We are pleased to announce that Dr. Candyce Berger, Chair of the Department of Social Work has been accepted to the Leadership Academy in Aging (LAA) co-sponsored by the Hartford Foundation and the National Association of Deans and Directors in Social Work. LAA is a year-long seminar curriculum that is intended to enhance the participant's leadership and management capacities both within the school and the larger university, and to promote professional practice, research, and community partnerships, with a particular focus on the Aging agenda. Each participant is expected to design and implement a change strategy to improve the way his/her school prepares professional social workers to serve the aging population (whether through faculty development, interprofessional collaboration, curriculum, partnership with the community, enhanced student field placements, research, etc.) and promote interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Kristin Kosyluk, PhD, CRC has joined the UTEP MRC Program as a Visiting Assistant Professor during the 2014-15 academic year. Dr. Kosyluk has a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, and earned her Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Her dissertation was a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of contact  and education-based anti-stigma interventions, relative to a control condition, on the stigma of mental illness and mental health treatment engagement among college students. She is both a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Rehabilitation Counseling Educator. While pursuing her PhD at IIT, she spent five years as Program Coordinator of an NIMH-Grant  Funded Center investigating issues surrounding service engagement and empowerment for individuals with serious mental illnesses.The  focus of her doctoral training and research was on stigma, empowerment, and service engagement among individuals with mental illnesses and/or psychiatric disabilities. In 2010 Dr. Kosyluk received funding from Active Minds, Inc. and the Scattergood Foundation to develop a social marketing-based stigma reduction initiative for postsecondary settings. Prior to entering academia, she spent eight years providing services to individuals with disabilities, including two years providing supports and group counseling to individuals with mental illnesses in an inpatient setting, and six years serving individuals with intellectual disabilities. 

August 29 was one of El Paso's gloriously hot and sunny days. Thankfully so, because this was the day that our new faculty member, Dr. Mark Caulkins, MD, DPT stepped up to accept the Ice Bucket Challenge from his former students at Franklin Pierce University on behalf of the UTEP DPT and MOT students as well as the DPT faculty in order to raise money for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). What did this entail? All in attendance doused themselves over the head with a freezing cold bucket of ice water after first adding their contributions to a growing pile of green, dollars and checks, to a jar passed around by the students. Hence, the gratitude for the weather that day.

ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal disease affecting about two to three people per100,000 population, caused by dying motor neurons in the central nervous system. An estimated 30,000 people in the US have the disease. On-going research for this devastating disease is completely dependent on federal and private funding from groups like the ALS Alliance that initiated the concept of the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS.

The challenge has swept the world with a total of $113.6 million dollars donated as of Sept 16, 2014. The DPT and MOT faculty and students at UTEP raised about $450 that day and the students passed the challenge on to several former and current UTEP faculty members, Dr. Health Todd, PT, DSc, in Hawaii, Dan Ferraro, PT, DPT, in Las Cruces, Melissa Carroll, PhD. in Pennsylvania, and current adjunct faculty Dr. Craig Newsam, PT, DPT and Dr. Eric Robertson, PT, DPT, in California. Drs. Todd and Ferraro have already accepted the challenge and we are waiting patiently to hear if our other friends rise to the challenge. How about you, UTEP students and faculty? Are you ready to accept the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS research? A special thank you to Ashley White and Sal Gomez for organizing the event and assuring representation from all three DPT Cohorts and to Lam Le for photographing the event.

 

Dr. Jennifer Sánchez joins the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as an Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Counseling in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences within the College of Health Sciences. She received her doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and her Master of Education degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling are from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Sánchez is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

As part of her doctoral studies, Dr. Sánchez completed a one-year pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology with a focus in forensic psychology. Previously, she worked with children, adolescents, and adults with neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological disabilities in various settings (e.g., Veterans Affairs [VA], outpatient, institutional, school). She was also a special education teacher at a therapeutic day school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), psychiatric disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Dr. Sánchez's dissertation centered on community integration/participation and quality of life (QOL) of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Her other research interests include evidence-based practice, diversity/multiculturalism, and psychosocial adjustment of individuals with neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological disabilities. In addition, she presents regularly at state, national, and regional conferences.

Ms. Marina Gallardo has recently joined the Department of Social Work as the as Clinical Instructor and BSW Field Education Supervisor. Ms Gallardo earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science from New Mexico State University and a Master of Science in Social Work degree from University of Texas at Austin. She holds the LMSW license in the state of Texas. She was employed at Child Protective Services (CPS) for almost 30 years, having worked in Investigations, Family Based Safety Services and Conservatorship. She also served as the Regional Manager for the Basic Skills Development Program (BSD), delivering a basic skills curriculum to participants and provided supervision for the BSD participants. Ms. Gallardo also developed curriculum and conducted trainings on Advance Investigations and Cultural Diversity. She has extensive experience working with information systems. She recently retired from her most recent position as the Academy Instructor for the Northwest District of Texas, Center for Learning and Organizational Excellence, where she was responsible for working with students and new workers. Ms. Gallardo has been an Adjunct instructor in the EPCC Social Work Program since 1999.

Ms. Donna Cude-Islas was promoted to Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work. She has worked with the University for 4 years and has been successful in her scholarly endeavors that have enhanced the field of social work. As Fieldwork Director, she coordinates a community-based fieldwork education program serving 100+ students each semester and has been instrumental in expanding practicum sites for the newly accredited MSW program. During the past three years, she has expanded affiliation sites from 30 to 80 and has secured funding at three sites to provide stipends for students placed in these locations. Ms. Cude-Islas has developed and revised MSW and BSW program assessment documents and field instructor credential processes as well as provide ongoing training for field instructors. Congratulations Ms. Cude-Islas!

Dr. Christine Chen joins UTEP as Professor and Program Director of Occupational Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health Sciences. Dr. Chen received a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages and Literature from National Taiwan University, a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature from University of Massachusetts, Amherst; a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University and an Doctor of Science from Boston University in Therapeutic Studies.

Prior to joining UTEP, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Programs in Occupational Therapy at Columbia University. Dr. Chen had held faculty appointments at New York University, University at Buffalo, and was a Research Scientist at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Research Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.

Dr. Chen is a seasoned clinician and clinical researcher. Her research in measuring functional outcome, Rasch measurement model, and outcome instrument development has helped bridge occupational therapy theories, research and clinical applications. Dr. Chen has conducted funded research on rehabilitation effectiveness and dose-response relationship between therapies and functional outcome for the American Occupational Therapy Association, program evaluation of sensory aids for the Veteran's Health Administration, as well as research on the development, validation, and application of rehabilitation outcome measures. She was a recipient of NIH Mentored Research Career Development Award and the author of a generic hand function outcome questionnaire, the Manual Ability Measure (the MAM-36 and the MAM-20); these patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are widely used by physical and occupational therapists. Subsequently, she and colleagues in Taiwan developed Taiwanese -Manual Ability Measure for Burns. With European colleagues, the MAM-36 is currently used in clinical trials in patients with multiple sclerosis.

More recently, she spent time mentoring junior colleagues and graduate students in the effort of obtaining research funding. With pilot funding from CDC in 2012, she and a Physical Therapy colleague conducted research to examine the relationship between patients' confidence in balance, clinician-tested balance deficits, prosthetic use and falls in patients with lower extremity amputations. With her Columbia university students and clinical colleagues at Kessler Rehabilitation Foundation, she is validating an occupation-based behavioral observational assessment of unilateral spatial neglect.  

Dr. Jamie  Desjardins joins UTEP in the fall of 2014 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Speech Language Pathology Program within the College of Health Sciences. Dr. Desjardins earned her Ph.D. in Audiology from Syracuse University in 2011. She completed a National Institute of Health post-doctoral fellowship at the SU Center for Aging and Policy Study before joining the faculty in Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Syracuse University as a Research Assistant Professor in 2012. In 2013, Dr. Desjardins was awarded a New Investigator Research Grant in Hearing and Balance from the American Academy of Audiology Foundation to study the effect of directional microphones and noise reduction on listening effort. She was also awarded  the American Speech Language Hearing Foundation New Century Scholars Research Grant to study the impact of hearing aids on cognitive function in middle-aged adults. Dr. Desjardins was invited to participate in the prestigious 2014 National Institute of Health/American Speech Language Hearing Foundation Lessons for Success Grant Writing Workshop in Washington, DC. Her research interests include auditory processing in older adults, examining cognition and sensory relationships in older adults, speech perception, hearing aids, and age-related changes in the auditory nervous system. In addition to her scholarly work, Dr. Desjardins is also a licensed and ASHA certified clinical audiologist with more than ten years of experience in adult diagnostics, hearing aids, and supervising undergraduate and graduate audiology student clinicians.

Dr. Jason Boyle completed his PhD in motor neuroscience at Texas A&M University. His research investigates coding of motor sequences, complex bimanual coordination, human-computer interaction, virtual display motor enhancements and the effects of aging on motor control. Dr. Boyle currently serves on the College of Health Sciences Web/Technology Committee. Dr. Boyle has taught undergraduate level courses in Health & Wellness, Biomechanics, Motor Learning & Control along with graduate level courses in Research Design and Statistics, and Motor Learning and Control.

Come join us for the 5th Annual Commitment to Fitness 5K Run/Walk & Health Fair on Sunday October 5, 2014! The 5th Annual Commitment to Fitness 5K Run/3K Walk & Health Fair reflects the College of Health Sciences efforts to accomplish its mission of disease prevention and health promotion. The Run/Walk and Health Fair, organized by the Golden Age Fitness Association with the support of the Department of Kinesiology and UTEP Wellness Program, connects the College with the community and brings awareness to the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The 5K Run/3K Walk starts at 8:00am and covers a route that traverses the picturesque UTEP campus amid its distinctive Bhutanese-styled architecture. While at the run/walk, join us for a health fair! The Commitment to Fitness Health Fair will start at 8:00am-11:00am. Visit campus and community informational booths, free health screenings, massages and more! Runners and walkers of all ages can participate. To register go to http://chs.utep.edu/runwalk/ or call the UTEP Wellness Program office at 915-747-6738 for more information.

Dr. Thenral Mangadu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, is the principal investigator of a Substance Abuse (SA), HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) prevention project that was recently funded by the Department of Health and Human Services; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the amount of $892,089. The purpose of the three year Minority Serving Institution- Community Based Organizations (MSI-CBO) partnership project which involves community based participatory research is to conduct a large scale intervention to reduce risk for SA, HIV, and HCV among minority young adults in the US-Mexico border region. Dr. Mangadu in collaboration with Dr. Joao Ferreira-Pinto, College of Health Sciences Director for Research and Special Projects, Dr. Oralia Loza, Assistant Professor in the Department in Public Health Sciences, and Associate Provost, Dr. John Wiebe and in partnership with Aliviane Inc. & International AIDS Empowerment will engage in a large scale intervention that uses multiple evidence based strategies including Public Health Strategy of Comprehensive Social Network Strategy (SNS) for Counseling, Testing and Referral (CTR), Behavioral interventions through Popular Opinion Leaders (POLs), and social media tools among others to inform young adults about risk behaviors. To achieve the goals of the Project more than 20,000 minority young adults will be reached to impact normative and environmental changes in relation to SA, HIV and HCV prevention on the UTEP campus and in surrounding communities .

Class of 2014 Pharm.D. Graduates, Michael Rivera and Michael Vasquez, show their school spirit by wearing cowboy hats outside their commencement ceremony in Austin, Texas. Their photo was published on the front cover of Pharmacy Focus, a news magazine for the College of Pharmacy at UT Austin. In the UTEP/UTEP Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program, students attend the first two years of professional studies at the University of Texas at Austin and complete the final two clinical years in El Paso at the Cooperative Pharmacy Program. Upon completion, they receive their Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Texas at Austin. To date, there have been a total of 118 graduates from this program. On behalf of the UTEP/UT Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program, congratulations!

Dr. Jeri Sias, a faculty member with UTEP/ UT Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program, has been promoted from Clinical Associate Professor to Clinical Professor in the UTEP College of Health Sciences.

Dr. Sias first attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry. She then received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas and completed her residency at The Ohio State University. Dr. Sias then went on to obtain a Masters in Public Health from the University of Texas at Houston. Dr. Sias has been a dedicated faculty member with the UTEP Pharmacy Program for 14 years. During this time, she has also held position of Associate Dean for the College of Health Sciences and Community Pharmacy Residency Program Director (PGY1).

In addition to her promotion to Clinical Professor, Dr. Sias was also appointed as a Provost Fellow in Residence in the Center for Civic Engagement on September 1, 2014 for the 2014-2015 academic year. As part of the Provost's Faculty Fellow-In-Residence Program, she will be working closely with UTEP's Center for Civic Engagement on several projects pertaining to community-engaged scholarship. During this year, Dr. Sias will gain additional organizational and leadership experience. Congratulations Dr. Sias!

Dr. Connie Summers and Dr. Vannesa Mueller were awarded a personnel preparation grant from the United States Department of Education for $1.2 million to support graduate students in the Speech-Language Pathology seeking to obtain bilingual (Spanish/English) certification. Given the continued increase of bilingual and multilingual children with speech and language problems in schools, there is great demand for Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) with special training to meet the needs of school-aged children with these characteristics. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) has recognized the desperate need for bilingual SLPs in the field. At the University of Texas at El Paso, approximately 66 percent of students in the Masters level Speech Language Pathology program are bilingual. However, these students, in addition to the monolingual students, need specialized training to meet the needs of children who are bilingual or multilingual who exhibit speech and language problems.

As a result of this need, the University of Texas at El Paso developed and began offering a specialized certificate in bilingual speech language pathology in 2006. However, since its development only 3 or 4 students acquire this certificate annually due mainly to financial concerns. Consequently, the need for this specialized training continues to exist. The special Certificate in Bilingual Speech- Language Pathology is designed to provide specialized strategies for identifying problems in bilingual language development and executing appropriate assessment and intervention techniques for bilingual clients. Currently there are only two other Speech-Pathology programs in the country offering a bilingual certificate. Given the large number of bilingual students in the El Paso and surrounding area school systems, the need for speech-language pathologists with this specialized training continues to increase. The funding awarded will allow for 24 master's students to obtain the bilingual certificate over a 5 year period. 

The Binational Defense and Advocacy program in Ciudad Juárez, Consualdo General de Mexico, Consulado General de los Estados Unidos and faculty members from the College of Health Sciences converged at UTEP's Health Sciences and Nursing Building to address immigration policies and procedures at the first Family Binational Colloquium on Immigrant Family Reunification Conference on Friday, Aug. 22, 2014.

Notable speakers included Consul General of Mexico in El Paso Jacob Prado, and U.S. Consul General in Ciudad Juárez  Ian Brownlee. Both diplomats discussed ideas to improve collaboration between El Paso and Juárez authorities to unify undocumented immigrant families.

Topics included the removal process for Mexican parents and their American born children; procedures and requirements for reunification of American children with their parents in Mexico; and the role of Mexico's Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) and bi-national cooperation in family reunification cases.

The conference also featured bilingual speakers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Arizona Department of Child Safety, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, and representatives from DIF in Baja California and Agua Prieta, Sonora. Virginia Gaytán de Serrano, President of DIF in Juárez, presented the closing remarks. The conference was hosted by the Iniciativa Frontera Norte de Mexico Programa de Ide Defensa e Incidencia Binational with funding from the Ford Foundation in Mexico.