April 1, 2021
Wheeling University Students to Present Scholarly Work at Annual Research Day on April 7
WHEELING, W.Va., April 1 – Students from various academic programs will present their scholarly work during Wheeling University’s annual Student Research & Scholarship Symposium Wednesday, April 7.
Wheeling University students explain a research poster during a past Research Day. This year’s event will be held Wednesday, April 7 in Troy Theater.
This year, the annual research symposium will consist of a half day of poster and oral presentations by students from a variety of academic majors, which will begin at noon.
That evening, the health science programs will hold its Inter-Professional Education (IPE) event when students and faculty from nursing, physical therapy, and exercise science, along with community partners, work through a paper case in small inter-professional groups.
“Research Day is a time for our undergraduate students to showcase scholarly work completed in their programs of study. Conducting and presenting research are essential components of the educational experience at Wheeling University. This annual event provides students the opportunity to present before faculty and classmates, which is valuable for their professional development,” said Wheeling University President Ginny R. Favede. “I look forward to observing the projects and the findings our students have discovered.”
The inaugural Student Research & Scholarship Symposium took place during the 1998- 1999 academic year on Wednesday, April 7, 1999. For the first time in the history of the Symposium, last year’s event was cancelled, due to the pandemic.
“It is exciting the University will host the Research and Scholarship Symposium,” said Dr. Jacqueline McGlade, interim vice president for Academic Affairs. “Students from a number of academic programs are expected to offer oral and poster presentations of their research during the symposium. This is a day for the students to showcase their research activity and a time for the entire University to celebrate their achievements and findings.”
Research posters will be displayed inside Wheeling University’s Troy Theater, with oral presentations to be held in the Theater throughout the afternoon.
New to the Symposium is the IPE event, which was held as a separate event the last four years. The students will spend the evening working through a paper case in small inter-professional groups in order to develop the skills necessary for interprofessional collaboration for best patient care upon graduation.
“The goal of IPE is to raise the awareness of our physical therapy, nursing, and exercise science students and the impact each health professional has in patient care and recovery. The IPE event teaches students from each of these majors to work collaboratively to treat the whole person,” said Dr. Krissy Grubler, clinical associate professor of physical therapy and organizer of this year’s IPE event.
Last year, physical therapy, nursing, and exercise science students work through a paper case in small inter-professional groups in order to develop the skills necessary for interprofessional collaboration for best patient care. This year the inter-professional activity will be a virtually on April 7 as part of Wheeling University’s Research Day.
During the exercise, each small inter-professional group will discuss the patient case, formulate a plan to treat the injury that includes the person’s physical recovery, as well their psychological and spiritual well-being. “Using an intentional inter-professional set-up provides a means for the students to learn how to integrate information from other disciplines as they care for their patient from initial injury to return to sport. The students have this opportunity to learn from and with each other and the community partners, and the event can help them begin to develop the inter-professional collaborative core competencies required within professional practice” added Dr. Rhonda Haley, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy.
“Sometimes, health professionals have a tendency to treat patients in silos rather than using a team approach to patient care. By teaching our health science students the importance of working together now, they will incorporate this treatment approach in their clinical education experiences and professional careers. One of the highlights of this event is having so many local practicing professionals participating in the event. These community partners aid in the students’ understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the members of the health care inter-professional team.” Dr. Grubler added.
Due to COVID-19, the IPE event will be held in virtual format where small groups will work in break out rooms on the patient case to develop an inter-professional collaborative treatment plan. Once finished, the groups will present their plans to panelists from Wheeling University and community partners.
Wheeling University faculty members who make up the IPE committee include: Athletic Training, Marci Higgins; Exercise Science, William Jones; Nursing, Dr. Gail Nickerson; Physical Therapy, Dr. Krissy Grubler, Dr. Rhonda Haley, Dr. Missy Bozovich, and Dr. Bryan Raudenbush. Other panel members for the event include: WU Counseling, Tina Tordella; WU Campus Ministry, Rev. Hadi Sasmita, S.J.; WU Nursing faculty, Donna Falcone; and community panelists from various health care and social service disciplines.