School of Health and Medical Sciences Faculty Lead National Research and Panels

Faculty in the School of Health and Medical Sciences are extending their work well beyond the classroom, presenting research and contributing to professional dialogue at national and international meetings throughout the academic year.

Across the University’s graduate clinical programs, faculty shared scholarship, served on panels and collaborated with colleagues on topics ranging from interprofessional education to neuroscience and clinical best practices.

Physical therapy faculty presented at the American Physical Therapy Association Education Leadership Conference in Kansas City. Jessica Dunn, D.P.T., director of clinical education for Seton Hall’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, delivered a primary-author platform presentation examining how clinical training environments are defined and evaluated in physical therapy education. She also served as the sole presenter of a peer-reviewed presentation titled “Utilizing the WHO Rehabilitation Competencies Framework to Design Interprofessional Education Curricula,” highlighting innovative approaches to interprofessional training aligned with World Health Organization guidelines.

Interprofessional education and simulation research were also featured at the Nexus Summit hosted by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. Lorene Cobb, P.T., D.P.T., Ed.D., assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and Leslie Rippon, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor in the M.S. in Athletic Training program, co-presented work on virtual simulation platforms designed to prepare students for collaborative clinical practice. Rippon also contributed to research presented at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Transform Conference examining a virtual-reality mass-disaster simulation to improve student readiness.

Seton Hall’s M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology faculty were similarly active at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Washington, D.C. Megan Baumley, M.S., CCC-SLP, Jessica Latawiec, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Department Chair Caryn Grabowski, M.S., CCC-SLP, presented a session focused on preparing students for clinical readiness, sharing approaches designed to help future clinicians build foundational professional skills before entering patient care.

At the same conference, faculty also took on leadership roles within the profession. Associate Professor Anthony Koutsoftas, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, co-editor-in-chief of Seminars in Speech and Language, organized a national panel on publishing clinical research. Kathleen Nagle, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, co-presented seminars on clinical voice evaluation and treatment and presented collaborative research on speech intelligibility and communication disorders. She also presented with former students on communication and accent intelligibility, reflecting ongoing mentorship beyond graduation.

Faculty-student research collaboration was also highlighted at the convention. Associate Professor Nina Capone Singleton, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, presented two peer-reviewed posters alongside doctoral student Yichien Su from Seton Hall’s Ph.D. in Health Sciences program (speech-language pathology track). Their research examined the relationship between infant reflexes, maternal responsiveness and feeding skill development, as well as the emergence of gestures.

Department research activity extended into neuroscience as well. Associate Professor Venugopal Balasubramanian, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, presented research at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in San Diego examining reading and writing disorders across multilingual speakers and their implications for language networks in the brain.

Faculty engagement also included advising and mentorship. Daniel DeSio, M.S., LAT, ATC, director of clinical education in the M.S. in Athletic Training program, served as a panelist in multiple interprofessional programs for Seton Hall’s incoming dual-degree and pre-health students, discussing expectations for graduate education and career pathways across the health professions.

Michael La Fountaine, Ed.D., ATC, FACSM, associate dean of academic affairs and research and professor in the School of Health and Medical Sciences, said the professional involvement of faculty directly informs students’ education.

“Health care education changes quickly as new evidence emerges,” La Fountaine said. “When faculty are presenting research, collaborating with peers and contributing to professional organizations, they bring current knowledge and real-world perspective into the classroom and clinical training environment.”

Visit the School of Health and Medical Sciences website for more information on its programs.

Categories: Health and Medicine, Research