Sargent Spirit Issue 5

Sargent

Sargent Spirit

Issue 5

Sargent College Commencement 2022: Well prepared on their way to elsewhere “You are special. You will do special things because you have been through a ring of fire,” Convocation speaker Patricia Donahoe, MD (Sargent’58), told graduates and their families at the May 22 event in Agganis Arena.

“You’re even more unique in that you have been imbued with fairness and diversity—hallmarks of the Sargent culture,” added Dr. Donahoe, a pediatric surgeon and a trailblazer for women in medicine. Stressing the important role Sargent graduates play today, in the face of an unprecedented pandemic, threats to the health and well-being of communities, and a volatile political environment, she said, “You have strived and survived and done so with great uncertainty and an unimaginable degree of flexibility.”

Award of Merit & Teaching Awards

• THE SARGENT COLLEGE FACULTY AWARD OF MERIT to Professor Stacey Zawacki, clinical assistant professor of nutrition in the Department of Health Sciences and director of the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center • THE SARGENT COLLEGE STAFF AWARD OF MERIT to Jackie Fournier, assistant director of Clinical Education Administration

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• THE WHITNEY R. POWERS AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE to Professor Kaytlin Eldred, faculty member in Health Science • THE SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE TO BOSTON UNIVERSITY to the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center Quarantine and Isolation team, recognizing dietitians Rachel Reynolds, Leslie Caiola, Sarah Gilbert, Clare Murphy, and Elizabeth Sauter

with specific needs, such as children with sensory motor disorders.

From the dean Dear Sargent alumni, As we close the books on the 2021–22 academic year and look ahead to the next one, I’d like to share some exciting updates and enhancements we have planned.

Through these new and renovated facilities, we’ll continue to advance the skills of future health professionals by delivering a rigorous, human-centered scientific curriculum to our students.

We are so grateful to our alumni donor support, which has been instrumental in creating these extraordinary opportunities.

emerging focus on personalized medicine to rehabilitation. In one large project focused on stroke rehabilitation, Sargent researchers are collecting millions of data points from patients treated for cognitive and communication impairment around the world. We’re also leading our disciplines in implementing new and improved best practices that have been identified in our clinics or labs.

Strategic Planning

Looking ahead

As always, the college’s strategic initiatives are carefully aligned with those of Boston University. This includes ensuring a vibrant New and Updated Lab and Learning Space academic experience for our students, supporting research that matters, fostering During the past year, we’ve established an inclusive community, and facilitating several new centers to meet the evolving global engagement. needs of students’ experiential learning.

One of the largest is our Center for Within a large university of 33,000 Simulated Clinical Experiences, an students, BU strives to create small innovative learning and lab space focused communities, each bound by its on interprofessional education and characteristic affinities. practice. The “SimCenter” will mirror a As Sargent alumni, you know firsthand real-world clinical setting, featuring acute care hospital rooms and a debriefing area. that Sargent is one of the best examples We’re excited to have it up and running for of a tight-knit community among the vast resources of our larger University. Our the start of classes in September. strategic priorities are, of course, centered This summer, we’ll also be renovating specifically on health. The emphasis on our Gross Anatomy Lab. Many of inclusion gains a more focused purpose you who have studied in the Gross at Sargent, with health equity incorporated Lab know it is one of the University’s throughout our curriculum, our clinical crown jewels for premed and pre-health instruction, and our research into the education, providing students up-close, mitigation of inequities. hands-on study of human anatomy.

The only cadaver-based instruction for undergraduates on campus, the Gross Lab enables students to study both electronic and actual cadavers, as well as prepared tissues and microscopic samples. This new laboratory will feature two Anatomage Tables, which provide advanced 3D anatomy renderings for high-resolution visualization of anatomic structures.

Finally, we’re creating a new lab for Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This space will allow us to simulate such ADL as transferring in and out of the shower, food preparation, and dressing. The lab will also focus on activities for populations

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Leveraging BU’s considerable capabilities in data science, we continue to support internal research in health systems grounded in the idea that experience gained through all prior patients must inform treatment for every future patient.

This virtuous circle seems obvious, but it is only the recent advances in electronic medical records and the accessibility of vast patient data sets that make its realization possible. With data science, it becomes possible to discover each treatment or clinician’s “secret sauce,” which yields ever more successful patient outcomes.

Sargent clinical scientists are applying data science methods to bring the

Having just completed a momentous commencement season here at BU, it’s important to note the high proportion of our undergraduates who continue their preparation in graduate education. This commitment to advanced training reflects our community’s recognition of the need for an extensive toolkit to address the profound health challenges locally and globally. Moreover, Sargent has been more focused than ever on training the next generation of research professors who will become leaders at top university programs around the world. Thus, our influence extends beyond preparing superlative clinicians; by training academic researchers who train future generations of superlative clinicians, Sargent aims to dramatically improve patient care across the globe.

Sargent students throughout our long history are confident in the value of their BU degree, which increases right along with our ever-growing prestige, selectivity, and program stature.

We remain committed to, and focused on, keeping the value of your BU degree among the strongest in the fields of health and rehabilitation.

Warmly,

Chris Moore Dean and Professor College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College

Connecting—and reconnecting—with alumni An interview with Kelly Pesanelli

education event. Dr. Gorin wants to give back to Sargent, and this is his way of giving back and sharing his knowledge.

(CGS’94, Sargent’96,’98), president of the Sargent College Alumni Association and senior lecturer, Sargent College Departments of Health Sciences and Human Physiology

From your dual perspective as both a senior lecturer and president of the alumni association, please share your thoughts about any recent developments at Sargent.

When Kelly Pesanelli accepted the position as president of the Sargent College Alumni Association, she didn’t realize just how personally rewarding it would be. “It’s my way of giving back to Sargent everything that it has given to me,” she says.

The position has allowed her to connect with alumni as well as current students, who are able to get immediately involved in giving back to their alma mater. In this Q&A, Pesanelli shares her thoughts about reconnecting in a hybrid environment, changes that have occurred at Sargent during the past year, and what’s ahead for the future.

What are some of the highlights of this past year in alumni events and activities?

We had our first in-person event during Sargent Alumni Weekend: a panel discussion with Aaron Yengo-Kahn (Sargent’11), who is a resident in neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The topic was “Successful Strategies for Pain Management: Case Study, Lower Back Pain.” Dr. Yengo-Kahn was joined by Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Diane Dalton, PT, DPT, OCS, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Sorcha Martin, PT, DPT, OMT, FAAOMPT (Sargent’04). The event was both in person and livestreamed. While there was some apprehension about attending in person, overall people were thrilled to come to a live event again.

Are you planning to do more in-person events as the pandemic recedes?

Yes! Save the date: September 20, 2022. Steven Gorin, DO (Sargent’94), who is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at the Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute of Miami, will be on campus to speak about scapulothoracic mechanics. My hope is to have Sargent 101 (our most famous room!) at capacity, and that people will come from near and far to hear the talk. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with a renowned orthopedic surgeon and attend something that typically is a paid continuing

There have been a few changes at Sargent this past year.

Dean Moore announced a refresh of the first floor of Sargent— Rooms 101 and 102 will be completely renovated, while the Academic Services Center will move to the first floor so it’s more visible to students. In addition, we’re creating simulation labs for the third floor. Also, both Julie Starr, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, and Diane Constantino, clinical associate professor of speech, language & hearing sciences, retired at the end of the semester. We will miss them tremendously!

What has been the reaction of alumni as they returned to the campus?

The reaction—especially when they returned for Alumni Weekend—was how good it felt to be back on campus.

It was a little sense of normalcy being back on campus.

We look forward to more in-person events in the future.

What are some ways alumni can stay involved with the college?

One of my goals is to encourage alumni to want to come back to Sargent. Another goal is to grow the Sargent College Alumni Association and create more opportunities for people to get involved. One of the ways I’ve increased opportunities is to create program boards within the Sargent College Alumni Association, and it’s starting to come together. There is now a program board for every major within Sargent, with good response already from the Departments of Health Sciences, Physical Therapy, and Human Physiology. My goal is to grow all of them. The plan is to have these boards function as independent units and, each year, sponsor a talk on a topic that is most relevant to the board’s major—such as Dr. Gorin’s upcoming talk in September. These discussions will be open to both alumni and students.

Any thoughts about your second year as president of the association?

One of the things we learned during the pandemic is that when we just offered in-person events, we excluded our international population. So, my goal is to get as many people as possible back on campus but also ensure that no matter the time zone, we are accessible. Those who aren’t able to join us live will be included remotely in every way possible.

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Giving Day Highlights Generous donors gave a total of $22,257 for this year’s Giving Day on April 6. We are grateful to the 79 Sargent College alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and students who contributed to make a lasting impact on the academic mission and educational experience of our students. The passion and care of our Sargent community is felt throughout the college community. In addition, gifts support the research and hands-on learning of our faculty and educators.

Funds raised on Giving Day will benefit every aspect of Sargent College, including both undergraduate and graduate students, faculty research, international study programs, and centers such as our Aphasia Resource Center, the Center for Neurorehabilitation, and the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation.

> Donors contributed $22,257 to five funds at Sargent to support the people and programs across the college, an increase of 37% from last year.

> BU Giving Day raised more than $3 million across BU, from more than 10,000 donors around the world.

> Giving Day yielded more than 75 separate gifts to Sargent from alumni, parents, clients, friends, and students.

Thank you to all who participated in Giving Day!

Please share some details about your professional background before coming to Sargent.

I joined Sargent in February 2022. Before that, I was the chief advancement officer for St. Mark’s School, in Southborough, Mass. I have also held positions at Clark University, as the assistant vice president for university advancement and campaign director, and at Boston College as the director of Annual Giving, Marketing & Participation. I hold two degrees from the University of Utah and served as director of alumni relations for my alma mater before relocating to Massachusetts.

Meet Lindsay Allen She’s the new assistant dean for development & alumni relations at Sargent College

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What drew you to Sargent?

The role that Sargent College and its faculty and graduates play in the health and well-being of our communities is vitally important, especially now more than ever. I was attracted to Sargent College because its mission and academic experience align so well with the passion that our graduates have

for making a lasting difference in the world. The sense of community that is a hallmark, the famed Sargent Spirit, and the reach our graduates have are all elements of the special place Sargent has been and continues to be. I wanted to be part of that.

In what ways have you been able to connect with the alumni?

I have had the pleasure of visiting with alumni on both coasts and via Zoom.

I hope to continue to connect with alumni, parents, and friends of Sargent over the coming months and years.

Are there any other thoughts you would like to share?

I live in Framingham with my husband, John, and our two sons, Lucas and Brooks. We enjoy the outdoors, hiking, camping, and playing sports as a family. When I am not working, you can usually find me spending time as a family, reading, cooking, and gardening at home.

Sargent Speaker Series March 2022

Sargent Alumni Association Fireside Chat: The Boston University Physical Therapy Center Sargent faculty member and Alumni Association President Kelly Pesanelli (Sargent’96,’98) talks to Boston University Physical Therapy Center (BUPTC) Director James “Cam” Camarinos in a wide-ranging discussion about the history and expansion of BUPTC (located in the Ryan Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation), the center’s role in clinical education at Boston University, the research underway there, and much more!

April 2022

Sargent Students: A Day in the Life of a Sargent Student In this edition of the Sargent College Alumni Association’s Fireside Chat, four current Sargent students discuss what a day in the life of a student looks like today. The panel features both undergraduate and graduate students.

COMING SOON:

Sargent Speaker Series, 2022–23 The first Fireside Chat of the new academic year will take place on September 20, 2022. More information on that event and others in the series will be coming soon.

View these Fireside Chats and more on the BUSargent YouTube channel or under "past webinars" at bu.edu/sargent.

SAVE THE DATE!  Saturday, October 1, 2022 Mark your calendar now for two Sargent events during BU’s Alumni Weekend: the Sargent College Alumni and the Awards Symposium. And watch your inbox for more information, coming soon!

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