Dan Chambers, M.P.A.S., PA-C, an associate professor in DMU’s physician assistant program, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Allied Health Professions, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), last October. The award recognizes an individual’s noteworthy contributions to UNMC, the respective allied health profession and to the health of all people through patient care, research, teaching and/or health services administration. Chambers is a founding member and currently vice president of the UNMC Physician Assistant Alumni Association, part of the UNMC Alumni Association.

Julia Moffitt, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology, received an American Physiological Society Research Career Enhancement Award for $3,995. She will use the funds to attend the Smith College-New England Biolabs summer molecular biology “boot camp,” which provides training in molecular and cellular biology.

Teri Stumbo, P.T.,M.S., College of Health Sciences associate dean, was elected to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals Nominations and Elections Committee.

Receiving the American Osteopathic Association’s 2010 Mentor of the Year award were DMU clinician and Assistant Professor Jose Figueroa, D.O.’95, and Joseph McNerney,D.O.’80, FACOFP, who practices family medicine and teaches in the graduate medical education department of St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren,MI.

The Des Moines chapter of the American Association of Professional Coders recently named Annette Benjamin, CPC, president, and Cynthia Squier, CPC, president elect. They are billing coding specialists in the DMU Clinic.

Cynthia Utley,M.P.T., assistant directorof clinical education for the doctor of physical therapy program, completed the American Physical Therapy Association advanced clinical instructors credentialing course in January. She is now an advanced credentialed clinical instructor for physical therapy students.

Cynthia Utley and Laura Covill, D.P.T.,OCS, assistant professor of physical therapy, received a grant from the Iowa Physical Therapy Foundation for partial funding of their project, “The comparison of aquatic physical therapy interventions in elderly patients with balance problems: Ai Chi, multisystem aquatic program and conventional aquatic exercise.”

Kari Smith, D.P.T.’04, M.S.P.T.’98, DMU Physical Therapy Clinic manager, earned certification in Stott Pilates, which incorporates modern principles of exercise science and spinal rehabilitation with the original exercise method pioneered by the late Joseph Pilates.

April Newton,D.P.T., director of clinical education for the doctor of physical therapy program, was promoted to assistant professor.

F.R. “Fritz”Nordengren, M.P.H., assistant professor and educational technology strategist in the College of Health Sciences, was elected last November to the inaugural board of directors of the Iowa Food Systems Council. The council is an emerging member-based nonprofit organization that recommends policy, research and program options for an Iowa food system that supports healthier Iowans, communities, economies and the environment.

DMU’s physician assistant program provided free health screenings at the Iowa Care Givers Association’s annual conference last fall.

Elizabeth Smith, DMU animal care technician, in November earned certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

AROUND CAMPUS

Under the supervision of Julie Ronnebaum,M.P.T., an instructor in the doctor of physical therapy program, the program hosted the American Physical Therapy Association geriatric section’s certified exercise expert for aging adults (CEEAA) course series that began Oct. 23-24. Other courses in the series were held in March and will be in May on the DMU campus.

PRESENTATIONS

April Newton, D.P.T., doctor of physical therapy program; Matthew Henry,Ph.D., chair, physiology and pharmacology; James Mahoney, D.P.M., associate dean, College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; and Victor Kaylarian, D.O., chair, internal medicine, had their abstract “Developing and Assessing an Interprofessional Education Module on Conflict of Interest” accepted for presentation at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine meeting on interprofessional education in 2011.

Katherine Frush, D.P.M.’05, assistant professor in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; Nathan Graves, D.P.M.’12; David Rettedal, D.P.M.’13; Kyra Hammonds, D.P.M.’13; Joshua Marshall,D.P.M.’13; and Vassilios Vardaxis, Ph.D., professor and CPMS research director, had their work “Ultrasound assessment of the dorsal Lisfranc ligament strain under clinically relevant loads” accepted for presentation at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons(ACFAS) 2011 annual meeting. Also accepted for presentation at the meeting was “Long-term evaluation of bone mineral density after a Charcot” by Vardaxis; Robert Greenhagen, D.P.M.’08; Rachel Jung, D.P.M.’09; and CPMS Dean R. Tim Yoho, D.P.M., ACFAS.

F.R. “Fritz” Nordengren, M.P.H., assistant professor and educational technology strategist in the College of Health Sciences, and Wayne Bowker, chief information officer, gave the presentation “Both sides now: the search for a CIO from the perspective of the candidate and the search committee” at the Educause Southwest Regional Conference in February.

Denise Hill, J.D., M.P.A., had her abstract for a poster presentation, “Integration of Legal and Clinical Issues in a Patient Simulation Diverticulitis Case,” accepted for presentation at the 2011 annual meeting of the Joint American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators, April 13-16 in Baltimore.

Laura Covill, D.P.T., OCS, assistant professor, presented a two-hour educational session on neuromuscular electric stimulation to the occupational therapy department of the Des Moines Veterans Administration Jan. 18 and facilitated a one-hour discussion on electric stimulation there on Feb. 1.

Catherine Stevermer, Ph.D., M.P.T., GCS, assistant professor, presented “Stability and Movement Strategies during Functional Tasks” at the Iowa State University biomechanics seminar Jan. 21. She also presented the poster “Stair Descent Patterns in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis” at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) combined sections meeting in New Orleans Feb. 12.

Shane McClinton, D.P.T.’07, M.S.P.T.’01, a DMU physical therapist, and Shannon Petersen, D.Sc.P.T., OCS, COMT, were among the authors of the poster “Physical therapist management of complicated bilateral ankle sprain: case study and description of clinical reasoning,” which McClinton presented at the APTA combined sections meeting in February. Also presented was the poster “The active flexion-rotation test for subjects with cervicogenic headaches” by Petersen and Vassilios Vardaxis, Ph.D., professor and CPMS research director. Petersen and Sarah Wyatt, D.P.T.’11, co-authored the poster “Lower trapezius muscle strength in subjects with neck pain,” which Wyatt presented at the meeting.

Kathy Mercuris, D.H.S., P.T., associate professor of physical therapy, presented the poster “Book Club Elective Course on Individuals with Disability and the Impact on Empathy in Physical Therapy Students” at the APTA combined sections meeting in New Orleans in February.

Rachel Reimer, Ph.D., assistant professor in the master of public health program, was a co-author of the poster “Effects of Machismo and Acculturation on HPV Vaccination Status and Willingness among Whites and Latinas,” presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual conference in San Antonio, TX, in January.

PUBLICATIONS

Richard Belloff, D.B.A., assistant professor in the master of health care administration program, was co-author of the article “Anatomy of a cash cow in a mature industry,” published in the Journal of Contemporary Business Issues, spring 2010 edition, Vol. 17, No. 1. He also recently served as a peer reviewer for articles submitted to the Journal of the Academy of Finance, a publication of MBAA International.

Kevin Smith,D.P.M.’95, associate dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, and Simon Geletta, Ph.D., associate professor in the master of public health program, published their study “The role of institutional selectivity in the prediction of podiatric medical school performance” in the November/December issue of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Laura Delaney,PA-C, M.P.A.S., assistant professor in the physician assistant program, had an article, “Understanding Diabetes,” published in the Iowa Caregivers Association November 2010 newsletter.

Catherine Stevermer,Ph.D., M.P.T., GCS, assistant professor in the post-professional doctor of physical therapy program, was among the authors of the article “Lower extremity joint moments during carrying tasks in children,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics.

Martin Schmidt, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and nutrition; DMU biochemistry laboratory technician Michael Boyer; and two Iowa State University undergraduates involved in DMU’s summer research program, Courtney Steen and Jaron Schaumberg, coauthored “Boric Acid Disturbs Cell Wall Synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” accepted for publication in the International Journal of Microbiology (in press).

Rachel Reimer, Ph.D., assistant professor in the master of public health program, was among the authors of the article “Racial differences in smoking knowledge: data from the Health Information National Trends Survey,” accepted for publication in Psychology and Health, 25, 943-959.

Shannon Petersen,D.Sc.P.T., OCS, COMT, assistant professor in the doctor of physical therapy program, and Shane McClinton, D.P.T.’07,M.S.’01, were co-authors of the abstract “Physical therapist management of complicated bilateral ankle sprain: case study and description of clinical reasoning.” Petersen and Sarah Wyatt, D.P.T.’11, also co-authored the article “Lower trapezius muscle strength in individuals with unilateral neck pain,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.

April Newton,D.P.T., assistant professor and director of clinical education for the doctor of physical therapy program, and members of the Iowa Physical Therapy Education Consortium had the article “Physical Therapy Clinical Educators’ Perspectives on Students Achieving Entry level Clinical Performance” accepted for publication by the Journal of Physical Therapy Education.

Roberta Wattleworth, D.O.’81,M.H.A.’99, M.P.H.’04, chair and professor of family medicine, had her first publication in a national journal appear in the October 2010 supplement to Academic Medicine, the official journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. She was involved in a two-year study of the use of visual and audio components of questions that were compared to text-only items that were embedded into Level III of COMLEX national board examinations. Wattleworth is national coordinator of Level III for the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners.

STUDENTS

In celebration of Physician Assistant Week in October, the PA Class of 2012 participated in Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The team raised more than$1,200 for the society; several students also helped with the patient services tent and participated in the walk on Oct. 9.

Several DMU students, working under faculty supervision, last fall offered sports physicals to local school children, screenings at a local health fair and flu shots at clinics.

In response to the mass shooting that took place Jan. 8, 2011, near Tucson, AZ, in which 19 people were shot, six fatally, 43 medical school chapters of the Gold Humanism Honor Society celebrated “Solidarity Day for Compassionate Care” with a variety of outreach projects. DMU’s Gold Humanism Honor Society(GHHS) was one of only two representing osteopathic institutions. The Arnold P.Gold Foundation created GHHS to elevate the values of humanism and professionalism in the practice of medicine.

Twenty doctor of physical therapy students, under the supervision of Kathy Mercuris,D.H.S., P.T., last October provided Special Olympics Fun Fitness screens to the students at Smouse and Van Meter elementary schools in central Iowa.

Steve DeVries, PA’12, was among the authors of an article published in the journal Resuscitation, “An Evaluation of Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation Using an Ergonomically Designed Facemask Among Novice Users: a Simulation based Pilot Study.”

Bethany Morath, a student in the public health program, was featured in the Galesburg, IL, Register-Mail for her project, as an intern with the Knox County Health Department, of organizing a local public health assessment, part of the National Public Health Performance Program.

The AMSA “PharmFree Scorecard,” now in its fourth year, offers a comprehensive national overview as well as an in-depth, school-by-school analysis in 11 areas, including gifts and meals from the pharmaceutical industry to doctors, paid promotional speaking for industry, acceptance of free drug samples, interaction with sales representatives and industry-funded education. In the December 2010 report, of the nation’s 152 medical schools, only 19 received As (13 percent), while 60 were awarded Bs (39 percent), 24 got Cs (16 percent), 18 earned Ds (12 percent) and 26 Fs (17 percent).

Leading DMU’s policy revision effort were Victor Kaylarian,D.O., chair of internal medicine; Cheryl Dahms, director of the DMU Clinic; and Karen McLean,Ph.D., provost.

DMU and Hospice of Central Iowa will offer the Hospice Foundation of America’s Living with Grief® four-part educational webinar April 16, May 14, June 11 and July 9 on campus. The sessions are free and open to the public. Topics will include spirituality and end-of-life care; reviewing one’s life; and assisting clients with spiritual distress at the end of life.

The symposium Origins of Obesity: Maternal, Epigenetic and Lifestyle Factors, sponsored by DMU and several partnering organizations, will occur May 9-11 at Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames, IA. Participants will explore factors that may play a role in the genesis of obesity and learn how they integrate, in order to develop prevention and intervention strategies. Registration costs vary for students, faculty and health care professionals.

DMU’s osteopathic manual medicine department and the American Fascial Distortion Model Association will offer the level 1, module 1 course Fascial Distortion Model (FDM) May13-15 on campus. Registration after April 11 is $575. FDM allows for highly effective manipulative treatments for diverse afflictions such as pulled muscles, sprained ankles and frozen shoulders, and generates results that are objective, obvious, measurable and immediate.

Des Moines University will host the 71st annual meeting of the North Central Branch of the American Society for Microbiology Oct. 7-8 on campus. A call for abstracts will be sent in July, and registration is due by Sept. 15; more information will be posted on DMU’s continuing medical education website.

The Institute of Physical Art, through the DMU Physical Therapy Clinic, will offer its course on the functional approach to proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation Oct. 13-16 on campus. Course content emphasizes the establishment of efficient motor recruitment patterns for rehabilitation of neurological and orthopedic patients and post-manipulative techniques. Registration is $645.

As in the previous two years, the symposium will feature national leaders in foot and ankle surgery, including alumni and faculty of the DMU College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. The event also offers great opportunities to network. The symposium’s course director is Michael Lee, D.P.M.’96, FACFAS, who practices with Capital Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Des Moines; co-course director is Collin Pehde, D.P.M.’02, FACFAS, assistant professor in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery.

The symposium has been approved for a maximum of 12 continuing education contact hours by the Council of Podiatric Medical Education. Registration is$100, which includes continuing education credit, course materials, Friday reception, Saturday box lunch and refreshments. Information and registration are posted online.

DMU is also changing its distribution of Abaton to be more fiscally and environmentally responsible; only those who register for Abaton will receive the 2011 printed version. In the past, the journal was mailed to all DMU alumni and friends. Individuals who want to receive the printed 2011 edition should register by July 1.

Abaton will always be available online for anyone to read.

Medical students from all institutions who submit to Abaton an essay or short story of up to 5,000 words will be considered for the $1,000 Richard Selzer Prize, named in honor of the distinguished surgeon, Yale University professor and prolific author. Selzer’s works have influenced many individuals to become physicians and encouraged many physicians to share their own experiences through writing.

Submissions to Abaton must be sent by July 1, 2011, via the online submission form. Additional guidelines and past editions of the journal are available online as well.

Advertisement courtesy of DMU Archivist Lindsey MacAllister Smith, M.A., and the DMU archives.

Through its history, Des Moines University has changed its name no fewer than five times. Founded in 1898 as the Dr. S.S. Still College of Osteopathy, its name was simplified to the Still College of Osteopathy (1905), and then changed to Des Moines Still College of Osteopathy and Surgery (1940s), College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (1958), University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (1981) and finally – whew! – Des Moines University (1999).

Despite all the changes, the institution remains “the best” at what it does, preparing future health care providers and leaders, as this ad about the Dr. S.S. Still College proudly proclaimed. And while the University now has more than 300 full-time employees and multiple courses of study, DMU can continue to say its faculty are “large and strong” in their fields, widely reputed in their professions and “actively engaged” in the education and success of their students.

Dr. Kneussl earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in anatomy at Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. The recipient of a National Institutes of Health pre-doctoral research fellowship, he taught anatomy at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and, in 1972, joined the anatomy faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Kneussl joined the faculty of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, now DMU, in 1980. He served on many faculty and University committees in addition to his teaching activities.

In 1996 DMU created the Frank Kneussl Service Award, given each year to two PA students, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the program. In 2005 Dr. Kneussl received the program’s Distinguished Professor Award and the DMU Appreciation Award from the student government. Upon his retirement that year, he was awarded the status of professor emeritus.

At Dr. Azneer’s inauguration on Nov. 5, 1971, he announced plans to acquire for the college the former site of St. Joseph’s Academy at 3200 Grand Ave. The new location allowed for expanded facilities and faculty. In the ensuing years, enrollment more than doubled. The medical curriculum was shortened from four to three years, to help meet the nation’s need for more physicians. The four-year curriculum was re-introduced for the 1979 entering class. The college also opened several community and outreach clinics during the 1970s.

Other major developments under Dr.Azneer’s leadership include the creation in 1981 of the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and the College of Health Sciences, prompting the institution to change its name to the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (UOMHS). Also in 1981, a five-story Academic Center was added to campus, housing classrooms, lecture halls, the library, bookstore and many administrative offices. In 1987, the 10-story Tower Medical Clinic – now DMU Clinic – was completed.

Named the 1985 Educator of the Year by the National Osteopathic Foundation, Dr. Azneer was known as a brash, aggressive leader, a staunch advocate for osteopathic medicine and an effective, forceful fundraiser. His tenure concluded in controversy, and in 1993 he left the University and moved to Florida.