AHS Magazine - Summer 2019

AHS MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE UIC COLLEGE OF APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

years

PLUS: 2019 AHS ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS | TRIPLE ALUMNUS GIVES DOUBLE THE GIFT

Message from the Dean

Honoring the past, looking to the future Over the past 40 years, our college has had a huge impact on the health of our city, state and nation: by educating our students to be the very best people and professionals they can be; with cutting-edge research; and through clinical services and community partnerships.

As we celebrate this important anniversary, it’s a good time to consider where we were, where we are, and where we’re going.

Much has changed over the last four decades. The speed of new knowledge creation today is mindboggling. Students must learn a great deal more in a short time.

Education is more interactive, exploratory and self-directed, enhancing our ability to teach and our students’ ability to learn and understand. It’s essential to keep up, so that we ensure our educational programs remain national leaders in their respective fields.

Improvements in technology have revolutionized research, allowing us to discover new information at a pace that would have been unimaginable 40 years ago. Data science will be embedded in everything we do, in every field. It will be challenging to balance the use of technology with the personal interactions so necessary, beneficial and satisfying for students, patients and clients.

Forty years from now, our college will continue to be a change-maker. We will remain a local, national and international leader, in keeping with our mission: a world in which every person can live a healthy and self-determined life.

If I could leave a message for my successor in 2059 (40 years from now), it would be this: “Never lose sight of our vision and what will help realize that vision: high quality educational programs focusing on the success of our students; high-quality research that will enhance people’s lives; and exceptional clinical service and community engagement.

“And always remember, it is all about people.”

AHS MAGAZINE Summer 2019 EDITOR Erika Chavez Director of Marketing and Communications DESIGN Kimberly Hegarty UIC Creative and Digital Services Heidi Schlehlein Webmaster and Graphic Designer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sonya Booth, Jacqueline Carey, Christy Levy, Kelsey Schagemann CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS UIC Creative and Digital Services 2019 University of Illinois at Chicago. All rights reserved. Published by the Office of the Dean, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, 808 South Wood Street, 169 CMET, Chicago, Illinois 60612-7305.

©

Telephone Fax E-mail Website

(312) 996-6695 (312) 413-0086 advanceahs@uic.edu ahs.uic.edu

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.

AT

Athletic Training

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

Bo Fernhall Dean and Professor College of Applied Health Sciences

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

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AHS MAGAZINE TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

FEATURES 11 Award-winning alumni

Meet the 2019 AHS Alumni Award winners 14

Forty years strong

AHS celebrates 40 years of transforming health care practice and social systems 18

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A gift for the future

Triple AHS alumnus David Scalzitti makes double the gift

years

DEPARTMENTS NOTEBOOK 3

A new road map for family support

7

Endowed scholarship in honor of Frank Armitage is established

9

Honoring cadaver donors

18

PEOPLE 22

AHS Connection: Highlights from alumni gatherings

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Notebook AHS NEWS AND NOTES

Exercise is medicine

From left to right: Eduardo Bustamante, Zainab Shirazi and Maria Santiago-Rodriguez.

Eduardo Bustamante, assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition, accepted a Gold Campus award from the American College of Sports Medicine for UIC’s involvement in the Exercise is Medicine on Campus program.

“This program will help UIC become a healthier, more active campus,” Bustamante said.

Exercise is Medicine on Campus, sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine, calls on colleges and universities all over the world to promote physical activity for health.

The program, which began at UIC in 2018, is a collaboration between faculty and students in AHS and the College of Medicine, Campus Recreation and UI Health. The program helps build a culture of wellness for UIC students and employees through events, workshops

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and referrals from healthcare providers. A research component will measure its effectiveness.

Besides Bustamante, other AHS faculty involved in the program include Vered Arbel, instructor of kinesiology and nutrition, and Kirsten Straughan, clinical assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition.

The award was presented May 29 at the Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held during the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Orlando. A total of 139 universities and colleges nationwide received gold, silver or bronze distinction; UIC was among 55 to be honored with the gold award.

Maria Santiago-Rodriguez, a PhD student in kinesiology, and medical student Zainab Shirazi, graduate student representative on the national Exercise is Medicine on Campus Committee, also attended the conference.

A new road map for family support

A new research plan from the UIC Family Support Research and Training Center provides a road map for future research on family support for families of people with disabilities and of people who are aging.

Center researchers hope the document will encourage funders and researchers to take note of topics previously neglected and to foster growth in new areas of research—with novel methods—to improve outcomes for families.

The strategic research plan was developed by the center, which is a collaboration of researchers who are focused on synthesizing and generating knowledge about the needs and experiences of families who provide support to children and adults with disabilities across the life course. Center staff recognize that there are similarities in family support across different types of disabilities and age groups and needs that are specific to situations and individuals.

DHD is home to the Family Support Research and Training Center. The goal of the center is to develop and disseminate family support research and training to inform more cohesive policies and practices related to family support.

“This report highlights the need for research on new populations of family caregivers, especially people of color and their experiences with barriers to accessing and utilizing services,” said DHD assistant professor Brian Grossman.

“Another important idea highlighted in the strategic plan is the need for more systematic inclusion of caregiver questions on national surveys, like the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, to better support secondary data analysis on a number of health behaviors and outcomes for family caregivers.”

The center is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, one of the National Institutes of Health.

“Research on Family Caregiving Support in the United States: A Strategic Research Plan” is the product of an iterative, multi-layered process involving multiple stakeholders including family caregivers, people with disabilities, health and social welfare professionals, policymakers and researchers.

Read the plan at go.uic.edu/caregiversupport and visit fsrtc.ahslabs.uic.edu to learn more about the center.

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Notebook

Overcoming barriers and international students. There are also emergency situations where a phone call is not safe, such as domestic violence situations or a campus shooter.”

Her experience as a translingual tutor at the UIC Writing Center in the fall of 2016 helped change her viewpoint on the language and communication barriers she’s faced. She tutored students online and in person.

“I was doubtful about myself, wondering how I could help hearing American and international student writers,” she said. “That experience helped to open my eyes and give another lens for what it looked like when working as a deaf tutor with a hearing writer versus a hearing tutor working with a deaf writer. These experiences led to my new research interests, and I began to share my story at conferences internationally and nationally.”

Manako Yabe delivering her speech.

Manako Yabe ’19 phd ds poetically compares her journey to that of a dandelion seed trying to grow on a stone street.

She’s overcome significant challenges to receive her Ph.D. in disabilities studies. She was born deaf in Japan, and her dream of attending an American university seemed nearly unreachable.

She shared her story as the student speaker at AHS commencement on May 9. Her speech, presented in American Sign Language, was translated into spoken English at the ceremony.

“I have faced uncountable barriers, including communication, language, gender, socioeconomic and, what’s more, stigma because of my deafness,” she shared in the speech. “Over the years … my dream was nearly crushed. My dandelion seed was wandering and trying to find the right place to settle down. Five years ago, I finally found UIC, where my dandelion seed began to settle and grow.”

When Yabe joined AHS in 2014, she saw a need on campus for emergency texting services and later proposed to campus police that UIC launch a campus safety app. In 2016, the UIC Rave Guardian app launched, and a new app, UIC Safe, is available now.

“Text messaging is not just for people who are deaf and hard of hearing,” Yabe said. “This service also appeals to those who are English as Second Language speakers 4

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She found inspiration for her dissertation from her experience receiving health care. Many hospitals have reduced the number of in-person interpreters and popularized Video Remote Interpreting.

“While VRI provides prompt services for emergency care and is cheaper than in-person interpreting services, there have been several challenges with its use, such as poor connection, limited flexibility in maneuverability, or a small screen size, which makes it difficult to see the interpreters or patients on the screen,” she said.

In her dissertation, “Healthcare Providers’ and Deaf Patients’ Perspectives on Video Remote Interpreting: A Mixed Methods Study,” she proposes a balance between VRI and in-person interpreting and training for hospital administrators, health care providers and deaf patients.

“I hope that the information will help to improve the quality of the interpreting services at hospitals,” she said.

Yabe hopes to join a university as a faculty member, researching methods to improve accessibility in online teaching and writing instruction.

“My dandelion seed was blown on the wind here, and it has already blossomed in the UIC earth. And now, my tiny dandelion seed is ready to fly to new ground,” she said.

View a recording of the commencement ceremony, including Yabe’s speech, at go.uic.edu/AHSgrad2019.

Photo: Gail Fisher

Scott’s scholars

From left to right: Jasmine Brown ‘18 MS OT, Shoma Webster ‘18 MS OT, Winifred Scott and Sina Webster.

Former OT department head Winifred Scott ’57 bs ot hosted a lunch in her apartment located on Lake Michigan in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood to meet the first recipient of the Winifred E. Scott Occupational Therapy Scholarship Fund award, DS doctoral student Jasmine Brown ’18 ms ot, and two impressive applicants, OTD student Shoma Webster ’18 ms ot and first-year MS OT student Sina Webster. Scott established the fund for OT students who have financial need and demonstrate a desire to practice professionally in African-American communities.

Award-winning leadership Cori Zook-Arquines ’01 bs pt, assistant professor and director of clinical education in the physical therapy and human movement sciences program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, was named Physical Therapist of the Year by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association.

The award is presented for exceptional support and dedication to physical therapy through the national or state association.

Zook-Arquines was honored for her leadership in transitioning the Chicago Area Clinical Educators Forum, an independent organization, into Cori Zook-Arquines

the Illinois Physical Therapy Association, where it is now the Clinical Educators Special Interest Group. She was recently elected chair of the group.

“She helped show the benefits that joining the IPTA would bring to the educational institutions and, most importantly, to the students,” said Mary Keehn, AHS associate dean for clinical affairs and a member of the IPTA awards committee.

Zook-Arquines earned a master’s of health professions education from the UIC College of Medicine in 2015.

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Building bridges for Chicago refugees with disabilities Rooshey Hasnain, one of the UIC researchers who coleads the programs with Mansha Mirza, Kathryn Duke and Sumithra Murthy, said that Tedros’ experience is common, and that PRIDE is the only program in the nation focused on refugee and disability status in the context of employment and career.

The PRIDE Team (L to R): Aman Khan, Rooshey Hasnain, Mansha Mirza, Kathryn Duke and Sumithra Murthy.

A new cohort of participants have begun working with the Partners of Refugees in Illinois Disability Employment program, a UIC initiative that connects refugees with disabilities to education and resources on navigating the local job market.

Known as PRIDE, the program helps refugees with disabilities understand their rights—namely Equal Employment Opportunity—and provides connections to the government and community-based groups that offer support.

“PRIDE is a bridge,” said Tedros, a refugee from Eritrea, a country in Africa, who resettled in Chicago in 2017 and began working with PRIDE as part of the second cohort.

“When I came to Chicago, it was very frustrating. It was my experience that the resettlement agencies didn’t care as much about what happened to me once I was resettled. And the lack of information specific to my situation, even though I met many people from different agencies, was difficult.”

“It wouldn’t be right to mention just one thing helpful about PRIDE,” said Tedros, who spent 17 years as a journalist before it became unsafe for him to remain in his home country. “When it comes to employment, there is always discrimination, and I need to be armed with information to reach my goals. Building connections and networking means a lot, and PRIDE is doing something others haven’t done.”

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“Through PRIDE, we take a multidimensional view of the employment journey for refugees with disabilities,” Hasnain said. “Our program is built on a network of community partners that help us to support a group of people with diverse backgrounds, disabilities and goals. We do not have a one-size-fits-all approach to our program. Instead, we combine group education with one-on-one career planning to help bridge a connection between an individual and a helpful agency, or agencies in many cases.”

Since PRIDE launched in 2017 with a three-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, it has grown to include more than 60 partners.

“We’re really trying to be comprehensive but also practical in terms of what could be the most useful tools for refugees to obtain employment or advance their careers,” Hasnain said.

Learning about entrepreneurship or additional education can help refugees break through the employment barriers they face.

“We need to break through these stereotypes—the disability stereotype, the immigration stereotype and the refugee stereotype—and provide refugees with disabilities that same access to opportunities that refugees without disabilities are gaining,” Hasnain said.

New PRIDE cohorts of French- and Amharic-speaking refugees began in June.

Endowed scholarship honors legacy of artist Frank Armitage “He would be delighted to know that this education can be offered to a deserving student.”

Armitage became involved with the AHS biomedical visualization program after meeting Scott Barrows, then head of the program and a big fan of Armitage’s work.

In 2006, Armitage donated many of his medical illustrations to BVIS, where they are exhibited in the Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences. In appreciation, the department began the biennial Frank Armitage Lecture Series, which brings top names in the field for talks and workshops.

“We are honored by the connection, because he was so important to our profession as a whole,” said John Daugherty, BVIS program director and clinical assistant professor.

“We really developed a relationship with him and his family,” Daugherty added. Armitage’s granddaughter (Nicole Doolittle’s daughter), Natalie Doolittle, is a 2013 BVIS graduate. Family members, including his wife, Karen Connolly Armitage, have attended the lecture series over the years.

“Each time I visited, I was awestruck by the high level of visual work that the program produced,” Nicole Doolittle said.

The first Frank Armitage scholarship, a need-based award, will be presented this fall to an entering student.

Frank Armitage portrait by Perrin Sparks.

A new endowed scholarship for first-year BVIS students will honor medical illustrator and Disney Imagineer Frank Armitage.

Armitage, who died in 2016 at age 91, is known for his work on such Disney classics as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Mary Poppins,” and his designs for Disney theme parks.

He taught himself anatomy and medical illustration, creating Academy Award-winning set designs for the film “Fantastic Voyage” and cover illustrations for Life magazine.

“Our program is unique—we’re one of only four in North America. Our students have a rare blend of artistic talent, scientific aptitude and motivation,” Daugherty said. “This scholarship is a good way to honor him.”

“Frank was always amazed by the creative, professional and scientific quality of the students’ work. This scholarship represents Frank’s love for education, opportunity and the perpetuity of medical illustration,” Nicole Doolittle said.

To donate to the Frank Armitage Fund, visit ahs.uic.edu/ alumni/give-to-ahs.

“My father had a sense for adventure and learning. One such adventure took him into medical illustration,” said Nicole Armitage Doolittle, herself a Disney Imagineer.

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UIC Library acquires Paul Peck medical art collection Institute of Pathology during World War II. After the war, the pharmaceutical industry hired top medical illustrators like Peck to bring new advances in medical knowledge to physicians. He created medical artwork for educational materials produced by Lederle Laboratories and more than 500 illustrations for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme’s A Doctor-Patient Atlas of Anatomy and the popular Medical Profiles book series.

“Paul was able to portray extreme detail and exquisite texture in his work by using a combination of airbrush technique and hand painting,” Daugherty said.

In January 2018, a Merck emissary contacted Daugherty when the company was looking to donate the collection.

Paul Peck illustration by Perrin Sparks

The UIC Library has obtained a collection of more than 450 pieces of original art by Paul Peck, a leader in the field of medical illustration.

20th century,” said John Daugherty, director of the program, whose own career choice was influenced by Peck’s work.

The gift from Merck & Co. is housed in the library’s Special Collections department, where it is being digitized for access by BVIS students and faculty, as well as other scholars.

Peck’s illustrations were once on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s public health and medicine exhibit. Now, “UIC is one of the few places in the world where Paul Peck’s original artwork can be seen,” Daugherty said.

About 40 pieces are also displayed in the Paul Peck Gallery on the second floor of the Applied Health Sciences Building.

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Peck, a Russian immigrant who came to Brooklyn in 1916, studied at New York University, Columbia University and Johns Hopkins Medical School. He was chief medical artist in the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the Army

“The importance, size and scope of the collection warranted a place in the UIC Library’s Special Collections,” Daugherty said.

After digitization and cataloging, the collection will be an outstanding resource for BVIS students and faculty, he added.

“By studying Paul’s technique and his masterful use of color and design, students can get a close-up view of painstaking technique combined with profound conception and exquisite beauty.”

Photos: Abbey Breckling

Honoring cadaver donors

Thirty-four students gathered in a campus laboratory recently to say goodbye to the teachers they had worked with so closely over the academic year.

Students first encounter prosected cadavers in an anatomy and physiology course, the prerequisite to the upper-level cadaver dissection course offered the following year.

It was an emotional gathering, because the teachers were special: 10 people who had donated their bodies for dissection so students could learn human anatomy.

Right away, “the instruction team emphasizes that this is a donation program, that these were human beings with memories and families,” Breckling said. “Students are encouraged to call cadavers by their first names. We tell them, ‘treat the cadaver like your first patient.’”

“This course is unique. Not often do undergrads get the opportunity to dissect,” said clinical instructor Abbey Breckling ’16 kn, ’18 ms, who teaches KN 350-351.

“I still remember my first cadaver’s name,” she said. “It’s intimidating at first, but your peers and instructors help you through the journey.”

The six hours a week students spent working so closely together, so intimately with a stranger’s body, created a sense of community with shared compassion and empathy.

After the final exam was over, they turned in their lab coats and gathered for a memorial ceremony in the lab, where they said goodbye to the cadavers. By the end, almost everyone was in tears.

The course is open to all UIC undergraduates. Most students are kinesiology majors, but others come from psychology, biology, chemistry and pre-nursing.

“Hands-on dissection teaches them human anatomy in ways that virtual or augmented reality learning can’t,” Breckling says.

“With virtual reality, students don’t appreciate the true relationships between the different body systems.

It’s difficult to understand the complexity of textures, thickness or width,” she explained. “VR may show you one person. In our lab, we see 10 different bodies, and each one has its own story.”

Breckling understands her students’ initial apprehension. She took the same course as an undergraduate and helped teach it as a TA. This year was her first time leading the course.

“Thank you for allowing me to expand my knowledge in human anatomy by providing your own body,” said Sajeda Razick. “As I continue my education in health care, I will never forget my very first cadaver, you.”

One of two drawings that were made by students to honor one of the donors.

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Award winners DHD professor Tamar Heller was presented with the Paulauski Advocate Award at the Arc of Illinois 69th Annual Convention.

OT clinical professor Elizabeth Peterson was honored with the 2019 Distinguished Educator Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association—the only educator award bestowed to an occupational therapist.

Photo: Viviana Kabbabe-Thompson

Photo: Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar

AHS director of marketing and communications Erika Chavez received the 2019 Academic Professional Staff Award from the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Latinos in acknowledgement of her service to the Latinx community.

2018-19 AHS award recipients From L to R: Erika Chavez is presented with the award by committee co-chairs P. Zitlali Morales and Diana Soriano.

KN clinical associate professor John Coumbe-Lilley ’03 ms kines received a 2019 Silver Circle Award. Since 1966, the Silver Circle Award has been presented to some of UIC’s best teachers. Winners, who are honored at their college commencements, are selected by graduating seniors.

AHS COMMUNITY PARTNER Greater Chicago Food Depository Tamar Heller (right) and Tony Paulauski, the award’s namesake and former executive director of the Arc of Illinois.

KN academic advisor Rachel Najdzin received a 2019 Provost’s Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award.

The award acknowledges the excellence, commitment and dedication of professional advisers of undergraduate students at UIC.

AHS EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR Samantha Bond ’16 MS BVIS, PT and BHIS visiting clinical assistant professor John Coumbe-Lilley ’03 MS KINES, KN clinical associate professor AHS HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR Robert Gould ’11 MS DHD, ’16 PHD DS, DHD assistant clinical professor AHS OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP Annette Valenta, BHIS professor AHS PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR Joy Hammel, DHD, OT and RS professor AHS RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR Krista Varady, KN associate professor AHS STAFF AWARD OF MERIT Judy Davy, PT academic program coordinator

Michelle Moy ’19 bs rs presents John Coumbe-Lilley ’03 ms kines with the award.”

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Rachel Najdzin (second from right) is presented with the advising award by Provost Susan Poser (far right).

Visit go.uic.edu/AHSawardsprogram to learn more about the recipients.

Meet the newest AHS Alumni Award winners The College of Applied Health Sciences proudly presented the 2019 AHS Alumni Awards to three outstanding alumnae on April 24 at AHS CELEBRATES: 40 Years of Transforming Health Care Practice and Social Systems. The honored alumnae include Mary Mirabelli ’79 bs ot, Karen Patena ’74 bs mra, and Carrie Shaw ’16 ms bvis.

THE MANY SKILLS OF A HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE

“They were true pioneers in the field,” she says. “The skills I learned have been off-the-charts invaluable to me in my career.”

Mary Mirabelli ’79 bs ot received the AHS Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon alumni of the college. The award recognizes Mirabelli’s outstanding career success and international renown in the healthcare field. Mirabelli is currently senior vice president at the Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA), where she is responsible for all content created and delivered to the industry and HFMA membership.

Mirabelli has served on numerous governing boards and committees and is currently a member of a portfolio company board for Riverside Partners, LLC. She holds a master’s in management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Previously, Mirabelli held leadership roles at DXC Technology (as global leader of the Strategic Advisory Healthcare practice), Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Global Healthcare Practice (as vice president) and the Hospital Corporation of America (as a senior executive), among other organizations.

As a student at AHS, Mirabelli received an award for Outstanding Personal and Professional Achievement.

She recalls her AHS experience fondly, noting that the courses were difficult but the professors were fantastic.

Photo: Lloyd Degrane

“Mary’s impressive professional career is not only a testament to her expertise in the complex areas of finance, business development, information technology and executive management, but also to the extraordinary occupational therapy education at the foundation of it all,” says Bo Fernhall, AHS dean and professor of kinesiology and nutrition. “She has developed a highly unique and diversified career in executive health care, demonstrative of the many career trajectories available to an AHS graduate. We could not be prouder of her many professional achievements.”

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2019 AHS Alumni Award winners AN OUTSTANDING ADVOCATE FOR AHS Karen Patena ’74 bs mra was honored with the 2019 AHS Loyalty Award in recognition of her significant contributions, service and dedication to the college in general and to the Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences in particular. As associate head of the department, as well as clinical associate professor and director of the health information management (HIM) degree programs, Patena has been a remarkable advocate for students and faculty alike.

“Karen is an effective teacher and mentor, who draws the respect from those that work with her in every aspect of our academic mission,” says Anthony Faiola, professor and head, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences. “Without question, Karen exemplifies the meaning of the AHS Loyalty Award.”

Patena’s accomplishments include the development of the Illinois Board of Education’s online postbaccalaureate certificate program in Health Information Management and the introduction of a blended BSHIM degree at AHS, which allows students to take both online and in-person courses.

Karen Patena

During her 26 years at UIC, Karen has received numerous accolades for teaching excellence, including the UIC Silver Circle Award and the AHS Educator of the Year Award. She is active in HIM professional organizations both regionally and nationally and serves on several campus committees.

Nominate yourself or a classmate you admire for an AHS Alumni Award at 12

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COMPASSION IN CAREGIVING Carrie Shaw ’16 ms bvis, the recipient of the 2019 AHS New Alum Award, is the CEO and founder of Embodied Labs, an immersive education and wellness platform for professional and family caregivers and the elders they serve. Embodied Labs evolved out of Shaw’s final research project in the AHS biomedical visualization program.

“We are accustomed to working with exceptional students who are both accomplished scientists and highly talented visual artists,” says John Daugherty, director and clinical assistant professor of the biomedical visualization program. “However, in addition to these attributes, Carrie displayed a level of empathy and compassion for others that was striking.”

Carrie Shaw

Using a mix of virtual reality technology and researchbacked storytelling, the company helps individuals experience different medical conditions. Shaw’s desire to transform patient care is inspired and informed by her experiences as a caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease when Shaw was 19.

In 2018, Embodied Labs won a $250K Grand Prize award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s XR in Education Prize Challenge and was named a Grand Prize Winner of the AARP’s National Caregiving Innovation Challenge.

Shaw holds a BS in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

ahs.uic.edu/alumni/ ahs-alumni-awards.

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40 YEARS

OF TRANSFORMING

HEALTH CARE PRACTICE

INSIDE

AHS is a socially conscious, researc community whose mission is to broad applied health sciences and disabili of pride that reflect our progress to

4

th

a record of

largest college

at UIC

2,166

students enrolled in the fall of 2018

AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS THE UIC COLLEGE OF APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCES REFLECTS ON 40 YEARS OF FORWARD MOVEMENT TOWARD A WORLD IN WHICH EVERY PERSON CAN LIVE A HEALTHY AND SELFDETERMINED LIFE.

13,

alumni living nearly 4

World’s first accredited online MS in health informatics

Country’s first Ph.D. in disability studies Illinois’ first Ph.D. in biomedical and health informatics and BS in disability studies Though our degree programs, people–and even our college’s name–have evolved, we were, are and always will be educators, discoverers, collaborators and advocates.

Watch how at go.uic.edu/AHS40years.

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Nutrition Occupational Therapy Physical Therapy

100%

licensure exam pass rates

E AHS

ch-intensive academic den understanding of ity. Here are a few points oward that mission.

9

academic programs

in the

TOP 15

of their discipline

292

faculty and staff advancing the college’s mission

A program in medical art, the precursor to biomedical visualization, is launched at the Urbana-Champaign campus. It moves to the Chicago campus in 1967 The University of Illinois College of Medicine is founded in Chicago. Through mergers and expansions, it evolves into the U of I Medical Center campus The U of I enters into a partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Welfare that plants the seeds of allied health education: “The University shall provide courses of instruction in medicine and allied subjects … such as training schools for nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians and others …”

1 9 1 9

Occupational therapy education begins as an accelerated “war course” to train OTs to work in army hospitals during World War II

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A U of I campus opens on Navy Pier in response to demand created by the G.I. Bill

,697

g and working in 40 countries

3000 +

individuals received clinical services from AHS faculty and staff in FY18

5

federally funded centers on disability research and training

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Physical education, the precursor to kinesiology, is established and, four years later, converted into a free-standing college Programs in medical technology, precursor to medical laboratory sciences, and medical record library science, precursor to health information management and health informatics, are founded The School of Associated Medical Sciences is established as a separate unit within the College of Medicine. It includes academic programs in occupational therapy, medical technology and medical record library sciences, with plans for physical therapy

1 9 4 6

1 9 6 3

U of I Circle Campus opens on Chicago’s Near West Side

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Medical dietetics, the precursor to nutrition, is founded after a movement to establish the degree began some 20 years earlier

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Physical therapy education is established. Despite a recognized need for a PT program, it was stalled for 25 years due to lack of space

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The College of Associated Health Professions becomes an independent college at the U of I Medical Center campus. It includes medical art, medical dietetics, medical records administration, medical social work, medical technology, occupational therapy and physical therapy SUMMER 2018 AHS MAGAZINE

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We asked AHS researchers, scholars and clinicians to reflect on the college’s contributions to date and the work that lies ahead as we continue to lead transformation for the greater good

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At AHS, we envision a world in which every person can live a healthy and self-determined life. What is the most important thing you are doing to achieve this vision?

In biomedical visualization, we empower patients through visual understanding of health and medicine. Communication in health care is complex, and patient autonomy relates strongly to health literacy. We focus on creating content in which every person can connect and understand these important health topics. Our program can create hugely diverse types of content from printed illustrations to virtual reality, but regardless of the types of content we create, the most important thing we do is translate information in a way that is beautiful, engaging and accessible to all.

Samantha Bond, visiting clinical assistant professor, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences

What role does AHS play in helping Chicago face its challenges now and in the future?

AHS can play a key role in helping Chicago address important challenges by engaging in cutting-edge research that is disseminated locally and statewide.

We can develop new models and innovations that help people see things differently, partnering with policymakers and communities to provide services that are community and culturally responsive such as early intervention, counseling and family support. We can make sure our educational models expose students to what’s happening locally and help them think about ways they can make an impact to improve society.

Angela Odoms-Young, associate professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition

If you could send a message to your AHS counterpart 40 years ahead in the future, what would you tell them?

I would say that I really hope they are working on augmented reality displays, have overcome basic issues in systems design, and learned to prioritize safety culture in new health information technology implementation. And that no matter what the struggles you have or size of the problems you are trying to solve, just keep going.

Ashley Hughes, assistant professor, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences I would remind them that Inquiry stemming from curiosity and systematic study forms the foundation of bringing about significant societal change. I would quote Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you would like to see in the world.”

Tanvi Bhatt, associate professor, Department of Physical Therapy

In what important ways has your field changed over the last 40 years?

Research in occupational therapy has gone in directions that were unimaginable 40 years ago. The implementation of large federally funded research studies, as well as in-depth qualitative studies, have expanded knowledge and moved the field forward. Outcomes research proving the effectiveness of occupational therapy has provided justification for insurance companies and the government to pay for therapy. Recent growth has been seen in health services research that uses large datasets to answer key questions about OT service delivery and effectiveness.

SUMMER 2019 Gail Fisher, clinical professor, Department of Occupational Therapy

What do you see as the college’s most important contribution to this vision over the next 40 years?

Our location in the heart of Chicago puts us up close and personal with the health disparities that drive chronic disease rates across the country. It means that each behavioral intervention we generate, each behavior-change strategy we test and each new research finding has the potential to affect millions of people. The rise of technology has changed modern living in such radical ways that our expertise in technology and mHealth (the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology in health care) will prime us to shape behavior in a rapidly changing world.

Eduardo Bustamante, assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition

In what important ways do you foresee your field changing over the next 40 years?

Technological advances will lead new discovery in kinesiology. From the accuracy of monitoring physical activity, to imaging procedures of muscles, to motion capture capabilities in biomechanics, we will know so much more from the instruments we will be using.

And inter- and multidisciplinary research will continue to increase as we realize that one discipline alone cannot solve health-related problems. For example, we may see teams of urban planners working with engineers and biomechanists.

David Marquez, associate professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition

What do you see as the college’s most important contribution to this vision over the past 40 years?

It’s impossible to point to one contribution that has been the most important for our college -but for me, the creation of the country’s first Ph.D. in disability studies has radically transformed the study of disability to more closely align with a social justice perspective, with a global impact. We now have graduates who are faculty members in universities across the U.S. and abroad, in countries ranging from Scotland to Uganda to Taiwan. These ambassadors of our college will continue to shape the next generation of practitioners in disability and applied health over the next 40 years.

Robert Gould, assistant clinical professor, Department of Disability and Human Development

The college moves to 1919 W. Taylor St.

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The University of Illinois at Chicago is created by consolidation of Circle Campus and the Medical Center Campus

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The College of Kinesiology moves into the college

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The School of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences is established

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The college launches its first Ph.D. program, in human nutrition and dietetics

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The Department of Disability and Human Development is established, offering an MS degree and the nation’s first Ph.D. in disability studies

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A Ph.D. program in kinesiology is added

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The college is renamed the College of Applied Health Sciences The MS in health informatics becomes the first online master’s in the field to be fully accredited The departments of Movement Sciences and Human Nutrition become the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, reflecting their interrelated roles in health and wellness

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The AHS Office of Research is established

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A BS and Ph.D. in rehabilitation sciences are added

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AHS establishes the Physical Therapy Faculty Practice A Ph.D. in Biomedical and Health Informatics is added

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A BS in disability and human development is added

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AHS celebrates 40 years of transforming health care practice and social systems SUMMER 2019 AHS MAGAZINE

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A Gift for the Future David Scalzitti, ’87 ba pt, ’94 ms kines, ’08 PhD DS, has his eyes on the future—literally. As an assistant professor of health, human function and rehabilitation sciences at George Washington University, Scalzitti teaches future clinicians every day. But Scalzitti also keeps the past close to his heart.

“I’ve been able to achieve a great deal thanks to my education,” Scalzitti says.

“My family made an investment in me for my first degree, and that led to further degrees and where I am today.”

Scalzitti earned all three of his degrees from AHS. He holds a bachelor’s in physical therapy, a master’s in kinesiology and a doctorate in disability studies. In 2013, he received the AHS Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

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Unlike many current students, Scalzitti did not need loans or secure scholarships to attend the university.

“I was able to enter my chosen profession with very little debt and no student debt,” he says. “That definitely made things easier.”

It also inspired Scalzitti to help ease the path for others. A longtime annual donor to AHS, Scalzitti recently decided to make a planned gift to the college. This future gift names AHS as a beneficiary of his pension plan.

The Scalzitti Endowment Fund will provide scholarships for students with demonstrated academic merit and financial need.

“I wanted to give back,” Scalzitti says.

“I value the education I received at AHS and what it did for my career. I hope to help other people have those same opportunities.”

Scalzitti also makes an annual gift to fund the scholarship in the present.

This arrangement means that Scalzitti’s generosity supports current and future students, forming a continuous thread of impact.

Although Scalzitti won’t witness the full extent of the fund’s reach, he doesn’t mind. The point is to pay it forward any way he can. This idea was brought to light when one of his PhD advisors retired a few years ago.

“He was leaving around the same time that I was taking on my first PhD advisee,” Scalzitti says. “It felt very cyclical because I was using things I learned from my education and the support I’ve received and bringing it forward to the next generation.”

The next generation includes rising senior Patrycja Budzyk, an AHS student majoring in rehabilitation sciences. She received a $500 scholarship through the Scalzitti Fund for the 2018-19 academic year.

“A lot of people don’t apply for ‘smaller’ scholarships,” Budzyk says. “But for me, those are the ones that count the most.”

In addition to taking a full course load and maintaining a 3.84 GPA, Budzyk, incoming president of the Pre-Occupational Therapy Club, works about 25 hours per week as a rehabilitation aide at Athletico. She is the sole provider for herself and her father, who was injured while working as a butcher, for nearly a year. Budzyk’s mother passed away three years ago from pancreatic cancer and the family is still recovering financially.

“This scholarship alleviated some pressure off my shoulders,” she says.

“I was really excited to win it. My dad was super proud.”

Budzyk aspires to earn a master’s degree, then a doctorate in occupational therapy. With UIC as her top choice, Budzyk may very well follow in the footsteps of the three-time alumnus who made her scholarship possible.

“I just want to thank him sincerely for this generous award,” Budzyk says.

“Not only does this help me financially, but also, emotionally and mentally. It made me feel good about myself and my goals.”

Budzyk in Kraków, Poland, on a UIC study abroad program during the summer of 2018.

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There are many other students like Budzyk at AHS—students who are striving for their dreams despite challenges. Scalzitti hopes his scholarship helps inspire alumni to support AHS students. He urges alumni to remember the quality of the faculty at UIC, the experiences that proved instrumental to future careers, and the assistance that made their studies possible.

“Being in the health professions, we’re concerned about others, whether it’s their physical health, mental health or quality of life,” he says. “We work every day to provide individuals with the opportunities to make a positive difference in their lives.”

A gift to AHS is another way to create those opportunities.

Scalzitti sees it as an investment not only in the future of the college, but also in the future leaders of the health sciences professions.

“Any amount helps,” Scalzitti says.

“It’s the collective, exponential impact that’s important. And that’s only possible when we all join together.” n

Scalzitti stands in the garden between the two towers in the east side of campus.

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AHS is continually strengthened by the generosity of our supporters. As you reflect on your own goals, consider making a deferred gift to the University of Illinois Foundation that will benefit AHS after your lifetime.

If you’re creating or updating your estate plan, contact us for our recommended language. Even if you’re not, the foundation offers a variety of gift options—including some that provide a lifetime income stream to you and/ or a loved one while also giving you an immediate income tax deduction.

For more information, contact Jason James Shuba, director of gift planning, at (312) 413-3394 or shuba@uic.edu.

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Many members of my family from across generations have enjoyed the experience of obtaining their college education from UIC— some even went on to teach there. The simple process of including AHS in my estate plan to endow a scholarship fund ensures incoming classes will receive the financial support they need. I encourage everyone to make a planned gift to the foundation for the benefit of the university now, to make an impact on the

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education and resources available in the future.

Darice Lulinski Grzybowski, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA, ’83 BS MRA CEO & Founder of H.I.Mentors, LLC, and Synapse Publishing & Entertainment, LLC

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People

AHS Connection The first half of 2019 brought opportunities for alumni to celebrate and connect.

#AHSmingles

UIC Houston Alumni Night February 13 Houston Houston-based UIC alumni including Christine Ranieri ’11 ms nut (second from right) attended a reception hosted by the UIC Alumni Association where Chancellor Amiridis shared exciting updates and new developments.

Fifth Annual UIC OT Scholarship of Practice Day

March 22 Chicago

Photos: Kristen Kepnick

OT hosted faculty, scholars, students, practitioners and community partners for a day of continuing education, including a keynote by Elizabeth R. Skidmore, associate dean and chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh. Her participation was made possible by the Wade/ Reichenbach Clinical Competency Education Fund.

2019 DHD Student Awards Reception

April 17 Chicago

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Photo: Keenan Cutsforth

DHD professor and department head Tamar Heller hosted students, faculty and donors at a reception where AHS students were presented with wellearned scholarships and awards.

Carol Gottlieb (right) with AHS student Noah Ohashi, recipient of the 2019 Neal H. Gottlieb Scholarship Award.

Welcome to Alumniville: the UIC AHS Alumni Community May 1 Chicago The newest members of the AHS alumni community celebrated their accomplishments by toasting with fellow graduates, and the faculty and staff who were instrumental in their success at an afternoon reception. AHS student awards were presented to much applause. Eric Meredith ’12 ms nut delivered welcome remarks on behalf of the AHS Alumni Board. View all the photos at go.uic.edu/2019AHSAlumniville.

Spring 2019 AHS Commencement Ceremony May 9 Chicago The latest graduates of AHS marked their transition from students to life-long alumni by walking across the UIC Pavilion stage. Steven N. Blair, distinguished professor emeritus of exercise science and epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, delivered the commencement address. Award-winning children’s author Harriette Gillem Robinet was presented with an honorary degree. Watch the ceremony at go.uic.edu/AHSgrad2019.

UIC Alumni Association Recent Alumni Happy Hour

A Special Conversation with UIC Alumni

May 16 Chicago

May 29 Chicago

Recent UIC alumni including Annie Li ’15 bs him (left) connected over food, drinks and games at Punch Bowl Social.

The UIC Alumni Association hosted an alumni panel discussion and networking reception at John Marshall Law School to share updates on the association and discuss new alumni engagement opportunities. Kristen Kepnick, AHS associate director of participation and engagement, participated in the panel discussion. Couldn’t make it? View it at go.uic.edu/UICAAspecialconversation.

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People

AHS CELEBRATES: 40 Years of Health Care Practice and Social Systems April 24 Chicago This year’s event marked the launch of the college’s 40th anniversary celebration. Dean Bo Fernhall and UIC vice chancellor for health affairs Robert Barish welcomed guests. The 2019 AHS Alumni Award recipients were recognized during the cocktail reception. Julie Morita, the most recent commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, closed the event with a captivating presentation. View the photo album at go.uic.edu/2019AHSCelebratesphotos.

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SAVE THE DATE October 26

2019 IPE DAY and the

RUTH FRENCH MEMORIAL LECTURE

UIC Student Center West 828 S. Wolcott Ave. Join us for a day filled with continuing education opportunities with a focus on interprofessional health care education and practice.

Attend roundtable discussions, workshops and the Ruth French Memorial Lecture presented by Barbara Brandt, director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. Connect with fellow practitioners, educators and thought leaders. Earn continuing education units.

Visit go.uic.edu/2019IPEDayatAHS for updates.

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College of Applied Health Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago 808 S. Wood St. 169 CMET Chicago, Illinois 60612-7305 Address Service Requested

On January 1, during the New Year’s blizzard of 1979, AHS was established.

Though our degree programs, people—and even our college’s name have evolved—we were, are and always will be educators, discoverers, collaborators and advocates. go.uic.edu/AHS40years