Physical Therapy Education - University of Nebraska Medical Center

Physical Therapy
Education
Division Highlights
C-MOVA
Research
Laboratory
Now Open
The C-MOVA lab is a place
to conduct innovative,
inspired, and imaginative
clinical research!
The Clinical Movement Analysis
(C-MOVA) laboratory, directed by
Leading Physical Therapy
Education in China
Above: (l-r) UNMC faculty
members Ka-Chun Siu, Betsy
Becker, Kathleen Volkman, Joan
Norman, and Joe Norman, visit
the Great Wall on their recent
visit to China.
In October 2014, leaders from UNMC
and Tongji University in Shanghai, China,
signed an agreement to create a joint
effort to advance physical therapy
education in China and the United States.
UNMC is assisting Tongji University
in establishing a four-year bachelor’s
in establishing a platform for faculty and
student exchange. Four UNMC Physical
Therapy Education faculty members
(Joe Norman, PT, PhD, CCS, FAACVPR;
Kathleen Volkman, PT, MS, NCS; Betsy
Becker, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA; and KaChun Siu, PhD) visited China in October
2014 and conducted two symposiums
– one at the Sunshine Rehabilitation
Hospital in Shanghai and the other at
the Shangdon University Qilu Hospital
in Jinan. Symposium topics included
physical therapy in heart failure, neurology,
women’s health, and research.
Ka-Chun (Joseph) Siu, PhD, is a
newly-renovated research facility at
UNMC for conducting clinical and
translational research. The C-MOVA
lab is equipped with a state-of-theart motion analysis system, wireless
electromyography system, pressure
mapping system, virtual reality
goggles, and more. Several clinical
research projects have commenced
in the C-MOVA lab, such as dualtasking research in aging and in
individuals with dementia, balance
research in patients with diabetes or
multiple sclerosis, and gait research
in patients with movement disorders.
Dr. Siu is continuously looking for
collaboration opportunities and
new clinical research projects. For
more details, please visit: unmc.
edu/alliedhealth/research/cmova or
degree program in physical therapy, and
see bottom photo pg 3
Newsletter Contributors:
Pat Hageman, PhD, PT | Ka-Chun Siu, PhD | Kerissa Hanson, BA
Morgan Otte, DPT2 | Janis Lovitt | Fran Higgins, MA, ADWR, editor
contact him at [email protected].
see top photo pg 3
Fall Issue | December 2014
UNMC PT Alumni
Chapter “Gives Back”
The UNMC Division of Physical Therapy Education
faculty and students extend a heartfelt thank you to
the UNMC Physical Therapy Alumni Chapter!
The alumni chapter has not only fostered goodwill among
UNMC PT graduates through co-hosting receptions at
both the fall and spring 2014 NPTA state meetings, they
have also “given back” to the program by supporting the
fall 2014 student activities, including the Professionalism
(White Coat) Ceremony for the Class of 2016 (below),
and the “Send Off” party for the Class of 2015 prior to
their departure for their final clinical experiences (left).
Once again, thank you!
(left) The UNMC PT Class of 2015 at the UNMC PT Alumni Chapter’s Send Off party in
October 2014.
(below) The UNMC PT Class of 2016 at the Professionalism Ceremony in September 2014.
Highlights | 2
Top photo from C-MOVA, page 1: Chun-Kai Huang, MS, PhD Candidate, demonstrates the motion analysis system at the C-MOVA Lab Open House on
October 3, 2014. The Open House attracted more than 75 guests from Omaha and Lincoln.
Bottom photo from China, page 1: UNMC faculty members at Tongji University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China, with the university’s first
class of Physical Therapy students.
Highlights | 3
Faculty Spotlights
Dr. Meyer Selected as Chair of
Midwest Deans Association
Kyle Meyer, PhD, PT, Senior Associate
Dean of the School of Allied Health
Professions at the University of
Nebraska Medical Center, was
selected by his colleagues to serve
as chair of the Midwest Deans
Association. Institutional members of
the association include colleges and
schools of allied health at eighteen
Midwest academic health science
centers who are also member
institutions of the Association of
Schools of Allied Health Professions
(ASAHP). The institutions are
represented in the Midwest Deans
Association by their chief allied
health administrator. Dr. Meyer
assumed his new role in July 2014.
Innovators: Jones & Venema
Katherine Jones, PT, PhD, and Dawn
Venema, PT, PhD received a 2014
Innovation Award for licensing a
webinar produced for the CAPTURE
Falls project: “Best Practices in Safe
Transfers and Mobility to Decrease
Fall Risk.” They were recognized at the
UNeMed Innovation Award Ceremony
in October, 2014.
CAPTURE Falls stands for
Collaboration And Proactive Teamwork
Used to Reduce Falls. The safe
transfers and mobility webinar is one
of a series of educational webinars
created to support fall risk reduction
teams as they implement and sustain
evidence-based changes in the
structure and process of their fall risk
reduction program.
Faculty Updates
In September, our Director for Clinical
Education, Kris Lausterer, PT, DPT,
MHS, OCS, returned to full-time
clinical practice. Nikki Sleddens, PT,
MPT, CEEAA, has been hired as our
new Director of Clinical Education
and will begin January 1, 2015.
Nikki joins us from Southeast
Community College in Lincoln,
Nebraska, where she has been serving
as the Program Chair of the Physical
Therapist Assistant Program.
Dr. Bilek Co-Investigator of
NIH Study
Nancy Waltman, Ph.D., of the UNMC
College of Nursing and Laura Bilek,
Ph.D., of the UNMC School of Allied
Health Professions, are co-investigators
for a $3.2 million grant recently awarded
by the National Institutes of Health to
the UNMC College of Nursing and the
School of Allied Health Professions.
The Heartland Osteoporosis Prevention
Study (HOPS) focuses on the
prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and is expected to
begin in January.
For information and screening, visit:
unmc.edu/alliedhealth/research/hops.
PT Highlights
December 2014
In July 2014, long-time faculty member
Gib Willett, PT, PhD, OCS, CSCS,
transferred to the Department of
Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy
at UNMC, where he now serves as
an Associate Professor. Dr. Willett
taught in the Division of Physical
Therapy Education for 24 years. The
search process for a new faculty
member is currently underway.
Fall Issue
This Newsletter is produced
by the School of Allied Health
Professions Division of Physical
Therapy Education at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center.
For additional information,
please contact:
UNMC Physical Therapy Education
984420 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68498-4420
402.559.4259
unmc.edu/alliedhealth/education/pt
Dr. Norman presents Dr. Willett with an
appreciation award.
Highlights | 4
Student Spotlights
D1 Champs!
Intramural Domination
SUNAPTA Career Fair
The Division of Physical Therapy of the
School of Allied Health Professions has
dominated the intramural volleyball
tournament this year. The current Division
I champs, the Palpaters 13.0, were also
division champions the previous semester
and have a record of 7-3. The Division
II champions, Safe Sets, are first time
champions with a record of 8-2. Both
winning teams are from the Class of
2016. It is also worth mentioning that
the D1 second place team, the Spike
Kids, are from the Class of 2017. The
Class of 2016 also has an undefeated
intramural basketball team, Ameer
Medulla, slated to play in the championship game who’s current record is 10-0.
The SUNAPTA Career Fair was held on
September 25th in the Student Life Center.
A total of 32 physical therapy vendors
participated. Students were introduced
to a wide variety of job opportunities and
the business world of physical therapy.
A total of $4,258.44 was raised for
SUNAPTA. Thank you to our vendors!
New Philanthropy
SUNAPTA has taken on a new philanthropy
called UNMC Olympics. Colleges within
UNMC will compete in a series of
athletic competitions to raise money
for the Ronald McDonald House. The
philanthropy is slated to take place
late in the Spring 2015 semester.
D2 Champs!
Physical Therapy students
get in the holiday spirit
Physical therapy students have adopted a family through the Salvation
Army’s Adopt-a-Family program. This is the second year that the Class
of 2016 has chosen to participate in the event of human goodwill. The
students truly enjoy spreading holiday cheer, and they have been given
a family of six for whom they will buy presents. The event often builds
class bonds while the students shop for and wrap the presents.
The Adopt-a-Family program allows individuals or groups in the
community to donate to a family who is in need that has contacted
the Salvation Army. The family makes a wish list of presents for their
children as well as a list of any necessities for the winter season.
Fall Issue | December 2014
Physical Therapy Education
984420 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-4420
402.559.4259
unmc.edu/alliedhealth/education/pt

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