UIC Applied Health Sciences Magazine - Summer 2020

UIC Applied Health Sciences MAGAZINE

We envision a world in which every person can live a healthy and self-determined life.

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MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Showing up. Standing up.

Speaking out.

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

— Ida B. Wells We are in a time like no other, called upon to face so many challenges. And yet, we are not hopeless, because we are not helpless.

Our college has been at the forefront of many issues in the headlines today: racial and socioeconomic barriers to health care; the need for greater focus on prevention and wellness; the inefficiencies in our health care delivery system; the importance of educating the public about health.

UIC Applied Health Sciences Magazine Summer 2020

EDITOR

Erika Chavez Director of Marketing and Communications

DESIGN

Heidi Schlehlein Webmaster and Graphic Designer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sonya Booth, Jacqueline Carey, Sharon Parmet, Natasha Wadlington

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS UIC Creative and Digital Services

©2020 University of Illinois at Chicago.

All rights reserved. Published by the Office of the Dean, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, 808 S. Wood St., 169 CMET, Chicago, IL 60612-7305.

In this issue, you’ll read about alumni, students, faculty and staff who are facing these challenges head on.

Telephone

(312) 996-6695

Fax

(312) 413-0086

Some have embraced community service: sewing masks; using social media to help people deal with stress or eating disorders; providing online bilingual instruction on safe health practices to group home residents with IDD.

E-mail

advanceahs@uic.edu

Website

ahs.uic.edu

Faculty and students are offering expert information in the media about social disparities that make COVID-19 more dangerous in minority and low-income communities.

Dan Higgins, a BVIS grad working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, co-created an illustration that became the face of the coronavirus in a campaign to educate the world about the pandemic.

Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor, the college or university.

You might notice abbreviations throughout this issue. They correlate to academic units in the College of Applied Health Sciences.

Two students—Akira Tanton and Cassandra Hall—served in the fight against COVID-19 as members of the Illinois National Guard, an assignment that took them away from home for months.

AT

Athletic Training

BHI

Program in Biomedical and Health Informatics

Florida physician Raja Talati uses what he learned in our health informatics master’s program to improve care for his patients who have HIV or coronavirus.

BHIS

Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences

BVIS

Program in Biomedical Visualization

DHD

Department of Disability and Human Development

DIS

Programs in Disability Studies

HI

Program in Health Informatics

HIM

Program in Health Information Management

KINES

Programs in Kinesiology

KN

Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition

MLS

Medical Laboratory Sciences

NUT

Programs in Nutrition

OT

Department of Occupational Therapy

PT

Department of Physical Therapy

RS

Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences

Physical therapist Deb Davey, admittedly not a tech person, enthusiastically took to telehealth after the PT Faculty Practice Clinic was closed by the pandemic.

And a scholarship established by members of the Class of ’74 in medical records administration reminds us that friendship endures.

Many things about the future are uncertain. But one thing is not: in the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, we will continue our work towards creating a world in which every person can live a healthy and self-determined life.

Bo Fernhall Dean and Professor College of Applied Health Sciences

UIC Applied Health Sciences MAGAZINE

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Features

medical records

Meet the 2020 AHS Alumni Award winners

administration

The UIC College of

Class act Members of the

10

Class of 1974 create

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scholarship to help

Applied Health Sciences proudly honors three

health information

alumnae who are

management students

changing their professions with innovative thinking

AHS responds to COVID-19 AHS contributes to the efforts to understand

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the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its impact on communities

Notebook 3

People 24

@UICAHS

Bringing visibility to disability

5

AHS Connection: Highlights from alumni

Beyond borders

7

Taking the long view

NOTEBOOK AHS News and Notes Editor’s note: many of the college’s community-based services highlighted in this section have been paused due to the coronavirus shutdown.

Photo: Sam Dever

Breaking barriers to healthy living

Grenita Hall talks with students at Fitness Fun Day at Altus Academy.

UIC has established an on-site health clinic at a nonprofit, private elementary school on Chicago’s West Side to address health and wellness barriers experienced by its minority, low-income students and their families.

from low-income backgrounds, which can be a barrier to good education and health care. We want to make sure that everyone gets a great education and great health care regardless of ability to pay.”

The UIC Healthspan Clinic at Altus Academy is collaboratively run by AHS and the College of Nursing.

Located in recently renovated space at the elementary school, the clinic offers access to a nurse practitioner for eight hours each week, wellness classes and behavioral health support.

“Family health beliefs and practices are shared among relatives and passed on through generations,” said Grenita Hall, visiting clinical assistant professor of physical therapy. “It was important to create an open space and welcome the families’ contributions.”

The services were developed after UIC experts and Altus administrators sat down with students, families and an advisory group to discuss health concerns and barriers to healthy living. The group brought up their specific needs and visions for health care, wellness education and involvement.

“Involving the families allowed them the opportunity to actively engage in their own healthy lifestyles, making this partnership between UIC, Altus Academy and the families really special,” said Ross Arena, professor and head of physical therapy.

“Altus has a history of building strong partnerships with the families we serve,” said John Heybach, founder and president of Altus Academy. “Many of our families come 2

Hall will direct behavioral health services at the clinic; Susan Walsh, from the College of Nursing, will lead primary care services.

“A lot of work in our department focuses on chronic disease prevention and starting it as early as possible,” Arena said. “With this clinic, we created a model that rethinks the health care system by making health care more feasible for the whole community.”

“The most exciting thing is that this program provides a new and much more effective model to serve the health care needs of these families,” Heybach said. “We want to be able to help kids get a visualization of good health care.

By working collaboratively and being attentive to the families’ needs, the students cannot fail.”

Bringing visibility to disability Gecht-Silver, associate director of medical student education in the Department of Family Medicine, is part of the family practice clerkship.

For someone with an intellectual or developmental disability, even a routine visit to the doctor can be an uncomfortable, even fearful, experience.

With only five to seven students each time, “it’s a very intensive interaction,” Yamaki says.

Medical advances mean people with IDD are living longer.

However, compared to the general population, they experience disparities in access to health care and health outcomes, says disability researcher Kiyoshi Yamaki.

Students learn how to interact comfortably and respectfully with people who have IDD, adjusting their communication style to use concrete examples instead of abstract concepts, avoid professional jargon, ask close-ended questions for nonverbal clients and give specific parameters for behavior change. They learn about legal rights and community services related to disability.

One reason, Yamaki says: society’s move away from deinstitutionalization means more people with IDD now live in the community and get their health care from providers who have little experience or training in treating this patient population.

“One of the really wonderful things is that we’re ingraining this into their foundational education, rather than ad hoc when they’re already in practice,” said research project manager Kaitlin Stober.

That’s why Yamaki collaborated with UIC family medicine faculty and a local nonprofit organization to establish an educational program that brings medical students and people with IDD together to eliminate stereotypes and break down barriers to health care.

They tour the facility and have one-on-one conversations with UCP Seguin clients.

Based on these interviews, the medical students develop an educational program on a health-related subject. Past programs have focused on topics like food portion sizes, what happens during a typical visit to the doctor, how germs are spread, and meditation to reduce stress.

In the final session, the students return to UCP Seguin to present their educational program to Seguin clients.

Since 2011, about 230 UIC medical students have been through the training. Their attitudes about people with IDD are measured by a survey taken before and after the program; results will be analyzed at the end of the funding period.

Photo: Kaitlin Stober

The program, which began in DHD in 2011, has expanded to three other Illinois universities— Northwestern, University of Chicago and Southern Illinois University—with recent funding from the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The students visit UCP Seguin, a community organization in

Cicero that offers a variety of services to adults and children with IDD.

“It’s an eye-opening experience for many of the medical students,” says Yamaki, DHD research associate professor.

The program, developed in collaboration with Maureen

UIC medical students in the DHD-family medicine program pose in the lobby of UCP Seguin with Maureen Gecht Silver (center) and Kiyoshi Yamaki (left), who lead the program.

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NOTEBOOK

New clinic promotes participation Occupational therapists at AHS have set up a new clinical practice to help Chicagoans improve their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as cooking, dressing, shopping or attending class.

The new Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice works with adults experiencing chronic health conditions whose ability to participate in

opening up opportunities for our OT students to gain experience and serve the community,” Keehn said.

Stoffel, OT clinical associate professor and director of the practice’s children, youth and families service.

The new faculty practice works in partnership with UI Health’s Diabetes Center and Endocrinology Clinic and its Family Medicine Center to help adults with chronic conditions.

“We want to serve under-resourced areas in Chicago, so we drive to those communities. We look at each family’s environment. At every step, the families are involved and we strategize ways they can go through their week to reach goals that are meaningful to them and the child.”

“Our practice is unique because we start with self-management,” said Heidi Fischer, OT clinical assistant professor and director of the faculty practice’s self-management service.

“We listen to what our clients want to work on and make an action plan to achieve that goal. We help them develop skills, like problem-solving or action planning, which will carry over to many aspects of their life.

“We focus on what is meaningful to them, and this increases confidence and eventually improves their ability to manage their chronic conditions.”

Ashley Stoffel (right) holds a pediatric client during an in-home session with the client’s father and sibling (left).

daily activities is limited. They also help children who need extra support to develop new skills.

Mary Keehn, AHS associate dean of clinical affairs, said the new practice aligns with the university’s health care enterprise and its mission to serve the Chicago community.

“We are providing the communities around UIC with increased access to highly experienced clinical experts in the field of occupational therapy and 4

The new OT faculty practice also works with children and families.

These services are often performed in the child’s natural settings, like homes or parks, with a focus on skills needed to participate in daily life.

“We recognize that best practice is to see children and families where they live, learn and play,” said Ashley

The new practice follows the OT department’s scholarship of practice model, which combines clinical work, research and training.

“Being part of an academic institution is a great way to bring modern evidence, best practices and theoryguided practice to clinical work,” Stoffel said. “We bring clinical experiences to the classroom to help our students understand real practice.

“Some of our students also help with administration of the clinic, like developing patient and family satisfaction surveys and e-learning courses for practitioners. This training builds a nice partnership between practice and the academic world.”

“Research, scholarship and the educational focus emphasized in this faculty practice make it unique compared to traditional practices,” Keehn said. “I believe this faculty practice is the next level in thinking about how to improve the system of care and the way patients and their families are engaged in care.”

For more information about services, referrals or appointments contact Ashley Stoffel at astoffel@uic.edu or Heidi Fischer at hwaldi1@uic.edu.

Photo: UIC Creative and Digital Services

Beyond borders

UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis, Juan José Cabrera-Lazarini of Monterrey Institute of Technology, University Trustee Ramón Cepeda and Vice Provost for Global Engagement Neal McCrillis (from left to right) attend a welcome meeting announcing UIC’s partnership with Monterrey Tec.

A new partnership between UIC and Mexico’s leading technology university could include a unique wellness training program developed by the UIC Department of Physical Therapy.

The Healthy Living Practitioner Certificate program created by Ross Arena, professor and head of PT, is among potential collaborations in the discussion between UIC and the Monterrey Institute of Technology.

Monterrey Tec officials visited campus in January to announce the partnership. The initial focus includes the Healthy Living Practitioner program, ophthalmology research and a faculty liaison office to facilitate exchange of faculty, students and resources. The Mexican university already has relationships with the UIC colleges of Medicine and Engineering.

Arena said the PT certificate program trains health professionals in a proactive approach to preventing chronic diseases or improving the lives of those already diagnosed.

The program, a hybrid program of online and in-person learning, is open to practitioners in all health disciplines.

The Healthy Living Practitioner certificate program is the only one of its kind, Arena said. Monterrey Tec

approached him about a partnership that would include enabling its students to take the course.

“Mexico has the same issues that we have here—chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes—that can be preventable by leading a healthier lifestyle,” Arena said.

Monterrey Tec is one of the leading institutions of higher education in Mexico, serving more than 60,000 students on 31 campuses located in 25 Mexican cities and 22 liaison offices in 15 countries.

The Mexican university already has partnerships with Harvard University in Boston and San Jose State University in California but was looking for a home in the Midwest to better support its international collaborations, UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said.

“UIC is the logical choice in the Midwest because we are already partnering with their faculty in medicine and engineering, and we are a Hispanic-Serving Institution,” he said. “When you add UIC’s location in a city with one of the largest Mexican populations outside of Mexico, we are the perfect fit.”

UIC’s Office of Global Engagement is leading the initiative.

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NOTEBOOK

In fellowship Two researchers in the UIC Integrative Physiology Laboratory were recently named Fellows of the American Heart Association, conferred through the association’s Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health.

Tracy Baynard, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition and director of the laboratory, and Deepika Laddu, assistant professor of physical therapy, were honored for research, educational and volunteer activities related to cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

The Integrative Physiology Laboratory takes an interdisciplinary approach to research on cardiovascular function, from the cellular to the whole-body level.

Baynard studies the interactions between obesity, exercise and cardiovascular function, particularly how exercise could improve health among populations with chronic conditions like diabetes or heart failure. Her work has focused on people with obesity, Down Syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

Tracy Baynard

Baynard’s AHA-related activities include serving on grant review panels and reviewing abstracts and manuscripts for scientific sessions and journals.

The overall goal of Laddu’s research is focused on applying lifestyle and behavioral strategies to reduce and/or manage the burden of chronic disease in the growing aging population. She focuses on body composition and muscle strength, bone development and physical function related to conditions like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Laddu is active on AHA committees and has reviewed abstracts for AHA Epidemiology and Lifestyle Council meetings. She developed and teaches courses for the PT department’s Healthy Living Practitioner program supported by the AHA.

Deepika Laddu 6

Taking the long view The master’s program in rehabilitation sciences, offered by the Department of Physical Therapy, has a new name to reflect its expanded focus.

The two-year program is now called Healthspan Promotion and Rehabilitation.

“We’ve widened the scope of the program,” said Alex Aruin, professor of physical therapy and director of the graduate program.

Rehabilitation sciences emphasizes the development of skills in research related to treatment of patients who have already been affected by chronic conditions like stroke or cardiovascular disease.

Healthspan is the period of life when an individual is generally healthy and functionally independent.

Healthspan promotion focuses on extending that period with a healthier lifestyle, including exercise and diet.

After completing the program’s required courses, students will choose electives to focus on either rehabilitation sciences or healthspan promotion.

MS in rehabilitation science student Sailee Jagdhane (right) conducts the training of a study participant with Alex Aruin as part of her thesis project.

Graduates of the program could assume leadership positions in the rehabilitation community, answer the growing demand for clinical faculty in the field, or contribute to the development of a scholarly basis for healthspan promotion or rehabilitation sciences, Aruin said.

Capacity builder Fabricio Balcazar, professor of disability and human development, was named a 2020 University Scholar.

The awards are presented to faculty throughout the University of Illinois System for excellence in research, scholarship and teaching.

Balcazar is director of the Center on Capacity Building for Minorities with Disabilities Research.

Last year, he was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for research to promote entrepreneurship among low-income youth with disabilities.

His work focuses on empowering people with

disabilities by developing a service delivery model to increase consumer power in the vocational rehabilitation system; promoting cultural competence in rehabilitation services; and helping youth with disabilities who have dropped out of high school return to education and find jobs.

“He is a national and international leader in the field of advocacy and empowerment of persons with disabilities and in the area of cultural competency and community-based participatory research,” said Tamar Heller, DHD professor and head.

Balcazar is a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Other campus honors include the Excalibur Teaching Award from the AHS Student Council and the AHS Professor of the Year Award.

“He passionately cares about the lives of youth and young adults with disabilities, particularly those living in poverty and those who are minorities, who are often the most underserved individuals,” Heller said.

Fabricio Balcazar SUMMER 2020

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NOTEBOOK

Voice of the people Sandra Sufian, associate professor of disability and human development and a scholar in the history of medicine and disability, was awarded a University of Illinois Public Voices Fellowship.

The year-long fellowship is given to 20 UI faculty members, who will work with professional journalist mentors to communicate their knowledge in ways that contribute to the public conversation. They will write at least two essays to appear in general interest publications.

Sandra Sufian

“I would like to translate my ex-

pertise into commentaries that are readily understandable and that utilize people’s narratives as the starting point for rigorous, yet accessible analysis of social problems,” Sufian said.

“As a patient with a chronic illness, a disabled mother and a scholar, I have a distinct perspective that is rarely accessed or heard in the public arena.

“I can contribute significantly to editorials on disability and health, genetics, changing notions of the American family, and women’s issues—issues that are of utmost importance in the current era and will continue to be political and social flashpoints in the years to come.”

Sufian is also associate professor of health humanities and history in the College of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education.

She is the author of “Healing the Land and the Nation: Malaria and the Zionist project in Mandatory Palestine, 1920-1947”, and “Reapproaching the Border: New Perspectives on the Study of Israel/Palestine.” She is working on a book about the history of disability and adoption in America in the 20th century.

Image: Isabel Romero Calvo

Cover-worthy

A composite image comprised of 8 issues of the American Journal of Bioethics that feature illustrations by BVIS students on the cover.

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Since 2018, as part of an ongoing collaboration, over 20 BVIS students have had illustrations featured on the cover of the American Journal of Bioethics, the leading journal in the field of bioethics, publishing original contributions that explore domestic and global ethical challenges in health care, medicine, public health and the life sciences.

To view a full listing of student contributors, visit go.uic.edu/CoverWorthy.

To read additional news and notes about AHS research, community engagement, scholarship and more, visit ahs.uic.edu/news/archive.

THE UIC O CCUPATIONAL THER APY ALUMNI S CHOL ARSHIP FUND The UIC Occupational Therapy Alumni Scholarship Fund supports undergraduate and graduate students with financial need who are enrolled in our highly-ranked occupational therapy degree programs.

Made possible by a generous donation from Cynthia Nelson ’73 BS OT, the fund was established to not only ease the financial burden faced by some of the brightest minds entering the field, but to also inspire occupational therapy alumni to give back.

I often reflect on my experience as an occupational therapy student at UIC. The concepts and methods taught in the classroom were reinforced through clinical Practice. The quality of our education was based not only in the faculty’s expertise and experience, but in their commitment to training students. As I was approaching retirement, and considering both estate planning and my personal goals, it became clear to me that supporting a student in pursuit of an education as an occupational therapist is of great importance to me.

- Cynthia Nelson ’73 BS OT Support the future of occupational therapy by donating today. Give online at ahs.uic.edu/support or contact Keenan Cutsforth at (312) 996-1339 or keenanc@uic.edu.

Class Act

Members of the medical records administration Class of 1974 create scholarship to help health information management students.

June 1973: Richard Nixon was in the White House. The hit song “Live and Let Die” played nonstop on the radio.

And in a windowless classroom at 835 S. Wolcott Ave., a group of young women began their journey to fulfilling careers and lifelong friendship.

“We spent 12 months together, we bonded— and 45 years later, here we are,” says Lou Ann Schraffenberger ‘74 BS MRA with a laugh.

Seventeen classmates were awarded their bachelor’s degrees in medical record administration on May 31, 1974. A few months later, 13 of them met downtown for dinner to catch up 10

… and they’ve been meeting, and catching up, ever since. They’ve congratulated each other at weddings. They’ve comforted each other at funerals. They’ve helped each other get jobs.

And recently, six of them agreed to pledge a total of $30,000 for a Class of 1974 scholarship to help future students in health information management.

“I see it as an opportunity to give back to a program that gave me a very good career—I couldn’t have chosen a better one,” says Judi Miller ‘74 BS MRA. “We encourage other groups to do this,” adds Karen Patena ‘74 BS MRA.

Picture, left: The MRA Class of 1974 on one of the last day of classes in May 1974. Standing (left to right): Babs Rosenfeld Kreiter, Margaret Flettre Skurka, Susan Evans, Stephanie Johnson Donnell, Elizabeth Zielke Allan and Elizabeth Dangel Kumpost.

Middle (left to right): Denise Rohrer Hartigan, Marla Alper Brichta, Susan Vyborny Blyskal, Judi Lampinen Miller, Karen Reiter Patena and Delight Kawakami Tanakatsubo.

Sitting (left to right): Jane Clayton Malone, Lou Ann Schraffenberger, Sylvia Publ and Carol Petrie Liberty. Not pictured: Cheryl Kula Rymark.

In the early ‘70s, the most common professions for women were teaching and nursing. Like many of her future classmates, Miller learned about medical records administration from her college career counselor, who described a profession that combined health care and business with excellent job prospects.

“You didn’t cross her. There was no goofing around,” Patena says.

The students attended class together through the summer, fall, winter and spring quarters, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with clinical practicums or study days on Friday.

“It was a very trying, challenging and long senior year,” Miller says.

Throughout those 12 months they sat in the same classroom, in the same seats.

Rita Finnegan

“I bet I could still sketch that room—who sat in what seat at what table,” Schraffenberger says.

“In school, we learned extensive systems for filing paper by color or numeric order. People would say, ‘You have to go college to learn how to file?’” she remembers.

Some of the skills they learned were very different from today’s.

Patena can vouch for that: since 1996 she’s been director of the program, now in the Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences.

Now electronic medical records are recorded, managed and stored online in complex systems of coding for diagnosis, treatment and billing. Still, the importance of their profession’s role in health care has not changed.

Students entered the one-year medical records program in their senior year, after three years of general studies.

Department head Rita Finnegan, a pioneer in the field, was an imposing figure.

In class, her students called her “Miss Finnegan.” Out of earshot, she was “St. Rita.”

“She could be very kind but clearly had high expectations of us all,” recalls Jane Malone ‘74 BS MRA.

Left to right: Karen Reiter Patena, Carol Petrie Liberty, Margaret Flettre Skurka, Stephanie Johnson Donnell, Jane Clayton Malone, Denise Rohrer Hartigan, Delight Kawakami Tanakatsubo, Judi Lampinen Miller and Lou Ann Schraffenberger in 2017.

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“Everybody needs data, and that’s what we do,” Patena says.

“We’re everywhere in health care.

They couldn’t do it without us.”

The undergraduate program, now called health information management, has expanded to a four-semester/eight term curriculum, which is also offered online. A master’s degree in HIM will debut this fall. The department also offers master’s and professional certificates in health informatics and a doctoral degree in biomedical and health informatics.

“In some ways the field is the same as it was, yet much broader, much bigger, with more concepts and competencies,” Patena says.

Many members of the Class of ‘74 are retired or nearly there. Looking back, they agree that they’ve had great careers in a challenging, always changing field.

Their paths often crossed at professional conferences and workplaces. “We continued to be each other’s resources and support systems, even as we took on a wide variety of HIM career options,” Malone says.

Some classmates moved away from the Chicago area, but they all kept in touch and continued their annual reunions. The most recent get-together was in December. “Once I started the job of arranging the dinners, I got it for life,” Schraffenberger laughs.

Many have kept close ties with UIC, attending alumni events and

mentoring students in clinical practicums. When they got together last spring at the college’s annual AHS Celebrates reception to cheer as Patena received the AHS Alumni Loyalty Award, the idea of endowing a scholarship seemed fitting.

Classmates who pledged contributions to the scholarship fund include Elizabeth Allan, Susan Evans, Malone, Miller, Patena and Schraffenberger.

“Forty-five years! From college to retirement or almost retirement, and we’re still good friends,” Schraffenberger marvels. “We set up the scholarship to give back to the place where we started, and to support the students coming through.

“Somebody’s got to keep it going for the next 45 years.”

The ow N

Medical records clerk in 1977.

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Medical records clerk now.

AHS responds to COVID-19 Our talented alumni, students, faculty and staff are contributing to the efforts to understand the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its impact on communities. We are proud of their contributions to the collective knowledge about and fight against the pandemic.

Dani Bergey ’19 MS BVIS, David W. Ehlert ’97 MS BVIS and Kristine A. Johnson ’98 MS BVIS are among the team at Cognition Studios in Seattle who are creating visuals to help clinicians, researchers and the general public better understand the novel coronavirus.

© 2020, Cognition Studio, Inc. All rights reserved

Akira Tanton administers a COVID-19 nasal swab test at a drive-in site. Photo: Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune

Answering the call When 1,300 members of the Illinois National Guard stepped up to help in the state’s fight against COVID-19, AHS students Cassandra Hall and Akira Tanton were among those who volunteered.

Akira Tanton (AHS Class of 2023) spent most of her spring and summer helping thousands of Chicagoans get tested for COVID-19.

Tanton, airman first class in the 182nd Airlift Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard, was one of about 50 in her medical support unit who volunteered to conduct coronavirus testing at 11 drive-in sites throughout Illinois.

“The uncertainty of it is challenging.

This is something we’ve never seen before,” she says. “But we all decided to answer the call.”

Tanton reported for duty March 16 with one day’s notice. Her mission ended July 31 when the National Guard turned over operation of the test sites to civilian contractors.

Tanton completed her spring semester assignments, then her finals, online at night alone in her hotel room.

“School has been hard, but my professors have been accommodating,” she says.

She and her team members shared their meals in a hotel conference room, seated apart for physical distancing. Their vital signs were checked three times a day.

They were transported to the testing site in early morning and stayed until closing mid-afternoon, or when all tests allocated for that day were given.

Tanton was stationed at testing sites in Harwood Heights, then Markham and finally, South Holland.

Tanton joined the Air Guard in 2017 to help pay for college and because “I always wanted to do something bigger for myself and to serve others.”

Her unit is headquartered at Peoria Air National Guard Base. As an aerospace medical technician, she’s a certified EMT who spends one weekend a month and two weeks a year training as a

medic in hospitals or in the field.

Tanton plans a career in the health professions, although she’s not yet certain which field. Last year she went on a MedLife student medical mission to Peru, which inspired her to consider practicing in an underserved country.

When she was called up in March, she didn’t know how long her Guard assignment would extend but, “however long they need us is how long I plan to stay.”

As weeks turned to months, she checked in often with her family in Sterling and Rock Falls, encouraging them to wear masks.

“It could happen to anyone,” she says of COVID-19, adding that some of her friends were asymptomatic but tested positive for the virus.

The reward for her service during the pandemic? “Knowing I’m making an impact,” she says.

“We’re part of history.”

Read the full story at go.uic.edu/AkiraTanton.

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Photo: Casandra Hall

Cassandra Hall (’23 DPT) keeps track of each day’s tasks on Excel spreadsheets. Her closet is organized by color.

So she was not fazed by her National Guard assignment to an 80-person team that transformed McCormick Place Convention Center into a temporary hospital for 3,000 Covid-19 patients.

“It was definitely right up my alley,” says Hall, who was recently promoted from airman first class to senior airman in the Air National Guard.

Hall’s experience helping her father build houses proved useful as Guard members unloaded, unboxed and assembled furniture, including 3,000 chairs and 2,500 beds—some carried upstairs by hand because of building requirements. They placed beds, mattresses, chairs, pillows, trash cans and personal hygiene kits in each section.

They completed one section, then redid it after orders changed. They worked 17-hour days, but they met their deadlines.

Then they were told to take it down.

“We prepared for a worst-case scenario—3,000 people surpassing hospital capacity. Thank goodness we didn’t need to use it,” Hall says.

Cassandra Hall inside the McCormick Place Convention Center she helped transform into a temporary hospital for 3,000 COVID-19 patients.

After her McCormick Center assignment, she was sent to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island to help convert the hospital, which closed last fall, into a 585-bed facility for coronavirus patients. Her deployment, which began April 5, was extended four times—she finally returned home July 15. To protect from the virus, she was confined to hotel and workplace, bringing meals upstairs to dine alone, taking final exams on her laptop and seeing her family on video chat.

The whole experience was intense— but rewarding.

“I learned a ton about how to manage personnel and disseminate information from multiple sources effectively. I also learned the value of hard work, long hours, and effective leadership by seeing the effort and expertise required to manage such a large mission,” she says.

“My experiences will allow me to better recognize when to step up and take charge of a situation, as well as how to communicate effectively in a stressful and at times confusing environment. These are all skills that will help me to be successful in physical therapy school as well as be a successful physical therapist in the future.”

Read the full story at go.uic.edu/CassandraHall.

Helping people breathe

Gillian Corbo

KN clinical instructor Gillian Corbo is working with Ocalink, a Canadian company founded to address the critical shortage of ventilators in the world, to design an emergency ventilator that can be easily built using machined parts sourced from across Canada. Corbo’s expertise in anatomy and training as a physiotherapist give her a critical understanding of the respiratory challenges facing COVID-19 patients. Specifically, Corbo has been reaching out to potential manufacturing, assembly and engineering partners to figure out how they could come together and leverage their expertise to build out a manufacturing and supply chain.

The goal? To build 1 million ventilators within 90 days. Fortunately the severity of symptoms for COVID-19 patients has been better than anticipated in North America due to the public health measures implemented, and 1 million emergency ventilators have not been required. However should there be a second wave, the novel supply chain has been established.

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Growing closer with distance AHS physical therapist and client strengthen their relationship while practicing social distancing.

Every week since the state-ordered pandemic restrictions began, physical therapist Deb Davey and her patient, Theresa Harris, have logged on to doxy.me to visit each other’s homes.

Physical Therapy Faculty Practice clinic who is seeing seven patients through telehealth. “But it’s been a great experience.”

people in the room. Doing this online is more personal, because we’re both at home. It’s more undivided attention,” she says.

Harris agrees.

Through telehealth, they’ve established a strong level of trust as Davey treats Harris for longtime pain related to two back surgeries.

When the PT clinic temporarily closed March 16 due to the state’s COVID-19 shutdown order, its seven physical therapists offered patients the option to try telehealth. As of July, they had provided nearly 100 telehealth appointments and the experience has been “well-received overall,” says clinic director Aaron Keil.

“I am not a tech-savvy person. I was a little bit worried about how this would go,” says Davey, a clinician and educator at the UIC

Davey is a clinical assistant professor who teaches in the post-professional orthopaedic residency and Doctor of Physical Therapy

They discovered they have the same kind of sofa.

Davey has peeked inside Harris’ fridge. They dance to Motown.

“At the clinic, there’s interruptions; there’s other

Deb Davey

program as well as seeing patients in the clinic.

She specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, which she prefers to call “persistent pain.” She recently completed a European Diploma in Pain Physiotherapy from the European Pain Federation in Leuven, Belgium.

“Pain is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional condition that affects nutrition, sleep, stress—your daily life. It’s a very, very complex phenomenon,” she explains. “There’s more to pain than the physical experience of it.”

Thought leaders in the media Gina Mulanthara

Ayomide Owoyemi

OTD graduate helps us understand how we’ve been failing the Black community long before COVID-19 and outlines legislative and regulatory priorities needed to achieve health equity in Chicago.

BHI doctoral student and co-founder of Wellvis, a company dedicated to solving Africa’s health care challenges, conceptualized and helped create a free online COVID-19 triage tool being used by the Nigerian government and throughout Africa.

Angela Odoms-Young

Sanket Shah

Nutrition expert focused on understanding social, cultural, and environmental determinants of dietary behaviors and diet-related diseases in low-income and minority population sheds light on the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and food insecurity.

Health informatics researcher explains why fake health news is so rampant right now and shares some strategies on how people can discern fact from fiction online.

For more guidance and reference developed by AHS students, faculty and staff, visit go.uic.edu/AHSThoughtLeaders.

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People with chronic pain usually have other health issues too, so Davey makes referrals to the clinic’s nutritionist. Shayna Oshita, as well as social workers and psychologists.

and hardware in my back,” she says. “When I get up and start my day and live my life, I don’t look at it as if I have all these chronic illnesses. I don’t make this the end of my story.”

“We give them resources to assist in self-management.

We give them a listening ear to hear about their pain experience. It’s about finding a way to create a patient alliance,” Davey says.

Harris and Davey had several appointments in the clinic before the coronavirus shutdown.

And “alliance” is a good description for the bond between Davey and Harris.

After a lifetime of physically demanding jobs—she currently works at UPS— Harris has a long list of health problems. Her back surgeries resulted in complications and infections.

At one point, hospital staff thought she wouldn’t walk

Theresa Harris

again. “They didn’t know I had already made arrangements with Jesus to get up out of that bed,” she says.

Besides persistent pain, Harris has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Last year, she had a heart attack.

“I’ve got a stint in my brain, a stint in my heart

But, to their surprise, the online video appointments made their sessions more personal, more effective— more fun. They don’t have weights, so they use cans of beans or bags of potatoes. They do the exercises together and each session ends with dancing to a Motown playlist.

When Harris’ daughter saw how much her mother gets out of the telehealth appointments, she bought

her a laptop to use instead of her smartphone.

“I never thought I could do something like this in my home and not be bored,” Harris says.

“I’ve had a lot of physical therapy. I could probably teach a class or two myself.

With Deb, I actually have a relationship. She keeps me motivated. Sometimes I need that extra love.”

“There’s a vulnerability when you open your home,” Davey says of the telehealth appointments.

You feel more comfortable opening up the inner doors of your life, along with the physical doors.

“You don’t get that when people come to the clinic.”

Read the full story at go.uic.edu/CloserWithDistance.

Guidance and reference Healthy routines to help with focus while studying

Crip Wisdom in the Time of Corona

A resource for parents developed by KN assistant professor Eduardo Bustamante and KN doctoral student Jared Ramer ’16 MS KINES of the UIC Healthy Kids Lab in collaboration with and for Chicago Public Schools.

Curated by Carrie Sandahl, DHD associate professor and director of the Program on Disability Art, Culture and Humanities, learn about the concept of Crip Wisdom as well as disability rights, culture and art.

Alcohol consumption and COVID-19 Co-developed by Shane Phillips, professor and associate head of PT, review important information regarding alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

COVID-19 resources for people with disabilities Aggregated by DHD, view a comprehensive listing of COVID-19 resources for people with disabilities, their families, service providers and the workforce that supports them.

Read the full articles showcasing these and more AHS thought-leaders at go.uic.edu/AHSGuidanceAndReference.

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Improving COVID-19 outcomes through healthy living Ross Arena launches network to support healthy behaviors for improving COVID-19 outcomes.

Photo: Skip Rowland

In the midst of the biggest global pandemic in living memory, Ross Arena, professor and head of PT, conceived of and launched The Healthy Living for Pandemic Event Protection (HL- PIVOT) network

Ross Arena

earlier this summer. The overarching goal of this global network is to promote healthy living behaviors that are known to reduce the risk of chronic disease as well as the impact of pandemic diseases such as COVID-19.

“It is well-known that the risk for bad outcomes for people with chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity, which in themselves are considered pandemics, are much higher in pandemic situations like the one we are in right now,” says Arena, who is also interim head of BHIS. “I thought this was an opportune time to launch this global network bringing together researchers, clinicians, educators, policy-makers, fitness professionals and others to help improve awareness of healthy behaviors like eating well and exercising and their protective benefits when it comes to chronic disease.”

The group, which has more than 100 members and is growing, has already published several papers, and is drafting policy statements encouraging the support of healthy living. Members of the group are also working together to develop new global research projects and grant submissions as well as educational programs.

People who are generally healthier to begin with tend to be able to weather illness better than people who are already behind the eight ball in terms

of their health. People with heart disease, diabetes or obesity, as well as people who smoke or are sedentary, often have worse health outcomes when they become ill. Keeping healthy – maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, eating and sleeping well and managing stress – are the cornerstones of good health, Arena explained.

When it comes to COVID-19, a clear pattern has emerged that indicates that people with preexisting conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, significantly increase the risk of poor outcomes due to the viral infection, Arena explained. “On the other hand, we have strong evidence that high cardiorespiratory fitness as well as regular physical activity and a healthy diet improve immune function, which helps protect against infection including COVID-19.”

The HL-PIVOT program will include collaborative research, education, policy recommendations and advocacy and programs to support healthy living behaviors around the globe.

Learn more about HL-PIVOT at go.uic.edu/HL-PIVOT.

Health Matters An AHS research team led by DHD research associate professors Beth Marks and Jasmina Sisirak is examining virtual support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) amid the pandemic. Specifically, the team is examining how community organizations providing services to people with IDD are preparing and responding.

The team is also creating a Virtual Coach: HealthMatters Google Classroom to see if the online, on-demand health promotion training program is effective for frontline staff and people with IDD to follow public health guidelines and stay safe and healthy.

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Beth Marks

Jasmina Sisirak

solutions expert Health informatics alumnus uses IT to improve health care.

“Technology should translate to better patient care,” insists Raja Talati ’14 MS HI—especially as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

And Talati is well-equipped to do it.

He is a physician, teacher, researcher and medical information officer who is also chief of aerospace medicine in the Air Force Reserve at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

He has a master’s degree in health informatics from UIC and an MBA in health care analytics from University of South Florida.

As a primary care physician, he has practiced in many different settings: urgent care, juvenile detention, multidisciplinary outpatient clinics and now, during the pandemic, in hospitals.

In April, he served a two-month deployment at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where he and his Air Force team helped care for coronavirus patients. In July, he was granted privileges at a hospital near his practice in Ft. Pierce, Florida, to help with the surge of COVID-19 patients.

Everywhere Talati practices, he sees problems with potential technology solutions.

Although much of his time is spent developing health care technology, Talati is adamant that he continue to see patients.

“I’ve been in practice for 20 years, I don’t want to lose my clinical skills,” he says.

As chief of aerospace medicine at MacDill, he travels to Tampa one weekend a month to conduct health screenings of reserve flight crew members. At the Midway clinic in Fort Pierce, he provides primary care to HIV patients as well as geriatric patients from his previous practice.

When COVID-19 increased dramatically in Florida recently, he began seeing coronavirus patients, sharing with colleagues what he learned during his two-month assignment in New York.

“Our inpatient providers are just exhausted,” he says. “I saw their frustration and saw they needed a bit of help.”

Raja Talati in his office.

“How can we use IT to speak directly with the patient, to combine culture and language to convey the correct meaning?”

Talati has high praise for the UIC health informatics program, with its strong foundation in IT governance and data security. Faculty members Olympia Kalagidis and Eric Swirsky have remained professional contacts over the years, he adds.

During his time at the Bronx hospital, Talati saw another unmet need: better communication with patients who don’t speak, or understand, English.

He started strategizing IT solutions.

In fact, one of his colleagues graduated from the program in December.

“There’s a telephone language line in every room, but what’s lost in translation are the social and cultural nuances of health care,” he says.

“I get to see patients, I get to play with computers, I get to create new knowledge. What more could somebody ask for?”

The degree has helped expand his career, Talati says.

Read the full story at go.uic.edu/RajaTalati.

Safety practices OT students Estefania Garcia and Brielle Seitelman have been offering virtual bilingual sessions for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities who reside in group homes managed by El Valor, a non-profit organization that serves predominantly Black and Latinx populations. The “Staying Safe and Having Fun” sessions teach the importance of wearing a mask, self-care, physical distancing and other safety practices. The students are supervised by Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, professor and head of OT, and Mansha Mirza, associate professor of OT and DHD.

El Valor residents participate in a virtual session.

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World renown rendering BVIS grad’s illustration of COVID-19 is seen around the world.

Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For the COVID-19 project, “I was able to ask the right questions of the virologists at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which helped speed up the production process. Once the research had been completed, I was able to apply my knowledge in drawing, 3D art and graphic design to create an image that was both medically accurate and visually appealing,” he says.

Since then, Higgins has been creating additional illustrations and graphics for social media and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to educate the public on the spread of COVID-19.

The C.D.C. scientific/medical visualization experts: (front row, left to right) Stephanie Pfeiffer Rossow, Alissa Hogan Eckert, Jennifer Hulsey Oosthuizen; (back row, left to right) Dan Higgins, Meredith Boyter Newlove.

Dan Higgins ’03 MS BVIS may be the only AHS grad to see his work published millions of times around the world, online and in print, on talk shows and network news—even on “Saturday Night Live.”

Higgins is co-creator of an illustration of the COVID-19 virus seen virtually everywhere since it was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late January.

Prevention visual information specialist since 2002. “We were taken aback when it started showing up on talk shows, major news networks and on the cover of magazines.”

Higgins and colleague Alissa Eckert had about a week to create the illustration that would become the face of the pandemic, working with a team that included epidemiologists and virologists, public health communication specialists and web developers.

“More than just a beauty shot, it had to express the seriousness of the situation but not terrify the public,” he says.

His BVIS studies helped him hit the ground running.

Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“I had no idea that the project was going to take off like it did,” says Higgins, a Centers for Disease Control and

“I use the skills I learned at UIC every day. I not only apply the drawing and digital skills to my daily work, but also the knowledge I gained from the science courses.”

“It’s been incredible to be a part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s effort in fighting the pandemic,” he says.

He was attracted to the AHS program in biomedical visualization for its prestige as the second-oldest program in the country and its strong focus in digital art, including 3D and virtual reality. He was also impressed with the faculty’s wide range of expertise and skills.

“This variety opened up many possibilities and helped guide me in the path most suited for me,” he says.

Alice Katz, who was then program director of BVIS, helped him make the connections that led to his first job in the field, at WebMD. “Many UIC instructors had a huge impact on my career,” Higgins says.

“Attending UIC was an honor and I highly recommend any person interested in medical illustration to look into the biomedical visualization program at UIC.”

Read the full story at go.uic.edu/DanHiggins.

Visit go.uic.edu/AHSandCOVID19 for the full list of COVID-19 resources, guidance, publications and research created for and by members of the AHS community.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S A H S CLASS OF 2020 We’re blown away by your determination, grit and resilience in accomplishing your dreams during these difficult times and look forward to seeing the impact you’ll make as educators, discoverers, collaborators and advocates.

“Today, we send you out into a world that is very different from the one for which you have studied and trained. And yet, I believe—actually I know—you have been well prepared for the challenges you are about to face.”

— Bo Fernhall, AHS professor and dean

View the complete spring 2020 virtual AHS graduation ceremony welcome and opening remarks by Dean Bo Fernhall at go.uic.edu/2020AHSgrad.

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Meet the

2020 AHS Alumni Award winners T h e U I C C o l l e g e of A p p l i e d H e a l t h S c i e n c e s p ro u d l y h o n o rs t h re e a l u m n a e w h o a re c h a n g i n g t h e i r p rofe s s i o n s w i t h i n n ova t i ve t h i n k i n g .

Grace Baranek

Samantha Bond

Laura Mraz

Grace Baranek ’81 BS OT, an internationally known researcher on autism spectrum disorder, receives the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Samantha Bond ’16 MS BVIS, an award-winning teacher and artist in biomedical visualization, receives the Loyalty Award. Laura Mraz ’10 MS OT, ’11 OTD, founder and CEO of two multidisciplinar y therapy practices for children with disabilities, receives the New Alum Award.

Baranek is professor, associate dean and chair of the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California. Her current research concerns early identification screening methods and tools for autism spectrum disorder in infants and children.

She led the Sensory Experiences Project, a 10-year longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, on the developmental course, mechanisms and functional effects of sensory features in children with ASD.

Baranek is lead author of the First Years Inventory, a screening tool for infants ages 9-15 months at risk for later diagnosis of ASD, and the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire, a parent-report tool used widely by researchers to characterize children with ASD. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Department of Education, the Autism Speaks Foundation and the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Editor ’s note: the AHS Alumni Awards are usually presented at AHS Celebrates. This year ’s program, scheduled for April 2, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“Dr. Baranek is among the top autism scholars in the world and chair of one of the highest-ranked OT programs in the United States,” said Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, OT professor and head.

“Her scholarly work has had important implications for practice, therefore improving the lives of children with autism and ASD,” Suarez-Balcazar said.

Bond is clinical assistant professor of BHIS and PT, and associate director for undergraduate education in the new BVIS Life Science Visualization minor program.

Bond’s research explores the intersections of health care, game learning, user interaction and medical education. She has won awards for her serious game projects (“serious” video games are created for education and training). She is a Unity certified serious game developer, a board member for the International Game Developer’s Association Chicago chapter and a Women in Games Ambassador for the International Game Developers Association.

“Sam Bond is an extraordinary teacher, a respected leader in our department and college, and an enthusiastic, young, UIC faculty member devoted to our students’ success,” said John Daugherty, BVIS program director.

Bond is also an award-winning teacher who has received honors at the department, college and campus levels. For the last two years, she has developed and organized the Health Tech Jam, a workshop for students in BVIS, OT, PT and other disciplines that brings them together to brainstorm patient-friendly solutions to health-related problems.

“Over three short years, she has established herself as one of the best instructors I’ve known in my over 30 years of teaching at UIC,” Daugherty said.

Mraz is the CEO and founder of Eyas Landing, an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic that provides multidisciplinary services for children and adolescents, and Blue Bird Day, an intensive therapy program that offers multidisciplinary services in a preschool and kindergarten setting. The two practices, both located in Chicago, together serve about 370 clients weekly, with about 170 full-time staff.

Mraz opened Eyas Landing in 2007, the same year she completed a bachelor’s in psychology at Loyola University. She opened Blue Bird Day seven years later; it now has two locations.

“Laura is an innovator and entrepreneur who has changed the face of pediatric private practice in Chicago,” Suarez-Balcazar said.

“She has used her AHS education to greatly expand therapy and education options for many families who have a child with a disability.”

Mraz embodies the OT department’s Scholarship of Practice Model. She is active in training and mentoring AHS students as a guest lecturer, adjunct instructor and fieldwork supervisor, and her clinic is a research site for OT faculty, including associate professor Mary Khetani and professor Renee Taylor.

For several years she helped organize, host and fund a gala that raised more than $100,000 for Autism Speaks. In 2017, she received the SPARK Autism Hero Award and she is a SPARK advisory team member.

“Laura is a trailblazer who does UIC and AHS proud,” Suarez-Balcazar said.

Nominate yourself or a classmate you admire for an AHS Alumni Award at ahs.uic.edu/alumni/ahs-alumni-awards.

PEOPLE AHS Alumni Highlights Editor’s note: for this edition of UIC Applied Health Sciences Magazine, we are featuring AHS alumni who are helping to make a difference during this difficult time.

Photo: Mary Stapel, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria

Meditations for Turbulent Times, a free audio series to help people who are experiencing elevated stress levels, racing thoughts, heightened anxiety, fear and distress. To listen to the series, and for helpful tips and practices with Tai Chi, visit chicagotaichi.org/free-meditation-audios.

Left to right: UI-UX designer Jakob Plotts and Scott Barrows with OSF Healthcare Faith Community Nurses Deb Kemp, Angela Wissel and Randall McClallen at a Peoria homeless shelter for mothers and children.

“I was redeployed from Peoria to the South Side of Chicago to work as a pandemic health care worker as part of an effort to bring innovative home monitoring technology to the homes of those being treated for COVID-19 via an iPad-based telemedicine component that includes live chats with nurses and doctors. I’m also involved in a pandemic-related project in Peoria that aims to provide digital access to health care to the homeless by installing iPad kiosks in local shelters for screening and remote monitoring.

Many are at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19, but with the iPad-based technologies we are adding, we can help provide a level of care and disease prevention that they may not otherwise receive. Hopefully our new program will make some difference (I know it will).”

- Scott Barrows ’76 BS BVIS

Chris Cinnamon leads a virtual Tai Chi class.

Founded in 2012 by Chris Cinnamon ’17 KN MS, Chicago Tai Chi is one of the leading Tai Chi schools in Chicago. In response to the pandemic, Cinnamon launched 24

“I’ve been working in the Albany, Georgia, area for a local hospital as a home health physical therapist for the last 10 years. When COVID-19 hit our area, it was not only a surprise but a scary time. In home health we were not seeing patients at the severe acute stage like in the hospital, but we were seeing them in a less controlled environment. Many patients were severely deconditioned as they had been intubated and had weeks-long hospital stays. At the time, the virus was too new and not much was known about it. But focusing on basic treatment to rebuild strength and progressing to functional mobility did get patients back to moving in their home again. Fear was a common finding with patients.

Patrick Dziedzic I tried to rebuild confidence during treatment, pointing out their progress with each visit. All of the seriously affected patients I treated did improve, though I am not sure if some will have permanent limitations. I hope I helped them regain some feeling of normalcy and independence in their lives after a scary, life-threatening experience.”

- Patrick Dziedzic ’97 BS PT

Arin Weidner ’09 BS KINES, ’16 MS KINES volunteered at a COVID-19 drive-thru testing facility in addition to making and distributing face coverings.

Yoga instructor Desi Bartlett ’95 BS KINES, ’97 MS KINES debuted a family-friendly YouTube channel to help alleviate stress and give parents and kids some semblance of normalcy during these uncertain times. “I am committed to empowering people with the tools they need to stay healthy and centered, especially while so many of us are working at home and homeschooling,” says Bartlett. Visit the channel at youtube.com/desibartlett.

Jenna Squillo (left) with her mother Sandy Squillo (right).

“In March during the peak of the pandemic, my mom launched a community mask-making project that grew to include over 30 sewers. I cut fabric, prepare materials, deliver masks and have even learned how to sew! To date, we’ve made and donated approximately 8,000 masks to nursing homes, essential workers and nonprofits. We have also raised and donated $4,500 to local food pantries.”

- Jenna Squillo ’19 BS KINES Desi Bartlett (left) with her two sons.

Kia’ikai Iguchi (top) and Holly Fisher lead a virtual eating support group.

Registered dietitian Kia’ikai Iguchi ’19 MS NUT helped start an Instagram Live eating support group in March to support individuals recovering from eating disorders and make mealtime less stressful. Since then, over 100 eating disorder treatment professionals, advocates and coaches, including Holly Fisher ’16 BS NUT, ’20 MS NUT, have volunteered to provide up to 60 minutes of virtual eating support every week. Iguchi usually volunteers for two 60-minute sessions per week. The team of volunteers want to offer live support 24 hours a day. Visit instagram.com/ covid19eatingsupport to join a live support group or view a prerecorded group session.

Kimberly Kertis ’17 MS HIM made and distributed face coverings for senior citizens in her neighborhood.

“I shifted to virtual therapy sessions as a result of the pandemic and quickly learned to love the opportunity to coach parents rather than treating children directly. Together, we work on everything from handwriting to yoga, positioning for head control and facilitating stable sitting for play. Parents have become more engaged and take pride as they see their children improve as a result of their care.”

- Sara Stern ’92 BS OT

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Sara Stern

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