Mercy College Annual Report 2009

Faculty Member Earns PrestigiousNational CertificationFacultyAssociate Director/Clinical EducationCoordinator Julie Ann Nastasi, MAJulie Ann Nastasi, MA, Associate Director/ClinicalEducation Coordinator of the OccupationalTherapy Assistant Program, earned SpecialtyCertification in Low Vision from the AmericanOccupational Therapy Association. Only 14occupational therapists and one occupationaltherapy assistant nationwide have achieved thisdistinction.Faculty Member Publishes National Practice GuidelinesDr. Kathleen Golisz, OTD associate professor and director ofclinical education of the Occupational Therapy graduate program,authored Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Adults withTraumatic Brain Injury for the American Occupational TherapyAssociation (AOTA), which represents the interests of 140,000occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, andstudents of occupational therapy.Dr. Golisz joins leaders in the profession who have contributed toAOTA’s practice guidelines series, developed in response to thehealth care reform movement in the United States.The Nigerian National HIV/Aids Challenge:Olson Research Grant ProjectAssociate ProfessorKathleen Golisz, OTDOn December 4, Associate Professor JudeAguwa, PhD, presented his Olson grantresearch project, The Nigerian National HIV/AIDS Challenge, in the Mercy Hall Rotundaon the Dobbs Ferry campus. As Decemberis National HIV/AIDS Awareness Month,it was a unique opportunity for students,faculty and staff to learn more about thisinternational health challenge.Associate Professor Jude Aguwa, PhDHealth Professions Programs Receive Re-accreditationsThree of the College’s programs in the health professions have received maximum-termre-accreditations this year. These accreditations support Mercy College’s commitment to thehealthcare professions and underscore its position as a leader for future nurse educators,nurse administrators, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists.The Nursing Program was re-accredited for a second consecutive 10-year term by theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association ofColleges of Nursing (AACN).The Communication Disorders Program was re-accredited for a second consecutiveeight-year term by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the AmericanSpeech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).The Occupational Therapy Program was re-accredited for a 10-year term by theAccreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).16 • Mercy College Annual Report 2009