AU News
- President Greg Weiner Announces 2023 Presidential Award WinnersPresident Greg Weiner Announces 2023 Presidential Award Winners oe.boudreau Wed, 11/22/2023 - 08:55 For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Presidential Awards and Employee Appreciation Ceremony was held in the Tsotsis Family Academic Center Ballroom on November 16th. During the ceremony, four faculty and staff members were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Assumption community. President Greg Weiner opened the ceremony with a speech recognizing not only the hard work of those four individuals who received awards, but also the efforts of all faculty and staff that help to make Assumption thrive. “We acknowledge today and express our appreciation for those who have dedicated their careers to advancing our university’s mission and to providing an excellent education to our students,” he said. “Each honoree recognized this afternoon has not only contributed their time, but has also invested passion, expertise, and energy for the betterment of our community.” The winners of the Presidential Awards for 2023 are as follows: Dr. Samantha Goldman, Associate Professor of Special Education, has received the Paul Ziegler Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship. “Receiving this award is a huge honor, and it means so much to have my scholarly work recognized by the Assumption community,” said Goldman. “My research is focused on access to services for students with disabilities and their families, as well as teacher preparation/training. It is a great feeling to know that others also recognize and value the importance of this area of scholarship. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues in the Education department who nominated me, but also to all the students, families, and educators who have participated directly in my research.” Ms. Melanie Demarais, Associate Vice President of University Advancement, has received the Kathleen M. Murphy Presidential Award for Excellence in Contribution to the Mission. “I was very humbled when I got word that I was going to receive this award,” said Demarais. “I want to congratulate my fellow awardees, because I feel like I am in a very special class of individuals. I’d like to thank my nominators, and of course our University Advancement team. They are great. We are mighty, and we try to support this university as best we can. I want to thank the Assumptionist fathers, brothers, and religious sisters, and they are great friends of mine, and I do try to sparkle whenever I am with them.” Dr. Christian Williams, Assistant Professor of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies, has received the Michael O’Shea Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. “I am filled with gratitude and reflection as I think about my time at Assumption. My journey within the Assumption community began many years ago, not as an educator, but as a student. Today as I share this space with my former professors, my esteemed colleagues, and my students, the future of this great institution, I am filled with gratitude,” Williams said. “This award is not just a recognition of my work. It symbolizes the collective effort of our community, in nurturing minds and in shaping futures. I thank Assumption University for shaping me as a student, for inspiring me as an educator, and for allowing me to honor and contribute to the journeys of our students. The shared mission of fostering a lifelong journey of learning, passion and purpose is what makes this institution extraordinary.” Mr. Thomas Burke, Media Services Supervisor and Lecturer in Television Arts, has received the Presidential Award for Service. “It is an honor to be recognized with the 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Service,” said Burke. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination along with endorsements received from colleagues, students, alumni, and the Assumption University community. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support.” Along with these four honorees, faculty and staff were also honored with years of service awards, ranging in five-year increments from five to 50 years of service. One faculty member, Kevin Hickey, Chair of the Global Studies minor, was recognized for 50 years of service and employment at Assumption University. MicrosoftTeams-image (8).pngDr. Samantha Goldman, Dr. Christian Williams, Ms. Melanie Demarais, Mr. Tom Burke, and President Greg Weiner at the Presidential Awards ceremony.General Olivia Boudreau
- Students Dante Bachini ’24 and Katy Cannistraro ’24 Present Research at Annual National Organization for Human Services ConferenceStudents Dante Bachini ’24 and Katy Cannistraro ’24 Present Research at Annual National Organization for Human Services Conference oe.boudreau Tue, 11/21/2023 - 14:22 The National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) Conference was held in Alexandria, Virginia, from November 10th through 13th, and Assumption students Katy Cannistraro ’24 and Dante Bachini ’24 both attended and presented their research relating to the field of human services. In addition, Katy Cannistraro ’24 was awarded the NOHS Outstanding Human Services Student Award. NOHS is an organization with members involved in the human services as educators, professionals, practitioners, and students. The conference is held in order to connect those involved in the field to resources and conversations that will enrich their work. Workshops at the conference include research presentations, workshops on human services pedagogy, and best practices in the field. Many of the Assumption University faculty in the Human Services department are involved in the NOHS, including helping with the planning of the conference, as editorial members of the organization’s academic journal, and sitting on the Board of Directors. “We have great participation in the NOHS. We are represented on the Board of Directors, as editorial staff on the Journal of Human Services, and at the conference itself,” said Cinzia Pica, Chair of the Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies department. “I am so proud of our students who are being highlighted at the national level. It speaks to their strengths as well as to the quality education and preparation they are engaged in both in our department and across our institution.” “The conference is where everyone comes together and tries to look forward five years,” said Dante Bachini, a health sciences major with a focus on patient advocacy. “We ask questions like, ‘what are we doing now?’, ‘What’s the new research?’, ‘As a profession, are we moving forward to not only support our patients and clients, but each other?’, ‘How are we trying to maintain the highest ethical standards for our patients?’” Bachini gave a presentation at the conference on the interviewing methods used by primary care physicians and their patients with chronic illness. “In the chronic disease world, providers are unable to really get all the knowledge about what’s going on,” he said. “What we’re seeing is that the patient and provider are on separate thought processes and have different information understandings which create a large barrier to care.” Bachini’s work is focused on how an interdisciplinary approach between human services strategies and clinical strategies can be used in clinical spaces to promote patient wellness. “My research found that the human services field, though not focused on being a clinician, has key enduring strategies which promote the wellness of chronic disease patients,” he said. “These strategies include patients’ stories, their lived experience, and their knowledge into the picture. This informs the interventions the provider can use to create a better and more comprehensive care structure for their patients.” Katy Cannistraro, a human services and rehabilitation studies major, gave a presentation on the gender gap in mental health. “I started the research about a year ago in my psychiatric rehabilitation course,” she said. “I had noticed after looking at these mental illnesses that there was a recurring gap in the statistics between male and female prevalence rates. I wanted to figure out why this gap existed; my project looks at how gender roles affect our emotional expression and what we see as far as emotional disorders and help-seeking behaviors.” On top of presenting her research, Cannistraro was also presented with the NOHS Outstanding Human Services Student Award, which is presented to one student member of NOHS who has “demonstrated a significant contribution to the field of human services during the time of his or her degree completion,” according to the NOHS website. The student who receives this award also then serves as the student member of the NOHS Board of Directors.Katy Cannistraro '24 receives the NOHS Outstanding Human Services Student Award, with NOHS President James Stinchcomb and Professor Christian Williams. “By no means had I ever defined myself as an ‘outstanding student,’” she said. “Professor [Christian] Williams (of the Human Services department) helped me realize that it’s not necessarily about my GPA, but about all the other work I do outside of that. Oftentimes, we emphasize the importance of having a high GPA and I understand that, it’s super important, but I think there are so many different aspects to a person that make them, I guess, ‘outstanding’.” Along with her meaningful work on the gender gap in mental health services, Cannistraro is also a part of AU Allies, and has a large focus on advocating for students of the LGBTQ+ community on campus and has minors in both secondary education and women’s studies. Bachini and Cannistraro both highlighted how meaningful it is for them to be involved with the human services department at Assumption and how it has shaped them as individuals. “Not enough people know about the human services program,” said Cannistraro. “It has changed my life and the whole trajectory of what I want to pursue in the future. I am grateful for all of the professors…they’re extraordinary, and I don’t think they get recognized enough for all the hard work they do and their dedication to the students. It’s incredible.” “Our department makes you a unique candidate for grad school or the workforce because it blends together your strengths that you may not be aware of,” said Bachini. “It makes you want to reach out, makes you able to reach out, and I think that’s a really unique trait to our program and speaks volumes to the level and type of practitioner Assumption is creating.” Pica believes that the futures of the human services department at Assumption and the future of the field of human services itself are bright. “I’m thrilled because I see that we have several students who are both accomplished in terms of academics but also because of their service to our profession,” said Pica. “This emphasizes the quality of students and young, aspiring professionals that we have amongst our ranks.” NOHS-pic-katy-dante-large.jpgAssumption students Dante Bachini '24 and Katy Cannistraro '24 at the National Organization for Human Services Conference.General Olivia Boudreau
WHO News Updates
- Ireland and WHO work together to improve access to assistive technology globallyIreland is becoming a global leader in the field of innovation in harnessing digital technologies as a tool to address various barriers for access to care. In alignment with WHO, Ireland recognizes the importance of mobilizing assistive technology to help the 2.5 billion people in need globally, including older persons, people with disabilities, and those living with health conditions. This includes ensuring equitable access to assistive products such as glasses, hearing aids, walking aids, wheelchairs, prosthetics, and communication and memory devices. In March 2024, Anne Rabbitte, T.D., Ireland’s Minister of State with special responsibility for disabilities at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, agreed to a €12.5 million donor agreement between the Government of Ireland and WHO, aimed at accelerating affordability and availability of assistive technology for those in need. The cooperation has been building throughout the years. Back in 2022, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD, launched the Global report on assistive technology, along with the Director-General of WHO and the Executive Director of UNICEF. The Taoiseach highlighted the importance of international cooperation to ensure more equitable access to assistive technology, in order to achieve a society where everyone is included and enabled to live their best life. Minister Rabbitte stated that: “Ireland has identified the serious need to invest in public health systems alongside the WHO. The present risk of rising health needs coupled with a decreasing pool of health and social care professionals globally reveals an urgent need for all of us to act now. Ireland’s contribution aligns with the recommendations of the Global Report on Assistive Technology and supports a five-year initiative towards achieving national health system models that include assistive technology. The programme will explore and demonstrate how digital technology can facilitate people-centred services, assistive technology policy, improve the affordability and appropriateness of assistive products, enable effective provision systems, and boost the capacity of health personnel to identify, screen, refer and provide assistive technology for all those in need.” Health personnel in Tanzania participating in on-line training on assistive products, as part of an overall program aimed at provision of simple assistive products through community and primary health care facilities - making products such as walking aids and reading glasses more readily available for people within their local area. Digital technology was instrumental in facilitating efficient learning through the platform, and enabling support for health workers from their mentors through communication apps after the training. Credit: WHO/Kylie Shae With an ageing global population and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, an estimated 3.5 billion people will need assistive technology by 2050. Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General, Access to Medicines and Health Products, welcomes this important contribution from Ireland and their leadership in the digital initiative. She said: “The 2018 World Health Assembly resolution on assistive technology calls upon WHO to take the necessary steps to promote equitable access to assistive technology in our endeavour to build a more inclusive world. Our partnership with the Government of Ireland will support WHO in achieving our mission to ensure health for all, everywhere, with assistive technologies as an important enabler of well-being, inclusion, and participation.” Through Ireland’s contribution, and in collaboration with its broad network of partners, WHO will develop evidence-based guidance for Member States on strengthening access to assistive technology through understanding, prioritising and stimulating increased innovation and use of digital solutions. The work will also involve national, regional, and global projects that test digital solutions designed to address persistent access barriers such as: digital platforms that empower users with information about assistive technology and how to access it; digital tracking of products to manage supply; and online training and support for health workers. The results and lessons learned will help countries expand their knowledge, skills, and capacities in the provision of assistive technology as an integral component of Universal Health Care. ‘Leaving no one behind’ means ensuring that people with disabilities, the older population, those affected by chronic diseases and everyone who needs assistive technology are included in society and able to live healthy and dignified lives. * * * * Click below to find out what is assistive technology, who needs it, and how it improves lives Assistive technology is an umbrella term for external products used by individuals to help maintain or improve their bodily functions. Common examples are wheelchairs, glasses, prosthetic limbs, white canes, and hearing aids as well as digital solutions such as speech recognition or time management software. Assistive technology helps people in all aspects of their lives, including in education, employment, fitness, leisure and other everyday activities such as self-care, cooking and reading. Most people will need assistive technology at some point in their lives, especially as they age. While some may require assistive technology temporarily, such as after an accident or illness, others may require it for a longer period or throughout their lifespan. It is commonly needed by older people, children and adults with disabilities, people who have been injured or who have a health condition such as diabetes, stroke and dementia. Equitable access is key Improving access to assistive technology enables the inclusion and participation of users in their family, community and all areas of society, including the political, economic and social spheres. Assistive technology positively impacts a person, their family and friends, and has broader socioeconomic benefits. For example: early provision of hearing aids for young children supports their development of language and communication skills, limiting negative impacts on their education, future employment and community participation; provision of appropriate wheelchairs facilitates mobility, improving individuals’ access to education and employment while reducing healthcare costs due to a reduction in secondary complications such as pressure sores and contractures; therapeutic footwear for diabetes reduces the incidence of foot ulcers, preventing amputations and the associated impact on individuals and burden on health-care systems; and timely provision of assistive technology for older people can improve their independence and safety as well as enable them to live at home for as long as possible. Show less Show more
- WHO updates list of drug-resistant bacteria most threatening to human healthThe list provides guidance on the development of new and necessary treatments to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).