News Briefs Fulbright Specialist grant awarded
Finding clues to curb obesity Despite the colorful cartoon character on the cereal box touting that it’s chock-full of vitamin D, the third-grade students at Pond Hill School in Wallingford, Conn., knew it was not a healthy choice.
Juan garbalosa, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, received a prestigious Fulbright Specialist Grant. In June, he will spend six weeks researching and training staff in a biomechanics lab at the University of Hyago near Kobe, Japan. He will investigate the intersegmental dynamics and coordination of the foot joints in individuals with and without overuse injuries of the lower leg and foot.
“Leave it,” exclaimed one third-grader to occupational therapy graduate student Kate LeFebvre. She was one of four OT students teaching the Nutrition Detectives™ program.
Professional accolades Alicia giaimo ’97, mHS ’07, clinical assistant professor of diagnostic imaging, received the Gail Pitkin Memorial Lecturer Award for her presentation, “New Mammography Guidelines,” at the annual conference of the Connecticut Society of Radiological Technologists in Waterbury in October 2010. In addition, Giaimo was elected a senior board member for 2011. Bill Hennessy, mHS ’99, clinical associate professor and director of the diagnostic imaging program, received the John Archer Memorial Award at the October conference. Tara glennon ’85, professor of occupational therapy, and Tracy Van oss, clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy, received the Jeannette Bair Writer’s Award at the AOTA national conference in April for their recent publication on professionalism.
Nursing programs awarded holistic certification Quinnipiac’s nursing programs have received an endorsement from the American Holistic Nurses’ Certification Corporation. The distinction puts Quinnipiac in an elite group of just three schools that have received this endorsement for both graduate and undergraduate nursing programs. The mission and philosophy of the nursing programs follow a holistic model that encourages students to think of the “mind, spirit and body components for each person,” said mary Helming, associate professor of nursing. Professor Cindy Barrere and Helming are certified by the American Holistic Nurses’ Association.
The children have become nutrition detectives, thanks to a $60,287 grant from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Martha Sanders reviews the ingredients listed on a cereal box with a student. Foundation. The grant funds the implementation of the nutrition program and the ABC for Fitness™ program as part of a research study to determine the effectiveness of these two programs. Dr. David Katz, founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center, created the innovative programs with his wife, Dr. Catherine Katz. On this afternoon, the children were smacking sticky notes with the words “keep it” or “leave it” on pasta, crackers, granola bars and other foods based on clues in nutritional labels. It wasn’t just that sugar was the second item on the cereal box ingredients list, which meant the box had a lot of it, one child explained. The list also was very long. “In a long list, they can sneak things inside,” said LeFebvre. Small heads bobbed up and down in agreement. This spring, Martha Sanders, associate professor of occupational therapy, will find out how much children gain from the programs. Sanders is working with four graduate OT students—LeFebvre, Chelsea Benard, Katherine Whitehouse and Dina DeSanctis—to survey 100 third-graders in Hamden and 100 in Wallingford. “Their understanding of healthy and unhealthy has been pretty black and white. Now they are looking at labels to determine the healthier choice,” said Leigh Grande, a third-grade Pond Hill teacher. Her father, Vin Jankowski ’68, is a QU alumnus. She plans to incorporate the programs and what the QU group has shared. “What they are showing me now will be passed on for many years to come,” Grande said. Instilling good nutritional habits at a young age is critical in preventing obesity and related problems that could overwhelm the health care system in the future, Quinnipiac students say. “We can help a whole generation,” said Benard, who has studied childhood obesity. The ABC for Fitness™ program shows teachers how to increase activity throughout the day and incorporates hourly 5- or 10-minute activity bursts based on the curriculum, such as moving like a bear or an insect during a science lesson. Teachers have found that these focused activities are a good way for students to release pent-up energy after a long stretch at their desks. Every week, two occupational therapy and two physical therapy graduate students, led by Nancy Bagatell and Michelle Broggi, visit the Pond Hill classes to provide ideas and support for the teachers. SHS nursing students, led by Mary Helming, as well as physician assistant students also joined the initiative to provide training in the two programs for all third-grade classrooms in Wallingford. Everyone involved has been impressed with the programs, Sanders said. “We are looking for lifestyle changes, thus both aspects of the grant are important,” Sanders said.
Educational partnership celebrated A Diagnostic Imaging Conference was held for the first time on the North Haven Campus in November. The event highlighted Quinnipiac’s transformative educational partnership with Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. The Department of Diagnostic Imaging and the Bioanthropology Research Institute at Quinnipiac offered a series of mini-workshops, and Professor gerald Conlogue, mHS ’77 and Professor Emeritus Ronald Beckett presented.
SHS touts medical careers
Sigma Theta Tau Research Day held
health care equipment.
In March, Quinnipiac hosted for the first time the annual Sigma Theta Tau International Connecticut Collaborative Research Day, which drew 160 attendees from the state’s seven chapters. Quinnipiac’s chapter, Tau Rho, is the youngest chapter in the state. Margaret Flinter, clinical director and senior vice president of the Community Health Centers Inc., gave the keynote address for the conference, which focused on nursing and primary care.
“The goal is to expose students from diverse and underrepresented populations to careers in health care,” said Cindy Lord, MHS ’97, PA program director. Quinnipiac plans to make Medical Career Pathway Day an annual event.
New leadership roles Cynthia Lord, mHS ’97, clinical associate professor and director of the physician assistant program, is serving on the search task force for the new American Academy of Physician Assistants executive vice president and chief executive officer. Dean Ed o’Connor is serving a three-year term on the Board of Governors of MidState Medical Center of Meriden. Susan Daddio of North Haven has joined Quinnipiac as a development officer. She is working closely with the School of Health Sciences and will be sharing news about the school with donors, alumni, parents and community members.
Leslie White, adjunct professor (center), shows students from Stratford’s Frank Scott Bunnell High School the features of a patient simulator during Medical Career Pathway Day at Quinnipiac in December. About 40 students got a glimpse into the world of health sciences rotating through “mini-college” presentations featuring the school’s academic programs and its high-tech,
PT alumni reconnect Alumni, faculty and students mingled at the QU alumni reception at the APTA combined sections meeting in New Orleans in February. Pictured from left, Kelly Masterson, a sixth-year PT student; Todd Cacopardo, DPT ’10; Professor Donald Kowalsky ’77; and Gene Giamarino ’77.