School of Health Professions News

Occupational therapy professor is appointed to two associate editorships

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

By Kate Hunger

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Ana Allegretti, Ph.D., ATP, OTR, has been appointed as an associate editor for two assistive technology journals.

Department of Physical Therpay

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

By Kate Hunger

When it appeared COVID-19 could jeopardize the graduation timeline for the Department of Physical Therapy Class of 2021, students came up with a solution.

“Our Class of 2021 was supposed to go out on clinical rotations in May this year, but obviously that was a time when things were bad and a lot of our clinical rotations were canceled,” said Department Chair and Associate Professor Greg Ernst, Ph.D., ECS.

Respiratory care students have standardized patient encounters

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

By Kate Hunger

First-semester respiratory care students had the opportunity in November to perform their first examination of a living, breathing patient during standardized patient encounters.

“This is a hands on with a real live person—no mannequins,” said Assistant Professor–Clinical Thomas Stokes, M.A., RRT. “It’s preclinical. This is their first semester in the program. They are in labs and doing didactic learning.”

Speech-language pathology professor’s study continues despite COVID-19

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

By Kate Hunger

Speech-language pathology Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, Ph.D., never thought she would be donning personal protective gear to conduct a study of mild traumatic brain injury.  

Yet despite the challenges, Norman and Tara Flaugher, the UTSA neurobiology doctoral student she is working with on the study, have been able to collect data from human subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speech-language pathology students raise money for ALS

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

By Kate Hunger

Speech-language pathology student Leslie Lewis loves to be a part of the moments that matter in life, something her future profession will allow her to do regularly.

Physical Therapy professor’s collaborations yield robust research program

Friday, October 30, 2020

By Kate Hunger

Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Gustavo Almeida, PT, Ph.D., joined the faculty in June 2019. Since that time he has pursued a range of collaborations that he credits for helping him establish a robust research program. “The summer was very productive,” he said.

PA professor began her career as a respiratory therapist

Thursday, October 29, 2020

By Kate Hunger

Tiffani Burgin, MPAS, PA-C, worked as a respiratory therapist for 10 years before deciding to go to school to become a physician assistant.

“Medicine has its own language, and it’s not easy to learn a new language as you are learning new information, so I had the advantage of having most of the medical language under my belt prior to PA school,” said Burgin, now clinical coordinator and assistant professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies—the same program from which she graduated in 2006.

Two Physical Therapy students receive scholarships from TSAHP

Thursday, October 29, 2020

By Kate Hunger

The Texas Society of Allied Health Professions (TSAHP) has awarded scholarships to two students in the Department of Physical Therapy.

Third-year student Peter Trinh and second-year student Kevin Hamilton received the $500 awards because of their outstanding academic achievement and service to the community and profession, said Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs David L. Henzi, Ed.D.

MLS program earns 10-year accreditation

Thursday, October 29, 2020

By Kate Hunger 

The Medical Laboratory Sciences program received its 10-year accreditation this year from the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

NAACLS accreditation is an external peer review process conducted by educators in the profession. The process assures the quality of programs, including their efforts to innovate and ensure the safety of patients, said Assistant Professor Terri Murphy-Sanchez, CSMLS, ASCP, interim program director of the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences. 

Emergency Health Sciences professor lived a life of service

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

By Kate Hunger 

Emergency Health Sciences Assistant Professor Craig A. Manifold, DO, FACEP, FAAEM, FAEMS, passed away on Sept. 20.

Manifold, a national leader in emergency medicine and emergency medical services, was also the medical director of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.