College of Health Professions and Sciences

UCF-CARD in Fourth Year of Statewide Project to Improve Post-Secondary Education Outcomes for Hispanic Youth with ASD

Thu Oct 7

Terri Daly, the director of UCF Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), is spearheading research that has received renewed funding for the fourth year from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. The $125,000 grant will help improve enrollment and success in post-secondary education for Hispanic/Latino youth in Florida who identify as individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The FDDC had previously identified a disparity in access to and completion of post-secondary education and training programs for…

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Physical Therapy Students Help Patient Make Great Strides in Physical and Cognitive Abilities

Fri Sep 24

Two recent physical therapy alumni played a key role in increasing the mobility of a dementia patient during a 12-week physical therapy session where by the end, the patient no longer needed his cane to walk. They used their experience as a research opportunity to examine the impact of physical activity on cognition.   Jeffrey Schmidt ’20 and Kayla Lawing ’20 met the patient during a Brain Fitness balance and mobility seminar at a church in Winter Park, in early 2019. The patient was 47 years old, which…

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New UCF Co-led Study Will Focus on Keeping Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Safe

Fri Sep 24

A University of Central Florida researcher is part of a recently awarded $3.3 million study that aims to keep survivors of intimate partner violence safe while the person accused of intimate partner violence awaits trial. This pretrial period, when a judge decides if a person charged with intimate partner violence should be detained pretrial, is…

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Redesigning Student Success: Five Faculty Receive Funding for Interprofessional Education Project

Thu Sep 23

Five academic and clinical faculty members recently received funding through the Digital Learning Course Redesign Initiative to collaborate across disciplines on a project to turn existing graduate courses into new blended or online modalities. The team, comprising CSD Carolyn Buchanan, Julie Feuerstein, Nancy Harrington and Nancy McIntyre; and DPT faculty Jennifer Tucker, began the project earlier this year, after receiving notification from UCF’s Division of Digital…

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20 Years Later, UCF Police Officers Reflect On Responding to 9/11

Thu Sep 9

The smell of jet fuel still transports UCF Police officer Eric Walton to the Pentagon — even 20 years later. Walton and fellow UCFPD officer Joel Witherspoon were two of the first responders who responded to the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, making it…

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Ingersoll Named to ASAHP Board of Directors

Wed Sep 8

Christopher D. Ingersoll, founding dean of the College of Health Professions and Sciences, has been named to the Board of Directors of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions. His 3-year term will commence October 1, 2021. ASAHP is a nonprofit national association established in 1967 and brings together deans and other leaders from allied health professions colleges and programs to enhance interdisciplinary education and improve the quality and quantity of needed…

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New Course Teaches Students About Electronic Medical Documentation

Tue Sep 7

Class Name: HSC (4703) – Clinical Documentation for Health Care Professions   Instructor: Christine Stapell, adjunct faculty, Department of Health Sciences  Course Offered: Online in the Fall, Spring, Summer Number of Seats: 50  Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing. Completion of HSC 3147 (Introduction to Pharmacology) and HSC 4555 or HSC 4558 (Pathophysiology I or II)  What do students learn in this course?   Stapell: Electronic healthcare records are now the standard…

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School Day Structure Could Benefit Children’s Health

Wed Sep 1

Having a structured environment for children, whether during school days or when stuck in quarantine as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, could benefit children’s health, according to new research from the University of Central Florida. In a study of more than 50 rural schoolchildren over the course of two weeks, researchers found that behaviors that lead…

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A Full-Circle Journey: How a CSD Alumna’s Strengths and Family Drove Her Success

Mon Aug 30

When Rachel Williams ‘96MA was growing up in Brevard County, her parents often urged her to consider a career in education. They were lifelong educators themselves, and knew their daughter possessed the traits of a great teacher. But Williams had other plans — to become a pediatrician. Now, Williams just laughs at how right her…

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New Lifelike Hologram Tech Expands UCF Students’ Skills in Patient Care

Sun Aug 22

The University of Central Florida is incorporating new technology that produces a lifelike person in hologram form to help train future healthcare professionals. This is a historic first in healthcare education and was funded in part by a gift from Brooks Rehabilitation. The tech was created by PORTL Inc., and its use in healthcare education is being…

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Early Career Exposure Plants Seeds for Fruitful, Award-Winning Career for CSD Alumna

Mon Aug 16

From an early age, seeds were planted in the mind and life of Athanasia Svenning ’16 ’18MA, leading her to the field of communication sciences and disorders.  Her mother, a pharmacist, often spoke with her about entering the field. A family friend, who was a speech-language pathologist (SLP) shared her experiences with Svenning during their therapy sessions together to address…

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Faculty  and Staff Gym Opens After Year-long Renovation

Mon Aug 16

Faculty and staff members have a newly renovated space on campus dedicated to their health and wellness. The Wellness Research Center, also known as the employee gym, is located in the Education Complex and has undergone major renovations and equipment enhancements over the past year. The facility will reopen Aug. 23 with the start of the fall 2021 semester. The facility is free to all faculty and staff at UCF and will be…

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Staff Spotlight – Eduardo Ortiz

Fri Aug 13

Eduardo Ortiz’s impact spans across the college through his support of the research process. As a Contracts and Grants Specialist III in the College of Health Professions and Sciences, he has been instrumental in providing support to faculty member’s research endeavors at every stage of the research process, taking the heavy lifting off their shoulders.…

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Students Explore Human Diseases with Out-of-the-Box Final Projects

Wed Aug 4

Students showcase their creativity and ability to communicate complex information about different diseases and conditions in Introduction to Human Diseases class. Class Name: HSC 2524 – Introduction to Human Disease  Instructor: Humberto Lopez Castillo, assistant professor, Department of Health Sciences  Course Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer  Number of Seats: Between 75-85  Prerequisites: BSC 2010C  What do students learn in…

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UCF CSD Program Shines at 2021 FLASHA Convention

Mon Jul 19

Faculty, students and alumni from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders gathered together this past weekend at the 2021 Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists annual convention. Among poster presentations, discussions and competitions, the UCF CSD program was a formidable presence. Notable accolades First Place, Knowledge Bowl The CSD graduate student team placed first in…

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CSD Alumnus Continues Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Learned from Faculty Mentor

Thu Jul 1

Providing opportunities to change and advance the professions, lives and well-being of others has been the mantra of Bernard Rousseau’s life and career.   Growing up as a light-skinned Haitian-American, Rousseau witnessed his older brother teased and spoken to rudely due to his darker skin tone, which planted the seeds to advocate for equal treatment and…

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Early Exposure to Aphasia Inspires Student to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist, Wants to Help Others in Her Shoes

Tue Jun 29

As a child, Jazmin Houston always wanted to work in the medical field. She originally wanted to be a pediatrician. But a life-changing event opened her eyes to the impact that speech-language pathologists have on their patients, and that experience changed her career goal.   In 2010, her mother experienced a stroke and lost all modalities to…

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UCF’s Physical Therapy Clinic Offers Service to Community, Opportunities for Students

Tue Jun 29

Less than a year into opening on UCF’s main campus, the UCF Physical Therapy Clinic has already seen great success. The clinic, which was started by faculty from UCF’s physical therapy program and is located inside the UCF Student Health Center, provides progressive, evidence-informed physical therapy services to UCF and the local community. “The UCF Physical Therapy…

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Aphasia Family Connects UCF Students with Central Florida Aphasia Community

Tue Jun 29

The Aphasia House, an outpatient clinic under the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, provides a comfortable place for patients with aphasia to receive treatment and find a community home.   “We provide intensive services for people who have aphasia, which can be due to stroke or brain injury that has caused damage to the part of the…

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Alumni Spotlight – Social Work Alumnus Starts Nonprofit for the Homeless

Sun Jun 27

Eric Camarillo BSW’16, MNM’19 and CEO of nonprofit Service and Love Together (SALT) Outreach, was awarded a $250,000 grant from the City of Orlando in September 2020 to establish a mobile outreach center for homeless individuals in Central Florida during COVID-19. Camarillo’s unique mobile service includes a laundry trailer and other pertinent social services for people experiencing…

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