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2014 Mitchell Symposium Public Lecture Available Online
The 2014 Mitchell Symposium public lecture, “Occupational Activism for Global Justice,” by Dr. Gelya Frank, PhD, is now available online.
AuD Grad/PhD Student Awarded NIH Fellowship
Dr. Sara Mamo, a 2008 graduate of the AuD program and a current PhD student in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has been awarded an F32 postdoctoral fellowship by the National Institutes of Health.
Bagatell Receives Award to Study Occupations and Routines in Families with Adolescents
Dr. Nancy Bagatell, Associate Professor, has received a Junior Faculty Development Award worth $7,500 to fund research. The pilot project, called “Families with Adolescent-Aged Children and the Co-construction and Re-negotiation of Occupations and Routines: Investigating Methods to Capture Transactions of Families,” seeks to study the routines and occupations of families with adolescents to discover how and why these routines change over time.
Bailliard Awarded Funding to Help Study Immigration Experiences
Dr. Antoine Bailliard, Assistant Professor, has received a Junior Faculty Development Award and a grant from the University Research Council to study immigration experiences of the Latino community in North Carolina.
Community Engagement Fellowship Awarded to DAHS Student Research Team
The Carolina Center for Public Service has awarded a Community Engagement Fellowship to an interdisciplinary team of student researchers from the Department of Allied Health Sciences: Tyson Harmon (PhD student in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences), Mei-Ling Lin (PhD student in the Division of Occupational Science), and Gabrielle Scronce (DPT student in the Division of Physical Therapy).
Congratulations to Our PhD Program Graduates
(July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013)
Congratulations to Our Recent PhD Graduates
DAHS Research Web Site Survey Results Summary
Although there was not an overwhelming response to the Research Website Survey that was distributed this spring, we certainly have a better understanding of how the AHS Research Website is utilized and have some great ideas to make it a better tool for researchers.
Faculty and Post-Doc News
Promotions, new faculty and post-docs, and departures.
Faculty Honors and Achievements, Summer 2013
Woodward Named Radiologic Original * Watson Named ASHA Fellow * Renner Wins National Advising Award * Thorpe Delivers Keynotes, Receives APTA Award * Williams Selected for ACCLAIM Program
Fritz Receives Two Grants to Study Diabetes Self-Management Behaviors
Heather Fritz, a fourth-year Occupational Science PhD candidate, has received two grants to help fund the study “Integrating Diabetes Self-Management into Daily Life: Exploring Process, Habit, and Occupation.” Fritz’s research focuses on how low income women integrate diabetes self management behaviors into daily life.
From Dr. Grace Baranek, Associate Chair for Research
We’re only half way through academic year 2013-2014 and already there are several noteworthy accomplishments!
From Dr. Grace Baranek, Associate Chair for Research
It’s been a very productive six months here in the Department of Allied Health Sciences since our last newsletter! We have added two new features that spotlight student scientists in the thick of their dissertations, as well as staff working “behind the scenes” to bring research to fruition.
From Dr. Grace Baranek, Associate Chair for Research
With this issue, we unveil our new format for the DAHS research newsletter! Many thanks to Katherine Pearl, Communications Specialist, for her leadership on this effort, working with the dedicated members of our Research Communications Subcommittee (RAC), including Skip Ryan, Wes Winkelman, and Drs. Linda Watson, Sharon Williams, Karen Erickson, and Mark Klinger. This issue highlights two quarters (January-June 2012) of research news and faculty scholarship in the Department of Allied Health Sciences (AHS).
Graduates Reflect on Learning Experiences Gained Through Autism Leadership Grant
The first three UNC Chapel Hill doctoral students to participate in the Autism Leadership Grant’s interdisciplinary program graduated in May 2012.
Grant Helps Fund Development of Hamstrings Muscle Stretching Prototype
Researchers with the UNC Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS) and the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering have received $25,000 in seed grant funding from the Rehabilitation Engineering Center (REC) to further development of a hamstrings muscle stretching device prototype.
Greetings from Dr. Stephen R. Hooper
As I begin my tenure as Associate Dean and Chair for the Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS), I am truly excited about the future. My arrival could not have gone better, thanks in part to an extremely thoughtful welcoming event on January 7 (Thanks to all involved!).
Hasselkus Selected as 2013 Mitchell Symposium Scholar
Dr. Betty Risteen Hasselkus, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, Emeritus Professor of Kinesiology/Occupational Therapy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been selected as the 2013 Mitchell Symposium Scholar.
Heatwole Shank on “The State of Things”
Kendra Heatwole Shank, a PhD candidate in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the School of Medicine, interviewed with Frank Stasio of WUNC’s “State of Things” to talk about a project she designed to better understand livability issues facing older Americans.
Klinger Receives Grant to Study Interventions for Improving Employment Skills of Adolescents with ASD
Dr. Mark R. Klinger, Associate Professor, has received a two-year, $120,000 grant from Autism Speaks to research ways to better prepare adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for productive, long-term employment.
Klusek Receives Gallagher Dissertation Award
Jessica Klusek, a doctoral student in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, received the 2011 James J. Gallagher Dissertation Award.
Little Awarded AOTA Dissertation Grant
Dr. Lauren Little received the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Dissertation Research Grant Award in February 2012.
Méndez Receives Research Scholar Grant
Lucía I. Méndez, a current PhD candidate in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has been awarded a Research Scholar Grant by the Early Care Education and Head Start Research Scholars Grant Program to support her dissertation research.
NC TraCS Institute $5K-50K Pilot Grant Program
NC TraCS—Responsible Conduct of Research
The NC TraCS Institute is sponsoring a one-week course in the Responsible Conduct of Research organized and run by David Weber, MD, MPH, Director of the NC TraCS Institute Regulatory Core. The course covers all the NIH-required topics for the first phase of responsible conduct of research training.
Nellenbach Wins Impact Award for Research
Kristin Nellenbach, PhD, (’10) recently became the fourth Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences doctoral program alumna to win the Graduate Education Advancement Board (GEAB) Impact Award.
Occupational Science PhD Students Receive Awards to Support Research
Three Occupational Science doctoral students, Valerie Fox, Anne V. Kirby, and Adrienne Miao, have been selected to receive $800 research awards from the Society for the Study of Occupation (SSO): USA. The SSO: USA announced the awards in July. Students were selected based on the strength of the grant proposals they submitted.
Orientation for New Clinical Research Personnel
This four-part orientation is strongly recommended for all clinical research personnel who are new to UNC or new to research. The objectives are to introduce research personnel to the UNC offices involved in clinical trials, discuss the federal and local regulations governing conduct of research, and provide an overview of best practices utilized in the implementation of clinical research. Pre-requisites to attend these trainings are completion of the CITI Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and CITI Human Subjects Protection (IRB/Ethics) modules available online at: https://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp
Pergolotti Receives Grant to Study OT Utilization by Patients with Cancer
Mackenzi Pergolotti, a fourth-year Occupational Science PhD candidate, received a $2,000 NC TraCS grant to help her research the utilization of occupational therapy by older patients with cancer by using data from the Integrative Cancer Information and Surveillance System (ICISS).
Post-Doc Receives Meixner Fellowship from Autism Speaks
Dr. Sarah Schipul, a post-doctoral fellow at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, has been named a Meixner Postdoctoral Fellow in Translational Research by Autism Speaks.
Pragmatic Clinical Trials Seminar
TraCS will sponsor a seminar on pragmatic trials on October 30, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Speakers will discuss what is different about pragmatic trials in terms of setting, design, and appropriate questions, including the informatics infrastructure needed to conduct this work. Current examples of pragmatic trials in the US may involve conduct within the setting of large integrated health care delivery systems, raising issues of engagement with providers, administrators, and patients in order to successfully enroll and complete follow-up in a timely and efficient manner.
Promotions and New Faculty
July 1-December 31, 2012
RCP Students Present Research at State and National Conferences
Several students and faculty members from the UNC Chapel Hill Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology shared their research at the 2011 North Carolina Rehabilitation Association (NCRA) Conference October 26-28 in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., and the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) Conference in Arlington, Va., October 31-November 1.
Research Poster wins First Place for Scientific Merit
A scientific poster presented by third-year AuD student Mallory Baker and Associate Professor Patricia Roush, AuD (Dept. of Otolaryngology) won first prize for scientific merit at the 12th Annual Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference in St. Louis, MO, March 5-6, 2012.
Staff Spotlight: Carty Husted
Dr. Carty Husted lives the best of both worlds.
Staff Spotlight: Christene Tashjian
Christene Tashjian is the Project Coordinator for the Early Development Project-2, whose offices can be found off campus in the Carr Mill Mall.
Staff Spotlight: Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel joined the Department of Allied Health Sciences as Grants and Contracts Manager in late May.
Student Research News Summer 2013
Cunningham Receives SPARC Award * Hodson Completes NIH/NICD Summer Fellowship * Gomez Receives NICD Travel Award * Mamo Awarded New Century Scholars Doctoral Fellowship * White Receives NICD Grant * Wutzke Selected as Neuromuscular Plasticity Scholar * Timko Wins Diversity Award
Student Spotlight: Ashley Freuler
Occupational Science PhD candidate Ashley Freuler successfully defended her dissertation in the spring of 2013 and will graduate in August.
Student Spotlight: Ilana Levin
Dr. Ilana Levin, PT, DPT, is a current Human Movement Science PhD student. Her research interests include factors contributing to decreased mobility in individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (cerebral palsy in particular) and intervention programs to increase functional mobility in this population.
Student Spotlight: Jennie Zoski
When she’s not running half-marathons in Alaska or playing with her Black Lab mix, Speech and Hearing Sciences doctoral candidate Jennie Zoski is working to combine her passions for literacy and language with her love of children.
Student Spotlight: Sumita Rege
Sumita Rege is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she had earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy from Mumbai University and practiced as an occupational therapist in Mumbai, India for seven years.
Tenth Annual Human Movement Science Research Symposium at UNC
The tenth annual Human Movement Science Research Symposium was held March 1, 2013, at UNC Chapel Hill.
TIGRR Provides Guidance for Funding Success
UNC Chapel Hill will host the Training in Grantsmanship for Rehabilitation Research (TIGRR) workshop January 15-19, 2013, at the Rizzo Center in Chapel Hill.
Training in Grantsmanship for Rehabilitation Research Workshop
Training in Grantsmanship for Rehabilitation Research (TIGRR), an intensive grant writing workshop that builds upon the successful model used by the Enhancing Rehabilitation Research in the South (ERRIS) workshops, will be held January 15-19, 2013 in Chapel Hill. The target audience for this workshop includes junior and mid-level faculty in all rehabilitation research disciplines who are on the cusp of success in NIH-funded or similar research but could benefit from expert mentorship in grant development.
UNC to Launch Unprecedented Collaboration to Improve Services for Young Children with Autism and Their Families
January 13, 2014 – Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have received a State Implementation Grant of $900,000 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve services for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families.