Alumni updates

Alumni updates

Meryl Alappattu, doctorate in physical therapy ’08 and doctorate in rehabilitation science ’14, was elected director of research for the American Physical Therapy Association’s Section on Women’s Health.

Leslie Lear Barnes, doctorate in rehabilitation science ’13, is a clinical biomechanist in the Nike Sports Research Lab at Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Her research is focused on identifying performance and product insights for Nike’s track and field athletes in preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Christopher Besser, doctorate in health services research ’14, received the 2014 American Academy of Medical Administrators YC Parris Young Federal Healthcare Executive of the Year Award. He is an assistant professor at the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health and Business Administration.

Stacy (Koser) Carmichael, doctorate in clinical psychology ’03, recently obtained ABPP Board Certification in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Barbara (Helton) Connolly, bachelor’s in physical therapy ’70, was elected president of the Foundation for Physical Therapy, a nonprofit organization that provides financial support for physical therapy research and doctoral scholarships and fellowships.

Rogelio Coronado, doctorate in rehabilitation science ’14, was awarded funding for a two-year project titled “Improving Physical Activity and Function with Cognitive-Behavioral Based Physical Therapy after Spine Surgery.” He is a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University.

Pamela (Sjostrom) Fuller, doctorate in clinical psychology ’94, has published “Surviving, Existing, or Living: Phase-specific therapy for severe psychosis” through Routledge as part of the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis book series.

Alexandra Hill, doctorate in physical therapy ’14, received the 2015 Elaine Meadows Research Scholar Award from the Section on Women’s Health of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is a women’s health physical therapy resident at Duke Medicine.

Holley Hooks, master’s in public health ’14, accepted a position in Tacloban, Philippines with ACT Alliance, an international humanitarian organization that provides aid to people affected by disasters. She works with hygiene promoters and community health workers on behavior change interventions.

Quinn Lundquist, master’s in public health ’12, is a policy and evaluation specialist for the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas Co. He is evaluating a CDC grant that aims to implement policy, systems and environmental changes to improve access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity, especially in food deserts.

Sinyoung Park, doctorate in health services research ’14, received the 2014 American Academy of Medical Administrators 2014 Student Research Paper of the Year Award. She is a visiting assistant professor in the College of Education and Public Policy at Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Heather Simpson, master’s in occupational therapy ’09, is a therapist at UF Health and the coordinator for the new Southeast consortium of Tourette Syndrome Association Centers of Excellence. The goal of the centers of excellence program is to set a standard of care, increase access to treatment and accelerate research on Tourette syndrome and other related tic disorders.

Chris (Aniello) Tallbacka, bachelor’s in occupational therapy ’91, has earned her Certified Hand Therapist credential, the highest recognition of competency in the profession of upper limb rehabilitation. She works at Florida Orthopaedic Specialists in Port St Lucie, Fla.