The ATSU-KCOM Osteoblasters Weightlifing Club (OWC) recently participated in the Tough Mudders Race, a fundraising event held Oct. 13 in Poplar Bluff, MO., for the national Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). The WWP purpose is to help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

The OWC had six members participate in the event, and more than 20 members helped with fundraising.  OWC raised $700.00 for the WWP.

Sixty-five faculty, staff, and students from the ATSU Mesa campus participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) annual Out of the Darkness community walk on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, Ariz. The walk was held in conjunction with walks nationwide to benefit the AFSP and raise awareness about suicide prevention. ATSU Team Mason walked in honor of Mason Vig, a physical therapy student who passed away in Feb. 2012 at age 26. Team Mason raised more than $1,875.00.

Rebecca Gebremichael, a third-year audiology student, recently went on a mission trip Oct. 28-Nov. 2 with Healing the Children (Philadelphia chapter), a national organization with international partners dedicated to providing medical care to children in need. The team, led by Glenn Isaacson, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist, cared for 250 children in need at the CURE Hospital and Makanissa School for the Deaf in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Gebremichael was born and raised in Ethiopia until she was 13 years old, then moved to the US. “Being fluent in the primary language (Amharic), I was able to better bridge the communication barrier,” said Gabremichael. “There is a great need for audiology services in Ethiopia since there are a significant number of children with hearing loss and no audiologists.” Services included diagnostic testing, audiology examination of children, and repairing and dispensing of donated hearing aids.

Mia Pozzanghera, also a third-year audiology student participated in a mission trip to Guaymas, Mexico Oct. 17-20. Since 1992, the Mesa Baseline Rotary Club of Mesa, Ariz. has sponsored a team of audiologists and doctors that conduct a medical mission trip to help the people of Guaymas and others from the State of Sonora with their hearing problems. Although the city has approximately 225,000 citizens, there are no audiologists or hearing aid dispensers in Guaymas.

All patients are given a medical examination by volunteer doctors or local physicians, a hearing test by audiologists, and, if needed, are fitted with custom-made temporary silicone earmolds and hearing aids. Those already having hearing aids have those aids inspected, cleaned and fixed or adjusted as needed.

“I decided to go on this trip because I wanted to get involved in something outside of our local community,” said Pozzanghera. “I have done hearing screenings around the Phoenix area but this opportunity offered so much more. It was great to be able to help more than 200 children that we saw on this mission trip.”

Faculty, staff, and students on the Mesa campus are invited to join the Still Well committee on Wednesday, Dec. 5 for a free healthy holiday cooking class and to enjoy tasty treats. The event will take place from 4-5 p.m. on the south patio.

Sarah Librage, a graduate from Arizona State University in exercise, wellness and health promotion, and who received additional training at the East Valley Institute of Technology culinary program, will be on hand to teach attendees how to make healthy holiday meals. Librage will be joined by Martha McNair, RD, from the Greater Valley Area Health Education Center.

RSVPs are appreciated at: https://docs.google.com/a/atsu.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGpZRjlXNHZaTXRJODJHM05xRzByTlE6MQ.

This event is eligible for one Still Healthy credit but will not be recorded.

A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) hosted the second-annual Day for Special Smiles on Nov. 29, 2012, providing free dental care to 45 people with developmental disabilities, including 30 athletes from the Arizona Special Olympics.

Organizations and donors who helped make the Day for Special Smiles possible include Arizona Dental Foundation, Arizona Department of Economic Security Division of Developmental Disabilities, Arizona Department of Health Services—Office of Oral Health, Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Delta Dental of Arizona and ValleyLife.

Among those on hand for the Day for Special Smiles included Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH, ATSU-ASDOH Dean, Maureen Romer, DDS, MPA, director of Special Care Dentistry at ATSU-ASDOH, Denise Frances, DMD, associate director of Special Care Dentistry, ATSU-ASDOH and faculty adviser for the Day for Special Smiles, and ATSU-ASDOH student coordinators Abrahim Caroci and Sarah Usher along with ATSU-ASDOH student assistants Nadia Fazel, Angela Lee and Monica Louie and 30 ATSU-ASDOH student volunteers.

“This was a rewarding day for the faculty as well as the students involved,” said Dr. Frances. “It’s wonderful to be able to offer dental care to this vulnerable population. Not only would the majority of the Day for Special Smiles patients have difficulty affording the dental care they received today, many would be unable to find providers skilled to treat them.”

Special guests included Cindy McCain, Chair of Hensley & Co. and an ambassador to the 2013 Special Olympics World Games in Pyeongchang, Korea, Steven P. Perlman, DDS, MScD, DHL (hon.), founder of Special Olympics Special Smiles, an Oral Health Initiative for the athletes of Special Olympics International, Tim Martin, President and CEO, Special Olympics of Arizona, and Larry Clausen, Executive Director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

A photo gallery from the Day for Special Smiles 2012 is available at the official ATSU Facebook page.

The Museum of Osteopathic Medicine(SM) and A.T. Still Research Institute at A.T. Still University have received the Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association (AAOA) Special Project’s Grant.

The Museum of Osteopathic Medicine(SM) and the A.T. Still Research Institute (SRI) were awarded $2,000 for “The Legacy Project,” who purpose to systematically capture video-recordings and stories from osteopathic physicians and researchers whose careers significantly impacted the osteopathic profession through their leadership, clinical skill, teaching, mentorship, and research.

Additional details can be found at the ATSU News website.

Photo courtesy Shutterstock

A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) held a series of lectures Nov. 5-9 for National Primary Care Week.

National Primary Care Week is an annual event to highlight the importance of primary care and bring healthcare professionals together to discuss and learn about generalist and interdisciplinary healthcare, particularly its impact on and importance to underserved populations. This year’s theme included a variety of topics, including primary care in medical education and healthcare policy and reform.

The public was invited to attend the lectures, which were given by health professionals of various specialties. The lecture series was sponsored by ATSU-KCOM and Missouri Area Health Education Centers, along with student organizations and co-sponsors for each lecture.

The students appreciated the format of the event, with time at the end of each presentation for Q-and-A. They also enjoyed the personal stories shared by the speakers, noting that all of the speakers are so passionate about their work.

The speakers included several young physicians who talked about their chosen field and shared personal stories about why they chose pediatrics, family medicine, OB/GYN, or internal medicine. Lecture topics also covered National Health Services Corps, Indian Health Services, and post-traumatic stress disorder in older adults.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Museum of Osteopathic Medicine^SM and A.T. Still Research Institute at A.T. Still University have received the Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association (AAOA) Special Project’s Grant.

The Museum of Osteopathic Medicine^SM and the A.T. Still Research Institute (SRI) were awarded $2,000 for “The Legacy Project,”who purpose to systematically capture video-recordings and stories from osteopathic physicians and researchers whose careers significantly impacted the osteopathic profession through their leadership, clinical skill, teaching, mentorship, and research.

In 2011, the Cranial Academy Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to the museum and SRI to preserve the stories, documents, and other meaningful information regarding the work of Dr. Viola M. Frymann.

In early October, at the American Osteopathic Association’s annual conference in San Diego, Jason Haxton, museum director, met with three of the AAOA grant selection committee members. He was informed the museum’s work in preserving the history of the profession was unmatched, and it was with pride they supported the museum’s projects – this being the fifth grant the museum received from the AAOA.

“This grant from the AAOA Special Project committee will help further along our goal of collecting the history of those osteopathic physicians and researchers who have enriched the future of osteopathy,” says Debra Loguda-Summers, project director.

The AAOA Special Projects Committee awarded $12,000 to 12 different projects this year that aimed to support the osteopathic profession – the museum received the highest funding level.

The Above and Beyond Compassion Award recognizes ATSU students, faculty/staff, and administration for doing compassionate deeds, service, or acts that demonstrate caring or support of another person or group beyond what might be typically expected.

Award recipients on ATSU’s Missouri campus were recently named. Fall 2012 Above and Beyond Award recipients are:

• Lori Haxton, vice president for Student Affairs nominated by Lynda Crossgrave, assistant director, TCC
• Mike McIntrye, 2^nd year Biomedical Sciences student, nominated by multiple KCOM students and Dan Martin, director, Wellness Programs
• Tim Tucker, director, Learning Resouces nominated by Neha Valeja, OMS IV

Congratulations to all!

Employees gathered on the ATSU Mesa campus south patio to hear the results of the 2011-12 Employee Investment Campaign as well as opportunities for 2012-13. The event was held on Nov. 14 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.  Last year, ATSU Arizona employees invested $138,631 in six main areas of the University. Since July 1, 2012, $32,692 has been contributed by Arizona employees.

President Craig Phelps, DO, FAOASM, provided a brief overview of ATSU strategic initiatives, including diversity, interprofessional education, facilities and the Center for Learning.