January 10, 2024

Student researchers Yohanna Díaz-Amaya (Public Health/Spanish) and Zoe Star (Public Health/Biology) along with their public health professor, Scott McClure, Ph.D., recently saw their paper published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Public health program alumni Michael Amobi ’22 and Estefanía Morales Nazario ’22 also contributed to the paper, titled “Food security and diet quality, not vitamin D status are significantly associated with depression: Results from NHANES 2015–2018.” Read the paper at sciencedirect.com.

July 19, 2023

Kaitlyn Sage ’20 switched to the public health program two years into her Shenandoah education. “I would have never found my passion without my public health degree.”

December 8, 2020

Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute (MCWI) has released the fourth volume of its Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era. Published annually, the journal, governed by an editorial board of 15 historians and edited by MCWI’s Director Jonathan A. Noyalas ’01, M.A., examines topics related to the Civil War era in the Shenandoah Valley. Volume four completes a multi-year project conducted by students in Civil War Era Studies at Shenandoah researching the backgrounds of soldiers who perished during the Battle of Cool Spring. Additionally, it features the never-before-published 1862 diary of Ephraim Burkett, a hospital steward in the 110th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; an essay about the wartime experiences of African Americans in Frederick, Clarke, and Warren counties as revealed through the records of the Southern Claims Commission; essays related to operations in 1864 and reviews penned by some of the nation’s top Civil War-era historians. Copies can be purchased for $10 each at the Winchester Book Gallery, MCWI’s office in Davis Hall, or online. Questions? Email Jonathan Noyalas at jnoyalas01@su.edu.

Doctor of Education student Nick Grzeda is presenting two papers in December at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education conference.

Doctor of Education student Robert Dugan has published a novel, “A Stranger Among Us: A Novel of the West Virginia Opioid Crisis.” Find it at Amazon.

Department Chair & Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Barry Parker, Ph.D., who is also Virginia’s National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) state director, has awarded four Shenandoah students with complimentary NSCA student memberships:

Morgan Mays (Physical Therapy/graduate): awarded membership for her continued hard work in the exercise science program and assisting with a dance study with Dr. Parker and Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Jessica Sudock, Ph.D.
Beth Dickman (undergraduate): awarded membership for her work with SUFit (personal training) and promoting health and wellness
Trevor Gardner (undergraduate): awarded membership for his work in the exercise science program and plans to apply for graduate school for strength and conditioning
Cade Watts (undergraduate): awarded membership for his hard work in the exercise science program, preparation for athletic training school, and interest in concussion research

Public health student Phillip Crawley saw his letter to the editor on how athletes should practice teamwork during the COVID-19 pandemic published in The Winchester Star.

December 10, 2019

Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Occupational Therapy Cathy Shanholtz, OTD, and Director of Graduate Public Health Programs Michelle Gamber, DrPH, were part of an international delegation to Spain hosted by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). The international delegation included 20 invited guests hailing from the United States, Canada and Argentina. The delegates engaged in a series of professional seminars where ideas and experiences were exchanged regarding intellectual and developmental disabilities, with a goal of establishing opportunities for collaboration and further research with the host country. Delegates visited Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona.

Shenandoah’s School of Health Professions was well represented at the American Physical Therapy Association Education Leadership Conference, where faculty from across Shenandoah programs traveled and learned together. Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Lisa McVey, t-DPT; Dean of the School of Health Professions and Professor of Physical Therapy Karen Abraham, Ph.D.; Director of Pre-Health and Interprofessional Education and Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies Anne Schempp, Ed.D., PA-C; Associate Professor of Physical Therapy A.J. Lievre, DPT; Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Aaron Hartstein, t-DPT; Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Kate Divine, DPT; and Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Melissa Wolff-Burke, Ed.D., presented. Dr. Wolff-Burke also received the Outstanding Poster Presentation Award.

The student organization Primary Care Progress spearheaded an effort that led Bombas to donate 1,000 pairs of socks to patients and homeless people at the Sinclair Health Clinic and the Winchester Rescue Mission. Faculty advisors for this student organization are Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies Tony Miller, M.Ed., PA-C; Associate Professor of Pharmacy Jeremy Fox, Pharm.D., and Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Lisa McVey, DPT.

Virginia First Lady Pam Northam spoke at Shenandoah University during the fall 2019 semester to occupational therapy students about her career as an occupational therapist and the importance of environmental stewardship, and encouraged others to consider service in their communities.

Shenandoah University’s Division of Occupational Therapy sent a student research project, “Parent Concerns About Interactions of First Responders with Children with Autism” to the OCALICON conference in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2019. Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Alicia Lutman, OTD, mentored second-year occupational therapy students through the project and had the pleasure to present it at OCALICON, the nation’s premier autism and disabilities conference.

Shenandoah University Student Occupational Therapy Association members volunteered with the Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment and Endowment (F.R.E.E.) in September to help clean, organize, inventory and learn more about rehabilitation equipment. F.R.E.E. is a nonprofit organization that helps to provide equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs to low-income community members.

Second-year physician assistant (PA) studies student Abby Sekulich planned an October workshop for Shenandoah University Physician Assistant Student Society (SUPASS) officers, aimed at reducing PA program burnout. This event was funded through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Health Foundation‘s Be the Change Grant.

April 13, 2018

Three of the six physician assistant studies (PA) students chosen as Paul Ambrose Scholars this year are from Shenandoah University.

Pamela Audrey Lee, Catherine Mahon, and Melissa Rabinek were selected for the scholars program, which is planned and implemented by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR).

According to its website, APTR “is the professional organization representing accredited and emerging graduate public health programs, medical and health professions faculty, and students dedicated to interprofessional prevention education and research.”

Up to 40 students are selected for the program annually. Those selected must show an interest in integrating public health into their future clinical practice. Students come from graduate nursing, dentistry, graduate physician assistant, MD/DO, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and public health programs across the nation.

Those chosen for the program work on a community-based project assessing health promotion or disease prevention within their communities. They have one year to report project outcomes.

Information about all of the scholars’ projects can be found online at ambrosescholars.org.

Community-Based Projects

Lee’s project is to “create video training materials and resources materials and resources targeted for obstetricians, pediatricians, and primary care providers, to help identify high-risk NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) parents.”

Lee is also the mother of three prematurely born children.

As for Mahon, who is a dual PA and Master of Public Health student, her “aim is to increase access and awareness of the importance of Hepatitis C screening in high-risk populations of homeless and intravenous drug users (IDU) in Winchester, Virginia — an area hard-hit by poverty and the current opioid crisis.”

Mahon’s project is “oriented towards connecting these at-risk populations with formal health services, screening, education, and disease management.”

Rabinek’s project is “to confront mental health disparities in the Winchester community through the utilization of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).” She plans to work with the Sinclair Health Clinic, a free medical clinic in Winchester.

The clinic is the ideal partner for this project, Rabinek said. “Their mission is to deliver low-cost, community-based health services to local individuals in need.” Rabinek also hopes to expand Sinclair’s utilization of DBT to reach more patient populations.

A Strong Class And Academic Partnership

Shenandoah Distinguished Professor and Director of Physician Assistant Studies Anthony A. Miller, M.Ed., PA-C, credits the excellent students in the PA class of 2018, notably Lee, Mahon and Rabinek, as well a strong relationship with the new Shenandoah public health program, for such high Shenandoah PA representation in the Paul Ambrose Scholars Program.

Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies Leocadia Conlon, PA-C, M.P.H., and Director of Graduate Public Health Programs Michelle Gamber, Dr.P.H., are serving as these students’ mentors throughout their time in this program.

“We both guided these students through the application process, and will also continue to mentor them and play an active role throughout their research process,” Dr. Gamber said.

June 5, 2017

Shenandoah University is pleased to announce it is one of a select group of 21 institutions across the nation chosen by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to receive a nearly $13,000 grant to implement an Intergenerational Connections: Students Serving Older Adults program. This one-year grant will be used to enhance connections between undergraduate students and older adults in the community.

CIC launched this new initiative with support from the AARP Foundation to encourage colleges to create or extend programs in which students help low-income older adults (ages 50 and older) tackle key life challenges.

Shenandoah University’s Intergenerational Service Practicum will give 12 undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in building intergenerational connections with older adults in the Winchester community. Six students each semester will engage in a stipend-supported service-learning practicum at the Winchester Senior Center (WSC), a day center operated by the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging (SAAA), serving 40-50 active adults age 60+ at the Center and delivering meals to 50 homebound older adults.

“Throughout the years, our psychology students have done a wonderful job with their outreach to the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Adrienne Bloss, Ph.D. “Scott King has done an amazing job of leading this initiative and encouraging his students to get involved. I’m excited for this continued partnership with the SAAA, as well as the ability for students from other programs of study to participate in such a worthwhile effort.”

Each semester, two students from each of three university programs (psychology, public health, and exercise science) will be selected to participate in the practicum. Each program’s practicum placements will center around building connections with WSC participants, with psychology students focusing on improving participants’ quality of social interaction, public health students focusing on improving participants’ nutritional knowledge and behaviors, and exercise science students focusing on improving participants’ fitness, balance, and flexibility.

Grant funds will support more than 1,400 hours of student service at the center over the course of the 2017-18 school year, lessening demands on regular staff and allowing them to focus more time and energy on serving homebound low-income older adults through a meals-on-wheels program.

The practicum expands a partnership created in 2012 by Associate Professor of Psychology Scott King, Ph.D., which paired a psychology course and the Winchester Senior Center to promote intergenerational cooperation and reduce ageism among college students and older adults. Dr. King, along with grant co-authors, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Barry Parker, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Public Health Audra Gollenberg, Ph.D., developed goals for the practicum after consultation with SAAA Executive Director Cathie Galvin and WSC Director Tina Landis.

CIC President Richard Ekman said, “CIC hopes that this pilot project will serve as a first step toward the development of a national network of programs on independent college and university campuses that promote intergenerational interaction between students and community members.”

The 21 colleges and universities will be part of a new network of colleges that the AARP Foundation hopes will help establish best practices for engaging students in meeting the challenges of older adults—hunger, safe and affordable housing, income-generation, and social isolation—in the communities surrounding college campuses.

More information about the project and the participating institutions is available on the CIC website at cic.edu/programs/intergenerational-connections.

April 3, 2017

Shenandoah University and Inova announced today a collaborative partnership to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals with an emphasis on population health, pharmacogenomics, and other new healthcare technologies. The partnership builds upon the individual strengths of Inova and Shenandoah and expands an existing partnership of 25 years. Inova has committed to make a $5 million investment to support the partnership’s educational programs.

The newly announced programs in nursing, public health, pharmacogenomics and healthcare information technology – solidified by today’s ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Inova and Shenandoah – will be headquartered and facilitated at the Inova Center for Personalized Health (ICPH) in Fairfax, Virginia.

As part of this new collaboration at ICPH, Shenandoah’s Northern Virginia Doctorate in Pharmacy program, which currently serves approximately 160 students, will relocate to the ICPH site as well and begin classes at ICPH in August 2017. The pharmacy program is part of Shenandoah’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, one of the first pharmacy schools in the country to incorporate an emphasis in pharmacogenomics into its curriculum. Shenandoah will also continue to operate a pharmacy doctoral program at its Winchester location, with opportunities for students and faculty at both campuses to collaborate through interprofessional education, research and international travel and clinical experiences.

The partnership between Inova and Shenandoah is foundational to Inova’s plans to be a global leader in personalized health. As genetic testing becomes more commonplace, education must include applicable course work and subsequent clinical experience. Specifically trained healthcare professionals will be prepared to advise patients and families, as well as facilitate a patient’s personalized health plan, which is designed to mitigate immediate risk and achieve long-term healing and health.

“We are excited to announce this integrated education and practice partnership between Shenandoah University and Inova,” said Shenandoah University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs Adrienne Bloss, Ph.D. “This partnership will produce skilled practitioner-leaders who are experienced in the interprofessional, team-based care model and play an important role in health-care delivery in the region immediately upon their graduation.”

These additional programs will increase the number of medical and health care professionals serving the Northern Virginia community and beyond.

Programs include:

Postgraduate certificates:

Online certificates:

Public Health

The new programs are focused on advanced training, with the certificates, specifically, designed to serve the needs of current, practicing health care professionals both at Inova and across the country.

“For two decades, our organizations have collaborated to provide programs in nursing, respiratory care, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies,” observed Mark Stauder, president and COO of Inova. “Today’s announcement expands Shenandoah University’s medical educational programs and, thereby, increases the number of health care professionals available to serve the needs of the Northern Virginia community.”

Shenandoah University is now recruiting for many of these programs and certificates, and will enroll students within the year. Following approvals by the appropriate accrediting associations, most programs are expected to begin in August 2017, with the exception of the Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine and the postgraduate certificate in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, which are expected to begin in August 2018. Many students in these programs will have the opportunity to complete clinical experiences and rotations at Inova facilities.

The Shenandoah University presence at ICPH will consist of nearly 28,000 square feet of space, designed and built out specifically for the university’s use and to include administrative, classroom, and clinical space.

Inova facilities have provided clinical learning opportunities for Shenandoah’s physical therapy and occupational therapy students since the early 1990s, clinical rotations for many Shenandoah nursing students since 2001, and clinical experiences for many Shenandoah pharmacy students since 2010. In 2008, the two organizations built upon these earlier collaborations and then again officially expanded their partnership in 2013.

In addition to the university’s health care programs and pharmacy school presence in Northern Virginia, the university also offers programs in education, organizational leadership and business at its Scholar Plaza location in Loudoun County.

February 22, 2017

Ashley Hunziker ’18 is a Tae Kwon Do teacher, coach and competitor driven to help others. Discover how this public health major is creatively incorporating Tae Kwon Do into her academic life in the Winter 2017 issue of Shenandoah magazine online.

November 20, 2015

You know you should get that flu shot. Well, you THINK you should get that flu shot. But who likes getting shots? And now that you consider it. . . what does that shot really do? “Hmmmmm,” you think. “Maybe I shouldn’t get that shot after all.”

Get the shot if you can.

Learn why as Ericka Norfolk, a senior public health major at Shenandoah University, answers some pretty common questions about vaccines, their safety and that flu shot you might be avoiding.

Although vaccines have been around since the late 1700s, when Edward Jenner discovered how to inoculate people against smallpox, some people still doubt that vaccines are safe. Why is this?

In 1998 a British scientist published a report that falsely claimed vaccinations can lead to autism in children. This has since been retracted and proved to have been an elaborate fraud, however the damage to our society has already been done.

(Cohen, Elizabeth, and Miriam Falco. “Retracted Autism Study an ‘elaborate Fraud,’ British Journal Finds.” CNN. Cable News Network, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.)

How have vaccines benefited humanity since Jenner’s discovery?

Vaccines have helped to prevent some of the most dangerous diseases from infecting and killing humans all around the world. Probably the most notable is the smallpox vaccine, which aided in the eradication of the smallpox disease. Likewise the poliovirus was eradicated from the western hemisphere with the help of inoculations. Other common vaccines are measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.

(Veronese, Keith. “How Vaccines Saved the World.” Io9. 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.)

How common are severe reactions/side effects to immunizations?

Severe reactions and side effects from vaccines are quite rare. The most common forms of reactions are swelling, redness, and pain at the site of the injection. It has been reported that some vaccines which require multiple treatments could cause fever and drowsiness, however this is typically after the fourth treatment.

(Kimmel, Sanford R. “Vaccine Adverse Events: Separating Myth from Reality.” American Family Physician. 1 Dec. 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.)

Why is it important to be vaccinated?

It is important to be vaccinated because the best thing we can do to fight an illness or disease is to prevent it in the first place. This is especially important among children who are constantly in close contact with one another, and notoriously “germ sharers.” As the rates of vaccines drop, the chances of unvaccinated children and adults becoming sick with those diseases increase exponentially.

Further, by vaccinating healthy children we protect the most vulnerable young infants who are not yet old enough to be vaccinated or other children who are ineligible for vaccines (allergies, immunocompromised, etc.)

(Kimmel, Sanford R. “Vaccine Adverse Events: Separating Myth from Reality.” American Family Physician. 1 Dec. 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.)

What are the advantages of getting a yearly flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are an excellent way to prevent contraction of the flu. Although they do not guarantee that you won’t become ill, those who are vaccinated are less likely to get severely sick and require hospitalization. Being inoculated against the flu not only protects you, but it also protects those around you. If you do end up developing the flu, having the vaccine can help to make your symptoms less serious; and it can help to prevent the flu from causing more severe outcomes like pneumonia, hospitalization or death.

(“What Are the Benefits of Flu Vaccination?” National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.)

Photo Credit: PAHO/WHO via Compfight cc

November 14, 2014

“Beyond the Big House: Making the Transition to Life After Prison,” a research project by public health and biology alumna Kelsey Brewster ’14, public health alumna Mina Hailemariam ’14 and public health major Paula Sorrentino ’15 has been published in VA Engage Journal, an engaged scholarship project of the VA Engage network. The group was advised by Assistant Professor of Public Health Audra Gollenberg, Ph.D.

According to its abstract, the group’s journal article “summarizes the current evidence of the burden of recidivism on society and proposes a multifaceted solution that may be adapted for a small or large prison system.”

The group was inspired to do this research project as a result of Brewster’s experience during an internship with a local AIDS non-profit organization. Through her internship, she worked with many clients who were in and out of prison, lacked access to medication, and were stuck in a pattern of ongoing imprisonment. All of the aforementioned factors contributed to the spread of disease, and prompted the design of a fundamental program to change the way former inmates transition.

The program is called Beyond the Big House, which was designed by Brewster, Hailemariam and Sorrentino to aid inmates in making the transition to life outside of prison.

“Through our research, we found a few programs here and there that were similar to what we had in mind, but there has yet to be a standard,” said Hailemariam. “We designed a program that has the potential to become the standard in correctional facilities around the United States while also decreasing government spending. This alone would more than pay for the cost of our program.”

“Our research pointed out that there is a major need to start interventions before inmates are released from prison,” said Sorrentino. “We designed a program that provides education within the prison and puts the individuals in contact with a case manager to plan their release, as well as offer a variety of services up to two years post-release.”

The group decided to participate in the Shenandoah University Projects & Research (SUpr) Summit, an opportunity offered by the university to students of all majors to showcase their work, including current or past projects, completed or in progress.

“SUpr Summit was a way for us to gain the valuable experience of selling our product to a board of community members,” said Hailemariam. “Through the course of SUpr, I think we really gained an appreciation for the impact that a program like ours could have on communities.”

“SUpr Summit was kind of a shock for us because the judges were so receptive to our idea,” said Sorrentino. “Up until that point, we really hadn’t shared the idea with anyone, so for us to hear such praise was astonishing. The problem of recidivism is known by many, but to really see how our program could have a direct impact fueled our drive to move forward.”

“Beyond the Big House, Making the Transition to Life After Prison” won the 2014 SUpr Award for Best Group Project. The students were so inspired by the opportunity to present their work that they submitted their research to VA Engage and were subsequently published.

“We want to express our sincerest gratitude for Dr. Gollenberg,” said Brewster. “She was the fuel that helped to light the fire within us. Our time in the public health program has been incredible. During our time in her courses, we came to the realization that nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it.”

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