May 4, 2021

Students present at Undergraduate Research Forum

May 3, 2021 Congratulations to all of the Health Professions students that were able to present their research as part of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Forum! This event was hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research as part of Undergraduate Research Week.  This forum offered undergraduates the opportunity to present their research and scholarly achievements to the Mizzou community! Names and presentation titles of all participating Health Professions students: Lauren Day and Lauren Tigner, SLHS (Mentor: Stacy Wagovich) The Use of Mental State Verbs by Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter and Their Mothers Madison Green, Public Health…

May 3, 2021

Todd Pridemore named Director of Advancement

The School of Health Professions is pleased to welcome Todd Pridemore as the school’s director of advancement starting May 17. Pridemore joined Mizzou in 2018 as a gift planning and regional advancement officer and was promoted to director of advancement for MU Health Care in 2020. His previous fundraising experience includes the Baptist Home and the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Todd earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from MU and his Master of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. “Todd’s skills and experience in building relationships will benefit our alumni, students, faculty…

April 27, 2021

Lack of educational opportunities influence drug use for rural youth

April 27, 2021 Having grown up poor in a rural village in Zimbabwe, Wilson Majee saw firsthand as a child the lack of educational opportunities that were easily accessible and how that impacted the youth in his village. Now an associate professor of Health Sciences and Public Health in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, Majee researches the challenges facing disadvantaged, rural youth. He found in a recent study that young people who are disengaged from their communities are much more likely to participate in risky behaviors such as substance abuse, particularly in rural areas that lack educational…

April 19, 2021

Shining bright

One of the defining characteristics of School of Health Professions students is their desire to improve lives. David Gardner II, a senior Health Sciences major from Chicago, is an example of what it means to bring heart and dedication together to help others. Journey to Health Professions David Gardner attributes his success to support and drive from family members including his mother, Kristee Davis (top), a psychology professor, and grandmother, Geneva George, a civil rights activist. Gardner transferred to Health Professions his junior year after initially pursuing an education in animal science. Meeting with his adviser and…

April 16, 2021

University of Missouri System honors professors with President’s Awards

University of Missouri President Mun Choi recognized nine University of Missouri faculty for their outstanding contributions to their universities, Missouri and the world. Three School of Social Work faculty received the President’s Award for Intercampus Collaboration: Kelli Canada, associate professor, Ashley Givens, assistant professor, and Clark Peters, associate professor. This recognition was shared with colleagues from UMSL and UMKC. Together, this group comprises the inter-campus research team behind the Prison Research and Innovation Network grant, funded by the Urban Institute. In collaboration with the Missouri Department of Corrections, this research team was one of only five selected nationally to examine…

April 8, 2021

MU study finds racial inequality within heart transplant process

April 8, 2021 A new study from the University of Missouri found that Black patients with advanced heart failure were more likely to receive a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, later in their disease progression compared to white patients, ultimately resulting in worse health outcomes. Adrianne Frech, an associate professor in the MU School of Health Professions, is a medical sociologist interested in addressing inequalities within the health care system. She was curious if race affected a patient’s ability to access newer versions of LVADs, which are implanted into the chest of a patient with advanced heart failure to…

March 24, 2021

Laura Schopp announces retirement

March 24, 2021 Laura Schopp, professor and chair of the Department of Health Psychology in the School of Health Professions, will retire this summer, after 26 years of service at MU. “I moved to Columbia in 1989 for graduate school wondering if I could possibly spend three years in the same place after having moved a lot in the previous years,” said Dr. Schopp, who earned her master’s degree and PhD from MU. After completing a clinical internship at Duke University, Dr. Schopp returned to MU in 1995 for a post-doctoral fellowship before transitioning to a full-time faculty position. “MU…

March 24, 2021

Audio-enhanced storybooks can improve vocabulary of at-risk preschoolers

March 24, 2021 A new study by the University of Missouri has found that using interactive, pre-recorded storybooks can improve the vocabulary of at-risk preschoolers – good news for getting a vulnerable population of children ready for school. “While we are working with children who are only 4 or 5 years old, we teach them the vocabulary words they will need to know when they eventually enter elementary or middle school,” said Elizabeth Kelley, an assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions, who collaborated with Howard Goldstein at the University of South Florida, on the project. “If we can teach…

March 22, 2021

Crisis Intervention Training reduces stigma of mental illness in prisons

March 22, 2021 Before joining the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri, Professor Kelli E. Canada worked as a community clinical social worker in Chicago. There, many of her clients struggled with mental illness and were dealing with long stints in the prison system. What she discovered was corrections officers play an important role in prisoners’ lives, but often don’t understand how to deal with behaviors associated with mental illness. With that in mind, Canada partnered with the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) to study how adjusting de-escalation techniques could improve corrections officers’ interactions with inmates with mental…

March 17, 2021

Physical Therapy represents at 2021 APTA Combined Sections Meeting

March 17, 2021 The Department of Physical Therapy is proud to highlight the scholarly activity of Mizzou DPT faculty, clinical partners, and students at the 2021 Combined Section Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Impressively, the department had over a dozen presentations, offered virtually, at the profession’s largest annual event. Presentations focused on sub-specialty topic areas including pediatrics, neurology, chronic pain, and educational research.  While live presentations were offered throughout February, recorded and on-demand content available will be available until the end of March 2021. We hope you join us by visiting the 2021 Combined Sections Meeting…