Dr. Vida Huber, Director

Web site: http://www.hhs.jmu.edu/

Mission

It is the mission of the Institute to:

§ Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation in educational, research and service initiatives in health and human services;

§ Build university-community partnerships that are responsive to the communities we represent;

§ Enhance initiatives and educational relevance through student service learning.

Goals

The Institute will:

§ Foster a culture that values cross-disciplinary interaction, communication and collaboration to enrich teaching, learning, research and service delivery in the area of health and human services.

§ Create mechanisms and incentives to encourage cross-disciplinary and cross-university HHS initiatives that develop and implement:

  § Courses and educational programs

  § Research

  § Collaborative practice

  § Service delivery models that incorporated student service learning

§ Promote and coordinate cross-disciplinary faculty and student participation in initiatives.

§ Develop initiatives that are responsive to cultural and societal needs and trends.

§ Promote partnerships with agencies, organizations and professionals within the communities we serve.

§ Secure the resources needed to fulfill the mission of the Institute.

The following centers, programs and activities are related to the mission of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services.

Acting Out: Teen Theatre Programs

Marylin O. Wakefield, Director

Acting Out uses theatre to educate and empower through two programs. Teen Theatre works with students age 12-18 to produce an original script each semester and the OutREACH program focuses on character building in regional middle and high schools.

Adult Health and Development Program (ADHP)

Marylin O. Wakefield, Director

The Adult Health and Development Program (ADHP) is an inter-generational program designed to promote health in older adults (those 55+). College students work one-on-one with older adults from the local community. An individualized program is designed to meet each program participant’s unique needs. The outcome of the program is the development of a sense of positive health and well being in the older adult while promoting a sense of community on a broader scale.

Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED)

Dr. Cletus M. Sellers, National Secretary

The national headquarters of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the premedical honor society, is located on the JMU campus as a sponsored program within the Department of Health Sciences. AED is the only national premedical honor society with a 135,000+ membership and 177 chapters on campuses nationwide. AED is a member society of the Association of College Honor Societies.

Attention and Learning Disabilities Center (ALDC)

Dr. Steve Evans, Director

The ALDC is a service, training, and research center focused on individuals with problems related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities.

Bio & Health Informatics Center

The center is designed to provide an infrastructure for promoting, coordinating and facilitating learning opportunities, initiatives and projects in the area of Bio and Health Informatics.

Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center (AHEC) At James Madison University

Christopher Nye, Executive Director

The mission of the Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center (AHEC) at JMU is to improve the health of communities through education, collaboration and cooperation. The Blue Ridge AHEC focuses on the health care needs of “vulnerable” populations. The foundation of AHEC activities is partnerships that utilize academic and community resources. These partnerships develop, expand or support services to underserved and vulnerable populations, and link health and human service professions students with communities to address local health and human service needs.

Center for Pre-Health Resources

Web site: http://www.hhs.jmu.edu/prehealth_programs.htm

The JMU Center for Pre-health Resources is the resource and advisory center for pre-health professional programs, providing information and advice that will assist pre-professional students in their health career endeavors. Students interested in preparing for matriculation into a graduate program in these areas must demonstrate motivation/commitment for the profession and strive for superior academic performance. Schools of professional health are most concerned with the overall scope and quality of a student’s undergraduate performance and it is important that students select a major based on their interests and aptitudes. They are more likely to perform at a higher level and the major selected may provide alternatives if they decide not to apply or are not accepted into their choice of programs.

The programs of study outlined below are recommendations and guidelines only and to not assure meeting all requirements for a given program. Graduate professional programs have unique requirements and you should check with individual schools for more definitive statements regarding admission policies and requirements. The coordinators listed are available to assist you in making career decisions. Additional information about each of the pre-professional health programs is available on the Web.

Pre-dentistry, Dr. Steve Stewart, Coordinator

Pre-medicine, Dr. Daniel Wubah, Coordinator

Students are encouraged to take BIO 224 (Genetics and Development)

Pre-optometry, Dr. Jeffrey Andre, Coordinator

Pre-pharmacy, Dr. Donna Amenta, Coordinator

1 Requirements depend on program.

Pre-physical Therapy, Mr. Jeffrey Konin, Coordinator

Please note physical therapy schools often have varying prerequisite requirements for admission. Classes listed here meet Pre-pt requirements at JMU, but may differentiate slightly from what some PT schools require.

Pre-veterinary, Dr. Thomas Hancock, Coordinator

Community Health Interpreter Service

Beth Rogers, Coordinator

For hundreds of Shenandoah Valley residents, linguistic and cultural barriers seriously compromise the quality of health care that they receive. To address this challenge, the Blue Ridge AHEC at JMU trains bilingual persons in providing interpretation in health and medical care encounters.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

Tim Schulte, Director

The CAPS program provides outpatient mental health counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults. Training and research opportunities exist in the program and a generous sliding scale is used to determine charges for services.

Elderhostel

Gerri Rigney, Coordinator

JMU Elderhostel offers adults 55 and over the opportunity to engage in learning experiences while living on campus. College-level courses on a wide variety of stimulating topics are offered. Participants from all over the country gather for a week of learning, fun and entertainment. Undergraduate students, through a course titled Positive Aging: Elderhostel, are involved with the participants.

Holistic Health Resource Center (HHRC)

Emily Akerson, Coordinator

The HHRC focuses on developing services in partnership with the community to meet community needs and provide cross-disciplinary service learning experiences for students.

JMU Shenandoah Valley Child Development Center (CDC)

Penny Critzer and Liz Dahmus, Co-directors

The CDC is a state supported evaluation clinic that provides comprehensive evaluations to children and adolescents with developmental, behavioral, and emotional problems. The CDC has a sliding scale and provides services to individuals with Medicaid. Training and research opportunities for students and faculty from a variety of disciplines are available in this clinic.

Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI)

Nancy Grembi, Director

The Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), a partnership between JMU and adults over the age of 55 from the region, is an affiliate of the Elderhostel Institute Network of Boston, Massachusetts. LLI participants take college level courses on a non-credit basis. Undergraduate students can assist in the classroom by enrolling in a one-credit workshop course.

Office on Children and Youth (OCY)

Jane Hubble, Director

The Office on Children and Youth, a partnership program, provides information and referral services to children and youth with the goal of promoting positive development. OCY is a central contact point for services in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to support, coordinate and examine the needs of our children and youth.

Promatoras de Salud (Lay Health Promoter)

Beth Rogers, Coordinator

Empowering the Hispanic community to take greater control of their health and independently access appropriate health care and community resources.

Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program (MEP)

Anita Warner, Coordinator

The Migrant Education program provides free supplemental educational services to children and youth aged 3-21 of migrant workers. Services include tutoring/mentoring, dropout prevention activities, educational translations (Spanish/English) and networking/orientation to other community services. The MEP moderates the Hispanic Services Council, a networking organization of agencies interested in the Hispanic population.

Speech-Language-Hearing Applied Laboratory

Sara Elizabeth Runyan, Director

The JMU Speech-Language-Hearing Applied Laboratory, formerly referred to as the JMU Speech and Hearing Center, provides communication evaluation and treatment services to individuals with known or suspected speech and/or hearing impairments. For over 25 years this center has provided assistance to residents of the Shenandoah Valley, including clients ranging in age from infants to senior citizens. Hearing testing and hearing aid advising is available for those with concerns over hearing. Evaluation and treatment of communication impairments, including speech sound disorders, language impairments, voice disorders, and stuttering problems are additional services offered in the applied laboratory. Graduate students supervised by faculty who are licensed audiologists or speech- language pathologists serve as clinicians in this lab.

Substance Abuse Research Center (SARC)

Jeanne M. Martino-McAllister, Director

The substance abuse research center, located within the Department of Health Sciences, is designed to serve students, faculty and staff members, and the community in addressing alcohol and other drug usage among students. It also provides a conceptual framework for campus and community programming. The center serves as a research source for students and faculty members who want to incorporate information on alcohol or other drugs into their class lectures or projects.

Virginia Center for Health Outreach

Chris Nye, Executive Director

Sandra Hopper, Operations Director

The purpose of the VCHO is to develop an infrastructure to strengthen the practice, policy, and research of the Community Health Advisor/Worker (CHA/W) field in Virginia while acknowledging and capitalizing upon the key roles the CHA/Ws play in improving public health, providing preventive services, and facilitating access to primary care. Note: Community health advisers/workers are trained laypersons who serve as health resource persons in the communities where they live and work.

Training /Technical Assistance Centers (T/TAC)

The mission of Virginia’s Training/Technical Assistance Centers (T/TAC) is to improve educational opportunities and contribute to the success of children and youth with disabilities (birth - 22 years). The centers provide quality training and technical assistance in response to local, regional, and state needs. T/TAC services increase the capacity of schools, school personnel, service providers, and families to meet the needs of children and youth. The Region 5 T/TAC serves as the fiscal agent for the Northwestern T/TAC Consortium which includes the Region 4 T/TAC located at George Mason University.

Workforce Improvement Network

The Workforce Improvement Network is funded by the Office of Adult Education of the Virginia Department of Education and is a partnership between James Madison University and the Virginia Literacy Foundation. The mission of the WIN is to encourage and support the development and expansion of customized foundational basic skill instruction for Virginia’s workforce.