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What’s New... What’s New... What’s New...

Family Impacted by Autism Funds Program to FIU’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing &

Develop Leaders, Research in Caring for Health Sciences Launches First Doctor of Athletic

Developmentally Disabled Adults T raining Program in the Southeast U.S.

Athletic trainers are mainly recognized as the khaki-clad
health professionals rushing out on the field or court to
tend to an injured player. What is less recognizable are the
sophisticated levels of active research and clinical practice
needed to keep the dynamic profession at peak perform-
ance.
FIU’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health
Sciences is moving the profession forward with the launch
of the first Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program in
the southeast U.S. and one of only six in the country
responding to the discipline’s growing need for post-profes-
sional degrees. Shawn Dale Felton
The program will be led by new chair of the FIU
Department of Athletic Training, Shawn Dale Felton.
“The DAT is the academic progression of our profession toward higher levels of clin-
ical, evidence-based practice, research and leadership,” Professor Felton said.
“Graduates of our DAT will be applying advanced clinical skills to improve patient
outcomes and engage in research to proactively develop and implement injury and ill-
Front row (l-r): Manuel Hernandez, Yolanda S. Hernandez, Dr. Yolangel Hernandez Suarez ness prevention strategies to become health care innovators.”
and Dr. Jeffrey Simmons; Back row (l-r): FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and FIU Provost Athletic trainers study the importance of science in sports and exercise to collabo-
rate with physicians and other health professionals in providing the proper exercises
and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton
needed to prevent injuries, as well as assist in rehabilitation and therapeutic interven-
Local doctors Jeffrey Simmons and Yolangel Hernandez Suarez have made a $2 tion.
million gift to FIU to establish the Simmons+Hernandez Suarez Fellowship Program Most athletic trainers have a master’s degree in their field. However, trainers with
at FIU Embrace. doctoral degrees are desired by most employers for their advanced aptitude to assess,
The fellowship will support professionals who take an interdisciplinary approach diagnose, treat and use rehabilitation for all types of injuries.
to solving the complex and multi-faceted issues facing adults with neurodevelop- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of athletic trainers is
mental disorders such as autism. One and two-year fellowships will combine projected to grow 23 percent by 2026, much faster than the average for all occupa-
research and clinical work with leadership training to help prepare the next gener- tions. Demand for athletic trainers is expected to increase as people become more
ation of leaders for organizations focused on the developmentally disabled. The pro- aware of the effects of sports-related injuries, and as the middle-aged and older popu-
gram also will work to create evidence-based models for “systems of care” to support lation remains active.
developmentally disabled adults as they seek to become more fully engaged commu-
nity members. Kendall Regional
For the donors, the mission of FIU Embrace is very personal: Hernandez Suarez,
the vice president for clinical innovation at Conviva Care Solutions, and Simmons, Medical Center Installs
a cardiologist and an executive at Humana, have two children who are participants
in FIU Embrace. The two doctors are former faculty members of the Herbert “State Of The Art”
Wertheim College of Medicine and among the founders of FIU Embrace.
FIU Embrace is one of the only university-based programs in the nation to pro- Newborn Safety System
mote the health, wellness and overall functioning for adults with neurodevelopmen-
tal disorders. Started in 2012, the program works to develop a model to integrate
adults with developmental disabilities as full participants in the community Kendall Regional Medical Center
recently installed a new and innovative
Infant Safety System. The proprietary
Jupiter Medical Center to Open system allows the hospital to capture
high resolution newborn footprints
Comprehensive Stroke Center which can be used for precise identifica-
tion in situations like an abduction, lost
Stroke patients in northern Palm Beach County and Martin County can now baby or natural disaster.
receive lifesaving interventions much closer to home. Thanks to a $5 million gift The Newborn Safety System — which
from an anonymous donor, Jupiter Medical Center has assembled the most uses LiveScan Technology — has gar-
advanced facilities, technology and specially trained physicians to improve patient nered the attention and praise from the
outcomes in the most complex stroke cases. National Center for Missing and
The medical center is now in the final stages of completing requirements to be Exploited Children (NCMEC) and has Footprints
named a Comprehensive Stroke Center. It will be the only hospital in northern Palm been included as a recommendation for
Beach County and in Martin County to achieve this designation. Awarded by the hospitals in its most recent Infant Security Guidelines.
Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA), the Comprehensive Stroke The System is entirely safe for use on babies and provides outstanding footprint
Center designation will ensure that Jupiter Medical Center has developed system- quality. Nurses prefer the System because it is easy to use, seamless to adopt and
wide initiatives on stroke prevention, rehabilitation, education, community aware- replaces the time consuming and messy ink and paper method. The digital foot prints
ness and research. and security photo can be stored efficiently in the newborn’s electronic medical
“We have reached the culmination of a year of intense effort to recruit the expert- record. And, much like finger prints, foot prints are a biometric, unique to each baby,
ise and develop the technological infrastructure necessary to diagnose and treat the so they can be used for identification throughout a lifetime.
most complex stroke patients within minutes of their admission,” said Don Each new mom receives an attractive certificate of her newborn’s footprint during
McKenna, president and chief executive officer. “We are ready to bring the highest her stay. When she returns home, she can visit www.firstfootprint.com to enhance the
level of lifesaving care for stroke and other neurological problems closer to residents certificate with colors, different fonts and borders. She can also download a digital
of northern Palm Beach County and Martin County.” copy of her baby’s footprint. These additional benefits are provided as a gift from
New technology, facility upgrades and the recruitment of neurosurgeons, as well Kendall Regional Medical Center and at no cost to moms.
as the appointment Dr. Jeffrey Miller, who is board-certified in neuroendovascular Kendall Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in Miami and South Florida to
surgery, are essential to gaining the designation. Dr. Miller is one of the first 25 neu- provide this innovative service to moms and the community it serves.
roendovascular surgeons in the nation certified by the Society of Neurological
Surgeons Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training. He serves as medical
director of Neuroendovascular Surgery, and co-director of the hospital’s Stroke E-mail Your Editorial Submissions to
Program. Dr. Jennifer Buczyner, a board-certified neurologist with subspecialty
training and a special interest in neurophysiology and neuromuscular disorders, is editorial@southfloridahospitalnews.com
Stroke Program director.

28 January 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News