School of Allied Health Professions - Virginia Commonwealth ...

VCU Allied Health
V i r g i n i a C o m m o n w e a l t h U n i v e r s i t y
Spring 2012
Leading
the
charge
The Department of Physical Therapy
marks
80
years as an industry pioneer
VCU SCHOOL OF
Allied Health Professions
V irginia Commonwealth University
The importance of a chair 10 Honor the past, reach for the future 14 Global reach 22

Spring 2012, Vol. 2, Issue 1
Contents
Leading the charge.................................4
The importance of a chair..................... 10
Immersed in the industry........................ 12
Honor the past, reach for the future........ 14
Research in theory, research in action..... 18
Global reach.......................................22
A lifelong gift....................................... 26
News..................................................29
Class notes..........................................36
By the numbers.................................... 39
Shining beacon
The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center lights up as nighttime falls on
the capital city. Adjacent to the state Capitol, the 52.4-acre campus serves as home
to one of the country’s leading academic medical centers with five health sciences
schools, including the School of Allied Health Professions, and the Massey Cancer
Center. Through a unique multidisciplinary approach to individualized care, research
on life-changing treatments, education of practitioners and community members and
construction of modern facilities, the university continues to build on its mission to
provide the best medical care to thousands of Virginians.
On the cover
Matt Wilks (M.S. ’99/PT), director of inpatient therapy services for Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation
Center in Richmond, Va., works with a patient in the center’s iWALK Recovery Center. ZeroG (pictured)
is an advanced body-weight support system for over-ground walking and balance retraining.
Dean and Professor
Cecil B. Drain, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean and Professor
Alexander F. Tartaglia, D.Min.
Assistant Dean for Distance Education and
Director, Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences
Paula K. Kupstas, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Research and Professor
Brian T. McMahon, Ph.D., C.R.C., N.C.C.,
C.C.M.
Associate Dean for Fiscal Affairs
Debra A. Ropelewski, M.B.A.
Assistant Dean for Development
Jessica F. Gurganus, M.A., M.A.Ed.
Departments
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences:
Teresa Nadder, Ph.D., associate professor
and chair
Department of Gerontology: E. Ayn Welleford,
Ph.D., associate professor and chair
Department of Health Administration:
Carolyn Watts, Ph.D., professor and chair
Department of Nurse Anesthesia: Michael D.
Fallacaro, D.N.S., CRNA, professor and chair
Department of Occupational Therapy:
Al Copolillo, Ph.D., associate professor
and chair
Department of Patient Counseling: Angela
Duncan, Ph.D., assistant professor and
interim chair
Department of Physical Therapy: Thomas P.
Mayhew, P.T., Ph.D., associate professor
and chair
Department of Radiation Sciences: Jeffrey S.
Legg, Ph.D., associate professor and chair
Department of Rehabilitation Counseling:
Amy J. Armstrong, Ph.D., C.R.C., associate
professor and chair
Virginia Center on Aging: Edward F. Ansello,
Ph.D., professor and director
Executive Editor
Jessica F. Gurganus, M.A., M.A.Ed.
Editorial and design
VCU Creative Services
Photography
VCU Creative Services
VCU Allied Health is published annually
by the Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Allied Health Professions.
Send address changes or comments to:
VCU Allied Health
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Allied Health Professions
1200 East Broad Street
P.O. Box 980233
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0233
Or visit us online:
www.vcu-mcvalumni.org/alumni/update
www.sahp.vcu.edu
©2012, VCU School of Allied Health Professions
An equal opportunity/affirmative action university
110708-01
Message from the Dean
In writing my comments for this second edition
of our magazine, I was drawn to the fact that our
school continues to excel, having three programs
that are ranked among the top 10 in the country
(and a total of five ranked among the top 25) by U.S.
News & World Report. Our programs that do not
meet the ranking criteria set by that magazine are
all nationally recognized as leaders in their respective
fields. However, rankings are just one indicator of
excellence. The outstanding caliber of the faculty,
staff and students in the School of Allied Health
Professions is perhaps a better measure, and I am so
proud to share their accomplishments with you. Given the phenomenal response
that we received on the first edition of this magazine, I believe it is of the utmost
importance that we continue this tradition. It is you, our alumni and friends, who
help make us the best of the best and to be in concert with that concept, I want to
share the “best” when it comes to school magazines with you.
In the world of higher education, we often talk about the “big idea,” and how it
inspires our students to achieve their highest potential. As our students are motivated
by our faculty to be the best that they can be, our faculty are likewise motivated to be
the best educators and researchers they can be, advancing knowledge and improving
lives toward the creation of a better world.
Our school is faced with some economically turbulent times. Yet we continue to
prosper, largely because of the wonderful support that we receive from our alumni.
From my point of view, with such influential and supportive alumni, there is no
limit to what the school can achieve. Even in this era of health care reform, our
school will always produce the very best health care practitioners that will fit into
whatever health care system materializes across the next few years.
I look forward to seeing the domino effect of your support coupled with our great
faculty and their mission to provide the best education to our students. Equipping
them to discover, to solve, to dream and, yes, to create a better world. So as you read
the articles in this issue, you will have a much deeper understanding of the way the
School of Allied Health Professions is sharing its collective energy to tackle some of
the significant problems in health care. You will also witness the energy and enthusiasm
of our alumni, students, faculty and staff as they reach out to help others through
their research, clinical service and community engagement efforts. Welcome to our
school, and please enjoy this issue of VCU Allied Health magazine.
Cecil B. Drain, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
Spring 2012 3

Leading
the
charge
The Department of Physical Therapy
marks
80
years as an industry pioneer
By Drew Vass
4 VCU Allied Health
Courtesy VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
Matt Wilks (M.S. ’99/PT), director of inpatient therapy services
for Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Center, and Kari
Hershey (D.P.T. '11/PT), physical therapist, perform a session
using Sheltering Arms' Lokomat Pro, a robotic walk re-trainer.
Left: A polio patient navigates the parallel bars in the
16th-floor gym of West Hospital, circa 1947.
In her speech at the 16th annual Mary McMillan Lecture
in 1981, Susanne B. Hirt, RPT, M.Ed., said, “To be able to
move into the future we must have the capacity for change
and must be able to respond to change.” Hirt, then chair
of the Virginia Commonwealth University Department
of Physical Therapy, spoke to the industry at large, while
receiving its highest honor: the Mary McMillan Lecture
Award. She retired a year later, after nearly 30 years of service
to VCU and four decades of professional activity, but not
before watching the department drive physical therapy’s
evolution through decades of research and national involvement.
Physical therapy research began —
at least in part — with VCU. The
department helped form the beginnings
of physical therapy education in the
1930s, when the field remained under
great scrutiny due to a lack of scientific
research. At that time, it was
the Medical College of Virginia that
hosted Virginia’s first accredited physical
therapy program and produced
its inaugural graduates in 1932, then
appeared on the American Medical
Association’s approved physical therapy
programs list in 1936. In the 1940s,
the school was catapulted into the
national spotlight as a primary source
of education and research following
what Hirt labeled the “big bang”
for physical therapy — otherwise
known as the Baruch grant.
The Baruch grant stemmed from
the Baruch Committee on Physical
Medicine, which was commissioned
in 1943 by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt to explore the possibilities of
physical rehabilitation among wounded
soldiers. William T. Sanger, M.D.,
then president of MCV, chaired the
Subcommittee on Basic Research. In
1944, the committee offered more
than $1 million to three medical
centers to facilitate teaching and
research in physical medicine. MCV
was one of them. Hirt was called on to develop an educational
program for the resulting Baruch Center of Physical Medicine.
“From 1931 to 1941, the department had more of a
local impact,” explains Mary Snyder Shall, PT, Ph.D.,
associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy.
Courtesy VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives. Courtesy VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
Top: Susanne B. Hirt, RPT, M.Ed., teaches musculoskeletal anatomy.
Bottom: With funding from philanthropist Bernard Baruch, MCV establishes
a physical therapy education program in 1945.
Spring 2012 5

Current Department
of Physical Therapy
student Stephen Vesely
periodically donates
to Locks of Love.
Student profile:
Restoring wholeness
Current VCU Department of
Physical Therapy student Stephen
Vesely isn’t waiting for graduation
day to begin helping patients. In the
summer of 2011, Vesely made his
second donation to Locks of Love,
a nonprofit program that supplies
hairpieces to children suffering from
long-term medical hair loss. He
recently donated 21 inches of hair.
“I was doing Relay for Life as an
undergrad,” Vesely says. “I found
that extremely inspirational, but it
just didn’t seem like enough. I
knew that I couldn’t exactly come
up with a cure for cancer, but you
want to do something to help. I
came across this and decided that
this was something I could do.”
His recent donation took him more
than three and a half years to grow.
“I am planning to be a lifetime
donor,” he says. “Why wouldn’t
you do something to help when
you have the ability to? I can
grow hair, so why not use it in
this way? If someone can receive
this hair and if it helps restore
their sense of wholeness, why not
give them that gift? You can give
them that feeling.”
“In the 1940s, with the Baruch grant, research came into play. That’s when
our influence grew to more of a national presence.”
Shall documents the department’s history in her book “Evolution of Physical
Therapy at the Medical College of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University.”
She says that after years of fielding questions about various parts of the
department’s history, she finally decided to pool the information together into a
single source.
Forging forward
Despite the immediate and lasting effects of the Baruch grant, physical therapy
faced an uphill battle toward becoming its own scientifically based medical entity.
In the mid- to late 1980s, however, VCU faculty members began publishing information
that suggested physical therapy should be fueled by data resulting from precise
measurement of muscle performance. The notion was radical for its time.
“[VCU faculty members] fueled the start of this thing through the papers
they wrote and the research they conducted regarding the reliability and validity
of what we do as physical therapists,” says Peter Pidcoe, PT, D.P.T., Ph.D., associate
professor of physical therapy. “They were instrumental in promoting
research and focusing treatment on research evidence.”
VCU faculty members’ efforts led to what was later named the “evidence-based
movement,” which propelled physical therapy toward applied science by collecting
and using data to prove the effectiveness of various techniques. Science conducted
by Pidcoe at the University of Illinois at Chicago, early in his career,
helped fuel the pre-stages of the evidence-based movement. Ironically, his efforts
helped to form a new field of research that later became the focus of his career.
Pidcoe studied at UIC in the early to mid-1980s, around the same time that
VCU faculty members were pressing for evidence-based research. He was a bioengineering
student who worked in the UIC Department of Physical Therapy’s
laboratories, designing equipment and software systems that measured such
things as body movement and balance. In 1992, UIC hired him, allowing him to
continue his work on a professional basis. In the meantime, he was joined by Jules
M. Rothstein, PT, Ph.D., a former VCU Department of Physical Therapy faculty
member who moved to UIC to chair its department. Rothstein was among those
pressing for evidence-based research. When Pidcoe expressed an interest in earning
a medical degree, Rothstein urged him in a different direction: physical therapy.
Pidcoe took his advice.
“[Rothstein] was very dedicated to promoting the concept of evidence-based
practice,” Pidcoe says. “When I got my physical therapy degree, I was probably
one of a handful of therapists with an engineering background. I have found the
combination of degrees very valuable both in clinical practice and research.”
In 1998, Pidcoe left UIC to join VCU. Ironically, the move landed him where
the seeds that helped to shape his career were first sewn.
Pidcoe took over a biomechanics laboratory created in 1980, transforming it into
what could be described today as the pinnacle of evidence-based research facilities.
He and other members of his primarily student-staffed lab facility produce
technologies capable of mapping human movement — down to the exact motions
of each limb, including such minute details as eye movement and the pressure
generated by each toe. They also measure balance to determine the physical impact
of motions on the overall body. All of these measurements produce data, that
Students draw on relationships
with area health systems
Being part of an urban university, the VCU Department
of Physical Therapy enjoys relationships with numerous
surrounding hospitals and health systems in addition to
the VCU Medical Center. This creates abundant opportunities
for students to gain hands-on, real-world experience
through field rotations and internships, which frequently
result in job placement after graduation.
“It gives students an opportunity to experience various
areas of practice, to discover what they like, and it gives us
an opportunity to weigh new talent,” says Chris Accashian
(M.H.A. ’01/HA), chief operating officer for Retreat
Doctors’ Hospital, a campus of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
and part of the HCA Virginia Health System.
Anthony Santowasso (B.S. ’89/PT) interned at Henrico
Doctors’ Hospital while a student in the Department
of Physical Therapy. The experience netted him a job offer
and he’s been with the hospital ever since.
“When you go on an affiliation, it’s kind of like a longterm
job interview,” Santowasso says.
Santowasso’s experience reflects a common theme among
Department of Physical Therapy graduates.
“Our students are 100 percent employed after they
come back from their internships, if they’re looking,” says
Thomas Mayhew, PT, Ph.D., chair of the Department of
Physical Therapy.
He says students also help feed information from the
field to the classroom. Accashian agrees, adding that the
relationship works both ways.
“It’s always nice to get new and fresh ideas and students
often provide that,” Accashian says. “Often, they may be
learning things at school that we may not be aware of, so
receiving different viewpoints provides a mutually beneficial
relationship.”
Retreat employs a number of VCU alumni, including
Mark Bouziane (M.S. ’92/PT), who recently received
Mark Bouziane (M.S. ’92/PT), acute care
therapist and advanced clinical instructor
for Retreat Doctors’ Hospital, performs an
ultrasonic debridement procedure.
HCA’s Frist Humanitarian Award for Retreat Doctors’
Hospital — the highest honor its employees, volunteers
and medical staff members can receive. Bouziane is an
acute care therapist and advanced clinical instructor in
the hospital’s physical therapy department, where he hosts
a steady flow of VCU students serving on clinical rotations
and internships. He frequently assists in treatments
rendered in the hospital’s hydrotherapy department.
Hydrotherapy has long played a role in physical rehabilitation,
where water is used to provide buoyancy for
patients who would otherwise have difficulty moving and
with range of motion; but the practice has expanded and
today includes advanced water-based therapy used for such
things as treating chronic wounds, an area Bouziane says
he’s ventured into over the years.
“When you look at [the hydrotherapy that] was done in
the 1940s, most of that pertained to range of motion and
plasticity,” Bouziane says. “Today, we’re using hydrotherapy
to treat chronic wounds and through much different means.”
Bouziane says he often collaborates with therapists
working in Retreat’s Wound Healing Center. The center
employs some of the latest hydrotherapy technology, including
ultrasonic debridement, a technique that accelerates healing
by using ultrasound energy to remove devitalized tissue
while sparing viable cells. Bouziane says the hospital
receives inquiries from students as far away as San Diego
who are interested in the technology. VCU students often
get to witness the technology firsthand.
“If you really want to see it all, [VCU] is where you want
to be,” Mayhew says. “I say, if you want to get trained,
this is where you want to do it — where we have a thousand
beds across the street [at VCU Medical Center] and
a community of hospitals that are full of our alumni and
grads who are willing to come in here to teach and to take
you in as students.”
Courtesy of Retreat Doctors’ Hospital
continued on Page 8
6 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 7

continued from Page 6
can be used to support the development
of new technologies.
“With physical therapy, you
see a profession that’s building
on itself,” says Matt Wilks (M.S.
’99/PT), who directs inpatient
therapy services for Sheltering Arms
Physical Rehabilitation Center in
Richmond, Va. “These days, we
have valid outcome tests, so we can
measure which treatments are more
effective than others for particular
types of injuries.”
Arriving in the future
Wilks directs a comprehensive
walking recovery program for
Sheltering Arms known as iWALK.
The program isn’t focused on any one
diagnosis, but is for anyone suffering
from a walk-inhibitive injury or
disease. Pidcoe says iWALK represents
the height of evidence-based
practice.
“With programs like iWALK, we’re
basically pushing practice as close
to the real-time science as possible,”
Wilks says.
One of iWALK’s machines, the
ZeroG, is touted as the world’s
most advanced body-weight support
system for over-ground walking
and balance retraining. The device
consists of a zero-footprint trolley
and harness, which replaces the use
of multiple therapists and other
rudimentary equipment to support
a patient. Lokomat Pro, a similar
but even more advanced robotic
walk re-trainer machine, allows
patients who aren’t yet able to walk
— or even stand — to move impressive
distances.
“Traditional methods, using
supportive equipment and the
help of several people, would allow
someone to walk maybe five feet,”
Wilks says. “And that method isn’t
entirely safe or perfect. You take that
same person who can only walk five
A patient visits the VCU Medical Center at Stony Point for
a physical therapy session.
Peter Pidcoe, PT, D.P.T., Ph.D., works with a student in the biomechanics
movement lab.
Melissa W. Banta, D.P.T., physical therapist and manager of
inpatient rehab at Sheltering Arms’ Hanover physical rehabilitation
center, talks with a patient.
feet and place them on the Lokomat,
and they can then walk a half mile.
The additional repetition and intensity
is critical for optimal recovery.”
iWALK and machines like Lokomat
produce real-time data, supporting
evidence that suggests recovery
times are significantly boosted with
early therapy. Even before patients
are capable of supporting any weight
or moving limbs independently,
machines like Lokomat allow them
to pass through the natural walking
motions. The effect not only helps to
build range of motion (like earlier
forms of physical therapy), but it
also helps build new neural pathways
to circumvent damaged areas
of the brain.
“You’re basically trying to get them
to rebuild these pathways sooner,”
says Pidcoe, who recently entered into
an agreement with Sheltering Arms
to help evaluate the effectiveness of
iWalk’s equipment. “Old PT still did
it, but we didn’t do it with the same
volume. I’m looking at the rehab side
of things and applying neuroscience
techniques to helping these people.”
Gearing up
New technology fuels excitement
among physical therapy students,
especially through hands-on experience.
“You just want to get out there and
start using this stuff,” says Stephen
Vesely, a second-year VCU student.
“Every couple of Wednesdays, we
get the chance to sit in and participate
in the clinical setting — observing,
interacting with real patients and
assisting in hands-on,” Vesely says.
“Recently, during one of these visits,
I was actually getting to do some
hands-on when I thought to myself,
‘Wow … I’m really going to be doing
this. And soon!’”
Physical therapy’s next “big bang”
could arrive not via new research and
technology, but rather via a push for national standards
in higher education — beyond the level of basic accreditation.
The effort is backed by a
newly formed Academic Council of
Physical Therapy, which is part of
the American Physical Therapy
Association. Thomas Mayhew, PT,
Ph.D., chair of VCU’s Department
of Physical Therapy, serves on the council’s
inaugural board of directors.
“This is a significant change in physical
therapy education,” he says, adding
that no standard for excellence in higher
education has ever existed.
The council results from a fouryear
effort, including 16 department
chairs, with the primary goal of creating
a governing voice among APTA
members for matters pertaining
to education. Prior to the council’s
formation, Mayhew says that there
was no unified voice representing
the physical therapy programs on
educational matters. With the formation of the council,
now when it comes to voting on matters of education, only
council members are allowed to render their votes. He sees this
as a starting point for developing educational standards driven
by department chairs.
Kari Hershey (D.P.T. ’11/PT), physical therapist for Sheltering
Arms Physical Rehabilitation Center, works with a patient.
“There’s never been a voice for physical therapy education
that’s made up of the programs themselves,” Mayhew says.
“[The APTA has] done a great job for a
number of years, but, as a professional
association, it’s concerned with many
issues, including practice acts, legislation,
reimbursement, etc. [and not
educational standards].”
Mayhew says that if the council
manages to gain the support of
the majority of physical therapy
departments, this could represent
a tipping point for physical therapy
education, toward standards for
excellence.
In her 1981 speech at the Mary
McMillan Lecture, Hirt not only
incited change, but also relayed a
challenge McMillan had posed to
the field’s earliest founders: “What
we need now is a unanimous effort
to establish high standards for our
profession — and enthusiasm that
knows no bounds.” Thirty years later, Hirt and McMillan
would be pleased to see VCU faculty members leading
the charge.
Drew Vass (B.A. ’02) is a contributing writer
for VCU Allied Health.
“The Evolution of Physical Therapy
at the Medical College of Virginia
and Virginia Commonwealth University”
By Mary Snyder Shall, PT, Ph.D.
Get your copy, and support future generations of physical
therapists, with a donation of $80 or more to the
80-Year Anniversary Scholarship fund. (Please note
the book’s value of $20 is not tax deductible.)
To order your copy, call (804) 828-0234.
8 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 9

Gloria J. Bazzoli, Ph.D., primarily studies multi-hospital
systems and hospital participation in the safety net. Her research
has examined how financial pressures affect the quality of hospital
care and hospital community benefit activities, including the care
provided to low-income, uninsured and vulnerable populations.
As a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University
Department of Health Administration, she’s held this focus for
15 years and considers her research as timely and important
today as when she first began. Bazzoli holds the Bon Secours
Professorship in Health Administration, which allows her to
stay the course when research funding drifts away from her area
of interest.
“Sometimes, faculty will move from topic A to topic B, simply
because they can get grant money in a given area,” Bazzoli says,
suggesting that often the flow of grant money may dwindle for
areas of particular interest to a researcher. “What the endowed
professorship does for me is — it allows me to continue working
in a given direction and in a given area, or allows me to move
to new, related areas, even when funding for a particular topic
is not readily available.”
Philanthropy at its finest
Faculty endowments (labeled professorships, distinguished
professorships or chairs) match private and corporate donors
with faculty members whose efforts mirror their philanthropic
interests. Professorships and chairs can be used to reward and
honor existing or new faculty members with salaries that are
commensurate with their accomplishments and high-level
efforts. The donor’s original intent is preserved through
a formal agreement with the university, which governs and
ensures the endowment remains on target and aligned with
a donor’s goals (indefinitely). Part of this process includes the
review of faculty appointments every five years by the provost
or vice president for health sciences and the school.
Bazzoli serves as an example of a perfect match.
“My research and goals are especially relevant to Bon Secours’
organizational mission,” she says. “Given the research I do,
The importance
of a chair
Faculty endowments pave the way for long-term success
By Drew Vass
there was a philosophical link to their organizational objectives
and activities. It’s a great honor, especially from the perspective
of how it relates to and acknowledges the work I’ve done and
continue to do.”
Brian Thomas, senior executive director of development for
the MCV Foundation, which handles the financial side of
endowments, says most aren’t funded by corporations (like Bon
Secours), but by individuals. When donors come forward with
the desire to donate the $250,000 to $1 million required for
establishing a professorship or chair, respectively, the foundation
matches their interests with MCV Campus priorities and establishes
a plan for action.
“Sometimes a donor comes with a specific idea, wanting to
support one specific area,” explains Anne Hoffler, senior director
of donor relations for the Office of Development and Alumni
Relations. “Maybe a family member has suffered from a specific
disease and they want to contribute to faculty who research or
work in that area of medicine.”
Donors can contribute the full amount required to instate the
endowment at once, or they can pledge to fulfill the amount
over a five-year period. Once the full funds are secured by the
MCV Foundation, they’re commingled in a larger investment
account, though the principal amount of each gift is carefully
tracked, reported and remains intact. Gains generated through
investment are divvied up according to each endowment’s share
of the overall profits (based on principal), which are then used to
fund each individual endowment year after year.
“The MCV Foundation serves an accounting function for
these endowments,” Thomas says. “We deposit the funds into the
appropriate accounts and invest the funds through our investment
portfolio. We also serve as stewards, providing reports for
all activity.”
Thomas says the foundation board reviews the spending policy
for endowed funds annually. The current spending policy allows
an annual payout of approximately 5 percent. Any return greater
than the 5 percent is put back into the corpus of the endowment to
ensure long-term growth. Growth is a primary goal, especially for
professorships, which start at $250,000 but can ultimately
convert to chairs when they reach the $1 million mark.
Functionally, the only difference in endowed professorships
and chairs is the principal amount of investment. Often donors will
establish a plan for increasing their investment over a given period,
but it’s worth noting that anyone can contribute any amount
to any endowment, not just the original donor or donor group.
A legacy of influence
When it comes to naming endowments, donors can do as they
wish, which often includes commemorating prominent figures
in VCU’s history. The Payton Professorship in Physical Therapy,
for instance, was established by an anonymous source in 2004 to
honor Otto D. Payton, PT, Ph.D., the former professor and chair
of the Department of Physical Therapy, who served for 28 years.
Payton was — and continues to be — nationally recognized as
a therapist, educator and researcher.
“The Otto Payton Professorship brings a certain amount of
recognition from folks that I don’t necessarily know, or aren’t
even necessarily familiar with me, but knew Dr. Payton,” says
Daniel L. Riddle, PT, Ph.D., the Payton Professor in Physical
Therapy. “It garners a certain amount of credibility.”
Riddle suggests that not only do endowments bring prestige
and recognition to faculty members and the university, but they
also raise the bar for performance.
“I think it creates a higher level of expectations and effort,”
he says. “I expected better of myself, regarding my goals and
accomplishments.”
Power in numbers
Philanthropy isn’t limited to $250,000-plus donations. And
not every endowment begins with a lump sum. Endowments
can be established with $10,000 and often start as campaigns,
such as the Department of Gerontology's recent launch of an
initiative to raise funds for a professorship (see Page 34 for details).
Campaigns have been “my main focus since joining the foundation,”
says Rebecca Perdue (B.S. ’62/CLS), a School of Allied
Health Professions alumna who recently became a trustee of
the MCV Foundation. “We have these huge campaigns which
target philanthropists, people who are able to donate large
sums of money, but other folks want to feel a part of this as
well. And the fact is, every bit counts, so we need to help people
understand how they can contribute.”
For example, with the 85th anniversary for the Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences in 2012, Perdue and other
CLS graduates are creating a campaign that celebrates
this milestone. Perdue and others also intend to organize
campaigns designed to solicit donations from professionals
who benefit from clinical laboratory services, such as pediatricians,
doctors and laboratories recruiting VCU students. Their
primary goal is to establish a professorship for the Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, but ultimately Perdue says
they would like to see the professorship graduate to a chair.
D. Mark Cooper, M.Div., D.Min. (left), retired associate
professor and the first Rev. Robert B. Lantz Chair in Patient
Counseling, stands with Katherine I. Lantz and Alexander
Tartaglia, M.Div., D.Min., associate dean of the VCU School
of Allied Health Professions and the Katherine I. Lantz Professor
of Patient Counseling, at the May 2011 investiture ceremony.
In those cases, and with any corporately funded endowment, no
goods or services can be exchanged, as donors are not allowed to
benefit directly from faculty members’ efforts. At the same time,
Thomas points out that, for corporate donors, name recognition
alone — among all those associated with VCU — carries value.
Ultimately, the real beneficiaries of professorships and chairs
includes students who study under endowed faculty members,
as well as anyone who is touched by their research. In the end,
everyone benefits.
Drew Vass (B.A. ’02) is a contributing writer
for VCU Allied Health.
Make a difference
For more information on endowments, visit
www.mcvfoundation.org and click on “Ways of
giving” and then “Endowments.” Donations are
welcome for existing opportunities, or contact Jessica
Gurganus to help align your philanthropic goals with
one of the school’s many causes.
A complete list of endowed professorships and chairs
for the School of Allied Health Professions can be
accessed online at www.sahp.vcu.edu/alumni/chairs
_professorships.html.
10 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 11

Immersed
in the industry
Residency thrives on hands-on experiences
for health administration students
By Andy Bates
“The residency really drives home the
value of the entire degree. It’s not just
classroom experience. It’s a significant
step into the real world.”
– Jessica Lampley, administrative resident
in her third year of study in the Master
of Health Administration program
Photo courtesy of Glenn Gale, Main Line Health
Any health administrator would recognize Jessica
Lampley’s Friday morning. Upon arriving at Riddle
Hospital, part of Philadelphia’s Main Line Health
system, she heads to a meeting focused on improving care
quality for hip and spine fracture patients. She and her team
are developing a pilot project to reduce door-to-operatingroom
time, and in order to identify opportunities for
improvement, they’ll need to
speak with and observe everybody
involved with a patient
from the moment he walks
through the door.
Later in the day, she’ll
meet with the hospital’s analyst
of market share data to
determine the feasibility of
implementing an osteoporosis
care center. She’ll carve out time with the president of the
health system, organize agendas for next week and catch up
on emails and paperwork until around 7 p.m.
But Lampley isn’t a health administrator. Not yet, at least.
Rather, she’s an administrative resident in her third year
of study in the Master of Health Administration program
at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Allied
Health Professions.
The depth of Lampley’s hands-on experience speaks to the
core of the M.H.A. program’s mission to build future health
“This program stretches students’ abilities
until they achieve a greater skill set. That’s
what makes them so well prepared to enter
the health care work environment.”
– Lynn Pitman, ‘93 graduate and student preceptor at Wake Forest Baptist Health
care industry leaders and, along with a renowned faculty and
rigorous curriculum, it’s one of the main reasons the program
earned a U.S. News & World Report No. 5 ranking in 2011.
Lampley’s placement is unique in that she successfully competed
for a fellowship outside the network of preceptors that
VCU lines up for its students. But her experience is on par
with what each M.H.A. student goes through.
During the year they
spend as a resident at various
hospitals and health
care centers from as near as
Richmond and as far away
as Colorado, California and
Texas, students get a closeup
view of every facet of
an operation. They shadow
presidents, chief information
officers, physicians, nurses, clinicians, pharmacists,
payroll officers, custodians and delivery personnel, just to
name a few. Once they find a niche, they design and manage
a project meant to address an issue specific to their
residency site as their final academic requirement before
earning their degree.
“The residency really drives home the value of the entire
degree,” Lampley says, citing it as a major factor in her
decision to choose VCU. “It’s not just classroom experience.
It’s a significant step into the real world.”
“Being immersed in the industry is key,” adds fellow
third-year classmate Chris Barker, an administrative resident
at CJW Medical Center in Richmond. “A lot of programs
I looked at send you on your way, and you’re left to compete
for national fellowships. Here, they really support you, and
every day I feel I’ve grown because of this. I know I’m ready
once I leave here because of this.”
VCU remains committed to requiring the residency
because, as Cindy Watts, Ph.D., professor and chair of the
Department of Health Administration, contends, it’s what
molds administrators who understand and value the many
people they work with, who can be good listeners and use
their experiences to gain self-reflection and compassion.
“Two years of course work is important,” Watts says, “but
it’s not nearly enough. A classroom can’t really teach you what
it’s like to be in a boardroom with a group of stakeholders. It
doesn’t teach you to understand the culture of an organization.
You can try to teach it, but until you see it in action,
you really don’t know. You have to shadow and observe great
leaders to become one.”
But how does VCU continue to find these leaders to help
mentor and pay students when so many hospitals and health
systems are tightening their belts?
One answer is simply hard work. For Dolores Clement,
Dr.P.H., Charles P. Cardwell, Jr. Professor, vice chair and
director of graduate programs for the Department of Health
Administration, there’s rarely a day when she isn’t in contact
with existing and potential preceptors. Not only is this
networking important to keeping the residency program
strong, she says, it’s integral to helping students and preceptors
find the right fit.
Another answer is that many preceptors are alumni with
a desire to give back. Still, Lynn Pitman, a 1993 graduate who
now mentors students in her role as assistant vice president
of strategic and business planning at Wake Forest Baptist
Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., says alumni affinity for the
program is only half the story. Yes, she wants to keep her
alma mater successful, she says, but the quality of students
makes the decision to work with the program easy.
“We know we’re going to get a student who can contribute
right away and will represent our company well,” she says.
“This program stretches students’ abilities until they achieve
a greater skill set. That’s what makes them so well prepared
to enter the health care work environment.”
And, it’s not just alumni who see what Pitman sees. In fact,
more than half of the program’s preceptor sites since 1994
haven’t been affiliated with VCU through an alumni connection
at all, which faculty members point to as just one
more indicator that its students are a cut above the rest.
“Our students have a lot of value even before their residency,”
Watts says. “They’re assets, and regardless of where [a preceptor]
may have gone to school, I think they recognize that.”
Andy Bates is a contributing writer
for VCU Allied Health.
12 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 13

Honor the past,
reach for the future
Memories continue through
thoughtful planned giving
By Drew Vass
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of
Allied Health Professions marks the starting point
for purposeful living. Naturally, those who dedicate
their lives to a health care profession want to help perpetuate
their field and mission by donating to their alma maters.
Financial gifts often arrive at the urging of campaigns
(soliciting our help); but pledging ongoing support allows
for more purposeful use of donated funds.
Whether it be a pledge for annual support or a bequest
through an estate or life insurance policy, planned giving not
only makes good financial sense, but it is a vehicle by which
charitable donations become philanthropic missions.
“All it takes is a documented statement of intent,” says
Brian Thomas, senior executive director of development for
the MCV Foundation. “We work with donors to ensure that
the planned gifts make good sense for them and align with
fundraising priorities on the MCV Campus for its schools,
departments or units.” Following are a few of the personal
stories behind recent planned gifts.
“These stories honor the past and provide hope for the
future,” says Jessica F. Gurganus, assistant dean for development
for the School of Allied Health Professions. “Planned gifts
provide alternatives for retirement planning, creative financial
vehicles and peace of mind that philanthropic missions
will be achieved. These MCV Society members are a part of
something bigger. This is where visions, names and memories
live forever.”
The journey continues
James Hood II (M.S. ’78/RC; Cert. ’85/PC) says he has had
plenty of opportunities to contemplate death.
“Last year I nearly drowned,” he says. “I came within 30
seconds. And that’s happened to me a number of times over
the years.”
During his 25-year career as a rehabilitation counselor, Hood
spent his evenings and weekends navigating some of the world’s
toughest whitewater, competing as a slalom canoeist. After an
early retirement, he spent five years traveling the U.S., mountain
biking in various regions. Though he’s planning for many more
years of adventure, along the way, he’s had time to ponder his life
and what he will leave behind.
“All of the things that I am and the many friends that
I’ve made, as well as the amount of respect that I’ve received
in this profession — it all came from VCU and the School
of Allied Health Professions,” Hood notes.
As a student, Hood says he barely scraped by on the G.I.
Bill and a work-study program that paid him $2.50 an hour
(then the minimum wage). When it came time to decide
what he would do with a life insurance policy he earned
through the state of Virginia, he decided to meet with
the MCV Foundation to discuss how he might bequeath
the money to help students in similar need. The resulting
No better time than now
As the director of professional and community development for
the Department of Gerontology, Jay White (M.S. ’11/G) understands
the importance of getting a jump on planned giving.
“One of the things we see in gerontology is that
people could be a lot more proactive in their
planning when it comes to aging, which
includes philanthropy and legacy
gifts,” he says. “Better to begin
a conversation about how you
might like to be remembered
ahead of time than to have to
pay lawyers to figure it out at
the last minute.”
When it comes to planned
giving, White says the sooner
the better. As a student in
the gerontology department,
he decided to explore ways for
making a contribution to his
field of study. White’s financial
adviser suggested that he establish
a planned gift through the MCV
Foundation, with the stipulation that the
James Hood II
James M. Hood II Memorial Scholarship will go to graduate
students studying rehabilitation counseling.
“I can touch a lot of lives in a positive way,” Hood says. “And
they can say, ‘Who is this guy Hood?’ and then look into it.”
No doubt, they will find stories of high adventure and neardeath
experiences, coupled with a lifetime (and thereafter)
spent helping others.
money be used to support
the mission of gerontology.
“We’re not talking about
a huge amount of money,
but as far as the proliferation
of the department and
the university, I can’t think
of a better cause to give to
than improving eldercare
through education,” White
says. “Let’s face it, we’re all
aging every day. We have
77 million baby boomers
who just began to turn 65
this year. Society is woefully
unprepared for that.”
Jay White
White points out that not only did the move meet his
philanthropic goals, but it also made financial sense.
“Because of the way my funds are set up, if I pass before those
funds are exhausted, the federal government gets the current
taxable rate, which is probably 25 to 30 percent,” he says.
“If I leave that behind to a 501(3)c, they don’t get any of it.”
He views the arrangement as a win-win.
14 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 15

MCV Society
honors philanthropists
The MCV Foundation invites you to join
its MCV Society, a distinguished group of
individuals who share a vision of excellence
for the university’s MCV Campus.
The MCV Foundation created the society to recognize and
extend gratitude to those who made provisions in their estate
planning in support of the health sciences schools, including
Allied Health Professions, as well as MCV Hospitals,
Massey Cancer Center or the Tompkins-McCaw Library.
Through their thoughtful consideration, society members
help advance superior patient care, medical education and
research in every corner of campus.
To view a complete list of MCV Society members, visit
www.mcvfoundation.org/thanks/mcvroster.html.
MCV Society members enjoy the group’s fifth annual outing at Agecroft Hall.
Pictured from left: MCV Foundation Trustee Becky Perdue (B.S. ’62/
CLS), John Taylor, Janet Coon (B.S. ’59/MET), MCV Foundation Trustee
Judy Collins (Cert. ’75/N) and former trustee board chair Ruth Campbell,
M.D. (M.D. ’57; H.S. ’60).
A spirit of giving
Eleanor and Winston Gouldin in Egypt
When a loved one passes, there are many ways to preserve
memories, but few ways to preserve their spirit and character.
Cindy Gouldin’s (B.S. ’87/PT) was a spirit of giving and
compassion. She was a physical therapist and a prolific volunteer
who was passionate about her work. With her untimely
death at the age of 39 from complications associated with a
brain tumor, her parents, T. Winston Gouldin, M.D. (M.D.
’54), and Eleanor Gouldin (’53/N), began searching for a
means to preserve her spirit of public service. Ultimately,
they found a way through donations and planned giving.
“When you lose a loved one, it leaves a hole in your
heart,” Winston Gouldin says. “I think that’s especially
true when it comes to children. We were searching, ever
since she died, for ways to honor her.”
The Gouldins created a children’s program in Cindy’s honor
at their church, but they wanted to establish something more
permanent, something aimed at two of Cindy’s greatest passions
— physical therapy and public service. Through two
initial donations, they created a scholarship that will benefit two
physical therapy students who exhibit a drive for public service.
Nominees are self-selected and provide a
list of service-related activities, and then
students vote on candidates within their
class. The couple found the act so gratifying
that they later made a planned gift,
which will be fulfilled through their estate.
The donation will establish two additional
scholarships — one in physical therapy,
the other in nursing.
Winston Gouldin wrote a book,
“Cindy: A Story of Love,” commemorating his daughter’s
life and memory. Each scholarship recipient receives a
copy, allowing them to “know” the spirit they help preserve
through their work. The book is also available on Amazon.
com, with proceeds benefiting brain tumor research.
Replanting seeds for success
Roger Robertson (B.S. ’77/PT; M.S. ’87/PT) and his wife,
Donna (B.S. ’77/OT), years ago sat down to do a little soul
searching. The two decided it was time to re-evaluate their
goals for what they would “leave behind in this life,” he
says. While pondering a list of possible benefactors, VCU
was top of mind.
“We sat down and said, ‘OK, we’re going to do this. Now,
which organizations or charities do we feel connected with?’”
Roger Robertson says.
It comes as no surprise that the two feel connected with
VCU. They met on the university’s West Campus in 1974,
while he was working toward applying for the physical therapy
program and she was doing the same for occupational
therapy. More than 30 years later, both work for Vidant
Health, a 10-hospital health care system that’s headquartered
in Greenville, N.C., where they currently live. He serves as
president for the company’s network of community hospitals.
She continues to work as an occupational therapist.
“In essence, VCU provided us with the education, skills and
professional orientation that we needed to be successful in our
careers,” Robertson says. “We feel obligated to give back to an
organization that made that much of an impact on our lives.”
The two sat down with their financial adviser to establish
how they might use a life insurance policy for philanthropic
purposes. The MCV Foundation is one of several organizations
listed as benefactors, with no stipulation for how the
donation will be used. Instead, the couple decided to allow
Types of planned giving
Roger and Donna Robertson
the foundation to direct the money toward its best use. Their
intention is to help perpetuate the system that paved the way
for two prosperous careers.
“We’re well aware of the challenges that public institutions
go through in this day and age,” Robertson says. “We’re happy
to do our part to help alleviate some of those struggles.”
Drew Vass (B.A. ’02) is a contributing writer
for VCU Allied Health.
Planned giving refers to any charitable gift that requires a plan for execution (as opposed to, for instance, an immediate
cash donation). The most typical types of planned gifts that the MCV Foundation receives include the following:
Simple bequests – Donors retain full control of the property,
but include bequest wording that designates the foundation as a
beneficiary of property in their will(s). This method often results
in a tax savings for individual estates. Donations can include cash,
securities, real estate, personal property or virtually any owned asset.
Charitable remainder trusts – Created when donors irrevocably
transfer cash, securities or property to a trust for the foundation’s
benefit. In exchange, donors or designated beneficiaries receive a
fixed dollar amount on an annual (or more frequent) basis for life, or
for a fixed term of up to 20 years. At the death of the donor and/or
beneficiaries, or at the end of a designated term, the trust terminates
and the assets transfer to the foundation.
Charitable gift annuities – An annuity contract that allows
for the transfer of assets to the foundation with the stipulation that
the foundation make regular, fixed payments to the donor over the
course of the donor’s life.
Charitable lead trusts – A common means for supporting
the university’s programs while transferring assets to beneficiaries
(typically surviving family members) at a reduced amount of gift and
estate taxes. The use of the word “lead” reflects the fact that the foundation
manages the trust and related investments. In this way, the
foundation receives immediate income while heirs may ultimately
receive a larger inheritance than they would otherwise through an
outright bequest or accumulation trust by means of reduced tax rates.
16 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 17

Research in theory,
research in action
Examining where the school’s focus rests and
rounding up the work of two researchers
By Andy Bates
Aresearch grant proposal isn’t normally described as a
work of art. But, in speaking with Brian T. McMahon,
Ph.D., assistant dean for research in the School of Allied
Health Professions at Virginia Commonwealth University,
it’s hard not to appreciate the beauty he sees in the blend of
intellectual curiosity, collaboration and persistence required
to craft and answer the right research questions.
Sound research, McMahon says, begins with identifying
knowledge deficits — those things that aren’t quite understood
but, once addressed, would
make a marked difference
in how people live, work
and learn. These can range
from investigating health
care accessibility and the
potential uses of new medications
and technologies
to the place of spirituality
and ethics in health care
service. But regardless of
the focus, McMahon says
success is tied to an investment not only in forward-thinking
faculty, but also research infrastructure — everything from
hiring statisticians, grant writers and librarians to building better
access to databases, laboratories and information technology.
A full-time professor in the Department of Rehabilitation
Counseling, McMahon brings an educator’s stance to his position
as assistant dean for research. So, while seeking funding
for the school’s research endeavors remains the priority, he says
he gains satisfaction from teaching and mentoring faculty in
the “art of grant architecture, preparation and submission.”
“By nature, this involves a lot of interdisciplinary collaboration,”
he says. “I see it as a protracted jigsaw puzzle.
Piece by piece it comes together as something that is greater
than the sum of its parts and, in the end, it is both beautiful
and compelling.”
Putting this puzzle together, he adds, helps breed passion
and focus among faculty members and also ensures that the
skills and knowledge they bring as educators are consistent
with the latest evidence-based practices.
“Education without
research is folklore,”
McMahon says. “This
is the real advantage of
a research university
like VCU. We have an
obligation to see that
what has been demonstrated
as effective is
communicated quickly
and accurately to our
students and clinicians
in all of our VCU classrooms and clinics.”
It all starts with that spark, he stresses, that initial review
and critical questioning of the current state of knowledge.
“Give me a great research question,” McMahon says,
“one which, when answered, can really make a difference in
health care, and we can put together a team to help you find
the answer.”
To illustrate, here’s a look at two of the school’s junior
researchers, the questions they’re trying to answer and the
findings that may be within their grasps.
“Education without research is folklore. This is the
real advantage of a research university like VCU.
We have an obligation to see that what has been
demonstrated as effective is communicated quickly
and accurately to our students and clinicians
in all of our VCU classrooms and clinics.”
– Brian T. McMahon, Ph.D., assistant dean for research
at VCU’s School of Allied Health Professions
Dusing examines methods of movement in infants
For Stacey Dusing, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department
of Physical Therapy and director and founder of the department’s
Motor Development Lab, it’s all about movement.
Watching an infant play, it’s easy to consider the act
clumsy, as he sways, stumbles and tips. But those sways
are, in fact, the product of a very essential strategy called
postural control. The infant tests different movements to
see what allows him to sit upright, what helps him reach for
that rattle. The brain is capable of logging these trials and
errors to devise new methods of using muscles to manipulate
how the body moves.
But what happens when an infant has difficulty controlling
his posture? How soon can such difficulties be spotted?
What types of environmental factors impact postural control
and motor development? And what can researchers do to
help infants reach their fullest potential?
Through funding from an A.D. Williams award through
VCU and a career development award from the Comprehensive
Opportunities for Rehabilitation Research Training program
funded by the National Institutes of Health, these are some of
the questions Dusing has been able to ask in her research at the
Motor Development Lab.
Dusing is currently testing the theory that infants born
pre-term, or with developmental delays or disabilities like
cerebral palsy, tend to rely on a small set of repetitive movements
to control posture rather than trying new strategies.
She hypothesizes that these repetitive movements reduce
the infant’s ability to manipulate objects, learn from their
environment, interact with their parents and navigate the
world around them.
“If we can help infants learn to control posture at a younger
age, we may be able to prevent some learning challenges,”
18 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 19

Dusing says. “Improving an infant or
young child’s motor skills will likely
advance all aspects of their development.”
According to Dusing, there isn’t much
research dealing with postural control in
the first year of life, so “spotting a lack of
variability in postural control in the first
six months of life will allow us to provide
intervention when the brain and body are
the most adaptable.”
By comparing center-of-pressure measurements
of at-risk infants with typically
developing infants, Dusing can examine
the variety of postural control strategies
and the average force exerted by a body
in various positions. This work is leading
to interventions designed to improve
postural control, encourage a variety of
movement strategies and promote learning
through exploration of the world
around the infant.
“We envision intervention as physical
therapists and parents working together to
help infants move with a wider variety of
postural control strategies so they can learn
what works best for them,” Dusing says.
Research support inspires discovery
Stacey Dusing, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, works with an infant on postural
control strategies at the department’s Motor Development Lab, which she founded and directs.
VCU’s stated quest to cement its legacy as a premier urban, public research university hinges on every
school’s ability to secure private funding to fuel the pursuit of discovery across disciplines, and as Brian
McMahon, Ph.D., assistant dean for research at VCU’s School of Allied Health Professions, concludes, “There
is plenty of energy, excitement and momentum around the generation of new knowledge in the School
of Allied Health Professions these days, and our best years are ahead.”
That excitement and momentum, while certainly effective in competing for funding through grant and other
private sources, has also helped spur philanthropic support earmarked for research, which augments
funding for new laboratories and equipment, provides seed money for promising research endeavors
and helps investigators meet matching fund requirements for grants. Most importantly, however, private
support provides the School of Allied Health Professions the means to hire senior-level scientists to lead
the charge of discovery and help sustain the energy and excitement that McMahon describes.
To learn more about the impact philanthropic support and planned giving has on the School of Allied Health
Professions, see “The importance of a chair” on Page 10 and “Honor the past, reach for the future” on Page 14.
DeShazo develops technologies for health care and learning
Jonathan DeShazo, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the
Department of Health Administration, has a bit of a split
research personality. As associate director of the Biomedical
Informatics Core within VCU’s Center for Clinical and
Translational Research, he spends much of his time building
information technologies and studying how well these technologies
function on a user level so that
better data is available to patients
and practitioners, which can result
in better health care decisions.
At the same time, DeShazo
describes himself as a gamer,
and when he’s not teaching or
working with the CCTR, he’s
devising ways to integrate video
games into the classroom and
into patients’ lives.
DeShazo contributed to the technology portion of VCU’s
largest-ever grant proposal, a $20 million Clinical and
Translational Science Award, and part of that money has
gone into his medical informatics research through the
CCTR. This research primarily involves the development of
three distinct technologies that can have significant impacts
on how researchers assemble, study and share information.
The electronic data capture system, for example, helps
researchers perform surveys and electronic case reports to
build their own collections of data. The cohort identification
tool functions as a self-service site that allows researchers to
determine potential pools of patients treated at VCU based
on whatever criteria their clinical trials may require. Similarly,
all of these wide-ranging forms of information can be
housed in a clinical data warehouse, which DeShazo says is
more comprehensive and research-centered than traditional
electronic medical records systems.
“The basic goal is to develop technologies and provide data
and consulting services to researchers so they can do better
research and make more rapid contributions to their field,”
DeShazo says.
In the coming year, one focus of his work at the CCTR will
be to determine how these technologies can help VCU and
other institutions and health systems share information and
collaborate on studies. Another goal is to continue to move
VCU Medical Center’s patient portal system forward so that
patients can update family histories, be alerted to potential
trials and generally make better decisions about their health.
This is where part of DeShazo’s video game interest comes
in. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
DeShazo works to design video games for adult users aimed
at improving nutritional information and diabetes management
skills. Often, DeShazo says, instilling these skills can
“The basic goal is to develop
technologies and provide data and
consulting services to researchers so they
can do better research and make more
rapid contributions to their field.”
– Jon DeShazo, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor
in the Department of Health Administration
be as simple as adding educational components to existing
models of popular games like Sudoku or hangman, where
a player earns extra points or turns by answering an educational
question directly.
Games can function in classroom learning, too, DeShazo
says, and he’s in the process of building and testing a roleplaying
game for his health care
information technology management
class that allows students to
get a better feel for the ins and
outs of information technology
in the health care system. Tied
to Facebook and structured like
the popular games FarmVille and
Mafia Wars, DeShazo’s game
asks users to start out as an IT
help desk technician. Then, using
the concepts taught in the classroom, users complete more
complicated jobs that allow them to move up the ranks, with
the goal of securing the position of chief information officer.
What video games offer, DeShazo says, is a level of fun that
simultaneously allows for learning to take place, regardless of
whether that learner is a student applying a classroom concept
or a patient looking to learn more about their health habits.
Andy Bates is a contributing writer
for VCU Allied Health.
Jon DeShazo, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Department of Health
Administration, uses role-playing video games, like the one pictured behind him,
to help teach concepts and provide a fun learning atmosphere in his health care
information technology management class.
20 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 21

Global reach
School of Allied Health Professions alumni
translate their skills into worldwide care
Health issues know no borders. And neither do the efforts of alumni of the
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions. Those
who are compelled to take their skills and expertise to far corners of the
earth say that working abroad places an entirely new perspective on the
interconnectivity of all mankind and the need for global health care efforts.
Following are a few of the thoughts alumni shared from their experiences.
“
The world has become a very small place and issues occurring
somewhere else have a ripple effect that we cannot be isolated
from. I find it comforting working with people who are ‘different,’
or from somewhere else, as it reinforces our sameness. I
cannot emphasize enough how the support of the VCU community
has been key. Through the networks I initially developed
at VCU, I have colleagues and mentors with various knowledge
and opportunities that I continue to call on and utilize. ”
Carolyn Hawley, Ph.D., at a colloquium
held Nov. 8, 2011, gathering collaborators
from Jerusalem
– Carolyn Hawley, Ph.D. (Ph.D. ’06/HRS)
assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling and principal
investigator for the Israeli/American Resilience Project, which works to enhance the
global scientific knowledge base and application of resilience as a means for increasing
the capacity of individuals to withstand and recoup from negative and traumatic
events (part of VCU’s International Partnerships Major Initiatives Award)
“
It becomes easy to only be concerned
with what directly affects us; but
health is a global matter. Whether
we realize it or not, women and girls
around the world who are affected
by domestic and sexual violence have
a profound impact on each of us here
in the U.S. and it will take a global
effort in order for change to occur. ”
– Aly Cooper (M.S.W. ’09; Cert. ’11/G)
a gerontological social worker who
lives in Taiwan and volunteers with
the Garden of Hope Foundation, an
organization that works with women,
children and youth who have experienced
sexual assault and/or exploitation and
domestic violence
“
Aly Cooper hiking through Lancheng Park in
Toucheng Township, Taiwan
Across the world, we have the same
desire to protect and provide for our
children. One of the strengths of the
VCU nurse anesthesia program is that
students are exposed to a wide variety
of facilities, equipment and anesthetic
techniques. This aspect of the program
was very helpful in preparing me for
the conditions I faced in Belize. ”
“
Interestingly enough, I think my desire
to live and work abroad may go all the
way back to the second grade, when
I chose Australia as the country that I
wanted to give a report on. I had to
take an international exam to get my
Australian nuclear medicine certification
and I can honestly say that there would
have been no way I could have passed
that exam without my education from
VCU and its nuclear medicine program. ”
– Kristen Hurst (B.S. ’04/RS)
a nuclear medicine technologist who lives
and works in Brisbane, Queensland,
Australia, and is dually accredited
in the U.S. and Australia
Kristen Hurst with a young patient in Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia
– Nickie Damico, CRNA
(B.S. ’97; M.S.N.A. ’99/NA)
assistant professor of professional
practice in the VCU Department of Nurse
Anesthesia who served on the Plastic
Surgeries Team in Belize for the
World Pediatric Project
Nickie Damico with a patient at Southern
Regional Medical Center in Dangriga, Belize
22 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 23

“
Health is a global issue because there
are many diseases and conditions that
are preventable if the proper resources
are available. That said, when in Haiti,
I don’t have access to all of the medical
supplies and equipment available in
the U.S.; however, I have learned to
be more creative and make do with
the materials that are available. It’s
amazing how many activities can
be done with a chair! ”
– Melanie Gray (D.P.T. ’05/PT)
a physical therapist who participated
in two international medical trips,
including Tagacaba, Brazil, in 2008,
and Jacmel, Haiti, in 2011
Melanie Gray, D.P.T., with a young patient on her trip to
Jacmel, Haiti, in 2011
“
By seeing a family make a difficult
decision that had the potential to
jeopardize their children’s lives, I was
challenged to assess my values and
overall outlook on life. Working with
them also reminded me of the universality
in making difficult life decisions. …
It forced me to think outside of the box
to offer intervention that would be appropriate
across cultures and to establish
rapport despite a language barrier. ”
– Jessica Lynn (M.S. ’11/OT)
an occupational therapist for
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU,
Bon Air Therapy Center, who recently
worked with conjoined twins from the
Dominican Republic who were surgically
separated by pediatric surgeons at CHoR
Jessica Lynn with a twin after a surgical separation procedure
“
The sharing of health care is the sharing
of life. As a professional, I have knowledge
and resources that can be redirected
to move the health care systems in underdeveloped
countries forward. This is my
calling and my obligation. Immersion in
the real-life experiences of others living
in other parts of the world makes me
continually aware of what God is calling
me to do to address this problem. ”
– Tim Randolph, Ph.D. (M.S. ’87/CLS)
associate professor and researcher, Saint Louis
University, Department of Clinical Laboratory
Science, and founder of Randolph World
Ministries Inc., an international ministry program
and organization that partners with 24
Haitian clinics to improve laboratory services
“
Tim Randolph, Ph.D., at work in a mobile clinic in Haiti
Right after my clinical pastoral education
residency with the patient counseling
program at MCV Hospitals and working
with other clinical pastoral education
supervisors at the hospital, as well
as throughout Virginia, in general, I
realized that there was a great need
for a dynamic CPE development in the
Philippines. I thought that it was important
for CPE leaders to be highly competent
in organizing, sustaining, guiding and
journeying. These were all part of my
education and what I learned and
experienced at the VCU School of
Allied Health Professions. ”
– Lucio B. Mutia, Th.D. (Cert. ’87/PC)
president of Philippine Association for
Clinical Pastoral Education and Practice Inc.
and executive director of its CPE program
Lucio Mutia, Th.D., at a clinical pastoral education
convention in the Philippines
“
Full conversations available online
Our world is so small now. We know immediately
when people are suffering in another
part of the globe. In my experience, the most
significant difference in providing health care,
particularly in Peru and South Africa, is the
level of true basic need and the difference
relatively small amounts of money make. Health
care becomes dealing with the basic needs of
food, shelter and water, preventing childhood
diseases with basic nutrition and hand-washing,
and managing infectious diseases. ”
– Sister Pat Eck, C.B.S. (M.H.A. ’81/HA)
congregation leader for Sisters of Bon Secours of
Paris who has worked in Ireland, France, Peru and
South Africa, and 2011 recipient of the Cross Pro
Ecclesia et Pontifice medal, a papal award that
represents the highest honor given to a member of a
religious community by the Vatican
For additional insights and to review full transcripts of conversations with these School
of Allied Health Professions alumni, visit www.sahp.vcu.edu/alumni.
Thank you to Bill Gray, a member of the MCV Foundation board of trustees, who
inspired this piece with his daughter Melanie Gray’s experience in Haiti. Her story
was so interesting that we wanted to share how Melanie and other alumni are making
an impact throughout the world with their knowledge and skills. We thank Bill for
promoting this idea and for his service on the MCV Foundation board.
Sister Pat Eck, left, with several colleagues in South Africa
24 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 25

A lifelong gift
Opportunity VCU, alumni generosity spark new student scholarships
Universities and tuition costs are not immune from difficult
economic times. As the cost of higher education continues to
rise, the amount of state funds allocated to help cover these
expenses continue to decrease. In fiscal year 2010, for example,
Virginia Commonwealth University received $25.4 million
less in state support than it did in fiscal year 2000, despite
enrolling nearly 9,000 more students.
One of the many challenges VCU faces in dealing with
these financial changes is finding funding for new student
scholarships — a key component to attracting the best and
brightest students to the university. As a result, the VCU and
Marion Cotter King
Memorial Gerontology Scholarship
The inspiration for
this newly created
gerontology scholarship,
Marion Cotter
King refused to let
advancing age get
in the way of her
enthusiasm for life.
“My mother was
very fun-loving,”
says James Cotter,
Ph.D., associate professor
of gerontology
in the VCU School of Allied Health Professions.
“She traveled to 44 countries and six of the seven
continents. She traveled even into her late 80s. She
would get taken to the cruise ships in a wheelchair,
but once she was on it, she would get up and dance
the night away.”
After her first husband passed away, King raised their
two children (Cotter and his younger sister, Patricia
Duggan) on her own, supporting her family as a single
mom at a time when few women worked outside the
home. “She was ahead of her time,” Cotter says.
By Tom Myrick
MCV Alumni Associations launched the Opportunity VCU
campaign in 2009, an initiative to raise $50 million for scholarships
and fellowships across all academic units.
Among those who have answered the challenge to participate
in Opportunity VCU are three special stories, each
with its own connection to the university and eagerness to
help students. Thanks to their efforts and generosity, VCU
students have new scholarships: the Marion Cotter King
Memorial Gerontology Scholarship, the Kathryn Lawrence
Dragas Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Lewis and
Violet Childers Memorial Scholarship in Physical Therapy.
But pursuing adventures and seeing the world always
remained a key part of King’s life. “Her love of life,
her interest in life and the world: Those are the things
about my mom that have inspired me,” Cotter says.
It is that zest and eagerness that motivated Cotter
and Duggan to start the Marion Cotter King
Memorial Gerontology Scholarship in their mother’s
honor. With its focus on students interested in
elder recreation and leisure, the scholarship will
allow others to get the same fulfillment out of
their golden years that King herself enjoyed.
“Scholarship is the first line of encouraging education,”
Cotter says. “Scholarships such as these also
help VCU as a whole. If it’s a choice between VCU
and somewhere else, and we are able to provide a
little bit of support, that could be a deciding factor
in attracting a bright student.”
Indeed, King’s connection to VCU goes beyond just
her son — three of her grandchildren have attended
the university as well, including Evan Cotter (B.F.A.
’03), Drew Cotter (B.S. ’06) and Margaret Cotter,
who is currently studying in Turkey as a Boren Scholar.
“I think [Margaret] got some of her grandmother’s
travel bug,” Cotter says.
For many graduates of the Department of
Occupational Therapy, one of the lasting memories of
the program is the friendships that working in such
a close-knit atmosphere provides. The long days of
classes and the numerous collaborative projects create
a unique bond between students of the OT program.
“I’ve gone to several universities, and what amazed
me about VCU’s occupational therapy program was
the sense of community and interpersonal relationships
it had,” Fiona Bessey-Bushnell (M.S.O.T. ’01/
OT) says. “It was a nurturing environment, and we
all helped each other out.”
Not only do these connections help students
while they are in the program (“You really have to
collaborate if you are going to get through school,”
Bessey-Bushnell says), the sense of fellowship also
continues long after graduation. It was that unity that
led three occupational therapy graduates — Bessey-
Bushnell, Cassie Lorie (M.S.O.T. ’01/OT) and Selena
Isabelle (M.S.O.T. ’01/OT) — to create the Kathryn
Lawrence Dragas Memorial Scholarship to honor
their friend and former classmate, Kathryn Dragas,
after she passed away in December 2009.
Lorie initially proposed the idea, and the three
graduates, with the help of Kathryn’s husband,
William Dragas, and her brother, John Lawrence,
did the legwork to get the scholarship off the ground,
pulling the occupational therapy class together to
work toward this common goal.
“Kathryn was always very giving of herself,” Bessey-
Bushnell says. “She was always willing to help out and
support others. She was always an excellent student as
well, so honoring her with a scholarship just made sense.”
While the scholarship is available to anyone
applying to the occupational therapy program,
preference will be given to those pursuing a career
Opportunity VCU
Kathryn Lawrence Dragas
Memorial Scholarship Fund
in pediatrics — a
particular interest
of Kathryn’s, as she
earned a number of
advanced certifications
in that area
after graduating
from VCU.
“Unfortunately,
I never got to meet
her, but it sounds
like Kathryn and
I were a lot alike,”
Jessica Lynn, the scholarship’s inaugural recipient,
says. “We had a lot of the same interests professionally,
and a lot of the same personality traits. I couldn’t put
into words how special it was to receive a scholarship
named for someone so highly thought of.”
In addition to extending Dragas’ legacy, the scholarship
also ensures that the kinship shared by OT
students will only continue to grow.
“This scholarship has really given me a better
connection with [Kathryn’s] classmates,” Jenny
Bonano, the scholarship’s second recipient, says.
“People like Fiona and everyone else I’ve met with
have been really supportive and are great resources
for me as a student. Meeting them also helps me
understand who Kathryn was as a person, as well as
learn how the OT program has developed over the
years. It’s been wonderful.”
“The scholarship is about helping others with funds,
but it’s also an opportunity for healing,” Bessey-
Bushnell says. “It was therapeutic to meet and talk to
the recipients. Plus, some of our class had lost touch,
and it was a chance for us to renew those connections
again. Kathryn would have been very pleased with that.”
“Scholarship is the first line of encouraging
education. So any help that comes to these
students takes some of the pressure
off them a little bit.”
– James Cotter, Ph.D.,
assistant professor in the
VCU Department of Gerontology
26 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 27

Opportunity VCU
Lewis and Violet Childers
Memorial Scholarship in Physical Therapy
Janet Showalter
(B.S. ’58/PT) knows
firsthand the important
role that outside
support can play in
overcoming obstacles
and achieving goals.
Encountering a
neighbor who was
often restricted
to a wheelchair
due to rheumatoid
arthritis, Showalter
learned the benefits of physical therapy at a young
age and quickly set her sights on a career in the field.
“I’ve always known I wanted to be a physical
therapist,” Showalter says. “But there just wasn’t
much knowledge out there about what a woman
could do [in medicine] besides being a nurse.”
In addition to the lack of opportunities, financial
concerns also threatened to derail Showalter’s dream.
Though money was tight within her family,
Showalter’s parents recognized her desire and
commitment, and found a way to support her
through her studies at Mary Washington College
and, later, the Medical College of Virginia.
“I know they worked very hard to be able to
get the finances together to send me to school,”
Showalter says. “They were wonderful parents and
I really wanted to find a way to honor them.”
In the end, Showalter decided on a fitting tribute to
the parents who had stood behind her: by providing
To support student scholarships in the VCU School
of Allied Health Professions, contact Jessica
Gurganus, assistant dean for development
and external affairs, at (804) 828-3269 or
jfgurganus@vcu.edu, or make an online gift at
www.support.vcu.edu/give/alliedhealthscholarship.
the same support they had offered her to others. The
Lewis and Violet Childers Memorial Scholarship,
created by Showalter and her husband, Lee, will assist
physical therapy students facing significant personal
challenges, such as financial need.
“A lot of times, there’s a person who is qualified
[to attend school for physical therapy], but he or
she just doesn’t have the finances available to them
to be able to follow that dream,” Showalter says. “I
just don’t think there are enough scholarships for
physical therapy students.”
Showalter’s daughter, Sarah Mays (B.S. ’84/PT),
believes her grandparents would be pleased to have
their names associated with the scholarship.
“I’m really happy for my mom to be able to
honor her parents this way,” Mays says. “They
would be thrilled to be able to encourage students
to get an education. It makes for a nice circle
of completion — they were able to put money
together to get her through school, so she now is
able to help others.”
A graduate from VCU’s physical therapy
program as well, Mays and her mother shared the
unique experience of being classmates during her
junior year, when Showalter and a friend audited
a handful of classes at VCU.
“It was very special,” Mays says. “We were in
the old South Hospital, and Mom had a chair
right behind me. She makes the most awesome
fudge, and would bring it in for everyone in the
class to eat during breaks. She was just like a mom
to everyone in the class.”
Tom Myrick (M.A. ’05; M.S. ’07) is a contributing
writer for VCU Allied Health.
News
The latest updates on scholarships, awards and research news from the
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions
VCU marks inauguration of its fifth president, Michael Rao, Ph.D.
In front of a packed Siegel Center audience that included
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan, faculty, staff, students, alumni
and visitors, VCU Rector Thomas G. Snead Jr. (B.S.
’76) and Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., provost and
vice president for academic affairs, presented the presidential
medallion to Michael Rao, Ph.D., installing
Rao as VCU’s fifth president on Oct. 14, 2011.
While the inauguration made Rao’s presidential
appointment official, his two years on campus following
his nine-year tenure as president of Central Michigan
University have already left an indelible impression at
VCU, sparking what McDonnell could only describe as
infectious enthusiasm.
In addressing the crowd, Rao demonstrated that
spirit in responding to Duncan’s challenge to build
on VCU’s status as one of the nation’s leading urban,
public research universities.
“We will find the answers our state, our nation and
the world so desperately need,” Rao said at the ceremony.
“It won’t be about lofty abstractions. It will
be about the immediate and intense needs of people.”
Patient safety inspires department chair to give
Michael D. Fallacaro, D.N.S., CRNA, chair of the Department
of Nurse Anesthesia, established an endowment this past fall
for a new student scholarship focused on patient safety.
“As nurse anesthetists, we are given a very special gift —
the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives
of others,” Fallacaro says. “We’ve had students who’ve gone
above and beyond to comfort individuals in times of need
or students make really extraordinary saves in the operating
room. We’ve had students come up with scholarly projects and
develop more robust systems to contribute to patient safety.”
While benefitting graduate students who embody this
spirit of giving, Fallcaro hopes the scholarship will also
inspire others to make contributions to the specialty, one
that he says has given so much to him.
To make a gift to the fund, please contact Jessica Gurganus, assistant
dean for development, at (804) 828-3269 or jfgurganus@vcu.
VCU officially welcomes Michael Rao, Ph.D., president, VCU and VCU Health
System, with a formal ceremony.
Already, Rao has made his mark in those areas, launching
in 2011 the university’s new strategic plan, Quest
for Distinction, which emphasizes academic excellence,
research that enhances quality of life and contributions
to the economic and cultural vitality of the community.
Similarly, Rao has guided VCU and the VCU Health
System to top designations by the Carnegie Foundation
as well as U.S. News & World Report.
Clinical laboratory sciences celebrates 85 years
In 2011, the School of Allied Health Professions’
departments of Physical Therapy, Gerontology and
Radiation Sciences celebrated their departmental
founding dates. This year, the Department of Clinical
Laboratory Sciences — founded as the School of
Medical Technology in 1927 — joins the celebration,
announcing its reunion event to be held in conjunction
with Reunion Weekend. The School of Allied Health
Professions invites clinical laboratory sciences alumni
and friends to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the
founding of the Department of Clinical Laboratory
Sciences on Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Virginia
Historical Society.
For more information, contact department Chair Teresa
Nadder, Ph.D. (B.S. ’78/MET; M.S. ’89/MET; Ph.D.
’98), at (804) 828-9469 or tsnadder@vcu.edu.
28 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 29

News
News
Gift honors Roice Luke, founder of M.S.H.A. program
A new scholarship bears the name of retired professor Roice Luke, Ph.D.
Just a few years after joining the Department of
Health Administration as chair in 1982, Roice Luke,
Ph.D., put the university on the cutting edge of education
by founding the M.S.H.A. program. Begun
in 1988, the program offers a unique curriculum that
combines online course work with six on-campus
sessions and was one of the first to incorporate the
use of the Internet into higher education instruction.
Area high school students practice their physical therapy skills at the department’s
two-week Summer Career Exploration Program.
“We were the pioneers for this, particularly at
VCU,” he says. “The university offers a number
of similar programs now and their roots all come
back to our M.S.H.A. program.”
Now, Luke who retired from VCU in October,
hopes that the scholarship created in his honor will
encourage similar innovation and growth in future
students. Endowed by alumnus Tim Stack (M.H.A.
’77/HA) and other donors, the Roice Luke Scholarship
will be awarded to students in the M.S.H.A. program.
Luke was particularly honored at the role Stack
played in the creation of the scholarship. Though
Stack graduated five years prior to Luke’s arrival,
the two worked closely when Stack, president and
CEO of Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, served as
the Department of Health Administration’s alumni
association president in 1992-93.
The respect between the two men, however, is
certainly reciprocal.
“Dr. Luke has been very instrumental to my success
in the health field,” Stack says. “My family and
I have been blessed with a great job and a great
career thanks to the training I received from special
folks in the department like Dr. Luke. So when
the chance came up to be a part of this scholarship,
I was glad to help out.”
To learn more about the Roice Luke Scholarship,
contact Jessica Gurganus, assistant dean for development,
at (804) 828-3269 or jfgurganus@vcu.edu.
Or to make a gift online, go to www.support.vcu.edu
/give/healthadmin.
High school students explore PT profession
The Department of Physical Therapy hosted its first
Summer Career Exploration Program in July 2011. The
two-week exploration program for 10th-, 11th- and
12th-graders from Richmond Public Schools and surrounding
county schools provided 16 participants with
interactive lectures and hands-on labs at VCU.
“Most people don’t know about PT until they go to
college,” says Cheryl Ford-Smith, PT, D.P.T., M.S.,
NCS, associate professor and chair of the Minority
Recruitment and Retention Committee in the physical
therapy department. “Since PT programs are so
competitive, students need to know about their career
options sooner and understand the requirements for
being accepted into a program and what the educational
demands are once they’re enrolled.”
The summer program increases participant awareness
of the profession of physical therapy as a career option
and gives high schoolers, especially underrepresented
and disadvantaged students, an opportunity to experience
a higher-education learning environment.
Co-sponsored free dental clinic creates smiles
The First People’s Dental Clinic 2011 took place Oct.
22-23 at the Rappahannock Tribe Cultural Center on
the land of the Rappahannock Indians. This groundbreaking
collaboration between the departments of
Gerontology and Oral Health Promotion and Community
Outreach (formerly the Division of Dental Hygiene)
at VCU and the Rappahannock Tribe was funded by
VCU’s Council for Community Engagement.
The First People’s Dental Clinic 2011 was hosted by
the Rappahannock Tribe and was open to all 11 tribes
in Virginia. Participants in the clinic hailed from nine
of the tribes as well as two tribes from North Carolina
and one tribe from Canada. Services offered included
hygiene, fluoride treatment, restorative treatment,
extractions and referrals to VCU for oral surgery.
The clinic was staffed by approximately 75 volunteers
from VCU’s Department of Gerontology, School of
Dentistry and Department of Oral Health Promotion
and Community Outreach.
In sum, approximately 200 procedures were performed
with more than $19,600 worth of services
rendered over the course of the two-day clinic.
Some of the approximately 75 volunteers from VCU’s Department of Gerontology,
School of Dentistry and the Department of Oral Health Promotion and Community
Outreach pose at the First People’s Dental Clinic at the Rappahannock Tribe
Cultural Center.
VANA presents a check to members of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia.
Front row (from left): Michael D. Fallacaro, chairman, VCU Department of
Nurse Anesthesia; Danny Frasca, VANA District 5 Winter Workshop chairman;
Jan Setnor, VANA president 2010-11. Second row (from left): Elizabeth Howell;
Tom Kinnehan; Sharon Richardson. Third row (from left): Suzanne Wright; Steve
Laubacher; Kevin Baker; Nino Bianchi.
VANA establishes nurse anesthesia scholarship
The Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the
VANA District 5 Winter Workshop Committee presented
the VCU Department of Nurse Anesthesia and
its chairman, Michael D. Fallacaro, D.N.S., CRNA,
with a $15,000 check at the 2011 VANA District 5
Winter Workshop.
The donation established the District 5/VANA Doctor
of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) Scholarship. The
scholarship will be awarded to students in the D.N.A.P.
clinical doctorate nurse anesthesia program who are
either CRNAs or SRNAs, and who are accepting a job
in Virginia upon graduation. The scholarship recipient
will be required to attend the VANA midyear assembly
and/or VANA Lobby Day and will be required to speak
at a VANA meeting or write an article in the Monitor,
the VANA newsletter.
In addition to this founding donation, the VANA
District 5 Winter Workshop committee has pledged to
contribute a portion of the annual meeting’s proceeds
to perpetuate this scholarship. The first scholarship was
awarded at the 2012 VANA District 5 Winter Workshop.
Event helps aging adults navigate ‘new normal’
Modern Aging: Navigating the New Normal took
place Oct. 29, 2011, at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts
Center. The Department of Gerontology and the
Section of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of
Internal Medicine along with Lift Caregiving worked
30 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 31

News
News
Lynn Robbins (left), marketing manager for Lift Caregiving, and Naima Wares-Akers,
a student in the Certificate in Aging Studies program, participate in the Modern
Aging event, which partnered older adults and caregivers with age-related services.
together to produce this event, which partnered older
adults and caregivers with aging-related goods and services
from throughout Richmond, Va. More than 50
vendors participated in the event and more than 200
older adults and caregivers were guests of the opportunity
fair and the educational seminars, which included topics
ranging from dealing with dementia to weathering work.
For information to help family caregivers find products,
service providers, advice and meaningful support, go to the
Lift Caregiving website at www.liftcaregiving.com.
President taps grad student for national post
President Barack Obama appointed Jack Martin Brandt
to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual
Disabilities. Brandt, who is pursuing a master’s in rehabilitation
counseling at VCU, serves as the disability policy
specialist for the Partnership for People with Disabilities
at the university. In this role, Brandt focuses on developing
and promoting evidence-based and person-centered
practices to improve outcomes in self-advocacy for people
with intellectual and development disabilities. Brandt also
serves on the VCU Integration Advisory Commission and
the Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council.
Since it was established in 1966 under President
Lyndon B. Johnson, the President’s Committee for
People with Intellectual Disabilities has sought to serve
and improve the quality of life for individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities through the
promotion of policies and programs that embrace selfdetermination
and independence.
Grant spurs rehabilitation counseling recruitment
The Department of Rehabilitation Counseling received
a long-term training grant from the U.S. Department of
Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration. The
project “Recruiting and training rehabilitation counselors
qualified to work with people who are deaf or hard of
hearing” is designed to recruit people who already have
strong sign language skills to become qualified rehabilitation
counselors committed to working for state vocational
rehabilitation agencies. Because the program is designed
for distance learners, it can meet the needs of trainees
in remote or rural areas where access to a traditional oncampus
training program is not possible. This project uses
a hybrid approach to instruction; some of the required
courses combine online education with one-week experiences
on campus at VCU and at the Helen Keller National
Center in New York for intensive skill development. This
project is funded for $100,000 per year for five years.
Academy highlights dean’s military service
A part of a series of stories about fellows who served in the armed
forces, the Academy of Nurses website featured a story about retired
colonel and School of Allied Health Professions Dean Cecil B. Drain,
Ph.D. An academy fellow since 1989, Drain served in the U.S. Army
Nurse Corps for 27 years before entering the field of higher education.
The dean also served as keynote speaker at VCU’s Veterans
Day lunch celebration, capping the conclusion of Military Services
Appreciation Week this past November.
Read more about Drain on the academy’s website at www.aannet.org
/in-the-spotlight.
Nurse anesthesia alumnae Lukeythia Bastardi, D.N.A.P., and Jill Schroeder, D.N.A.P., demonstrate how to use the Baricity Educational Spinal Trainer device.
BEST device lands nurse anesthesia alumnae on cover of national journal
Two recent graduates of the School of Allied Health
Professions were featured on the August 2011 cover
of the American Association of
Nurse Anesthetists Journal.
Lukeythia Bastardi, D.N.A.P.,
and Jill Schroeder, D.N.A.P.,
are pictured demonstrating the
Baricity Educational Spinal
Trainer, a device they helped
develop with Elizabeth Howell,
assistant professor and director
of professional development in the Department
of Nurse Anesthesia.
The BEST device allows the user to inject dyed
local anesthetics into the spinal canal and visualize
the movement throughout the space surrounding
the spinal cord. The device will be used on human
“It really illustrates that
‘seeing is believing.’”
– Elizabeth Howell, assistant professor
and director of professional development
in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia
and co-developer of the device
cadavers to teach nurse anesthesia students about the
science of regional anesthesia.
“This is a fantastic tool to teach
nurse anesthesia students because
it gives them a chance to really see
how anesthetics travel through the
body,” says Howell. “It really illustrates
that ‘seeing is believing.’”
Bastardi, Schroeder and
Howell were the sole developers
of the BEST device. The tool
is already being used by student registered nurse
anesthetists at the annual Regional Anesthesia
Workshop, which is hosted by VCU’s Department
of Nurse Anesthesia. Currently the patent is pending,
and VCU is seeking a commercialization partner
to license this tool.
32 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 33

News
News
Clinical laboratory scientist makes top jobs list
A career in clinical laboratory science was selected
among “The 50 Best Careers of 2011” by U.S. News &
World Report. Described as the “unsung heroes of the
health care industry,” clinical laboratory scientists were
among the high-opportunity professions chosen based
on job growth projection, salary data and other factors
including job satisfaction. The report indicated that job
growth is expected to be faster than average for clinical
laboratory personnel, rising approximately 16 percent
between 2008 and 2018.
Service-learning takes students to Costa Rica
In January 2012, 15 physical therapy students and one
nursing student traveled to Costa Rica for a 12-day
service-learning trip. As the trip was coordinated through
International Service Learning, the students were accompanied
by two Costa Rican PTs during their travels.
Prior to the trip, faculty member Lisa Donegan
Shoaf, PT, D.P.T., Ph.D. (B.S. ’81/PT; Ph.D. ’02;
D.P.T. ’09/PT), and alumna Melanie Gray, D.P.T.
(D.P.T. ’05/PT), spoke with the students about their
experiences with service-learning trips and how to
prepare and what to expect.
The group flew into San Jose and stayed in a hotel
in Cartago. They spent the first three days working
out of a community center in Tuccirrique, screening
patients, providing manual techniques as appropriate
and providing home exercise programs. The team also
spent four days working at a nursing home in Cartago,
facilitating group exercises, making modifications to
assistive devices and working one on one with several
patients and area health care providers.
“By the end of the trip, we had helped about 100 patients
and made many friends,” says Lindsay Derenthal, a physical
therapy student. “It was an extremely rewarding trip
for all involved.”
When the students returned to the U.S., they gave a
presentation to classmates, faculty members and special
guests, followed by a luncheon hosted by Dean Cecil B.
Drain, Ph.D.
Gerontology launches fundraising campaign
The Department of Gerontology has launched a threeyear
plan to raise funds toward an endowed professorship.
Last year started a new chapter in gerontology and
aging services as the first wave of the baby boom population
turned 65. Your assistance is needed so that the
department and the school can strategically grow to
respond to the demand of the aging population.
Members of the aging services community, alumni
and community partners have already stepped forward
to show their support. As a result of fundraising activities,
special events and generous leadership gifts, the
campaign has raised more than $15,000 toward its goal.
For more information on making a gift to the
Department of Gerontology, please call (804) 828-1565
or visit www.support.vcu.edu/give/gerontology.
M.H.A. Class of 1964 honors alumnus Dick Kraus
Members of the Master of Health Administration Class
of 1964, along with faculty, staff and students of the
Department of Health Administration gathered at the
Grant House in April 2011 to posthumously honor
Richard Kraus (M.H.A. ’64/HA) by unveiling and
hanging a portrait of him that his classmate Ed Smith
(M.H.A. ’64/HA) had restored.
Kraus, who passed away in 2006, served as CEO of
Chippenham Medical Center in Richmond, Va., from
1987-94. During his career, he also worked at Richmond
Memorial Hospital and held several executive-level
positions at Chippenham’s parent company, HCA.
Dedicated to his alma mater through many deeds, Kraus
was active with the department, serving as executive-inresidence
and as preceptor to 11 M.H.A. students.
New faculty members
Ben Darter, PT, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Physical
Therapy to teach cardiopulmonary physical therapy and
exercise physiology to students in the doctoral program.
Darter earned an M.S. in Physical Therapy from Ithaca
College in New York and a Ph.D. in Physical Rehabilitation
Science at the University of Iowa. Most recently, he was
a research physical therapist at Brooke Army Medical
Center’s military performance lab, Center for the Intrepid,
at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. During this time,
Darter was an adjunct professor in the U.S. Army-Baylor
University’s doctoral program in physical therapy.
Kelli W. Gary, Ph.D., OTR/L, joined the faculty in the
Department of Occupational Therapy as an assistant
professor in July 2011. She was a predoctoral fellow in
VCU’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
and completed her Ph.D. in the School of Allied Health
Professions’ health related sciences program in 2008.
Gary serves as program director for Project Empowerment,
a grant funded by the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research through the Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation. Her research and practice
background is in the area of traumatic brain injury.
Don Gehring, J.D., joined the Department of Health
Administration as an affiliate professor in June 2011.
He has a long and distinguished career in health
Members of the Master of Health Administration Class of 1964 commemorate classmate
Richard Kraus, who passed away in 2006, with an unveiling of his restored portrait.
policy and government relations, and served VCU in
this capacity for many years before a recent move to
become director of government relations at Anthem
Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Carole Ivey, Ph.D., OTR/L, joined the Department of
Occupational Therapy as an assistant professor in July
2011. Having served as an adjunct faculty member for
several years, she quickly assumed responsibility for
teaching in both the entry-level master’s and professional
doctorate programs. Ivey has an extensive background
in pediatric occupational therapy practice and a strong
interest in team-building and leadership research.
Patrick Liverpool, Ph.D., joined the Department of Health
Administration as an adjunct faculty member. He previously
served as vice provost at Virginia Tech and business school
dean at Delaware State University. He teaches Health Care
Organization and Leadership.
A. Ray Pentecost III, Dr.P.H., FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP, joined
the Department of Health Administration as an affiliate
professor. Pentecost is on the forefront of health care
architecture and design, and has extensive teaching and
research experience in these areas. He is the director of
health care architecture at the Norfolk, Va., architecture
firm Clark Nexsen.
Students from physical therapy and nursing visit community centers, like the one pictured here, throughout Costa Rica as part of a 12-day service-learning trip.
34 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 35

1970s
Class notes
Keep
Richard Bracken* (M.H.A. ’77/HA), chairman and CEO of Hospital
Corporation of America, was listed No. 34 in the August edition of Modern
Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
Chris Durrer* (B.S. ’73; M.H.A. ’77/HA), was recognized in the Aug.
22, 2011, issue of Biz Sense magazine, an online publication serving
Richmond, Va., for his participation in a VCU course in sustainability
for local businesspeople.
Jeff Harrison, Ph.D. (M.H.A. ’77/HA; Ph.D. ’02/HA), was promoted to
chair of the Department of Public Health at the University of North Florida.
Wick Lyne (M.H.A. ’71/HA) returned to the classroom to speak to an
Organizational Behavior class taught by Patrick Liverpool, Ph.D., adjunct
professor in the Department of Health Administration. The focus was on
motivation within the workplace through values and example setting.
Wayne G. Terry, Ph.D., LFACHE (M.H.A. ’73/HA), received the 2010
Commitment to Excellence Award (Retiree) at the annual Air Force
Awards banquet in Chicago during the American College of Healthcare
Executives congress. Terry serves as the executive director of the Southside
Area Health Education Center at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.
1980s
Chris Dadlez (M.H.A. ’80/HA), father of Greg Dadlez, M.H.A. Class
of 2012, gave the keynote address at the Family Day Celebration this past
fall for students leaving the Grant House for their residencies.
Howard Kern (M.H.A. ’81/HA), president of Sentara Healthcare, was
appointed to the Service Delivery and Payment Reform Task Force of the
Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council.
Lucien Roberts (M.H.A. ’87/HA) has joined Pulse Systems Inc. as
vice president.
Tracy Kemp Stallings (BS. ’85; M.S.H.A. ’95/HA) was selected as the
Department of Health Administration’s 2011 Alumna of the Year. She
serves as COO of Richmond’s HCA Johnston-Willis Hospital and was
named chair of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
Marilyn Tavenner* (B.S. ’83; M.H.A. ’89/HA) was nominated Nov. 23,
2011, by President Barack Obama to serve as administrator of the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Tavenner previously served as principal
deputy administrator and chief operating officer for the agency.
Tim Tobin* (M.H.A. ’87/HA), CEO of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
in Fredericksburg, Va., and his team celebrated the center’s selection as the 2011
Business of the Year by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.
in touch! Let us know about your accomplishments
by submitting your news to migreene@vcu.edu or online at
www.vcu-mcvalumni.org/alumni/classnotes. Or, mail your news to
Virginia Commonwealth University, MCV Alumni Association
of VCU, P.O. Box 980156, Richmond, VA 23298-0156.
1990s
Kurt Bell* (B.S. ’95; M.S.H.A. ’04/HA) was appointed to the Capacity
Task Force of the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council.
Bell is pharmacy operations manager for Virginia Baptist Hospital and
Centra Health.
Michael Blumberg* (M.S.H.A. ’98/HA) was appointed to the board
of trustees of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. Blumberg is
a managing partner at Virginia Adult and Pediatric Allergy and Asthma.
Alan Dow, M.D. (M.S.H.A. ’95), associate professor in VCU’s
Department of Internal Medicine, received the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation
award in summer 2011. The Macy Faculty Scholar program honors
faculty leaders dedicated to advancing education in medicine and nursing.
Sara Larch (M.S.H.A. ’92/HA) joined Greenbranch Publishing
as director of strategic sales.
Robert Leek (M.S.H.A. ’90/HA) was named to the board of trustees
of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. He is the senior physician
liaison for Sentara Healthcare in Williamsburg, Va.
Kimberly Sanford, M.D., MASCT, MT(ASCP) (B.S. ’91/MET;
M.D. ’01; H.S. ’06), received a Mastership Designation from the American
Society for Clinical Pathology, a prestigious honor that recognizes exceptional
members who have made significant contributions to pathology
and to the society. Sanford, assistant professor of pathology, associate
medical director of transfusion medicine and medical director for an
outpatient laboratory at the VCU Medical Center, is dedicated to teaching
and research and advancing the field of pathology.
2000s
Diandrea “Dee” Bailey, Ph.D., CRC (M.S. ’02/RC; Cert. ’03/PC), is a
management and program analyst for the U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in Washington,
D.C. She currently serves as the project officer for “Rehabilitation Counseling:
Long Term Training through Distance Learning,” one of the department’s
federal grants from the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Steven Naleway (B.S. ’07/CLS), an M.S. student in VCU’s Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, received the Young Investigator Travel
Award. He attended the 2012 Mass Spectrometry Applications to the Clinical
Lab Conference in San Diego Jan. 14-18, based on an abstract for his poster
“Establishing Analytical Run Acceptability Criteria for a 25-OH Vitamin
D LC-MS/MS Assay for Use in a Clinical Laboratory Setting.”
Preethy Nayar, Ph.D. (Ph.D. ’07/HSO), accepted the position of director
of doctoral programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s
College of Public Health.
Lisa Perkins (B.S. ’08/CLS; M.S. ’08/CLS) joined the VCU Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences as a faculty member and laboratory instructor.
Carrie Owen Plietz (M.H.A. ’00/HA) was named CEO of the Sutter
Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., and was featured on the Modern
Healthcare list of 2011 Up and Comers.
Lisa Webb* (M.S. ’06/RC; Cert. ’06/G) joined the VCU Office
of Special Services for Students as director.
Mei Zhao, Ph.D. (Ph.D. ’04/HSOR), was promoted to director of the
M.H.A. program at the University of North Florida.
2010s
Ryan Duffy (M.S. ’11/G) opened Alternative Fitness and Wellness
in Richmond, Va., specializing in working with older adults in Chi Kung.
Megan Stucke (M.S.W. ’11; Cert. ’11/G) is employed as the public
guardianship coordinator with Jewish Family Services-Richmond,
where she is responsible for the overall care and advocacy for 20 public
guardianship individuals.
Can’t wait to see
what’s happening
with your fellow
alumni and allied
health professions
faculty members?
View expanded class
notes online at www
.sahp.vcu.edu/alumni.
In Memoriam
1950s
Martin Asarnow (B.S. ’52/PT), of San Lorenzo, Calif.,
March 26, 2011, at age 85.
Elizabeth “Beth” Coltrain (B.S. ’59/AHP), of Richmond, Va.,
Nov. 11, 2011.
E.L. Derring (M.H.A. ’58/HA), Feb. 20, 2011.
Thomas Greyard Jr. (M.H.A. ’51/HA), of McDonald, N.C.,
May 29, 2011, at age 89.
John Harlan Jr. (M.H.A. ’52/HA), Sept. 19, 2011.
Thomas William Leggett (M.H.A. ’53/HA), May 2, 2011,
at age 90.
1960s
Patricia Small (B.S. ’63/MET), of Richmond, Va.
1970s
Archie Bruns (M.H.A. ’73/HA), of Canby, Minn., May 5, 2011.
Abbreviation key
Class notes
Allied health professions degrees are noted with year and
department; other VCU degrees are designated by year.
A single asterisk (*) identifies members of the MCV Alumni
Association of VCU.
Degrees
B.S. Bachelor of Science
Cert. Certificate
D.N.A.P. Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice
D.P.T. Doctor of Physical Therapy
H.S. House Staff
M.A. Master of Arts
M.H.A. Master of Health Administration
M.S. Master of Science
M.S.H.A. Master of Science in Health Administration
M.S.N.A. Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia
M.S.O.T. Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
O.T.D. Post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate
Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy
Departments
CLS Clinical Laboratory Sciences
G Gerontology
HA Health Administration
HAE Health Administration Executive
HCM Health Care Management
HRS Health Related Sciences
HSO Health Services Organization and Research
MRA Medical Records Administration
MET Medical Technology
NA Nurse Anesthesia
OT Occupational Therapy
PC Patient Counseling
PT Physical Therapy
RC Rehabilitation Counseling
RS Radiation Sciences
Faculty
Robert Austin Lassiter Jr., professor emeritus, June 19, 2011, at
age 85. Lassiter was a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation
Counseling from 1972-83. A pioneer in the field of vocational
rehabilitation, Lassiter was well known for his teaching and counseling,
both regionally and nationally, for 35 years. In 1960, he was
elected president of the National Rehabilitation Counseling
Association, and was director of the North Carolina Easter Seals
Society from 1961-64, where he constructed the first integrated
Easter Seals Camp in the U.S. Lassiter is the author or senior editor
of two books and many articles and publications. In his retirement,
he founded the Chester Roundtable, a games and activity center for
seniors in Chester, Va.
Warren R. Rule, Ph.D., of Richmond, Va., July 3, 2011, at age 67.
He was a professor emeritus in the Department of Rehabilitation
Counseling and had authored more than 60 publications in the areas
of rehabilitation, counseling and psychology. He was a licensed
professional counselor who worked as a rehabilitation counselor
and a mentor at university counseling centers.
36 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 37

Shining
Stars
Recognizing
The School of Allied Health Professions congratulates
Panelpha “Penny” L. Kyler, Sc.D., OTR/L (B.S. ’72/
OT), one of Virginia Commonwealth University’s 2011
Alumni Stars. The VCU and MCV Alumni Associations
honored Kyler at an October ceremony recognizing all
11 Alumni Stars — extraordinary alumni whose tremendous
knowledge and experience shine in all areas of
human endeavor, illuminating problems, creating solutions
and strengthening the quality of our lives.
The alumni associations praised Kyler for her career
that’s expanded well beyond occupational therapy to
encompass public health and the study of genetics.
She works for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in
San Francisco, where she assists states receiving grants for
implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act in the area of maternal infant and early childhood
allied health professions alumni
for their professional accomplishments
evidence-based home-visiting
services. Previously,
she oversaw grants and
contracts that focused on
providing access to genetic
education and providing
resources and services for
underserved and underrepresented
communities
as well as for health and
public health professionals.
Panelpha “Penny” Kyler, Sc.D., OTR/L
“My career has had a
trajectory that none of us anticipated,” she says. “The skills
I learned as an occupational therapy student, including
activity analysis, group dynamics and physical and social
sciences, have proven to be the right mix for working in
today’s fast-paced health care environment.”
The university’s Our Time. Right Now. marketing
campaign, which ran earlier this year, features
the top-ranked Department of Nurse Anesthesia
in billboard and print ads.
By the numbers
U.S. News & World Report national rankings
1st in Nurse Anesthesia (for the ninth consecutive year)
5th in Health Administration
School of Allied Health Professions
Alumni Stars 1989-2008
1989 Altamont Dickerson Jr., D.Ed. (M.S. ’61/RC)
1989 Paul A. Gross, (M.H.A. ’64/HA)
1990 Kathy Kaplan, Ph.D. (M.S. ’84/OT)
1991 Thelma Bland Watson, Ph.D. (M.S. ’87/G)
1992 James A. Rothrock (M.S. ’78/RC)
1992 Denise Williams (M.H.A. ’77/HA)
1993 Charles Ben Bissell, Ph.D. (Cert. ’81/PC)
1994 Lou Oliver Brooks (B.F.A. ’77; B.S. ’82/PT)
1995 David W. Singley Jr. (M.H.A. ’85/HA)
1997 Richard C. Kraus* (M.H.A. ’64/HA)
1998 Russell W. Heath Jr. (M.S. ’85/MET)
1999 John J. Nagelhout, Ph.D. (Cert. ’75/NA)
2000 Elnora Allen (B.S. ’73/PT; M.S. ’87/PT)
2001 Cynthia Garris (B.S. ’72/OT)
2003 Robert B. Lantz* (Cert. ’64/PC)
2005 Rebecca Perdue (B.S. ’62/CLS)
2008 Cathy Saunders (B.S.W. ’76; M.S. ’82/G)
*Deceased
Reunion
2✪12
April
20-22
Mark your calendars now for Reunion Weekend,
April 20-22, 2012, part of Alumni Month.
Don’t miss this opportunity to come back to campus,
celebrate with your classmates and learn about the
exciting things happening today at your alma mater!
Events and activities will be planned across
both VCU campuses and all alumni are
encouraged to attend.
For more information, call (804) 828-3900 or visit
www.vcu-mcvalumni.org/events/reunionweekend2012.html.
Accredited programs
Clinical laboratory sciences
Health administration
Nurse anesthesia
Occupational therapy
Patient counseling
Physical therapy
Radiation sciences
Rehabilitation counseling
7th in Rehabilitation Counseling
15th in Occupational Therapy
19th in Physical Therapy
Once every three years, U.S. News & World Report asks deans, other
administrators and faculty members from approximately 110 institutions
across the U.S. to rate the academic quality of nationally accredited peer
programs. Though eight of the nine VCU School of Allied Health Professions’
departments are accredited (there is no accreditation for gerontology
programs), categories do not exist for the departments of Clinical
Laboratory Sciences, Patient Counseling and Radiation Sciences.
For more information about the VCU School of Allied Health Professions,
visit www.sahp.vcu.edu.
38 VCU Allied Health
Spring 2012 39

Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Allied Health Professions
1200 East Broad Street
P.O. Box 980233
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0233
Non-profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
RICHMOND, VA
Permit No. 869
High honor
With Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions Dean Cecil Drain,
Ph.D. (left), in attendance, VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. (right), presents alumnus Richard M.
Bracken (M.H.A. ’77/HA) with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, the university’s highest form
of recognition. Bracken, chairman and CEO of Nashville-based HCA Inc., received the award at the
university’s December 2011 commencement ceremony.