5 73 Allied health recycling programhelps Haitian orphans

Friday, October 28, 2011 Volume 24, Number 11

‘Emotional Health & Wellness’ conference draws international crowd

School of Public Health facultysummit Mt. Kilimanjaro

LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY BEHAVIORAL MEDICINECENTER | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER – EAST CAMPUS | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH CARE | LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY HEART & SURGICAL HOSPITALFACULTY MEDICAL GROUP OF LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | FACULTY PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS OF LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

CONVOCATION AND DEDICATION

The following address was given by Richard H.Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma LindaUniversity, during the annual convocation cere-mony held on October 5, 2011.

The year was 1907, and rumors of war werecirculating throughout Europe, eventually

culminating in World War I. Henry Ford wasstill tinkering with his combustible engine,refining it. The Wright brothers were on theirthird model of airplane.

But, here in California a small group of deter-mined people had just graduated their first classfrom the School of Nursing. They called thisplace the College of Evangelists at that time.Early on, they had set objectives, number one ofwhich was to train medical missionaries to go toforeign lands and preach the gospel. And, asthat first class graduated, one of the very firstpeople to go abroad from this class, AlmedaKerr, in 1907, headed to Montevideo, Uruguay,and later worked at River Plate, Argentina.They called her Meda and she went out boldlyas the very first missionary from Loma Linda.

The next year or two went by and the group ofdetermined faculty here became more bold, andstarted talking about a medical school. Theychanged the name to College of Medical Evan-gelists and opened a medical school in 1909. Asthe first classes started graduating in 1914-15, astream of people embarked to points unknown.Lavina and Fred Herzer, she a physician and he

Mission globe dedicated following annualLoma Linda University convocation ceremony

Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, presidentof Loma Linda University, gave theconvocation address.

The dedication program for the mission globe took place indoors because of thefirst significant rain of the season. The sun came out the following day, whenthis photo was taken.

The 2011 Loma Linda University convocation on October 5 was attended bystudents, faculty, staff, generous donors, and other visitors. The Loma LindaUniversity Church sanctuary was filled to its capacity. A dedication ceremony forthe LLU mission globe followed, held inside due to imminent heavy rain showers.

a nurse, headed to the Philippines. OliveChancey Smith and her husband Frank went toCalcutta, India. Don Davenport headed toChina where he joined up with Harry Miller,who was in the process of starting hospitalsthroughout that vast continent.

Iner Sheld was a young man from a family ofsix, whose mother died when he was 7 years old.His father abandoned the family and hesearched about, as children did in those days, tofind and make his own way through this world.He finally attached to the Ritchie family whoneeded a helping hand on their ranch. Hestarted caring for their farmland and learning tocare for bees. And finally, in 1908, the Ritchiefamily said, “We are going to call you our son,”and gave him their name. He and his brotherran a bee ranch to support themselves. In 1908he came to start nursing here at Loma Linda. Ayear later, in 1909, when the medical schoolstarted, he shifted over to that, and upon gradu-ation, he began a lifelong love affair with Mexicoand started institutions across that country.

It was almost like moths to the light orlemmings to the sea, this band of intrepid LomaLinda graduates who started moving out acrossthis world and planting institutions. Over ourfirst 50 years, they averaged one new hospitalper year—our Loma Linda graduates.

I began my career in Tanzania years ago, andhad the privilege of working alongside a

Catholic nun from the Maryknoll Order ofNuns. I’ve always admired their slogan, which Ithink deeply applies to Loma Linda. It says,“Joy, Fervor, Risk. To go where we are neededbut not wanted; to leave when we are wantedbut not needed.”

Across this vast globe, the name of Loma Lindastarted being recognized. Institutions startedspringing up, names that gradually permeatedthis church and others—Gimbie in Ethiopia;Kendu Bay in Kenya; Ishaka in Uganda; Heriin Tanzania; Malamulo in Malawi; Mwami and

Please turn to page 4

TODAY 2 Friday, October 28, 2011

By Stephen Vodhanel, PhD

Originally funded by the Amgen Founda-tion, the Partners-in-D grant enabled the

School of Pharmacy to send pharmacy studentsdirectly into several community facilities to helpunderserved seniors choose a Medicare Part Dprogram that best suits their individual needs.

The Partners-in-D grant supported three yearsof sending pharmacy students into nearbysenior centers and provided excellent experien-tial education regarding the needs of the elderlywith understanding of the daunting task ofchoosing the best Medicare Part D prescriptiondrug plan.

However, as the Amgen Foundation Partners-in-D grant has passed, the School of Pharmacyremains committed to serving elderly residentsby continuing the same community serviceoutreach dedicated to the Medicare Part Dgrant program.

During the past three years School of Pharmacystudents and faculty were able to save many

Medicare Part D outreach activities remain an important source for experientialeducation. Here pharmacy students assist a senior citizen in choosing options.

School of Pharmacy grant may haveended—but outreach continues

Medicare patients thousands of dollars. It wasnot uncommon to have a single Medicarepatient see a savings of more than $2,000through proper Part D enrollment. The Schoolof Pharmacy will remain committed to thisservice to the elderly for the foreseeable future.

The School of Pharmacy’s involvement withPartners-in-D offers valuable experientiallearning for pharmacy students by providing theopportunity to work directly with individualpatients, often with complicated drug regimens,in a manner that evaluates cost efficiencies in theMedicare system. The Partners-in-D experi-ence allows pharmacy students the real-worldopportunity to help seniors get the best andmost appropriate coverage for their medicationswhen possible. Partners-in-D prepares studentsfor future work with elderly patients and buildsa foundation for them to become vital advocatesfor elderly medication needs.

Joycelyn Yamzon, PharmD, director of thePartners-in-D grant, sees the value ofassisting the elderly, as well as the experientialeducation benefit the Partners-in-D program

OUTREACH TO SENIORS

provides. “For our students that are not doingrotations yet, this program gives them a greatopportunity to apply classroom informationof a complicated Medicare enrollmentprogram to elderly citizens who would other-wise be so vulnerable without assistance,” saysDr. Yamzon.

The School of Pharmacy has also expanded sitevisits for the 2011 enrollment period with theMedicare Part D program.

The Loma Linda City Senior Center, as withnew senior housing projects have been added toan existing list of several senior housing projects.

By Heather Reifsnyder

The School of Public Health will host thesecond annual Healthy Communities by

Design summit November 14 and 15 at LomaLinda University and at the Economic andSocial Research Institute (ESRI) headquartersin Redlands.

The design of healthy communities bringsgeographic analysis into urban and suburbandesign processes that seek to promote humanhealth. The summit will provide a forum toexchange ideas on environmental factors thataffect health and to discuss new communityplanning approaches that incorporate healthconsiderations.

“It is my hope that through the HealthyCommunities by Design Summit, the value andapplication of geospatial technologies incommunity health, urban planning, and thebuilt environment will create a positive impacton human health within our communities,” saysSeth Wiafe, MPH, director of the summit and

Upcoming summit to encouragecommunity planning around health

A panel discusses community planning during last year’s summit.

COMMUNITY PLANNING SUMMIT

coordinator of the school’s health geoinfor-matics program.

Sandra Witt, DrPH, will open the summit bydiscussing how to achieve livable communities.She has more than 20 years of experience inpublic health and currently oversees the Cali-fornia Endowment’s healthy community initia-tive in the northern half of the state. Theendowment is a private foundation dedicated topromoting affordable, quality health care andimproved health for all Californians.

Another key speaker, Bill Davenhall, MA, willexamine community design through the use ofgeographic information systems (GIS). Hecurrently manages the health and humanservices marketing team for the Redlands-basedcompany ESRI, a global leader in developingGIS software to help solve human problems,including those related to public health.Throughout a career of more than 30 years, hehas focused on applying geographic and demo-graphic data to issues ranging from health caredemand to business expansion.

Robert Ogilvie, PhD, will give a presentationdrawing upon 15 years spent focusing oncommunity planning and development for low-and middle-income neighborhoods. Today, hedirects the Planning for Healthy Placesprogram at the organization Public Health Law&Policy.

A full list of speakers, the summit agenda, andonline registration can be found at<www.llu.edu/public-health/hcbd>.

General registration for the summit is $25. Forthose seeking continuing education hours, regis-tration will cost $50. The latter includes 13units of credit.

The following professionals may receive contin-uing education credit: certified health educators,chaplains, marriage and family therapists, occu-pational therapists, physical therapists, registereddietitians, registered nurses, respiratory thera-pists, social workers, and speech pathologists.

By Heather Reifsnyder

Heather Thomas, PhD, always struggled tofind a current and accurate textbook for

teaching activity analysis to occupationaltherapy students. So she took charge and wroteone. The recently released volume, Occupation-Based Activity Analysis, debuted in July fromeducational publisher SLACK Inc.

Activity analysis is a skill occupational therapistsmust use in order to help their clients learn how

Occupational therapy professor fillstextbook void by writing her own

FACULTY EXCELLENCE

to complete tasks. The simplest act, such aspicking up a glass for a drink, requires dozens ofcognitive and physical elements workingtogether—range of motion, vision, balance,strength, coordination, proprioception, etc.Activity analysis is the breaking down of suchtasks to their essential components in order todiscover the causes of performance problems, aswell as to find activities that will help address aclient’s deficits.

After seven years of leading the class without a

textbook, this quarter Dr. Thomas is teachingfrom her own for the first time.

“It is a sense of completion,” she says. “It feelsgood to see the students finally have a completeresource—not just my notes—that they cancarry with them and refer back to for help in thenext few years of their education and earlycareer.”

Dr. Thomas, who has 13 years of clinical expe-rience as an occupational therapist, joined theLLU faculty in 2004. Until now, she has alwaysused her own notes and various other resourcesto teach activity analysis.

Having run into a publisher at an annual occu-pational therapy conference several years back,

Dr. Thomas suggested his company produce atextbook for this course. He revealed that hehad heard the same suggestion from others.Discovering her previous experience inpublishing journal articles, he asked, “Have youthought about writing it?”

When they ran into each other again the nextyear, he asked her once more. She agreed towrite a couple of chapters for SLACK Inc. toevaluate. Upon seeing her initial work, thecompany immediately signed a contract forthe book, saying there was a huge need forsuch a text.

For three years, Dr. Thomas worked on thebook. She not only wrote the text, but she

Continued next page

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT

TODAY3Friday, October 28, 2011

Reprinted with permission fromSLACK Incorporated: Thomas H. Occu-pation-Based Activity Analysis. Thoro-fare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated; 2012.

crafted worksheets, diagrams, and charts andtook all the photographs.

She drew support during the long writingprocess from her fellow educators by partici-pating in the OT faculty writing group.

“The purpose of our writing group is to nurturea culture of writing and scholarship within theoccupational therapy department where facultyoffer accountability, differing perspectives, andbrainstorming on each other’s writing projects,”says Christy Billock, PhD, chair of the writinggroup and associate professor.

“Heather’s book publication represents some ofour progress in further cultivating a scholarlyculture within the department of occupationaltherapy.”

Other OT faculty members have also been busywriting books, book chapters, peer-reviewedresearch articles, and pieces for professionalpublications and the community.

Heather Thomas earned her master of arts in

occupational therapy from the University ofSouthern California in 1998. This summer, thesame month her book was published, she grad-uated with her PhD in health science/healthcare administration.

Continued from previous page

By Janna Vassantachart

This year, four School of Public Healthfaculty members followed their own

teachings on personal wellness to summitMount Kilimanjaro—the highest mountain onthe African continent.

The grueling round trip took a total of six days,with more than four of those days spentascending. The faculty members faced physicaland mental challenges to achieve their goal.

Three of the faculty members—Joan Sabaté,MD, DrPH, chair of the nutrition department;Ronald Mataya, MD, associate professor ofglobal health; and Mickey Ask, MD, assistantprofessor of health promotion and education—traveled in a group of eight to Tanzania in lateJanuary. Their goal was to hike to the highestpoint of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak. Rising to analtitude of 19,341 feet, Uhuru Peak is located onthe Kibo crater rim. Kibo is the highest of thethree volcanic cones that compose Kilimanjaro.

Drs. Sabaté, Mataya, and Ask reached UhuruPeak by the Umbwe Route. This route is one ofthe most spectacular routes and goes directly tothe peak, but it is also the toughest and leastused due to steep slopes, narrow ridges, andglaciers, according to Dr. Mataya. The route isadvised only for the fit, experienced climberwho enjoys trekking.

Along with climbing Kilimanjaro, Dr. Sabatéalso traveled to Kenya to assess the fieldwork ofa DrPH graduate, Hellen Ndiku. She receiveda Nestlé Foundation grant to conduct a pilotstudy on the reintroduction of pearl millet, anative crop, into the diets of young children inrural Kenya.

The fourth faculty member, Tricia Murdoch,MPH, director of enrollment management, wasin Kenya at the end of June with a group fromthe Loma Linda University Church. She andthe group worked with Mara West, an organi-zation that runs safaris and builds clinics and

Four School of Public Health facultysummit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2011

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENT

The sign proves it: a windblown Tricia Murdoch, MPH, indeed reached thesummit of Kilimanjaro.

schools for the local Maasai population. Afterassisting the organization for a week, she drovenine hours to Tanzania to make the climb witha group of 19.

The four faculty members endured the physicalhardships of the long hike, little sleep, and lackof oxygen at the high altitudes. They alsobattled the urge to give up. Dr. Mataya says,“My mind kept asking me why on earth I wasdoing this.”

For Dr. Sabaté and Ms. Murdoch, the mostchallenging part was the night of the final assent.Dr. Sabaté says the night was very dark and cold,and they needed to climb more than 4,500 feet.Ms. Murdoch says they ascended “rapidly andthe whole experience was very disorienting.”

But, with the support of their groups and moti-vating guides, the four faculty members reachedthe peak, and recall feeling exhilarated with thesense of accomplishment and the spectacularview. “Although it was freezing cold and verywindy, the view was just magnificent!” says Dr.Mataya. “The giant glaciers, the crater, and thesun rising above the clouds was a view that I willnever forget!”

Wayne Dysinger, MD, MPH—assistantprofessor of health promotion and education,as well as health policy and management—also summited Kilimanjaro years ago when hewas a student missionary. He remembers theview as giving him “the feeling of being on topof the world.”

The success of Kilimanjaro was not achievedwithout dedication and commitment, noted thefaculty members. They needed to train andensure they were physically capable ofcompleting the hike. Nutrition also needed tobe considered. These School of Public Healthfaculty members dedicated time outside of theirdaily roles as professors and physicians toincrease their wellness and accomplish their goalof standing at the highest point of the Africancontinent.

By Steve Vodhanel, PhD

For Greg Harrington, PharmD, the challengeof pharmacy school was extensive, but the chal-lenges of career opportunities moved all too fast.In a period of less than two years, Dr.Harrington has progressed from student, topharmacist, to pharmacy manager, to preceptor,to corporate professional whose responsibilitiesinclude special projects in the Las Vegas area.

He also has received the Region 72 ParagonAward for CVS, which gives the honor solely toits top performers.

“The pharmacy profession is vast with manycareer opportunities,” says Dr. Harrington. “It isvery important as an intern to gain as muchexperience as you can. As a pharmacist, onceyou are licensed your perspective of the profes-sion changes and career opportunities canhappen very quickly. Hopefully you areprepared to make an informed decision.”

Dr. Harrington does find the time to assist theSchool of Pharmacy by precepting students in amanner beneficial to both students andCVS/Caremark.

“I was fortunate to work with great preceptors,some who have been pharmacists for 25 and 30years, and this made a huge impact on me,” Dr.Harrington points out. “And, I want to makesure I have the opportunity to influence otherstudents. As a preceptor, I get a chance to usemy experience in making students become goodpharmacists in the same manner as thosepreceptors who helped me. I have this saying …learn the hard way by yourself, or learn the easyway through the experience of others. And inthis profession, learning the hard way by your-self can be a costly mistake.”

According to Dr. Harrington, precepting isalso a valuable experience for any corporate orprofessional entity. “Through precepting weget a real close look at a student’s skills andknowledge, but also how they will handlethemselves in an often stressful situation thatdemands good people skills,” he explains.“Students need to understand that the phar-macy profession truly is a small family and thatevery rotation is a potential audition for a job.Take each rotation seriously and work profes-

From student to pharmacist to preceptorto corporate manager

sionally, as you may meet these same peoplelater in your career, or, and this is common,someone in an interview will know that personwhom you once worked under.”

Dr. Harrington also simply enjoys theprecepting experience. “It’s fun and a great wayto stay in contact with your school,” he shares.“Every six weeks or so we get to meet anotherstudent on their path to becoming a pharmacist,and we look forward to this time. We’ve hadsome really great students, and actually hired afew along the way.”

“But as a last thing, show me a pharmacist whomade it without preceptors,” Dr. Harringtonasserts. “We all owe it to our profession to takeon the responsibility of precepting, as those didbefore us. As a student, if you had a great expe-rience during a rotation, as a preceptor try toemulate that same great experience. If you had aterrible experience during a rotation, learn fromthat experience to make your interaction withstudents better.” He adds, “Precepting is arewarding experience.”

“Greg Harrington, PharmD, an execu-tive with CVS pharmacy’s corporateoffices in Las Vegas and a graduate ofthe LLU School of Pharmacy class of2009, is reaching out to help phar-macy students on campus. “I wasfortunate to work with great precep-tors, some who have been pharma-cists for 25 and 30 years, and thismade a huge impact on me,” Dr.Harrington says. “I want to make sureI have the opportunity to influenceother students.”

TODAY 4 Friday, October 28, 2011

Yuka in Zambia; and Koza in Cameroon.

Sherman Nagel went out and started threedifferent institutions in Nigeria—Ile Ife, Jengre,and Aba.

Across the world, throughout South America,Inter America, more institutions sprang up—Montemorelos, Bella Vista in Puerto Rico, andDavis Memorial in Guyana. And they keptsprouting and kept sprouting around the worldas Loma Linda graduates were determined tomake their impact. Throughout India as well:Ottapalam, Gifford Memorial in Nuzvid,Shimla, and Aizawl.

More and more institutions kept comingthroughout Asia: Bangkok and Seoul. HarryMiller had started 17 hospitals in China beforethe great revolution and the work had to beabandoned.

Out of that great heritage there are now 70hospitals in the majority world. Twenty-five inAfrica, 10 in Inter America, 11 in India, 10 inthe Philippines—institutions that continue tocarry the brand of this place—imprimatur grad-uates from Loma Linda of all different kindswho have gone out and done their thing.

As they went, another group started developingclinics, starting hospitals here in the UnitedStates, but also answered the call, and also recog-nized the need to backstop the wave that wereserving abroad. Many of our alumni started in apattern of short-term service, going out to takepart in the mission of the institution, by coveringwhile doctors were on furlough, teaching acourse, covering various institutions intermit-tently through the years. And, literally, hundredsof Loma Linda graduates have done that from alldifferent disciplines through the years.

This morning we want to particularly recog-nize one of those families. 1961 was a specialyear for them. Elvin Gaines, graduated frommedicine, Geri Gaines from nursing, and theygot married. And, not long after that, theybegan their career, first in Yuka Hospitalacross the Zambezi floodplains of Zambia,that had been started by Geri’s uncle yearsbefore. And, later throughout other countriesof the world: Papua, New Guinea; Atoifi, inthe Solomon Islands; back to Africa at BereHospital in Tchad; Koza Hospital inCameroon. Making their mark by supportingthe hands of those who went before them. Weare sorry that Elvin passed away earlier thisyear, but we are delighted to have Geri and herfamily with us. Geri is also committed tofunding for our mission globe in the center ofthe campus that you all recognize. Geri andchildren, please stand and let us thank you forwhat you have done. I first met them at anairport in Africa some place on their way outto Yuka Hospital, I believe.

What the Gaines have done and what somany others have done in this place makes itpossible for us, even today, to commit to newprojects, to new institutions, to new strategies,because we know we can send out a call andalumni will respond.

I was in Ethiopia recently for hospital boardmeetings and noticed a poster of NelsonMandela on the wall, the icon of South Africa.It included a quote from Nelson Mandela: “If

we commit ourselves to do the right thing, itunconsciously gives other people permission todo right also.”

And certainly as that mark started hitting, thisinstitution responded. Time is far too short totell the story of so many others who are part ofthis great movement around the world. But, letme linger on several because in this last decadethere has been a resurgence of interest andcommitment to serving in various places.

Let me tell you about Laila Srour. Most of youdon’t remember Laila, who graduated in 1978.Laila was of Syrian heritage, took pediatrics,went out and settled into a comfortable practicein Santa Barbara. Did well, but about 10 yearsinto her career she said, “You know, there’smore to life than this.” She came back and didher off-campus master’s in public health degree.When she neared the end of that, she wrote tome and said, “Dr. Hart, I want to go some placeabroad. Where can I go?” Rwanda was justcalming down from genocide. I said, “Let mesend you to Mugonero Hospital in Rwanda.”She spent a month at Mugonero and got bittenby, what I call, “the Loma Linda DNA disease”to serve abroad. The next thing I knew, Lailaand her husband Brian had sold out everythingand moved to the country of Laos where theyhave spent the last 10 years, living in a village,training pediatricians; the only pediatricians toserve the entire country of Laos. Committed tothe goals of Loma Linda.

Some of you have heard of James Appel. Whenhe got ready to graduate, about a decade agonow, he said, “Please, I want to go to a placewhere no one else wants to go.” We had one ofthose—Bere, Tchad. A place in southernTchad that had an abandoned, dirty littlehospital of sorts. James went out, met a volun-teer Danish nurse, named Sarah, who becamehis wife, and lived out the life of his dreamsdeveloping that hospital in Bere. About a yearor so ago, James said, “It’s time for me to moveon to another place in Tchad. And, we werefortunate enough to identify another couple,Olen and Danae Netteberg, who had justfinished emergency medicine and obstetrics-gynecology. They said,”We’ll take it, we likethat place.” So, Olen and Danae are nowlaboring in Bere, and James and Sarah, just thisweek, are heading to Moundou, Tchad, to startanother institution in that struggling country.

As you go across the world right now you willfind Loma Linda graduates doing their thing,responding to the needs of the world.

What makes that happen? As I look at thisaudience full of students, what will it mean foryou to step into that kind of legacy? Are youready? Like the apostle Paul, you don’t get travelinsurance in some of these places. You go intothe unknown of not being sure about what ishappening. It is answering God’s call.

That is what makes Loma Linda so special—the people, the places, the connections, thestories that reverberate through these halls—told time and time again by so many. What aprivilege it is to be part of an institution thatcarries that dream throughout the world!

We have set up programs here—SIMS(Students for International Mission Service) togive you a chance to experience this whilestudents. The Deferred Mission Appointments

(DMA). The Global Service Scholarship fundto help cover your educational debts to give youall a chance to go and serve. There is nothingmore satisfying than stepping into real needsand responding. That is a privilege we have atthis institution.

As many of you know, we have a mission globethat we are dedicating in the center of thecampus, with the names of alumni and otherswho have served abroad, engraved around theedge. Our plan was to go out there after thisservice and have a ceremony there. I just got thesign—“one if by land, two if by sea”—thatsuggests the rain is coming down a bit too hardfor that, so we will be staying here in this audi-torium for that service. But—we’ve left a lot ofempty spaces around that globe, spaces for yournames, spaces for each person within this insti-tution who chooses to live a life of serviceabroad; something that not only expands themind, but brings satisfaction to the soul.

I want to close by sharing with you a saying thatembodies, I think, what Loma Linda is allabout, because as our alumni have scattered,they’ve not just treated patients, they’ve plantedschools, they’ve mentored people, they’ve

brought up others to carry on this work. Andthat’s what has made this institution be able tomaintain and relate to all those other hospitalsand clinics around the world.

The saying goes like this—“Go to the people,live among them, learn from them, love them.Start with what they know, build on whatthey have. Of the greatest leaders, when theirwork is done, the people will say, ‘We havedone it ourselves.’” That’s empowerment,that’s development.

In a world of increasing chaos and strife, that’sthe steady hand, calming voice, a nurturingtactic that we need to follow around the world.

Thank you, each one, for being a part of thisinstitution. I look at the faculty behind us andon the sides—faculty, who are here to nurturethat belief, that dream in each of you. I realizethat they, themselves, carry the fire of commit-ment. So, our prayer, as we start into this newschool year, is that each of you will have thechance to experience God’s blessings in yourstudies, and the excitement of service to Him.

Thank you.

Mission globe dedicated following annual LomaLinda University convocation ceremony …

Geri Gaines (right) smiles broadly as she holds a replica of the new missionglobe for which she and her late husband, Elvin, generously donated funds.With her is Dr. Hart (left). Around the base of the actual mission globe on thecampus mall are listed the names of Loma Linda University alumni andemployees who have served or are currently serving overseas.

The first significant rain of the season dampens students waiting to enter theLoma Linda University Church sanctuary for the 2011 convocation. Heavier rainwas on the way and arrived about the time that dedication ceremonies for themission globe were scheduled to take place. In response, the dedicationprogram was moved to the sanctuary, immediately following the convocation.

Continued from page 1

OUTREACH THROUGH FITNESS

TODAY5Friday, October 28, 2011

By Heather Reifsnyder

Inspired by Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!campaign to eradicate childhood obesity, theSchool of Public Health hosted the Let’s Move!Family Fun Day on September 25 at theDrayson Center.

Open to the community, the event attractedabout 200 children and adults who participatedin basketball, swimming, karate, dancing, sackraces, rock-wall climbing, and other activities.

Because the organizers wanted to ensurelearning took place alongside the exercise,booths offered information and educationalactivities about nutrition and healthful living, aswell as health assessments.

The morning-long event was geared towardpopulations at risk for obesity and other healthproblems, according to coordinator Tracy-AnnDawes, a public health doctoral studentfocusing on preventive care. The local commu-nities, she points out, are disproportionatelyimpacted by issues of obesity because of factorsthat can negatively impact health such as unem-

The game gets fun but competitive as girls vie for the ball. Basketball was one ofmany activities the participants rotated through during the event.

An old-fashioned sack race gets these kids jumping. Other competitionsincluded relay races, egg and spoon races, and hula hoop contests.

Family Fun Day encourages exercise for200 community children and adults

ployment, the inability to afford nutritious food,and a lack of safe places to exercise.

Three busloads of kids from Sherman IndianHigh School chose to crawl out of bed early ona Sunday morning to attend the event, reportsKathy Thompson, who teaches health classes atthe high school. “This is a unique opportunityfor them to get out and have lots of differentexperiences,” she said.

One of the students, 16-year-old AngelicaKane, described the fun of almost reaching thetop of the rock-climbing wall, then letting go todescend. “Whoosh, all the way down,” sherecounted.

The students from Sherman were much lessinhibited during the event than usual, says Ms.Dawes. LLU students volunteer with them oncea quarter in the My Campus: Minority YouthHealth Pipeline Program; they often appear tobe quiet and shy.

“During the Let’s Move! event I found them tobe the opposite,” says Ms. Dawes. “They imme-diately joined the activities—even jumping on

stage to participate in the Zumba routine. Theywere gregarious and uninhibited. They danced,participated in the activities, and pulled theirfriends to join in.

“Many of them won prizes for completing thePassport to Fun sheet, which required everychild to go to specific vendors and take part inspecific learning activities to qualify,” she adds.

The Family Fun Day was a joint effort of the

School of Public Health and Adventists InStepfor Life, a national program of the Seventh-dayAdventist Church. Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move!obesity campaign has collaborated with faith-based organizations to achieve its mission. TheLoma Linda University Children’s Hospital co-sponsored the event.

Members of the LLU family and local churchesalso participated in the event, in addition to chil-dren from area schools.

CREATIVE OUTREACH

By Heather Reifsnyder

Thanks to an idea born under a mosquitonet, the simple act of recycling one’s

beverage containers with the School of AlliedHealth Professions will help both the Earth andHaitian orphans. The school is entering itssecond year of the recycling program, with allthe proceeds benefiting the 60 children whoselives depend on the orphanage Venez Enfants etVivez Mieux—Come Children and Live Better.

Following earnings of more than $2,200 duringlast year’s pilot program, the school begins this

Allied health recycling program helps Haitian orphans

These orphans captured the heart ofEverett Lohman III, DSc (center),prompting him to get involved.

new academic year with a goal of $10,000,according to Everett Lohman III, DSc,professor of physical therapy. He hatched theidea of a recycling program that would fundlocal and global outreach projects, with themoney to be managed by both the school’sstudent association and the spiritual life andwholeness committee.

Upon traveling to Haiti this past May to helprehabilitate earthquake victims at HopitalAdventiste d’Haiti, Dr. Lohman visited anorphanage run by a man, Frantz Bastien, whomhe had met on a previous trip in May 2010. A

Please turn to page 6

TODAY 6 Friday, October 28, 2011

By Kelly Phipps

V iola Lindsey, PhD, is all too familiar withthe barriers between law enforcement and

social workers when dealing with child welfarecases. When she started her doctorate in socialpolicy and social research at Loma LindaUniversity School of Science and Technology(SST), Dr. Lindsey got the opportunity toexplore the complexities of these barriers.

Dr. Lindsey worked as a Child ProtectiveServices (CPS) supervisor for more than 20years. Her responsibilities included supervisingemergency response social workers.

During that time, she saw firsthand how emer-gency response social workers are required towork in tandem with law enforcement. Withinthis setting, many variables affect how a case ishandled from each side.

“The working relationship is not always a goodrelationship,” says Dr. Lindsey. “I never quiteunderstood why.”

Before obtaining her PhD, Dr. Lindsey beganworking as a clinical faculty member in thedepartment of social work and social ecology atSST.

“When I was in the environment, it was moreworking out the conflict rather than under-standing what contributed to the conflict,” saysDr. Lindsey. “So when I came to work for LomaLinda, I got the opportunity to look at the issuesin depth.”

Dr. Lindsey interviewed 20 law enforcementofficers and social workers from Riversideand San Bernardino counties. Her goal wasto understand both their perspectives ondifficulties, and how reoccurring problemscould be resolved.

When a situation arises in the home that requires involvement of Child Protec-tive Services, there is often a disconnect between social workers and lawenforcement.

The hidden war of child welfare

FACULTY RESEARCH

“Intuitively, I should have known the reasons,”Dr. Lindsey continues, “Law enforcement offi-cers have specific responsibilities and socialworkers also have very specific responsibilities.They go about it in very different ways.”

According to Dr. Lindsey, the law enforcementofficer’s primary responsibility is to put theperpetrator in jail. The social worker’s responsi-bility is to keep the family together.

“So therein is the conflict,” explains Dr. Lindsey.“They both perceive their goal as well-being forthe children,” says Dr. Lindsey.

Beyond the issue of goals, another notoriousproblem is time. Differing deadlines constantlystrain the relationship between law enforcementand social workers. For instance, if CPS officersremove a child from a home, they then havevery limited response time to determine finalthe child’s placement. Initially, social workershave one to 10 days to make a decision.

Meanwhile, if law enforcement determines theallegations are a criminal offense, it may take ayear or longer before the case goes to court.Sometimes when the case is finally heard, socialworkers have already returned the child.

It is harder to prosecute the parent or guardianif the child is back in the home. It is easy for thedefense attorney to highlight the fact that CPSreturned the child, thus making the householdappear safer than it may be.

If the parent is found guilty, the child may beremoved from the home a second time. Dr.Lindsey refers to this incident as systemic abuse.CPS wants to minimize the amount of times achild is removed unnecessarily from a home.

Due to these problems, law enforcement some-times calls social workers overly zealous. Social

Viola Lindsey, PhD, previously workedas a Child Protective Services super-visor for more than 20 years. Now shedevotes her time to researching waysto improve the system.

workers sometimes think that law enforcementdoesn’t care. Ultimately, they don’t understandthe function of each other.

According to Dr. Lindsey, aligning child welfareand criminal codes (which dictate how eachresponds to allegations) specifically for childabuse cases may also help alleviate timeconstraint problems.

Dr. Lindsey believes one solution is crucial:interdisciplinary training. Law enforcement andsocial workers need to work together, ratherthan merely side by side.

“There is a misconception as to what collabora-tion is on both sides,” says Dr. Lindsey. “I seethis happening in many arenas, where you havedifferent professional groups working together.”

Dr. Lindsey noted that the relationship betweenthe two is not all bad. They understand thattheir roles complement each other, but may notknow how to overcome certain obstacles.

“We don’t want to create more conflict with thefamilies we’re working with,” she says.

Dr. Lindsey hopes to present her research andrecommendations to both counties that partici-pated. She was grateful both were very open andwilling to provide staff to participate.

Occupational therapy student SarahThomas does some of the lifting inthe collection of recyclables. Ascommunity service vice-president ofthe allied health student association,she is encouraging students to partic-ipate in program.

Allied health recycling program helps Haitian orphanage …

member of Mr. Bastien’s family had beentreated at the hospital.

After returning from the orphanage, Dr.Lohman pondered the experience that nightunder his mosquito net. “The beautiful childrenwith their bright smiles, bright clothing, and sadeyes had my heart within moments of me step-ping foot into the orphanage,” says Dr.Lohman. “I knew that once I walked out of theorphanage and returned home, I could notsimply forget the great need that I saw.”

From his cot, Dr. Lohman e-mailed CraigJackson, JD, MSW, dean of the school, with anew plan. The dean, faculty, and studentsquickly came behind the idea of directing all therecycling proceeds to the orphanage.

Visitors to the orphanage will notice what Dr.Lohman found all too glaring upon spendingtime there. The children only eat two meals perday, going hungry at lunch. The boys live insidea raggedy tent, sleeping on the ground. Thegirls, who have a room with too few beds, sleepsideways in their bunks to accommodate morethan one person; still, some have to sleep on thefloor. The schoolroom has a tarp roof and dirtfloor. Before the earthquake, there were threeteachers for all the children. Now, there is one.

Occupational therapy student Sarah Thomasheard about the devastating conditions inHaiti and saw pictures of the orphanage.“Heart-wrenching,” she says. She wanted tohelp but didn’t know how, as a full-timestudent, she could.

“When I realized helping these orphans was aseasy as donating plastic water bottles—some-thing we all regularly use and don’t think twiceabout throwing away—I was ecstatic,” Ms.Thomas says. “I think a lot of times we don’tfeel like we can make a difference in the lives ofothers unless we are physically present, but thisproject shows that even from across the worldwe can help nurture these children and givethem hope for a future.”

Before school started, incoming physicaltherapy and occupational therapy studentsheard from Dr. Lohman during their orienta-tion—resulting in an overflow of recyclablesin the physical therapy research lab waitingfor pickup even before the school year offi-cially began.

The student association officers have also gotteninvolved to help motivate their peers intomaking this a movement, says Ms. Thomas,who is community-service vice president. Onthe first day of school, September 26, the

student association presented the goal to theallied health student body. The officers are nowplanning ways to remind everyone to stayinvolved.

There are roughly 500 orphanages in Haiti.“The need is so great that I simply cannot beginto get my head around this daunting task,” saysDr. Lohman. “At this time we have chosen toonly focus on one orphanage; perhaps this canexpand as our recycling program expands.”

Ms. Thomas has faith the program will succeed.“I really believe this is a unique opportunity forthe student body,” she says. “Although theproceeds from one bottle seem insignificant,when we unite we can expect to truly make adifference.”

The recycling program is able to raise money notonly through the redemption value of glass,plastic, and aluminum, but also through therecycling bins themselves, which double as three-dimensional billboards for local businesses.

By partnering with the nonprofit organizationRecycling Hope, run by local businessman JayAnthony, the school only has to worry aboutfilling the bins. Recycling Hope coordinates theadvertising, picks up the recyclables, and returnsalmost all the money to the school.

Loma Linda University was the second univer-sity to join in partnership with Recycling Hope,which continues to expand its presence oncampuses of higher learning, as well as otherorganizations.

Continued from page 5

TODAY7Friday, October 28, 2011

Nursing. Marilyn Herrmann, PhD, RN,dean of the school, serves as executive editorfor the publication.

Mr. Jones also won a Polaris Award for hiswork as editor and designer on the AdventistHealth International Annual Report. RichardHart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma LindaUniversity, serves as executive editor for thepublication.

Heather Reifsnyder, MA, publications editor,received the Polaris Award for her work asmanaging editor and designer for SphereMagazine, alumni publication for the Schoolof Public Health. Tricia Penniecook, MD,MPH, dean of the school, serves as executiveeditor for the publication.

For his story on an innovative study onischemic pre-conditioning, James Ponder wona Capella Award. The article, titled “ICE onthe summit,” appeared in the Winter 2011issue of ScopeMagazine.

The awards banquet is an annual celebration ofpublic relations in the Inland Empire andencourages professionals to increase quality andaccountability in their work.

This year’s competition featured public rela-tions professionals from the private sector,government agencies, educational institutions,health care institutions, and public relationsagencies.

A complete list of Polaris Award winners can befound at <www.prsaie.org>.

LLUAHSC team wins awards during public relations competition …

Continued from page 8

By James Ponder

More than 500 individuals from 51different nations attended a four-day

conference on “Emotional Health and Well-ness: a Biblical Worldview in Practice,” held atLinda University from Wednesday, October12, through Saturday, October 15, 2011.

The conference—a joint project of the GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists andLoma Linda University—explored the inter-relationship between spirituality, religion, andmental health, and encouraged scholarlyresearch and publishing on the subject.

According to Carlos Fayard, PhD, associateprofessor of psychiatry at LLU and chair of theplanning committee, the goal was to help practi-tioners from the Adventist faith communityexplore ideas that remain faithful to their tradi-tion, yet connect with cutting edge theory,research, and practice.

“To my knowledge,” Dr. Fayard says, “this is thefirst global conference on religion and mentalhealth the church has ever held. There is aconsensus throughout the denomination thatthe time has come to discuss these issues.”

In his keynote address, Allan Handysides, MD,

‘Emotional Health & Wellness’ conferenceat LLU draws large international crowd

MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH

health ministries director for the GeneralConference, asked the question, “Who ishealthy?” He answered by stating that manyfactors contribute to mental health, andobserved that a biblical worldview doesn’t auto-matically insulate people from depression andanxiety, but it does help them cope.

Some of the world’s top researchers and clini-cians in the field of religion and emotionalhealth presented at the conference; among themrepresentatives of the World Health Organiza-tion, Brigham Young University, Duke Univer-sity Medical Center, Harvard University, andthe University of California at Los Angeles aswell as LLU and the General Conference.

David Puder, MD, a second-year psychiatryresident at the LLU School of Medicine, saysthe conference provided an appreciatedbalance to the secular theories of his profes-sion. He believes the theistic model offersbetter outcomes.

“Under this theistic model of the art ofhealing,” Dr. Puder adds, “the healer taps intoGod’s love as demonstrated on the cross, andbrings that love to those he works with. Thistype of agape love will heal the brokenheartedand provide true transformational power tothose we seek to serve.”

Sergii Lutskiy, MPH, director of healthministries for the Ukranian UnionConference of Seventh-day Adven-tists, hopes insights gained will trans-late to positive health benefits for thepeople of Ukraine.

David Williams, PhD, professor of public health and sociology at Harvard Univer-sity, packed Damazo Amphitheater at Loma Linda University for his discussionof research findings on religion, spirituality, and emotional health. Dr. Williams,whose remarks were translated into Russian and Spanish, told the audience thatresearch has found that religious faith contributes to positive mental health.

Carlos Fayard, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Loma Linda University(LLU), says more than 500 individuals from 51 different nations attended a four-day conference on “Emotional Health and Wellness: a Biblical Worldview inPractice,” held at LLU from Wednesday, October 12, through Saturday, October15, 2011. “To my knowledge,” Dr. Fayard says, “this is the first global confer-ence on religion and mental health the Church has ever held.”

Sergii Lutskiy, MPH, director of healthministries for the Ukrainian Union Conference,was one of 12 members attending the confer-ence from the Euro-Asian division of theSeventh-day Adventist Church. He hopesinsights gained at the conference will translateto health benefits for the people of Ukraine, thelargest, most populous nation in Europe.

“I think the conference was very useful,” Mr.Lutskiy reports. “We would like to translate thelectures into Russian.”

“Loma Linda is pleased to host this mean-ingful conference,” notes Richard H. Hart,MD, DrPH, president of Loma LindaUniversity. “Many presenters emphasized thecentrality of mental health to spiritual under-standing, and the unique balance in this areathat we have been blessed with in the Adven-tist Church. It is gratifying to see our long-held beliefs echoed in today’s literature, inboth terminology and emphasis.”

James Tan, MD, a family physicianfrom Kaiser Northwest in Longview,Washington, hopes principlespresented at the conference on reli-gion and emotional health will helpChurch members overcome thestigma sometimes associated withpsychological issues

Near the conclusion of the four-day conference on religion and emotionalhealth, which was held recently on the campus of Loma Linda University,David Williams, PhD, Carlos Fayard, PhD, and Wintley Phipps, MDiv, gatheredin the first floor lobby of the Centennial Complex to enjoy some lightheartedfellowship.

DRAYSON CENTER

TODAY 8 Friday, October 28, 2011

Volume 24, No. 11 | Friday, October 28, 2011

CORRESPONDENTS

Doug Hackleman, MASchool of Dentistry

Dustin R. Jones, MASchool of Nursing | School of Religion

Larry Kidder, MASchool of Science and Technology

TODAY is a nonprofit news publication of Loma Linda University, operated under the auspices of the General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists.

Internal campus-based advertising accepted for publication in TODAY is intended to be a service to the students, staff,employees, and faculty of all Loma Linda University entities. No outside advertising is included in this publication. The manage-ment, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to refuse, without explanation, any advertisement. The acceptance of advertising inthis publication does not represent an endorsement or guarantee of any kind by Loma Linda University, Loma Linda UniversityMedical Center, or Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center.

Questions about content, campus-related advertising, and circulation should be directed to TODAY, Burden Hall, Loma LindaUniversity, Loma Linda, California 92350. Phone (909) 558-4526. © 2011. All rights reserved.

www.llu.edu

James PonderSchool of MedicineUniversity Medical CenterChildren’s HospitalBehavioral Medicine CenterEast Campus HospitalHeart & Surgical Hospital

Heather Reifsnyder, MASchool of Public HealthSchool of Allied Health Professions

Patricia ThioFaculty of Graduate StudiesSchool of Pharmacy

Nancy Yuen, MPWPhilanthropy

Editor · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Dustin R. Jones, MAManaging editor/layout · · · · · · · Larry Kidder, MA

PUBLIC RELATIONS EXCELLENCE

Contributed report

The stars were aligned for the Loma Lindapublic relations team during the “Shining

Stars of PR” annual awards banquet, hosted bythe Public Relations Society of America–InlandEmpire Chapter.

The event, held October 12 at Center StageTheater in Fontana, featured the best andbrightest PR minds from the Inland Empireregion. Team members from the office ofuniversity relations received six awards duringthe evening.

“Our team did really well,” says Dustin Jones,MA, associate director of public relations,office of university relations. “We have ahealthy competition going against many of thePR agencies in the area and I’m always pleasedat our results.”

Inland Empire’s public relations professionalssubmitted entries in more than 22 differentcategories, ranging from community outreachand media relations to collateral developmentand social media programs. The submissionswere reviewed by judges from the PRSA Blue-

LLUAHSC team wins awards duringpublic relations competition

Members of the office of university relations pause for a photo after winningseveral awards at the Public Relations Society of America chapter awards. Fromleft are Cosmin Cosma, MA; Heather Reifsnyder, MA; Michael Wolcott, MA;Nicole Dailey, president of PRSA–Inland Empire Chapter; James Ponder; andDustin Jones, MA.

grass Chapter in Kentucky. Two categories ofrecognition are awarded to submissions thatmeet the strict requirements—the PolarisAward for first place submissions and theCapella Award for second place submissions.

Cosmin Cosma, MA, video productionspecialist; Michael Wolcott, MA, video produc-tion specialist; and Mr. Jones won a CapellaAward for their work on “Out of the Rubble.”Mr. Cosma and Mr. Wolcott travelled to Haitifollowing the earthquake in 2010 to capturefirsthand how Loma Linda was helping those inneed. Mr. Jones served as executive producer.

Mr. Cosma, Mr. Wolcott, and Patricia ThioKelikani, associate director of PR video,received a Polaris Award for “Loma Linda 360,Season 3.” The official video news magazine forLoma Linda University and its entities, “LomaLinda 360” tells the story of how Loma Lindachanges the lives of those in need. Ms. Kelikaniserves as executive producer for the show.

Mr. Jones won the Capella Award for hiswork as editor and designer for Loma LindaNurse, alumni publication for the School of

Please turn to page 7

For the first time in many years I find myself in the wonderful situation of learning with agroup of sophomore medical students the essence and mystery of relating to yet future

patients of theirs in spiritual and healing ways. Already I am feeling that the essence and giftthey even now bring is that of love. Eugene Kennedy writes thoughtfully about this quality oflife and service:

“Love is sadly elusive among many persons. It is often talked about as though it were some-thing outside ourselves. That is why people are always asking where they can find it or howthey can be sure that it is everything they expect it to be or that it will last through a lifetime.

Love lies in the possibility of our response to those around us; it is not a gift floating justbeyond our fingertips in the air. Love gives us the energy to do more than just seek nourish-ment from life. Love alerts us to other persons and to the fact that we are not destined to belike microscopic animals moving gelatinously down the beach bumping and sliding off eachother without any consciousness of our movements together.

Love belongs to those who understand that they are to be blind to each other’s features. Loveis not blind a all. It depends on our willingness to see deeply into each other, at the same timeto see more deeply into ourselves. Love is at the very heart of the trembling mystery of revela-tion. It is indeed the virtue for people on a journey (like sophomore medical students). Thecapacity to love matches the fact that we haven’t finished our journey yet. It also helps usrecognize that we travel together and that, in the long run, there is nothing we can do all byourselves.

We find ourselves together and love’s mystery is expressed in the fact that the more we makeroom for others the more space we find for ourselves. Love doesn’t do anything for us unlesswe are ready to do something for others. It tells us that life is not about winning but aboutsharing, and that real wealth is not about holding on to things but about knowing how to letthem go.

What are we supposed to do in life anyway? We are supposed to enter into these experiencesand the opportunity comes with every day. People who believe and hope and love are doingthe things that alone deliver to us a sense of being alive. Through the experience of incarna-tion and through a thousand deaths we lay hold of the mystery of life.”

Innerweave:The Wholeness Story

By Wil Alexander, PhDProfessor of family medicine, School of Medicine

Senior Health and Fitness Fair held

Nearly 1,100 seniors from thesurrounding communities wereonhand for Loma Linda UniversityDrayson Center’s ninth annual SeniorHealth and Fitness Fair, held onWednesday, October 26, 2011, from9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Vendors and others sponsoringbooths totalled 71. “We had a recordnumber of seniors attending thisyear,” says Romy Niblack, senior well-ness coordinator at Drayson.

In the left photo, Cheri Watkins, MD, aDrPH student in the preventive medi-cine department of the School ofPublic Health, screens an attendee.