MESA, Ariz. – The Commission on Dental Accreditation has awarded a seven-year accreditation — the top accreditation — to A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) postgraduate orthodontic program.

“ASDOH has the only accredited orthodontic program in Arizona and is one of only approximately 65 programs in the United States,” said Janet Woldt, Ph.D., M.S., associate dean for academic assessment and assistant professor at ASDOH. “Candidates come to us after graduating from dental school with D.M.D. or D.D.S. degrees and are residents in training.”

Accreditation is a tool used to monitor, assess, and evaluate the standards and quality of education a student receives from a college, university, or other institution of higher learning. Accreditation indicates that a school or program meets quality standards in terms of faculty, curriculum, patient care, administration, libraries, financial well-being, and student services.

“ASDOH’s postgraduate orthodontic program is a 26-month program that prepares students to treat a wide range of craniofacial anomalies such as cleft lip and cleft palate,” said Program Director Jae Hyun Park, D.M.D., M.S.D., M.S., Ph.D. “As well, residents learn to treat orthognathic or orthodontic problems through the application of biological and clinical science, leading to a certification in orthodontics.”

“By offering an accredited program, ASDOH goes one step further to assure its residents receive a quality education,” said Dr. Park.

ATSU is named to the President's Honor Roll with distinction.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University (ATSU) has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognizes colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms.

“Congratulations to A.T. Still University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face.”

ATSU was named to the Honor Roll based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

In 2009, nearly 60 percent of ATSU’s student body spent more than 13,000 volunteer hours serving the University’s local communities near its two campuses in Kirksville, Mo., and Mesa, Ariz.

Students and faculty at ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine organized and participated in outreach projects including the Court Appointed Special Advocacy program, which advocates for abused and neglected children in the justice system. The program has been so successful that it has recently moved into adjacent counties to serve even more at-risk youth.

At ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH), the Give Kids a Smile® project provided free dental care to local underserved children. At the one-day event, more than 200 children received care with the cost of the donated treatment totaling more than $100,000.

ASDOH students and faculty also participated in the Special Smiles project, during which they provided oral health screenings, referrals, and education for Special Olympic athletes; the American Indian Oral Health & Dental Career Outreach project where they educated American Indian high school students about oral health and careers in dentistry; and the Project Challenge Oral Health & Drug Prevention program where they worked with troubled teens to raise awareness about methamphetamines’ effect on oral health and other issues relating to teenage oral health.

At ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, students and faculty provided full physical exams to underserved Hispanic children and adults.

“I am proud of our students, faculty, and staff who always come together in a common cause and contribute generously and often to serve the needs of others,” said ATSU President Jack Magruder.

The University partners with numerous organizations that support student community service activities. These organizations include local elementary schools, state universities, hospitals, Women Infant Children centers, Head Start centers, Special Olympics, Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow, county health departments, community centers, community health centers, senior centers, and nursing homes.

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The 2010 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges includes 22 A.T. Still University (ATSU) students who have been recognized as national outstanding campus leaders. Fourteen of ATSU’s Who’s Who students attend its Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM) Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program, two attend KCOM’s Master of Biomedical Sciences (M.S.) program, and six are students of ATSU’s School of Health Management (SHM).

These students join an elite group of students from more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.

Students with outstanding academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities, and potential for continued success have been recognized in the annual directory since its first publication in 1934.

The KCOM D.O. students are Jessica E. Alm, Jared Chase, Brandon Flammer, Alan Heincker, Lyndsay C. Hoemberg, Katherine Johnson, Meggan Johnson, Sarah Moran, Cory Nelson, Curtis Neilsen, Brian Parks, Erick Schuermann, Mark T. Shima, and Courtney Winterer.

The KCOM biomed students are Jeffrey R. Gaffney and Tyler J. Smith.

The SHM students are Gail L. Bullard, David Dunham, Jerome Horn, Diane Oldfather, Kareem Rizk, and John Sumo.

ATSU will recognize these students at its 2010 Senior Awards Banquet in May.

MESA, Ariz. – The next time you see a player for the Seattle Mariners or Los Angeles Angels at a spring training game, you may want to take a closer look at his smile.

In a unique collaboration, A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) and major league baseball’s Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels are launching the Oral Health for Athletes program, which will provide oral health screenings to spring training athletes. The first screenings are scheduled for the Mariners on Feb. 17 at the Peoria Sports Complex, their home for spring training. The date for the Angels is yet to be decided. The teams are the first to participate in a program that hopes to grow the service to all of the spring training teams.

“Often the oral health of athletes may not be a priority or may be neglected,” said Robert Levine, D.D.S., assistant professor, ASDOH. “ASDOH is glad to provide oral healthcare services and education critically important to the overall health of players.”

The Oral Health for Athletes program includes oral cancer screenings, oral hygiene education, spit tobacco use prevention, and oral HPV education; assessment of acute dental problems that can be treated immediately at the ASDOH dental clinics; and recommendations for mouth protection.

The ASDOH mobile dental clinic will be onsite at the spring training facilities and will use state-of-the-art tissue screening devices including mini-lasers. Exams and education will be provided by ASDOH faculty and residents in dentistry. “If anything suspicious is found on the oral exam, we can even provide a biopsy onsite if needed,” said Dr. Levine.

For Bryan Banks, a third-year dental student, this opportunity for outreach to athletes finds him on the other side of the player’s bench. Banks is a former major league baseball player with the Milwaukee Brewers and World Series winner with the Florida Marlins who traded in his bat for a career in dentistry. “As both a former major league player and dental student, I know the importance of oral healthcare,” said Banks. “Several of my fellow players had either oral cancers detected early or had suspicious lesions found during similar screening programs.”

In addition to players, general managers, coaches and other staff will receive screenings. “Because of the University’s outreach, our athletes and staff are receiving the best education about the dangers of tobacco use and getting top-notch oral exams,” said Mariners head athletic trainer Rick Griffin. “We are honored to be part of the Oral Health for Athletes program and grateful ATSU is taking the time and effort to extend this program to us.”

MESA, Ariz. – In an era when healthcare reform is an ongoing concern for the public, students at A.T. Still University (ATSU) are addressing fundamental issues facing today’s healthcare system. ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) is launching its first winter institute for its Doctor of Health Sciences (D.H.Sc.) program February 7-12. Approximately 70 students from across the United States and several international students will participate.

The D.H.Sc. is an online program that includes a one-week residential component, known on campus as the winter institute. A post-professional degree designed for master’s prepared healthcare professionals, the D.H.Sc. is one of only three such programs in North America.

“The Doctor of Health Sciences program has far exceeded expectations in its popularity for all health disciplines,” said Program Director Helen Ewing, D.H.Sc., R.N. “We have representation from the majority of disciplines including students from clinical practice, administration, research, and academia.”

During the winter institute, students will share their research projects with colleagues and faculty. Example topics include strategies for weight reduction, reduction of medication errors in healthcare, improved diets, workplace wellness programs, and incorporating exercise into daily activities.

The institute provides an opportunity for online students to meet face-to-face and discuss pertinent issues in healthcare with faculty. In addition, the institute affords a forum for sharing ideas from a multidisciplinary health professions perspective.

“The inaugural winter institute has long been anticipated as a highlight of the D.H.Sc. program,” said Dr. Ewing. “This is an exciting event that allows professionals from numerous health disciplines to come together and dialogue around theories studied during classes and discuss the application of coursework to their work environment. Students are very excited about the opportunity to come on campus and meet faculty and staff from departments instrumental to the program’s and their success.”