KPCOM Alumni Reception: A Night of Magic

On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, NSU-KPCOM held its first alumni reception after a long hiatus. Thankfully, being in a post-COVID world, the 70 or so KPCOM alumni, faculty, D.O. medical students, and family members joined together for a lovely evening at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. Equipped with their choice of comfortable walking shoes, the reception’s guests were led by Disney Event Guides from the park’s entrances to an intimate dining experience at Italy Isola. The handpicked area for the reception is an amazing vantage point on the promenade encircling the World Showcase Lagoon.

The event’s mixed crowd provided a chance for genuine and informative interactions about current KPCOM program updates, Medical Outreach opportunities, as well as personal life updates and changes that have occurred over the years. Many of the event’s guests were excited to have an event after many years, and hopeful for what the future holds.

“I am so fortunate to not only be trusted with this job, but to also facilitate such an amazing affair to celebrate our alumni. Seeing their faces light up with joy revealed an inner youthfulness within them. They didn’t have to be physicians or educators for anyone; they could just ‘be’ … at Disney World! That was beautiful to witness, and I’m glad I received the support from my supervisor and college dean to make this happen. The first of many, I hope!”  said Sasha Saunders, M.B.A, NSU alumna and current Director of KPCOM Alumni Affairs.

As the evening progressed over hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and lots of selfies, everyone soon settled in with one last drink to enjoy the spectacular fireworks show.

Posted 11/05/23

Community Resolution Services Hosts Panel on Africa

Community Resolution Services (CRS), housed in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), hosted a panel via Zoom entitled, Africa: Current Challenges.  The panelists included: Abdulkarim Musa, Jassim Al-Sharshani, and Murad Abuzekri, all pursuing a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in DCRS. The moderator was Leneiya Boose, who subsequently graduated with her M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

CRS is a practicum and volunteer site providing workshops, training, and other events to the NSU and local community. For more information about CRS, please contact Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., faculty in DCRS at mckayj@nova.edu.

Posted 11/05/23

Halmos Hosts Waterbird Society Meeting Workshop

On October 11, the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center (HCAS) hosted a special participant workshop on bird necropsy techniques as part of the annual meeting of the Waterbird Society, an international scientific organization for seabird and waterbird research and conservation.  The 2023 annual meeting was held in Fort Lauderdale and chaired by Ricardo Zambrano, a Regional Biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The workshop was organized by Assistant Professor Kate Sheehan, Ph.D., from Frostburg State University in Maryland and wildlife veterinarian Renata Schneider, D.V.M., from the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in North Miami.  More than 25 participants from local to international locations were taught hands-on techniques, including general bird dissections and specific procedures for parasite recovery.  Halmos Associate Professor David Kerstetter, Ph.D., Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, coordinated the NSU logistical arrangements and assisted with participant dissections.  Additional assistance was provided by Halmos College associate professor Christopher Blanar, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences, and former Halmos College undergraduate students Alexia Hilber and Briana Zaffiro.

Posted 11/05/23

Pharmacy Professor Keynote Speaker at Aging Well Summit

Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor Benedict C. Albensi, Ph.D., has been chosen to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming 4th Annual Aging Well Summit. The event, dubbed
“Healthy Brains, Healthy Caregiving,” will be held November 11-12 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Madison, WI.
Professor Albensi, with NSU’s College of Pharmacy, will speak on “Are We Missing the Boat with Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care.”

Posted 11/01/23

Psychology Professor Keynote Speaker at Mental Health Symposium

Scott Poland

NSU’s very own Professor Scott Poland will be the keynote speaker at the First Annual Broward College Mental Health Symposium on Nov. 8, 2023, at the North Regional/Broward College Library from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. He will discuss promoting mental health for students in challenges times.

Among the sessions will be:

  • How to Work with Neurodiverse Populations
  • Youth Suicide Prevention
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences
  • The Magic of Life: Affirmation and Healing
  • Ending the Silence Presentation
  • Why We Worry and What to Do About It

Poland is a professor at the NSU College of Psychology and the director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office for NSU Florida in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

He is a licensed psychologist and is an internationally recognized expert on school safety, youth suicide, and school crisis prevention/intervention. He has authored or co-authored six books and many chapters and articles on these subjects and has served as a legal expert in several lawsuits.

He also authored the Suicide Safer School Plan for the state of Texas, the Crisis Action School Toolkit-Suicide for the state of Montana and the Florida STEPS School Toolkit for Educators to Prevent Suicide. He previously directed psychological services for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Texas for 24 years and is a past President of the National Association of School Psychologists and a past Prevention Division Director of American Association of Suicidology. He is very dedicated to prevention and has testified about the mental health needs of children before the U.S. Congress on four occasions. He was a founding member of the National Emergency Assistance Team and has personally assisted school communities after many tragedies including school shootings and suicide clusters. He is known for his dynamic and practical presentations. He has received many awards including being named the most outstanding psychologist in Texas. Dr. Poland also has received the Houston Wage Peace Award, the Parkland Helping the Community Heal Award and the APA Division 16 Distinguished Career Award.

Posted 11/01/23

NSU Division of Research Hosting Research Connect

All faculty and staff researchers are invited to join the NSU Division of Research and Economic Development for a dialogue related to research at NSU via Zoom. Our next Research Connect quarterly town hall meeting will be on Monday, Nov. 6, from noon to 1 p.m.

Each of the Research Connect events will highlight a different research-related topic, resource, and/or process with the next topic of discussion being: NSU Procurement. Experts from the Office of Procurement Services will talk about the procurement process and supporting researchers, followed by a Q&A session with the experts.

To attend through Zoom, please RSVP using the following link, https://bit.ly/Nov6ResearchConnect, and don’t forget to add the event to your calendar. Lastly, to help answer as many questions as possible during the event, we encourage you to submit questions prior to the event to dor@nova.edu.

Posted 10/26/23

Art Museum Invites Members to Special Exhibit Opening

The NSU Art Museum is welcoming members to the opening of “Walasse Ting: Parrot Jungle.” This exhibition will provide viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in Ting’s neon-soaked visions of nubile women, flora, fauna, and an endless menagerie of cats, parrots, and hibiscus.

Simultaneously, the show will establish a biographic narrative, in which viewers will learn about the diasporic life of Ting; whose transnational identity left him without the typical ambassadorship countries engage in to display their creative wealth.

This exhibition is curated by the Museum’s Bryant Taylor Curator, Ariella Wolens. It will be accompanied by a full-color, hard-bound monograph published by Skira, edited, and with an essay by Wolens and additional text by Pierre Alechinsky, Bonnie Clearwater, Xiao (Amanda) Ju, and Ting’s daughter Mia Ting.

“Walasse Ting: Parrot Jungle” is sponsored by those who wish to remain anonymous, Stephen & Joan Marks, Barron Family Foundation, Imperfect Family Foundation, Funding Arts Broward, Inc., Sam Francis Foundation in honor of Francis’ 100th Birthday, Marlène Brody, Marion Lefebre & Robert S. Pynoos, David Stonehill & Caroline Cruise, Wenise Wong & Eric Barron. This event will be held at the NSU Art Museum (One East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301) on Thursday, Nov. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.

For more information please contact the NSU Art Museum, moareservations@moafl.org or call 954.525.5500.

Posted 10/18/23

NASA Administrator Tours Levan Center, Meets Students

On Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited Nova Southeastern University’s Davie Campus to see firsthand how the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation network is powering innovation in South Florida’s space ecosystem.

WTVJ-TV anchor Jackie Nespral interviews NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for an upcoming story during his visit to NSU.

During the visit, Administrator Nelson met with NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II; John Wensveen, the Chief Innovation Officer at NSU and Executive Director of the Levan Center; Provost Ronald J. Chenail; Dr. Fred Lippman, NSU’s Chancellor of the Health Professions Division; and Ken Dawson-Scully, NSU’s Senior Vice President for the Division of Research and Economic Development. Administrator Nelson also spoke with and took questions from several NSU students.

During his talk, Nelson covered the vastness of space, its influence on his life, the possibility of life beyond our planet, and UFO sightings. He also did a sit-down interview with WTVJ-TV anchor Jackie Nespral.

Nelson was sworn in as the 14th NASA administrator on May 3, 2021, and has been tasked with carrying out the vision for NASA to demonstrate American leadership in air, space, and on Earth for the benefit of all humanity.

Some of the top focuses of the Levan Center have been trends, challenges, opportunities, and strategies of entrepreneurship within the space sector. In September, the center held its Second Annual South Florida Space Day, which was dedicated to these objectives.

Posted 10/22/23

Hall of Fame Celebrates Entrepreneurial Trailblazers

On Tuesday night, Oct. 10, 2023, under the lights of the Rick Case Arena, Nova Southeastern University’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship honored three outstanding regional entrepreneurs at its 34th Annual Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame.

The Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame is a celebration of the remarkable achievements and contributions made by trailblazers in the business world. Over the years, this event has honored some of the most influential entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Guy Harvey, Rita Case, Mario Murgado, Terry Stiles, H. Wayne Huizenga, Carl A. DeSantis, and Beverly Raphael.

This year, the Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame recognized:

  • Antonio “Tony” Argiz, the South Florida managing partner at BDO USA, a premier accounting, consulting, financial advisory, and tax organization.
  • Leon Ellman, chairman of the JLE Group, a private equity investment and management consulting firm based in Fort Lauderdale.
  • S. Donald Sussman, a hedge fund investor with 30 years of experience and the founder and chief investment officer of the Paloma Fund, a billion-dollar-plus investment fund.

Dean Andrew Rosman of NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship addresses the crowd.

On hand to celebrate the new inductees were many former inductees, NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, NSU Provost Ronald J. Chenail, Board of Trustees Chair Charles L. Palmer, and Dean Andrew Rosman of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship (HCBE).

During the event, Rosman acknowledged the recent passing of two of Hall of Famers: Carl A. DeSantis (July 1939-Aug. 2023) and Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. (March 1932-May 2023).

President Hanbury also held a moment of silence for those lost and struggling in the war-torn Middle East.

As the new hall of famers were captured in videos, greeted, and celebrated, 300 attendees – including several HCBE students – packed the audience.

Posted 10/12/23

Health Science Alum Shares HIV Work at Fast-Track Conference

Donrie Purcell, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Donrie Purcell, Ph.D., M.P.H., presented his HIV work at the Fast-Track Cities 2023 conference, which took place on Sept. 25-27, 2023, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Organized by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), his presentation was titled “Examining the Health Equity of Health Systems, Policy, and Data Gaps for People Living with HIV: The Health Equity Tracker.”

The presentation focused on his endeavor to address the significant gap HIV incidence, particularly in the southern United States, with a specific focus on Georgia and Louisiana. To tackle this challenge, he and colleagues developed a powerful tool known as the Health Equity Tracker (HET) at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute. What sets the HET apart is its ability to provide a more comprehensive array of metrics and insights compared to conventional choropleth maps.

HET is equipped with practical features, including comparison tools, enabling users to assess and contrast different locations and diseases. It also allows for customized reports tailored specifically for vulnerable communities, such as black women. Purcell says he firmly believes that making this data readily accessible to a wide audience, including patients, community organizers, physicians, and policymakers, will play a pivotal role in advancing health equity for individuals living with HIV across the United States.

Purcell holds a Ph.D. in Health Science from NSU, accompanied by an M.P.H in Epidemiology. Beyond his research endeavors, Purcell imparts his expertise in epidemiology as an adjunct assistant professor at Yeshiva University and Nebraska Methodist College. Additionally, he has taken on the responsibility of educating emerging healthcare leaders on the critical legal aspects of the healthcare domain.

Currently based at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, he actively contributes to advancing health equity through his involvement with the Health Equity Tracker. This multifaceted commitment exemplifies his dedication to underrepresented communities and resonates with NSU’s ethos of impactful scholarship and community advocacy.

Posted 10/08/23

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