Mission Forward

For 85 years, Logan University has set a high standard for innovative education. Introducing state-ofthe-art technologies into its curriculum and clinical services enhances the learning experience with new opportunities that prepare Logan students and graduates to enter their professions as highly trained, skilled and knowledgeable health care professionals.

“As a health sciences university, I believe we are well ahead of the curve,” said Vincent DeBono, DC, DHPE, vice president for innovation and research and interim vice president of academic affairs at Logan. “Few schools have an innovation and research department like ours that is always looking for better ways and new ideas to improve learning and clinical educational experiences.”

The Department of Innovation and Research evaluates and pilots the latest technology to strengthen student understanding with the goal of improving patient care.

Most recently, Logan’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) began offering 3D printing technology. Students can now request full models of skulls, spines, pelvises, hands and feet to accompany their learning of human anatomy.

“We wanted to try something new and exciting in the library and had the idea to obtain a 3D printer for anatomical models,” said LRC Director Ellen Dickman, MLS. “The response has been even greater than we could have predicted, and we are enjoying this new engagement with our students.”

LaToya White, a trimester 9 DC student, uses the 3D models to help tutor her peers. “The 3D models are the perfect aid to teach students anatomical landmarks and important features, and they allow me to reach those who learn better visually,” LaToya said.

In late 2021, Logan acquired a new Erler-Zimmer radiology phantom, a highly specialized object used in medical imaging for education, which contains a human skeleton as well as outlines of the larynx, lungs, heart and kidneys. Students in Logan’s Radiographic Positioning and Foundations of Diagnostic Imaging courses use it to practice patient positioning and exposure techniques.

Renovating and expanding the Fuhr Science Center is another way Logan is ensuring students can leverage the most current tools and resources available in health care. Once complete, the 47,826-square-foot facility will house technology such as:

• An anatomage center containing

Anatomage Tables, the most technologically advanced 3D simulation systems available, and virtual dissection tables, which allow students to view real human anatomy. • Chiropractic technique labs that will include force plate technology using embedded sensors on a human torso model to provide students with immediate feedback on their performance delivering spinal manipulation. The Activator

Technique Lab will be furnished with the latest electronic Activator instruments, which produce an electronic thrust of

Jonah Finocchiaro, Logan’s electronic resources and serials assistant, uses a 3D printer. Dr. Daryl Ridgeway, executive director of Logan’s Simulated Learning Center, works with an Anatomage Table.

pressure at the touch of a button, helping prepare students for their entry into the field of chiropractic. • The radiography center will train students with equipment like what is currently used in the Montgomery Health Center and provide supervised practice time outside of class.

The immediate feedback provided by the Anatomage Tables and force plate technology helps students quickly gain competency in several adjustment techniques before putting hands on a patient. Simulations also give students the opportunity to work through complex cases they might not see during their clinical rotations and preceptorships.

“In health science education, it’s imperative to empower students to think critically so they understand all the rare and complicated conditions they could see in practice,” Dr. DeBono said. “They say, ‘When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses,’ but sometimes it’s a zebra. Simulations allow us to test our students to see if they can identify the ‘zebras,’ which ensures they can better serve all patients after they graduate.”

Dr. DeBono and his team in the innovation and research department will continue working to provide students with the most advanced technology because they recognize it helps move the health care field forward.

“It’s so important for me to see firsthand how state-of-the-art technology can help patients,” said trimester 9 DC student Grant Gaspard. “At the Logan Health Center at the Orthwein Center, we’ve treated wounds, concussions and other conditions with lasers, which I wouldn’t have known was possible. The technology available to us—and all the ways we’re able to use it—elevates our education.”

Students in Logan’s Radiographic Positioning and Foundations of Diagnostic Imaging courses use the Erler-Zimmer radiology phantom to practice patient positioning and exposure techniques.

Red Light Wellness Inc., a St. Louis-based company that has more than 40 years of experience manufacturing and distributing red light therapy (RLT) devices, recently donated a red and near-infrared therapy (NIR) bed to the Logan Health Center within the Stephen A. Orthwein Center at Paraquad.

The bed, called the Max Miracle 9600, helps improve health by exposing the entire body to red and NIR light that boosts the function of the mitochondria. This deep tissue therapy increases cellular energy production, allowing cells and the musculoskeletal system to rejuvenate and repair themselves. Safe and natural, red and NIR therapy is offered as an alternative treatment for various health conditions such as muscle pain, joint stiffness, arthritis and more. There is also evidence that suggests it has additional benefits, including reducing depression, improving cognitive function, and promoting wound healing and tissue repair.

“I’ve researched some of the ways this technology can help relieve pain and even improve strength,” said Annie Morrow, PT, DPT, NCS, director of the Orthwein Center. “The Max Miracle 9600 gives us yet another exciting opportunity to collaborate with Logan to further improve patient outcomes.”

To learn more about the therapeutic effects of red and NIR light, Logan will use the bed to perform clinical case studies like those currently underway at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Red Light Wellness’ generous donation will facilitate interprofessional collaboration between Logan doctors and students and the staff at the Orthwein Center by allowing them to conduct clinical case studies on individuals with various complex health conditions,” said Dana UnderkoflerMercer, DC (’98), MS, professor and director of strategic partnerships for Logan’s Department of Innovation and New Ventures and director of the Logan Health Center at the Orthwein Center. “We are proud of this partnership and look forward to seeing how it positively impacts our patients.”

The partnership came about after Ron Poe, CEO and chief engineer of Red Light Wellness, reached out to Dr. Mercer about how his company’s wellness solutions could be an asset to the Logan Health Center at the Orthwein Center. Since she had already been considering investing in this technology, she agreed to tour the local facility.

“I immediately fell in love with the company and its offerings,” Dr. Mercer said. “I jumped on the opportunity to give our patients, doctors and student interns the opportunity to experience some of the most innovative, state-of-the-art equipment available,which no other university has.”

Ron chose to contact Dr. Mercer because in his experience, many chiropractors are eager to embrace new technology that can improve their patients’ well-being.

“The first health care professionals to purchase the beds were chiropractors,” said Ron. “They gave the Max Miracle 9600 its name because their patients were calling it a miracle. We’re incredibly thankful to partner with Logan by providing technology that is changing the future of medicine as we know it.”

Both Ron and his daughter Shawn, chief marketing officer for Red Light Wellness, have benefited from using the Max Miracle 9600 themselves. For Ron, it has helped him lose weight and achieve mental clarity. Shawn has found it to be an effective treatment for arthritis and trouble sleeping.

“A study from the Environmental Protection Agency shows Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors,” Shawn said. “This means people don’t get enough light for their bodies to perform their primary functions and heal properly. We are meant to have light in our lives.”

The Max Miracle 9600 is currently the only one of its kind in the St. Louis area. Trimester 9 Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) student Hayden Edge, completing his clinical rotation at the Logan Health Center at the Orthwein Center, is grateful for the chance to contribute to clinical case studies using the bed.

“I would never be able to access a machine like this if it weren’t for Logan,” Hayden said. “Being able to try it for myself and see how patients respond to it is a major part of my learning experience. Logan provides invaluable opportunities for students to use the latest and greatest technology.”

Dr. Mercer encourages everyone to try the Max Miracle 9600 for themselves. Call the Logan Health Center at the Orthwein Center at 314-274-3367 to learn more and schedule an appointment.

The Max Miracle 9600