College of Health Professions and Sciences

Social Work Crew2 Abibellpics

Apopka Outreach Clinic: UCF Social Work Students and the Importance of Interdisciplinary Care

Fri Aug 14

The Apopka Outreach Clinic is an interdisciplinary community pop-up clinic by the UCF Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC), with the Farmworker Association of Florida. Developed in 2016 by five dedicated faculty members across different disciplines, the clinic was the first of its kind at UCF and received an award by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Interprofessional Education Coalition…

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Understanding the Unique Needs of Mental Healthcare for Elderly Asian Americans

Thu Jul 30

There is an increased need for mental health professionals to understand the culturally-based health beliefs of minority groups. UCF Social Work Assistant Professor Xiaochuan (Sharon) Wang discusses some mental illness stigmas present within the Asian American elderly community and the need to tailor mental health access for that population. Literature suggests that Asian Americans use mental health services approximately…

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The Right Time Is Now, an MSW Graduate’s Journey Towards Success

Wed Jul 29

Massiel Hernandez ’17 ’18 MSW has an infectious positive attitude in all that she does. “The idea of helping someone was engrained in me as a child,” she said. Through her academic years and now career, Hernandez uses her “suitcase of knowledge and tools” she obtained as a UCF School of Social Work student to compliment her…

Tracking Progress: High-School Student Brings Technology to Go Baby Go!

Wed Jul 29

In the fall of 2019, members of Renaissance Robotics, a high-school robotics team, partnered with UCF Go Baby Go to assist with building cars for children who have cognitive or developmental issues that impede their mobility. Will Johnson, fourth from left, has been working with his father, Christopher Johnson, to provide devices that measure the…

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CHPS Programs Gain STEM Designation

Mon Jul 27

Programs in the Division of Kinesiology are now designated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), thanks to recent approval by the State of Florida. The change in the Classification of Instructional Programs, codes designed to report outcomes in higher education by specific disciplines and professions, will give CHPS its first STEM programs, said David Fukuda, Associate Professor and Chair, Division of Kinesiology. Additionally,…

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Athletic Training Program Helps Train Judo Therapy Students from Japan

Mon Jul 27

Alumni from UCF’s athletic training program have traveled with organizations throughout the world, thanks to their talent, drive and skills learned in the classroom and through a variety of clinical internships. Sometimes, the world comes to UCF. The program’s reputation of preparing career–ready athletic trainers reached Japan, where leaders at a judo therapy school saw how UCF was preparing future athletic trainers and how it could benefit its students. Every year beginning…

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Graduating Senior Escaped a Civil War in Syria to Become a Scholar at UCF

Fri Jul 24

Growing up in war-torn Syria, Suzanne Chaar saw first-hand the impact that medical professionals can have on a society. During the country’s civil war, she witnessed her father, a pharmacist, and her brother, then a medical student at the University of Aleppo, provide care for civilians impacted by the conflict. Chaar says she admired their…

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Exploring the Link Between Academic Success and Minority Mental Health

Fri Jul 24

There is a growing awareness of the mental health disparities present in minority communities. According to the National Association of Mental Illnesses (NAMI), depression among Black youth is 30% higher than average for their age group. UCF School of Social Work Instructor Tiffany Lumpkin explains some of the unique stressors associated with mental health issues among minority…

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A New Way to Move: Exercising During COVID-19

Thu Jul 23

Feeling sluggish? Working at home and physical distancing can turn even the most dedicated fitness fanatic into a couch potato. So in this week’s COVID-19 health tip, we turn to Tom Fisher — an expert in exercise physiology and motivation in the College of Health Professions and Sciences’ Division of Kinesiology — on ways to keep fit during…

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Athletic Training Program Prepares Student for Success, Present and Future

Thu Jul 16

Healthcare delivery is an ever growing and evolving practice. To best meet the needs of the active population, athletic training as a profession has made changes to how future athletic trainers are prepared to best meet the needs of patients. This includes requiring a master’s degree for all new ATs entering the profession. The UCF Athletic…

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MSW Alumna Overcomes Cancer During School and Achieves Her Goals

Wed Jul 15

Jamie Younger ’17 ’18 MSW traveled a rocky road on her path to becoming a clinical social worker. But she says her experience battling cancer during her time in graduate school taught her that she can overcome any challenge that comes her way. Younger is now a student services coordinator at P.M. Wells Charter Academy…

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New CSD Pilot Telehealth Clinical Instruction Initiative Keeps Students on Track for Graduation

Fri Jul 10

A new clinical instruction initiative in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders is ensuring that students in the master’s program get the patient-contact hours they need for graduation. The school had to get creative with how to keep students tracking toward timely graduation since COVID-19 brought all face-to-face interactions to a halt. This spurred the faculty,…

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Students Across the US and Caribbean Get Exposure to STEM Disciplines and Learn from Experts Thanks to Virtual Workshop

Thu Jul 2

Nearly 200 elementary and high-school students throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean recently participated in a virtual STEM workshop, thanks to the efforts of Danielle Webster, an associate lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences. STEPS, which stands for STEM Talent Expansion through Promotion of Science, began in Jamaica in 2013 as fulfillment of a longtime dream…

Deans Invincible Knights Award

New CHPS Scholarship Honors Strength, Promise and Invincibility

Wed Jun 24

A new scholarship in the College of Health Professions and Sciences honors not only a student’s promise, but also their past. The Invincible Knights Award was created to honor students who demonstrate stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience and hardiness to triumph over difficult circumstances and Charge On! toward a better future. Dean…

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How Alzheimer’s Disease Impacts Patient, Family and Friends and How to Rally Support in the Community

Wed Jun 24

Physical activity is helpful in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. While everyone occasionally forgets a name, or why they entered a room, changes in cognition and behaviors might be indicators of something more serious. These could be signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and…

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Men’s Health Encompasses a Wide Variety of Topics and Concerns

Tue Jun 23

Groups like the Men’s Health Initiative, co-founded by Health Sciences Associate Professor Michael J. Rovito, help men build a better understanding of wellness through education and events In 1948, the World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Often,…

Physical Therapy Clinical Faculty Member Helps Patients Achieve Their Goals

Tue Jun 23

Sheila Klausner has always viewed her profession as a physical therapist as more than a job – it’s her calling. She took her passion as an athlete and turned it into a way of helping other athletes achieve their goals by helping them recover from injuries. Recently, Klausner answered another call – from the UCF Division of…

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Health Sciences Alumnus Shares How Getting Involved Help Him Find His Passions

Mon Jun 22

Knights Exemplar, co-founded by Duffy, was selected “Registered Student Organization of the Year” for 2019-2020. Duffy’s extensive involvement in extracurricular activities helped define his passions and future path. WRITTEN BY: CAMILLE DOLAN | JUNE 22, 2020 Growing up, Taylor Duffy â20 was on track to become a professional tennis player. At the age of 16,…

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Fostering Relationships with Refugees Through Psychosocial Support

Fri Jun 19

Resettling into a new country can be difficult for anyone. UCF Social Work Assistant Professor Asli Cennet Yalim talks about the increased challenges refugees experience while resettling and the importance of culturally competent services. What are some ways to support refugees who are resettling in the United States? Yalim: We need to be more welcoming as a society…

Juneteenth Choir

UCF Students Spearhead Juneteenth Celebration

Fri Jun 19

Health sciences major Karein Lacroix, journalism major Hector Garcia, nursing major Jessica Pugh and interdisciplinary studies major Shaika Surprise of the UCF Gospel and Cultural Choir sang two songs to open the event. Nearly 100 UCF students, faculty and staff gathered in celebration of Juneteenth — the June 19 commemoration of the belated announcement in Texas of…