We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University

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We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
SPRING 2020 • Volume 36 Issue 1

                                  Than Molecules
                                   We Are More
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
Message from the President

                                           Staying Connected, Staying Creighton

                                           T
            Follow me:                                      his is not quite the message I originally envisioned sharing in
                                                            this issue of Creighton magazine. In fact, we also planned for you
               @CreightonPres
                                                            to receive your magazine in the mail, as always, and not online.
               CreightonPresident
                                                                The trajectory of the spring semester at Creighton University,
                                                            which started out so strong and with such promise, quickly
                                                            changed in March due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
                                               Just as our fellow Americans, and, indeed, all citizens of the world, altered
                                           their daily lives to mitigate the rising human toll of the deadly disease, including
                                           its burden upon health care facilities, so too did our leadership team at
                                           Creighton.
                                               We quickly established strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19. The health
                                           and well-being of our faculty, staff, and students, as well as visitors to our main
                                           campus in Omaha and our additional campuses in Phoenix and other locations,
                                           was our utmost concern.
                                               Our undergraduate students were on spring break March 8-15 when the virus
                                           began spreading. We advised all who were at home to stay home, and those
                                           who had traveled to other locations to return home. Faculty and staff stepped
                                           up in creative ways and we began online education; it was essential that we
                                           stay connected, that we stay Creighton — which we are doing with remarkable
                                           creativity, generosity, and effect.
                                               We had hoped to return this spring term yet to on-campus courses, but,
                                           unfortunately, the quickly evolving local and national realities did not allow
                                           that to happen, and we announced on March 20 that we would maintain online
                                           classes for the rest of the semester and we closed our residence halls to all but a
                                           limited number of students with extenuating circumstances.
                                               I was heartsick that our students could not be with us and had to
                                           dramatically modify their lives, including those in life-transforming study
                                           abroad experiences and others in their final semester of their senior year, with
                                           all the meaning and emotion that engenders. For our graduating students, in
                                           particular, this really hurts.
                                               When we made the extremely difficult decisions — in accordance with local, state, and national
                                           leaders and public health officials — to continue online classes for the rest of the semester and not
                                           host our traditional May commencement, I felt our community’s pain. But at once I also witnessed our
                                           resilience and resolve. Although our community is now virtual, we are as interconnected and sturdy as
                                           the bricks that line our campus mall.
                                               In so many ways, the mall defines our campus. Leading to and from St. John’s Church, outlined in the
                                           statuary of our mission and identity, connected on the west-end by the Heaney Pedestrian Bridge, and to
                                           the east, leading to the riverfront, it is an architect of the kind of community we take pride in. Creating
                                           encounters of faculty, students, and staff multiple times a day, it is an extended campus-courtyard where
                                           handshakes, high-fives, and hugs recur. Conversation, question, demonstration, and recreation are
                                           commonplace, and friendships for life are founded. It will be active once again, that I am sure, and I look
                                           forward to seeing thousands of Creighton faces, focused, fervent, and friendly.
              On Feb. 21, members              Please enjoy in this issue an abundance of good news and successes, including an exciting
            of Creighton’s Board of
            Trustees gathered at the       partnership we entered with Arizona State University (ASU) in February and the recognition ceremony
            Creighton University           honoring 2020 Alumni Achievement Citation recipient, Diane Morin Nelson, BA’67, and our Alumni
            Health Sciences – Phoenix
            Campus construction            Merit Awardees. I hope and pray you have a blessed Easter season and springtime, and that you and your
            site for a beam-signing        families remain safe and healthy.
            event. Trustees the Rev.
            Nicholas Santos, SJ, PhD,
DAVE CRUZ

            far left, and the Rev. Casey
            Beaumier, SJ, watch as
            Fr. Hendrickson signs
                                           Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD
            the beam.                      President

                                                                                                                                                         1
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON                                                  SPRING 2020                               Volume 36                  Issue 1

                                                                                                                                                                                          Voices
                                                                                                                                           PUBLISHER
                                                                                                                                                                                          “I want to remind you that                             “We’re proud to join the nation
                                                                                                                                           Creighton magazine is published
                                                                                                                                                                                           there are seeds planted in                             in congratulating Creighton

Contents
                                                                                                                                           in the spring, summer and
                                                                                                                                           fall by Creighton University,                   you from the Creator of                                University on their recent Wall
                                                                                                                                           2500 California Plaza, Omaha,
                                                                                                                                           NE 68178-0001.                                  the universe that give each                            Street Journal recognition as a
                                                                                                                                           PRESIDENT                                       of us a unique purpose to                              top 10 Midwestern university.
                                                                                                                                           Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD             change social conditions,                              Excellence is earned, and we
                                                                                                                                           VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS                fight injustice and make the                           are grateful to Creighton for
                                                                                                                                           AND MARKETING
                                                                                                                                           Heidi Grunkemeyer                               world better.”                                         their commitment to students
                                                                                                                                           DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS                     TRICIA BENT-GOODLEY, PHD, a professor of social         and community.”
                                                                                                                                           Rick Davis                                     work and director of the doctoral program at the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 DAVID BROWN, president and CEO of the Greater
                                                                                                                                                                                          Howard University School of Social Work, in her
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Omaha Chamber, after the Wall Street Journal/Times
                                                                                                                                           ASSOC. DIRECTORS OF COMMUNICATIONS             keynote address at Creighton’s Unity Prayer Luncheon
                                                                                                                                           Cindy Murphy McMahon                                                                                  Higher Education College Rankings named Creighton
                                                                                                                                                                                          during Martin Luther King Jr. Week.
                                                                                                                                           Sheila Swanson                                                                                        one of the top 10 big-city colleges in the Midwest.

                                                                                                                                           WRITERS                                        “My name is Nibras Khudaida

                                                          26
                                                                                                                                           Amanda Brandt                                                                                         “Genuine caring and
                                                                                                                                           Eugene Curtin
                                                                                                                                                                                           and I am 21 years old.                                 authentic compassion have
                                                                                                                                           Micah Mertes                                    I advocate for every girl’s                            a tremendous healing power.
                                                                                                                                           Emily Rust
                                                                                                                                           Blake Ursch
                                                                                                                                                                                           right to learn because at one                          And much of that power
                                                                                                                                                                                           point, I was denied mine.”                             comes from knowing the value
                                                          A CLOUD OF DANGER                                                                ILLUSTRATION
                                                                                                                                           Stephanie Dalton Cowan                         Creighton sophomore NIBRAS KHUDAIDA from her
                                                          School of Dentistry and other Creighton researchers are                          Jacqui Langeland                               prepared remarks before the United Nations, speaking
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  of the humanities.”
                                                          sounding the alarm over use of e-cigarettes, or vaping.                          CONTACT
                                                                                                                                                                                          on behalf of the Malala Fund. (Read her story from     Creighton alumnus RICHARD DEMING, MD’80,
                                                                                                                                                                                          the spring 2019 Creighton magazine, creighton.edu/     whose generous support is funding an endowed chair
                                                          Users face gum problems and other dental health issues.                          Address all mail to University
                                                                                                                                                                                          creightonmagazine/magazinearchives.)                   in medical humanities.
                                                                                                                                           Communications and Marketing,
                                                                                                                                           Attn: Creighton Magazine, 780480
                                                                                                                                           California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178-0480.
                                                                                                                                           Postmaster: Send change of address
                                                                                                       TO OBEY                             to Creighton Magazine, P.O. Box 3266,
                                                                                                       AND UPHOLD                          Omaha, NE 68103-0078.

                                                                                                       An exemplary                        Send alumni news (births, weddings,

20
                                                                                                                                           promotions, etc.) to alumninews@
                                                                                                       Creighton law student               creighton.edu.
                                                                                                       who joined the FBI was              FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
                                                                                                       gunned down in the                  Twitter — @Creighton
                                                                                                                                           Facebook — Creighton University
                                                                                                       infamous 1933 Kansas                Instagram — @Creighton1878
                                                                                                       City Massacre.                      CREIGHTON MAGAZINE’S PURPOSE
                                                                                                                                           Creighton magazine, like the University
                                                                                                                                           itself, is committed to excellence and
                                                                                                                                           dedicated to the pursuit of truth in

                                                          32
                                                                                                                                           all its forms. The magazine will be
                                                                                                                                           comprehensive in nature. It will support
                                                                                                                                           the University’s mission of education
                                                                                                                                           through thoughtful and compelling
                                                                                                                                           feature articles on a variety of topics.
                                                                                                                                           It will feature the brightest, the most
                                                                                                                                           stimulating, the most inspirational

                                                                                                                                                                                          Let’s Get Social
                                                                                                                                           thinking that Creighton offers. The
on the cover                                              4 C
                                                             reighton                             18 The Big Question                     magazine also will promote Creighton,

WE ARE MORE
                                                                                                                                           and its Jesuit, Catholic identity, to

                                                            Connections                                 University researchers             a broad public and serve as a vital
                                                                                                                                           link between the University and its            @CreightonPres: The                                    @MLanceFrazier: I don’t think
THAN MOLECULES                                            9 Jesuit Gardens
                                                                                                        studying the causes of
                                                                                                        occupational burnout have
                                                                                                                                           constituents. The magazine will be
                                                                                                                                           guided by the core values of Creighton:        @Creighton Get Blue event was                          students understand how
                                                                                                        discovered ways that people        the inalienable worth of each individual,
                                                                                                                                                                                          spirited! #GoJays @BluejayMBB                          meaningful it is to faculty when
The School of Medicine’s new Department of Medical           Brother Patrick Douglas, SJ,               can fight it.
                                                                                                                                           respect for all of God’s creation, a special
                                                             finds powerlifting gives him                                                  concern for the poor and the promotion                                                                the student just stops by to
Humanities seeks to foster compassionate care and a          opportunities to express his
                                                                                                                                           of justice.
                                                                                                                                                                                          @MayorGallego: The only way                            chat or ask advice. I just had the
                                                                                                   40 Impact
deeper understanding of what it means to be human.           faith in Christ and share it
                                                                                                        Creighton Phonathon,
                                                                                                                                           NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
                                                                                                                                           Creighton University is committed to           forward is together—innovation                         most pleasant conversation with
                                                             with others.
The premise is that well-rounded health education leads                                                 thanks to tremendous
                                                                                                                                           providing a safe and nondiscriminatory
                                                                                                                                           educational and employment                     cannot happen in silos. Thrilled                       a student and my day is now
to well-rounded clinicians.                               15 Then & Now                                 student callers, is having         environment. To view the University’s
                                                                                                                                                                                          to see this landmark partnership                       exponentially better. It’s the reason
                                                                                                        great success when other           nondiscrimination statement, please

                                                                                                        universities are abandoning
                                                                                                                                           visit creighton.edu/nds.                       between @ASU and @Creighton                            many of us chose this profession.
                                                          16 Health Briefs                              similar efforts.                                                                  to boost health education
                                                                                                                                           Copyright © 2020 by                            opportunities to ASU students,                         @reillycosgrove: I love Jesuit
                                                                                                   41 Alumni Notes                         Creighton University
                                                                                                                                                                                          while also addressing our health                       education that’s it that’s the
                                                                                                                                           creighton.edu                                  care professional shortage.                            tweet :’)
2      Creighton         SPR IN G 2020                                                      COVER ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE DALTON COWAN                                                                                                                                                               3
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
Creighton Connections
UNIVERSITY
NEWS                                                                                                                                                                                                        why they left it, about life on the jour-                               gang violence in the northern triangle
                                                                                                                                                                                                            ney and about life at their destination if                              of Central America and the treacherous
                                                                                                                                                                                                            they have been lucky enough to reach it,                                waters of the Mediterranean.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            which most, I believe, are not.”                                            “Throughout these 40 years of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                One of those refugees, James Bol                                    shared sorrow and shared pain, the road
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                GONE GIPHY
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chol, who arrived in the United States in                               JRS has walked with refugees has also
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Creighton is now
                                                                                                                                                                                                            2007 after fleeing his native Sudan, told         on Giphy! When        been filled with moments of reconcili-
                                                                                                                                                                                                            a story of survival during the wars that         looking for a gif or   ation and great joy.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              sticker to add on
                                                                                                                                                                                                            plagued Sudan before its partition into                                     Fr. Hendrickson said Creighton will
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Twitter, Instagram
                                                                                                                                                                                                            North Sudan and South Sudan in 2011.            or Snapchat, show       continue to partner with JRS and its
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chol was among the Lost Boys of Sudan,            your school pride     global mission, even while working with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               by searching for
                                                                                                                                                                                                            who worked as a translator for the U.S.                                 refugees in Omaha.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “Creighton University.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Department of Homeland Security                 For sports-focused          “This global phenomenon has local
                                                                                                                                                                                                            before being relocated to Omaha, where        gifs, search “Creighton   connections as we serve with partners
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Bluejays.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                            he has built a life of which, he said, many                             like Lutheran Family Services to wel-
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Africans cannot dream. He has a house,                                  come our newest neighbors who seek
                                                                                                                                                                                                            three cars between himself, his wife and                                shelter and yearn for safety,” he said.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            his three children, and has founded a
                                                                                                                                                                                                            nonprofit organization named Clothing
                                                                                                                                                                                                            for the Needy that ships clothes to                                     Program Connects OT,
                                                                                                                                                                                                            African nations where he said the poor-                                 PT Students with People
                                                                                                                                                                                                            est can still be seen walking around vir-                               Recovering from Neurologic

                                                                                                                                                                                         KRISTÓF HÖLVÉNYI
                                                                                                                                                                                                            tually naked.                                                           Disorders
                                                                                                                                                                                                                “My daughter is in high school now,”
                                                                                                                                                                                                            he said. “She is a smart kid. When she                                  Weekends spent in rehabilitation hos-
                                                                                                                                                                                                            came here, she spoke zero English. Now                                  pitals can seem long.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            she is in 10th grade and will complete                                      Heather Knight, DPT’08, assistant
                                                                                                                                                                                                            high school in three years. These are                                   professor of physical therapy and
                                                                                                                                                                                                            opportunities that refugees around the                                  coordinator of Creighton’s Neurologic

‘No Typical Refugee’
                                                                                                                                                          reactions, the simplicity of gestures, the        world are looking for. They are looking                                 Physical Therapy Residency Program,
                                                                                                                                                          unfettered expression of feelings. Once           for something for their children, they                                  saw a way to alleviate patient tedium
                                                                                          BY EUGENE CURTIN                                                we were somebodies about whom peo-                are looking for a better life where                                     while answering student requests for
                                                                                                                                                          ple cared, we were loved by friends.”             they can go to work and support their         FOOTBALL AND PHYSICS      direct interaction with patients.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            families.”                                       Although Creighton
Author-Expert Says Individual Stories are Unique                                                                                                              This sense of loss and isolation
                                                                                                                                                          is common to modern refugees, too,                    Vella and Chol were introduced by              hasn’t fielded a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             football team since
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        After she partnered with Lou Jensen,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    OTD’09, associate professor of occu-
                                                                                                                                                          Vella said, but may be eased by some-             Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S.         1942, Creighton’s Tom    pational therapy, the For and With

A
          20-year veteran of refugee          as director of reconciliation and social                           “When you are uprooted, you have         one listening to their stories with an            Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, who praised the           Wong, PhD, assistant    Others: Inpatient Weekend Engagement
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            professor of physics,
          rescue work — together with a       cohesion for the Jesuit Refugee Service.                       to leave everything, and even lose the       understanding ear. Refugees, she said,            work of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)                                Program was born.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            has the Bluejays back
          refugee from South Sudan who            “There is no typical refugee,” Vella                       sense, in a way, of who you are and your     are commonly eager to tell their stories,         and welcomed the participation in the         in the game with Qubit        “I had some physical therapy
has built a new and prosperous life for       said. “Every story is unique and is dif-                       place in the world,” Vella said, citing      which can often be harrowing, as a way            evening’s events of Lutheran Family           Touchdown — a board       students who were looking for more
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            game he created that
himself, his wife and his three children      ferent, so the events that lead to that                        the words of Hannah Arendt, a 20th           of dismantling stereotypes.                       Services, which helps resettle refugees                                 opportunities to interact with people
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          combines football with
in Omaha — stressed a common theme            life-changing decision to drop every-                          century German Jewish philosopher                “More and more there are sweeping             assigned to the Omaha area.                     quantum computing.      with neurologic health conditions,”
during a public lecture at Creighton on       thing and leave, and the events that hap-                      and political theorist, who expressed        stereotypes about who refugees are,                   “The Jesuit Refugee Service has been           It’s available at    Knight says.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             thegamecrafter.com.
Feb. 25: Stories have the power to move       pen afterward, are never the same.                             a sense of estrangement after fleeing        about why they leave their countries,             accompanying and advocating for ref-                                        The program, which matches phys-
                                                                                          Danielle Vella
hearts by bringing home the terrible          This is one reason I wrote this book, to                       Nazi-occupied Europe and arriving in         about why they turn up here, about the            ugees and forcibly displaced persons                                    ical therapy and occupational ther-
plight faced by refugees ejected and          show that behind these anonymous and                           the United States.                           risks they supposedly pose to life as we          around the globe,” he said. “It has been                                apy students with people recovering
exiled from all they know and love.           overwhelming statistics of 70 million                              “We lost our home, which means           know it,” Vella said. “And, as stereotypes        a journey through the tears of the boat                                 from neurologic disorders, came to
   Danielle Vella, the keynote speaker,       (refugees) are 70 million individual                           the familiarity of daily life; we lost our   do, they distort or miss everything that          people of Vietnam, the killing fields of                                CHI Health Immanuel Rehabilitation
spoke of her new book, Dying to Live:         lives.”                                                        occupation, which means the confi-           is important to say.                              Cambodia, the silent march of millions                                  Institute. As it enters its third year, there
Stories from Refugees on the Road to              The refugees whose stories Vella                           dence that we are of some use in this            “Refugees welcome the chance to set           in Africa, the war and destruction in                                   is evidence the program is well received.
Freedom, in which she details some            relates in her book fled many countries,                       world,” Arendt wrote. “We lost our lan-      the record straight, to tell their stories        Iraq and Syria, unrest and instability                                      “A patient satisfaction study
of the stories she has come to know           including Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.                         guage, which means the naturalness of        in their own words, about their country,          in Colombia and then Venezuela, the                                     found a significant difference in

4       Creighton                 SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                5
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
University News

the area of boredom and loneliness                                program gives students the opportunity     says the students might chat with                                                                                                                           past December, a Creighton professor
between patients who participated in                              to see, interact and maybe come to some    patients, work on a puzzle, play a game               Panel Discusses                                                                                       says the beloved saga can illustrate key
the program and those who did not,”                               understanding working with patients        or engage in other social activities.                 Climate Crisis                                                                                        concepts in the field of conflict resolu-
Knight says.                                                      with these diagnoses before going out          The program began in spring 2018.                                                                                                                       tion … and not just for a galaxy far, far
   Stephanie Anasi, BS’15, OTD’19, occu-                          on fieldwork.”                             All told, it has supported a new group of             Creighton faculty and students explored                                                               away.
pational therapy neurology fellow at                                  The program pairs OT and PT student    16 students every six months for nearly               how the University can best respond to                                                                    “The whole world needs this,” says
the institute, says the program gives                             volunteers in teams of two who socialize   three years.                                          the current climate crisis at a panel dis-                                                            Noam Ebner, professor of negotiation
Creighton’s occupational therapy and                              with selected patients on Sundays. Not         “It’s an opportunity for students to              cussion on Jan. 28, titled “Seeking Hope:                                                             and conflict resolution in the Graduate
physical therapy students early expe-                             yet licensed professionals, they do not    gain awareness of the challenges, and                 Intentional and Ignatian Responses to                                                                 School, of the knowledge and skills
                                               Physical therapy
rience in caring for patients with neu-      student Adrienne     provide treatment or clinical services.    the abilities, of patients dealing with               the Global Climate Crisis.”                                                                           involved in successfully managing
                                             Roddy-Bale, left,                                                                                                         Panelists offered expert opinions
rological deficits.                          and occupational
                                                                      What the students provide, says        neurological deficits,” Malick says. “It                                                                                                                    conflict.
   “When I was a student, we would           therapy student      Sharon Malick, is “an engagement           gives them a chance to learn a little                 before fielding questions from an                                                                         Ebner, a lifelong Star Wars fan, is

                                                                                                                                                                                                                CREIGHTON
                                             Paige Saunier with                                                                                                    estimated crowd of 275 students, fac-
talk about these patients and their dif-     patient Dustin
                                                                  opportunity for our patients — interac-    bit more, earlier, and hopefully build                                                                                                                      collaborating on a book, Star Wars and
ferent conditions, but we didn’t truly       Meckna at the CHI    tion and socialization opportunities.”     confidence when they start providing                  ulty and staff. Many members of the                                                                   Conflict Resolution, that will feature
                                             Health Immanuel                                                                                                       President’s Council also attended as well
see them until later on when we went         Rehabilitation
                                                                      Malick, who is supervisor of inpa-     treatment on their full-time clinical                                                              Here are eight snippets of wisdom                        chapters written by experts in academia
out to do fieldwork,” she says. “This                             tient rehab therapies at the institute,    affiliations.”                                        as Creighton President the Rev. Daniel                                                                and practice, using narrative elements
                                             Institute.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                commencement speakers have shared
                                                                                                                                                                   S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD.                                                                              from the series to introduce important
                                                                                                                                                                                                                with previous graduating classes.
                                                                                                                                                                       The event was moderated by Andy                                                                   themes in conflict resolution to a gen-
                                                                                                                                                                   Gustafson, PhD, professor of business
                                                                                                                                                                   ethics and organizer of the annual
                                                                                                                                                                   Business, Faith and Common Good
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1   “Let’s reject the myth that we aren’t all in this
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      together — that caring about the me means
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      you can’t care about the we.” Kyle Korver,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         eral audience.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             “If we can somehow hitch the wagon
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         of conflict resolution to the engine of pop
                                                                                                                                                                   symposium in the Heider College of                 BA’03; professional basketball player (2019)       culture, we feel we have the potential to

                                                                                                                                                                                                                2
                                                                                                                                                                   Business. Faculty panelists represented                                                               reach people far beyond the classroom.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    “We can’t shy away from things — we have
                                                                                                                                                                   a variety of disciplines: marketing, phys-                                                                In addition to trade wars and legisla-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      to live deeply. We have to connect to the
                                                                                                                                                                   ics/renewable energy, economics, psy-                                                                 tive disputes, Ebner says, “Star Wars has
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      spiritual and the emotional.” Mae Jemison,
                                                                                                                                                                   chology, law and philosophy.                       MD; first female African American astronaut        workplace disputes, and particularly it
                                                                                                                                                                       All stressed the importance of polit-          (2018); pictured above                             has family disputes. There’s a little bit of

                                                                                                                                                                                                                3
                                                                                                                                                                   ical and civic engagement among the                                                                   the Skywalker family in every one of our
                                                                                                                                                                   campus community and the need for                “You have something others would give
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         families, and it’s a scary thing if we don’t
                                                                                                                                                                   hope to motivate change.                           most anything for. You believe in something
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         know how to cope with conflict a little
                                                                                                                                                                       “The one thing that seems to pro-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      — in your God, in your country, in your
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      family, in your school, in yourself.”              more effectively than the Skywalker
                                                                                                                                                                   mote action is having optimism,” said                                                                 family did.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Tim Russert; late television journalist and
                                                                                                                                                                   Lee Budesheim, PhD, associate profes-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      moderator of Meet the Press (2006)
                                                                                                                                                                   sor of psychology in the College of Arts
                                                                                                                                                                   and Sciences, whose research focuses on
                                                                                                                                                                   cognitive processes underlying how peo-      4   “As you leave Creighton for a world in which
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      you are likely to flourish … think about how
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      we might all do our bit to address health
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Creighton Offers New
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Majors in Data Science,
                                                                                                                                                                   ple form impressions and judge others.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and other disparities.” Paul Farmer, MD, PhD;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Biochemistry, Criminal
                                                                                                                                                                   “Be fearful, but balance that fear with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      co-founder of Partners in Health (2017)            Justice
                                                                                                                                                                   optimism, and I think we can get some
                                                                                                                                                                   good things done.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                5   “Here are seven things to say every day:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ‘I love you,’ ‘Thank you,’ ‘Thank you, God,’
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ‘Forgive me,’ ‘Congratulations!’ ‘Why not?’
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Three majors introduced this year
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         by Creighton University’s College of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Arts and Sciences are boosting the
                                                                                                                                                                   A Force for Dealing                                and ‘Yes.’” James Martin, SJ; author and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         University’s profile in the fields of data
                                                                                                                                                                   with Conflict                                      commentator (2016)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         science, biochemistry and criminal

                                                                                                                                                                   Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that
                                                                                                                                                                   Star Wars has much to teach us about
                                                                                                                                                                                                                6   “Today you have our congratulations; forever
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      you have our prayers.” Timothy R. Lannon, SJ,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      BS’73; former Creighton president (2014)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         justice.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            All three were created in response to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         student interest and employer demand,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                7
                                                                                                                                                                   conflict. It’s right there in the title,                                                              according to the professors who helped
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    “You give this school its character. Take that
                                                                                                                                                                   after all.                                                                                            create them, and all three are experienc-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      character with you, and make your impact
                                                                                                                                                                      With the latest installment of George           on the world.” Suzanne Malveaux; television        ing healthy levels of interest.
                                                                                                                                                                   Lucas’ epic space drama, Star Wars: The            news journalist (2012)                                “There’s really a huge market out
                                                                                                                                                     JIM FACKLER

                                                                                                                                                                                                                8
                                                                                                                                                                   Rise of Skywalker, hitting theaters this                                                              there for individuals with criminal
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    “Keep your sense of humor; you’ll need it.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Bob Newhart; comedian, actor (2007)

6       Creighton                 SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    7
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
 University News

 justice degrees,” says Rebecca Murray,         manage the volume of data that they
 PhD, associate dean in the College of Arts     have,” Schwab-McCoy says. “Every                                     Remembering
 and Sciences.                                  industry has a demand for data sci-                                  Floyd Malveaux
     Criminal justice had previously been       entists. It can really be tailored to just
 a track within Creighton’s Bachelor of         about any interest.”                                                 Former Board of Trustees member and
 Science in sociology.                              Biochemistry, which was previ-                                   distinguished alumnus Floyd Malveaux,
                                                                                                FLOYD MALVEAUX
     “Criminal justice as a discipline has      ously a track, or subdiscipline, within                              MD, PhD, BS’61, died Jan. 9 at the age
                                                                                             Floyd Malveaux, MD,
 morphed into more than law enforce-            the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, is     PhD, BS’61, served on
                                                                                                                     of 79.
 ment training,” she says. “It’s much           not only a sought-after major for those      Creighton’s Board of        Malveaux was a nationally recog-
                                                                                              Trustees for nearly    nized expert in the field of asthma
 more data-driven, it’s much more ana-          seeking jobs in academia or the bio-               20 years.
 lytical, and more and more agencies are        tech industry, but for those aspiring to                             and allergic diseases. His illustrious
 looking for people who have a much             careers in the health sciences.                                      career was highlighted by nearly four
 broader background than just investi-              “Every class that’s required for                                 decades at Howard University College
 gative training.”                              students to take as an undergrad for                                 of Medicine, where he led initiatives
     A similar note is sounded by Aimee         medical school is found in this major,”                              to address asthma morbidity among
 Schwab-McCoy, PhD, a statistician and          says Juliane Strauss-Soukup, PhD,                                    inner-city children. He also served in a
 assistant professor in the Department          BSChm’93, professor in the Department                                leadership role at the Merck Childhood
 of Mathematics, who helped create the          of Chemistry, who helped develop the                                 Asthma Network, Inc., and was a mem-
 University’s new Bachelor of Science in        major. “Dental school wants you to have                              ber of the faculty at Johns Hopkins
                                                                                                                     School of Medicine for a time.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              DAVE WEAVER
 data science.                                  biochemistry. Pharmacy, too. Any of the
     “Companies left and right are build-       health sciences. Biochemistry is the core                                Malveaux served as a Creighton
 ing divisions or hiring data scientists to     of everything.”                                                      Trustee from 1997 until 2015, and there-
                                                                                                                     after as an emeritus member. In 2015,
                                                                                                                     he was inducted into Creighton’s inau-
                                                                                                Siddharth
                                                                                             Venkatraman, left,      gural chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and                JESUIT GARDENS
                                                                                             is a biochemistry       in 2017 received Creighton’s highest
                                                                                             major and
                                                                                             works in the            alumni award, the Alumni Achievement

                                                                                                                                                                    Spiritual
                                                                                             lab of Juliane          Citation.                                                                                            “But then what do you do with those feelings?      important spiritual concepts with students,
                                                                                             Strauss-Soukup,
                                                                                             PhD, BSChm’93.              “He demonstrated in his professional                                                             … I take those on. What do you do with all         competitors and others, both in and out of the
                                                                                             Venkatraman             life and in his personal life, the impor-                                                            that weight?”                                      weight room.

                                                                                                                                                                    Lessons from
                                                                                             is a Goldwater
                                                                                             Scholar and was         tance of service to society, lifelong love                                                               In his case, lift it.                              “Especially with young college students,
                                                                                             a 2018 Dr. and          of learning, the value of family life,” said                                                             Br. Douglas, vocation director for the         there’s this terrible pressure and a fear of
                                                                                             Mrs. Randolph
                                                                                                                     Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S.

                                                                                                                                                                    the Weight
                                                                                             Ferlic Summer                                                                                                                Midwest Jesuits and a member of the Jesuit         failure. Well in weightlifting, we go to failure
                                                                                             Undergraduate           Hendrickson, SJ, PhD. “He is the epitome                                                             community at Creighton, is an award-winning        all the time,” Br. Douglas says. “Failure can be
                                                                                             Research Fellow.
                                                                                                                     of Creighton’s Jesuit, Catholic ideals.”                                                             competitive powerlifter. He coaches students       frustrating, but we don’t have to be devastated

                                                                                                                     Creighton Now Offering
                                                                                                                                                                    Room                                                  at the University and at Creighton Preparatory
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          School, a Jesuit high school in Omaha, where he
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          serves as assistant coach for the school’s state
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             by it. I can take feedback in weightlifting in ways
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             that I can’t in other parts of my life. If my coach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             tells me my elbows are flaring out on my bench,
                                                                                                                     Engineering/Physics                                                                                  title-winning powerlifting team.                   and that’s why I missed it, I don’t feel like a bad
                                                                                                                     Dual Degree                                                                                              Weightlifting, Br. Douglas says, has given     person because my elbows were flared.”
                                                                                                                                                                    As a man of faith, Brother                            him opportunities to express his faith and to          In the same way, he says, when we feel like
                                                                                                                     Creighton enrolled its first class this        Patrick Douglas, SJ, is                               share Christ’s teachings with others.              we don’t measure up in some aspect of our
                                                                                                                     fall in a new Engineering/Physics 3-2
                                                                                                                     Dual Degree program with Washington
                                                                                                                                                                    all too aware of spiritual                                “The powerlifting community is small
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          enough that … I see a lot of the same people.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             lives, such as our relationships with others,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             we shouldn’t be too harsh on ourselves. We
                                                                                                                     University in St. Louis.                       problems in the world                                 They know I’m a (religious) brother, and they      should examine the situation like a practical
                                                                                                                         Graduates spend their first three          that are out of his control.                          will often come and talk to me about struggles     problem to solve.
                                                                                                                     years at Creighton, earning a bache-                                                                 they’re having with faith, or family or whatever       Lifting also provides an example for how we
                                                                                                                     lor’s degree in physics, then complete             He sees them on the news. He hears them           it might be,” Br. Douglas says.                    can encourage and nurture friends and family
                                                                                                                     two years at Washington University             from people who ask him for prayers.                      An Omaha native with degrees in social         spiritually, he says. In the gym, spotters are
                                                                                                                     for a bachelor’s degree in engineering.            “When I have parents that are coming to           work and sociology from the University of          unfailingly positive.
COLIN CONCES

                                                                                                                     They also can earn a master’s degree in        me, asking me to pray for their sick baby who         St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, Br. Douglas         “Look to be a spiritual spotter in your
                                                                                                                     engineering with an additional year at         is hanging on by a thread, I do pray for them,        first began lifting when he was 20. He’s found     relationships with a faith community,” he says.
                                                                                                                     Washington University.                         and I do trust the Lord in that,” Br. Douglas says.   that the sport can be a vehicle to discuss         — BY BLAKE URSCH

 8             Creighton             SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              9
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
 University News

                                                                                                A landmark partnership                              are excited to create new knowledge opportu-          In return, students enrolled at the Creighton
                                                                                                                                                    nities for students and to broaden our capac-     University Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus
                                                                                                between one of the                                  ity to generate positive and meaningful health    may engage in research activities at ASU facili-
                                                                                                largest public research                             outcomes for Arizona.”                            ties under the mentorship of ASU faculty, while
                                                                                                                                                        Creighton alumna Sharon Harper, BA’69,        ASU faculty will provide basic science instruc-
                                                                                                universities in the United                          a member of the governing boards of both          tion for first-year medical students enrolled at
                                                                                                States and the soon-to-                             Creighton and ASU, and a passionate and           Creighton’s Phoenix campus.
                                                                                                be largest Jesuit, Catholic                         active supporter of Creighton’s Phoenix cam-
                                                                                                                                                    pus, described the agreement as “a dream
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Creighton medical students and students in
                                                                                                                                                                                                      ASU’s School of Biological and Health Systems
                                                                                                health educator in the                              come true.”                                       Engineering are currently collaborating on
                                                                                                nation will answer a                                    “Two incredible institutions, both dear       multiple research projects, ranging in focus
                                                                                                                                                    to me, have joined hands to provide a shin-       from diabetes to hypoglycemia, oncology,
                                                                                                dire need for health care                           ing example of pioneering and revolutionary       drug delivery, asthma and Chronic Obstructive
                                                                                                professionals in Arizona                            innovation in health science education,” said     Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and more.
                                                                                                                                                    Harper, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Plaza
                                                                                                and in the southwestern                             Companies, a premier Arizona real estate firm.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Eric Nguyen, a third-year Creighton med-
                                                                                                                                                                                                      ical student from Cerritos, California, who is
                                                                                                United States.                                      “This agreement will transform how we meet        working on a radiation oncology device, says
                                                                                                                                                                                                      Creighton medical students work coopera-
                                                                                                   A partnership agreement between Creighton                                                          tively with ASU bioengineering students on
                                                                                                University and Arizona State Univers;ity (ASU)                                                        all innovations.
                                                                                                was signed Feb. 21 at a Phoenix gathering of                                                              “We identify clinical needs as we go through
                                                                                                leaders from both universities, including the                                                         our rotations,” Nguyen said, “then we combine
                                                                                                                                                      Together, we look forward to
                                                                                                Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, president                                                        the clinical and engineering perspectives to
                                                                                                of Creighton, and Mark Searle, PhD, executive         providing the city of Phoenix,                  innovate and create novel solutions.”
                                                                                                vice president and provost of ASU.                      the state of Arizona, and,                        Once a need is identified, technical help is
                                                                                                   The agreement will boost health education            indeed, the southwestern                      provided.
                                                                                                opportunities available to ASU students while            United States, with the                          “The med students understand the unmet
                                                                                                establishing a student pipeline to Creighton’s                                                        clinical needs, and our students offer technical
                                                                                                                                                      health care professionals the
                                                                                                $100 million Phoenix campus currently under                                                           solutions,” said Vince Pizziconi, PhD, associate
                                                                                                                                                       region will need as the new
JARED SEGER

                                                     Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S.     construction at Park Central in midtown                                                               professor of bioengineering at ASU, who over-
                                                     Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, left, and Mark       Phoenix.                                                    century advances.                         sees the student project teams. “They are all
                                                     Searle, PhD, executive vice president
                                                     and provost of Arizona State University.      “The partnership with Arizona State                                                                passionate about what they do, but the key is
                                                                                                University is a landmark event,” Fr. Hendrickson                                                      finding good projects.”
                                                                                                said. “With this agreement, our Jesuit, Catholic       REV. DANIEL S. HENDRICKSON, SJ, PHD                The partnership with ASU builds on the

 Creighton Signs
                                                                                                University steps into a compelling new world.                                                         growing relationship between Creighton
                                                                                                We have forged partnerships with other enti-                                                          University and the city of Phoenix, where
                                                                                                ties, in Denver, in Anchorage, the Dominican        our health care needs in Arizona, and how we      Creighton medical students have engaged in

 ‘Landmark’ Agreement with
                                                                                                Republic, and more. But this unique agreement       serve our students, our patients and the entire   clinical rotations since 2005. In 2018, Creighton
                                                                                                positions both of our universities for an unprec-   community.”                                       joined with Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital
                                                                                                edented and exciting future, full of promise and        Under the terms of the agreement, ASU stu-    and Medical Center, Valleywise Health and

 Arizona State University
                                                                                                significance.                                       dents will receive priority consideration for     District Medical Group, Inc., to form the
                                                                                                   “We are resolved that through our new            enrollment in three Creighton health sciences     Creighton University Arizona Health Education
                                                                                                Phoenix campus, Creighton University will           doctoral programs, while ASU will welcome         Alliance — one of Arizona’s largest providers of
 BY EUGENE CURTIN
                                                                                                become a major provider of health care pro-         Creighton students to on-campus research proj-    Graduate Medical Education.
                                                                                                fessionals to this great city and state.”           ects and supplement instruction at Creighton’s        Creighton’s Phoenix campus is expected to
                                                                                                   “ASU is committed to advancing the highest       health sciences campus in Phoenix.                open in 2021. When completed, it will be home
 Partnership to benefit Creighton and ASU students                                              quality education and use-inspired research,            The agreement provides space for ASU stu-     to a four-year medical school and will accom-
                                                                                                and to collaborating with forward-thinking          dents entering Creighton’s School of Pharmacy     modate nearly 900 students, including future
 as Creighton prepares to open campus in Midtown                                                partners like Creighton University to enhance       and Health Professions doctoral programs in       physicians, nurses, occupational therapists,
                                                                                                accessibility and success for 21st century learn-   pharmacy (up to 20 seats), occupational ther-     physical therapists, pharmacists and physi-
 Phoenix in 2021                                                                                ers,” ASU President Michael M. Crow, PhD, said.     apy (up to 30 seats) and physical therapy (up     cian assistants.
                                                                                                   “Through our significant partnership, we         to 40 seats).

 10           Creighton   SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                             11
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
WAIT...WHAT?
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
University News

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Creighton is known for the
                                                                                               Echo Perlman,             Echo Perlman, DNP’17, assistant               Originally from Cleveland, Fr.            opportunities it provides                                King, Bent-Goodley said, is remind-
                                                                                             DNP’17, assistant
                                                                                             professor of
                                                                                                                     professor of nursing, invites Sundberg’s      Flannery entered the Society of Jesus in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 students to conduct valuable                         ing us that we all have the “drum major
                                                                                             nursing, left, and      students to visit neighborhoods where,        1977. He began teaching at the Gregorian                                                           instinct,” the desire to lead and spark
                                                                                             Adam Sundberg
                                                                                             PhD, assistant
                                                                                                                     for the past three years, she has screened    University in 1992 and was appointed a        research. Here’s a snapshot of                       change. But often, a yearning for rec-
                                                                                             professor of
                                                                                             history, at the
                                                                                                                     young children for lead levels. This year,    Consultor of the Congregation for the         two dental students’ research                        ognition and acceptance from others
                                                                                                                     she says, she expects to screen about         Doctrine of the Faith in 2002 by Pope                                                              clouds the idealism that motivated us
                                                                                             former site of
                                                                                             the ASARCO lead         1,500 elementary schoolchildren.              St. John Paul II, a position he still holds   project that was published in                        in the first place.
                                                                                             refinery plant in
                                                                                             downtown Omaha.
                                                                                                                         It is an opportunity, she says, for the   today.                                        Scientific Reports.                                      Bent-Goodley said deep, honest
                                                                                                                     students to immerse themselves in a dif-          The Gregorian University is an eccle-                                                          self-reflection can provide fundamen-
                                                                                                                     ferent world.                                 siastical, pontifical and Jesuit university                                                        tal clues to what we should value and
                                                                                                                         “The nursing students say it’s an         at the service of the Church around the                                                            prioritize.
                                                                                                                     education just to see the neighbor-           world. Animated by the Ignatian spirit,                                                                “I want to remind you that there are
                                                                                                                     hoods and the schools,” Perlman says.         it promotes interdisciplinary education                                                            seeds planted in you from the Creator
                                                                                                                     “It’s a socio-economic world they may         and includes professors and students                                                               of the universe that give each of us a
                                                                                                                     not know. For most of them, this is their     from some 120 countries.                                                                           unique purpose to change social con-
                                                                                                                     first exposure into diverse, socially eco-        In 2006-2007, Fr. Flannery was a                                                               ditions, fight injustice and make the
                                                                                                                     nomically challenged populations and          visiting fellow at the Center for Ethics                                                           world better,” Bent-Goodley said.
                                                                                                                     so they live and learn.”                      and Culture at Notre Dame University;                                                                  The Unity Prayer Luncheon is the
                                                                                                                         Sundberg and Perlman say they hope        his connection with the center, now                                                                cornerstone of Creighton’s annual
                                                                                                                     a permanent database will result from         named the de Nicola Center for Ethics                                                              celebration of the life and legacy of Dr.
                                                                                                                     the students’ research into lead pollu-       and Culture, continues to this day.                                                                King. The ceremony also included the
                                                                                                                     tion. Their findings will eventually be           The Waite Chair in Jesuit Education                                                            presentation of the Drum Major Award
                                                                                                                     posted permanently, available to the          was established in 2011 by Donald                                                                  by Creighton’s Martin Luther King Jr.
                                                                                                                     public and constituting a useful guide        Waite, BSC’54, and his wife, Anna, to         TITLE OF RESEARCH                                    Committee to Donna Polk, PhD, CEO
                                                                                                                     to future researchers and to medical          augment the Jesuit presence on the            “In Silico Design of a                               of the Nebraska Urban Indian Health
                                                                               JIM FACKLER

                                                                                                                     professionals like Perlman, who expects       Creighton campus. The Waite Chair                                                                  Coalition.
                                                                                                                     the students’ research will enable her to     sponsors visiting Jesuits who pursue          Multivalent Vaccine against
                                                                                                                     target lead screenings more effectively.      writing, research and teaching on law,
                                                                                                                                                                   philosophy, business ethics, health care
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Candida Albicans”                                    Convocation Address:
                                                                                                                                                                   and more, opening doors for learning                                                               ‘Creighton Poised for an
                                            integrates community service into                                        Flannery Next Holder                          across international borders and              STUDENT RESEARCHERS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Blake LaTendresse, second-year dental student,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Exciting Future’
Course Brings Students                      academic courses — for the benefit                                       of Waite Chair                                cultural divides.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Overland Park, Kansas; and Laramie Lindgren,
Face-to-Face with                           of student learning and community                                                                                                                                    second-year dental student, Wahoo, Nebraska          Like all institutions of higher learning,
Environmental Justice                       partners. Sundberg’s students visit                                      The next holder of Creighton’s Anna and                                                                                                          Creighton University is immersed in an
                                            homes across the metro where lead                                        Donald Waite Endowed Chair in Jesuit          Follow Your                                   FACULTY MENTORS                                      era of challenge but is well equipped
Students in Adam Sundberg’s service-        poisoning is still a problem, and                                        Education for the 2020-2021 academic          ‘Drum Major Instinct’                         Shikha Tarang, PhD, assistant professor of           to prosper as the century advances,
learning course on the history of                                                                                    year is the Rev. Kevin Flannery, SJ.                                                        oral biology; and Sonia Rocha-Sanchez, PhD,          Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S.
                                            accompany Creighton nursing students
                                                                                                                         A renowned professor, author and          Tricia Bent-Goodley, PhD, a professor         associate dean of dental research                    Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, told faculty and
environmental inequalities not only         on trips to north and south Omaha,
learn of the negative effects of urban      where they screen children for lead by                                   lecturer, Fr. Flannery’s areas of aca-        of social work and director of the doc-                                                            staff at the annual Founders Day Awards
                                                                                              KEVIN FLANNERY, SJ                                                                                                 WHAT IT MEANS Dental students Blake
industrialization on racial minorities,     administering finger-prick blood tests.                                  demic expertise include the ethics of         toral program at the Howard University                                                             Ceremony and Convocation Address in
                                                                                                The Rev. Kevin                                                                                                   LaTendresse and Laramie Lindgren assisted
they visit homes where lead poisoning           According to Environmental Pro-                Flannery, SJ, is a    Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas and          School of Social Work, delivered the          on groundbreaking research that identifies           February.
remains an issue.                           tection Agency figures, just over 1,000          renowned professor,     Christian morality. He is a professor of      keynote address at Creighton’s annual         and recommends a vaccine to better protect               “I feel that we are very poised for an
                                                                                              author and lecturer.
   “Week by week, we learn what             residential properties in Omaha, once                                    the history of ancient philosophy at the      Unity Prayer Luncheon in January, ask-        against Candida albicans, a deadly fungal            exciting future, but we do have to make
environmental inequality means, its         home to a major lead refinery, remain in                                 Pontifical Gregorian University and a         ing attendees to consider a quote from        infection. Known as “oral-thrush,” Candida           some big decisions about this future,”
history and what makes it a justice         need of decontamination, a process that                                  member of the Pontifical Academy of           the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.           albicans overgrowth is not uncommon in patients      Fr. Hendrickson said.
issue,” says Sundberg, PhD, assistant                                                                                St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome, and             “Yes, if you want to say that I was a     wearing dentures. Candidemia is associated               That future, he said, will be closely
                                            is being pursued by the city of Omaha.
                                                                                                                     the author of several books, including        drum major, say that I was a drum major       with high morbidity and mortality, and is one of     tied to Creighton’s ongoing construc-
professor of history, whose course is           The students accompany Dupree                                                                                                                                    the most common systemic fungal infections.
one of 58 to receive service-learning       Claxton, a case coordinator with Omaha                                   Christian and Moral Action and Action         for justice,” King said in a famous ser-                                                           tion of a $100 million medical school
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Specific triggers such as a compromised immune
designation from Creighton’s Office of      Healthy Kids Alliance, a nonprofit that                                  and Character According to Aristotle:         mon shortly before his death. “Say that                                                            and health sciences campus in Phoenix.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 system, poor diet and stress can cause Candida
Academic Service-Learning since its         seeks to improve child health by improv-                                 The Logic of the Moral Life. His most         I was a drum major for peace. I was a         to become virulent, resulting in life-threatening    Scheduled to open in 2021, the Creighton
inception in 2017.                          ing housing. By shadowing Claxton as                                     recent work, published in late 2019, is       drum major for righteousness. And             blood infections. The vaccine aims to elicit         University Health Sciences – Phoenix
   Academic service-learning is an          he tours and analyzes homes, they learn                                  Cooperation with Evil: Thomistic Tools        all of the other shallow things will not      robust, long-lasting immunity; further research      Campus will eventually serve nearly
experiential educational strategy that      to identify environmental hazards.                                       of Analysis.                                  matter.”                                      on the project will continue in the dental school.   900 Creighton students in nursing,

12      Creighton                SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               13
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
University News
                                                                                                                                                                                  Heider College of
                                                                                                                                                                                  Business Celebrates
pharmacy, physical therapy, occupa-
tional therapy and physician assistant
                                                school’s alumni to rate the level of
                                                meaningfulness in their post-graduation                                 Creighton Names                                           100th Anniversary
programs, as well as students in a four-        careers, also was taken into account.                                   Sustainability Director
                                                                                                                                                                                  2020 is a year of distinction for the Heider College of Business, as the
year medical program.                              Schools cited in the 2020 Princeton                                                                                            college marks its 100th anniversary.
    Fr. Hendrickson also announced              Review edition were selected based                                      Nicholas McCreary, formerly the                               “Like all milestones, this is a time to reflect on the past and anticipate
that a task force is identifying ways           on a comprehensive analysis of more                                     sustainability coordinator at Indiana                     the future,” says Heider Dean Anthony Hendrickson, PhD. “The vision of
                                                                                             NICHOLAS MCCREARY                                                                    those who have come before has made the Heider College of Business
to increase Creighton’s already strong          than 656 colleges, weighing more than                                   State University (ISU), joined Creighton
                                                                                             Nicholas McCreary
                                                                                                                        in March as director of sustainability,                   the top-ranked business school it is today. This year, we celebrate this
freshman retention rate, as well as the         40 data points. Data analyzed covered           is Creighton’s
                                                                                                                        and will work with a team in the Global                   history.”
six-year graduation rate and enrollment         academics, cost, financial aid, gradua-        new director of
                                                                                                sustainability
                                                                                                                                                                                      Creighton’s College of Commerce, Accounts and Finance opened in
in Creighton’s professional schools.            tion rates, student debt and more. Data                                 Engagement Office to develop a campus-
                                                                                              and will develop                                                                    1920 with nearly 80 students. Only evening classes were offered at first,
    Outreach will continue to nontradi-         from PayScale.com’s online compensa-                                    wide sustainability strategic plan.                       and the faculty members were Omaha business professionals. Today, the
                                                                                               a campus-wide
tional learners interested in pursuing          tion survey on alumni starting and mid-         sustainability              “He will be an important leader in                    Heider College of Business is Creighton’s first named college, with record
lifelong learning, Fr. Hendrickson said.        career salaries was also factored.              strategic plan.         the continued transformation of our                       enrollment, eight undergraduate majors and 16 specialization tracks,
Many options are open to Creighton in                                                                                   global engagement programs to focus                       seven graduate business degrees, and faculty possessing both advanced
                                                                                                                        on caring for our common home,” says                      degrees and industry experience.
these areas, he said, including clinical
                                                                                                                                                                                      In the upcoming months, the college will celebrate its century of
partnerships in Omaha and Phoenix,              Alston Featured in                                                      René Padilla, PhD, vice provost for
                                                                                                                                                                                  education, scholarship and service through special events and the
corporate partnerships and programs             ‘A Sculpted Life’                                                       Global Engagement.
                                                                                                                                                                                  publishing of a commemorative book. The college also has launched a
for alumni.                                                                                                                 McCreary served as the sustainabil-                   #Heider100 website (business.creighton.edu/heider100), where visitors
    Fr. Hendrickson shared future                                                                                       ity coordinator at ISU since 2017, leading                can find a timeline of significant accomplishments. More information on
                                                Creighton professor Littleton Alston,
plans under consideration: construc-                                                                                    a multidisciplinary committee of faculty,                 each decade will be updated monthly.
                                                MFA, was featured in the NET documen-
tion of a new suite-style residence hall                                                                                staff and students to create the campus      THEN & NOW
                                                tary “A Sculpted Life,” which premiered
between McGloin Hall and the School of                                                                                  sustainability plan.
                                                in February on Nebraska’s public broad-
Dentistry and a wholesale reimagining                                                                                       He also developed a Sustainability
                                                casting station, and is viewable online at
of 24th Street where it dissects campus                                                                                 Fellows Program, through which stu-
                                                netnebraska.org/basic-page/television/
between Cass and Cuming streets. The                                                                                    dents developed and implemented
                                                sculpted-life.
street, integral to Creighton’s identity,                                                                               various sustainability programs on cam-
                                                    Alston is the first African American
could be improved and made safer, he                                                                                    pus, from a residence hall food-waste
                                                sculptor commissioned to create a piece
said, by the installation of bicycle lanes,                                                                             initiative to a learning community and
                                                for National Statuary Hall at the U.S.
trees, a redesign of Deglman Circle and                                                                                 campus celebrations. Under McCreary’s
                                                Capitol in Washington, D.C.
installation of a roundabout near Cass                                                                                  leadership, students started a reuse
                                                    The D.C. native’s 7-foot bronze statue
Street.                                                                                                                 store, where items collected during
                                                of writer Willa Cather will represent the
                                                                                               GRADUATE WEBSITE         residence hall move-out were sold to
                                                state of Nebraska at the popular exhibit,
                                                                                              Creighton’s Graduate      divert waste.
                                                which attracts millions of visitors from
Creighton Recognized                            around the world and long ago captured
                                                                                             School — offering both
                                                                                             online and on-campus
                                                                                                                            McCreary spearheaded a Sustainable
for ‘Exceptional ROI’                           Alston’s imagination.                         programs — recently
                                                                                                                        Cities Initiative in which ISU partnered
                                                                                                 launched a new         with the town of Sullivan, Indiana, to
                                                    Growing up in an impoverished,
                                                                                               website, gradschool.     produce tangible and relevant sustain-
The Princeton Review selected                   high-crime area in D.C., Alston would        creighton.edu, making it   ability outcomes for the community
Creighton as one of the nation’s best-          ride his bike to the U.S. Capitol on hot      easier for prospective
                                                                                                 students to find       through service-learning opportunities
value institutions in its 2020 edition          summer days and wander through
                                                                                               the right programs       for faculty, staff and students.
of Best Value Colleges: 200 Schools             Statuary Hall, gazing in awe at the               to further their          In addition, he has experience con-
with Exceptional ROI for Your Tuition           bronze and marble figures.                   education. Visitors can
                                                                                               browse educational       verting urban spaces into permaculture
Investment.                                         “They were very distant,” he said.
                                                                                               offerings, schedule      food forests, managed the ISU com-
   It also named Creighton among the            “They were like Olympian gods — they             an appointment         munity garden and taught courses on
top 25 schools “making an impact,”              didn’t look like me, that’s for sure!”         with an enrollment
                                                                                             specialist or submit an    sustainability.
based on student ratings and responses              “A Sculpted Life” follows Alston on
                                                                                                    application.            McCreary holds a Master of Science
to survey questions on community                his creative quest to understand Cather,
                                                                                                                        in Sustainability degree from Saint
service opportunities, student gov-             and explores how personal struggles
                                                                                                                        Louis University and a Bachelor of
ernment, sustainability efforts and             have shaped his own life. Alston’s Cather
                                                                                                                        Arts in Earth Sciences, with minors in
on-campus student engagement. A                 statue will be installed at Statuary Hall
                                                                                                                        political science and philosophy, from
survey by PayScale.com, asking each             sometime in 2021.
                                                                                                                        DePauw University, and is accredited
                                                                                                                        as a LEED Green Associate.

14       Creighton                   SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                          15
We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
University News

                                                                                                        HEALTH BRIEFS

Potthoff Named
Sojourns Scholar
                                                    Potthoff was selected on the strength
                                                of her desire to develop a “Pediatric
                                                Palliative Care Conversation Toolkit
                                                                                                    3D-printed                                                                                                                                                                             “Instead of concentrating on tasks, the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      faculty has time for one-to-one conferences
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      with the students as we pull them off the

Meghan Walker Potthoff, PhD, BSN’01,
                                                for the Chronic Critically Ill,” which she
                                                says can be used to guide conversations
                                                                                                    Fetal Models                                                                                                                                                                      unit at least twice a day to go through what
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      they have learned about medications, goals
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and outcomes,” says Anne Schoening, PhD,
associate professor of nursing, was
selected as one of 10 palliative care lead-
ers nationally accepted into the Sojourns
                                                between health sciences professionals
                                                and the families of chronically ill chil-
                                                dren within the setting of an intensive
                                                                                                    Boost Maternal                                                                                                                                                                    project director for DEUs in the College of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Nursing.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The DEU experience in Phoenix is pro-
Scholar Leadership Program, sponsored
by the Cambia Health Foundation, the
                                                care unit.
                                                    Once developed, the “toolkit” will be
                                                                                                    Bonding                                                                                                                                                                           vided through Creighton’s partnerships with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      St. Joseph’s Westgate Medical Center and
philanthropic arm of Cambia Health              made available as an open-access ser-
                                                                                                    A Creighton study has found that pregnant                                                                                                                                         Chandler Regional Medical Center, all within
Solutions based in Portland, Oregon.            vice to health sciences professionals                                                                                                                                                                                                 the Dignity Health system, and Valleywise
    The corporate foundation said               nationwide.                                         women given a 3D-printed model of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Health Medical Center.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        DAVE WEAVER
Potthoff was selected after “a rigorous             In addition to the grant funding,               their gestating child nearly doubled                                                                                                                                                   “I could just see the confidence grow in
selection process from a highly com-            the leadership program provides par-                their degree of maternal attachment as                                                                                                                                            the students from day one to day 10 or 12,”
petitive pool” drawn from candidates            ticipants with individual mentorship as             compared to expecting mothers receiving                                                                                                                                           says Ashley Jenson, RN, a clinical teaching
across the United States from all health        they move toward fulfilling their goals,            only the standard 3D ultrasound image.                                                                                                                                            partner at Dignity Health Chandler Regional
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Medical Center in Chandler, Arizona.
sciences disciplines.                           as well as collaboration with other                    John Coté, MD’97, assistant professor                                                                                                                                          “Watching them progress as individuals as
    The program provides each recipi-           scholars.                                           of medicine and OB-GYN physician;                                                                                                                                                 well as nurses was really exciting to see.”
                                                                                                                                                    John Coté,                                                              supported in part by the Cudahy Palliative
ent with funding over a two-year period,            “My goal is to become a leading doc-            Amy Badura Brack, PhD, professor of           MD’97, holds a          Leading the Way                                   Care Scholarship, established by alumnus
aimed at developing significant change          torally prepared nurse scientist who is             psychology; and Ryan Walters, PhD, a          3D-printed model
                                                                                                                                                                          in Palliative Care                                Terence Cudahy, BS’78, MD’82.
in the field of palliative care. Typically,     integrated into an interdisciplinary clin-          statistician and assistant professor in the
                                                                                                                                                  of a gestating child.
                                                                                                                                                  Coté, Amy Badura        Education                                             In the classroom, McKillip partners                   Exploring Advanced
palliative care seeks to improve the qual-      ical team,” Potthoff says. “I look forward
                                                                                                    School of Medicine, collaborated on the
                                                                                                                                                  Brack, PhD, and                                                           with Creighton faculty outside of the health              Imaging Techniques
                                                                                                                                                  Ryan Walters, PhD,      Through coursework, student-led programs,
ity of life for patients and their families     to learning from my Sojourns colleagues                                                                                                                                     professions to more fully explore the idea of
                                                                                                    research — which has been accepted for        conducted a study
                                                                                                                                                                          donor support and award-winning faculty,          individualized “whole-person care” through                Creighton University medical students
while managing serious and chronic              across disciplines on how best to lead                                                            that found women
illnesses.                                      within and across our fields.”
                                                                                                    publication in the Journal of Obstetric,      experienced             Creighton is blazing a trail in training          the humanities. These initiatives are com-                are exploring new ways of capturing the
                                                                                                                                                  enhanced                tomorrow’s health professionals in the field      plemented by student-led efforts such as                  human body using the latest in 3D imaging
                                                                                                    Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing.              maternal bonding
                                                                                                                                                                          of palliative care.                               Cura Musicalis, in which School of Medicine               technology.
                                                                                                       Their study adds to existing evidence      when shown a
                                                                                                                                                  model of their              At its core, palliative medicine is an        students engage patients at the bedside by                    Randy Richardson, MD, regional dean,
                                                                                                    that found pregnant women presented           baby while in the       interdisciplinary approach to treating            playing music.                                            Phoenix Regional Campus, School of Medi-
                                                                                                                                                  womb.
                                                                                                    with a 3D ultrasound fetal photograph                                 patients with chronic, sometimes life-                “I think (at Creighton), we’re in a unique            cine, sees broad potential for these advanced
                                                                                                    instead of a standard ultrasound image                                threatening medical conditions, says Kate         situation to be able to develop some clinical             imaging techniques in medical practice and
                                                                                                                                                                          McKillip, MD, BA’09, assistant professor of       academic partnerships that have the                       education.
                                                                                                    also experience enhanced maternal
                                                                                                                                                                          palliative medicine in Creighton’s School of      potential to impact a lot of people’s lives in a              “It’s a whole new area that, in my opinion,
                                                                                                    bonding.                                                              Medicine and a physician on the palliative        positive way,” McKillip says.                             is going to someday be the standard of care,”
                                                                                                       The study separated 96 pregnant                                    care team at CHI Health Creighton University                                                                Richardson says.
                                                                                                    volunteers into two equal groups. All                                 Medical Center–Bergan Mercy.                                                                                    Though doctors have long been using
                                                                                                    completed the Maternal Antenatal                                          In IPE 515, Interprofessional Palliative      Innovative Clinical Nursing                               MRI and CT scans to make detailed images
                                                                                                    Attachment Scale questionnaire, which
                                                                                                                                                                          Care, students from various academic disci-       Model Debuts in Phoenix                                   of the human body’s interior, they are now
                                                                                                                                                                          plines engage in live-action scenarios, work-                                                               able to use that data in new ways. Some
                                                                                                    asks a series of questions designed                                   ing in teams to make treatment decisions for      The College of Nursing has brought its                    medical facilities are able to print patient-
                                                                                                    to assess maternal attachment to the                                  palliative care patients played by actors. The    innovative clinic training model — called the             specific models of body parts on a 3D
                                                                                                    developing fetus. One group was                                       course was developed through the collabora-       “Dedicated Education Unit” or DEU — to its                printer, allowing doctors to examine affected
                                                                                                                                                                          tive efforts of Creighton’s College of Nursing,   programs in Phoenix.                                      areas in greater detail.
                                                                                                    subsequently provided with a standard
                                                                                                                                                                          School of Pharmacy and Health Professions             The approach, introduced at the                           For Creighton students, 3D imaging and
                                                                                                    3D ultrasound image, while the other                                  and partners at CHI Health.                       Creighton University Medical Center in                    modeling presents a new way of learning
                                                                                                    group received the same 3D image plus a                                   The College of Nursing is currently           Omaha in 2013, transforms the traditional                 anatomy.
                                                                                                    3D-printed model.                                                     assembling a team of expert faculty focused       clinical experience by making students part                   “This is just the tip of the iceberg,”
                                                                                     COLIN CONCES

                                                                                                       Coté says the findings could be used                               specifically on palliative care, says Dean        of a care team under the direct guidance of               Richardson says. “If we can get our students
                                                                                                                                                                          Catherine Todero, PhD, BSN’72, who also           trained nurses designated as clinical teaching            familiar with these 3D techniques and tools,
                                                                                                    to improve potentially harmful practices                              serves as vice provost of Health Sciences         partners. It’s a strategy that frees faculty              they can take it to the next level. They are
                                                                                                    during pregnancy, such as smoking and                                 Campuses at Creighton. In the School of           to teach and allows nurses to pass on their               going to do things in 10 years we haven’t
                                                                                                    drinking.                                                             Medicine, palliative medical education is         expertise.                                                even thought of.”
  Meghan Walker Potthoff, PhD,
BSN’01, is developing a toolkit
to guide conversations between
health care professionals and
parents.

16        Creighton                  SPR IN G 2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                17
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