Health Matters Volume 3 / Issue 3
Dean’s Newsletter Student Award Recipients
Students, Alumni, and College Friends,
It has been an exciting year for the college. We have seen the strongest growth in the college’s history both in the number of students and by adding excellent new Alexis Petrak programs. The College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS) said goodbye to 296 Mary Triffiro graduates—the largest class in the college’s history—at ETSU’s spring commencement. At its last meeting, the ETSU Board of Trustees approved a letter of Sarah Larsen notification regarding the establishment of a Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. In addition, a Master of Science in Prosthetics and Karley Swanson Outstanding Nutrition Orthotics program is in development and set to come before the ETSU board Clinician at its next meeting. Although we have a way to go before these programs are finalized, we Outstanding Undergraduate Students anticipate that we will be admitting students for the first class of both of these new programs during the summer of 2022. The intent of our growth is Jeffery Bodley Allied Health to continue to meet the health care needs of our region. Both of these new Dareen Cardiopulmonary programs represent areas in which there is a significant need. The Bureau Marghalani Science of Labor Statistics reported that employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 24% from 2016 to 2026, much faster than average for all Tiffany Hall Dental Hygiene occupations. In addition, occupational therapy was ranked No. 13 on U.S. Annie Malcom Nutrition News & World Report’s “100 Best Jobs of 2019” listing. Currently, there are only two public schools in Tennessee accredited by the Accreditation Council Pressley Justice Radiologic Science for Occupational Therapy that offer entry-level doctoral OT programs. Amanda Proffitt Social Work The Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program will also fill a need in the region. There are currently only 12 prosthetics and orthotics programs in the United States, and the closest program to Johnson City is more than 400 miles away, and there are no programs in Tennessee. If approved, these new programs will join the varied and extensive list of programs and majors currently offered in CCRHS. Rehabilitative health sciences is our newest major that we added just last fall and it is already growing steadily. It’s a very appealing major because it prepares undergraduates for a variety of graduate programs in the health care realm or it can prepare them for entry-level rehabilitative or health care positions. As the college continues to grow, our dedication to our students and vision for the college remains the same: to be an essential source of leaders, educators, expert practitioners and researchers in the clinical and rehabilitative health sciences. Go Bucs!
Kanya Miles
Master of Social Work Student of the Year Master of Social Work Student of the Year Outstanding SLP Student Clinician Outstanding SLP Capstone Experience
Don Samples, Dean and Professor
FALL 2019
DEAN’S NEWSLETTER
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