What a year! The 2022-23 academic year has proven to be exceptional. I’m honored to report that the School of Health Sciences has made a significant global and local impact. We are sending scientists, teachers, doctors, and public health professionals out into the world to be Champions for Christ
Here’s how our students have excelled this year:
• 100% of Athletic Training majors successfully passed their Board of Certification exam
• 100% of M.P.H. graduates successfully passed their Certification in Public Health exam
• 100% of recent Respiratory Therapy graduates are gainfully employed
• 94% of Exercise Science majors successfully passed their Exercise Physiologist Certification exam
• 72 students presented their research projects during Liberty’s Research Week 2022
Our faculty have also accomplished great things! Here are just a few highlights:
• Dr. Gene Sattler received the Provost Award for Excellence in Research Mentorship from Liberty’s Center for Research & Scholarship
• Dr. Matthew Gage received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Service Award for 2022
• Dr. Jonathan Waugh published the 3rd edition of his book “Rapid Interpretation of Ventilation Waveforms”
• Dr. Darlene Martin was named as one of the leading health professors in the U.S. by McGraw Hill Publishers
In the following newsletter, you’ll have the chance to read about how our students are following their passion to serve others in their chosen profession and the dedication of our faculty to preparing the next generation of medical, scientific, and health experts.
Excited about the future,
DR. HEIDI DIFRANCESCA Dean
The Department of Biology & Chemistry hosted a six-week research program called ASSURE — Acquiring Skills for Students Underrepresented in Research Experience. The 23 students who participated in the program became a community, developing academically, relationally, and spiritually.
The students in the program were split into groups and assigned to work directly with one of eight Liberty professors on projects ranging from microbiology and immunology to chemistry and physiology. While some studied a hormone of a local amphibian species, others analyzed the effect caffeine has on hyper-specific aspects of the human body, and some explored the properties and biological functions of a variety of enzymes, proteins, and genes.
Biology & Chemistry Chair Dr. Jeremy Sellers explained that this second summer of ASSURE built upon the success of the first by implementing more group interaction and providing opportunities for spiritual growth among the student teams. The students gathered throughout the summer to present their progress, joined each other to worship and hear a devotional, and sometimes simply enjoyed the summer season with social events.
“Last summer was very successful for its first year, and to have that additional Liberty level of spiritual integration as well as finding ways to nurture the team building and interactions was important to us,” Sellers said. “For these students, many of whom come from underrepresented backgrounds, teaching them even more about how to collaborate with others was a major goal. The research areas really covered the breadth of our department.”
The ASSURE program is funded by a grant from Liberty’s Center for Research & Scholarship and is supported by the Provost’s Office. Sellers said the department is looking into options to continue the program for years to come. “We’re really excited about the future of this program,” Sellers said. “[The Center for Natural Sciences] used to be quiet over the summers, but now to see students buzzing and working here during that time, using the wonderful equipment that we have, has been a vision realized.”
Read more about the ASSURE program by scanning the QR code:
Continuing a 4-year effort to screen patients and treat medical issues in the underserved communities of Guatemala, a team of two professors and four students from the Department of Public & Community Health spent 12 days in the Santa Rosa region assessing over 400 residents.
The ongoing project is in partnership with the Lynchburg, Va., church Iglesia de Las Americas and made possible by a grant from Liberty’s Center for Research & Scholarship. This year’s group also partnered with organizations local to the Santa Rosa area — Manos Unidas, a nonprofit, and six supportive church communities.
The team was led by department chair Dr. Oswald Attin and assistant professor and instructional mentor Dr. Gineska Castillo. To prepare for their work in Guatemala, the students did research on cultural relevancy, social norms, and environmental aspects that may affect patients’ health and their access to healthcare. The students used the trip as a practicum to gain skills and experiences that will benefit their future careers.
Among their patients was a young man who worked at the team’s hotel. A screening revealed he was severely anemic, so much so that they took him to a local clinic for further testing. The man tested positive for H. pylori bacteria infection of the gut, an issue that had been untreated for a significant amount of time and had taken a toll on his health. Attin said the man was deeply impacted by the care and support he received from the Liberty team. “He was so grateful and amazed by the love and care he had received that he decided to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior,” Attin said. “Our department’s mission verse is Proverbs 13:17, ‘A faithful envoy brings healing,’ and we witnessed that firsthand.”
Liberty’s Department of Public & Community Health will continue its work in Guatemala next summer in the Puerto Barrios region.
Read more about the impact this team had in Guatemala by scanning the QR code:
Dr. John Coots and Dr. Vance Pickard
On Sept. 6, 2022, faculty and students for the Athletic Training Program (ATP) and Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) collaborated on an outstanding musculoskeletal Interprofessional Educational (IPE) learning event.
Certified Athletic Trainers are allied healthcare professionals specializing in musculoskeletal anatomy and function with clinical expertise in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating musculoskeletal pathologies occurring within physically active patient populations. A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) provides patient-centered care by treating the body, mind, and spirit, and focusing on lifestyle and environmental factors.
While the ATP and LUCOM specialize in different areas, they share the same mission — to train students to be Christlike, compassionate healthcare providers who are driven to implement evidence-based research into their patient-centered care. This IPE event enabled the ATP participants to collaborate professionally with LUCOM participants by providing instruction and demonstration of practical applications for upper and lower extremity musculoskeletal assessments. ATP participants also assisted LUCOM students in preparing for their upcoming Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Additionally, several LUCOM students assisted the Athletic Training Students with their General Medical OSCEs.
Dr. Linnaya Graf and Michala Geraty
For the Department of Public & Community Health, one of the most exciting developments to occur this fall was the launch of Liberty University’s first chapter of Delta Omega, Epsilon Mu.
The Department of Public & Community Health has worked tirelessly on the establishment of this Honorary Society with the purpose of promoting excellence among Liberty University graduate students in the field of public health. The department particularly recognizes students who exhibit the commitment of the society through their, “dedication to increasing the quality of the field, as well as to the protection and advancement of the health of all people.”
This new honor society features executive officer positions held by our brightest students, as well as an executive committee of faculty, staff, and alumni. Through membership, the department applauds students who exhibit academic achievement, service beyond self, development of the individual and profession, exceptional spiritual character, and devotedness to the practice of the public health profession.
We can’t think of a better way to foster community among dedicated, passionate, and Christ-minded professionals in the field of public health!
Dr. Eric Brubaker
This November, the Physical Education & Health (PHED) students conducted the 15th Annual Health Fair at Forest Elementary School, which is a part of the Bedford County Public Schools.
The Health Fair is guided by Dr. Eric Brubaker’s Health Teaching Methods course, and it provides the opportunity for future health and physical education teachers to present various health topics to kindergarten through 5th grade students.
PHED students in the Health Teaching Methods course are given health topics. They then create a unique and engaging presentation for the elementary students. In addition to teaching
the presentation, the PHED students also wear costumes that relate to their topic and group names. The all-day event is fun, energetic, and educational for both the elementary and Liberty students.
The very first Health Fair was held in 2007 and has only missed one year due to COVID-19. Dr. Brubaker states, “Having the opportunity to give back to our local schools has always been such a rewarding experience for our PHED students and I look for this program to continue for many years to come.”
Dr. Julia Inglis, Public & Community Health Department faculty member, initiated a community drive to give to Parkview Community Mission.
Parkview Community Mission is an organization local to Lynchburg, Va., that serves homeless and impoverished families in the community. They provide hot meals and groceries to families on a weekly basis. However, this past spring, they were running low on necessary supplies.
Students, faculty, and staff of the Public & Community Health Department took this as an opportunity to join together in collecting soap, toothpaste, diapers, and other essential items to bring to Parkview.
Missions is at the heart of public health — this is just one example of how the department seeks to be the hands and feet of Jesus, while protecting and promoting public health.
Shelby Todd is an accomplished School of Health Sciences alumna. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Todd has served in a variety of roles.
Todd previously served as information officer support on the Samaritan’s Purse Incident Management Team, which worked behind-the-scenes on medical responses in Italy, New York, Alaska, and Navajo Nation. Todd’s main responsibilities were to record and analyze data relating to any Samaritan’s Purse employees that had traveled and/or had potential exposure to COVID-19. This data was delivered to senior management each day to provide an upto-date situational context which guided their decision-making regarding overseas staff.
More recently, Todd served as the testing coordinator. Her main responsibility was to ensure Samaritan’s Purse staff in need of pre-screening COVID-19 PCR tests received them and that they got their test results in a timely manner.
In her current position in Cambodia as a program development apprentice, Todd is learning how to write proposals, create monitoring and evaluation plans, and develop programs for Samaritan’s Purse.
Michala Geraty and Dr. Julia Inglis
The Department of Biology & Chemistry faculty member Dr. Gene Sattler has been presented with the Provost Award for Excellence in Research Mentorship by Liberty’s Center for Research & Scholarship. The annual award recognizes faculty members who teach undergraduate residential courses and exemplify a commitment to best practices in teaching and mentoring undergraduate research.
Dr. Sattler remains one of the most faithful faculty research mentors in the Department of Biology & Chemistry. His research program has continued through his full tenure at LU and has included serving in scientific societies, authoring multiple publications, and mentoring more than 250 students during the past decade. His primary research project has been monitoring saw-whet owl migration, which involves the organization and coordination of a substantial team of student mentees for nightly netting, data collection, and safe release of the owls.
Many of Dr. Sattler’s students present during Liberty’s Research Week and at Virginia Academy of Science meetings. Several of his students have been involved as co-authors in manuscript or book chapter preparation.
Thank you for all your hard work, Dr. Sattler!
Last fall, Dr. Darlene Martin was named as one of the leading health professors in the U.S. by McGraw Hill Publishers.
Dr. Martin joined other nominated faculty for a collaboration to identify best practices for teaching in the health field. As a result, she has recently been used as a digital faculty consultant providing support to faculty and creating health content. Regarding this, Dr. Martin said, “It is an incredible opportunity to interact with colleagues in the field across the country and to be able to influence our society on how to teach students to be the healthiest version of themselves.”
Thank you for all you do, Dr. Martin!
Dr. Sattler is a prime example of long-term faculty mentoring in research, with the goal to provide students the knowledge and skills in field research that will afford them a position to be able to share the Gospel of Christ throughout their careers in science.We are excited to welcome four full-time faculty to the Biology & Chemistry Department. Each new member has a unique story of faith that we hope they will be able to share with students for many years to come.
Dr. Mirabelli earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers University with her research focused on neuroimmunology. Before joining the residential faculty, Dr. Mirabelli was an instructor for online graduate courses in Health Sciences. Dr. Mirabelli leads instruction in neurobiology for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as several other courses that align with her training.
Dr. Roth has returned home — she completed her undergraduate degree here at LU before pursuing her graduate work at Virginia Tech. She completed her Ph.D. in Entomology during the spring of 2022, having focused her doctoral research on honeybees. Dr. Roth is an instructor in entomology as well as other general and organismal courses and is planning to pilot a course on beekeeping in an upcoming semester.
Dr. Xu received her Ph.D. from Oregon Health & Science University, where she also held a faculty position for the past several years. Dr. Xu is the instructor for graduate courses in human developmental biology and undergraduate courses in embryology, as well as several other courses in the cell and molecular areas of the department.
Dr. Xue received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University and post-doctoral experience from Kansas State University. Dr. Xue is the instructor for Physical Chemistry I and II, as well as general and analytical chemistry courses. Dr. Xue has substantial experience with spectroscopic methods that he has integrated into both his teaching and future research efforts.
With a faith in God that touches everything she strives to do, Liberty’s new Dean of the School of Health Sciences — Dr. Heidi DiFrancesca — aims to train students to approach their research and service with a focus on God’s calling in their lives.
DiFrancesca came to Liberty last fall after spending two years at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. While there, she served as the Executive Director of Academic Affairs and taught graduate-level courses as an associate scientist and professor. Prior to Johns Hopkins, DiFrancesca served as associate dean for the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
DiFrancesca grew up in Virginia Beach. Now living in her home state again, she said she has cherished the opportunity to work among fellow Christians at Liberty who are outspoken and active in their faith and use their expertise in their chosen field to Train Champions for Christ
“It is so refreshing to be in a university that is unapologetically Christian, holds to Christian values, and stands on biblical principles,” she said. “I certainly see that lived out among the faculty, the administrators, and the students. They all understand the importance of faith and the role that their faith has in their lives.”
DiFrancesca considers her faith inseparable from her work, and she hopes that those she interacts with at Liberty can see that in her.
“There is not a separation between my faith and my professional role, because my faith informs everything that I do, and I am not who I am without my faith. I attribute the favor that I’ve gained and my successes as a result of my relationship with Christ — the most important thing about me — and I want that to be recognizable.”
To read the full article and learn more about our new dean, scan the following QR code:
Department of Allied Health Professions
For more information: �� (434) 582-2336 | ✉ alliedhealthprofessions@liberty.edu
Department of Biology & Chemistry
For more information: �� (434) 582-2209 | ✉ biology@liberty.edu
Department of Public & Community Health
For more information: �� (434) 582-2333 | ✉ publichealth@liberty.edu
