Faculty

Sep. 11, 2020

New Faculty Spotlight: Kristi Peterson

What is your title with Health Professions? Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy What classes are you teaching this semester? This semester will be concentrated on assisting in the Bachelors in Health Sciences with emphasis in Occupational Therapy Assistant (BHS-OTA) program’s kickoff before candidacy. What do you love about teaching? The greatest joy I take from teaching is watching the development of an individual’s knowledge base progress from the academic curriculum into their professional hands-on experiences in the field as practitioners. It is fulfilling to see this evolving connection from learning materials in class to application with patients and…

Sep. 10, 2020

The 1918 flu caused Halloween cancellations across the US. It could happen again

On the list of traditions canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, Halloween might be next on the cultural hit list. The fall of 1918 was the second and worst wave of the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed between 50 million and 100 million people worldwide. “Not only was the peak of death right before Halloween, but they were still experiencing pretty severe waves,” said Carolyn Orbann, an associate teaching professor in the department of health sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Aug. 27, 2020

MU brings medical, public health experts together to plan for safe return to campus.

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced Mizzou to end its 2020 spring semester with classes online, university officials were already planning for the future of learning at Mizzou – even if that meant continuing to face a global pandemic. Under the leadership of UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Y. Choi, a team of more than 130 people — including a public health expert who also served on Missouri’s statewide medical advisory team — strategized and planned for the future. It took several months to develop the university’s plan — known as Show Me Renewal. The…

Aug. 11, 2020

What a Korean Teenage Fashion Trend Reveals About the Culture of Mask-Wearing

In the United States, trust in government has been on a downward trend for two decades and is now near a historic low. To make matters worse, distrust in government is often paired with skepticism toward the health care system, says Carolyn Orbann, a University of Missouri anthropologist who studies how culture affects the spread of infectious diseases.

Aug. 10, 2020

COVID-19 course provides students a comprehensive look at pandemic

Throughout the summer, 50 students from the University of Missouri and other UM System campuses gathered remotely to consider the political, societal and personal implications of the coronavirus pandemic.

July 30, 2020

Physical Therapy faculty secure funding for interdisciplinary projects

July 30, 2020 The Department of Physical Therapy is proud to announce faculty members, Drs. Trent Guess and Becky Bliss as grant recipients of the 2020 Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program. Since 2012, the Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program has awarded grants to help promising medical discoveries transition from laboratory research to commercial investment and direct patient care. Specifically, Drs. Guess and Bliss will act as co-primary investigators on the development of the Mizzou Point-of-Care Assessment System (Mizzou-PASS). Aiming to address deficits in medical providers’ ability to complete multi-dimensional point-of-care concussion assessments, the Mizzou-PASS will measure postural control, motion analysis, and reaction…

July 21, 2020

Weightlifting with lighter weights at faster speeds can improve mobility and cardiovascular health for older adults, MU researcher finds

Stephen Sayers has been exploring the effectiveness of low weight, high-speed weightlifting on muscle performance and function in older adults.

July 13, 2020

MU OT adds new Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Mizzou is the first public institution in the nation to offer an OTA baccalaureate degree

June 12, 2020

MU researchers study parallels between Spanish Flu and COVID-19 pandemics

June 9, 2020

Rachel Proffitt Wins Young Investigator Award from American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

Rachel Proffit, assistant professor in the Mizzou Department of Occupational Therapy, won the Young Investigator Award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM). This award lectureship is co-sponsored by the American Stroke Association and ACRM. According to the ACRM website, the award “recognizes professionals who demonstrate drive and commitment to furthering rehabilitation research in the area of post-stroke care, measurement, and/or stroke patient outcomes.” Proffitt has been passionate about improving post-stroke outcomes since she was a student. “One woman I worked with in my research was 17 years post-stroke incidence and she was able to regain function after a…