School of Health Professions News

PA white coat ceremony marks entry into the profession

Thursday, June 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger 

The Department of Physician Assistant Studies held its annual white coat ceremony on May 16, with 48 students receiving their short white coats. 

The Frank M. Tejeda Ceremony for the Class of 2021 represented a milestone for students, who also received their pins from the president of the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants (TAPA) and recited the PA professional oath.

SHP commencement includes first SLP class

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

By Kate Hunger 

For the first time ever, the School of Health Professions commencement was held at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

About 150 students from Emergency Health Sciences, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Physical Therapy, Respiratory Care and Speech-Language Pathology participated in the May 18 ceremony, said David Henzi, Ed.D., Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies graduations were held in December. 

Deputy medical director and EHS professor receives award

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

By Kate Hunger 

When C.J. Winckler was growing up, first in South Dakota and then Southeast Texas, he had no plans for a career in medicine, but after four years of college, he knew he wasn’t suited for an office job. 

“I graduated UT undergrad in psychology on Sunday and started paramedic school on Monday,” he said.

Interprofessional project to study teen vaping intervention

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

By Kate Hunger     

After her teenage son was caught vaping twice last school year, Physician Assistant Studies Assistant Professor/Clinical Tammy Harris, MPAS, PA-C, spent a lot of time thinking about ways to address the increasing use of e-cigarettes among youth. 

“They are so influenced by their peers,” she said.

Meet the new library liaison for the School of Health Professions

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

By Kate Hunger 

The School of Health Professions has a new library liaison: Rebecca Ajtai, MLIS.

Ajtai, an experienced and enthusiastic medical librarian who has always loved science, joined the Library Liaison Services team in March. The primary point of contact for the School of Health Professions, Ajtai most recently spent seven years as a research librarian at the Texas Heart Institute Library in Houston. She also has worked at Rice University’s Bioscience Research Collaborative.

PT students hold health fair at senior center

Monday, May 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger

Melinda Fountain was one of 35 third-year physical therapy students who ran a health fair for seniors last month. Her team ran the nutrition booth for the event that drew about 75 attendees.

“We educated the participants on proper nutrition—specifically protein, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables—and we questioned them about what they typically eat,” she said.

Fountain’s team took their job pretty seriously.

“We dressed up as fruits and vegetables,” she said. “I was a carrot.”

Students and faculty inducted to Alpha ETA Society

Monday, May 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger

The School of Health Professions Alpha ETA Society inducted new student and faculty members in April.

To be eligible for membership in the society, undergraduates must earn at least a 3.5 GPA and show a capacity of leadership and achievement to be eligible for membership, while graduate students must have a 3.8 GPA and demonstrate the same leadership and achievement qualities.

Annual Allied Health Games included official Fiesta event

Monday, May 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger

This year’s annual Allied Health Games activities lineup included something different: an official Fiesta event.

The opportunity to participate in the Chromosome 18 Starfish Dash 5K during the games on April 27 made the annual competition among teams of School of Health Professions students particularly exciting because it also helped raise awareness of chromosome 18 abnormalities, said organizer and second-year MOT student Tori Villarreal.

Students recognized for leadership, research and more

Monday, May 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger

When Carolyn Perez first began the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program, she had not yet felt the pull of research. But after observing the research passion of her mentor, Rocío Norman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor, and working on a research project involving traumatic brain injury, Perez was hooked.

“Research is where it’s at,” she said of the potential of research to make a difference.

Pilot project to study the impact of a holistic intervention on cancer survivors

Monday, May 20, 2019

By Kate Hunger

A new pilot study involving the Department of Physical Therapy in collaboration with the Institute for Health Promotion Research will gauge the impact of a holistic intervention program on the overall wellbeing of cancer survivors.

“We are finding out that if physical therapists just take care of the physical aspects of health by itself, we are pretty much just scraping the surface,” said co-principal investigator Alexis Ortiz, PT, Ph.D., SCS, CSCS, FACSM, professor and chair of the physical therapy department.