Newsletter-March 2023
SAHS WINS
Cross-Disciplinary
Congratulations to Shuqi Zhang on recently receiving a grant from the Mountain West CTR-IN, and NIH pass through for her work in the area of functional recovery following head injury. This work is an exciting area of investigation that brings in Dr. Kurt Nilsson from the St. Luke’s Concussion clinic and Leslie Kendrick from Radiologic Sciences. Dr. Nilsson is able to provide clinical impression of the study participants and Leslie explores physiologic markers of recovery, which, by the way provides the basis for her final dissertation study. Congratulations to all on this important work.
Respiratory Care
Jhaymie Cappiello, Clinical Assistant Professor, has implemented journal club that meets quarterly. Engaging with clinical professionals, new professionals, students, and other stakeholders, Jhaymie seeks to promote critical inquiry and implementation of research-based practice. He typically selects one article, often controversial in either subject matter or methodology, and holds a virtual discussion relating the article’s theoretical undertones to practical applicability in the field. Thanks Jhaymie, for this excellent way to help introduce students to the critical review process as well as to extend their network to working professionals.
Radiological Sciences
The Department of Radiologic Sciences’, Natalie Mourant Hodges, Director of the Interventional Radiology and Interventional Cardiology Programs and Degree Coordinator for Advanced Medical Imaging, has been serving as an American Registry of Radiologic Technologist’s national credentialing exam writer for both cardiac and vascular intervention. She is also on the Cardiac and Vascular Intervention Practice Analysis Committee. Most recently Ms. Mourant Hodges accepted a position on the Cardiac Intervention Exam Committee. These assignments demonstrate the distinguished expertise Ms. Mourant Hodges brings to Boise State students and the profession. We are incredibly fortunate to have Ms. Mourant Hodges on our team!!
Kinesiology
Kinesiology is proud to announce that Dr. Eric Martin, associate professor of Kinesiology, received the 2023 Society for Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology Early Career Professional Award for APA Division 47. This award honors an early career professional who has made substantial contributions to sport, exercise or performance psychology. You can access Eric’s CV here.
Genetic Counseling
Congratulations to Sandra Pastorino, a student in the Masters of Genetic Counseling program for receiving a grant from the National Society of Genetic Counselors for her capstone project entitled, “Raising awareness of the BAP1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome (BAP1-TPDS) among medical professionals: an infographic at hand.”
BLUE PRINT UPDATES
GRADUATE COORDINATOR
One of our highest priorities in our strategic plan was to employ a graduate coordinator who could assist with, in particular the applications process. Graduate admission processes can be complex because of the multiple levels of approvals and types of documentation that are required. So in fall of 2023 Tina Freeman, who has supported Kinesiology as an undergraduate advisor for many years, accepted the role of graduate coordinator for the school. Tina indicates that she is “enjoying creating new and more efficient processes for our graduate admissions programs in the MSK, MK, MAL, MAT and MSRC Online, and looks forward to continued learning and involvement in the recruiting and interview processes.” If you see Tina, please thank her for her many years of service as an advisor and wish her well in her new role. All the best, Tina!
COLLABORATION ‘23!
At the 2022 SoAHS spring meeting, the faculty and staff recommended that the school adopt a theme each year; one that we could all rally around as an important point of focus for the year. The department chairs visited with their constituent faculty and staff, and discovered that there wasn’t much of an interest in taking on anything “additional,” such a reading a book together or having to participate in discussions around a particular topic. So what the school leadership decided, rather than taking on something new, was that each year we would highlight one of our existing COHS CORE VALUES as a theme for the year. For 2023, the theme will be Collaboration! Chairs and program directors will be challenged to promote collaboration; perhaps highlighting collaborative efforts during faculty meetings and so forth. There are so many wonderful collaborative efforts in which we are engaged, and these are victories that we need to make widely known. Ultimately, during the annual evaluation processes for programs and faculty, chairs and faculty will be asked to summarize and/or otherwise reflect on their successes with collaborative work, whether in the areas of instruction, research, and/or service.
COMMITTEE UPDATES
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
This committee consists of five voting members (Lynda Ransdell, Megan Koster, Leslie Kendrick, Jennifer Eichmeyer, and myself) and three non-voting members (Kristy Grabert, Tina Freeman, and Olga Salinas). The committee meets monthly, and the purpose is to ensure effective communication on behalf of all stakeholders. We discuss College and School committee reports, get departmental updates, plan school-wide functions, and share university and college initiatives, etc. We are also responsible for school’s strategic plan This past fall, faculty members expressed a desire for greater clarity and detail regarding expectations for promotion and or tenure (and therefore also related to annual performance evaluations). Therefore, I have challenged the executive committee to update their departmental policies related to expectations and evaluation of teaching, research and service.
STRATEGIC PLANNING STEERING COMMITTEE
At the SoAHS Fall Meeting in November of 2022 we solicited feedback regarding a recommendations for strengthening our sense of Boise State offering a Thriving Community (i.e., Goal 4). The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is reviewing the feedback and in the process of constructing overarching recommendations based on the feedback. These recommendations may apply to any and all levels of administrative policies and practices, including University, College and/or School level processes. I have asked to have the formal recommendation in advance of our Spring Meeting so that we can share it with the entire school. I have also met with Dean Dunnagan to informally described our activity and some of the types of suggestions we will make, and he is eager to visit with faculty groups and discover ways to help us THRIVE. I’d like to thank the committee for their work (Shuqi Zhang (chair), Megan Koster, John Lampignano, Kevin Blume, and Olga Salinas).
FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
In Fall of 2022, the faculty affairs committee met and were challenged in three areas. First, I have asked for guidance on a governance structure that we can begin to codify. We have one standing committee at this point; that being the policy committee. I have recommended that the faculty governance include proposing the faculty affairs and the strategic planning committees be named as standing committees (rather than ad-hoc). I also listed some other types of committees that we may wish to consider, but ultimately leave that in the hands of the faculty affairs committee. The second item I have asked them to address is to create a recommendation for a policy related to how we handle faculty searches in the school. I am asking for an approach(es) that would apply uniformly across all units. Faculty searches are a great example of a shared governance matter, and there are multiple lenses that must be incorporated into the model. Faculty members, staff members, students, chairs, school directors, and deans all have a lens that must be considered, and all need an opportunity to participate in the selection process. Finally, the faculty affairs committee is charged with informing the school director of concerns that are bubbling up in their respective units. Of course, your faculty affairs representative is only one resource for you to ensure that your concerns are heard, but one that may be very helpful to you in some circumstances, so please feel free to visit with them (or with me) about any concerns, or suggestions you may have for improving our school! I would like to thank the members of the committee for their work. They are: Tim Kempf (Chair), Camille Stover, and Monica Breedlove.