MESA, Ariz. – Researchers at A.T. Still University (ATSU) in Mesa, Ariz., and SouthWest Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation (SWAN Rehab) in Phoenix are challenging old assumptions about stroke rehabilitation with a new, intensive therapy program for chronic stroke survivors. ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences faculty Pamela Bosch, PT, Ph.D., and James Lynskey, PT, Ph.D., together with Kay Wing, PT, D.P.T., NCS, GCS, at SWAN Rehab have teamed up with colleagues to test the new program, which consists of a four-week, intensive, whole body therapy.

Millions of stroke survivors are left with social, motor, and/or mobility deficits, resulting in a reduced ability to perform typical activities of daily living and, ultimately, a diminished quality of life. The intensive approach being tested is based on current principles of neuroplasticity and a vast body of research showing that the brain can be trained to re-organize after injury and re-learn to do things previously done by the damaged area of the brain even years after stroke.

According to Dr. Bosch, a gap exists between this research and the current status of neurorehabilitation in clinical practice. “In spite of the compelling research showing functional recovery after stroke, both acute and chronic, conventional rehabilitation programs have often continued using a traditional model of service delivery,” she said.

Traditional stroke therapy includes in-patient rehabilitation for a few weeks to a month, transitioning to an out-patient program for a few additional weeks. This includes a few hours of therapy per week, limited to a few months after a stroke. In contrast, the new, more intensive treatment being tested involves daily therapy sessions of three hours per day, four days per week for four weeks.

The therapy sessions take place at SWAN Rehab, located in Central Phoenix. SWAN and ATSU have been conducting this study for a year and are currently enrolling participants. The study also includes an education-only group for comparison. The education-only group will not receive the intensive therapy but will be instructed on an individualized exercise program based on the patient’s goals and education on the benefits of remaining active after a stroke.

For more information about the intensive stroke pilot program, call SWAN Rehab at 602.393.0520, or ATSU at 480.219.6063.

Geoffrey Hoffa, PA-C

MESA, Ariz. – A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) alumnus Geoffrey Hoffa, PA-C, was recently named to the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants (ARBoPA) by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. He will replace Randy Danielsen, Ph.D., PA-C, dean of ATSU-ASHS, who has just completed his maximum two terms on the board.

“When completing a term on an important regulatory board, it is always great to see younger, energetic people come forward,” said Dr. Danielsen. “In this case I am even more thrilled to see an ATSU-ASHS PA alumnus of Mr. Hoffa’s caliber appointed to this prestigious board by Governor Brewer.”

Hoffa, a ‘00 graduate of ATSU-ASHS, was appointed to the board on October 9, and will attend his first quarterly meeting on November 18. While serving on the ARBoPA board, which licenses and regulates more than 1,000 Arizona physician assistants (PA), his job will be to ensure public safety through adherence to practice laws and rules. He also sees it as an opportunity to serve the public by helping to attract much-needed healthcare professionals to Arizona through modern, forward-thinking healthcare practice rules that will benefit the physician/PA partnership.

“I am currently pursuing efforts at broadening my contacts locally and around the nation to seize the opportunity which has presented itself in the current healthcare debate,” said Hoffa. “As a leader and consultant, I will persist to push the profession forward, as well as continue to expand my role as a community leader. I believe the two efforts share the common goal of ensuring quality, affordable healthcare.”

After graduating from ATSU-ASHS, Hoffa worked in solid organ transplant for over five years at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. He started his own independent contracting business, Hoffa Health Care, in 2008, and continues to hold leadership positions with the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants, lobbying and serving as a delegate at the national level.

President Magruder and new board member Ron Winkler

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The A.T. Still University (ATSU) Board of Trustees met October 17 in Kirksville, Mo., during Founder’s Day weekend for its quarterly meeting and elected its newest member, Ronald Winkler of Kirksville. Winkler is president of Winkler Communication Services, a telephone and fiber cable installation and repair company that has served northeast Missouri since 1991. Winkler will serve a three-year term. The board now has 17 members.

The board also made a number of other personnel changes, including saying goodbye to former chair Peter Detweiler, CEO of Alliant Bank in Kirksville, whose term expired, and re-electing members Cynthia Byler, D.O., of St. Louis, Mo.; Carl Bynum, D.O., M.P.H., of Warson Woods, Mo.; Manuel Bedoya, D.M.D., of Tucson, Ariz.; Clyde Evans, Ph.D., of Needham, Mass.; and John Robinson, of Phoenix, Ariz.

New officers were also appointed: Dr. Bynum as chair; Kenneth Jones, D.O., of Clinton, Mo., as vice chair; Dr. Byler as secretary; Robert Uhl, of Phoenix, Ariz., as finance committee chair; and Dr. Evans as chair of the education/research committee.

The next board meeting is scheduled for February 2010 in Mesa, Ariz.

Arts, crafts sale, clothing drive set for October 5-9

MESA, Ariz. (Oct. 2, 2009) – Students in A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) Occupational Therapy program will observe Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) by holding an arts and crafts sale and clothing drive on the ATSU campus in Mesa, Ariz., on October 5-9. Proceeds will benefit the Arizona State Hospital, which provides treatment and rehabilitative services to the state’s mentally ill.

The arts and crafts for sale were created by patients during treatment at the Arizona State Hospital, and include everything from wind chimes to seasonal and holiday décor. The gently used clothing collected during the drive will be used in a hospital program that teaches patients vocational and business skills in a retail-like setting and allows patients to purchase necessary items using tokens earned during their stay.

“The students have really taken the lead to reach out to the hospital to make a difference,” said ATSU Assistant Director of Counseling Services Art Matthews. “They are truly inspiring young professionals who epitomize our mission by demonstrating compassion, integrity, and ability.”

“We hope the money raised and donated items will help patients to maintain their dignity and feel hopeful and prepared for their new lives back in their communities,” Matthews added.

About 60 million Americans experience mental or behavioral health problems in any given year. One in 17 lives with the most serious conditions such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. MIAW, which has been held during the first week in October since its inception in 1990, was designated by Congress to promote public education about serious mental illness.

“Treatment works if you can get it,” said Matthews. “We need to remove stigma and promote the help that is available on campuses and in local communities, because no one is immune from mental illness. It doesn’t discriminate.”

NATA President Marjorie Albohm, M.S., ATC, LAT

MESA, Ariz. – National Athletic Training Association (NATA) President Marjorie Albohm, M.S., ATC, LAT, made a rare stop to A.T. Still University’s Arizona Campus to visit the Athletic Training program at the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) on September 2-3. Her agenda included a campus tour, time with athletic training faculty, and a presentation and discussion panel with students.

During her visit, Albohm noted that the Athletic Training program at ATSU-ASHS is one of the most innovative in the country, serving as a model for other athletic training programs. “Your faculty makes a significant contribution to the profession of athletic training,” she said. “All are outstanding leaders in their field.”

When speaking to students, she called their program the ‘Cadillac of athletic training programs.’

“Sometimes when you’re in it, and you know your faculty as close as you do, you don’t see how the world sees you. The world looks at you as being the best of the best,” she said.

“You are part of a highly elite program that positions athletic training in healthcare,” she continued. “To be all who we can be as athletic trainers has been my goal in leadership throughout my career, and I share the passion that your faculty has for positioning athletic trainers in healthcare in every single practice setting. You are lucky to be at ATSU-ASHS because the education you take with you to whatever setting you’re in will reflect athletic trainers as healthcare professionals.”

“We are honored that President Albohm visited our program, the only graduate athletic training education program in the state of Arizona, and one of only 15 NATA-accredited programs in the country,” said John Parsons, Ph.D., AT/L, director of the ATSU-ASHS Athletic Training program. “Her visit provided both our faculty and students with a unique opportunity to share ideas and engage in dialogue about the current and future state of the profession.”

Albohm was one of the first women in the nation certified as an athletic trainer by NATA. She has received NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and the Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training, and has served the organization as vice president, president of the research and education foundation, and secretary/treasurer. She served in key positions on the medical staffs of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, 1991 World Gymnastics Championships, and 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games.