Learn the Art and Science of Caring
S C H O O L
O F
H EA LTH
VOLUME 14
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M E D I CA L
S C I E N C E S
Diversity Inclusion BUILDING LEADERS | REDEFINING HEALTH SCIENCES EDUCATION | COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Interprofessional Perspectives
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New Approach to Health A Sciences Education
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What’s New at SHMS
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Faculty Achievements
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Changing the Status Quo
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xecutives and Physicians E in the Classroom
10 Safety First 11 Rural Ally 12 Mobilizing Physician Assistants 13 Return to Tanzania 14 A SHMS Snapshot 16 Research Grants 18 Working Together, Growing Together 20 Department News
magazine is published by the School of Health and Medical Sciences at Seton Hall University. Publisher Brian B. Shulman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, FASAHP, FNAP Dean Editor Niyala Shaw, BA Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Special Events Design and Production Eric Marquard Department of Public Relations and Marketing Seton Hall University Feature Photography Kristine Foley Bob Handelman Fred Stucker Contributing Writers Rina Blaivas, BS Mirela Bruza, MS, PA-C Terrence F. Cahill, EdD, FACHE Vikram N. Dayalu, PhD, CCC-SLP Christopher Hanifin, MS ’99, PA-C Anne M. Hewitt, PhD Vicci Hill-Lombardi, EdD, ATC Jennifer McCarthy, MAS, NRP, CHSE Kimberly Olson Vanessa Rodriguez, MS, PA-C Abby Saunders, MS, PA-C Ruth Segal, PhD, OTR Doreen M. Stiskal, PT, PhD ’03
SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES Dean Brian B. Shulman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, FASAHP, FNAP Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Ning Jackie Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment and Student Affairs Patrick McDermott, MA Assistant Dean for Interprofessional Education Vasiliki (Betty) Sgouras, MD Assistant Dean for Dual Degree Programs Deborah Welling, AuD, CCC-A/FAAA School of Health and Medical Sciences Seton Hall University Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus Building 123 123 Metro Boulevard, Nutley, NJ 07110 www.shu.edu/health • (973) 542-6800
A Message from the Dean Dear SHMS Alumni, Students, Colleagues and Friends: Diversity is just the first piece of the puzzle; Inclusion represents the entire picture. In this edition of INS!GHTS, we are proud to share the exciting work that students, faculty and alumni are doing to spread the message of inclusion. The mixture of differences of our student body is what brought us, in part, to this new campus at Seton Hall — the Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus. Being together at this campus, we are able to highlight the diverse talents of the different programs, whether in the School of Health and Medical Sciences (SHMS), or in our partner schools — the College of Nursing and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall. Together, we are learning how to collaborate through the everchanging field that is modern health care. While each of our programs contributes to a different component of health care, it is considered a system for a reason. We are working together as an interconnected network to not only help those around us, but to help each other learn more about the colleagues, partners and families who we encounter.
“ Diversity, or the state of being different, isn’t the same as inclusion. One is a description of what is, while the other describes a style of interaction essential to effective teams and organizations.” — Bill Crawford, Psychologist
Based on the statistics, there are disproportionately low representations of gender, race and religion in all aspects of health care, and we are looking to bridge that gap. Every single person in SHMS brings forward their own thoughts, ideas and skills; together, we are able to flourish. In the words of author Jacqueline Woodson, “Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” By encouraging every student to become a leader in their own way, reaching into the community, and advocating for diversity and inclusion, the minds developed here at SHMS and Seton Hall are sure to be great. I want to thank not only the people who are mentioned in this issue of INS!GHTS, but also all of you who read this issue, for you are a part of what make SHMS and Seton Hall so remarkable. Without you, we would not be who we are today and who we yearn to become in the future. Go Pirates! Sincerely,
Brian B. Shulman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, FASAHP, FNAP Dean, School of Health and Medical Sciences Professor of Speech-Language Pathology
INS!GHTS 1
INTERPROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Building Leaders Seton Hall has given me the guidance throughout my graduate studies in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program to create a clear path for my future. The unique, hard-working faculty and staff have not only been amazing professors that have taught and given me the resources that I need to succeed but have also become role models that continually motivate me to work towards achieving my goals. With the guidance of my graduate adviser, Dr. Angela Lis, I’ve been able succeed in receiving the Executive Women of New Jersey Graduate Merit Award 2018 Scholarship that supports women who are non traditional graduate students. As I approach the end of my program at Seton Hall, I’m saddened to be leaving such an amazing institution; however, I am excited to apply all that I have learned and take on leadership roles in the future to contribute to the continual advancement of the physical therapy field. I will always be grateful for the opportunities that Seton Hall has given me and will proudly honor my school wherever the future may take me!”
The biggest take-home point for me for during the ILead conference came from the NATA president, Tory Lindley. During his speech on the first night, he advocated for every student in attendance to become and remain lifelong learners. Regardless of the profession, having an open mind to learning will help progress us further in our careers and life in general. Closed-minded people tend to be stuck in their ways, which can lead to staleness and regression. As individuals, we must understand that we’ll never reach the point where we know everything; however, if we strive to learn something new every day, the effect will be extremely positive. After attending the conference, my entire mindset on leadership changed and affected how I approached my studies, work and life in general. Even if I am not in a specific leadership role, I can still affect the people I interact with in a positive way. Many times, people equate a certain title with being a great leader. However, being able to lead without a title is an essential characteristic that I believe all professionals must possess in order to make a difference.”
Magdalena Wozniak, BS ’18
Calen Sutton, MS ’19, ATC
Student • Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Alumnus • Master of Science Athletic Training Program
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“ Empowering students to become effective leaders—through mentorship, opportunities and relationship building—is top priority for any pioneering institution. The School of Health and Medical Sciences cultivates healthcare professionals who are capable of advocating for important health legislation, conducting ground-breaking research, and developing into leaders of tomorrow’s workforce.” – Niyala Shaw, BA
It is well documented that women are the majority of the healthcare workforce but are underrepresented in executive positions. I hope as a leader in healthcare to mentor the women coming up behind me. I am fortunate to have a mentor, Kelli O’Brien, the Chief Hospital Executive at Riverview Medical Center. We met through the Hackensack Meridian Health Women in Leadership Mentorship program and the experience has been invaluable. Programs like these are important for women looking to advance in health care. The tools that I have learned in the Seton Hall MHA program have already allowed me to take on more responsibilities and given me greater visibility in my current role. However, it is not only what I learned in the classroom that has prepared me for what I envision as my next leadership role, it is the interprofessional development as well. Working with a cohort of stellar talent from some of the best organizations in the country like Mayo Clinic and Mass General, I learned how to collaborate and maximize the best talents of a group in order to succeed.”
During my time at Seton Hall, I developed leadership skills through various roles within my program and graduate assistantship in the School of Health and Medical Sciences. Under the guidance of Dean Shulman, I was able to assist with planning program events and developing relationships with programs overseas. This allowed me to experience firsthand what roles a leader in the university setting accepts. As a developing leader—while remaining under the mentorship of SHMS faculty—I knew that continuing my education to the doctoral level was not only a personal goal, but a way to further my research skills and hone in on leadership techniques for my future endeavors. Since graduating from SHMS in 2011, I have gone on to earn a Doctorate of Clinical Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. I will continue my research on patients with neurological disorders at a Level 1 trauma hospital facility in South Florida. Very often I look back on my time at Seton Hall and cherish the learning experiences, the friendships and networking that were so readily available.”
Erica Amianda
Courtney Moore, ClinScD, MSSLP ’11
Student • Master of Healthcare Administration Program
Alumnus • Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program
INS!GHTS 3
A NEW APPROACH TO HEALTH
Our Skills Labs, Standardized Patient Center and Clinical Simulation and Learning Center allow students to enhance their skill sets.
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he newly formed School of Health and Medical Sciences (SHMS) Clinical Simulation Department just celebrated its first anniversary as part of the opportunities available from moving to the Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus in Nutley. This is an exciting time at the IHS Campus, where our programs are expanding their use of healthcare simulation activities to better prepare graduates to meet and exceed the needs of their patients. By using simulation, we are offering deeper experiential learning opportunities that are now available with access to the state-of-the-art building, learning spaces and technology. This access has vastly modified the way the SHMS programs are preparing their learners and evaluating competency milestones.
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Healthcare simulation is a teaching, assessment and research modality that places learners in a real-to-life patient encounter that allows them to hone clinical care before actual live patient care. The beauty of healthcare simulation is that it offers a safe environment for learners to make clinical decisions without placing patients at risk. Simulated activities standardize learning because faculty have more control over the design of the patient case and important trends related to safer delivery of care. The third leading cause of death is healthcare error, with miscommunication attributing for 80 percent of the situations. The principle of practicing in a simulated patient care delivery environment is a paramount mechanism for addressing this disturbing statistic. Our simulated environments mimic the places our students will eventually care for patients. The spaces allow for ample exposure for acute care, outpatient and home care settings. They include
actual equipment and furniture for realism, allowing participants to complete assessments, make clinical decisions and complete clinical skills in real time. This real-time decision making allows the experience to include predictable patient outcomes. Our simulation program has an entire manikin family to depict patient life span beginning with a newborn to geriatric ages. Manikins have simulated pulses, lung sounds, heart sounds, bowel sounds, ultrasound capabilities, clinical procedure skill ability, and some neurologic functionality. For enhanced realism and deeper sharpening of effective patient communication skills, our program utilizes Standardized Patients (SPs). Standardized Patients are actors who have been educated on healthcare education objectives, feedback and debriefing techniques. After a faculty member designs a patient case, the SP learns the case information and presents it to the learners. This is paramount
HOW SIMULATION IS HELPING US SHAPE BETTER-PREPARED GRADUATES ■ Athletic Training program simulated
SCIENCES EDUCATION
spaces were modified from hospital care by using turf to allow learners to handle emergencies often experienced in a high school and collegiate setting. The learners applied techniques to handle common medical, therapeutic patient intervention and exercise while focusing on effective communication techniques and experiential patient perspective. ■ Master of Healthcare Administration
program simulation took on a different approach than clinical medicine, by offering administrative activities for learners. Some examples were utilizing de-escalation techniques with patients and families, slip-and-fall incidents and a full hospital IT infrastructure failure response. ■ Occupational Therapy program utilized
simulation for enhanced acute care orientation, experiential patient perspective and occupational profile assessment. ■ Physician Assistant
for improving clinician confidence, enhanced communication skills and improved navigation of a patient care encounter. This experiential learning model further helps to prepare learners for actual patient care clinical rotations and future care delivery since they have experience without placing patients at risk. Our simulated activities are designed by collaboration with the simulation team members and faculty from the program to ensure that best practices from the profession are infused with current healthcare simulation standards. SHMS has adopted a universal standardized rubric for assessment and debriefing techniques, which we believe helps prepare learners from multiple disciplines to interact and learn collaboratively. During the inaugural year, the simulation team designed and facilitated 58 activities, clocking over 290 hours of simulation and engaging learners from every SHMS health science program. The debriefing and learner self-reflection phase of the simulation is important to capture the various lessons learned during the simulation activity. By engaging with various professionals
from Counseling Services and Campus Ministry, as well as a Catholic Bioethics expert, we have enhanced our debriefing capabilities. Simulations that have a medical-ethics learning focus, patient spirituality aspect and/or activities that are known to evoke strong emotional responses from learners are better met through this approach to promote patient and provider safety. This often-overlooked opportunity of collaborative support is fundamental for optimal learning. Our goal is to offer activities that engage learners experientially with opportunities to respond to known complexities of healthcare delivery. So, what’s next? Our team is busy designing future simulations that will continue to address emerging trends within each profession and bring more interprofessional learning opportunities to students at the IHS Campus. Our team awaits opportunities that will positively impact patient care preparation. ■ – Jennifer McCarthy, MAS, NRP, CHSE Director of Clinical Simulation and Clinical Associate Professor
program simulation activities were used to enhance patient interviewing techniques, history taking, patient assessment accuracy, differential diagnosis consideration, emergency care situations, difficult patient conversations including disclosing of clinical error, experiential patient perspective and enhanced acute care setting orientation. ■ Physical Therapy program simulated
activities offered enhanced acute care setting orientation, experiential patient perspective, integumentary assessment, mobility techniques post-surgery, outpatient treatment modalities, exercise physiology and improved patient education. ■ Speech-Language Pathology program
simulation allowed for enhanced acute care orientation, swallowing assessment techniques, experiential patient perspective, newborn readiness assessment and chronic illness speech assessment in the acute care setting. ■
INS!GHTS 5
WHAT’S NEW AT SHMS
AT
OT
PT
PA
SLP
IHSA
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Moving to the new Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus created a unique learning opportunity for the MSAT. Program faculty planned and executed five different simulation events using combinations of high-fidelity manikins and standardized patients, in both medical exam rooms and laboratories. All sessions were recorded for student debriefing. The events included: 1) upper and lower extremity evaluation; 2) spine evaluation; 3) therapeutic exercise and modality intervention; 4) general medical simple evaluation; 5) general medical complex situation evaluation. The Department of Occupational Therapy is utilizing standardized patient (SP) simulations to enhance experiential learning opportunities for our students. These experiences are designed to facilitate the development of critical thinking, clinical skills and professionalism. In the upcoming semester, OT students will work with SPs to perform an evaluation and an occupation-based intervention. This past summer the program participated in its first simulation experience where teams of students interviewed SPs to complete occupational profiles. In addition to our Fall semester activities with SPs, the program expects to explore future opportunities to participate in interprofessional simulation events. Our move to the IHS Campus coincides with the ongoing development of the recently revised DPT curriculum. In addition to the new laboratory spaces for hands-on learning, the faculty integrated simulation activities using standardized patients (SPs) for many courses within the first two academic years preceding the third year clinical internships. With approximately 20 different experiences created thus far, students interact with the SPs who represent individuals from diverse age-groups: the young adult to the senior, all presenting with differing pathologies and conditions of the musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, integumentary and/or neurological systems. These patient scenarios reflect cases typically seen in a variety of practice settings ranging from in-patient acute care, subacute rehabilitation and outpatient care settings. We are thrilled to be offering new experiences that ensure students are clinic ready. The Department of Physician Assistant had an exciting year working with the new facilities available on the IHS Campus. Most of the fall semester was spent getting settled into using the Standardized Patient Center (SPC), which is set up like a 16-room outpatient clinic. A large team of standardized patients is trained to portray patients with a variety of medical conditions and emotional states. All interactions are recorded, and students can review their performance to quickly identify strengths and areas for improvement. The Department of Speech-Language Pathology’s clinical education program has introduced a series of simulation-based training activities (standardized patients, high-fidelity manikins and computer-based skill training) to augment a well-rounded in-class skill training program, domain-specific Experiential Training Opportunities (ETOs) and clinical practica across three different clinical settings. Graduate students are immersed in the above-mentioned clinical training program from the first semester, thereby offering multiple opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate mastery of skills. In our program’s current annual report, we acknowledged 40 new publications and presentations that address diverse topics such as cultural competence, evidence based practice, music therapy, emergency management, clinical assessment and treatment, effects of spiritual retreats on stress reduction and other topics. Two MHA faculty, Drs. Johri and Wagner, traveled internationally to meet with interested health administration program leaders at the University of Padua in Italy and the National Taiwan University. The MHA program begins offering the first international capstone in 2020.
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS ATHLETIC TRAINING Richard (RJ) Boergers, PhD, ATC, Associate Professor, has published in both the Journal of Athletic Training and the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training, thus further contributing to the evidence base regarding emergency procedures in lacrosse. He is also the co-principal recipient of grant funding awarded by USA Lacrosse. Leslie Rippon, MS, ATC, Assistant Professor, received a Faculty Innovation Grant from Seton Hall University to enhance the recording capability of simulation events that occur in the Interventions and Exercise Physiology/Therapeutic Exercise Labs.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Ruth Segal, PhD, OTR, Professor and Chair, and Karen Hoover, OTD, OTR, Assistant Professor, presented “Project Write to Learn: Fostering Interprofessional Education Experiences” at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Conference in New Orleans this past April. Mara Podvey, PhD, OTR, PMH-C, Associate Professor, co-authored a chapter titled “Best Practices in Transition Planning for Preschoolers” in a comprehensive textbook that provides best practices for occupational therapists who work with a variety of student populations.
PHYSICAL THERAPY Michael LaFountaine, EdD, ATC, Associate Professor, is an associate editor of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Angela Lis, PT, PhD, CEU, Associate Professor, collaborated a Co-PI on a grant from the Spine Rehabilitation Committee, NYU Langone Medical Center titled “Phase 2: Assessment of back pain beliefs and practice preferences of Physical Therapists in an urban health care system.”
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT Jurga Marshall, DMSc, PA-C, Assistant Professor, completed her Doctor of Medical Science degree during summer 2019. Mirela Bruza, MS, PA-C, Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair, and Vanessa Rodriguez, MS, PA-C, Director of Clinical Education, secured a grant from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Health Foundation to assist in introducing the PA profession to high school students from underrepresented populations.
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY Kathleen Nagle, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor, was awarded an American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHF) New Investigator Research Grant ($10,000) and an ASHA Advancing Academic Research Careers (AARC) award ($5,000). Caryn Grabowski, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, Director of Clinical Education and Instructor, was selected by the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) to attend the Clinical Directors Workshop.
Natalie Neubauer, MS, CCC-SLP, Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor, was chosen to attend ASHA’s Faculty Development Institute (AFDI), which supports Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty to develop and implement curricular enhancements that support the future of learning. One of the pillars she is focused on is advancing Interprofessional Education and Interprofessional Practice (IPE/IPP) by cultivating IPE models at the university level to prepare students to engage in interprofessional collaborative practice.
INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH SCIENCES AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION Stephen Wagner, PhD, FACHE, FACMPE, Assistant Professor and Executive in Residence, completed his second textbook for Health Administration Press. The text is a comprehensive review of the U.S. health care system titled An Introduction to the American Healthcare System: Focus on a Changing Environment. Nalin Johri, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, won First Prize Poster at the annual conference of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) in New Orleans. His “Yes We CARD: Competency Assessment and Resiliency Using Dashboards” poster emphasized the MHA program’s student and course assessment techniques. Michelle D’Abundo, PhD, Associate Professor, served as a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) Tank Challenge judge for the past two years. This New Jersey statewide elementary, middle and high school competition was created and is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association and the U.S. Army. Participating students use problembased learning (PBL) to invent or modify existing products to solve real-life issues. The interprofessional panel of judges represented a wide variety of esteemed professionals from all over New Jersey.
INS!GHTS 7
Changing the Status Quo Trina Parks, MHA ’04, FACHE, is working on reducing healthcare disparities across New Jersey.
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s part of her undergraduate studies, Trina Parks visited a psychiatric hospital, meeting with patients and journaling their experiences. The project was transformative, giving her an up-close view of both healthcare disparities and the stigma around behavioral health, which she found isn’t always viewed in the same light as other healthcare disciplines. “The hospital had a decrepit infrastructure and didn’t seem like a place I would want to go if I needed help,” she says. “There wasn’t a gift shop with balloons and cards. On my weekly excursions, I saw hardly any visitors, and the patients seemed forgotten.” Many patients, she says, felt like they weren’t heard or seen due to staff or systemic biases. Determined to create meaningful change, Parks completed a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Seton Hall University, and has since become a leader who works tirelessly to quash healthcare disparities in communities throughout New Jersey. Parks says all patients should receive the same level of care and respect—regardless of their diagnosis, ethnicity, age, gender identity or other facet. In the past two decades, she has
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taken her cause to inpatient units, emergency rooms, correctional facilities, residential homes and corporate settings. At East Orange General Hospital, as Vice President of Behavioral Health and Forensics Services, she led the charge to build—and helped design—a new state-of-the-art psychiatric inpatient unit. “This new unit,
which I did not experience as a student 24 years earlier, was leading-edge and modern in appearance with five group and activity rooms, new rooms and furnishings, individual bathrooms and showers for each patient, calming colors throughout the unit, and artwork and murals,” Parks says. “Our goal was to create an environment that promotes healing for patients and their loved ones to visit, where clinicians could provide the highest level of self-care to help patients live successful and productive lives. I still have and treasure a picture with the staff cutting the ribbon, all of them wearing green polo shirts to reinforce our support for people living with mental illness.” In 2016, Parks became Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Officer for RWJBarnabas Health, which serves over 5 million people throughout New Jersey. “Our goal ultimately is to use meaningful data to implement the appropriate preventive measures that will reduce disparities in health and care delivery to our diverse patients and communities,” she says. Since her arrival, RWJBarnabas has on-boarded eight Diversity and Inclusion site
directors. Meanwhile, Parks has worked with senior leaders to set specific goals based on community needs. That entails everything from healthcare practices to initiatives that create a more welcoming environment for patients like staff training on diversity, inclusion and health equity. “We are humans treating humans and unfortunately, we don’t always get it right,” Parks says. “We all have unconscious and conscious biases that dictate our behaviors.” A healthcare provider who doesn’t understand the difference between lesbian and transgender, for example, might be confused about how to address a patient. So 29,000 employees—nearly 90 percent—have received LGBTQ sensitivity training. For those efforts and others, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has recognized
“ Our goal was to create an environment that promotes healing for patients and their loved ones to visit, where clinicians could provide the highest level of self-care to help patients live successful and productive lives.”
Executives and Physicians in the Classroom
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hree years ago, Seton Hall University partnered with New Jersey’s top healthcare associations, the Medical Society, Hospital Association and Association of Health Plans, to offer a new program that seeks to build collaborative leadership skills among physicians and executives from both hospitals and health insurance companies. “By combining academic leadership with health system payer and provider executives and physicians, we have the best opportunity to find new solutions for our most pressing health system issues,” said Brian B. Shulman, PhD, Dean. Each year, the NJ Healthcare Executive Leadership Academy (NJHELA) works with a new group of senior health executives and physicians to advance their collaborative skills. This effort will prepare them to transform the New Jersey healthcare delivery system by improving quality, safety and costs. The curriculum is developed and delivered by professors from our Master of Healthcare Administration and PhD in Health Sciences degree programs, as they serve as the core Academy faculty. Guest faculty address specialized topics, plus, the Academy fellows
receive feedback regarding results on multiple leadership assessment instruments. A key distinguishing characteristic of NJHELA is that participants synthesize their learning by working in action learning groups on real challenges facing the NJ healthcare system. While the first two cohorts of NJHELA focused on end-of-life and palliative care systems, the Academy is currently focused on the opiates epidemic. An example of one of the recent action learning projects was a group that created 3 short videos displaying the effects that the opioid epidemic has had on people, their families, and their careers. The videos show recovered addicts, their road to recovery, and the troubles they experienced along the way. According to Dr. Terrence Cahill, IHSA Department Chair, “The challenges we face in seeking to transform our NJ healthcare system are more complex than any one part of the system can fix. The NJHELA collaborative learning approach is our best opportunity to effect positive health system changes that will address today’s opiates epidemic, as well as future health system challenges.” ■ – Rina Blaivas, BS
eight RWJBarnabas Health facilities as “Leaders in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.” Meanwhile, Parks has been named one of the top 25 Influential Black Women in Business by the Network Journal. And she’s come full circle, serving on the Seton Hall University Master of Healthcare Administration program’s Advisory Board Council, with plenty of insights to share. “When you work in D&I, you’re disrupting cultural norms or policies that have been in existence for a long time,” she says. Her advice for the upcoming generation: “Challenge the status quo, take personal responsibility for change, and most importantly, pause to reflect what is most important to you and be reminded of what motivates you so that you will have the wherewithal and energy needed to continue this work in health care, move the needle and leave your legacy.” ■ — Kimberly Olson
INS!GHTS 9
Safety First Nicolas Santos, MS ’13, ATC, is safeguarding high school players’ futures.
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hen Nick Santos was a young athlete, he suffered his share of injuries. As he sought professional help, he learned about athletic training. “I had no idea that it was a field of study,” he says. In college, he got excited about the possibility of helping young athletes like himself, and while at Seton Hall University, completed his Master of Science in Athletic Training degree. Today, he teaches sports medicine at Yuma High School in Yuma, Arizona, as part of the school’s Career & Technical Education program, and relishes sharing his knowledge.
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The school district comprises 87 percent minority students, with one of the largest migrant student populations in the nation. Thanks in part to engaging teachers like Santos, it also has one of the state’s lowest dropout rates, just 1.43 percent. “I have students who
have shown an absolute interest in the field,” he says. Santos’ dedication to athletic training led him to receive the 2019 SHMS Many Are One Alumni Service Award. Students and parents alike have learned that Santos can be counted on. Last January, when a student fainted, Santos quickly dashed to grab an AED (automated external defibrillator) and CPR mask. “[The student] was unconscious, so we monitor the pulse and give rescue breaths,” Santos says. “I did that for a few minutes, until EMS made it there.” At the end of the school day, Santos switches hats to become an athletic trainer for the school, proud home of The Criminals. (The school
was built on the site of an old prison, inspiring its grimacing mascot.) He helps keep student athletes safe and ready to play—from the girls’ volleyball team, to the men’s and women’s basketball and soccer teams, to cross country runners, golfers and swimmers. Drawing from current research in his field, he creates his own customized protocols. He helps young athletes prep before a game, manage injuries and maintain proper form on the field—but doesn’t stop there. “I’m learning to be a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, or helping them play the mental game,” he says. He gets a thrill watching his young athletes on the field, and this year, the men’s wrestling team was the state runner-up. Santos says, “Being a part of that is really rewarding.” ■ — Kimberly Olson
Drawing from current research in his field, he creates his own customized protocols. He helps young athletes prep before a game, manage injuries and maintain proper form on the field.
Rural Ally
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arian Fagan, MS ’15, OTRL, moved to Rutland, Vermont, because she and her husband sought a slower-paced lifestyle with easy access to outdoor activities. As an occupational therapist, her skills were in high demand. She visits medically homebound patients, often traveling back roads into the countryside. “Sometimes there’s no cell service,” says the Seton Hall University alumna. “Sometimes people don’t have home phones.” Fagan, who works for the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR), offers a friendly face and solutions based on each patient’s need. She’s currently helping a veteran, who suffered a fall, regain the use of his arms. She adapted a microwave oven for another patient, giving her more independence in the kitchen. She helps stroke survivors restore function. Without Fagan’s visits, many wouldn’t get the care they need. “It’s easy for people in rural areas to be forgotten,” she says. “They can get isolated. We’re the bridge between the hospital, doctors and the
people who are not well enough.” Research shows that rural residents are 78 percent less likely to receive home-based health care than their metropolitan peers. Delivering care to rural patients is pricier, so Medicare provided an add-on payment to offset the additional expense. But Congress chose to phase out the add-ons, forcing healthcare organizations to find ways to bridge the gap. Meanwhile, Fagan continues providing needed therapy—even innovating. “I’m working on patenting a specialized bathing brush that I’ve been trying with some patients,” she says. “I’ve seen people having a hard time bathing themselves because of various deficits, and I saw the effect it had on their health, especially if they have wounds.” She was chosen as a cohort at OnRamp, an entrepreneurial development program in Rutland that will help her create the brush and potentially take it to market. It’s just another way Fagan plans to help change people’s lives. As she says, “Anytime I’ve facilitated someone achieving a goal so they can be more independent, that’s a success.” ■ — Kimberly Olson
INS!GHTS 11
Mobilizing Physician Assistants Physician Assistants are Providing Educational and Professional Outreach to Underserved Urban Communities.
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T
he School of Health and Medical Sciences at Seton Hall University has proudly implemented a community outreach program titled “Mobilizing Physician Assistants: Educational and Professional Outreach to Underserved Urban Communities.” The goal of this initiative has been to address socioeconomic inequality, educational disparities, and shortages of healthcare providers within urban communities local to the University. The new state-of-the-art Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus, completed in spring 2018, is home to the Hackensack-Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, The College of Nursing, and The School of Health and Medical Sciences’ seven programs. The Physician Assistant (PA) program has since partnered with its neighbor, Clifton Public High School, to propel this project, achieving educational and professional exchange with high school students in this urban community. The project is designed to introduce
underrepresented students to the PA field, increase awareness among PA students about the need for outreach to underserved communities, engender a diversity pipeline into the PA profession and University, and increase the presence of clinicians in underserved urban communities. The “Mobilizing Physician Assistants” project creates a forum for educational and professional opportunities to be delivered to underrepresented high school students, informs them about opportunities within the PA field, and introduces them to the clinical work undertaken by PAs. In working with Clifton High School guidance counselors, 25 students in grades 10-12 who qualified as underrepresented students with an interest in the life sciences, medicine, health care and health-related fields are accepted into the program. Students are enrolled in the program for one year and complete a series of workshops to earn a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate serves as a representation of the practical knowledge gained and a resume-builder for college applications and professional opportunities. A total of 19 Seton Hall PA students, as well as the project’s two lead Principal Investigators (PIs), participate in the project as workshop facilitators over the course of the year. The project commenced in October 2018 with an initial workshop that introduced high school students to the PA profession and its scope of practice. Participating high school students engage in small, hands-on group workshops to learn about some of the skills that PAs apply in clinical practice such as measuring blood pressure, applying ACE bandages and utilizing knot-tying techniques. Students also explore their goals in entering the PA profession or healthcare field, and PA students and facilitators provide guidance on meeting those goals. In May 2019, the programs fifth and final workshop will conclude with participant poster presentations to their high school student body detailing a disease process they studied throughout the program under the mentorship of Seton Hall PA students. As large, urban communities often encounter difficulties in meeting the complex healthcare demands of their diverse populations due to shortages of physicians and healthcare workers, we envision this program as a means of creating a direct conduit for exchange and impact into communities with increasingly complex and exigent needs. ■ – Mirela Bruza, MS, PA-C, and Vanessa Rodriguez, MS, PA-C
Return to Tanzania ODE TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDENTS Congrats on acceptance to PA school! Your undergrad grades prove you are no fool. Helping people is your ultimate goal, whether chronic illness or the common cold. In your white coat, the whole world you will change, aspirations high and goals within range. But first, you need to learn all the rules. Work hard, study, and acquire the tools to make a huge difference in the precious lives of children, the elderly, husbands, and wives. It’s surely no secret PA school is hard, far more than good grades on a report card. Pathology, Physio, Anatomy Neuro, Psych, and Pharmacology The foundation is set, but there is more to do! Physical exam skills and EKG, too. How many hours can one person study?
I
n 2017, Sister Magdalena Chubwa called home to her rural village of Nguruka, in Tanzania, to wish her family Merry Christmas. “Everybody was crying,” she remembers. “They said, ‘There is death everywhere.’” A cholera outbreak was sweeping the village, ultimately claiming the lives of 25 children, and little help was available. The local clinic has doctors, but hardly any equipment or medication. These realities motivated Sister Magdalena to pursue an education in healthcare administration and ultimately, at Seton Hall University, a PhD in Health Sciences. Meanwhile, she launched Justice and Development for All (JUDEA), a communitybased operation in her home parish of Saint Mukasa, to help improve local living conditions and health care. “I asked the parish priest if we could work together, with parishioners and volunteers who are interested,” she says. JUDEA, beginning with basics, received a grant to renovate the health center, adding modern plumbing. “All the pipes were broken;
there was no running water,” she says. “The doctors couldn’t wash their hands.” JUDEA also created a community clothes-washing station connected to a septic system. “People used to wash their clothes all over the place,” Sister Magdalena says. “If there was diarrhea, the water would go everywhere.” That helped infections like cholera spread quickly. JUDEA is also installing a toilet in each school. Sister Magdalena is conducting research in the area to better determine the area’s needs. Meanwhile, JUDEA has supplied the health clinic with blood pressure monitors and glucometers, and has launched community health education programs on topics like skin infections and diabetes management. In the village, financial resources go further than even Sister Magdalena expected. After raising funds to build one toilet, she asked the locals which school should receive it. “They said, ‘Oh, sister, that will be enough money to build at least 12,’ ” she remembers. “The parents helped make the bricks. They were so happy.” ■ — Kimberly Olson
After 3 a.m., the subjects get muddy. Tests, exams, and practicals galore! Just when you think you can’t take any more Clinical rotations! From the classroom, I’m free! (almost) Medicine, peds, and psychiatry Outpatient, GYN, ER, and more, skills you are gaining through sickness and gore. Your preceptors love you, they wish you could stay. Soon enough they will call you a true blue PA. Graduation comes faster than you could have known, professors and parents, so proud, how you have grown. One more little hurdle for your final dance You’re ready, you have this! Now go pass your PANCE! A longer white coat, your patients will see Congrats, you made it! An official PA-C!!! — Abby Saunders, PA-C This piece was previously published by the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). Saunders, A. (2019, August 28). Ode to Physician Assistant Students. Retrieved from paeaonline.org
INS!GHTS 13
A SHMS Snapshot
MS IN ATHLETIC TRAINING
MS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
AVERAGE AGE
AVERAGE AGE
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
A
MALE 42%
31
171
23
23
228
MALE 3%
509
MALE 29%
MALE 37% FEMALE 71%
FEMALE 97%
FEMALE 83%
FEMALE 58%
FEMALE 91%
FEMALE 71%
merica is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, with an age population that is growing older. Our students reflect the ever-changing population that we live in, and that is something we feel is important to showcase – because healthcare professionals should be culturally competent, and confident in delivering care to a diverse society. Each year SHMS educates more people from across the country and globally than the year previous, and we are confident that our students can cater to the unique care needs of various populations. –Rina Blaivas, BS
MALE 42%
MALE 9%
MALE 29%
FEMALE 63%
DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
MS IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
MS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION
PhD IN HEALTH SCIENCES
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
CURRENT ENROLLMENT
AVERAGE AGE
AVERAGE AGE
AVERAGE AGE
AVERAGE AGE
AVERAGE AGE
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
111
180
23
24
420
112
101
28
23
628
98 42
128
566
113
FALL 2019 ENROLLMENT BY PROGRAM DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
MS IN ATHLETIC TRAINING
111
112
MS IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
31
MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION
171
PhD IN HEALTH SCIENCES
180
101
MS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
98
MS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
FALL 2019 PROGRAMS BY RACE/ETHNICITY 88 50 25
5 12 1 DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
18
17 21
32 34 6 2
16 8 2 4 1
MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION
MS IN ATHLETIC TRAINING
■ ASIAN ■ BLACK: NOT OF HISPANIC ORIGIN
14 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2020
23
24 3
82 27
6
MS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
■ HISPANIC ■ TWO OR MORE RACES
39 7
18
65 28
6
MS IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
4 1 11 2
18
MS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
10
27
35 8 1
17
PhD IN HEALTH SCIENCES
■ WHITE: NOT OF HISPANIC ORIGIN ■ UNKNOWN
Data provided by Seton Hall’s Office of Institutional Research
Sound Investing Our expert faculty continue to work on research projects that bring new opportunities to SHMS, serve additional target populations and contribute to advancements across a variety of disciplines. Highlighted here are examples of recent grant-funded faculty research projects. RESEARCH GRANTS The Effect of Lacrosse Protective Equipment on Time to First Chest Compression and First Automated External Defibrillator Shock •U SA Lacrosse - Sports Science and Safety Research Grant: $14,000 • R ichard Boergers, PhD, ATC (co-PI) Abaloparatide to Improve Bone Mineral Density and Architecture in SCI •N ew York State Department of Health and New York Spinal Cord Injury Research Board: $826,939 •M ichael LaFountaine, EdD, ATC “Five Minutes to Help,” Sponsored by NJ Dept of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services •N J Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services (NJDOH-OEMS): $175,000 • J ennifer McCarthy, MAS, NRP, CHSE (principal), Anne Hewitt, PhD (co-principal), Ning Jackie Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH (supporting), Terry Cahill, EdD, FACHE (supporting)
16 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2020
Adolescents with Lupus: The Impact of Patient/Provider Discordance, Depression, Cognition and Language on Quality of Life •N ational Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research: $1.2 million •N ing Jackie Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH (co-investigator) Seton Hall University and Hackensack Meridian Health Interprofessional Medication-Assisted Treatment Training Program •U .S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): $404,905 • I n collaboration with the College of Nursing and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University Investigating Variability in Use of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) • A merican Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation: $10,000 • K athleen Nagle, PhD, CCC-SLP (principal)
The following projects each received internal funding from Seton Hall University initiatives: Faculty Innovation Grant • T eaching, Learning and Technology Center Seton Hall University: $1,850 • L eslie Rippon, MS, ATC (principal) and Vicci Lombardi, EdD, ATC (supporting) ICPSR and Health Administration Data Sets (iHAD) • S eton Hall University: $500 •N alin Johri, PhD, MPH (principal) Undergraduate Research Program Grant
• S eton Hall University: $1,000 •N ina Capone, PhD, CCC-SLP (principal) The Future of Innovation in Teaching and Learning through Computer-Based Simulation • T eaching, Learning and Technology Center Seton Hall University: $2,625 •N atalie Neubauer, MS, CCC-SLP (principal) and Caryn Grabowski, MS, CCC-SLP (co-principal)
Project Write to Learn: Preparation of Occupational Therapists and Speech-Language Pathologists to Improve Written Expression in Children with Specific Learning Disabilities was funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in October 2017. Project Write to Learn is currently in its third year of funding. This project is a collaborative interdisciplinary endeavor between faculty in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Department of Speech-Language Pathology. Two student cohorts (four OT and four SLP students in each cohort) have successfully completed the project, which includes a well-balanced mix of didactic, experiential and clinical practice related activities. Students participate in this project while completing the academic and clinical requirements of their respective graduate programs. Upon graduation, their participation in Project Write to Learn is identified on their transcripts, and each student receives $20,500 toward their tuition and program expenses. The first cohort successfully completed all requirements for their respective graduate programs and are employed in the clinical setting. The faculty and students have presented the outcomes of the project at different national and state conferences.
The research conducted by SHMS faculty helps to expand the knowledge in various disciplines and push the established boundaries, especially when it comes to a national epidemic. Thanks to such interprofessional efforts, this year our faculty and administrators worked interprofessionally to develop programs to target the widespread misuse of opioids. Highlighted here are two projects aimed at addressing the national opioid crisis. Targeted Capacity Expansion: Medication Assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction (MAT-PDOA) grant-funded interprofessional program. In September 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Seton Hall University an interprofessional grant to train nurse practitioner, physician assistant and medical students to increase access to medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for individuals suffering from opioid use
Grants Spotlight
disorder (OUD) remains underutilized as many practitioners are not trained to prescribe it. Through this grant, Seton Hall, along with 28 other schools in the country, has begun training nurse practitioner, physician assistant and medical students to prescribe MAT and support recovery from opioid addictions. Additionally, all program graduates will be certified with a Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA) Waiver, which ensures their ability to prescribe and dispense methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone products for the treatment of opioid addiction. Through this program, the nurse practitioner and physician assistant students will go through 24 hours of didactic training, while the medical students will have eight hours. They will then have 10 hours of clinical training at Hackensack Meridian Health Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead, New Jersey. More than 160 students attended the first in-person MAT training event held on August 22, 2019, and at the end of 2021 it is predicted that more than 400 students will have completed the program. This grant-funded program is vital because it helps to prepare our students to address the nationwide opioid epidemic by combating opioid misuse and related overdoses.
SHMS assists in starting the After the Narcan®……. 5 Minutes to Help Program sponsored by the NJDOH-OEMS. The IHSA Department received a $17,500 New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Medical Services contract to develop the After the Narcan®…… 5 Minutes to Help presentation. This onehour presentation will serve as the keystone for police, fire and EMS providers who are have been approved to administer Narcan.® The program goal is to provide foundation information to promote conducting a conversation about Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and rehabilitation treatment after Narcan® is administered. The program was developed and narrated by Jennifer McCarthy MAS, NRP, CHSE, SHMS Director of Clinical Simulation and Clinical Associate Professor. Dr. Anne Hewitt, MHA Program Chair, Dr. Terrence Cahill, IHSA Chair, and Dr. Ning Jackie Zhang, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; assisted in the development. Riad Twal, Ed.S, MS, MA, Sr. Instructional Designer for TLTC, supported the production of the program. ■
INS!GHTS 17
FACU LTY
New SHMS faculty, staff and administrators
1. Lorene Cobb, PT, DPT, MS, PCS, c/NDT, is an Instructor and
1
Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy. Prior to joining Seton Hall, Cobb served as the Director of Clinical Education at Stockton University. Her broad realm of work experience includes management of patients in home care, early intervention, various inpatient and outpatient settings, public schools and private institutions for both children and adults with neurological and developmental disabilities. She obtained her BS at Russell Sage College, Master’s Degree at Seton Hall University, and post-professional DPT at Stockton University. Cobb is currently a candidate for her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership at Maryville University.
2. Brian Colfer, PhD, MBA, is an Associate Professor in the Master
2
of Healthcare Administration program. He has had over 10 years of experience in higher education. His previous university experience includes serving as Vice Chair of an Institutional Review Board, a faculty representative on a college-wide Executive Committee, a General Education Committee member, and a faculty adviser to multiple student organizations. He earned his BS in biology from Monmouth University, and his MBA and PhD in health policy from The University of the Sciences.
3. Bryan Pilkington, PhD is an Associate Professor in the
3
Department of Interprofessional Health Sciences and Health Administration. He also holds appointments in the School of Medicine, the College of Nursing and the Department of Philosophy. Pilkington is interested in questions of conscience, moral responsibility and the ethics of healthcare practice. Pilkington currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy and the Editorial Advisory Boards of Healthcare Ethics Committee Forum and Christian Bioethics. Prior to joining Seton Hall, Pilkington served as the Director of Academic Programs at Fordham University’s Center for Ethics Education. He received his BA in philosophy from Franklin & Marshall College and his MA and PhD in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.
4. Lisa Sheikovitz, MA, OTR/L, is an Instructor in the Department
4
of Occupational Therapy. She has been a practicing occupational therapist since 2005, and her clinical specialty is with adult neurologic populations. She has experience in a variety of areas such as schoolbased therapy, pediatric outpatient clinics, adult inpatient rehabilitation, and community-based home care services. Sheikovitz received a BS in rehabilitation services from Pennsylvania State University and an MA in occupational therapy from New York University.
5. Lauren Snowdon, PT, DPT, MS, is an Instructor and Director of
5 18 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2020
Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy. She has been a practicing physical therapist since 2001. Prior to coming to Seton Hall, Snowdon was the Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, Clinic Manager, and Neurologic Residency Program Director at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. She obtained her BS and MS from Ithaca College, and a post-professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
STAFF AN D ADMI N ISTR ATORS 1. Lauren Burbank, BS, is the Scheduling Manager in the Clinical
1
Simulation and Learning Center. Burbank works in this capacity across all three schools on the Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus. In her previous work, she supported marketing directors as an executive assistant at Verizon where she managed scheduling, organized leadership conferences, coordinated and managed team building events. She received a BS in marketing from Seton Hall University and is pursuing an MAE in instructional design.
2. Sean Deehan, MA, is a Simulation Specialist in the Clinical Simulation and Learning Center. Prior to joining SHMS, Deehan worked as a simulation technician for the College of Nursing, where he introduced and implemented creative technological solutions and setups that played a prominent role in the College’s simulation successes. He brings with him six years of graphic design and IT experience that have been instrumental in building the Center. Deehan earned a BA in graphic design and an MA in instructional design and technology from Seton Hall University.
2
3
3. Jennifer McCarthy MAS, NRP, CHSE, is the Director of Clinical Simulation and Clinical Associate Professor for the School of Health and Medical Sciences. She designs and delivers simulation activities for various health science students. McCarthy has been an active paramedic for nearly 30 years and became a leader in healthcare simulation over the past 20 years. She is an accreditation site reviewer, team lead and accreditation council member, as well as the Chairwoman of the EMS Affinity Group. McCarthy serves on several state and national committees that address the use of evidence-based healthcare simulation. She received an MAS in administration science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
4. Marisa Merrigan Robertazzi, BFA, is a Standardized Patient
4
Educator for the School of Health and Medical Sciences and College of Nursing. She has been involved with Clinical Skills/Simulation for over 25 years, having worked as a Standardized Patient trainer, project manager and tutor at many schools in the tri-state area. Her background is in case development, physical exam demonstration and standardization. Through these experiences, she has developed a deep passion for the improvement of healthcare delivery and improved patient safety. Possessing a BFA in painting/theater, Merrigan Robertazzi has used her acting experience to help develop authentic presentations of patient scenarios. She is a member of Actors’ Equity and SAG/AFTRA.
5. Sheresia (Reesey) Mitchell is the Secretary for the Department
5
of Athletic Training. She began her career at Seton Hall in 1997 as a Database Researcher for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). She then held positions as Secretary to Corporate and Foundation Relations and Gift Planning and Secretary to Major Gifts, where she supported fundraising directors for various Schools and Colleges at the University. Mitchell is a graduate of Katharine Gibbs Business School, now known as Gibbs College. She is pursuing a BA in social and behavioral sciences with a concentration in criminal justice at Seton Hall.
INS!GHTS 19
DEPARTMENT NEWS Messages for our alumni, from the department chairs. Athletic Training (AT) Chair: Vicci Hill-Lombardi, EdD, ATC The Department of Athletic Training has experienced an amazing amount of challenges and change in the past 18 months. While we graduated 21 new AT practitioners in May, we advanced 22 to the second year of study. In July, we welcomed a small but promising class of nine new students. And while our five-year reign of 100 percent first-attempt pass rate (Classes 2014 through 2018) came to an end, we have maintained our 100 percent overall pass rate. Another area that proved challenging was the transition to the new IHSC facility. Beginning with packing up the classrooms and labs at the end of the Spring 2018 semester, we then moved during the Summer I semester, while classes were still in session on the South Orange Campus. Our incoming first-year students attended orientation during the second week in July, while we were still finding our way around the new building, figuring out how all the new technology worked, and how to now share all the common resources. However, we rapidly overcame any difficulties with the teamwork that alumni are accustomed to witnessing from the AT faculty. Also, the new facility presented an amazing amount of new opportunities – learning through Standardized Patient interactions, high-fidelity manikin simulation and state-of-the-art equipment. While all this was going on, the CAATE Self-Study was completed and submitted by July 1, 2018, and our Accreditation Site Visit took place in March 2019. The site visitors were simply amazed by the facilities that our students are able to utilize throughout their education, as well as with our interprofessional focus. Upon final review, we had zero citations and received another 10 years of CAATE accreditation. The entire faculty remains committed to pursuing scholarship. Professors Rippon and Maffucci continue to aggressively pursue their terminal degrees. Dr. Boergers presented at the NATA meeting in Las Vegas. As well, all
20 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2020
students in the class of 2019 were accepted via the NATA Foundation Free Communications call for research and presented posters at the NATA meeting in Las Vegas. All faculty presented at a national meeting, either NATA or ASHA.
Interprofessional Health Sciences and Health Administration (IHSA) Chair: Terrence Cahill, EdD, FACHE The MHA program continues to receive national recognition. In the latest U.S. News and World Report ranking, the SHU-MHA was tied for #43, showing a substantial positive movement of more than 20+ schools into the top 50 programs in the country. The MHA’s retention, graduation and placement rates continue to exceed 90 percent, ranking it favorably among CAHME-accredited schools. MHA core faculty received national awards and were selected to present nationally on topics ranging from online graduate education, competency assessment, professionalism and leadership, and population health. MHA students now can use their graduate coursework for eligibility requirements to apply for professional credentialing in the area of health finance, emergency health management, quality, project management and healthcare data analytics. Although our setting for the school changed last year as we relocated to the new IHS Campus, the PhD program mission remained the same, to prepare our students to join the scholarly conversation. Since the program started just over 20 years ago, we have graduated 112 PhD students. While our alumni include hospital CEOs, county health officers, regional VPs, leaders in the pharmaceutical industry and myriad healthcare clinicians, we are particularly proud that many of our alumni are full-time and adjunct faculty members at national and international colleges and universities. As a PhD in Health Sciences program, we have always attracted a very diverse group of learners. In fact, we currently have international students from China, Jamaica, Tanzania, Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait and Nigeria. Our international students have numbered as much as 15 percent of our PhD learning community. This student diversity fits well with our department’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) model. As the complexity of our program continues to increase and we pursue new opportunities to develop our learning community, we have formed an Alumni Advisory Board to help guide our future directions. We are grateful to those alumni who have volunteered to help us capitalize on the many opportunities that we have to advance the quality of our learning program.
Occupational Therapy (OT) Chair: Ruth Segal, PhD, OTR Greetings from the Department of Occupational Therapy Chair. Just over one year ago, the OT program moved from South Orange to the new state-of-the-art Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus in Nutley. As we continue to settle in, we look forward to the 2019-20 academic year. This year will bring several exciting opportunities to our program, our alumni and the occupational therapy community. We are breaking new ground in OT education through our collaboration with the Simulation Center housed on the IHS Campus. Our students are utilizing Standardized Patient simulations to develop critical thinking, clinical skills and professionalism. As we continue to integrate simulation into the curriculum, we hope to partner with our alumni to help facilitate these experiences. I am confident their professional knowledge will enhance our students’ ability to develop the skills necessary for success in fieldwork and their careers. The department is also excited to announce that the 45th New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference took place on the IHS Campus and drew over 200 attendees. Finally, on behalf of the Department of Occupational Therapy, I would like to thank our alumni who contribute to the education of our students both in the classroom and during
fieldwork and those who serve on our Advisory Council. We could not do this without you.
Physical Therapy (PT) Chair: Doreen M. Stiskal, PT, PhD ’03 Congratulations to the DPT program as we note a significant achievement. We have successfully graduated 15 classes of students since 2005! With over 300 practicing clinicians who represent us so well, we thank you for being terrific ambassadors of our program. The growth in our reputation is exponential because of your Seton Hall pride and commitment to quality physical therapy care. Since we often interact with you during program faculty’s visits to your clinical center, I would like to introduce you to the two new Directors of Clinical Education: Drs. Lorene Cobb and Lauren Snowdon. Each faculty brings a wealth of experience to oversee our clinical education program. They show tremendous support for students during the Integrated Clinical Experiences and full-time internships as they visit with clinical instructors ensuring the requisite learning occurs. Even during this first full year of their clinical activities and visits, the common theme they hear from students is how alumni are exemplary role models and mentors. A special bond occurs when a student is assigned to work alongside a clinical instructor who is an alum. Investing in a Seton Hall DPT student learning experience is a win for all. As alumni, you inspire students to be the best clinicians they can be. The effective communication and empathy you show during patient care aligns with the University’s mission. You model servant leadership through voluntary participation in activities and demonstrate your dedication in meeting the needs of patients and families even outside of the normal work hours. As alumni, we proudly watch you perform as transformational leaders, helping patients to accept life-altering conditions by inspiring each to move forward from difficult life challenges. Students note that Seton Hall DPTs are consistently ready to give more selflessly than other clinicians. Through your actions, our new grads look forward to being clinical instructors for Seton Hall students to “pay forward” what our past grads have done for them. We can’t thank you enough for supporting our DPT program and the profession. Please reach out to us about getting involved as clinical educators to influence the next wave of physical therapists.
Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Chair: Vikram Dayalu, PhD, CCC-SLP These are exciting times for the department. We have completed a year in our new home, the Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus in Nutley. The availability of advanced teaching and research resources combined with unparalleled opportunities for interprofessional collaboration are being leveraged to advance the delivery and restructuring of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program (MS-SLP) curriculum. This is in line with our vision of becoming a nationally recognized department. The MS-SLP program successfully graduated its largest cohort of 49 students in the spring 2019 and welcomed a cohort of 50 students in the fall 2019. Our students are part of a strong and well-rounded program that provides diverse academic and clinical offerings and a strategic focus on transferring research knowledge to clinical practice. Starting in the spring 2019, the program’s curriculum includes a series of simulation-based clinical opportunities that augments a well-rounded clinical education program. This provides students with additional formative opportunities to master their skills. Over the last academic term, students from the undergraduate dual degree program, the graduate program and the doctoral program collectively presented over 10 poster presentations, three platform presentations and one publication in a peer reviewed journal. One of our graduate students, Mychell Maldonado, was selected to participate in Minority Student Leadership Program at the 2018 National Convention in Boston. The department and students’ continued success is on account of the hard-working faculty members who continue to excel in all domains of work. Department faculty continually strive to advance the mission and vision of the department by regularly enhancing their courses with cuttingedge research and teaching methods, publishing their research in peer-reviewed journals, authoring textbooks and textbook chapters, serving on state and national organizations and journal editorial boards, and submitting multiple grants to foundation, state and federal agencies. I am certain that you will share my excitement about the wonderful things happening at Seton Hall University, and I urge you visit us at our new home. As a program, we are always on the lookout for highly trained and accomplished clinicians
to serve as adjunct faculty who can mentor our students during clinical practica and provide hands-on clinical training on campus. Who better than a Seton Hall alumnus to fit this role! Please email me if you are interested in participating in the department’s clinical education program. Wishing you all the very best and looking forward to hearing from you. Go Pirates!
Physician Assistant (PA) Chair: Christopher Hanifin, MS ’99, PA-C The 2018-19 academic year was an exciting year for the program. We began the year with our move to the Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus in Nutley, perhaps one of the biggest transitions in program history. After years of planning, we officially relocated and began to get acclimated to our new facilities. This past May recognized another large transition in the program as we graduated our first expanded cohort of 53 students. While there has been a good deal of growth and change in the program, we have remained dedicated to the ideal that the close, careful instruction of our students is the most important thing we do. Many of our classrooms are designed as learning studios, ideally set up for students to work in groups. Whether reading ECGs or discussing cases, students can practice the teamwork essential to modern patient care. Lecture recording systems have allowed for increased use of a flipped classroom teaching model to help ensure our precious class time focuses on the application of new material. In training clinicians, interpersonal skills are at least as important as “book smarts.” Our Standardized Patient (SP) Center mimics a 16-bed outpatient clinic. Examination rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art recording equipment, and we have access to a large pool of highly trained SPs who are able to portray not only medical conditions but many of the emotions that patients experience in a healthcare setting. Student-SP interactions are all recorded, affording students an opportunity to review their performance and develop the self-reflection that characterizes a good clinician. If you are going to be in the area, please let us know if you would like to stop in – we would love to show you around and hear about all the great things you have been doing for the PA profession! ■
Seton Hall University Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) Campus, Building 123 123 Metro Boulevard, Nutley, NJ 07110
SHU-257-19
The School of Health and Medical Sciences’ Celebration of Success Alumni Reception is heating up! Stay tuned for updates and join us this summer for our next SHMS alumni event at the Jersey Shore.
This year, the Department of Occupational Therapy turns 20! Keep an eye out for more information on their 20th Anniversary Celebration!
