Snyder for believing in my commitment and passion for dentistry.”

Congratulations to Drs. Duong and Perry on this accomplishment!

This summer, Ireland’s Public Sector Magazine awarded A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) alumnus Deepak Kumar, AuD, ’17, of The Audiology Clinic, with the Excellence in Business Award for Excellence in Clinical Diagnostic Services.

The award is given to local governments and public-private partnerships in Ireland that have demonstrated outstanding service, a strong track record of success, and general business excellence.

“I am honored to have received this award,” Dr. Kumar said. “I think it is a great achievement to be recognized on a public platform at a national level. It has given me motivation to continue doing the best for my patients, and has helped to bring more awareness and understanding to the variety of services audiologists in this region offer.”

A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) alumnus Karl Burris, PT, DPT, ‘15, was recently selected as one of the 2018 recipients of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Emerging Leader award. Dr. Burris is a member of the Arizona Physical Therapy Association, and was recognized in last month’s edition of PT in Motion magazine.

The Emerging Leader award is an annual recognition established by the American Physical Therapy Association to honor individuals who have shown extraordinary dedication to the profession and the organization as they begin their physical therapy careers.

Congratulations to Dr. Burris!

A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) alumna Jodi Glass, AuD, ’02, was recently elected to Aldersbridge Communities Board. Dr. Glass will serve as a trustee for the nonprofit organization, which provides long-term care, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and independent living services for seniors in Rhode Island.

This honor is one of many for Dr. Glass over her 40 years in audiology. In her four-decade career, Dr. Glass has become an accomplished practitioner in the medical field and her various communities. She was the first audiologist in the United States certified in the Music and Memory program for adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s, founded “Dorothy’s House” for LGBTQ seniors in the area, and served on the advisory board for SAGE Rhode Island for four years serving as an advocate for LGBTQ seniors.

Congratulations to Dr. Glass on the newest accomplishment in her professional career!

For National Concussion Awareness Day, Tamara McLeod, PhD, ATC, director of athletic training at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences, spoke at the Brain Injury Alliance Arizona breakfast. Dr. McLeod was one of five speakers at the event to discuss the State of Concussion in Arizona.

“I was honored to be a part of such an esteemed group of clinicians and researchers presenting on the state of concussion in Arizona,” Dr. McLeod said. “It was impressive to hear from all the speakers on how Arizona has been leading the way with respect to concussion education, research, and clinical practice. It was great to highlight the work of the ATSU Concussion Program and the efforts of our students and faculty.”

J. Matthew Halverson, DO, ‘92, graduated from A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) in 1992, the University’s 100th anniversary. Six years later, he opened James River Family Practice in Newport News, Virginia. This fall, he and his team will celebrate the practice’s 20th anniversary.

More than two decades ago, Dr. Halverson was introduced to osteopathy by a relative who is a colorectal surgeon and became fascinated with the field and the “wonderful philosophy” of focusing on supporting the body’s various healing mechanisms and functions. He refers to himself as a proud osteopathic physician and has never wavered from the emphasis on prevention over intervention he developed during his ATSU-KCOM residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center. Through his education and residency, his passion for osteopathy grew and led him to develop his own patient- and community-focused practice.

In honor the anniversary, Dr. Halverson and the James River Family Practice were recognized by the Hampton Roads Physician Magazine for the practice’s longevity, ingenuity, and patient loyalty. The feature highlights the physician-patient relationships Dr. Halverson and his team have built, and their extensive community outreach, as they are one of the last independent practices in their community.

The James River Family Practice is well-known for its mission of providing five-star primary care. This means that all team members at the practice follow an approach made up of evidence-based accessible care, smooth-running profitable operations, electronic medical records and use of technology for patients’ well-being, and an emphasis on teamwork.

This feature, and the 20th anniversary of the practice, is significant for Dr. Halverson and his 20-member team. “It is important that our physician colleagues, most of whom are employed by larger organizations, have recognized us for the value our practice gives to our patients,” says Dr. Halverson. “As an independent practice, we have relied solely on our reputation and services to attract and maintain our patients. Over the past 20 years we have worked hard to develop long-term physician-patient relationships and provide services that are in line with a high quality of care, and it is meaningful for that hard work to be recognized on a professional platform.”

Dr. Halverson is deeply honored by the community support his team has received over the years, and grateful to his staff for its commitment to these values.

“This means a great deal to me because it recognizes the efforts of our independent family medical practice to provide our patients with medical care that exceeds expectations and is courteous, convenient, competent, compassionate, and comprehensive,” he adds. “Our community has been very supportive of our practice, and they have been thrilled to see us recognized for everything we do.”

Last month, A.T. Still University’s Arizona campus opened a new, private suite for mothers of nursing newborns. It was created as a joint initiative with the office of Student Life and Human Resources through the strategic initiative of Work:Life Balance from the President’s Office.

The suite is designed for students, employees, alumni, and their spouses/partners. It serves to provide a quiet, comfortable, and convenient space with appropriate amenities, including an armchair, private drapes, a cleaning station, a computer to work from, a refrigerator, and a limited number of lockers, for nursing mothers to care for their children.

The room is located on the second floor of the main building and is maintained by both offices; Student Life assists students and spouses/partners, and Human Resources assists employees and alumni.

For more information regarding use of the suite, please contact hraz@atsu.edu or studentlife@atsu.edu

This past February, A.T. Still University’s (ATSU) Arizona campus held its fourth annual SparkTank competition. The event is driven by ATSU’s Teaching & Learning Center, and invites ATSU students and faculty to pitch innovative educational project ideas in a live-show style competition. The winning teams receive a $5,000 grant for their projects.

This year’s Arizona competitor’s included five student innovator and faculty mentor groups from ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) and one student-faculty group from ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS).

Cailee Welch-Bacon, PhD, ATC, and Kirsty Gaither, MA, distance support librarian, presented a project titled “Foundations of Competency-Based Education: Building an Infrastructure to Promote a Learner-Centered Experience,” focused on restructuring a passive, traditionally engineered learning dynamic into a modernized one that focuses on students being active participants in their education.

Uday Gulati, OMS IV, Abbas Charlie, OMS IV, and Norma Villanueva, MD, MPH, shared a project, titled “The Butterfly Effect”, that focused on utilizing affordable, portable and handheld ultrasounds to advance education for medical students.

Ahish Chitneni, OMS I, and Jay Crutchfield’s, MD, FACS, “Implementation of Virtual Reality into Medical School Curricula” analyzed how virtual reality could be incorporated into ATSU’s medical curriculum to enhance student learning.

John Olson, PhD, presented his project, “The Use of Collaborative Whiteboards in Interactive Education”, that worked to create a powerful digital canvas that can be used by faculty to create an interactive and immersive educational environment for student learning.

Anna Mathew, OMS I, Rupal Vora, MD, FACP, and Grace Stewart’s, MD, project, titled “Burnout Prevention Program”, focused on developing a prevention program to reduce burnout among osteopathic medical students and residents.

Saskia Richter, MS, and Chelsea Lohman Bonfilgio, PhD, ATC, CSCS, presented their “Efficacy of a 3D printed models in anatomy laboratory: a comparative analysis”, a project that assessed the practicality, utility and benefit of using 3D printed anatomical models within clinical anatomy labs on campus.

The winners of this year’s event were “Foundations of Competency-Based Education: Building an Infrastructure to Promote a Learner-Centered Experience”, “The Butterfly Effect”, which received a $5,000 grant to implement the projects, and “The Use of Collaborative Whiteboards in Interactive Education” which received a $400 grant and collaborative assistance from Academic Technology to implement the project.

“SparkTank is not only a reflection of A.T. Still University’s heart to help give their students the best education and experience possible, but a manifestation of their desire to include students and faculty in the process. Participating in this program was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had at A.T. Still University thus far,” says Mathew” I was able to witness how passionate every individual in this competition was about the potential of seeing their program implemented on campus for the betterment of the school as a whole. It this passion, innovation, and community that makes me so proud to be a part of this institution.”

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

This past fall, A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) inducted new members from the class of 2020 into the Sigma Sigma Phi Honorary Service Fraternity, Alpha Chapter.

These students have demonstrated good academic standing and exemplary service to ATSU-KCOM and the Kirksville community. Sigma Sigma Phi focuses on hosting community service projects with the University.

Fall inductees include second-year students Timbre Backen, Allison Bird, Kathryn Courlas, Andrew Diaz, Christopher Elberts, Curtis Groover, Zachary Headman, Klay Miller, Shane Moore, Katherine Taylor, Kyle Oney, Eric Landon Smart, and Abhishek Vaidya.

Sigma Sigma Phi’s current executive officers include second-year students President Jessica Clark, Vice President Patrick McGonagill, Treasurer Dakota McNierney, and Secretary Zachary Anderson.

Congratulations to Sigma Sigma Phi on their new members and strong leadership!