We Are More Than Molecules - Creighton University
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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