Noam Shemer is a first-year student in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy who was drawn to the field because of her experiences with sensory issues as a child. Having grown up in a small town, Shemer explained that she faced more difficulty than her peers while playing on a community playground that … Read more

The five-year strategic plan for the Department of Allied Health Sciences is now available.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a research grant to the Division of Physical Therapy’s Michael Lewek in order to research the ability to predict someone’s likelihood of tripping while walking after having experienced a stroke. Lewek will conduct research alongside He “Helen” Huang, thanks to a partnership with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, … Read more

Heba Elsayed, a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has joined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) researcher Linda Watson to continue research Elsayed began at Alexandria University in Egypt.

Antoine Bailliard, an associate professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, has received funding from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health through a subcontract with the University of California Los Angeles as part of an interdisciplinary team to design a model of outreach teams to engage with the most vulnerable among … Read more

Kathryn Sorensen, OTD, OTR/L, is an assistant clinical professor and academic fieldwork coordinator for the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. The division is one of seven housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the UNC School of Medicine. Kathryn “Katie” Sorenson Sorensen was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that … Read more

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has awarded the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies‘ Karen Erickson and Lori Geist $2.5 million as part of its Stepping-Up Technology Implementation competition. The five-year project, titled “Building Bridges from Emergent to Conventional Literacy,” will allow the CLDS to engage in development, deployment, … Read more

WUNC-FM’s daily show “The State of Things” recently featured Mary Ellen Wells, director of the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (NDSS) program, on an hour-long radio show highlighting the science of sleep. Wells joined other sleep experts to discuss neurological, physiological, and social aspects of sleep, among other topics. Mary Ellen Wells, PhD, is also an … Read more

Susan Beck, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM has received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification. Beck served as an American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) representative to the Board of Certification (BOC) for nearly a decade. Along with other ASCLS representatives, she helped navigate the merger of the Board … Read more

The Health Resources Services Administration has awarded a new grant, Navigating Pathways for Coordinated Care for Children with ASD/DD, to Elizabeth Crais, PhD, and Rebecca Pretzel, PhD. After a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or developmental disability, studies have shown that many families do not know where to seek help, nor do they have clear … Read more