Author Archives: Elizabeth Poindexter

The Physician Assistant Studies program, housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, welcomed the class of 2020 on January 17, 2019, with a white coat ceremony. Among this year’s cohort are seven veterans, who represent service in the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. “What has impressed me most...

First, let me introduce myself to you as Elizabeth “Betsy” Crais, PhD, professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the interim chair of the Department of Allied Health Science’s Office of Research and Scholarship (DAHS OORS). The previous Chair, Brian Boyd, PhD, is now director of the...

Megan Bartoshuk, a second-year Doctor of Audiology student, has received a 2018 Empowering Students Scholarship from the Student Academy of Audiology.

The UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health has received a $2.4 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to address homelessness and provide comprehensive behavioral (mental health) care and other services for individuals living with serious mental illnesses who are experiencing or who...

The Physician Assistant Studies program, housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, held its second-ever commencement ceremony on December 15, 2018. Paul Chelminski, MD, MPH, FACP, and the program’s director, welcomed and thanked the graduates’ supporters, their families, and the commencement speaker, Lawrence Kim, MD, FACS. “Everyone here is witnessing...

Second-year occupational therapy student Kendyl Cole discovered her passion for the profession and for working with people with neurological disorders through a family friend whose experiences with autism spectrum disorder changed Cole’s worldview and led her to a profession rooted in serving others. “He was the first person I met...

How do you define success in your career? Hours worked? Money made? Projects completed? Ben Sutton defines success by the lives he impacts. That belief led him to Carolina’s radiologic science program two years ago and will now send him on a mission to bring better, more personal health care...

Senior and first-generation college student Norma Villegas excelled in math and science as a child, and she found her way to the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science thanks to mentors who wanted to see her pursue a career that made her happy. “I knew that was the program for me,”...

Fostering a diverse population of physical therapists starts here While enrollment of underrepresented students in physical therapy programs continues to rise in the United States, there is still a gap in the representation of socioeconomic and racial diversity among physical therapy practitioners that leads to challenges in building crucial relationships...

Deanna Sipes, a third-year student in the Division of Physical Therapy, integrates service into her life, and it’s a mission she hopes to continue when she earns her Doctor of Physical Therapy. “I think it’s very important within this profession,” Sipes said. “It’s a very giving profession.” Sipes’s family is...