July 18, 2021
Human trafficking: Who is being trafficked and what can we do?
MU expert in human trafficking explains common misconceptions and the demographics of trafficking survivors throughout the state. The views and opinions expressed in this “for expert comment” release are based on research and/or opinions of the researcher(s) and/or faculty member(s) and do not reflect the University’s official stance. In 2013, the United Nations named July 30 as “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons” to draw attention to the thousands of men, women and children who are trafficked each year. The hope is “to portray survivors as key actors in the fight against trafficking and the crucial role they play…
July 16, 2021
‘How Did We End Up Back Here Again?’ (The Atlantic)
For America, the pandemic might be fading. For places like southwest Missouri, this year will be worse than last.
July 14, 2021
Virtual schooling exposes digital challenges for Black families, MU study finds
July 14, 2021 Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu A new study from the University of Missouri found the unanticipated transitions to virtual schooling due to COVID-19 exposed the lack of digital resources among Black families in the United States, including access to Wi-Fi and technological savviness. The findings help explain the extensive stress virtual schooling caused for many Black families trying to keep their children learning and engaged online while at home during the pandemic. “What we found was parents and caregivers often felt disempowered in the rapidly changing environment, as they did not necessarily…
July 7, 2021
Study looks at which regions had hospitals at risk for reaching capacity during pandemic
July 1, 2021 Congratulations to Kate Trout, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences, and Li-Wu Chen, chair and professor of the Department of Health Sciences, who co-authored article titled “Geographic distribution of bed occupancy during the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States: A nationwide study,” that was published in Health Science Reports. This study looked at which regions and areas had overwhelmed health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dr. Trout, “reaching capacity for inpatient or ICU beds will have negative consequences on health outcomes and the health care system, especially for communities that already…
July 6, 2021
Collaboration to improve swallowing treatment for cancer patients
July 6, 2021 By Kelsey Pritchett Stephanie Knollhoff, assistant professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, recently received a University of Missouri Research Council Grant to investigate a swallowing rehabilitation technique in individuals with cancer. This project explores an alternative approach to swallowing treatment for individuals undergoing radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Dr. Knollhoff and her co-investigators, Laura Dooley and Gregory Biedermann at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, are striving to carefully construct protocols that balance the individual burden and pain during oncologic treatment with improved participation in therapy to obtain best swallowing outcomes. The…
July 6, 2021
Department of Physical Therapy summer research highlights
July 6, 2021 By Brad Willis Pediatric Physical Therapy — Featured Article The Department of Physical Therapy congratulates Jamie Hall, PT, DPT, PhD, PCS, assistant teaching professor and assistant director of the Mizzou Motion Analysis Center, Morgan Woods, PT, DPT ’21, and Jessica Luechtefeld, PT, DPT ’18, PCS, on their recent publication, “Pediatric Physical Therapy Telehealth and COVID-19: Factors, Facilitators, and Barriers Influencing Effectiveness — a Survey Study” in Pediatric Physical Therapy. This article was named the featured publication for the July 2021 issue of Pediatric Physical Therapy. Watch an interview with Dr. Hall discussing study highlights and…
June 30, 2021
NextGen offers new possibilities for MU researchers addressing health disparities
June 29, 2021 Contact: Kenny Gerling, gerlingk@missouri.edu Loren Bauerband, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, uses large data sets gathered from many sources — often called big data — to research health disparities facing transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals. Their work is complicated by the limitations of available data, which is often incomplete or not representative of the population. “We know that transgender individuals experience a lot of barriers to health care and access in general,” Bauerband said. “What I do is extend data about those topics to…
June 17, 2021
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences professor receives U.S. patent
June 17, 2021 By Kelsey Pritchett The Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences is excited to share that Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale, assistant professor of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, was part of a team of inventors who recently received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office. The team consisted of two speech-language pathologists, Kuruvilla-Dugdale and Teresa Lever of the School of Medicine, and two engineers, Filiz Bunyak and Yunxin Zhao of the College of Engineering. The speech-language pathologists identified the health care need and business potential; the engineers developed the software system. “Clinician-scientist collaborations are critical to developing feasible solutions…
June 16, 2021
Family support key to overcoming barriers to HIV treatment in Africa
June 16, 2021 Story contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu Researchers at the University of Missouri have found that physical mobility, transportation and financial issues pose the biggest barriers to accessing HIV treatment for older adults in South Africa, where 20 to 30 percent of people over age 50 are infected with the virus. However, MU researchers also found that family support proved to be the strongest facilitator in overcoming these challenges thanks to changing attitudes in Africa about HIV/AIDS. “What we found was older adults with HIV often have younger family members who have been raised in a society of…
June 10, 2021
Respiratory Therapist inducted into Public Health honor society
June 10, 2021 Sara Parker, MPH ’14, associate clinical professor of Respiratory Therapy, is among the newest inductees to the MU chapter of Delta Omega, a national honor society for public health. She was one of only five alumni invited to apply for membership this year. “Sara was selected because of her outstanding academic record while a student in the MPH program and her continued dedication to the field of public health,” said Jenna Wintemberg, chapter adviser and assistant teaching professor of Health Sciences. As a public health alumna and registered respiratory therapist, Parker recognizes the overlap between public health…