COMMITMENTS
THE VIRTUES OF VIRTUAL
Sharing Autism Information with the Community
It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been a challenge. For families of children with special needs, this is especially true, and their work to ensure their loved ones receive care is inspirational. Teachers, as well as behavior, speech, occupational and physical therapists, have also been challenged to devise ways to provide quality services in these unique times to families with complex and individualized needs. A common saying you hear in the autism community is if you’ve met one person with autism, all you have done is met one person with autism. No doubt as this situation unfolds, we are all going to have to continue to think creatively and work together. Our faculty and staff here at the University have worked to contribute a small piece to help with this challenge. Drs. Michael Kelley, Dana Gadaire and Vanessa Jensen have developed town halls to provide information, tips and tricks about a range of topics including COVID-19, autism, applied behavior analysis, anxiety and food, among several others. These town halls are provided at no cost and the recordings are available to the public (https:// www.alloneforautism.org/acce-hubs/executive-hub/townhall-recordings.html). We have interviewed ASD experts. Our most notable town hall was with Dr. Temple Grandin, who provided 1,500 people with her experiences. These town halls have been important to our community. In fact, our families have told us that COVID-19 in some ways has been a blessing. It has allowed them — especially rural families — to get information and connect with each other when they lacked a way before.
HANSON INDUCTED AS FELLOW INTO AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSING Dr. Mary Jane Hanson, professor and graduate/DNP program director for the Department of Nursing, has been inducted as a fellow into two very prestigious professional nursing organizations. This fall, she was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). This distinguished honor recognizes her as a leader in the profession of nursing. Of the 3.8 million nurses in the United States, she joins an elite group of 2,700 Fellows that includes practicing nurses, researchers, executives, administrators, educators, elected officials and consultants. The Nursing department is fortunate to have two faculty members, Dr. Margarete Zalon and Dr. Mary Jane Hanson, as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. Additionally, Dr. Hanson, who is a family nurse practitioner, has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP). This program invites nurse practitioners who have made a significant impact on the nurse practitioner (NP) profession. Of the more than 110,000 members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, less than 1 percent, or about 870 NPs, have been inducted as FAANPs. Dr. Hanson has been recognized internationally for her research on cigarette smoking behavior in ethnically diverse teens and her leadership in nursing education program accreditation. She is the current board chair for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in Washington, D.C. 12
THE UNI VERSI T Y O F SCR A N TO N • PA N U SKA C OL L EG E OF P ROF E S S ION A L S T U D IES
