April May 2019 Lewis College News

A bi-monthly newsletter for faculty, staff and friends

LEWIS COLLEGE E-NEWS April/May 2019 | Volume 4, Issue 4

Message from the Dean Greetings!

As we close out another academic year, I want to thank all of you who have assisted in the transition of leadership in the Lewis College. I am amazed by and grateful for the dedication and support from faculty and staff.

I also want to encourage faculty and staff, who have not had a chance to do so, to schedule a one-on-one meeting with me. I want to hear about the challenges and opportunities each of you face in your jobs so the Dean’s Office could be of better assistance. Many thanks to those who took the time to share with me their thoughts and ideas about the college. These meetings have been very helpful.

Change is a constant variable in the Lewis College and this semester is no exception. Dr. Andrew Butler, associate dean for research since 2012, has accepted an appointment as Dean of the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, effective July 1. Congratulations to Dr. Butler on his new position.

In anticipation of the change, I have formed a Lewis College Research Council led by Dr. Gordon Warren, effective April 1. This council, working with the Office of Research staff, will examine the research activities and grant portfolio of this college and make strategic plans and goals in promoting and supporting research. Other council members include Drs. Dawn Aycock (Nursing), Rafaela Feresin (Nutrition), and Anne Lorio (PT).

The Lewis College simulation lab plays an important role in the clinical and interprofessional education of our students. In response to faculty and staff input and in consultation with unit heads, I have appointed a Lewis College Simulation Committee that is tasked with developing our facility to better meet the needs of the diverse programs in our college. The committee is chaired by Terri Hendry (Nursing). Other members include Ralph “Chip” Zimmerman (RT; director of IPE), Jessica Todd (Nutrition) and Anthony Roberts (Dean’s Office). The committee members will seek input from faculty and staff from all units as they move forward with their actions.

We will graduate more than 360 undergraduate, master’s and doctorate students at multiple ceremonies May 6-14.

Congratulations to these new healthcare providers and their families!

In this edition, you will find many accomplishments and exciting news from our faculty and staff. Our Department of Respiratory Therapy was recognized for excellence in educating RTs by the American Association for Respiratory Care. In addition, the School of Nursing has moved up to number 99 in the U.S. News and World Reports rankings released earlier in March. Individual faculty have received university and professional association awards as well.

Finally, please stay in touch during the summer. I know that many faculty work on research and publications during the break. When you publish an article, present at a conference, receive recognition, or do something noteworthy in the classroom – we want know about it! Share your news with Angela Go, our editor. Lastly, if appropriate – forward a copy of this newsletter to someone who doesn’t receive it (e.g., community partner, alum, colleague in another unit). There may be information that would interest them.

Thank you for your support and have a safe and productive summer.

Regards, Huanbiao Mo Interim Dean

Lewis School E-News

1

COLLEGE NEWS Honors Day 2019 Congratulations to the 114 Lewis College students recognized at Honors Day 2019. Students from all six college disciplines were recognized for their academic, clinical, leadership and research excellence.

Doctor of Physical Therapy student and honoree Danielle Mikula picks up heraward packet.

Dr. Kimberly Hires, clinical assistant professor of nursing and recipient of the Lewis College 2018 Teaching Excellence Award inspires the honorees with the keynote speech.

Left to right: Health Informatics Alpha Eta inductees Nura Gharad, Joshua Wade and Saadiya Dean.

22

In addition, 87 were inducted into allied health and nursing honor societies, Alpha Eta, Lambda Beta and Sigma Theta Tau. Dr. Kimberly Hires, recipient of the 2018 Teaching Excellence Award, gave the keynote speech.

Left to right: Amy Becklenberg, Christina Peverini and Patti Hill, all Doctor of Nursing Practice show their awards.

Left to right: Dr. Sujay Galen, chair, physical therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy student Kevin Anderson and Dr. Huanbiao Mo, interim dean of Lewis College.

Center left to right: Nutrition honorees Amanda McCloskey and Karen Riggs..

Longtime College Leader Honored with Classroom Naming Congratulations to Dr. Susan Kelley, nursing professor and former dean. The Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions dedicated a new classroom to her, honoring her two plus decades of leadership/service to the college and university.

More than 75 faculty, staff, advisory board members, university administration and child abuse expert colleagues attended the dedication, lecture and reception in Dr. Kelley’s honor. Long-time research colleague of Dr. Kelley’s, Dr. Benjamin Saunders, professor and associate director of the National Crime Victims Research and

Dr. Risa Palm, Georgia State University Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.....

Lewis College faculty and staff listen to childhood trauma lecture as part of Susan J. Kelley Classroom dedication.

Mr. Ron Verni, husband of Dr. Susan Kelley, catching up with PHG advisory board member Melanie Bassarab.

Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina lectured on childhood traumatic stress.

Dr. Saunders explained how prevalent exposure to violence and other psychiatric traumatic is among U.S. children (~75%). He said that approximately 40% of these children will develop serious trauma-related emotional and behavior problems that need treatment.

These problems affect many aspects of child development, health, and functioning. Being “trauma informed” allows responsible adults to make a difference in these children’s lives.

Dr. Nancy Kropf, dean of Perimeter College and former dean of the Lewis College, spearheaded the naming of the Susan J. Kelley Classroom.

Dr. Benjamin Saunders, associate director of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at MUSC.

Dr. Huabiao Mo, interim dean and Dr. Susan J. Kelley unveil the dedication plaque.

Lewis CollegeE-News E-News Lewis School

33

Nutrition Ph.D Student Wins Graduate Research Conference Second time is a charm. Nutrition Ph.D. student Rami Najjar took first place in the 4th Lewis College Graduate Research Conference. Najjar presented his research “Cornus officinalis polyphenol extract decreases pro-inflammatory markers in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.” Last year, Najjar came in second at the conference; he refocused his efforts for the win.

of murine B16 melanoma cells and human DU145 prostate carcinoma cells.”

Maureen Beebe, also a Ph.D. student in nutrition, took second place for her research “Synergistic impact of xanthorrhizol and d-δ-tocotrienol on the proliferation

More than thirty research teams presented posters at the conference.

Lewis College Graduate Research Conference winner Rami Najjar with Dean Mo..

Lewis College Graduate Research Conference second place recipient Maureen Beebe with Dean Mo...

Mojahed Al-Ganim, a graduating Doctor of Physical Therapy student, received the People’s Choice Award for his research “Can the use of a tongue-driven robot improve upper extremity impairments in patients with stroke?” as well as for his ability to explain the research in layman’s terms.

Lewis College Graduate Research Conference winner Rami Najjar explains his research.

Lewis College Graduate Research Conference Peoples Choice Mojahed Al-Ganim with Adam Edenfield and Dean Mo.

Presenting at the Lewis College Graduate Research Conference

4 4

DEVELOPMENT Giving Day Tops Previous Year The Lewis College had a successful Georgia State University Giving Day on April 10-11, surpassing the funds raised on the 2018 Giving Day. The college raised $20,513 from 134 donors in a single day. A variety of Lewis College programs from student scholarships to Project Healthy Grandparents to a London Study Abroad program all benefitted. Even Dr. Mo’s giving challenge was met! A big thank you to all who gave, especially the half dozen donors who gave $1,000 or more.

Physical Therapy Establishes Scholarship Named for Founding Department Chair An anonymous donor established and gave initial funding for the Pat Yarbrough Scholarship for Physical Therapy. The scholarship offers financial support for a second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student with top academic standing and leadership potential.

Dr. Pat Yarbrough, the first chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at Georgia State University, established the program on April 1, 1969. Dr. Yarbrough’s vision was to graduate highly skilled independent practitioners who would lead in the future.

The time and energy she expended building the program had a profound impact on the students she served.

student who gave the scholarship, you have all honored me. I will never forget our time together. You are very special to me. My time at Georgia State will always be the best years of my life. It will always be special, and I will always feel honored and think of you every time the scholarship is awarded, year after year.

Read Dr. Yarbrough’s letter at http://bit.ly/2GMePln.

DEPARTMENT NEWS HI Students Learn Business Etiquette from Expert Graduating students in the Entrepreneurial Health Informatics course recently learned essential business lunch etiquette skills taught by Nia Brown, founder and director of Majestic Etiquette. Brown works with business executives, elected public officials and students of all ages who need to build skills in conducting themselves in a formal setting. Health informatics clinical assistant professor Dr. Tanisha McGlothen received a CETL College to Career mini-grant to support additional professional activities for the entrepreneurial HI course. The course prepares students with the necessary skills for launching their careers.

The alumnus giving funds for the endowed scholarship is a former student of Dr. Yarbrough who credits her instruction and support as essential factors in the donor’s successful PT career.

If you would like to make a donation the Pat Yarbrough Scholarship for Physical Therapy or learn more about setting up a scholarship at the Lewis College, contact Victoria Dorsey, director of development at 404-4131089 or vdorsey@gsu.edu.

Thank You for Establishing a Named PT Scholarship A scholarship named for me! Pat Yarbrough! Sometimes I still can’t believe it. After disbelief and surprise, I felt humbled and a deep sense of gratitude. This scholarship was established for $25,000 and was made anonymously. This poses a problem for me because I don't know who to thank. The scholarship will always be special; I know that the donor is female and a former student.

So, I will thank all of my students, and to the former

Nia Brown, founder of Majestic Etiquette, demonstrates proper continental style of dining..

“Our modules include topics such as how to write a winning resume and cover letter, best practices for an interview, and how to craft an elevator pitch. We also invite industry professionals in health informatics to come speak to the students and offer insight into their chosen career field,” said Dr. McGlothen.

The culminating event for the course is a Health Informatics moderated conversation and networking event with three local informatics professionals: Charisse Braxton, Kaiser Permanente; W. LewisSchool College E-News Lewis E-News

5 5

Glenn Hilburn, Grady Health System and Vivian Singletary of The Task Force for Global Health.

“This will be an opportunity for the students to put into practice many of the skills that have been introduced in class during the semester,” said Dr. McGlothen.

Nutrition’s Panther Pantry Receives Kroger Donation for Athletics Pledge Georgia State University Athletics in partnership with Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment presented the Panther’s Pantry with a donation of more than $6,000 in Kroger gift cards. Kroger committed to give the pantry a gift card for every touch down the Panthers made in football and every three point basket made in basketball.

These gift cards are used to purchase staples for the Panther’s Pantry, including shelf stable milk, peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, pasta sauce and even fresh produce.

“Without these gift cards, we could not serve the demands of students who experience food insecurity,” said Molly Paulson, clinical instructor and Panther’s Pantry faculty advisor.

HI student Angeles Graham practices dining etiquette, showing continental style in action.

The Panther’s Pantry is a project of the Department of Nutrition and the Office of Civic Engagement. Nutrition Coordinated Program (CP) student Trang Pham manages the pantry and nutrition CP students work with pantry clients as part of their clinical experiences.

Health informatics students thank Nia Brown, far left, for her presentation.

Respiratory Therapy Earns National Recognition The Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State University has received the 2019-20 American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Apex Recognition Award, which recognizes respiratory care departments that demonstrate high-quality care.

Health Informatics class with Nia Brown (center back) and Dr. Tanisha McGlothen, far right.

66

AARC cited Georgia State’s best practices in educating future respiratory therapy (RT) practitioners and declared the program among an elite group of respiratory care educational programs in the U.S. to receive

the award in its inaugural year. The RT program in the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State is one of three in higher education to receive the award, along with Rush University and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Established in 1969, the Department of Respiratory Therapy has graduated more than 1,350 respiratory therapists and maintained a 100 percent pass rate on licensure exams for multiple years in a row. The program was the second in the nation to offer a bachelor’s degree in RT and continues to be a leader in the educational field. The department is a seven-time recipient of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award.

nearby agricultural fields, live in small wooden shacks, many with dirt floors and little electricity and no running water.

“The people were so gracious,” said Doug Gardenhire, chair of RT and faculty lead for the study abroad team.

“Congratulations to the RT faculty for all the hard work you provide to make Georgia State University a premier RT institution,” RT department chair Dr. Doug Gardenhire said.

The RT students went to the DR to complete a construction mission laying concrete floors in some of the residents’ homes and to provide lung health checks. The students funded the construction materials with their study abroad fees and provided the labor. In the end, they were able to complete floors in seven of the homes, RT Students Changing Lives in the Dominican including adding color to the concrete for a splash of Republic Traveling to a new country for study abroad gave eight style. Additionally, the students were able to purchase a respiratory therapy students the chance to impact the gas stove for one family of eleven. lives of strangers in a rural Caribbean village. Previously, RT students traveled to Nicaragua to study and pro- “The coolest part of this trip was making the concrete vide health care to coffee farmers and their families. But floor! Mixing sand and cement was no doubt hard work, civil unrest made that country too risky for the students, and I will probably never do it again,” said Chi-Hsiang Shih, an international master’s RT exchange student and the team sought a new option. from Taipei Medical University. “Through the process, I Comunidad Connect, a non-profit founded and operated was able to build the relationship with the residents and

by Georgia State University School of Social Work alum- the workers even we spoke different languages.” nus Jon Thompson, placed the student team in the Dominican Republic. Providing lung health checks and learning about local There, the group health care also occupied much of the trip. The student received a hero’s visited local hospitals to see DR healthcare up close. welcome from the community with a “The students were able to visit with the neonatologists roasted a pig and at one hospital, touring the NICU and observing newchicken and a local born’s receiving mechanical ventilation. They were exdance in colorful posed to using less equipment than we have in the U.S. traditional clothing and relying on their education to date,” said Gardenhire. as entertainment, The students also visited the adult ICU and pediatric a welcome most wards to observe treatment. remarkable due to the extreme pov- Out in the rural community, students checked residents’ erty of the region. oxygen and carbon monoxide levels and lung function.

Residents, some of They expected to find a high incidence of smoking but whom work in the

Lewis College E-News Lewis School E-News

77

did not. A resident told the group that it was a Christian community which frowned on smoking and drinking.

Gardenhire and the team collected data to analyze in comparison to previous and future trips.

an outdoor stove “fagun” or an indoor charcoal stove.

Propane-powered gas stoves are more rare and electric stoves, nonexistent. The team quizzed the children on what they had learned and gave out small prizes.

Interaction with the community gave the student team more opportunities to make an impact. During the checks, they discovered that several residents had hypertension and one man, in particular, had dangerously high blood pressure. The team purchased the necessary blood pressure medication at the local pharmacy and visited him the next day.

“I loved the interaction with the community and workers,” said Elder Palacios, undergraduate RT student.

“Most of the families have limited resources, and I enjoyed that we found ways to help them without them having to change their lifestyle.”

“As you can imagine, he was elated that the team returned and thought to help him,” said Gardenhire.

Students also met with the local community health care advocates to discuss the issues of asthma, COPD, smoking and carbon monoxide, allowing them to share knowledge with those best able to spread it throughout the community. Finally, the students educated school children about the dangers of smoking and open flame stove safety as many of the homes feature either

RT students visited a Dominican hospital's neonatal unit.

88

Cultural experiences rounded out the trip as the students enjoyed their host town of Sosua and met with a wellknown local artisan for the opportunity to purchase artwork in memory of their experiences.

Tyleene Brown highly recommended the experience for future RT students.

“I would tell someone who has never been on a study abroad trip to really try and immerse themselves completely into the culture, learn as much as possible, and make the most out of the experience because it is one that will stick with you forever,” she said.

Fun time! Meeting a local DR jewelry artisan.

RESEARCH Nutrition Researcher Gets $500,000 Grant to Study Berry Impact on Heart Health Dr. Rafaela G. Feresin, assistant professor of nutrition at Georgia State University, has received a $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine how berries improve cardiovascular function and gut health.

“The preliminary data generated by our lab indicate that blackberry and raspberry prevent the increase in blood pressure induced by angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor,” Feresin said. “Therefore, our goal is not only to further investigate the effects of blackberry and raspberry on blood pressure but also their role on endothelial and cardiac function. Further, we are interested in learning whether the effects of these berries are mediated by favorable changes in the gut microbiota and decreases in systemic and local oxidative stress and inflammation.”

Epidemiological studies show that increased intake of flavonoids, plant metabolites with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in berries, is associated with decreased inflammation, high blood pressure and incidence of cardiovascular disease.

About 85 million Americans suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure), a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Several blood pressure-lowering drugs are available to treat hypertension, but they are not without side effects. Therefore, the search for alternative treatments, including dietary strategies, is growing.

“The long-term goal of our research team is to identify and promote safe and effective alternative or complementary nutritional strategies that can improve cardiovascular and gut health,” Feresin said.

The use of blackberry and raspberry to prevent and treat hypertension would make a positive impact on the U.S. agriculture system, increasing the demand for these berries as non-pharmacologic means of improving cardiovascular and gut health and appealing to individuals who may want to try natural methods of regulating blood pressure.

Feresin’s research expertise is on the role of berries and their metabolites in hypertension, oxidative stress and inflammation. Feresin’s co-investigators in this project include Dr. Desiree Wanders, assistant professor of nutrition, whose work focuses on the role of dietary interventions in inflammation, and Dr. Benoit Chassaing, assistant professor of the Neuroscience Institute and Institute for Biomedical Sciences, an expert in the role of gut microbiota in health and disease.

FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS New faculty Catherine Macleod joins the Department of Physical Therapy as a post-doctoral fellow from the National Health Service in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Macleod is an expert in the development of wearable medical devices, and her previous research focused on the use of robotics to improve mobility in individuals with spinal cord injury. She holds an undergraduate engineering degree with specialties in music electronics as well as an M.Sc. in medical physics and a doctorate in engineering with a focus in medical devices.

Associate Dean Accepts New Position Dr. Andrew Butler, associate dean for research since 2012, has accepted an appointment as Dean of the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His new appointment is effective July 1.

As associate dean, Dr. Butler provided vision and leadership around the college’s research mission as it builds its extramural funding base, expands its reputation for scholarly excellence and maintains its commitment to evident-based research. He has been the driving force in the major research initiatives in the college and established “boot camps” for grant writing, led the drive for additional college intramural grants, graduate student research poster days, college seminar series, “lunch and learn” series, and faculty mentoring.

Dr. Butler was also the acting chair of the Department of Physical Therapy from 2012-2018. He is an accomplished neuroscientist and his research on motor control, neuro-rehabilitation, functional neuroimaging, and transcranial magnetic stimulation has been funded by NIH and VA. The Lewis College wishes Dr. Butler much success in his new position.

LewisSchool College E-News Lewis E-News

9

Let’s Talk About Teaching The first class of Lewis College Teacher-Scholars kicked off a “Let’s Talk About Teaching” program with guest speaker Dr. Daniel Pratt, professor emeritus and senior scholar of the University of British Columbia. Dr. Pratt presented a keynote lecture on “Teaching Biases.”

Thirteen Lewis College faculty comprised the Class of 2019 scholars, all of whom committed to raising their teaching with enhanced student discovery and optimized learning outcomes with results in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

“Each scholar received consultations on their individual teaching perspective and proposed plans to achieve their objectives in becoming a Lewis Scholar,” noted Dr. Lynda Goodfellow, senior associate dean for academics, who organized the workshop and the Lewis Scholar program.

Announcing the 2019 Teaching Excellence Award Dr. Jessica Marcus, clinical instructor of nursing, is the 2019 recipient of the Lewis College Teaching Excellence Award. She plans to create an evidence-based faculty instructional development role in the School of Nursing. This role focuses on self and faculty teaching effectiveness and testing of student clinical judgment.

The goal is to increase student preparedness and subsequently increase improvement in patient outcomes.

Funding Grandparent Healthcare Dr. Susan Kelley, professor of nursing and director of Project Healthy Grandparents, received $35,000 from Anthem Health Foundation for Project Healthy Grandparents. The grant supports PHG grandparent clients in managing their chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension.

EMERITI NEWS Barbara Hopkins, clinical assistant professor emerita and former director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) in the Department of Nutrition, has been elected vice chair of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) by the ACEND Board of Directors. ACEND is the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

ALUMNI NEWS Dr. Lynda Goodfellow introduces Dr. Daniel Pratt for the Lewis College Teacher-Scholars' keynote lecture.

Dr. Pratt at Lunch and Learn presenting "Teaching Biases."

10 10

Nursing Alumni Named to Georgia State’s 40 Under 40 Two nursing alumni represent the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions in the Georgia State University Alumni 40 Under 40 Class of 2019.

Ashley Blackmon and Dustin Hillis, nominees to the second annual 40 Under 40 class, share a background in critical care nursing and civic advocacy.

Ashley Blackmon, APRN, CCRN, FNP-C, is an advanced heart failure nurse practitioner at Piedmont Heart Institute. She is also vice president of the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (UAPRN), a professional organization which supports nurse practitioners by providing education, networking and political advocacy.

Blackmon’s day job as an advanced heart failure nurse practitioner takes an emotional toll as her patients are all pre- and post- heart transplant candidates and patients who are entering hospice.

“Some people ask me how I can handle the emotions behind this,” she said. “But I get tremendous satisfaction in providing my patients with the best possible quality of life. I give them options they otherwise would not have.”

“[My] favorite way to give back is to return, at Dr. Cranwell-Bruce’s kind request of the Byrdine F. Lewis [College] of Nursing and Health Professions, every semester to guest lecture for the graduate nurse practitioners class. My lecture focuses on EKG interpretation in the primary care setting.”

Blackmon also contributes to the careers of current and future nurses as a vice president of UAPRN, which is proactive in nurses’ and patients’ rights and lobbies for nursing-focused bills. She says UAPRN also partners with the Georgia Nurses Association for educational efforts benefitting more than 170,000 nurses throughout the state.

Like Blackmon, Dustin Hillis focuses on critical care but civic leadership is his passion. Hillis is a critical care nurse employed by Emory University Hospital in the neuroscience ICU. He was chosen to be part of the team of nurses who cared for the first four patients treated for Ebola in the United States during the 20142016 Ebola outbreak.

Growing up in a conservative family of five children, Blackmon was homeschooled throughout much of her childhood. Even so, she experienced some traditional teen school activities by joining a hybrid high school program. Blackmon took classes twice a week with others, led her high school basketball team as captain and even played in an all-girl garage band.

Following high school, Blackmon turned to a healthcare career, earning an associate of science degree at Gordon College and working as an emergency room technician.

“It was scary, but once I had my wife’s support I went through intensive training for the isolation unit, the gear we had to wear and the processes,” said Hillis.

Raised the oldest son of a young, single mother, Hillis learned perseverance in childhood.

“Thanks to all her dedication and pushing me to be my best, I was the first person in my family to graduate from college,” he said.

“It was there that I realized I would rather pursue nursing as my career,” she said.

Blackmon earned both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in nursing at Georgia State, sometimes working twelve hour overnight weekend shifts to attend classes Monday through Friday. Now a successful nurse practitioner, she returns to Georgia State to share her knowledge.

Lewis College E-News Lewis School E-News

11 11

Hillis became involved in civic life when he and his high-school sweetheart wife moved to the Riverside community in the City of Atlanta. He began attending neighborhood association meetings, serving in a variety of leadership positions including president. Hillis’ passion for improving the quality of life in Atlanta led him to first work on the city’s code enforcement committee and later run for city council.

“I was upset with the lack of code enforcement in our area, and the lack of action by the city to deal with blighted homes,” said Hillis.

His work in code enforcement ultimately led to more than 800 complaint resolutions and 100 demolitions of blighted property. Working with the Atlanta Police Department and other entities, Hillis also successfully lobbied for the installation of 24 security cameras and license plate readers in high crime areas of his home district. Hillis, now Councilman Hillis, represents District 9 on the Atlanta City Council.

Started in 2018, the 40 Under 40 program recognizes and honors the most influential and innovative graduates who embody the values of Georgia State.

STAFF NEWS New OAA Adviser Samantha Jefferson joins the Office of Academic Assistance as an adviser for the physical therapy and respiratory therapy programs. She comes to the Lewis College from the Georgia State University Student Advisement Center. A double Panther, Jefferson earned her bachelor of science in psychology and is pursuing a Master of Public Health in epidemiology at Georgia State.

Perimeter Nursing Staff Retire As the academic year comes to a close, so does the Georgia State careers of two Perimeter Nursing staff members, Pat Grant and Cynthia Levine.

Pat began working for the university 26 years ago at the downtown campus in the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geography. Ten years later, she joined the staff of the School of Nursing as a business manager III. An active member of the Business Officers of Nursing Schools (BONUS) of the American Associated Colleges of Nursing, Pat also supervised and mentored student assistants.

“I am elated about beginning this new phase of my life,” she said. Pat looks forward to traveling, spending time with her grandchildren, being more active in church ministry and choir and mentoring youth.

Ashley Blackmon and Dustin Hillis, center with l to r Victoria Dorsey, development director, Lisa Cranwell-Bruce, nursing faculty, Joan Cranford, assistant dean for nursing and Huanbiao Mo, interim dean.

Nutrition Alumni Accomplishments Lydia Stephney, (B.S., Nutrition Science, 2018), was selected for the prestigious Rutgers University Research Intensive Summer Experience (RISE) program.

Meredith Johnson Hornbuckle (M.S., Nutrition Science Coordinated Program, 2018) will receive the GAND Emerging Dietetics Leader award during the 2019 ACE.

1212

Cynthia Levine spent her career at the Clarkston campus of what was Georgia Perimeter College until 2016 when it merged with Georgia State. She has watched faculty come and go but remained part of the stabilizing group of staff. Cynthia coordinates nursing student testing and proofreads each test prior to admission. The faculty named her an honorary nurse because of her extensive knowledge of nursing learned from the test bank.

Cynthia looks forward to enjoying more time with her husband who retired 15 years earlier, making quick trips to the mountains and working with the Westie Rescue group of Marietta.

“I will miss you all, but you have a good team with our current leadership. I see the nursing program growing into a bigger and better program with good NCLEX scores,” she said.

The School of Nursing thanks both Pat and Cynthia for their years of service.

STUDENT NEWS Doctor of Nursing Practice student Amy Becklenberg has been accepted to give an oral presentation at the Association of Public Health Nursing (APHN) 2019 Annual Conference.

Michaela Davis, undergraduate nutrition student, won third place poster presentation at the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at Georgia Tech on April 6.

Doctor of Physical Therapy students Mojahed AlGanim (Mojo) and Adam Edenfield, (Class of 2019) received the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia Outstanding Research Award. They were mentored by Dr. Andrew Butler.

Ravi Patel, undergraduate nutrition student, was invited to present his poster at the Southeastern Enzyme Conference April 13.

Nutrition graduate student, Kaila Pearson, presented the poster entitled "Blackberries and raspberries attenuate inflammation" at the 12th Annual Boshell Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Day at Auburn University.

Doctor of Nursing Practice student Lisa Raman has a poster accepted for presentation at the Association of Public Health Nursing (APHN) 2019 Annual Conference.

Doctor of Physical Therapy student Grace White, (Class of 2020) was awarded the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia Research grant for her research mentored by Dr. Liang Ching-Tsai. She also received the Georgia Physical Therapy Foundation Scholarship.

dietitian and someone who calls themselves a “nutritionist.” The CP students also wrote a blog and made an educational handout to explain the differences and how to become a registered dietitian. The CP team included Cassaday Black, Sallay Jabbie and Michael Stenzel.

Three Doctor of Physical Therapy students from Class of 2019 were awarded the R.M. Barney Poole Leadership Academy Award at the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia conference. The recipients of this award are Taylor Hemmerick, Joseph Hoyt and Ashley Miller.

Doctor of Physical Therapy student Taylor Hemmerick (Class of 2019) was awarded the Team Rehab Scholarship.

Kudos Dr. Dawn Aycock, associate professor of nursing, has been named recipient of Georgia State’s Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award.

Dr. Andrew Butler, professor of physical therapy and associate dean for research, has been named as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the highest honor the APTA confers upon its members.

Dr. Fayron Epps, assistant professor of nursing, has been elected to a two-year term as board memberat-large to the Southern Gerontological Society. Her term begins July 1, 2019. Also, she received the 2019 Distinguished Faculty Award from the Georgia State University Gerontology Institute.

Dr. Jodan Garcia, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, has been named the Outstanding Faculty recipient of the 2019 Carl V. Patton President’s Awards. In addition, he was named a Fellow in the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy (AAMT) Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy. There are currently 26 fellows in Georgia.

For National Nutrition Month, nutrition coordinated program (CP) students hosted a table at the Student Recreation Center for a “Meet the Nutrition Team” to educate others on the differences between a registered

Lewis CollegeE-News E-News Lewis School

13 13

Dr. Doug Gardenhire, chair of respiratory therapy, has been elected to the Board of Directors for The Coalition for Baccalaureate and Graduate Respiratory Therapy Education (CoBGRTE) for 2019-2020. CoBGRTE is an organization that helps students, faculty members and the general public learn about baccalaureate and graduate respiratory therapy education in the United States.

Publications Aycock, D. M., Clark, P. C., Anderson, A., Sharma, D. (2019). Health perceptions, stroke risk and readiness for behavior change: Gender differences in young adult African Americans. Journal of Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00581-0.

Dr. Diane Harris, adjunct professor of nutrition, received the 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Marchina, S., Doros, G., Modak, J., Helenius, J., Aycock, D. M. & Kumar, S. (2019). Acid-suppressive medication and risk of pneumonia in acute stroke patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Neurological Sciences, 400, 122-128.

Dr. Jacob Irwin, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, received the PTAG Merit Award for Exceptional Service and Achievement from the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia (PTAG).

Benardot, D., and the American College of Sports Medicine (2019). ACSM's Nutrition for Exercise Science First Edition, Wolters Kluwer Health.

Dr. Susan Kelley, professor of nursing and director/ founder of Project Healthy Grandparents, is receiving the 2019 Mark Chaffin Outstanding Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children in June. This award recognizes those who have made repeated, significant and outstanding contributions to research on child maltreatment.

Dr. Kimberly Morelli, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, received the Achievement in Education Award from the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia.

Dr. Nida Shaikh, assistant professor of nutrition, received the Distinguished Service by a Researcher award from the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND).

Media Kyle Brandenberger, Why Your Arms May Ache After a Super-Hard Run, Runners World, April 16, 2019 Fayron Epps, When Memory Fails, Georgia Trend, April 1, 2019

14 14

Williams, I.C., Epps, F., Lee. M. (Contributors). (in press). Caregiving. In J. F. Giddens (Author). Concepts for Nursing Practice, Third Edition. (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc. Epps, F., Brewster, G., Alexander, K., Choe, J., Heidbreder, V., & Hepburn, K. (in press). Dementia-friendly faith village worship services to support African American families: Research protocol. Research in Nursing and Health.

Alqahtani, M., Goodfellow, L.T., Zimmerman, R. and Zavorsky, G. (2019). Waterpipe Smoking in HealthCare Students: Prevalence, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Motives. Respiratory Care, 64 (3) 321-327; DOI: https:// doi.org/10.4187/respcare.06263.

Chan, K. L., Chen, M., Lo, K. M. C., Chen, Q., Kelley, S. J., Ip, P. (in press). The effectiveness of interventions for grandparents raising grandchildren: A meta-analysis.

Research on Social Work Practice.

Mo, H., Jeter, R., Backmann, A., Yount, S.T., Shen, C.L., Yeganehjoo, H. (2019) The potential of isoprenoids in adjuvant cancer therapy to reduce adverse effects of statins. Frontiers in Pharmacology. PMID: 30662405.

PMCID: PMC6328495. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01515.

Khandelwal, S., Verma, G., Shaikh, N.I., Siegel, K.R., Soni, D., Thow, A. (2019). Mapping of policies related to fruits and vegetables accessibility in India. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.

1080/19320248.2019.1595254

Presentations Aycock, D. (2019) “The Value and Importance of the PhD Research Scientist to Health Outcomes. NIH, NINR National Nursing Research Roundtable. Bethesda, MD. Dr. Aycock also participated on a panel with two other early-career nurse scientists to discuss strategies for increasing the Ph.D. pipeline in nursing.

Wanders, D., Knapp, D., Najjar, R., Jung, S., Pearson, K., Chassaing, B., & Feresin, R.G. (2019). Blackberries and raspberries attenuate inflammation. 12th Annual Boshell Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Day. Auburn, Ala. Ji, X., et al. (2019). xCT promotes tumor formation in airway epithelial cells by Activation MYC and WNT pathways. Poster. America Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, Atlanta.

Sanders, L. & Truss, C. (2019) Health Informatics.

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Lawrenceville, Ga.

Spring Commencement 2019

Lewis College E-News Lewis School E-News

15 15

Three Doctor of Physical Therapy students from Class of 2019 were awarded the R.M. Barney Poole Leadership Academy Award at the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia conference. The recipients of this award are Taylor Hemmerick, Joseph Hoyt and Ashley Miller.

Doctor of Physical Therapy student Taylor Hemmerick (Class of 2019) was awarded the Team Rehab Scholarship.

Therapy Association (APTA), the highest honor the APTA confers upon its members.

Dr. Fayron Epps, assistant professor of nursing, has been elected to a two-year term as board memberat-large to the Southern Gerontological Society. Her term begins July 1, 2019. Also, she received the 2019 Distinguished Faculty Award from the Georgia State University Gerontology Institute.

Dr. Dawn Aycock, associate professor of nursing, has been named recipient of Georgia State’s Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award.

Dr. Jodan Garcia, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, has been named the Outstanding Faculty recipient of the 2019 Carl V. Patton President’s Awards.

In addition, he was name a Fellow in the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy (AAMT) Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy, There are currently 26 fellows in the Georgia.

Dr. Andrew Butler, professor of physical therapy and associate dean for research, has been named as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical

Dr. Doug Gardenhire, chair of respiratory therapy, has been elected to the Board of Directors for The Coalition for Baccalaureate and Graduate Respiratory Ther-

Kudos

Let's Stay in Touch! facebook.com/GSUSNHP @GaStateSNHP

16