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In This Issue
Professor Margaret Duncan, Ph.D., in the Human Movement Sciences Department, retired after 27 years of service at UWM. At an all-College event in May, she was lauded by Dean Chukuka Enwemeka and UWM Interim Provost Johannes Britz for her years of service and her many contributions. A most impressive aspect of Duncan’s career was her passion for the discovery and creation of knowledge. Throughout her career she undertook a tireless and consistent pursuit of knowledge as it relates to sociocultural aspects of sport and physical activity. Her earlier research was on gendered bodies and media portrayals and more recently she worked on the social construction of obesity. Most recently she examined popular fitness and beauty magazines for “diet doubletalk,” which refers to contradictory weight-loss discourse, for example, how to lose weight, while at the same time feeling confident about one’s body and accepting it the way it is. She was recognized for her long history of significant contribution to her field of research with the 2009 UWM Research Foundation Senior Faculty Award. Another noteworthy feature of Duncan’s career was her desire to share the findings of her work with students. Whether through mentoring of graduate students across campus departments or design/delivery of new courses to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, Duncan embraced the responsibility of helping students translate research into professional practice. Duncan has held many positions in professional organizations. She is a former president of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS), a former president of The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) and a past editor of the scholarly journal, Play & Culture. She was one of several authors of the 1997 President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Report and its follow-up report in 2008, and has co-authored five research reports investigating televised portrayals of female athletes for the former Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (now called LA84.) She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and currently serves on the advisory board of The Women's Sports Foundation. Dean Enwemeka said, “It’s always hard to say goodbye, but we wish our colleague and friend well. Thank you for your distinguished service. We wish you many years of happy retirement.”
The College of Health Sciences (CHS) 2011 Spring Research Symposium held on April 15th was an opportunity for students to showcase their research. Over 50 students presented posters and, of those, eight were invited to make oral presentations before the audience. The students presented their data-based research to a panel of expert judges comprised of faculty, administrators and health care professionals from the university and the Milwaukee community. The judges ranked the projects based on the potential contribution to scientific literature, clarity of purpose, research methodology, analyses, results, quality of thought and writing. Winners of the competition were announced at the CHS Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony. They are: 1st Place Health Sciences Ph.D. candidate, Aubrianne Rote, “Over-Estimation of Time Spent in Moderate-Intensity Physical Activity is Related to Obesity Level Among College Women.” 2nd Place Health Sciences Ph.D. candidate, Sandeep Gopalakrishnan, “In Vivo Evaluation of Photobiomodulation in P23H-1 Rhodopsin Transgenic Rat.” 3rd Place Human Movement Sciences student, Tygh Walters, “A New Approach to the Long-Term Recording of Surface Electromyograms.” CSD Department Highlights Student Research, Too Around the same time, the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department (CSD) held a special event on May 6 combining a Research Symposium with a Graduation Celebration. There was a special luncheon and a moving celebration for the graduating undergraduate and graduate students. In the research portion, students displayed their posters and did an excellent job of explaining their research and its implications. Presenters were Marie Bennet, Jamie Boehm, Erin Davids, Natalie Davidson, Tara DuQuaine, Rachel Garrett, Steve Klass, Kelly Lynett, Michelle Monks, Caitlyn Murphy, Auburn Niemela, Katie O'Brien, Elizabeth Poehlmann, Vanessa Ribaudo, Christie Schnuck and Megan Steadman.
Human Movement Sciences (HMS) Assistant Professor Kevin Keenan, Ph.D., was recently asked to serve as an "opponent" for a Ph.D. Dissertation Defense in Denmark. He describes the experience… “The Scandinavian countries have a slightly different approach to running their Ph.D. defenses. The faculty of the school which the Ph.D. student attends invites a couple of experts in the student’s thesis area to travel to the university to be "opponents" for the defense. As an opponent you have primary responsibility to "grill" the student about their doctoral work. The student’s committee will often be composed of two opponents and a chair from the home department (who is not the Ph.D. student's mentor; the mentor has no role in the process.) It is the committee's responsibility to write a formal report and recommendation on whether to grant the doctoral degree. I knew this would be no ordinary event when I received a very formal letter from the Rector (head of the university) stating that the Faculty of Medicine would like to appoint me as a member of the dissertation committee for Francesco. As it turns out, the computational model and set of experiments that he performed is very similar to my research line, and also to another faculty member at the University of Arizona whom I know rather well. The student gave about a 45-minute presentation, and then both of us took turns for a couple of hours challenging the student on his thesis. Although he was a little nervous at the beginning, he settled down quickly and answered the questions well. The result was a very spirited discussion of some of the key topics in our field that the student's thesis addressed. I should also mention that by tradition, only one other question was asked of the student by a non-opponent. One aspect of this Scandinavian approach that I really liked, and have never seen at other defenses in the States, is the ability to dig into so much depth on a specific topic because you have three very knowledgeable people together - - the student and two opponents. It was a lot of fun! The trip (graciously underwritten by the university) also provided me with an opportunity to formalize a collaboration with the student and his mentor on some work of mutual interest. " Colleague HMS Associate Professor Ann Swartz, Ph.D., said, “It was an honor for Kevin to be invited to such a prestigious activity and we all join him in celebrating his international recognition and success!”
The Human Movement Sciences Department recently partnered with Images of Us Sports (IOU Sports), and the UWM Department of Athletics to present the first "S.T.E.M. in Sports Academy." Girls from St. Joan Antida High School in Milwaukee attended the academy to learn how studying the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be integrated with physical activity, and lead to careers related to sports. Students learned about various careers, what work is entailed, what type of education is needed and what they can do to get on a successful career path. Associate Professor Jennifer Earl, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, and Director of the Athletic Training Program, was the key organizer of the event, along with co-planners Clinical Assistant Professors Carrie Truebenbach, M.S., MSPT, OCS and Tracy Oles-Fairchild, M.S. The event, with a variety of speakers and activities, was taped by 88.9 Radio Milwaukee which produced several segments for their Web site. An interview with Oles-Fairchild can be heard at www.radiomilwaukee.org. The feedback showed that the event was a great success. The girls were attentive with lots of thoughtful questions, and they really enjoyed the opportunity to meet women in what all too often are considered careers for men.
Second year student, Josh Sanders, is in the M.S Kinesiology program and hopes to graduate this August. He shares his enthusiasm for an educational experience that has made a big difference in his professional development. “My alma mater is UW-La Crosse and I decided to join them in an informal way at their newly-funded program in Germany at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Undergraduate students in athletic training have a chance to observe practices there and take classes. I spent a week there to keep in contact with my former faculty members, get to know their line of research, better my everyday German and improve my medical German. I met German academicians, Winfriend Banzer, Lutz Vogt and Christian Thiel, who are all excellent professors and researchers and wonderful resources. I actually stayed with Christian Thiel for a week at his home in Oberursel, which I still have trouble saying despite my acclimated German tongue! I worked with the UW-La Crosse students, tried to translate German articles, helped some of the senior faculty translate their abstracts into English, sat in on nutritional consultations, attended a class that discussed the effects of exercise on cancer (Krebs) patients, went to the clinic (my niche) to help with personal training programs and talk with the clients and took part in a physical education education course. I also had a bit of fun in Germany. I watched the World Cup with friends (England tied the USA [cough cough]), spent some time exploring my favorite city in the world, Berlin, and took nearly 1,500 photographs. Someday I would like to return and teach athletic training-related courses. Stateside, I plan to also sit in on the NATA Symposia International Committee meeting this summer, and learn more about teaching and working overseas. I've got the bug!”
CHS students not only excel academically, but several also have active lives as athletes. Here are two of them. First-Year Occupational Studies student Tanaiya Fisher was honored at the Annual Student-Athlete Awards Reception on May 1 where the achievements of nearly 300 Panthers were recognized. She received from the UWM Athletic Board a James Wright Special Recognition Award for her achievements and progress both academically and athletically in her UWM Panther career. Fisher has excelled in both cross country and track and field. She has earned All-League Second-Team honors in each of her last seasons in cross country. In track, she has led the middle distance corps, ranking among the school’s top 10 in 800m and 1500m events. She is currently fourth in school history in the 1500m (44:36.19) and recently ran the fifth-fastest outdoor 800m time in school history (2:14.25) at the Poly Tan Invitational. As part of two-school record relays, she has won a league title and been named to the All-League Second Team twice with the distance medley relay.
Another student-athlete, Robin Bauer, a graduate student in the Human Movement Sciences program, was a participant (bicyclist) in the USA Collegiate Road National Championships outside Madison the weekend of May 7. She raced in two of the three events. Both pitted her against 65 other women from universities around the country. Also, here in the College, she received the Giorgio Sanna Memorial Scholarship at the Annual CHS Awards and Recognition Ceremony. For more information about the race, visit The UWM Post website. Congratulations to both of our student-athletes! We are proud of all your accomplishments.
The CHS Office of Student Services (OSS) hosted their annual Brewers Baseball game get-together for students on April 26th. Attending were 46 CHS students, along with several OSS staff members, with a kick-off pizza tailgate on campus in Greene Hall. On the bus ride to the stadium they played Brewers trivia and gave away CHS promo items, like baseball hats, yoga pants, flash drives and lip balm. The Brewers played the Cincinnati Reds and the Brewers won 3-2, so a good time was had by all.
For the 11th year in row, Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) graduate students in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) took the Praxis Series: Professional Assessment in Speech-Language, and once again had a 100 percent passing rate and scored well above the state and national average. Each year about 20-25 students in the CSD Graduate Program take the Praxis exam sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA.) It is the national examination in speech-language pathology and audiology. All students need to pass the Praxis exam in order to become certified speech-language pathologists, and also to be licensed in their states. About 7,000 students nationally take the exam. The categories covered are: basic human communications processes, phonological and language disorders, speech disorders, neurogenic disorders, audiology/hearing, clinical management and professional issues/psychometrics/research. This spring’s 15 CSD students had a mean score of 712. The range was 670 - 740. Only three students scored below 700. Three students scored a 740. The median for the state is 620 or 630 and a passing score is 600. “We’re very proud of our students,” said Marylou Pausewang Gelfer, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor, CHS Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “It shows that our students have mastered well the educational and clinical concepts and issues they need, and that they are now prepared to become the new generation of speech-language pathologists.” Don't forget ... send us your news! |  |
Volume 2, Issue 10 IMPORTANT DATES UWM Summer School May 23- August 27 FACULTY ACTIVITIES
Associate Professor Hong Yu, Ph.D., Department of Health Informatics & Administration, was invited to be give a presentation at the Society for Image Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) Annual Meeting June 2-5 in Washington, DC. SIIM is a health care professional organization for those active in the rapidly changing fields of medical imaging and information technology.
Professor Janis Eells, Ph.D., from the CHS Department of Health Sciences and Associate Professor Carla Wiggins, Ph.D., Department of Health Informatics & Administration, have been selected as recipients of the UWM Graduate School 2011-12 Research Committee Awards. The process by which the proposals were reviewed was highly competitive and these awards allow them to move forward with their research. Five CHS professors have been selected as UWM Graduate School Research Fellows for 2011.They are: Associate Professor Shelley Lund, Ph.D., (Communication Sciences & Disorders); Associate Professor and Chair Jeri-Anne Lyons, Ph.D., (Health Sciences); Assistant Professor Dean Nardelli, Ph.D., (Health Sciences); Assistant Professor Bhagwant Sindhu, Ph.D., (Occupational Science & Technology) and Assistant Professor Jinsung Wang, Ph.D., (Human Movement Sciences). Noteworthy is that of the 18 faculty members from the UWM schools and colleges participating in the Program, five are from the CHS!
Occupational Science & Technology Professor Roger O. Smith, Ph.D., OT, FAOTA, RESNA Fellow, was a keynote speaker at the 10th Annual Research Symposium by the Colorado State University Department of Occupational Therapy on May 31. His talk was on "Better Design for the World: The Role of Occupational Therapy, Technology and Research." Colorado State University has one of the premier programs in occupational therapy with a significant assistive technology and universal design component. STUDENTS IN THE NEWS Three students who work in the Rehabilitation Research Design and Disability (R2D2) Center presented their research at various conferences and symposia. At the recent UWM Undergraduate Research Symposium, Kati Liegl presented her poster "Differences in Architecture and Occupational Therapy Student Perceptions of Restaurant Accessibility Using the RATE-IT Evaluation Tool" and Autumn Milanowski presented "The Role of Multifocal Lens Glasses on Walking Balance." Additionally, both of them, along with Tom Dembski, presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Ithaca, NY (March 31-April 2), the CHS Research Symposium (April 15th) and the 11th Annual UW System Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity on April 29th. R2D2 mentors were Melissa Lemke, Dennis Tomashek and Roger O. Smith. CHS IN THE NEWS
Assistant Professor in Health Sciences Dean Nardelli, Ph.D., was featured May 12 on WUWM Radio 89.7 FM's UWM Today show. He was interviewed regarding his research on Lyme Disease. A recording of the show is available at the WUWM web site.
The research of Associate Professor Jennifer Earl, Ph.D., LAT, and Director of the Athletic Training Program, recently was the topic of choice on the Sports Medicine Research (SMR) blog. PROFESSIONAL HONORS
The research contributions of College of Health Sciences Dean Chukuka S. Enwemeka, Ph.D., FACSM, have been honored by the North American Association for Laser Therapy (NAALT), which has established the "Chukuka Enwemeka Award for Excellence in Photomedicine" in his name. He is a pioneer in the field of photobiomodulation, a founding member of NAALT and co-editor of PhotoMedicine and Laser Surgery. He will also be a keynote speaker at the NAALT 2011 Conference to be held September 22 - 24, 2011 in Milwaukee. To learn more, visit www.naalt.org.
Susan Stalewski, MBA, MLS(ASCP), who is clinical associate professor for the Health Sciences Department, director of eLearning and interim assistant dean for academic affairs, is a recipient of the Joanne Lazirko Award for Excellence in Teaching with Technology. This newly-established award recognizes significant contributions to innovation in teaching at UWM. Stalewski will receive the award at this fall's award ceremony.
Assistant Professor Carson Smith, Ph.D., from Health Sciences, achieved the status of Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) and was awarded that honor at the annual meeting in Denver the first week of June. STAFF IN THE NEWS
Communications Manager Cheri Dziekan Chapman from the CHS External Relations and Communications Department is serving on the Search and Screen Committee to select a new dean for the newly established UWM School of Public Health.
Dawn Hennes, M.S., CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was approved for indefinite appointment and the rank of Clinical Associate Professor. UWM is Green! UWM has been recognized as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to the Princeton Review. The University is included in the just-released second annual edition of its free downloadable book, "The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition." Chronicle Archives
Volume 2, Issue 9 |
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