Aug. 18, 2021
Telehealth helped physical therapists support patients virtually during pandemic, MU study finds
August 18, 2021 Story contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu As a pediatric physical therapist in Clinton, Missouri, Jessica Luechtefeld was used to a hands-on coaching approach whenever meeting with her patients at their preschools, in their homes or at the Child’s Play Therapy clinic. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced physical therapists like Luechtefeld to cancel in-person sessions and quickly transition to telehealth appointments to continue providing essential care. While the switch to telehealth showcased new opportunities for how critical therapy services can still be delivered virtually, a new study at the University of Missouri found it also exposed some…
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 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 2, 2021
Ashley Givens receives Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant
The Mizzou Alumni Association (MAA) recently awarded seven University of Missouri faculty members the Dr. Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant. Since its launch in 1994, the MAA has provided start-up funds of about $700,000 to more than 300 junior faculty members for the initiation of research or professional development projects.