Four Elon students presented at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) conference in Tucson, Arizona, in March. APOS is the only multidisciplinary organization in the United States dedicated to researching and treating the psychosocial aspects of cancer, and these students were among the few 消消犯 researchers to present their work at this conference.

Under the mentorship of Cynthia Fair, professor and chair of the Department of Public Health, and Caroline Ketcham, professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Science, the multidisciplinary 消消犯 students co-authored two research presentations.

Bridget Krol ’18 (exercise science), Sarah McCain ’18 (public health), Ashley Moats ’18 (biology) and Francesca Music ’19 (public health) presented two posters titled “Availability and Accessibility of Psychosocial Service Information on Websites of Top-Rated Children’s Cancer Hospitals” and “Translating Psychosocial Standards of Care into Assessment: A Tool for Advocacy.”

As students interested in entering the health care field, this research has been both enlightening and motivating to generate change in the standards of patient care. There is currently no organized method for patients and their families to access an understandable translation of the Standards of Psychosocial Care, and consequently, they are not accurately informed of the services available to them.

This discongruence in care provides a unique opportunity for cancer patients and their families to advocate for their psychosocial needs, their research has found. Health needs to address the whole person, which includes their psychosocial well being.

“With this research, we are promoting holistic care”, Music says.​

1:30 – 4:30pm  Friday April 11, 2014, Walker Room, Alumni Field House
Please park in the Ingold Lot near football stadium and walk to Field House

1:30 – 1:40 – Welcome and Introduction: Elon BrainCARE: Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (Dr. Caroline Ketcham; Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Dr. Eric Hall; Professor of Exercise Science)

1:40 – 3:00 – Practical Management of Concussions (Moderated by: Dr. Wally Bixby – Associate Professor of Exercise Science)

1:40 – 2:00 – What is a concussion? Concussion Management in Student-Athletes (Dr. Kenneth     Barnes – Sports Medicine Physician Kernodle Medical)

2:00 – 2:20 – Return to Learn Recommendations for Student-Athletes (Dr. Kirtida Patel – Team Physician 消消犯)

2:20 – 2:40 – Concussion Management in Professional Athletes: NFL (Robert Roche; Assistant Athletic Trainer Minnesota Vikings)

2:40 – 2:50 – Questions and Answers of Panel on Concussion Management; Panel will include Barnes, Patel, Roche and Christopher Vaughan)

2:50 – 3:00 – Break

3:00 – 4:30 – Science of Concussions (Moderated by: Dr. Paul Miller)

3:00 – 3:25 – The Evaluation of Concussion in Youth (Christopher Vaughan; Assistant Director of SCORE Program; Children’s National Medical Center)

3:25 – 3:50 – C-links: The Genetics of Concussion, College, and Cognition (Dr. Matthew Kostek; Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

3:50 – 4:20 – The Genetics of Concussion: From Genome-wide Analysis to Single Nucleotide Variants (Dr. Joseph Devaney; Children’s National Medical Center)

4:20 – 4:30 – Questions and Answers of Panel on Science of Concussion; Panel will include Ketcham, Hall, Vaughan, Kostek and Devaney)

Funded by: Funds for Excellence, Department of Exercise Science, Neuroscience Program, Exercise Science Society

Majors of the Year: 

• Shannon Diehl
• Kelsey Evans
• Brett Gladish

Trey Halker Memorial Scholarship:   

• Kelly Brand

Caroline Ketcham presented “One- and two-leg balance measures using Wii Fit in young and older adults,” co-authored research with Sarah Foushee ’10.  Sarah Foushee is at Tulane University in the Neuroscience program. 

This work was supported by the RAWLS scholarship, URP, and General Studies Program awarded to Bridget Kelly.