The first Binational Conference on Modern Slavery was a success. It was held on April 5 at UTEP's College on Health Sciences and School of Nursing, with over 200 attendees.

Modern slavery is defined as a situation when a person promotes, solicits, offers, provides, manages, transferred, delivered or received, for himself or for a third party, a person, by means of physical or mental violence, deception or power abuse, to submit to sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of an organ, tissue or its components practices.

The Texas Attorney General's Office estimates that each year 3,600 trafficking victims enter the United States through El Paso before being moved to Houston, one of the most popular destinations for this criminal activity. Texas has toughened penalties for this offense and created networks to identify and denounce it.

Speakers and guests included Dr. Kathleen Curtis, Dean, College of Health Sciences, UTEP; Jacob Prado González, Consul General of México in El Paso; Ian Brownlee, Consul General of U.S. in Cd. Juárez; Ruth Ayala of ICHM; Zulay Abbud Esparza, Justice Center for Women; Sandra Jaquez of the Special Prosecutor Office for Crime Victims Offended in Chihuahua; members of the ACT FBI and Homeland Security team; María Vallejo Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid; and Virginia McCrimmon and John Martin of the Center of Hope.

The Citizen Awareness in Modern Slavery committee came about in 2013 at the 3rd meeting of the Civil Society Organizations and Community Leadership meeting at the Consulado General de México in El Paso. UTEP, Human Rights Action Program in Cd. Juarez, The Center of Hope, and the Consulate decided to join forces to raise awareness and leverage resources to address human trafficking.

Organized events that have taken place since the inception of the committee includes: "The Trick" theater presentations focused on educating about modern slavery; radio interview; training workshop for 100 community health workers of promoters; and a binational conference.

The Committee members include: Blanca Navarrete and Diana Rodriguez of Human Rights Action ; Israel Anaya and Sandra Jaquez of Special Prosecutor for Attention to Victims of Crime and Offended in Chihuahua; Bea Martínez of the Paso del Norte Network of Promotoras and the Binational Health Council; John Martin and Virginia McCrimmon of the Center of Hope; Guadalupe Pérez-Gavilán, Leticia de Anda and Paula Rodríguez of Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso; Dr. Silvia Chávez Baray , Dr. Eva Moya and Guadalupe Lucio, UTEP Department of Social Work.

The conference can be seen on at http://youtu.be/HDnO9b9JdmQ Compliments of Mr. Gutiérrez and EnergyGreenTV Team.

Dr. Oralia Loza, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, was accepted to attend a Summer Institute on Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction 2014 at the University of Amsterdam in July 2014. As a U.S. applicant to the Institute, she successfully competed and became recipient of the 2014 NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Summer Institute Tuition Scholarship (€1350). In the past few years, NIDA has sponsored one person, hence it is a rare honor to be a recipient.

This two week Institute seeks to provide a multi disciplinary approach to the study of addiction. Courses presented will focus on policy models, prevention, evidenced based treatment, and how they these issues intersect. Bridging the gap between research and treatment practice and policy will also be highlighted throughout the course. The Institute welcomes individuals with a focused interest in addiction research and treatment including Master and PhD students, non-governmental organizations (NGO) staff working on addiction-related issues, professionals in human services, practitioners and advocates, and policy makers.

The UTEP/UT Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program conducted the UTEP Centennial Pharmacy Symposium. The event occurred at the Tomás Rivera Conference Center.

The program provided .60 CEUs of continuing pharmacy education credit. Topics presented at the Symposium included pediatric metabolic syndrome, pediatric parenteral nutrition, and the impact and implications of the Affordable Care Act on pediatrics. Also covered were medication literacy, Hepatitis C service by a community healthcare, and the development of a transition care program utilizing Medication Therapy Management.

Special presentations were focused on "Pediatric Metabolic Syndrome: Early Interventions to Prevent Early Deaths" and "The Impact and Implications of the Affordable Care Act on Pediatrics" by Sandra Benavides, Pharm.D., and "Pharmacotherapeutic Management of ADHD from Childhood to Adulthood" by Joshua Caballero, Pharm.D., both Associate Professors at Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy In Ft. Lauderdale, FL.   

Dr. Amanda Loya, a faculty member with UTEP Cooperative Pharmacy Program, recently received notification of her promotion from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor by the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, effective September 2014. Prior to this, Dr. Loya was promoted and appointed to Clinical Associate Professor in August 2012 at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Due to the nature of this Cooperative Pharmacy Program, the Faculty within the department hold appointments at both UTEP and in the UT Austin College of Pharmacy because the students in this program are enrolled at UT Austin.

Dr. Loya has been a faculty member at UTEP since 2004. Her affiliation with the Cooperative Pharmacy Program first began as a pharmacy student and she was a part of the first graduating class of the UTEP Cooperative Pharmacy Program in 2003. Her current teaching and clinical responsibilities center on precepting pharmacy interns and residents in the provision of clinical pharmacy services in family medicine settings at University Medical Center and Texas Tech Health Science Center of El Paso. Dr. Loya has been recently named residency director for a post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy practice residency program in family medicine that began in Fall 2013. In addition to clinical and teaching activities, Dr. Loya is active in practice-based research examining patterns of medication and herbal product use and medication literacy on the U.S./Mexico border.

The Cooperative Pharmacy Program is proud of Dr. Loya's accomplishments and of her promotion at UT Austin, which serves as additional validation for the great work being doing by faculty at UTEP. On behalf of her UTEP family, congratulations!

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program welcomed 36 new students on May 27 with a full day orientation, followed by the low ropes team building exercise as they began classes that week. This summer the students are being introduced to PT via such courses as Surface Anatomy, Patient Care Skills, Spanish Medical Terminology, Research Methods, Law and Ethics in PT Practice, Professional Practice in PT, and Normal Physiology/Embryology.

Patient Care courses teaches them about the experience of caring for another person who is in need of assistance. Foundational science classes such as Normal Physiology/Embryology, focus on the underpinnings of the science of the physical therapy profession. Professional Practice and Law and Ethics courses begin teaching the process of becoming a professional in Physical Therapy. Research Methods teaches the students to perform basic research as well as to critique and apply research literature to specific research topics.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree requires 8 consecutive full time semesters in a lock-step program. Students enter the DPT program in May and graduate 2 ½ years later in December. The program is both challenging and rewarding. Following graduation, students are eligible to take the national licensure exam. Graduating students enter practice in the fields of sports/orthopedic PT, cardiac rehabilitation, geriatrics, pediatrics, neurologic rehabilitation, and global health.

This entering DPT cohort consists of, 32 students from Texas (13 of whom are UTEP graduates), 3 from out of state, and 1 international student. There are 5 students that are pursuing Physical Therapy as their second career and for the first time there are more male students than female students. Best wishes to our DPT  Class of 2016!

For more information about the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, please visit http://chs.utep.edu/pt/.

Dr. Jason Boyle recently completed his Ph.D. in Motor Neuroscience at Texas A and M University. Serving as a Lecturer and Visiting Assistant Professor in 2013-14, Boyle will join the UTEP faculty as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department at the College of Health Sciences in Fall 2014. Dr. Boyle is currently investigating the effect visual and physical manipulations play in the kinematic structure of goal directed limb movements.

Organizing the limbs in a goal directed manner requires a trade-off of speed for accuracy. As we age this speed-accuracy trade-off relationship becomes more and more pronounced with increasing task difficulty. Dr. Boyles talked about a recent study shows that if given practice trials at tracking a template of "optimized" reciprocal target movement, participants (young and elderly) are capable of making fast yet accurate movements between targets without cost to movement accuracy. These results conclude that a number of factors beyond biomechanical properties lead to decreased limb performance as we age.

Dr. Holly Mata completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at the University of Texas at EI Paso. Her research interests include border health issues, health equity, and cultural influences on substance use behavior. Dr. Mata is a Certified Health Education Specialist and enjoys working with community agencies to develop partnerships that provide opportunities for students and community members to become involved in research.

Dr. Mata shared results from a collaborative project of the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, and UTEPs' Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center. She discussed the importance of using local data to influence policy, and provided examples of recent smoke-free and tobacco-free policy change. She emphasized the need to provide accessible and appropriate smoking cessation services in our community.

The Class of 2015 from the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program enthusiastically shared information about the Physical Therapy Profession with high school students from rural Texas during their recent visit to UTEP.  The DPT Class of 2015 devoted their morning to informing high school students from rural communities about physical therapy and what a physical therapist does. The high school students were divided into groups to participate in activities commonly seen in a physical therapy clinic. These students learned how to measure grip and pinch strength using a hand held dynamometer. They were also introduced to practice mobility with walkers, crutches and even learned to use wheelchairs! To help the high school student understand how it feels to be a patient, the DPT students had them practice dressing with oversized clothes, utilizing only one arm. The Class of 2015 created a wonderful learning experience that was fun and informative. It was a challenge for all!

The CHS Community Academic Partnerships for Health Science Research (CAPHSR) core team for Sexual Violence Program Evaluation recently presented their pilot study findings at a local conference and their community-academic partnership model at an international conference. Ms.Diane Huerta, CHS MPH student presented the study findings at the Texas Perinatal Association Annual Conference in El Paso TX on April 25, 2014. This study provided evidence supporting the need for perinatal care providers in the El Paso, Texas region to recognize and address domestic violence. Dr.Thenral Mangadu, Assistant Professor in Public Health Sciences, Ms.Stephanie Karr, Executive Director, Center Against Family Violence(CAFV), El Paso Texas, and Ms.Virgina Rueda, Sexual Assault Services Coordinator, CAFV were co-authors with Ms. Huerta for this presentation titled "Domestic and sexual violence experiences of women from the El Paso region : Implications for perinatal care provision in Texas- Mexico border communities". This study was funded by the University Research Institute in 2013.

Dr.Thenral Mangadu and her CAPHSR core team community partner Ms.Stephanie Karr, Executive Director, Center Against Family Violence, El Paso, TX also conducted a roundtable session titled "Forging Cost-effective Equitable Community Academic Partnerships for Addressing Health Inequities: Learning from our Work on Domestic Violence along the US-Mexico Border" at the 13th International Community Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) in Chicago, IL on May 2, 2014. During this roundtable session Dr.Mangadu and Ms.Karr discussed challenges for establishing equitable and transformative community academic partnerships for health research and, presented the five components of their cost-effective partnership model for sexual violence program evaluation research: research, civic engagement, health promotion, evaluation and dissemination.

The Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program 2014 cohort completed their pre-departure orientation program during the weekend of June 13-15, 2014. While living at the UTEP dorms for the weekend, trainees participated in various activities and presentations focused on gaining information about the countries (Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica) they will be assigned to as well as about themselves. Weekend activities included completion of a challenge course (low and high impact exercises), orientation regarding appropriate cultural conduct and safety, and building a collage highlighting their expectations of participating in the MHIRT program and their in-country research experience. In preparation for their travel to their host country, trainees were treated to a variety of international cuisine from Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica. All eleven (11) trainees will be departing to their host country on June 28, 2014. Bon voyage and good luck to all of our trainees.

On June 6, 43 community members celebrated their graduation as Community Health Workers - Promotores(as) de Salud at the College of Health Sciences.

The four month, 180-hour training program prepares immigrant women and men to become state-certified community health workers who will conduct outreach in underserved communities and raise awareness about health prevention, chronic conditions, access to health and human services, intimate partner violence and sexual and reproductive health. Before they can be certified by the State of Texas as community health workers, students must complete 1,000 cumulative hours of community health work services.

The partnership between Familias Triunfadoras, a community-based organization with a mission to empower women in colonias - communities along the Texas-Mexico border that may lack some basic living necessities, and the Department of Social Work at the College of Health Sciences developed in 2013.

Graduates from last year's program are working at community organizations, clinics and at the Ventanilla de Salud, a health collaborative between UTEP and the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso. "Familias Triunfadoras and the UTEP Department of Social Work have partnered up again in 2014, to promote community engagement and training of promotoras," Moya said. "We are excited about having 43 additional, very talented peer educators in this community."

For the past four months, students have been trained by UTEP faculty members, Familias Triunfadoras, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and representatives from other community organizations on a wide range of topics that include intimate partner violence; sexual and reproductive health; chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity; HIV/AIDS and advocacy; the Affordable Care Act; health literacy; technology; and nutrition.

During the ceremony, Dr. Diana Natalicio and El Paso State Sen. Jose Rodriguez encouraged graduates to continue their studies. "This University is here for you and earning this certification could be your first step, but there are additional steps that you can take," Rodriguez said in Spanish. "You've experienced the life of a student at UTEP and you know what can happen when you open the doors to education. Maybe we have doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, specialists, among us. Don't pass up on the opportunity that you are being offered to continue your education."

Three members of the College of Health Sciences were recently recognized for Outstanding Performance in External Funding at the Annual Research Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects. Dr. Kathleen Curtis, Dean of the College of Health Sciences, and project team members were awarded  more than $1.3 million for the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training grant (MIHRT).

This program provides short-term international health disparities research opportunities for Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the health professions, behavioral science, and biomedical science programs. Trainees complete a 13-week summer research experience in either Costa Rica or Ecuador.

Dr. Anthony Salvatore, Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Program and Director for the Speech and Language Pathology Program received a $750,000 award from the U.S. Department of Education for an Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program that  provides multidisciplinary post-doctoral training in the field of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Training is provided in the Concussion Management Research Clinic in the College of Health Sciences and  features techniques in rehabilitation counseling, speech-language pathology, public health, sports medicine, clinical laboratory sciences, diagnostic imaging, computer science, and kinesiology.

Dr. Sam Terrazas, from the Social Work Department, received a grant from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services that will use peer parent mentors as a unique resource for parents currently involved in Child Protective Services.

This project will provide information, support and advocacy to families who can benefit from this type of guidance as they enter a system that is new to them and can be frightening.