HEALTH PROFESSIONS
T H O M A S
J E F F E R S O N
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NURSING
U N I V E R S I T Y
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PHARMACY
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F A L L
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POPULATION HEALTH
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INTERPROFESSIONAL CLINICAL EDUCATION:
Bridging Disciplines to Deliver Patient-Centered Care
Jefferson Today These are exciting times at Jefferson. The recent appointment of Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, to the newly created position of president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and president and CEO of TJUH System marks the beginning of another chapter in Jefferson’s storied history as one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished academic health centers. A native Philadelphian, Dr. Klasko is recognized nationally as a renowned innovator and visionary leader in healthcare education and administration who returns to Philadelphia to lead Jefferson into a new era of integrated health care. He embraces the opportunity, in his own words, “to forge Thomas Jefferson University, TJUH System and Jefferson University Physicians into the model for healthcare revolution.” David Binswanger, chairman of the Thomas Jefferson University Board of Trustees, asserts that in this rapidly changing healthcare environment, having Jefferson’s academic and clinical missions truly intertwined will provide a distinct advantage, saying that “Steve Klasko brings dynamic and innovative leadership to take advantage of Jefferson’s rich history, vast expertise and extraordinary patient care and drive it in amazing new directions.” It is a pleasure to share highlights of other recent activities and accomplishments at Jefferson. Consistent with our commitment to Jefferson’s tradition of providing distinguished graduate education in the health sciences, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education recently awarded accreditation to the Jefferson School of Pharmacy for five years. This is a significant achievement for our newest school. I am also pleased to report on the University’s process of introspection and self-examination. Since spring 2012, faculty, student and administrative representatives
from across campus have been engaged in the Middle States Self-Study, a comprehensive review and assessment of the University’s accomplishments and challenges in preparation for the spring 2014 decennial reaccreditation site visit by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This two-year study focuses on the growth of our academic programs and the concomitant growth in structure, services and resources. Five task forces involving close to 100 volunteers spent the past year examining all facets of University operations, academic performance, resource allocation and governance structure. The commitment to this huge task has been most impressive, and we now begin analyzing the results of the study. This information will assist us as we engage in strategic planning with our new president. Interprofessional education remains a top priority for Jefferson, as evidenced by the participation of Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Education (JCIPE) in the June 2013 Collaborating Across Borders Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Jefferson continues to advance its position among vanguard institutions recognized for leadership in Interprofessional Education (IPE). This fourth biennial Canada/United States joint conference featured advances in interprofessional health education, collaborative practice, leadership and policy, while showcasing evidence-based outcomes. In 10 podium and five poster presentations, presenters focused on JCIPE’s Health Mentors Program, the Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware Geriatric Education Center activities, innovative clinical skills/team-based training models and robust evaluation data. An article in this issue of the Review describes how JCIPE, which recently celebrated its fifth year, is extending IPE beyond the classroom into the clinical setting.
Michael J. Vergare, MD
Through the recent development of clinical rounding experiences in service areas such as colorectal, rehabilitation and obstetrics, the benefits of interprofessional teaming and decision making are demonstrated. Additionally, in the Rector Clinical Skills Center, pilot testing of two simulation activities (a seizure and a coronary event) provided students with the opportunity to experience crisis communication in a safe, controlled environment. Also in this issue is a review of the broad array of learning resources provided in the Rector Center, including state-of-the-art technology, realistic health professions facility settings, equipment and supplies, as well as trained role-playing standardized patients. In a course for simulation facilitators recently hosted by Jefferson in partnership with Penn Medicine, Penn Nursing Science and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, regional and international professionals came to campus to see firsthand the valuable learning opportunities available on our campus. Broad based participation in self-study and assessment, investment in new programs and resources and restructuring of the leadership for the University and clinical services reflect our dedication to constant improvement at Jefferson. We look forward to working closely with Dr. Klasko as we write the next chapter in Jefferson’s history as a leader in patient centered education and research. Sincerely,
Michael J. Vergare, MD Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs The Daniel Lieberman Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Thomas Jefferson University
Contents FEATURES
2 Interprofessional Clinical Education: Bridging Disciplines to Deliver Patient-Centered Care 6 Teaching with Simulation: Creating a Fictional World to Train Students 8 Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, Joins Jefferson 10 JSPH Students Provide Family Planning Education in Rwanda 12 Safety First: JSPH Graduates Focus on Quality 15 Alumna Spotlight: Shirin Karsan, BS ’92, Radiologic Sciences
ON CAMPUS 16 University 16 School of Health Professions 19 School of Nursing 20 School of Pharmacy 20 School of Population Health 22 Class Notes Jefferson Review Fall 2013 Senior Vice President, Jefferson Foundation: Frederick Ruccius Editor: Gail Luciani Managing Editor: Jane A. Clinton Design: JeffGraphics Editorial Board Suzanne Berg Karen Brooks Sienna Choi E. Adel Herge, MS ’93, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA Anne M. Markham, BSN ’93, DNP ’11 Cory Miller Patrick Monaghan Michael J. Paquet
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
JG 14-0214/MC 13-06464
The Review is published twice annually by Jefferson Foundation to encourage alumni interest and support for the Jefferson Schools of Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy and Population Health. Address correspondence to: Managing Editor, Review Marketing and PR 901 Walnut Street, Room 1110 Philadelphia, PA 19107 connect.jefferson.edu jchp.editor@jefferson.edu The Jefferson community and supporters are welcome to receive the Review on a regular basis; please contact the address above. Postmaster: send address changes to the address above. Cover: TJU students Amanda Broadwater, Douglas Adams, Donna Brennan and Alexandra Sagnor represent interprofessional collaboration on campus. Copyright© Thomas Jefferson University. All Rights Reserved.
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Gerald Isenberg, MD, leads interprofessional rounds in the colorectal clinical service area at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
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INTERPROFESSIONAL CLINICAL EDUCATION:
Bridging Disciplines to Deliver Patient-Centered Care
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hen a colleague, Gerald Isenberg, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Jefferson, invited medical, nursing and pharmacy students to join his bedside rounds, he expected they would learn a thing or two. What surprised him was how much he learned as well,” says Christine Arenson, MD ’90, co-director of the Jefferson InterProfessional Education Center, or JCIPE. The benefits of interprofessional teaming were especially apparent when issues arose with a patient’s postoperative wound. That week, the wound care nurse joined rounds and led the team in developing a plan of care. Both students and clinicians were impressed. “They all walked away feeling like that was what should always happen,” says Arenson. Colorectal clinical service rounding is one example of how Jefferson is extending interprofessional education, or IPE, from the classroom into the clinic. Since 2007, students of nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy and couple and family therapy have completed the two-year Health Mentors Program, a chronic illness curriculum that emphasizes multidisciplinary teaming and the patient as teacher. Now JCIPE is working to increase opportunities for hands-on interprofessional learning. “Our big-picture goal is to get to the point where every one of our students has at least one — ideally more than one — robust, intentional, interprofessional team experience during their clinical education,” says Arenson. Traditionally, health professions students have had little contact with their peers in other disciplines. Beginning in the 2000s, the Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization began advocating a shift toward IPE to improve healthcare quality and safety. JCIPE was created in part to provide leadership in this effort. “What’s happening here is really a testing ground of what we believe is going to happen in health care,” says Elizabeth Speakman, EdD, RN, CDE, ANEF, co-director of JCIPE.
Keeping a pulse on surgical patients To create clinical IPE opportunities, JCIPE partnered with Jefferson clinicians to identify existing team-based activities that might serve as learning labs, like colorectal clinical service rounding. Nurses and physicians on that service used to round together daily, but at some point the activity fizzled. In spring 2012, Isenberg and Speakman partnered with nurse manager Joyce Stout, RN, MPA, and clinical nurse specialist Debbie Gardiner, MSN, RN, to revive interprofessional rounding as a learning experience for students. Once a week, nursing, medicine and pharmacy students on the colorectal service receive their patient assignments and huddle to review the charts. That afternoon, they join the rounding team, which includes Isenberg, the attending physician, fellows, interns, residents, the nurse manager, staff nurse and faculty. Before entering the patient’s room, the students present the case and answer questions. During the visit, they join in conversations on treatment, plan of care and discharge planning.
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Jefferson School of Nursing students join with nursing faculty and obstetrics clinicians to interview a new mother and assist with any needs before she leaves the hospital.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of interprofessional rounding is the variety of perspectives involved. “As a group, they’re able to report on the totality of the patient,” Speakman says. “More information allows a better plan of care to be established. It also helps the colorectal surgeon see a bigger picture. He’s not only getting information from the medical student but the nursing student who’s been caring for that patient.” The approach also facilitates safe, coordinated care. Team members leave the room on the same page rather than relaying information piecemeal. Students routinely express satisfaction with interprofessional rounding, reporting that the experience opens lines of communication, builds bridges between disciplines and helps them get to know their patients better. And they generally feel that interprofessional decision-making leads to better, more integrated care.
Rehabilitation is a team effort When occupational and physical therapy faculty met with clinical managers at Jefferson to explore potential IPE experiences for their students, the rehabilitation unit seemed a natural fit. Many rehabilitation patients have neurologic or orthopedic conditions that cause difficulty with mobility and routine tasks. To best meet their needs, a team comprising a case manager, social worker, neuropsychologist, physiatrist and therapists meets twice a week. Faculty members, JCIPE and rehabilitation critical manager Katie McCoach worked together to bring students into that experience.
For the past year, students of physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, pharmacy and physiatric medicine have been observing integrated care in action by sitting in on rehab team rounds. Common discussions include adjustments to the plan of care and discharge planning. “Students have an opportunity to observe team communication and collaboration and to understand the roles that they’re going to assume as professionals,” said Susan Flannery Wainwright, PT, PhD, chair of Jefferson’s Department of Physical Therapy. “But they also get to see the roles of everybody else sitting around the table and how those individual roles are strengthened by their interactions with each other.” Recently, as the team was troubleshooting a tough clinical issue, the physiatrist turned to the physical therapist and asked for input. The therapist seamlessly took the lead and began outlining the literature on the subject. “The students were excited to see the role the therapist had,” says Wainwright. Several students said they found themselves silently applying their own knowledge of diagnosis, intervention, pharmacology and team communication during the meetings.
A healthy start for newborns Nearby on Jefferson’s obstetrics unit, clinicians were working to implement daily interprofessional discharge planning meetings but were having trouble getting the idea off the ground. Schedules were simply too full.
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Our big-picture goal is to get to the point where every one of our students has at least one — ideally more than one — robust, intentional, interprofessional team experience during their clinical education. Christine Arenson, MD ’90 Meanwhile, assistant professor of nursing Kathleen Black, PhD, RNC, and instructor Denise Brown, BSN ’83, MSN, RNC-OB, were working with JCIPE and the obstetrics clinicians to create an IPE experience for medical and nursing students. They suggested that including students in the meeting might give clinicians extra incentive to participate. Several faculty members and clinicians championed the idea, and the “maternal-newborn discharge planning activity” was born. Once a week, nursing and medical students are divided into teams of three and assigned a patient. On Wednesday, they sit in on a discharge planning meeting involving the medical and nursing staff, a social worker, a case manager and faculty. Afterward, they work as a team to interview their patient. Does she need education about breastfeeding or other topics? Has she been screened for depression? Has the baby received needed vaccinations? The next day, when the clinicians meet, the students join the action. For some, it’s their first time presenting a patient. “They were nervous, but they loved the experience,” Black says. “They felt empowered.” After their presentation, students receive feedback from the clinicians and faculty, then visit their patient once more to provide education and follow-up. Students praise the experience. “We were able to collaborate to give the best care to our patient,” one nursing student noted. A medical student said, “There were issues that I was unaware of that the nursing students brought to my attention.”
Practicing crisis communication Jefferson health professions students may study and practice interprofessional teaming, but can they draw on those skills in an emergency? To allow students to experience crisis communication in a safe environment, JCIPE recently piloted an IPE simulation at the Dr. Robert and Dorothy Rector Clinical Skills Center. Alan T. Forstater, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine, spearheaded the project with support from faculty members in the departments of Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy and Radiologic Sciences. The team developed two simulations — a seizure and a coronary event — that required students to draw on their
clinical and communication skills. Prior to the activity, students completed background readings in TeamSTEPPS, a communication system designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality to improve patient safety and outcomes. On simulation day, students split into teams. One group completed a case while the other observed. Afterward, each team received feedback from their peers and faculty. Elena Umland, PharmD, associate professor of clinical pharmacy, observed the case in which “SimMan” seized before an imaging procedure. Though both teams treated him with the drug lorazepam, she noted striking differences in their communication. “One team was outstanding,” she says. “The pharmacy student pulled up the guidelines and informed the physician when they were getting close to the maximum dose. In the next group, the medical student was ordering this drug over and over, and the pharmacy student never stepped in. It was the same scenario with two completely different outcomes based on personalities and communication skills.” During debriefing, many students expressed a wish for future simulations. “They clearly saw the impact of practicing those communication skills that are part of TeamSTEPPS,” Umland says.
The future of IPE Faculty and clinicians are so enthusiastic that they now approach JCIPE with new IPE opportunities for students. “They keep doing it because they see the value,” Arenson says. “They see the patients getting better care.” JCIPE will seek to establish additional clinical IPE experiences within Jefferson and partners like Main Line Health and Christiana Care. To guide their efforts, the team has developed a set of flexible learning objectives vetted by faculty from each discipline. Future students will choose from a menu of experiences in order to fulfill IPE learning requirements. Students’ feedback on the subject has been overwhelmingly positive. A survey of 2013 School of Nursing graduates found that 87 percent valued their IPE experiences. “We hope that in the future they’ll seek practice relationships that follow a team approach to patient-centered care,” Speakman says. “They’ll have a natural affinity for these types of relationships.”
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Teaching with Simulation:
Creating a Fictional World to Train Students By Cory Miller
“Suspend your disbelief. Commit to a fiction contract.” These are the first words a student hears upon entering the Dr. Robert and Dorothy Rector Clinical Skills Center at Jefferson. Using simulation in education requires substantial planning and attention to detail: A script is written, a stage is set, characters are cast and the curtain is drawn. Many Jefferson alumni earned their degrees before simulation was a core component of education and have expressed curiosity about the hands-on opportunities now available. Located in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Building, the Rector Clinical Skills Center has expanded, acquiring more staff, technology and facilities. The Center spans 60,000 square feet and includes a mock pharmacy, waiting area, exam rooms, operating rooms, medical equipment, supplies and computerized manikins in need of treatment. Within this environment, clinical scenarios are played out so that students in many disciplines can hone their clinical skills and practice communicating with patients and their families; they can even practice how to react when the unpredictable occurs. “We want to help faculty so that they are inspired to use simulation to teach clinical skills to their learners,” says Dale Berg, MD, who co-directs the Center with Katherine Berg, MD. Medicine, nursing, pharmacy and health professions students use the Center to participate in activities such as making sterile drug products, inserting an IV or assisting a patient with daily
tasks in a simulated home setting. On any given day, rooms are filled with some of the 130 standardized patients — trained and scripted volunteers who play the role of patients, family members or colleagues to help teach core clinical skills. Scenarios vary greatly so students learn to adapt to many challenging clinical situations: a patient in emotional distress, a disagreeable colleague or an urgent diagnosis. While students are dealing with these difficult situations, faculty members watch in real time through a video camera system and critique performances individually or as a class group. What kind of technology does it take to create this fictional world? High Fidelity Human Simulators are manikins outfitted with 3G technologies that can be controlled by a faculty member in a command center who oversees the scenario, including what patients say and how they react to treatments. Manikins can breathe, sweat, speak, cough and exhibit emotions and pain. The operating room contains the same monitors, ventilators and other equipment used in hospitals. “I could hear our manikin designed for a pregnancy scenario, vocally emoting discomfort while in labor,” says John Duffy, MSN, RN, CCRN, and Center’s associate director. “But over that, I could hear students encouraging one another, delegating tasks or assisting in ensuring their patient’s complicated delivery was successful. Anyone walking through the halls would have assumed it was a real-life delivery. When the labor concluded, this interprofessional team of students cheered and bonded through their shared learning experience.” Recently, Jefferson hosted a three-day simulation facilitators course in partnership with Penn Medicine, Penn’s School of Nursing and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Participants included physicians and nurses traveling from as far as Brazil to learn how simulation can enhance education and promote interdisciplinary practices. The three-day course centered on using simulation to meet educational objectives, developing a scenario and best practices for debriefing with students. A well-executed scenario allows for students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in an environment filled with challenges similar to what they will encounter in the field. Everyone has an equally important role in comprehensive patient care team. As William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.” At Jefferson, the Rector Clinical Skills Center sets the stage for students to learn and excel in their practice.
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Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, Joins Jefferson Transformative Leader Returns to Philadelphia as President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and TJUH System
Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, joined the Jefferson community Sept. 6, 2013, as president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and TJUH System. Klasko, 59, returns to his hometown with more than 30 years of academic leadership experience and business management expertise developed while holding a variety of executive positions at the University of South Florida and Drexel University College of Medicine. “I am truly honored to be leading one of the finest academic health centers in the nation, with a rich medical history and stellar reputation for academic excellence, innovative research and compassionate patient care,” says Klasko. “This is by far one of the greatest opportunities to come along in a decade, to forge Thomas Jefferson University, TJUH System and Jefferson University Physicians into the model for healthcare revolution.” Klasko joined the USF as dean of the College of Medicine and vice president of the USF Health Sciences Center (HSC) in 2004. He reorganized the HSC as USF Health, including the colleges
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“I am truly honored to be leading one of the finest academic health centers in the nation, with a rich medical history and stellar reputation for academic excellence, innovative research and compassionate patient care.”
and the USF Physicians Group, and was named its CEO. While at USF Health, Klasko was responsible for a series of program changes in medical education. He created the SELECT (scholarly excellence, leadership education, collaborative training) Program, by which students are chosen on quantitative emotional intelligence parameters, and reformed the medical education curriculum, which is now based on the science, business, teamwork and communication skills needed for the physicians of tomorrow. Klasko also created the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), the world’s largest center for the assessment of technical and teamwork competencies. At USF Health, Klasko created patient care and academic partnerships through a series of local and state-wide initiatives. He planned and secured funding for the development of more than $300 million in new construction, including a college of nursing, faculty and research facilities and the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare, built around the concept of continuity of care. NIH funding doubled under his leadership.
At the Villages, one of the largest retirement communities in the United States with 90,000 residents, Klasko oversaw the largest single-site public health study for seniors, leading to the formation of a primary-care driven, community-based accountable care organization. And USF Health teamed up with HCA to form a trauma network, creating five new centers across Florida and a new data analysis center, thus allowing more residents access to trauma care and a broader research base for trauma. Prior to joining USF, Klasko served in a series of leadership positions at Drexel University College of Medicine from 2000 to 2004, including dean of the College of Medicine, professor of ob-gyn and CEO of Drexel University Physicians. He also served as president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Physician Group from 1996 to 1999. Klasko received his BS in chemistry and biology from Lehigh University; his MD from Hahnemann University; and his MBA from the Wharton Executive Program of the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology.
Meet Dr. Klasko at an exclusive alumni-only event! See back cover for details.
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INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT:
JSPH Students Provide Family Planning Education in Rwanda Rachel Thomas and Samantha Davis, MPH ’13, had a shared vision of what a public health program should offer even before starting at the School of Population Health. Applying classroom concepts to the community, especially in an international setting, and an opportunity to work with professionals in other disciplines — physicians, nurses and pharmacists — were key. “Jefferson provides us with such a variety of resources,” says Davis. “And they help you find where you fit in — if you want to take advantage of everything or if you just want to find your niche.” These students certainly found their niche, and they followed it to Rwanda in the summer of 2012. They spent five weeks with JeffHEALTH, the student-led organization linking Africa to improved health resources “one village at a time.” JeffHEALTH partners with the Rwandan Village Concept Project, which is run by students at the National University of Rwanda. All Jefferson students are welcome to participate in the group and have the option of traveling to Rwanda. Thomas and Davis had previously established a bond as Albert Schweitzer Fellows in the Greater Philadelphia Schweitzer Fellows Program. Their Schweitzer project, in the Dunlap neighborhood of West Philadelphia, was focused one improving the health, well-being and self-esteem of sixth- and seventh-grade girls. “We worked on everything from nutrition to reproductive health,” says Thomas. “Volunteer service is important to me, and this was a good opportunity.”
From left are JSPH MPH student Neethu Tharu; Samantha Davis, MPH ’13; and JSPH MPH student Rachel Thomas.
The experience served as a primer for their Rwanda trip, where they focused on teaching family planning. Working in the village of Akarambi, where JeffHEALTH has an ongoing relationship, they visited the community health center to learn about maternal health conditions, family planning options and cultural taboos. By going house-to-house to visit with villagers, they learned about the many myths attached to family planning. Villagers believed, for example, that vasectomy was akin to castration. In a society centered around agriculture, where large families are often a necessary way of life, women didn’t understand the health risks of back-to-back pregnancies. The situation was daunting, especially with a language barrier. “The translator was a champion of the village, and he felt this was important,” says Davis. “He worked with us to pinpoint where the discrepancies were and translated our posters of the female reproductive system.” As the pair move on from Jefferson — Davis graduated in the spring, and Thomas will graduate in December — both remain connected with JeffHEALTH. “The group that [went to Rwanda] this past summer carried on our project,” says Davis. “We got monthly reports from everyone and can keep up with what is and isn’t working.” In many ways, the experience crystalized what a career in public health is all about. “You can’t fix all health problems with medicine or with a doctor’s appointment,” says Thomas. “There’s a need for an umbrella approach. I’ve decided that public health is how I would like to be involved.”
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JSPH Graduates Focus on Quality Next year marks the 15th anniversary of the federal Institute of Medicine (IOM) watershed report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. The report’s staggering message — that as many as 98,000 people die each year from medical errors in hospitals — put the patient-safety issue on the map in a way that no study ever had. The release of the report in 1999 catalyzed a national focus on reducing medical errors and improving quality of care.
And it sent a lot of healthcare professionals back to school, looking for curricula such as the School of Population Health’s master’s programs in healthcare quality and safety and healthcare quality and safety management — themselves products, in many ways, of the IOM report.The initial graduates of these innovative programs are riding a wave of groundbreaking changes in health care — changes they fully intend to help usher in.
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Quality Snapshots Sandra Selzer, MS-HQS ’12, went to work with Jeffrey Brenner, MD, at the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers as director of the Camden Health Information Exchange (HIE). Brenner has become famous for the work he’s been doing for more than 10 years as a family physician for the poor and underserved in inner-city Camden, N.J. “I didn’t know what an HIE was before starting my master’s program, so this knowledge immediately transferred to my professional life,” Selzer says. Now director of healthcare transformation at BluePrint Healthcare IT, Selzer plays an integral role on the accountable care organization (ACO) services team. The MS-HQS taught her not just the theory of quality improvement science, Selzer says, but how to apply many of today’s tools — Six Sigma, PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) and others — directly to healthcare improvement. “Much of my work is focused on helping ACOs succeed through better-coordinated care using healthcare IT to improve gaps in care and improve quality,” she says. “Every day of my professional life SELZER draws on what I learned in the Jefferson program.”
“The ultimate goal is better patient outcomes,” says Sara Townsend, MS-HQS ’12, an infection control practitioner at Jefferson. A former middle-school English and reading teacher, Townsend says Jefferson’s HQS program is part of a seismic shift in health care. “It’s about changing a culture and becoming even more focused on patient outcomes, using best practices and putting all these things together.” Townsend points to the hand hygiene caravan, a project she helped with, as an example of Jefferson’s commitment to better outcomes. The caravan — complete with a colleague dressed in a hand costume — made rounds throughout the hospital in an effort to promote good hand hygiene.
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Norman Back, MD, MS-HQSM ’13, is among the first graduates of the Master of Science in healthcare quality and safety management program. Chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Centrastate Medical Center in Freehold, N.J., Back plans to use his degree to become more active on a state and federal level “to help standardize care on the delivery floor.” “Medicine is a dynamic process and the Joint Commission, CMS and the state are forever coming up with new quality and safety indicators that require change within the workflow of the department,” Back says. “The education I received gives me the credibility to converse and recommend actions with the QA and MSQI departments as well as with the hospital administration.”
BACK
“It’s about changing a culture and becoming even more focused on patient outcomes, using best practices and putting all these things together.” — Sara Townsend, MS-HQS ’12
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Quality Snapshots “The coursework changed my approach to patient care, which has affected the care I deliver directly and the way I teach students and residents.” — Danielle Casher, MD, MS-HQS ’13
To Err is Human, the report that put patient safety on the map, is available at the Jefferson bookstore: www.jefferson.edu/bookstore.
Stephen A. Pearlman, MD, MS-HQS ’12, was recently named director of neonatal quality improvement for Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. A problem solver by nature, Pearlman said the MS-HQS was a perfect fit for his career. “As a practicing clinician, I look at things differently; I have much more of a systems approach,” he says. At Christiana, where Pearlman says an impressive quality and safety infrastructure is already in place, he plans to take a CUSP approach within his own neonatal intensive care unit. CUSP (Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program) is a structured strategic framework for safety improvement that integrates communication, teamwork and leadership to create and support a culture of patient safety. “We are on the cusp of major changes in how health care is delivered and paid for,” Pearlman says. “Having this background gives me the ability to be a leader and help transform the systems of care to the betterment of our PEARLM AN patients.”
“The coursework changed my approach to patient care, which has affected the care I deliver directly and the way I teach students and residents,” says Danielle Casher, MD, MS-HQS ’13, director of quality in the emergency department at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Now more than ever, Casher is mindful of the quality and safety implications of decisions she makes on behalf of patients. “I am part of a growing community at my hospital that is actively working on advancing a safety culture,” she says.
To see the “Wash ‘Em” video, visit www.jeffersonhospital.org/pressvideos/washem-short.
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Alumna Spotlight
Shirin Karsan Name: Shirin Karsan
Degree: BS ’92 in Diagnostic Imaging (JSHP) Fascinated by: Bioethics; ethics of emerging reproductive technologies; neuroethics; nanoethics; brain/ computer interface technologies; optical brain imaging and neuroengineering; bio/ nanotechnologies; ethics of organ marketing and commoditizing body parts; religion; culture; technology and ethics education; cross-cultural and global service and action learning; distance education; and related ethical issues and policies. Talk, talk: She was invited to participate in a brainstorming session at the TED Global 2012 Event in Edinburgh, Scotland, titled “How can science education improve healthcare capabilities in Africa?” In her talk, “The Power of We,” she discussed her philosophy. Current assignment: Karsan was previously the director of weServe and special projects manager at Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems,
where she is now invited as a visiting scholar. The mission of weServe, “Service through Innovation,” is to enable experiential learning and leadership development for students through a firsthand understanding of healthcare needs and disparities at a local and global level and to address unmet needs by service through innovation and partnership. weServe now has relationships throughout Africa with hospitals in regions that are politically stable but face a shortage in biomedical engineers, doctors and other healthcare professionals. Students have worked alongside local technicians to install and restore biomedical equipment while promoting proper ongoing maintenance. They also set up a wired system with donated laptops for local medical students to access a virtual library. Karsan and her team encourage service by teaching participants about challenges other countries face, such as providing patient care without electricity or adequate supplies and resources.
Other awards: • Fulbright Research at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) • Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA); language: Arabic • Jenzabar Foundation: 2011 Student Leadership Award for the Drexel University weServe Program Advice to a current student in your program or a recent graduate: If you chose health care because you were passionate about wanting to help make a difference in the lives of others — then you can indeed make a difference! As a health professional, there are so many ways that you can contribute to society locally and/or globally. Make the most of your educational opportunity at Jefferson and go find out where the needs are. You will truly get to understand the world — and yourself — better.
VISIT THE JEFFERSON ALUMNI WEBSITE AT CONNECT.JEFFERSON.EDU TO: Read about your peers. In your online alumni school community, simply select the Alumni Spotlights tab.
Share your story. Log in, select the Spotlight and Mentorship tab, answer a few questions, share a photo and submit to appear online!
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Hunter
Kern
Piersol
Earland
Herge
University
School of Health Professions
TJU Deans Sponsor Joining Forces Event
Faculty Team Receives Writer’s Award
On April 15, the Jefferson deans sponsored a Joining Forces event called Caring for Veterans: Critical Considerations for Interprofessional Healthcare Teams. Joining Forces is a White House initiative focused on connecting members of the military, veterans and their spouses with resources to find jobs at home. The panel presentation addressed the role of healthcare professionals in assisting veterans with their return to work after an injury. Three speakers shared their experiences: Rebecca S. Hooper, PT, PhD, COL(R), program manager at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas; Justin Woodhouse, MBA, RN, COL(R), associate executive director, West Division, Humana Military Healthcare Services, also in San Antonio; and Enrique Guttin, MD, chief of staff at the VA Medical Center in Wilmington, Del.
Catherine Verrier Piersol, PhD, OTR/L; Tracy Vause Earland, MS, OTR/L; and E. Adel Herge, OTD, OTR/L, received the Jeannette Bair Writer’s Award at the A m e r i c a n O c c up at i on a l T h e r apy Association (AOTA) conference in April for their article, “Meeting the Needs of Caregivers of Persons with Dementia,” which was published in the March 26, 2012, issue of OT Practice.
DeAngelis Named EDSIS Chairperson
Tina DeAngelis, EdD, OTR/L, clinical assistant professor, was elected chairperson of the Education Special Interest Section (EDSIS) for AOTA. She will coordinate the projects and activities of the Standing Committee and its programs at AOTA’s Annual Conference. She will also organize EDSIS newsletter topics and represent the section with all bodies of AOTA and as a member of the SIS Council. Her three-year term began July 1.
Collaborative Cross-Cultural, Interprofessional Service Learning and Research Program
Jefferson faculty members Louis Hunter, PT, MS, and Stephen B. Kern, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, took students to El Centro de Rehabilitacion y Neurodesarrollo (the Center for Rehabilitation and Neurodevelopment), a rehabilitation center in Cardenas, Cuba, over spring break 2013. Students Jacklyn Armstrong (’14) and Sarah Busenitz (’14), were the first physical therapy students to participate in the Cuba program. Occupational therapy students Alexandra Harkins (’14) and Genna Wallerstein (’14) also participated.
Michael Vergare, MD, senior vice president for academic affairs (center) cuts the ribbon to officially open 10 new group study rooms in the Scott Memorial Library. With him, from left, are Edward Tawyea, MSLS, former university librarian; students Sana Dastgheyb (JGSBS), Karl Oberg (JMC), Anh Nguyen (JSP), Jacqueline Knuttel (JSHP); Anthony Frisby, PhD, director of academic and instructional support and resources, Scott Memorial Library; and Ron Bowlan, vice president and chief facilities officer.
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DeAngelis
T. Johnston
Faculty at AOTA Education Summit
OT faculty members will represent Jefferson at AOTA’s first educational summit, w hich w i l l b e held in Atlanta in October. The faculty and their presentations are: Audrey Zapletal, MS, OTR/L • Standardized Patient and Student Perceptions of Clinic Day: Are They in Agreement? • Students’ Perception of Communication, Physical Skills and Flexibility after Experiencing Standardized Patient Encounter Arlene Lorch, OTD, OTR/L, CHES; Mary Muhlenhaupt, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA; Tina DeAngelis, EdD, OTR/L; and Kimberly Mollo, MS, OTR/L • Peer Review to Enhance Teaching Effectiveness in Occupational Therapy Curricula Arlene Lorch, OTD, OTR/L, CHES, and Tina DeAngelis, EdD, OTR/L • The Community Fieldwork Planning Matrix: An Effective Method for Maximizing the Learning Environment in Settings with Non-traditional Supervision Caryn Reichlin Johnson, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, and Stephanie Beisbier, OTD student • The Impact of Collaborative Fieldwork Models On Student Experience, Professionalism and Clinical Capacity
Johnston Receives Funding
Department of Physical Therapy faculty member Therese Johnston, PT, PhD, MBA, received funding for two studies
Gilman
Marquess
on the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES). A grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is funding her research into the effects of different FES cycling paradigms in adults with spinal cord injury to identify the impact on bone and muscle. Johnston is also a co-investigator on an NIH grant studying the effects of FES cycling for children with cerebral palsy.
New Name, Same Mission
The Department of General Studies, home of Jeff-at-Night, has been re-named the Depar tment of Professional and Continuing Studies. “This new designation provides a description that focuses on education for many levels of interest, second-career seekers and those looking for both personal and professional improvement,” says John C. Lewis, EdD, former chair of the department. In addition to the name change, the department has moved into a new home in the Edison Building: 130 S. 9th St., fifth floor.
DR Machines Give Real-Life Experience
The Department of Radiologic Sciences purchased a state-of-the-art digital radiography machine, giving students hands-on practice with the most current technology used in clinical settings. “The students can take the skills they obtain here in the lab and use them at their clinical sites to provide the best patient care and service,” says lab instructor Colleen Dempsey, BA, RT(R).
S. Johnston
Gilman Shares Interprofessional Experience
Department of Radiologic Sciences Chair Frances Gilman, DHSc, RT(R)(CT)(MR) (CV), presented at the Association of Educators in Imaging and Radiologic Sciences (AEIRS) annual meeting in Salt Lake City on the topic “Interprofessional Education: Understanding the Roles of Nursing and Radiologic Sciences Students.” Gilman is also part of an American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) group that is revising the cardiac interventional and vascular interventional curriculum.
“Boot Camp” Introduced for Radiation Oncology Programs
Matt Marquess, MBA, RT(T), director of the radiation therapy program, and Shirley Johnston, MS, CMD, RT(R)(T), director of the medical dosimetry program, presented their “Boot Camp” p r o g r a m at Je f f e r s o n’s Fa c u l t y Development Days in June 2013. Boot Camp uses an interprofessional approach to orient new radiation therapy and medical dosimetry students to oncology patient care, offering an introduction to radiation oncology and covering professional behavior, terminolog y and coordinated care efforts. The orientation pays off: clinical supervisors surveyed after students’ first month in the setting were positive, with comments including “boot camp is great for hands-on experience” and “(student) was definitely more prepared than other students on the first day of clinical.” Student feedback has also been positive.
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HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENT NEWS Bioscience Technologies Maria Belousenko won the Master of Science poster presentation at the annual Sigma Xi Research Day at Jefferson on April 17, 2013. Belousenko’s poster, “Human NK Cell Growth: Role of Various Modulating Factors,” was one of 102 posters presented. Other students representing the Department of Bioscience Technologies included William Musa, Ricsan Nicolas and Amira Tibin.
Students Research OT Roots Truluck
Fox
Students in the Department of Occupational Therapy had a hands-on opportunity to search through the University Archives as a part of their class, Historical Perspectives on Theory-Based Practice. The OT department is the only one that requires students to use the archives to research the professions’ roots as a part of the curriculum.
OT Student Receives AAUW Scholarship
Truluck Takes on More Roles
Christina A. Truluck, PhD, CNMT, RT(N), associate professor and program director/ clinical coordinator for nuclear medicine, recently became a member of the ASRT Practice Standards Council and the ASRT Scholarship Review Committee. These new roles are in addition to her membership in the ASRT Commission, service on the ASRT editorial review board for Radiologic Technology and the editorial review panel for ASRT Scanner. Truluck is also on the editorial review board for Radiologic Science and Education, published by AEIRS.
Fox Receives ASRT Scholarship, Presents at SITE
Traci B. Fox, MS, RT(R), RDMS, RVT, clinical coordinator of the diagnostic medical sonography program, was named “one of the best and brightest students in the radiologic sciences field today” by ASRT, whose Education and Research Foundation presented her with an ASRT foundation scholarship award. Fox also presented a paper at the 15th Annual Society for Information in Technology Education (SITE) meeting in New Orleans on March 26, 2013. She and her peers in the educational leadership and management program at Drexel University were invited to submit their papers for scholar review to be presented in the symposium and published in an international EdIT Digital Library and Proceedings. Fox’s paper is titled “Examining Faculty Pedagogical Practices and Perceptions About Integrating Emerging Technologies to Transform Learning Environments in Health Professions Programs.”
Kelsey Fair received a scholarship from the American Association of University Women, a group that promotes equity for women through advocacy, education and research.
Reid-Clarke Receives Scholarship Janice Reid-Clarke, a health services management information systems student in the Department of Professional and Continuing Studies, received a 2013 Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Paradigm Award. This scholarship is awarded annually to professional women who show exceptional leadership traits and a great contribution to the Greater Philadelphia region.
Student and Professor Publish in Journal JoAnn Aichroth, a sonography student, and assistant professor Traci Fox, MS, RT(R), RDMS, RVT, were published in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Aichroth’s article, “Retroaortic Left Renal Vein,” gave an overview of an unusual condition in which the left renal vein passes posterior to the abdominal aorta and anterior to the vertebrae.
Students Impress at SVU Conference Ashley Kanefsky and Melanie Kinkler, vascular sonography students in the Department of Radiologic Sciences, each won a $1,000 education grant to attend the annual 2013 Society for Vascular Ultrasound Conference in June. The conference hosted more than 400 technologists, physicians and students learning about the latest advancements in clinical diagnosis of vascular disorders. Kanefsky and Kinkler submitted their poster presentations, “Carotid Aneurysm: A Case Study” and “Postoperative Aortic Pseduoaneurysm,” respectively. Kinkler and Deborah Rodgers won best student poster at the conference with “Delayed Appearance of Aortic Pseudoaneurysm,” which discussed the rare findings of an aortic pseudoaneurysm case and the significance of treating it. Jefferson students also received the best poster award at the 2012 conference.
FALL 2013 19
Swan
JSN
Manning
School of Nursing National Exposure for Dean Swan
JSHP
Beth Ann Swan, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, dean of the Jefferson School of Nursing, conducted a speaking tour in Washington, D.C., in February 2013. She was the guest speaker at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Care About Your Care Learning Session for Aligning Forces for Quality Communities at the National Press Club. She also spoke at the Health Care Industry Access Initiative Summit, presenting “Navigating Health Care – Through the Eyes of a Consumer,” based on her article published in Health Affairs in November 2012. Also at that summit, she participated in a panel called “Where Do I Go and How Do I Get There? – Toward Smooth Transitions in Health Care.” In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer published Swan’s op-ed on April 29, 2013, and the Los Angeles Times published one on May 9, 2013. Both articles, which shared her personal experience after her husband suffered a stroke while traveling, discussed the challenges of transitioning to post-hospital medical care.
Manning Presents Internationally, Selected as AAN Fellow JSP
JSHP, JSN and JSP staff, alumni and faculty were recognized for their accomplishments at the Annual Awards Ceremony held earlier this year. Debra Zelnick, MS, OTR/L, JSHP associate dean; Rebecca Finley, PharmD, MS, JSP dean; and Beth Ann Swan, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, JSN dean, joined Michael Vergare, MD, senior vice president for academic affairs at the event. For more photos and the full program please visit connect.jefferson.edu to enter your alumni community and see the Alumni & School News page.
Mary Lou Manning, PhD, CRNP, CIC, associate professor, was invited by the Chilean Society of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology to speak at the XVI Congress in Santiago, Chile. Manning’s presentation topics included “Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI): Is Targeting Zero a Global Reality?” and the “Role of Leadership in Keeping Patients Safe.”
20 JEFFERSON REVIEW
Umland
Manning was the only person from the United States invited to speak at the event, which took place April 3 to 6, 2013. In addition, Manning serves as the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology representative on the World Health Organization Global Infection Prevention and Control Network Curriculum subgroup. Manning’s contributions to nursing and the field of infection prevention and control resulted in her selection as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing; she will be inducted in October 2013. “Selection for fellowship in the Academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing,” said Academy President Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN.
School of Pharmacy JSP Match Day Success
Seventeen members of the JSP Class of 2013 matched to a postgraduate program, with two additional students accepted into fellowship positions. More than one-third of the School’s second graduating class is now participating in a postgraduate training program, a significant figure considering the national average is close to 15 percent. Five graduates from the 2012 class — the inaugural class of JSP — are continuing their training and have accepted a PGY2 residency program.
Nightingale
Umland Serves in National Role to Support Women Faculty
Elena Umland, PharmD, associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Pharmacy, was elected by her peers as the 2013 Secretary of the Women Faculty Special Interest Group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). This group identifies issues of importance to women faculty and assists the AACP in responding to them. Umland was inducted into the role at the AACP Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Nightingale Recognized for Research on Medication Use in Seniors with Cancer
Ginah Nightingale, PharmD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, is the recipient of the 2013 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Award for her study, “Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Mediation Use in Senior Adult Oncology (SAO) Patients.” Excessive and inappropriate medication use in the elderly has been recognized as a significant public health problem linked to adverse drug events, hospitalization, mortality and billions in healthcare expenditures. In SAO patients, the addition of chemotherapy or supportive care drugs can increase the risk and prevalence of these problems.
Shoyele
Lieberthal
Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Innovation in Biotechnology Award. Shoyele was invited to present the groundbreaking research at the 2013 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in San Diego. He is the primary author of a paper titled “Targeting Intracellular Oncoproteins with Chemoelectronucleation-produced Self-associated Monocolonal Antibody Nanoparticles.”
School of Population Health MPH Program Joins ASPPH
The School of Population Health’s Master of Public Health Program became the 28th to join the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), as of its launch on Aug. 1, 2013. Jefferson’s MPH program joins the 50 CEPH-accredited schools of public health, eight associate members and 27 CEPH-accredited programs of public health, which have already pledged to join as founding members of ASPPH, the successor to the Association of Schools of Public Health.
Lieberthal Named Associate Editor
Robert Lieberthal, PhD, has been named an associate editor at Risk Management and Insurance Review, which provides a respected, widely distributed forum for the application of high quality applied or policy-oriented Shoyele Honored for Innovation Sunday Shoyele, PhD, assistant professor research. Lieberthal was named to the board in the Department of Pharmaceutical in recognition of his expertise in health Sciences, received the 2013 American insurance and health-related matters.
FALL 2013 21
NURSING STUDENT NEWS Students Selected for AACN Policy Summit BSN and DNP students Nora Vizzachero, Angela Miller, Adrianne Dudley, Joanna Cirillo, Caitlin Tambussi and Grace Feinstein were selected to attend the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., in March. They participated in sessions focused on the federal policy process and nursing’s role in professional advocacy. As part of the program, the students and JSN Dean Beth Ann Swan, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, who was attending AACN’s Spring Annual Meeting for deans, visited Capitol Hill and met with the legislative representatives for Senator Robert P. Casey, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and Congressman Robert Brady, all of Pennsylvania.
JSN Participates in Health Fair JSN participated in the Third Annual University of the Arts Health and Wellness Fair on April 17. Instructor Karen Alexander, MSN, RN, attended with 13 senior students taking a community clinical course. The students developed five booths for the fair, with topics ranging from sexually transmitted diseases to blood pressure.
FACT Students Work with Retirement Community Haley Bosak, Marissa Dennis, Lindsay Draham, Alexandra Fox, Stephanie Fuga, Sarah Hirsch, Caitlin Moore and Obi Ohayagha, from JSN’s FACT program, spent eight weeks at the Gwynedd Continuing Care Retirement Community and gained hands-on experience in the Foulkeways Wellness Center, working under the supervision of the Foulkeways healthcare team.
Students Volunteer with Life Rolls On Eleven FACT students volunteered with Life Rolls On, a nonprofit organization that works with individuals affected by severe spinal cord injuries, at an event called They Will Surf Again on June 15. Students included Kaitlin Birchmeier, Kathryn Fabish, Nils Hagen, Elizabeth Howell, Martin Igoe, Melinda Jimenez, Bronwyn Krug, Kristen Marotta, Nikolas Pattantyus, Kathleen Shaffer and Claire Steiner.
JSN Student Publications •
Amy Levinson, BA, BSN, an MSN family nurse practitioner student, was published in the February issue of Practical Dermatology. Her article, “Advances in Clinical Trial Development of Biologics for the Treatment of Psoriasis,” discussed new therapeutic targets for biologic treatments for psoriasis.
•
Caitlin McAllister, a FACT BSN student, published an article, “From Patient to BSN,” in Advance for Nurses. McAllister discussed her personal experience getting a kidney transplant and how it has influenced her decision to become a healthcare professional.
JSN Student Presenting at 5th Symposium on Advanced Wound Care DeSales Foster, MSN, CWOCN, CRNP, GNP-BC, a DNP student, will present a poster, “The Lived Experience of the Patient after Diabetic Foot Amputation,” at the 5th Symposium on Advanced Wound Care. Foster is being recognized with the highest award in the Information/Education Report category during the symposium in September 2013 in Las Vegas.
JSPH Publications and Presentations
Drew Harris, DPM, MPH, authored several pieces for the Wall Street Journal’s “The Experts” section on Health, including “The new etiquette on doctor-patient email;” “Market forces will help, to a degree;” and “Stop paying physicians a la carte.” Harris also presented “Strategic planning,” at the American Public Health Association Student Assembly’s Strategic Planning Meeting. Robert Lieberthal, PhD, and Dominique Comer, PharmD, authored “Validating the Pridit Method for Determining Hospital Quality with Outcomes Data” for Society of Actuaries research website. They also presented a poster on “Assessing Hospital Quality via the Pridit Method” at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting. Lieberthal also authored “Analyzing the Health Care Cost Curve: A Case Study,” for Population Health Management. John McAna, PhD, MA, Albert Crawford, PhD, MBA, and Vittorio Maio, PharmD, MSPH, and others co-authored “A Predictive Model of Hospitalization Risk among Disabled Medicaid Enrollees’” in the American Journal of Managed Care. Rob Simmons, DrPH, MPH, CHES, authored “Global Health Education: The Use of International Service Learning Initiatives for Global Health Education: Case Studies from Rwanda and Mexico,” for Health Promotion Practice. Simmons also gave several presentations at the 21st International Union for Health Promotion and Education World Conference on Health Promotion, including “Healthcare and Community Approaches to Improving Health Literacy: Training Healthcare Providers and Patient Activation;” “Advocacy Training for Health Promotion Students, Faculty and Professionals: Lessons Learned From 16 Years of the Annual Health Education Advocacy Summit in the US;” and “Communities and Families for Healthy Aging.” Dominique Comer, PharmD, co-presented several posters including “Identifying Medication Discrepancies through Linked Administrative Pharmacy Claims,” at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, “Characterizing Medication Fills through Linked Administrative Pharmacy Claims” at the ISPOR International Annual Meeting, and “Identifying Medication Discrepancies through Linked Administrative Pharmacy Claims,” at the SGIM Annual Meeting.
22 JEFFERSON REVIEW
ClassNotes BIOSCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES Julius Euperio, BS ’82 (cytotechnology), is an assistant supervisor at Clinical Pathology Laboratories in Austin, Texas. Euperio is married with two daughters, ages 18 and 20.
COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPY Scott Herman, MS ’13, recently was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Herman’s co-authored paper discusses personality factors that correspond to individuals who vocalize opposing minority positions against large groups. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Kim Gana, MS ’10, OTR/L, was one of 12 people recently appointed to the American Occupational Therapy
Association’s editorial board, which is responsible for developing a test-prep product to help students study for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy licensing exam. The group will create a study guide of multiple-choice, case-based and clinical-choice questions, provide peer reviews and assist with editing and other aspects of production.
Melissa Muller, OTD ’12, an occupational therapist with Moss Rehab’s outpatient stroke rehab program, was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer in January 2013 in an article about the Young Empowerment Stroke Support group she runs. “These are young people with their whole lives ahead of them. They want to move on with
Amanda Beal, MS ’13, OTR/L, was a third-year occupational therapy student when she saved the life of off-duty police officer Anthony Radico by giving him CPR. Beal was finishing a workout at a gym in Delaware County, Pa., when she noticed Radico struggling to breathe. She called 911, monitored his pulse and offered him a cool compress. Then he lost consciousness, and she started CPR. “Something inside of me switched into autopilot that day, and even though I was surrounded by a gym packed with people watching me, it felt like it was just me and him,” says Beal. “I was CPR certified through school, but never in a million years did I imagine I’d ever actually need to use it. I’ve had limited exposure to emergency situations but I feel incredibly fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time and am truly humbled by the whole experience.” Radico’s sister, Dana Trigg, was with him, and she credits Beal with saving his life. “My brother Anthony is home safe and sound — thanks to Amanda Beal,” she says. “Amanda came to our rescue. We can’t thank her enough for saving my brother’s life.”
their lives, to work, to drive, to complete college, start a career and raise children. The power of group dynamics is amazing. Nobody understands your situation like those in the same shoes,” says Muller. RADIOLOGIC SCIENCES Adrienne Buckla, BS ’12, is an ultrasound technologist with Spectrum Radiology Associates in Williamsville, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo. ShuangQi (Jim) Zheng, MS ’10, CRA, RT(MR), is the clinical supervisor of MRI at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Abby Gerding, BS ’12, RDCS, RVT, published “Nerve Hematoma Mimicking DVT” with co-authors Traci B. Fox, Lauren Lown and Laurence Needleman in the July/August issue of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Gerding works at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. NURSING Loretta Cavaliere, RN, MSN ’12, OCN, published an article, “Thromboprophylaxis in Ambulatory Lung Cancer Treatment,” in the February 2013 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. Nina Anderson, DNP ’12, recently had a manuscript, “Characteristics of Acute Care
Utilization of a Delaware Adult Sickle Cell Disease Patient Population,” accepted to the journal Population Health Management. Rachael Taylor, ASN ’10, and John Edwards, ASN ’10, who met as Jefferson students, were married April 5, 2013, in Bryn Athyn, Pa. Their story was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “Love Story” on May 16. Joyce Shaffer, DN ’61, offers free continuing education units to Jefferson nurses on the topics of brain fitness and ideal aging. She reports that a recent session about nutrition and foods that aid in overall brain health was standing room only. Chris Giberson, CRNA ’09, of Voorhees, N.J., has been named president of the New Jersey Association of Nurse Anesthetists, with a one-year term that started in August 2013. Janet Knecht, MSN ’91, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Conn., was selected as the 2012-2013 recipient of the Reverend John J. Stack Teaching Excellence Award, which “celebrates the very best in teaching - bringing a depth of scholarship to the classroom that inspires students and fosters academic achievement.”
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IN MEMORIAM Marie Jane Laubacher, BSN ’09 (FACT), MSN ’12, 55, died April 18, 2013. Laubacher is survived by her husband of 27 years, Butch; her children, Nicholas and Elizabeth; seven grandchildren; her mother; her brother; and two sisters.
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FALL 2013 23
Building Bridges Between Students and Alumni Every year, new students enter Jefferson’s doors and embark on an educational journey. This year, for the first time, alumni joined faculty and staff in welcoming incoming students, the result of a partnership between the Alumni Relations office and JSHP and JSN alumni boards. “The accepted student reception provided students with a chance to discuss the transition from JSHP into their chosen fields, and how the University remains committed to its students beyond graduation and throughout their careers,” says Scott Segan, BS ’09, MS ’13, RVT, RDMS. Denise Diaz, MSN, BA, RN, CPAN ’99, agrees. “Students were interested in career options, the transition from student to working professional, networking opportunities and connecting with alumni and the Jefferson Community,” she says. Alumni attended the accepted student reception and orientations to answer questions, address concerns and introduce the alumni benefits and networks that each graduate will have upon graduation. Students are seeing a greater overall alumni presence on campus and can visit connect.jefferson.edu to read alumni spotlights and advice from graduates in their field.
DO YOU WANT TO COME BACK ON CAMPUS AND MENTOR CURRENT STUDENTS? Visit connect.jefferson.edu to register or login and complete your Spotlight and Mentor Information tab tab. Spotlighted alumni can select their preferences to connect with students as mentors. Alumni board member Megan Gibbons Maciborski, PT ’04, mentors former student Kristina Lagzdins, PT ’11. Photo by Ed Cunicelli.
24 JEFFERSON REVIEW
JEFFERSON DAY AT THE BALLPARK! The Jefferson Alumni Association and Boards hosted their first Jefferson Day at the Ballpark on June 22, 2013. Almost 100 alumni, faculty, staff members, family and friends from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Schools of Health Professions and Nursing met for a pre-game reception where Cory Miller, assistant director of alumni relations, shared alumni benefits information, pins and souvenir Phillies hats. The group cheered for the Phillies during a game against the New York Mets. Pictured are alumnae from the JSHP Couple and Family Therapy program with their guests.
JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT EVENT! The Jefferson Alumni Association will host quarterly social mixers and other events in the months ahead. Visit connect.jefferson.edu for details in your school’s online alumni community on the Events page.
The annual diploma nurses alumni luncheon was held May 4, 2013, at Jefferson Alumni Hall. The event is an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of these alumni and the positive impact they have had on the nursing profession. This year marked the 80th year for the luncheon and was attended by 144 alumni from classes dating from 1947 to 1982. Fifty members of the class of 1963 returned to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. A morning board meeting was followed by a cocktail hour and meal. Representatives from each anniversary class spoke about their time as students at Jefferson, what these experiences have meant to them and the effect Jefferson has had on their lives.
Now it’s easier than ever to stay connected! F O L L O W T H E S E E A S Y S T E P S T O G E T S TA R T E D . 1. Visit connect.jefferson.edu and select YOUR community in the top bar. 2. Click “register now” in the upper right-hand corner. 3. Fill in your name to search for your record. 4. Enter your constituent ID. Not sure what it is? It’s right above your name in the mailing label on the back cover. 5. Take a few minutes to set up your profile. 6. Simply click “login” every time you visit in the future. Explore tools and resources at connect.jefferson.edu today! FOLLOW US AND WE’LL FOLLOW YOU!
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Have you joined the online alumni community at Jefferson? It’s easy! Just visit connect.jefferson.edu and select your community from the list at the top of the page. Alumni communities for the Jefferson Schools of Nursing, Health Professions, Pharmacy, Population Health and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are now open. Click “register now” to set up your account – your constituent ID is conveniently located above your name on your mailing address on the back cover of this copy of the Review. Once logged in as a verified alumnus, you can…
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Meet the New President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and TJUH System
Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA Wednesday, November 20, 2013 6 to 8 p.m. Reception and Buffet
Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom Philadelphia Navy Yard 4050 South 26th Street Philadelphia, PA 19112
Use the 26th Street Entrance
RSVP to events@jefferson.edu or register online at: connect.jefferson.edu/catchklasko Join fellow alumni at an exclusive event welcoming Dr. Klasko to Jefferson. Hear firsthand about his plans to transform Jefferson into the health sciences university of the future.
Self parking available on site Questions, call Jefferson events at 215-955-9100