ATSU student Elena Mendoza Stone, OT, ’17, knows what it means to overcome obstacles and press on.  An avid runner, Mendoza Stone, whose home town is Ann Arbor, Michigan, said that her love of running gave her the courage to train for a full marathon in 2012. “During the 18-week training program, I tested my mental strength and physical stamina,” said Mendoza Stone. She completed a half-marathon and was ready for a full marathon one month later. Or so she thought.

A few days after she completed the half-marathon, Mendoza Stone experienced dizziness, sweating and rapid heart rate. “All of a sudden, I started to sweat, my heart raced, my hearing went, and my vision started to go,” said Mendoza Stone. “My friends raced me to urgent care and called my husband. I had always had abnormal EKGs because of what I thought, and which had been tested for, was an innocent murmur. My abnormal EKG was alarming to the urgent care physician, who then sent me to an emergency room, where I was admitted me to the hospital.”

After three days in the hospital, Mendoza Stone was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a congenital heart disease that causes the septum of the heart muscle to thicken, which causes the ventricles to become smaller and makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body.

“For about a year after the diagnosis, I was pretty afraid to move,” she said. “I got a heart rate monitor and tried some light exercise but I was terrified, and very sad. I was devastated by the loss of an activity (running) that I had grown to love and had become a central part of my identity, yet simultaneously, I realized I still had all of life’s opportunities ahead of me. I could have died, but I didn’t.”

Later that year, Mendoza Stone got involved with the Anthony Bates Foundation, an organization whose mission is to educate people about the early detection of HCM.  She became their ambassador, sharing her story at fundraising events and also participates as a volunteer at their community heart-screening programs.  Most recently in 2014, she has been named a Heart Hero by the Detroit half-marathon & 5k directors.  Mendoza Stone will also be singing the National Anthem at the Detroit half-marathon that will be held on Sept. 21.

ATSU is supportive of helping Mendoza Stone adjust to her physical limitations because of HCM.  “ATSU professors have been tremendously supportive and accommodating to my limitations,” she says. “They have made it very easy for me to keep my health a main focus while I am in school. I have utilized the University’s learning enrichment services and counseling services to help manage my anxiety regarding school and my heart condition.”

“Adjusting to new limitations has been a difficult journey and a journey that I am still taking,” says Mendoza Stone. “I will never run again, but I have a positive outlook on life, belief in my abilities, and the skills and dedication to take on any challenge and set new and inspiring goals.”

Three faculty members in ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies are examining telemedicine patient education to note the effectiveness of using the distance education Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework model. Joan Leafman, PhD, associate professor, Doctor of Health Sciences program (DHSc), Kathleen Mathieson, PhD, associate professor, DHSc program and Still Research Institute Scientist, and Kellie Bliven, PhD, Kinesiology, are researching the “Application of the Community of Inquiry distance education framework to telemedicine patient education.”

The CoI framework was developed (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 2000) to enhance successful online communication with focus given to the comprehensive teaching and learning cycle. The CoI is a validated distance education framework which contends that for an optimal teaching and learning experience, three presences (cognitive, teaching and social) must exist.

Drs. Leafman, Mathieson and Bliven are working in partnership with Phoenix Indian Health Services-Joslin Vision Network (IHS-JVN) at Phoenix Indian Medical Center (PIMC), where tele-ophthalmology exams are performed on diabetic patients annually to assess for risk of diabetes-related vision loss; and patients and caregivers who belong to any of the 35 online patient support communities established by Ben’s Friends, an organization which facilitates virtual support communities for people with rare diseases.

The results of the study to date have demonstrated that telemedicine is a favorable medium for patient education.  According to Dr. Leafman, “This research is important because the practice of telemedicine is well-defined and rapidly expanding. In contrast, telemedicine patient education, an integral part of the telemedicine process, is not well-defined.  Without a meaningful understanding of how to comprehensively engage patients effectively, telemedicine practices and applications may be unsuccessful”.

ATSU student organization Student Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (SAMOPS) worked with the Kirksville community to put together a ceremony for Patriot Day.

Patriot Day is annually recognized as a “National Day of Service and Remembrance” to honor those that were lost due to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremony was held at noon outside the courthouse in the middle of downtown Kirksville.

Two ATSU students each shared a personal story about how the attacks in 2001 affected their lives.

“Having the personal stories reminds people that 13 years ago, 3,000 Americans lost their lives, “said SAMOPS president Matt Nemergut, OMS II (KCOM).

The students were joined by local police and fire departments as well as the Adair County Ambulance District.

“We wanted the community to be involved, and we really wanted the focus to be on the civilian side of public service,” said Nemergut.

Nemergut said he was very appreciative of the amount of support he received from the community and is grateful that students, along with other members of the community, were able to share their stories.

More than 150 athletes participated in the 30^th annual NEMO Triathlon on Sept. 7 at Thousand Hills State Park in Kirksville, Mo.  The race consisted of a .75-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride, and then a five-mile run.

Athletes of all different fitness levels participated. Ages of the participants ranged from 14 to 79-years-old.. The overall winner for the males was John Venner, who had a time of 1:42:10. For the females, Leslie Curley placed first with a time of 1:54:10. For Curley, this marks the sixth time she has won the race.

Approximately 200 volunteers helped set up and organize the race with a majority of them being ATSU students and staff. ATSU staff member and NEMO Triathlon Race Director Dan Martin said this year provided some of the best competition and weather for the event.

A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona alumna, Melissa Blessing, DO, ’12, was awarded the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation’s Leadership Development Award at the annual conference Sept.7-10 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

Dr. Blessing is a third-year resident in anatomic and clinical pathology. She plans to pursue sub-specialty training in neuropathology and forensic pathology.

The CAP Foundation Leadership Development Award introduces young pathologists to the specialty’s issues and leadership opportunities at the institutional, local, state, and national levels.

Dr. Blessing is a member of the CAP Political Action Committee and the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Leonard Goldstein, DDS, PhD, has been appointed Assistant Vice President for Clinical Education Development in the Office of Academic Affairs. Dr. Goldstein, who will be based primarily on the Mesa Campus, will begin his duties on September 15.

Dr. Goldstein will have responsibility for ensuring that all ATSU clinically-based programs have a more than adequate number of quality clinical rotations and experiences in core and elective fields commensurate with the number of students in the respective programs and consistent with program accreditation standards. He will work with deans and directors, and ATSU clinical partners, including Community Health Centers (CHCs), to create additional quality clinical opportunities for ATSU students.

Dr. Goldstein comes to ATSU from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, where as Director of Clerkship Education he has been responsible for developing and monitoring the rotations for 600 medical students annually. His previous administrative positions include serving as an assistant dean for Graduate Program Development, medical director of a hospital-based TMJ/Facial Pain Center, and program director for a Master of Science program in forensic examination.

Dr. Goldstein has most recently presented several papers on clinical education at national conferences and is the author/co-author of more than 60 publications in the fields of pain management, forensic dentistry, and TMJ dysfunction.

A.T. Still University is pleased to announce this year’s Interprofessional Collaborative Case Competition details.

The 2014 case – which is free and available to students across all disciplines – is based upon a simulated case designed by the National League of Nursing. Registration starts on Sept. 8.

• September 8-24: Register online, be assigned to a team, and contact your teammates
• September 26: Case is released on website, teams begin working
• November 8: Arizona Campus Case Competition Day: Teams present case reports
• November 3-8: Missouri Campus Case Competition: Teams present case reports

To register and for more information, please visit: atsuccc2014.weebly.com

After registering, students will be assigned to an interprofessional team. Each team will create an interprofessional plan of care for a patient and their family. On competition day, your team will present your interprofessional plan of care and explain how you met your patient’s needs by following the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.

A.T. Still University’s Athletic Training (AT) program has been selected by MomsTEAM Institute, a leading youth sports health and safety think tank and watchdog group, for a pilot program of MomsTEAM’s innovative SmartTeam™ initiative.

The pilot program will focus on sports injury and concussion risk management associated with the Mesa Youth Football League. ATSU marks one of only six programs nationwide.

Modeled on the community-centric approach to improving youth sports safety highlighted in MomsTEAM’s PBS documentary, “The Smartest Team: Making High School Football Safer”, the Mesa Youth Football League will be coordinated by ATSU’s Athletic Training Director, Tamara McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA, and students of the AT program.

Over the course of the fall 2014 football season, Dr. McLeod and ATSU students will provide parents, coaches and officials in the Mesa Youth Football League program with ongoing education on how they and their child’s program can help keep them safe. ​

Read more at MomsTEAM.org.

A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) Alumni Chapter Board has selected Karen F. Kilman, PT, DPT, ’06, OCS as the recipient of the 2014-15 Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Humanitarian of the Year Award recognizes ATSU-ASHS graduates who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, enthusiasm, and leadership through nonprofit organizations or other outstanding volunteer service. Their dedicated volunteer efforts advance the mission of the University, thereby positively impacting our communities and future generations of students. According to the nomination, “Dr. Kilman’s recognition is well deserved for her sustained superior leadership and humanitarian service to the Phoenix community and non-profit organizations in providing substantial humanitarian relief.” Among her accomplishments are the organization of a fund drive from Phoenix physicians, therapists, pharmacists and nurses for the Asaayi Lake Fire Victims’ Relief Effort on the Navajo Nation, which impacted and aided low-income families on the Navajo reservation.  As well, Dr. Kilman organized a weekend Hunger Backpack program in partnership with United Way, which provided breakfast and lunch for 1,409 Phoenix children from low-income families.

A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences’ Dean Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA, presented during the Association of Medical Education in Europe’s (AMEE) annual meeting ​in Milan, Italy on September 1.

Dr. Danielsen lectured on faculty assessment in health professions education.

According to the AMEE, the annual conference is a key meeting for all involved in medical and healthcare professions education including teachers, educationists, researchers, administrators and students. The conference provides an opportunity to network with others with similar interests, to hear and discuss the views of acknowledged experts, to take part in workshops and courses and to present your own work through a short communication or poster.

The AMEE is a worldwide organization with members in 90 countries on five continents and promotes international excellence in education in the healthcare professions across the continuum of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education. Members include teachers, educators, researchers, administrators, curriculum developers, deans, assessors, students and trainees in medicine and the healthcare professions.