December 15, 2020
A class like no other
Show Me Mizzou talked with Social Work graduate Brandon Shults and 10 other graduating Mizzou students about their plans for the future and the moments that defined their time on campus.
December 14, 2020
Faculty mentor students at Health Sciences Research Day
Mentees of three School of Health Professions faculty presented their research studies during Health Sciences Research Day in November. The event featured more than 200 research projects from MU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as pre- and post-doctoral trainees. The projects covered various health topics including immunology, nutrition and exercise physiology, diabetes, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and health psychology. By investing time and energy in the mentorship of students, these three faculty members are true exemplars of our school’s mission. Congratulations to all who participated! Nancy Cheak-Zamora (Health Sciences) Mentee: Andrew Tate, undergraduate student Project:…
December 9, 2020
Season of Giving: Mitch Vandel-Holm
Dec. 3, 2020 This story is part of the School of Health Professions Season of Giving series in which we highlight scholarship recipients who are driven by giving back – to their patients and clients, and to their communities. Thanks to the generosity of scholarship donors, recipients are not only able to focus on their education, but also enrich their communities through their passion and their work. It’s a cycle of generosity that just keeps giving. __________________________________ Mitch Vandel-Holm is a Physical Therapy student who received the Raymond E.
November 30, 2020
Season of Giving: Shoneia Jones
Nov. 3, 2020 This story is part of the School of Health Professions’ ‘Season of Giving’ series in which we highlight scholarship recipients who are driven by giving back – to their patients and clients, and to their communities. Thanks to the generosity of scholarship donors, recipients are not only able to focus on their education, but also enrich their communities through their passion and their work. It’s a cycle of generosity that just keeps giving. Shoneia Jones, an Occupational Therapy student from Chicago, received the Janet and John Farmer Endowment to Advance the School of Health…
November 19, 2020
Daring to Care – Social Work alumna supports students
Tiffany Le, a graduate student in occupational therapy, was nervous at first. Like other students seeking financial assistance from the Care Team at Mizzou, she would be sitting down for a one-on-one meeting with the team’s coordinator, Nicole Logue, MSW ’16. “Will she judge me?” Le wondered. “Will she understand why I desperately need this?” Due in part to regional stay-at-home orders, dozens of students found themselves out of work and grappling with such fears as they sought emergency funding. As the nation began to realize the scope of the crisis, Mizzou’s Care Team took stock locally.
November 18, 2020
SSW alumnus Stan Remer wins Social Work Pioneer award
Nov. 18, 2020 School of Social Work alumnus Stan Remer was recently named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) foundation. According to the website, “NASW Pioneers are social workers who have explored new territories and built outposts for human services on many frontiers. Some are well known, while others are less famous outside their immediate colleagues, and the region where they live and work. But each one has made an important contribution to the social work profession, and to social policies through service, teaching, writing, research, program development, administration, or…
October 14, 2020
Improving health care autonomy for young adults with autism
Independence has always been a driving force in Nancy Cheak-Zamora’s life. Now an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, she grew up undiagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disorder that can lead to difficulty reading. “Although I wasn’t receiving all the assistance or services I probably needed because I was undiagnosed, I always had supportive people in my life who encouraged me and gave me opportunities to be successful,” Cheak-Zamora said. “That encouragement fundamentally allowed me to take on more independence and work through challenges in a way that has helped me succeed in both academia…
October 8, 2020
COVID Silver Linings
MU Adult Neuropsychology Clinic stayed steps ahead of peers in adapting to serve the community Oct. 8, 2020 Department of Health Psychology clinics in the School of Health Professions serve well over 1,000 patients every year. In addition to clinical service and research in autism, brain injury and rehabilitation, the department’s faculty oversee an extensive psychology training program for pre-doctoral interns and postdoctoral residents. “We are one of the most high-volume clinics in the country when you consider number of patients seen per faculty member,” says Dr. Eric Hart, associate department chair, director of adult neuropsychology, and clinical professor.
October 6, 2020
Where Empathy Meets Inspiration: Going the Distance
Early in her career, pediatric physical therapist Kelsey Okruch helped a 3-year-old patient with spina bifida learn to walk using an assistive piece of equipment called a gait trainer. “I had to physically move his legs when we started,” says Okruch, BHS ’08, DPT ’10, manager of MU Health Care’s Children’s Therapy Center. As the child gained strength and confidence, he was able to move his legs on his own. He also gained distance. A hospital receptionist stuck tape to the wall to mark his progress, moving it a little farther every week. Eventually, the tape and the boy traveled…
October 6, 2020
Where Empathy Meets Inspiration: Get with the Program
Get with the Program Prior to March, Singapore had been recognized for controlling COVID-19 better than most other countries, but then the virus boomeranged back with a vengeance. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that people in Singapore — and indeed the world over — now understand the role of respiratory therapists (RTs) in intensive care. “Before the pandemic, no one really knew about what we do,” says Ivan Lee, BHS ’12, who was the first Singaporean to graduate from MU’s respiratory therapy program. Helping patients in respiratory failure breathe using a ventilator, “We are there to make a difference…