JMU Starts Masters Degree for Physician Assistants!
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The James Madison University Physician Assistant program enrolled its first Masters degree students in May 2004 with a total of 19 students. Of these 19 students, 11 are female and 8 are male students. The students' ages range from 22 - 48. The majority of the students are Virginia residents, others are from the Southeast, Northwest and Northeast regions. The students have varied degrees that include a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Computer Engineering and other Masters degrees as well as varied health care experiences such as Patient care technicians, Athletic trainer, Histology assistants, military background, EMT, Fire fighters, Anesthesia technicians, Respiratory care technician, Sleep study technicians, Nurses aide, and others. This class exhibits diversity with regard to geographic living areas, foreign languages, and varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
We congratulate this class of 2006!!
Occupational Therapy Masters Program Begins This Summer
Many changes and events are occurring in the Occupational Therapy program. This June, our Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program will begin. This two and one-half year program has two points of entry to meet the needs of either the undergraduate student or the student that already possesses a baccalaureate degree. All occupational therapy programs are required to be at the post-baccalaureate level by January 1, 2007. Further information can be obtained by visiting our website or contacting Cookie Ulanski at 568-2399. Applications for our first MOT class are available and are due by February 15, 2005.
We congratulate Susan Nicholas on her promotion to Office Manager for the Department of Health Sciences. Susan was our program support technician for three years and was an important member of our program. We would like to welcome Linda “Cookie” Ulanski as our new OT program support technician. Cookie is well known around campus for her many of years of work in the JMU Department of Education.
All core occupational therapy faculty continue to work towards completion of their doctoral degrees. Maggie Maloney (at Nova Southeastern University), Barbara Chandler (Touro International University) and Jeff Loveland (University of St. Augustine) are all looking to complete their studies by the end of this year.
Congratulations to Maggie Maloney who learned on January 11, 2005 that she has passed her written and oral examinations and is now ABD (all but dissertation)!
The OT Faculty would like to again thank other faculty for the courses that they have continued to teach in our program. These professors include Dr.
Tom Syre, Dr. Jeanne Wenos, Dr. Rob Koslow and Dr. Mark Gabriele. Dr. Jon Thompson will join this group this summer by teaching a health administration course in the MOT program.
Health Services Administration Program
The Health Services Administration (HSA) Program continues to experience growth. Recently, the State Council on Higher Education granted approval for JMU to offer a B.S. in Health Services Administration. Effective Fall, 2004, all HSA majors receive a B.S. in Health Services Administration as opposed to a B.S. in Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Services Administration which was offered previously. Program faculty believe that this change will enable students to be better positioned for employment opportunities in health services administration and will provide greater identity for program graduates.
The program continues to show increases in the number of enrolled students, and presently there are about 100 majors. Other significant accomplishments of the program since its inception in 1991:
· Students have been highly successful in entering the health services administration field, upon graduating from the program; the 2001 Alumni Survey results show that 79% of respondents are working in the field.
· Highly satisfied students: 70% indicate that they are very satisfied with their experiences at JMU, according to the 2001 Alumni Survey.
· There have been over 350 graduates of the program since 1991.
· About 18% of graduates who responded to the 2001 Alumni Survey indicated that they had completed some graduate education or completed graduate degrees in health administration or some other health professional field.
· The program received certification in 1998 and re-certification in 2002 for a five year period as a Full Certified Member Program, by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration . The program is one of only 32 Full Certified undergraduate programs in the U.S. and Canada.
· Student achievements include First Place winners in the Hill-Rom Management Essay Competition sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) 8 times, and selection and completion of competitive Internships sponsored by the Institute for Diversity Management (4 times).
· Faculty professional accomplishments: 2000 Sodexho Marriott Faculty Publication of the Year Award in Healthcare Administration Research; numerous publications in national peer-reviewed journals in health administration and health policy; leadership in state and national organizations, including Virginia Rural Health Association, American Public Health Association, Virginia Public Health Association, and Association of University Programs in Health Administration; numerous grant awards, journal editorship; and numerous service and consulting activities within health services organizations.
Health Assessment & Promotion
Students in the Health Assessment and Promotion concentration may notice some changes in the sequence of curriculum. Much of this concentration revolves around the Human Performance Laboratory. This past fall due to repairs required for the metabolic cart, HTH 482 Advanced Health Assessment Techniques was taught during the fall semester for the first time rather than in the spring semester. The natural linkages between physical health assessments learned in HTH 482 and the topics covered in HTH 442 Chronic Diseases have led to a switch in course sequencing. As a result, the cardio-respiratory assessment and testing content for the client project will now be taught in the spring semester. The less technical skills required of body composition, lipid, and pulmonary assessments have led to a smoother transition for HAP students starting the yearlong client assessment project.
Substance Abuse Prevention
The Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAR) in the Health Sciences Department of James Madison University and the Governor’s Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (GOSAP) is pleased to offer the fifth year of the Prevention Basic Workshop Series (Levels I-III). The goal of this partnership is to assist all substance abuse professionals in gaining access to the latest research and procedures in the field that are necessary to develop and implement scientifically sound programs. The three-level Prevention Basic series emphasizes both the importance of employing science-based prevention programs and the value of sustainability beyond a funding cycle. We invite you to join us for the entire Prevention Basic series of two-day workshops, or if more feasible, to attend a specific level that addresses your needs.
Please visit the following web site to access specific registration information for each of the workshops: http://www.jmu.edu/cisat/gosap/
Prevention Basics Level I - Building A Common Knowledge Base
• Focus on basic cutting-edge prevention theory, research, and practice.
• Designed for new or experienced prevention practitioners who would like to ensure their prevention practices are up-to-date
• Everyone is encouraged to attend
2005 Level I Dates:
March 3-4, 2005 – Richmond, Virginia
March 17-18, 2005 – Lynchburg, Virginia
Prevention Basics Level II - Skills for Assessing Needs & Evaluating for Results
• Designed to assist individuals involved in prevention coordination and program development
• Acquire skills in needs assessment and evaluation necessary to engage in successful science-based prevention practice at the program/project level
• Prevention program coordinators and those involved in program development are encouraged to attend
2005 Level II Dates:
April 7-8, 2005 – Roanoke, Virginia
April 21-22, 2005 – Arlington, Virginia
Prevention Basics Level III - Building Capacity for Sustainability
• Develop skills which will reinforce community-based prevention planning and implementation at a broader community-wide level
• Emphasis on cross-agency collaboration
• Individual registrations are welcome
• To take full advantage of the content, groups of 4-5 people who are key prevention stakeholders & decision-makers in the community are encouraged to attend as a team
2005 Level III Dates:
May 5-6, 2005 – Charlottesville, Virginia
May 19-20, 2005 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
Questions? Contact:
Cathy C. Fogarty
Project Coordinator
Email: fogartcc@jmu.edu
Phone: 540-568-2962
Public Health Concentration
The Public Health concentration continues to gain popularity as the number of majors has increased steadily over the last few years. In addition more students from a variety of majors are choosing the Public Health Minor. Students with biology, technical and scientific writing, political science and nursing are some of the majors for students also minoring in Public Health.
This spring and summer 19 public health interns will be completing work at a variety of agencies and different locations across the state. Some of the internship placements include:
· Harrisonburg Free Clinic
· American Heart Association, Norfolk
· Women’s Health Focus
· JMU Office of Health Promotion
· Lamaze International
· Harrisonburg Health Department
· Georgetown Hospital
· Valley AIDS Network
· Fredericksburg Regional Community Services Board
· American Cancer Society
· Blue Ridge AHEC
· RMH Wellness Center
· Augusta-Staunton Health Department
· American Association for Health Education
The Public Health Concentration has enjoyed working with our new faculty member Dr. Kristy Lewis this academic year. She is the replacement for Dr. Travis’ position who has retired. Her background as a practicing epidemiologist has provided her excellent resources for teaching HTH 450 Epidemiology as well as her other teaching assignments including Environmental Health and Introduction to Health Sciences. Welcome Dr. Lewis!
Graduate Program in Health Education
As with the undergraduate programs in Health Sciences, there is increased interest in students pursuing a Master of Science in Health Education. More students have applied to the program which is designed to provide further education to students who plan to work in agencies, health departments and other placements as public health educators.
The program has changed its name to Master of Science in Public Health Education to more clearly identify its purpose. Also, more courses are being developed to broaden the opportunities for our students, partly due to the addition of Dr. Lewis, and the shifting of some responsibilities of other faculty.
We will be exhibiting at the American Association for Health Education national meeting as part of AAHPERD in Chicago April 12-16, 2005. We hope to recruit even more graduate students at that meeting.
Dietetics Program
The Dietetics Program Welcomes Two New Faces in 2004-2005…
Dr. Cynthia Cadieux, a JMU graduate of our very own Master’s Degree Program in Dietetics, who joined our dietetics faculty this past fall. Cindy is excited to be here, and we are very pleased to have her on board.
Joyce Williams, our new lab operations specialist who began in the fall. Joyce has taken on the food purchasing, food lab operations, quantity meal reservations, and other duties; we are grateful for her hard work, support & expertise in this vital area.
Fond Farewell
We bid a fond farewell to Mrs. Lu Foster, who retired in the fall. Lu served the program and its food lab courses faithfully for many years. We will miss her, but wish her the happiest retirement ever, and good times with family.
Salute
To our hard-working graduate assistant, Cheryl Garber, who went above and beyond the call of duty during a hectic and transitional fall semester.
Senior Research
The senior dietetics research projects continue this year, with a new format. Students selected their own advisors based on preferred research topics proposed by the faculty. This has resulted in opportunities for both team and individual projects in such areas as
Autism & nutrition
Low carbohydrate foods
Personality types & nutrition
Antioxidant content of fruit
Childhood obesity
Osteoporosis in women
We will hold our research poster session on April 18, but are also encouraging students to submit abstracts and present their research if completed in time, for the 2005 Virginia Dietetic Association meeting in Norfolk.
Hardaway Lecture Series
We continue to attract interesting and exciting individuals to speak to our students. The Fall Semester speaker was Lise Gloede, a program graduate who has established her own nutrition counseling business. She shared tips with the students on what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the steps to establishing a business. The Spring Semester lecture is expected to concern the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and how they were determined.
Atheletic Training Education Program
The Athletic Training Education Program will graduate it first students this May with a BS in Athletic Training. Curriculum changes include the addition of Sports Nutrition as a required course and an increase in credit hours earned for the practicum classes. Students will no longer be required to complete the Health Sciences Core. For additional details, visit the ATEP website: www.jmu.edu/healthsci/at/at.htm
In addition, a new course, Measurement Techniques in Athletic Training was taught for the first time this fall. The primary purpose of this course is to strengthen psychomotor skills in the areas of Manual Muscle Testing and Goniometry. Starting fall of 2005, this course will be required for all students.
Visiting Scholar: Dr. Mike Ferrara (University of Georgia) visited campus during the fall semester as a Visiting Scholar. Mike helped write the recent NATA Position Statement on Management of Concussion in Sport. He presented numerous times to students and staff in the Athletic Training Program as well as the Physician’s Assistants program.
Certification Exam Results: Our NATABOC results continue to be much higher then the national average: JMU 1st Time passing rate is 78.6% while the National average is only 30.11%
Kudos: Jeff Konin is now Dr. Jeff Konin. He finished is PhD in Physical Therapy in December from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Last updated:
Friday, August 25, 2006 11:52 AM
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