Motivational speaker Kevin Eikenberry

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Virtual classmates will meet face-to-face to celebrate the completion of their education at A.T. Still University-School of Health Management’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 6.

As graduates gather in Ophelia Parrish Performing Arts Center on the campus of Truman State University in Kirksville, motivational speaker Kevin Eikenberry will deliver the keynote address. A two-time best-selling author, speaker, and consultant, he is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies and well-known organizations, including the American Red Cross, John Deere, Shell and the U.S. Marine Corps. As an author, he has published “Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time “(2007) as well as “Vantagepoints on Learning and Life” (2006). As a motivational speaker, Eikenberry emphasizes the extraordinary potential of both people and organizations and that all aspects of life, including learning and work, should be fun.

Both learning and work have paid off for SHM’s graduating class and the number achieving a degree is higher than ever this year. A total of 162 students from 31 different states will be honored: graduates from last summer, graduates from last fall and winter, and this spring’s expected graduates. The majority, 74 students, will receive a master of public health; in addition, 31 will receive a master of health administration, 10 will receive a master of geriatric health, and eight will comprise the second group ever to receive a doctorate of health education. Finally, 34 will receive certificates in Public Health, and five will receive a certificate in Health Administration.

“Graduates of ATSU are using the osteopathic principles to change the face of health care in the United States and this year’s ATSU-SHM graduates are no different,” said SHM Dean Kimberly O’Reilly, D.H.Ed., M.S.W. “The School of Health Management is excited to graduate its largest class to the field of medicine and mind, body, and spirit care.”

While he is in Kirksville, commencement speaker Eikenberry will also address the public at a gathering at Napoli’s Italian Restaurant on Friday, June 5. He will speak on “Leading in a Climate of Change” at 7 p.m.; the event is free of charge to the community.

ATSU President Jack Magruder; Tom Nack, representing CARE Partnership; Dawn Zadrozny, representing HUB International Milne of Arizona; Kristel Croffoot; Stuart Alan Richards, M.P.A., PA-C; and Provost Craig M. Phelps, D.O.

MESA, Ariz. (May 14, 2009) – The seventh annual Crystal Awards were held May 8 on the Arizona Campus of A.T. Still University (ATSU). More than 100 guests, including ATSU President Jack Magruder and members of the ATSU Board of Trustees, attended the hors d’oeuvres reception and awards presentation that honored individuals and organizations that are making a difference in the state of Arizona.

The 2009 award winners and their categories included CARE Partnership, non-profit; HUB International Milne of Arizona, business; Stuart Alan Richards, M.P.A., PA-C, individual achievement; and Kristel Croffoot, ATSU student.

CARE Partnership was recognized for its free dental clinic, started in 2007 with assistance from students from ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH). HUB International Milne was honored for its commitment to providing affordable healthcare insurance to those in need.

Stuart Alan Richards, M.P.A., PA-C, adjunct associate professor at ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS), was recognized for his work at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center and work with the United States Public Health Service. Honored for her dedication to ATSU’s Free Family Health & Wellness Day and commitment to campus and professional organizations was Kristel Croffoot, ASHS occupational therapy class of 2010.

“ATSU is proud of its Crystal Award honorees and all they have done for their communities,” said ATSU Provost Craig M. Phelps, D.O., ’81. “It is important to acknowledge the quiet, meaningful work going on behind the scenes to help those in need. Too often society fails to thank and recognize those helping others. ATSU hopes this event shines a light on some of our quiet heroes.”

One of ATSU’s ongoing University goals is to be a resource for the community. In 2003, ATSU established the Crystal Awards to publicly honor those individuals and organizations sharing the University’s vision and who were committed to making a difference through creative and innovate problem solving.

Over the next few months, ATSU representatives will make a formal award presentation to the winners at their own major events in their own venues, so that their accomplishments can be celebrated by the honorees’ co-workers and supporters.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (May 19, 2009) — The A.T. Still University (ATSU) Board of Trustees met on May 8 and 9 in Mesa, Ariz., to discuss the state of the University. At the meeting, the board approved three resolutions: the 2009-10 fiscal year budget, honorary degrees for the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH) commencement, and honorary degrees for the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) commencement.

Budget and Finances

The Finance Committee heard a full report on the proposed budget for the upcoming year, which was approved the next day by the full board. As the University continues to grow, many fundraising programs and events are taking place across both campuses. Staff members presented the Development Committee with information on these initiatives and the progress that they have made for ATSU.

Honorary Degrees

The board approved two honorary degrees, Doctor of Humane Letters (D.Hu.L.) for Raman Bedi, D.D.S, D.Sc., and Allen L. Finkelstein, D.D.S. Officials will present these degrees at ASDOH’s graduation ceremony on June 13. Dr. Bedi was the chief dental officer in England from 2002-05 and is the co-director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at the Eastman Dental Institute in London. Based in the United States, Dr. Finkelstein is the chief dental officer of AmeriChoice/United Health Group and a general dentist practicing in the state of New York.

For ASHS’ commencement on August 8, the board approved two more D.Hu.L. honorary degrees: for David Goldstein, Ph.D., and David H. Perrin, Ph.D. Dr. Goldstein is professor emeritus of audiology at Purdue University, and Dr. Perrin is dean of the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Strategic Research Initiative

Assistant Vice President for Research, Grants, and Information Systems John Heard, Ph.D., reported on the Strategic Research Initiative to the Education and Research Committee. Each of the School’s deans also reported on this initiative, and participants agreed that further coordination is necessary between both campuses.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (May 14, 2009) — OptumHealth Inc. announced today that it is providing a free help line to people in Missouri and Oklahoma who are trying to cope with the emotional consequences of the recent tornadoes that hit the region. Staffed by experienced master’s-level behavioral health specialists, the free help line offers assistance to callers seeking help in dealing with stress, anxiety and the grieving process. Callers may also receive referrals to a database of community resources to help them with specific concerns, such as financial and legal issues.

The toll-free help line number is 866-342-6892. It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for as long as necessary. The service is free of charge. Resources and information are also available via the Internet in English at www.liveandworkwell.com and in Spanish at www.mentesana-cuerposano.com.

Previously, OptumHealth’s help line assisted individuals free of charge following Hurricane Ike, Tropical Storm Gustav, the floods in New Mexico and the Midwest, Hurricane Dolly, past hurricanes in Florida and the Gulf Coast, previous wildfires in Southern California, and the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.

Such help line services are routinely available to members of UnitedHealthcare courtesy of OptumHealth, the health and wellness business of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). OptumHealth serves customers of its sister companies — such as UnitedHealthcare — as well as customers of non-UnitedHealth Group businesses.

About OptumHealth

OptumHealth Inc. helps individuals navigate the health care system, finance their health care needs and achieve their health and well-being goals. The company’s personalized health advocacy and engagement programs tap a unique combination of capabilities that encompass care solutions, behavioral solutions, specialty benefits and financial services. Serving 60 million people, OptumHealth is one of the nation’s largest health and wellness businesses, and is a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company. More information about OptumHealth can be found at www.optumhealth.com.

For more information, contact:

Brad Lotterman
Senior Manager, External Communications
714-445-0453
brad.lotterman@optumhealth.com

Dr. George Carlson

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – After years of work and scores of proposals, George Carlson, Ph.D., professor of physiology at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), received his first grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for his work on treatment options for muscular dystrophy.

His win means that Dr. Carlson and ATSU now have a total of $201,967  to use for research involving testing new drug therapies for muscular dystrophy. On top of his award from NIH, Dr. Carlson also gained a grant from the AFM, or Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, for roughly $80,000 over two years. Based out of France, this association fights neuromuscular diseases by supporting projects, and in 2007 they committed 66 million Euros to research and to the development of new therapies. Each year they support nearly 400 projects.

A veteran to the grant-writing process, Dr. Carlson has received grants in the recent past from ATSU, the AFM and Charley’s Fund, a non-profit organization based out of Massachusetts that is dedicated to researching muscular dystrophy. But he’s spent the past 20 years applying for a grant from the NIH, a federal agency that awards money in a very competitive process to the highest quality research. This major agency gives grants to institutions and individuals and encourages projects of high scientific caliber, investigator-initiated research and unique research projects.

“I’m very happy to have received the grants — it will make our research easier as we try to alleviate the effects of this terrible disease,” Dr. Carlson said.

Since 1980, Dr. Carlson has been researching muscular dystrophy and trying to discover what drugs would be useful in fighting the fatal disease. He recently tested a new class of drugs on a mouse model, and he made the first publication on these results that was useful in the scientific field. Although he works on his own in Kirksville, Mo., he is also a member of an international consortium initiated by the European organization Treat-NMD, and collaborates with other researchers of the consortium to put together laboratory protocol assessing new treatment plans. Once the drugs are proven effective on the mouse model, Dr. Carlson said the end result would be to use the same drugs to treat humans. He praised the University for supporting the strategic research fund, which has allowed him to continue his work.

“It’s important to give ATSU credit for giving money to the strategic research fund and for giving me the strategic research grant,” he said. “Without that funding I would have not accumulated the research necessary to gain these two new awards.”

The combined victory gives Dr. Carlson another few years of funding for his research – the NIH grant lasts for three years, and the AFM grant lasts for two. He will continue to test new treatments and publish his research as he works with scientists worldwide to battle the debilitating spread of muscular dystrophy.