Health and Behavioral Studies News

JMU Center Engages Women and Girls in Wellness Activities

JMU’s Morrison Bruce Center seeks to engage women and girls in healthy physical activity opportunities.

Horst, Finney and Fulcher collaborate on webinar

Professors Sara Finney, Jeanne Horst and Keston Fulcher collaborate on webinar

Area youth to participate in inclusive sports festival

More than 100 central Shenandoah Valley youth have registered to participate in wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, pickleball and other activities.

Finney and Horst Speak at Carnegie Mellon University

Professors Sara Finney and Jeanne Horst traveled to Carnegie Mellon University from May 5-8 to participate in the 2019 Summit of the Empirical Educators Project

Health sciences initiative creates student resources

This semester, health sciences adviser Laura Blosser started an initiative to help her transfer students better integrate into the department.

Health sciences students take alternative spring break trip to Chicago

Three health sciences students participated in a trip to Chicago to work with the Heartland Alliance, one of the world’s leading anti-poverty organizations.

Psychology alumni co-created neuropsychology podcast

Alumni Ryan Van Patten (’12) co-created the podcast Navigating Neuropsychology — the first made about that field of study.

JMU alumna responds to measles outbreak in Oregon

Health sciences alumna, Beth McGinnis (’00) has a role with the measles outbreak response taking place in the Portland Metro area of Oregon.

Students with Schizophrenia founder Cecilia McGough visits JMU

On February 25, nearly 900 students attended her presentation, “An Evening with Cecilia McGough.”

Health sciences students place third at state conference

Shannon Belcher and Rachel Perez traveled to George Mason University to present their team’s research, “Dating App Usage and Sexual Behavior among College Students,” at the VPHA conference.

The healing power of magic

Magician Kevin Spencer is a pioneer in the use of magic tricks for physical and psychosocial rehabilitation, and focuses his research on how teaching magic can be a fun, motivational way to aid in patient recovery.

Psychology instructors combine classes to discuss research

To liven up class material, Julia Dobner-Pereira and Christian Haase, graduate students in the CIPSYD program, brought their PSYC 101 classes together to recreate an academic conference.

Students attend sold-out Nurse Blake event

JMU School of Nursing (SON) students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends attended a one-of-a-kind show designed just for nurses to celebrate the joys and challenges of their profession.

Psychology student symposium held

Undergraduate psychology student symposium held.

The importance of interprofessional education in healthcare

More than 90 students participated in an interprofessional education (IPE) event hosted by Health Professions

Environmentalism for all ages

In spring 2019, a group of senior health sciences majors collaborated with school children within a local school and daycare facility to explore environmental awareness and sustainability.

B.J. Bryson: diversity leader extraordinaire

Social work professor B.J. Bryson is known for going above and beyond to provide leadership for all aspects of diversity education and inclusion activities.

#CHBSChats with Andi Diamond

#CHBSChats with Andi Diamond (Physician Assistant - Health Professions) - Our series of informal chats with students

Helping children on the autism spectrum

Senior communication sciences and disorders (CSD) major Maci Letsky completed immersive internships during two consecutive summers with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Aspire.

Nursing introduces perioperative elective

Perioperative nurses work with surgery patients, surgeons and anesthesiologists; most significantly, they work “behind the red line,” where only those having surgery or performing surgery are permitted.

#CHBSChats with Casey O'Donnell

#CHBSChats with Casey O'Donnell (Health Sciences) - Our series of informal chats with students

EVENT: Youth Igniting Change Summer Institute 2019

Join us June 17 - 21 for our 5th annual Youth Igniting Change Summer Institute for rising 9th-12th graders. More information and registration included.

Students participate in health policy summit

Every semester, JMU’s Health Policy Collaborative provides a forum for students to engage with compelling public health issues while exploring how legislative advocacy can improve wellness, work and quality of life for m

JMU expert can discuss measles outbreak

Audrey Burnett, an associate professor of health sciences at James Madison University, is an expert on infectious diseases and community health.

Reporters invited to see grant in action

Media are invited to Page Memorial Hospital in Luray from noon-2 p.m. Monday, April 15, to interview nursing students, nursing faculty and PMH staff.

#CHBSChats with Katelin Curd & Jacqueline Billy

#CHBSChats with Riley Smith (Communication Sciences and Disorders) - Our series of informal chats with students

CHBS students collaborate on ‘I’m Determined’ project

Each summer, the Partnership for People with Disabilities and the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) ‘I’m Determined’ project holds a Youth and Parent Summit for children with disabilities hosted by JMU.

Psychology alumna continued education around the world

At the age of two, Jessica Lampe (’11) moved from Virginia to Germany, kindling a lifelong passion for international exploration. Since graduating from JMU, Lampe has studied in Scotland, China and Switzerland.

#CHBSChats with Matthew Crawford

#CHBSChats with Matthew Crawford (Kinesiology) - Our series of informal chats with students

Psychology alumna works as researcher in Germany

Originally from New York, Julie Niziurski (’11) travelled far to attend JMU and earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Since graduation, Niziurski has travelled all over the U.S. and to Denmark for her education.

#CHBSChats with Riley Smith

#CHBSChats with Riley Smith (Communication Sciences and Disorders) - Our series of informal chats with students

CCN: a canvas of intergenerational caring

Students who participate in the Caregivers Community Network are finding that art is a fun way to ‘connect, create, and contribute’

Health sciences students engage in service-learning

Professor Tim Howley requires students in his Population Health Determinants (HTH 231) class to engage in 15 CS-L hours during the semester.

Students create podcasts for health care presentations

Health sciences professor Tim Howley assigned a final project of presenting research comparing the U.S. healthcare system to one from another country using podcasts as the presentation tool.

PHETE program hosts alumni guest speakers

On January 28, JMU’s Physical and Health Education Teacher Education (PHETE) program welcomed alumni Jimmy Little (’99) and Isabel Chang (’16) to share helpful career insights.

Inclusive recreation in action

On February 21, more than 200 students participated in Paralympic Skill Lab (PSL) where they learned to play wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and goalball alongside Paralympic and other distinguished athletes.

Neuropsychology students present research at international conference

Current second year student Maddison Miles and recent graduate Emily Matusz, presented research at this year’s International Neuropsychological Society (INS) conference in New York City.

#CHBSChats with Katia Zillic

#CHBSChats with Katia Zillic (Health Services Administration) - Our series of informal chats with students

2019 CHBS mini-grant recipients announced

Congratulations to the recipients of the recent mini-grant competition to support faculty development.

#CHBSChats with Isabella Lavista

#CHBSChats with Isabella Lavista (Health Sciences)

JMU professor spearheads RAM clinic

Remote Area Medical is an organization based in Knoxville, Tennessee that collaborates with host groups all around the country to hold its clinics.

JMU OTs present research at VOTA conference

Richardson and Bloomfield were selected to present their ideas about building self-efficacy among OTs in trauma-informed care at the 2018 Virginia Occupational Therapy Association (VOTA) annual conference.

Kinesiology and youth cyclists collaborate on research

Hoping to understand how post-exercise recovery beverages affect youth athletic performance, a group of kinesiology students and faculty studied the elite cycling and endurance team at the Miller School of Albemarle.

Paralympic athletes to lead kinesiology lab

Three Paralympic athletes and three accomplished wheel chair basketball players from the Charlottesville Cardinals will lead a pair of Paralympic Skill Labs

#CHBSChats with Kathryn Young

#CHBSChats with Kathryn Young (Athletic Training) - Our series of informal chats with students

Student symposium provides engaged learning experience

37 teams of students presented their semester-long research projects before classmates, research professors and judges, hoping to receive the Top Project Award at the Health Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium.

PHETE students receive awards at conference

PHETE professor Cathy McKay and three students, Victoria El’Azar, Erin Woods and Jenna McMahon, were recently recognized at the VAHPERD convention.

CSD faculty recognized as distinguished fellows

CSD faculty Cynthia O’Donoghue and Stacey Pavelko are being inducted as National Academies of Practice (NAP) Distinguished Fellows in Scholarship for their expertise in the field of speech-language pathology.

Faculty present at breast cancer support group

Professors Aimee Johnson and Dayna Henry from the Department of Health Sciences facilitated an outreach event for a breast cancer support group at Sentara RMH in November.

Psychology alum joins health professions faculty

Dr. Abby Massey (’00) returns to the College of Health and Behavioral Studies (CHBS). Massey is a distinguished JMU alumna and medical doctor with more than 15 years of clinical experience.

Students advocate for immunization programs

Four James Madison University nursing students and their advisor have been selected to attend the annual Shot@Life Champion Summit

#CHBSChats with Cam Sutton

#CHBSChats with Cam Sutton (Kinesiology) - Our series of informal chats with students

Social work students attend Latinx Conference in Chicago

This past October, James Madison University social work students had the opportunity to attend the Latino Social Workers Organization (LSWO) 2018 Conference in Chicago.

CSPA alumni honored at ACPA conference

Two graduates of JMU's college student personnel administration program were recently honored by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).

#CHBSChats with Elle Del Gallo

#CHBSChats with Elle Del Gallo (Nursing) - Our series of informal chats with students

Practicing the procedure with augmented reality

CHBS pioneers the way with a new augmented reality program for grad students in the speech-language pathology program.

Dietetics students teach nutrition at Skyline Middle School

Recently, dietetics professor Jennifer Walsh took four of her students—two juniors and two seniors—to Skyline Middle School to teach nutrition during physical education classes.

Students experience poverty in simulation

More than 100 students from multiple majors will participate in the "Life in the State of Poverty Simulation" on March 29.

#CHBSFacultyFocus on Robyn Kondrad

Meet new psychology faculty - Robyn Kondrad

#CHBSFacultyFocus on Sri Upadhyay

Meet new psychology faculty - Sri Upadhyay

Dietetics students create nutrition curriculum

Recognizing a need in the community, dietetics seniors Kathleen Kraft and Alexandra Lepecha, created an innovative curriculum to expand awareness about healthy eating for Harrisonburg families.

Online nursing programs ranked 30th

Online graduate nursing programs offered by the JMU School of Nursing improved by 67 places from 2018 in the latest national ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

SASS team offers assessment training to Division of Student Affairs & CSPA students

The Health Services Administration (HSA) program hosted its first speaker presentation on October 30, 2018.

Gus Bus provides volunteer opportunities for students

The Gus Bus is a mobile literacy program that brings story time, reading activities and book checkout services to neighborhoods in Harrisonburg and Page County.

HSA program hosts inaugural speaker series

The Health Services Administration (HSA) program hosted its first speaker presentation on October 30, 2018.

JMU students provide respite for caregivers

Caregivers Community Network (CCN) is a collaboration between Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS) and JMU’s Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS) that provides respite for caregivers.

#CHBSChats with Janae Brown

#CHBSChats with Janae Brown (Social Work) - Our series of informal chats with students

Real Talk: Relationships event

With the holiday season approaching, finals drawing near, and roommate tensions on the rise, the Psychology Learning Community (PLC) hosted Real Talk: Relationships as part of their Introductory Psychology course.

Harrisonburg to Beijing: social work in a global context

During summer of 2018, social work professor Cindy Hunter completed a study tour in China that afforded her useful insight and new ideas.

Social work hosts homecoming open house

For the second year, the social work department opened its doors for alumni to tour the new facilities and spend time catching up with former and current classmates and professors during homecoming weekend.

Tackling mental health care in nursing

Fostering an innovation-rich environment, JMU SON created a psychiatric mental health simulation that will empower and prepare students to develop clinical competencies in psychiatric healthcare.

Emotional intelligence and occupational therapy

In October 2018, associate professor Jeanne Wenos and former program director Twylla Kirchen led an evidence-based presentation at the annual Leadership in Higher Education Conference.

Teaching the intangibles

JMU alumna Katie Tusing turns a life-changing accident into learning opportunities.

JMU School of Nursing director testifies before Congress

JMU School of Nursing director Julie Sanford testified before the U.S. Senate on the growing shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas and potential solutions to fill this critical, national need.

CCN named 2018 Best Practice Program

The Caregivers Community Network was recognized with a 2018 Best Practice Program Award (2nd place) by the Commonwealth Council on Aging.

Alumni return to campus to help judge psychology symposium projects

As the symposium has grown over the years, it has become more difficult for faculty and graduate students to find sufficient time to judge the posters so the department of psychology invited alumni to assist.

Alumna works to improve geriatric care

Alumna Jeannette Suter ('99, '02) has worked in numerous roles to promote comprehensive senior care.

PA program partners with Free Clinic

Now in the second year of a five year grant from the Health and Human Services Administration, the Physician Assistant students reflect on their first year experiences at the clinic.

Giving Day funds make a difference for our Kinesiology program

The kinesiology department utilized its portion of the funding to cover student travel costs for two regional conferences.

Giving Day funds make a difference by funding summer outreach programming

The Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS) utilized its portion of last year's gifts to support summer camp programming.

Giving Day funds make a difference for our Graduate Psychology program

The department of Graduate Psychology used its portion of the funding to purchase training materials for Higher Ground, a project aimed at battling adolescent substance abuse in public schools.

Viewpoints on Health 2018

Viewpoints on Health will be held on March 22, 2018 at 5:30p.m. in HBS 5040

Giving Day funds make a difference for our Social Work program

The social work department dedicated its portion of Giving Day funding to expand student participation in the Rural Area Medical Volunteer Corps. (RAM), a healthcare outreach initiative.

Giving Day funds make a difference for our Psychology program

The Department of Psychology allocated their portion towards bringing keynote speaker Eric Landrum to this year's Psychology Symposium.

Giving Day funds make a difference for Communications Sciences and Disorders program

The department of Communication Sciences and Disorders utilized their Giving Day funding to purchase updated assessment technologies that now serve the adult clinic.

Interprofessional education seminar held

An all day seminar on Interprofessional education took place bringing together over 100 graduate students and advanced undergraduate students from seven disciplines.