College of Allied Health Sciences hosts first college-wide Research Day
The College of Allied Health Sciences recently held its first college-wide Research Day. The event, meant to foster inter-departmental collaboration, featured oral presentations and poster sessions from undergraduates, master’s students, Doctor of Physical Therapy students and Ph.D. candidates from the nine programs within the college.
Awards for posters and presentations were voted on by the CAHS research committee. Three People’s Choice award winners were chosen as well.
“Our first Research Day was an overwhelming success,” said Dr. Robert Orlikoff, dean of the college. “It showcased the fact that students in the College of Allied Health Sciences are not only developing the knowledge and skills to become effective evidence-based practitioners and health care workers, but are also acquiring strong skills in both basic and clinical research. I congratulate the students as well as our accomplished faculty research mentors.”
The ECU College of Allied Health Sciences recently held its first college-wide Research Day. Students from the college’s nine departments gave poster and oral presentations during morning and afternoon sessions. (Photos by Alyssa De Santis Figiel)
The event, held on the university’s Reading Day on April 26, was organized by Dr. Richard Willy, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, and Dr. Heather Harris Wright, professor and associate dean for research, who organized the presentations based on their subjects and theme, rather than by department.
“Every department in our college has typically done their own research day,” Willy said. “They’ve always kind of occurred in somewhat of a vacuum. So now that we’re pushing interprofessional communication, it made sense to hold them all on the same day.
“We might have someone from physical therapy standing next to someone from occupational therapy standing next to someone from clinical lab science,” Willy continued. “By seeing what our students are working on, essentially, by proxy we’re seeing what our faculty are working on. So we’re hopeful that maybe in the next couple years this Research Day might encourage more collaboration across the college.”
Students from the Department of Physical Therapy discuss their work during Research Day on April 26.
Peter Eischens, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Addictions & Rehabilitation Studies, won the best oral presentation award with his presentation “Developing queer competency in rehabilitation addictions, and clinical counseling graduate programs.”
Other winners chosen by the committee include Patrick Briley and Kori Engler from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as Morgan Haskins, the team of Jeffrey Harrington and Kate Foy, and Eric Kosco from the Department of Physical Therapy.
People’s Choice award winners were Eshan Pua of CSDI and Cynthia Edsall and Alyssa Kerls from the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science. Winners each received a $100 Amazon gift card.
The college plans to make its Research Day an annual event.
-by Natalie Sayewich, University Communication