Author: Jamie Stoskopf

Health professions students can join the College of Health Professions’s Scholarship Universe Open Labs to work on your fall 2024/spring 2025 applications. Labs are come-and-go, and the scholarship coordinator will be on-hand to answer questions.

Open labs will be held on the following dates and times in 100A Ahlberg Hall:

• 9-10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19
• 11 a.m.-noon Monday, Jan. 22
• noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23

Renovations are under way in Wichita State’s Department of Physical Therapy space at WSU Old Town to expand the space in anticipation of significant growth in the program. Wichita State’s Department of Physical Therapy will increase the number of students in each class from 40 to 60 students and expand the number of faculty, administrative support team members and graduate teaching assistants. The first expanded class will begin June 2024.

Expanding the physical therapy program at WSU is a significant step toward meeting the growing demand for skilled physical therapists and improving health care in the region. Physical therapists are integral members of health care teams and provide highly specialized services, and they are playing increasingly vital roles in emergency departments, at times serving as primary health care providers, particularly in rural areas. WSU’s physical therapy program holds the highest first-time pass rate for the National Physical Therapy Examination in the region.

Dr. Susan Parsons, a former faculty member in the School of Nursing, passed away Dec. 6. She served at Wichita State for 15 years, starting in 2008. Susan contributed significantly during her 15-year tenure, teaching medical-surgical and complex care courses from the inception of the Accelerated BSN program. She also supervised nursing students in practicum settings at Wesley and Ascension Via Christi.   

Susan was also passionate about community service, volunteering her time and expertise at events such as the annual Point-in-Time Homeless event and at La Familia Senior and Community Center. 

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at Andover United Methodist Church. A memorial has been established with the Kansas Humane Society, 3313 N. Hillside.

Congratulations to Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) student Isai Chavira for being selected as the recipient of the annual endowed scholarship from Southcentral Pathology Laboratory for spring 2024. Isai was nominated by faculty in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences for his dedication and outstanding academic performance in the program. Jayron Banks, scholarship recipient in spring 2023, will continue to receive the scholarship in spring 2024. Congratulations Isai and Jayron.

The Southcentral Pathology Scholarship award was established in 2021 by Dr. Joel Alderson, president of Southcentral Pathology in Wichita, the largest group of surgical pathologists in southcentral Kansas. This generous award provides full-ride scholarships to two deserving students each year in the WSU MLS program. Recipients are chosen based on merit and financial need, and each student receives an equal amount of funds. This is the largest scholarship donation to the MLS program. We sincerely appreciate Dr. Alderson for his invaluable support to the WSU MLS program and its students. 

Phyllis Fletcher, a longtime faculty member in the School of Nursing, passed away Nov. 14. Phyllis became a clinical educator at Wichita State in 1987. During her time at WSU, Phyllis taught didactic leadership classes, managed the skills learning lab and was instrumental in starting a critical care didactic course and corresponding clinical practicums. Phyllis had a profound influence on many people in the School of Nursing and is remembered as a wonderful person and mentor. She retired in 2017 and is a member of the Bender of Twigs.

Phyllis graduated from Roosevelt High School in Emporia, Kansas in 1967 and Bethany Hospital School of Nursing in 1971. She married her husband, Lee, in 1973 and they had two children, Rachel and Jim. She graduated from WSU with her BS in Nursing in 1976 and earned her master’s degree in 1980. Phyllis worked as a nursing instructor at the Wesley School of Nursing and later as a staff nurse in the Coronary Care Unit. Her areas of clinical practice were medical surgical nursing, with the specialty area of critical care nursing.

After retirement Phyllis stayed active through volunteering at Guadalupe Clinic, Senior Services (Meals on Wheels), United Methodist Open Door (Klothes Kloset), and Wesley Hospital. She was also a member of the Nurses Honor Guard, a group of volunteer nurses who pay tribute to nurses at the time of their death by performing the Nightingale Tribute at the funeral or memorial service. She enjoyed playing pickleball, shopping, baking, gardening and traveling. Phyllis and her husband, Lee, took great pride in growing and maintaining Rachel’s Garden, in memory of their daughter who passed away in 2006. The garden was featured in the 2022 Wichita Garden Tour.

A celebration of life will be held in spring 2024. Donations can be made to the following memorials: Open Door for Klothes Kloset (P.O. box 2756, Wichita, KS 67201-2756) and the Rachel Fletcher Memorial Scholarship through WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (donations can be made online or donors can mail a check to 1845 Fairmount, box 2 Wichita, KS 67260 and reference Rachel Fletcher in the memo).

Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) students recently placed eighth in Cell Bowl 2023, an interactive competition between more than 65 Medical Laboratory Sciences programs nationwide. The program tests students’ knowledge of blood cell morphology through the app CellAtlas and challenges students to correctly identify 30 cells in one minute or less (while also preparing them for lecture tests, laboratory practicals and the board certification exam).

The competition culminated with Wichita State MLS students winning the Second Chance Showdown for the Junior Varsity league and placing eighth in the nation. Special congratulations to Mackenzie Monteith who won the number eight spot by perfectly identifying 30 cells in 30 seconds.

We are proud of our MLS students.

The College of Health Professions was honored to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Structural Heart Program at Ascension Via Christi, along with its new partnership that will transform the future healthcare.

The celebration was held at Wichita’s Mark Arts and was attended by more than 200 guests, including Ascension leadership and medical staff, Wichita State leadership, senior leaders from two global structural heart device manufacturers and their teams; local, state and national governmental officials; and community leaders.

The Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences is proud to host a donor drive for The Gift of Life Marrow and Stem Cell Registry during the following days:

• Noon-1 p.m. Nov. 6-9 in the Ahlberg Hall second floor lobby
• 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 10 on the first floor of the Rhatigan Student Center

The collection process is quick and easy and just involves a simple cheek swab. Donors must be 18-35 years of age.

Gift of Life’s goal is to find a blood stem cell or marrow donor for every person who needs one around the world. Marrow and stem cells are used to cure over 100 blood disorders and cancers. Spread the word, come by and help save a life.

The Gift of Life Marrow and Stem Cell Registry started in 1991 to save the life of Jay Feinberg, a 23-year-old from New Jersey diagnosed with leukemia. Jay did not have a match in his family, so they launched a campaign to find the one person who could save his life. More than 60,000 donors joined the registry, providing matches for many people awaiting transplants, but not Jay. As hope faded, one last hopeful drive was held in May 1995. The last person to be tested that day was Jay’s perfect match. Jay founded Gift of Life so that no one else would ever have to wait for years to find a matching donor.

The Department of Public Health Sciences has announced that the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program has achieved candidacy status granted by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). This candidacy status is the next major step toward accreditation.

Accreditation serves as a benchmark for excellence in the field, establishing a continuous mechanism for self-assessment and ensuring the highest quality educational experience. Graduates from CAHME-accredited programs gain a valuable competitive edge when seeking employment within the healthcare industry.

Dr. Rob Manske, professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, has been selected as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Catherine Worthingham Fellow is one of the highest honors in the field of physical therapy.  

Manske began teaching in the PT program at Wichita State in fall 1998 and served as chair from 2013 to 2018. He has taught in PT programs for over 25 years and has been recognized for his extensive research and contributions to the profession. He is credited for approximately 70 peer-reviewed publications and has authored or edited 13 books.  

Manske will be honored at the annual APTA Celebration in July 2024 in Kansas City.