UTA Health Bulletin | October 2024

UTA's Rural Health Liaison Team: Empowering Communities and Transforming Rural Health Care

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s (CONHI) Center for Rural Health and Nursing (CRHN) is positioned to lead the way in supporting one of University of Texas at Arlington’s key strategic initiatives. Unveiled earlier this year, one of the primary goals of UTA 2030 is focused on community engagement efforts through partnerships across Texas.

CONHI Faculty Support Health Innovation at 2024

Texas Health Informatics Alliance Conference

The University Center was recently home to the Fourth Annual Texas Health Informatics Alliance Conference.

Multiple CONHI Faculty represented UTA at the event, including Dr. Marion Ball, Dr. Mari Tietze, and Dr. Sharon Blackerby.

Annual Rural Health Conference to Take Place

at UTA on October 23 - 24

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s Center for Rural Health and Nursing (CRHN) will host the third Annual Rural Health Conference Oct. 23-24 on campus. This year’s event focuses on improving access to care and rural health outcomes. For more information or to register for the conference, visit the CRHN website.

25th IUSTI World Congress

Jaquetta “Jada” Reeves, PhD, MS, BSN, RN, NP-C, Assistant Professor, (above: third from left)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar
REIDS Research Fellow at Yale University School of Public Health

The International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) and ASHM hosted the 25th IUSTI World Congress, which this year incorporated the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASHM) Conference.This conference provides an opportunity to meet, discuss, and learn about the latest research and innovation in sexual and reproductive health. The program will incorporate a range of world-leading speakers, researchers, oral and research poster presentations, TED talks, podcasts, and much more. We will provide an opportunity to expand your professional knowledge in research and clinical practice through local and international insight.

Exercise is Medicine Week 2024

CONHI celebrated Exercise is Medicine Week from October 7 - 11, by planning unique activities for students each day of the week. Activities included a cancer and exercise information table and activity, a functional assessment and corrective exercise demonstration, a Texas American College of Sports Medicine Fall Lecture, an ask a Trainer table, and a Department of Kinesiology Alumni panel.

CONHI Recognizes World Mental Health Day With Arrival of Hearts of Texas Therapy Dogs

During this year's mid-semester skills evaluations for undergraduate nursing students, Michael Holmes lead faculty for Clinical Nursing Foundations, collaborated with Jenny Roye, Assistant Dean of Simulation, to introduce a special initiative to help students manage stress—bringing in the Hearts of Texas Therapy Dogs.

Skills evaluations can be a highly stressful time for students as they are required to demonstrate their clinical competencies under significant pressure. The therapy dogs offered students an opportunity to take a break, reduce anxiety, and return to their evaluations feeling more grounded. Interacting with therapy animals has been shown to decrease stress levels, lower blood pressure, and improve mental clarity—benefits that many students appreciated during this demanding time.

The initiative coincided with World Mental Health Day on October 10, reminding both students and faculty of the importance of mental well-being, especially in high-stakes environments like nursing education. The therapy dogs offered a way for students to prioritize their mental health while also performing under pressure, reflecting the school’s commitment to both academic success and emotional care.

“Temperature and Chronic Pain among Older Adults: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey” Syracuse University, Center for Aging and Policy Studies Pilot Grant ($39,998). Role: co-Principal Investigator, another co-PI is Dr. Kai Zhang

Tour the Smart Hospital

Take a virtual tour through our
state-of-the-art Smart Hospital!

Click on the photo or click here.

Women living in rural areas of Texas are less likely to receive screening mammograms compared to their urban counterparts, according to new research by COHNI professor Zhaoli Liu. Her data was presented at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association in San Antonio, reported Clinical Advisor.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Motor problems in autism: Co‐occurrence or feature? HL Miller, MK Licari, A Bhat, LS Aziz‐Zadeh, T Van Damme, NE Fears, SA Cermak, PM Tamplain. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 66 (1), 16-22

Characterizing goal-directed whole-body movements in autistic children and children with developmental coordination disorder. NE Fears, SB Hirsch, PM Tamplain, TN Templin, GM Sherrod, NL Bugnariu, R Patterson, HL Miller. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 114, 102374

Rural-urban residence and life expectancies with and without pain. Sun, Feinuo, Zachary Zimmer, and Nicolas Brouard.

Are we adding pain-free years to life? A test of compression versus expansion of morbidity. Zachary Zimmer, Feinuo Sun, and Amber Duynisveld.

Efficacy and predictors of success of esophageal hydraulic balloon dilation in patients with and without prior foregut surgery. Nguyen, A.D., Dickerson, A., Zhang, J., Ellson, A., Reddy, C.A., Cipher, D.J., Souza, R. F., Spechler, S.J., & Konda, V. (2024). Techniques and Innovations in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 26(2), 109-120.

Frequent discrepancies among diagnostic tests for detecting lower esophageal sphincter-related esophageal obstruction. Reddy, C.A., Ellison, A., Cipher, D.J., Mendoza, R., Souza, R.F., Spechler, S.J., Konda, V.J.A., & Nguyen, A.D. (2024). Neurogastroenterology and Motility, online ahead of print.

Course outcomes and academic characteristics of Hispanic nursing students. Biggs, J.M., & Cipher, D.J. (2024). Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 19(1), 48-51.

Pathophysiology and pharmacology course grades and prediction of success in a graduate nurse practitioner program. Courtney, M., Gonzalez, J., Jarrell, L., Lewis, D.M., & Cipher, D.J. (2024). Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 36, 29–37.