Author: Jamie Stoskopf

Dr. Betty Lou Elder, longtime professor in the School of Nursing, passed away Feb. 7. During her time at Wichita State, Betty taught several courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Her teaching of pathophysiology helped baccalaureate, master and doctoral students prepare for their degrees and careers as health care practitioners. She was essential to the graduate nursing program and the ultimate success of graduating nurse practitioner students. She retired as an associate professor in 2019.

Betty graduated from Smith Center High School in Smith Center, Kansas and pursued a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Kansas State University and Wichita State University. Betty earned many degrees over her lifetime, including a doctorate in genetics from Texas A&M University and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction-science education from the University of Nebraska. 

Betty enjoyed a long and illustrious teaching career. She became a second-grade teacher in 1974 and a first-grade teacher in 1976. As an adventure, she left Kansas temporarily to take a position as a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park and was part of the forest fire team. When she returned, she began her post-secondary teaching career at Fort Hays State University and Texas A&M University. She was an instructor at multiple colleges before joining the WSU School of Nursing in 2003. 

Donations can be made to the Betty Elder Memorial for Nursing through the WSU Foundation, or donors can mail a check to 1845 Fairmount, Box 2 Wichita, KS 67260 (reference Betty Elder in the memo).

The College of Health Professions (CHP) has three patient-serving clinics that are open to the public. All clinics are accepting new patients and provide high-quality, affordable health care to the community.

• The Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic provides speech-language and hearing services to people across the lifespan. The clinic faculty specialize in speaking, hearing, swallowing and spoken and written language impairments. The clinic offers a wide variety of audiology services, including hearing aid fitting and hearing aid repair of all makes and models.
• The Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation Dental Hygiene Clinic offers a wide range of low-cost preventative, therapeutic and educational dental hygiene services.
• WSU’s General Dentistry’s services include cleanings, fillings, teeth whitening and dental implants. The dental clinic provides services in periodontics, endodontics, oral surgery and prosthodontics.

The College of Health Professions dean’s office is seeking applicants for its budget and accounting specialist position. 

The budget and accounting specialist will be responsible for the dean’s office day-to-day budget and financial activity, including reconciliation of financial statements, purchasing and accounts payable, and record keeping for lecturer and graduate teaching assistant positions in the college. The position is also responsible for maintaining currency with the university policy and processes which impact budget and financial operations, changes in the Human Resources systems, and providing direct support and training for CHP personnel who are responsible for budget, finance and personnel work within their units.

Two Medical Laboratory Sciences students at Wichita State are the 2022 recipients of the $280,000 annual endowed scholarship gift from Southcentral Pathology Laboratory.

Dr. Joel Alderson, president of Southcentral Pathology in Wichita – the largest group of surgical pathologists in southcentral Kansas – established this fund in 2021 to provide two full-ride scholarships each year in WSU’s Medical Laboratory Sciences 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 program.

On Oct. 14, the Physician Assistant program at Wichita State celebrated its 50th anniversary with an open house and reception for alumni, faculty, staff, students and supporters.

Founded in 1972, the WSU PA program was the first program in Kansas and one of the first in the nation. The program provides students with a patient-centered education that includes high-tech simulation scenarios, real-life cases and clinical problem solving.

“For 50 years, Wichita State’s PA graduates have improved health outcomes throughout the community and across Kansas by increasing access to medical care, particularly in underserved and rural areas,” said Dr. Rick Muma, Wichita State president and first certified PA in the nation to serve as a university president. “With our exceptional faculty and rigorous curriculum, Wichita State’s PAs have a reputation for providing excellent care and compassion for the people of our state.”

The College of Health Professions (CHP) has three patient-serving clinics that are open to the public. All clinics are accepting new patients and provide high-quality, affordable health care to the community.

• The Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic–Provides speech-language and hearing services to people across the lifespan. The clinic faculty specialize in speaking, hearing, swallowing and spoken and written language impairments. The clinic offers a wide variety of audiology services, including hearing aid fitting and battery replacement.
• The Dental Hygiene Clinic-Offers a wide range of low-cost preventative, therapeutic and educational dental hygiene services.
• WSU’s General Dentistry’s Services-Include cleanings, fillings, teeth whitening and dental implants. The dental clinic provides services in periodontics, endodontics, oral surgery and prosthodontics.

Wichita State University welcomed the first class for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program on the Kansas State University campus.

The WSU nursing program is part of the Pathway to Nursing program with K-State, a unique dual-degree program that gives students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Science degree from K-State, and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from WSU. This is the first dual degree program between WSU and K-State, and the first and only BSN program in Kansas located at two state universities.

Aging Studies (AGE), Leadership, and Health Professions (HP) courses subject and prefix codes have been changed to PHS in Banner. If students are searching for Public Health Sciences (PHS) general education courses, the following are now listed as PHS designated courses:

• Intro to Public Health
• Psychology of Aging
• Leadership in Self and Society
• U.S. Health Service Systems
• Emerging Issues in U.S. Health Care

Electives in aging studies are also now listed as PHS designated courses:

• Introduction to Aging Studies
• Sociology of Aging
• Age, Work and Retirement
• Death, Dying and Bereavement

Dr. Voncella McCleary-Jones, associate dean for the College of Health Professions, has been selected to be inducted into the 2022 class of fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. Through a competitive application process, 250 distinguished nurse leaders were selected to be inducted into the Academy based on their contributions to advance public health. The inductees will be recognized at the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in October in Washington, DC.

The focus of Dr. McCleary-Jones’ work is health literacy — improving the knowledge of practitioners and health outcomes and informing research of national and international colleagues in nursing and other disciplines.

The American Board of General Dentistry recognized Dr. Tommy Vu, Dr. Megan Casserly, and the Wichita State Advanced Education in General Dentistry program for the 2022 Sandra Mitchell Memorial Award for Community Service.

This recognition is for community service by a dental graduate resident in providing dental services to the underserved or community education and outreach.