NSU Horizons Spring/Summer 2008

36 horizons Society's problems find solutions here Continued from page 23 hostage negotiating team. He is studying stress within the law enforcement profession. He and colleagues from the FBI, U.S. Air Force, and Broward County Sheriff’s Office have developed an early-warning survey that law enforcement agencies can use to screen officers for stress. The survey consists of “What do you do now?”-scenarios to test officers’ reactions to challenging situations. The situations include responding to a bur- glary in progress with the perpetrator pos- sibly armed, being injured during an assault with backup slow to arrive, and responding to a silent alarm from a bank. At present, Van Hasselt is determining cut-off scores and norms so that the tool will have value in clinical settings. He an- ticipates eventual wide-scale implementa- tion, enabling police officers experiencing particularly high stress levels to be identi- fied for the purpose of intervention. His ultimate goal is to prevent more serious problems—such as cardiovascular illness, depression, alcoholism, and marital difficul- ties—that frequently take a toll on officers and their families. Charles Golden Charles Golden, Ph.D., ABPP/ABCN, became intrigued by an additional use for the hyperbaric chambers used to treat div- ers with the decompression sickness known as “the bends.” He found that giving people with brain injuries oxygen therapy inside these chambers significantly improved their ability to function. The results are better in children, he says, because their brains con- tinue to grow into their mid-20s. Typically, patients will experience an average of 80 treatments, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes, over a period of months. The largest group of beneficiaries is made up of those who experienced birth trauma including cerebral palsy. Golden hopes that his research will result in broader acceptance for this pres- ently “experimental” technique. Ana Fins and Cheryl Purvis Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder charac- terized by pauses in breathing during sleep, which is often associated with obesity. As obesity increases as a social problem, apnea is becoming more and more common. If not treated, apnea can lead to other medical complications such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. In obstructive sleep apnea, the most com- mon type of the disorder, fatty tissue phys- ically blocks a person’s airflow. Interrupted breathing causes fitful sleep, resulting in daytime fatigue and sleepiness. Ana Fins, Ph.D., of CPS, along with colleague Cheryl Purvis, Ph.D., of NSU’s Health Professions Division, and others, are studying how to improve the quality of life for people with sleep apnea. The most common treatment consists of a motorized device that forces air through a mask. A newer method is an oral appliance, cre- ated by a dentist, to be worn at night like a retainer. It moves the jaw forward to avert blockages. Fins and Purvis wish to determine if the newer method works as well as the older one. Toward that end, they are testing each method in NSU’s sleep research laboratory. The research involves observing sleep apnea patients during daytime naps, paying particular attention to the degree of sleepiness they experience. Interspersed between naps, the patients are given half-hour driving and computerized tests to evaluate their alertness levels. “If we show that the treatments produce equivalent daytime results, people may choose to use the less obtrusive and more comfortable oral appli- ances,” Fins concluded. Moving Forward Success in attracting the best and the brightest researchers is one indication of NSU’s rising prominence in the world of clinical psychology. The frenetic pace of the center’s scholarly publication activity is another. Moving forward, Grosby aims to elevate the programs to preeminent status, a development made possible by the school’s research-based emphasis on problem-solving. CPS, like other NSU colleges and centers, continues to encourage professors and their students to seek solutions to the big issues facing society—enabling the university to deliver synergistic research, training, and services that make a difference in the real world. n This SEC offers programs in business and education. Growth While the SECs already offer a variety of programs throughout Florida and The Ba- hamas, Ferrero’s commitment has allowed them to add new academic programs and move into larger facilities. Last year, the physician assistant program was added to Orlando’s curriculum, which gave NSU the distinction of being Central Florida’s only university to offer such a program. “There is a shortage of physician assistants here in Central Florida,” said Dave Kotun, Ed.D. (C), clinical director of the program (launched in June of 2007 with 50 students). This program is expect- ed to supply the region with the next gen- eration of qualified physician assistants. Next year, the Jacksonville SEC will offer northeast Florida’s first physician assistant program. Kathy Sandusky, re- gional director of the Jacksonville SEC, said NSU’s goal is not only to educate top- quality physician assistants, but to keep them in the area, which needs more health care professionals. This year, the Fort Myers site of the Southwest Florida SEC will move into a new, four-story, 60,305-square-foot building that will house a new baccalaure- ate nursing program, as well as speech- language pathology, physician assistant, education, and other programs. “The new location will enable NSU to better accom- modate our students who live throughout south-west Florida,” said Joe Pepe, SEC regional director.  In the future, Nellis envisions the university’s academic site in Daytona Beach developing into an SEC to serve Volusia County, and for other SECs to be housed in NSU-owned buildings. “We have already made dramatic changes in how the university conducts its business off campus,” said Nellis. “We’d like to expand the SECs to give more people access to NSU’s high-quality education.” For more information about the SECs, please visit www.nova.edu/sec . n university experience Continued from page 27 KEN MA IS NSU’S SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR. ELLA GOODEN IS NSU’S DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR THE STUDENT EDUCATIONAL CENTERS. FELECIA HENDERSON IS NSU’S ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. BOB ROSS IS A FREELANCE WRITER BASED OUT OF SOUTH FLORIDA.