NSU Fall 2012 Horizons Magazine

24 HORIZONS faculty profile Physical therapist Keiba Shaw and a crew of volunteers arrived in Haiti a few months after the devastating 2010 earthquake and immediately got to work helping survivors re- covering from severe orthopedic injuries. That first 10-day visit began a commitment to the Haitian people that Shaw, PT, Ed.D., continues to honor. Since then, she has traveled back to Haiti several times, volunteering her services to help those still recovering from amputations, broken bones, and other injuries. Shaw’s volunteer service stems from her first night in Haiti. After working for hours at the MASH-type unit set up next to the airport in Port-au-Prince, she finally fell asleep on a cot under mosquito-netting. She was awoken by surgeons who had been sleeping nearby and was asked to assist with an emergency case. “The doctor was working, doing whatever he could, to save this little child, but [the injuries] were too severe. Every- one just started crying because we knew that probably, in the United States, this little boy, around five or six, could have been saved. It was just heartbreaking,” said Shaw, an associate professor in physical therapy in NSU’s Hybrid Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program in Tampa. On that initial trip, when the devastation was so unimag- inable, Shaw wondered, “How are they ever going to recover from this—the amount of debris, the buildings that were down? The people had lost everything but the clothes on their backs, and were still walking around looking for relatives.” During Shaw’s visit in March 2012, she survived a 4.6 earthquake and a lockdown at the Project Medishare/Bernard Mevs Hospital because of some “political unrest,” but says the situation there is greatly improved. “Now, people have been moved out of tents by the airport and the Presidential Palace, traffic lights are working, and people are going about their daily business,” said Shaw, who travels with other volunteers. “I’m amazed at the forti- tude of the people and their resiliency. They’re making it work, doing what they have to do. But things are still pretty hard just for daily survival.” The people she helps now have different needs than in those early days after the earthquake. “It’s more what you would see typically—heart attacks, broken legs, motor vehicle accidents,” she said. NSU Colleagues, Students Donate Supplies Each time she travels back to Haiti, she loads up bags of supplies donated by NSU colleagues and students, including clothing, shoes, diapers, toys, towels, toiletries, and infant formula. Doctoral students in the Hybrid Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy program (class of 2015) at the Tampa SEC recently held a karaoke night to raise money to buy supplies. “I continue to be amazed and humbled by everyone’s generosity of spirit,” Shaw said. Shaw’s efforts have been recognized by NSU. She was awarded the first Altruism Award for the Hybrid Entry-Level D.P.T. program during the white coat ceremony last October. Bringing Hope and Healing to Haiti She and her colleagues plan to join NSU’s Health Profes- sions Division Medical Mission to Jamaica in June 2013. “Dr. Shaw embodies the values we espouse both at Nova Southeastern and in the PT profession, including altruism, excellence, compassion, and community engage- ment,” said Mary Blackinton, PT, Ed.D., GCS, associate director of the Hybrid Entry-Level D.P.T. program at NSU in Tampa. “Her work has positively impacted not only those in Haiti, but our entire NSU community.” New Hybrid Program Is One-of-a-Kind Shaw, a New York City native, received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse University and a mas- ter’s degree in physical therapy from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. After working in Baltimore, she returned to school at West Virginia University, earning an additional master’s degree in counseling and her doctoral degree in sport psychology. Her first teaching job was at the University of South Florida, where she stayed for more than eight years, before moving to Denver to teach at Regis University. When she heard about a new hybrid PT program— part online, part hands-on community experience, and part campus experience—starting up at NSU in Tampa, she wanted to be involved. The program allows students with geographical limitations or family concerns to combine online learning with four days a month on campus for practice and feedback from instructors about their hands-on skills. The hybrid program takes four years instead of the traditional three, but costs the same, and the fourth year is devoted to full-time internships in all areas of physical therapy practice. “It is unique for physical therapy programs,” Shaw said, “and I think it will become a model.” One of the highlights of Shaw’s most recent trip to Haiti was working with a young Haitian physical therapist, Fedora Sylvain, PT, D.P.T., employed full-time by the hospital there. Sylvain earned her doctorate in physical therapy at NSU. Shaw emailed colleagues when she returned to Florida and told them, “Our Sharks are definitely in the water doing great things all over the world.” n Physical therapist Keiba Shaw often volunteers her time in Haiti. By Nancy McVicar Nova Southeastern University hosted Decision 2012: Before You Vote, the live, televised debate between candidates for one of Florida’s U.S. Senate seats. It was held on October 17 in the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Perform- ing Arts Center on the main campus and streamed live for students to watch on campus at the Knight auditorium and at each of NSU’s Student Educational Centers in Florida. Considered by many political observers to be one of the most hotly watched U.S. Senate races in the coun- try, incumbent Senator Bill Nelson (D) is pitted against Congressman Connie Mack IV (R). The debate featured WPTV’s news anchor Michael Williams as moderator and a three-member panel. “Nova Southeastern University continues to perform an important convening role on vital issues by promoting healthy dialogue about how best to build a better future for our state and country,” said George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of NSU. The Senate race has drawn extensive media coverage about Mack—a U.S. Representative from Fort Myers and the son of former Florida Senator Connie Mack III—and Nelson, an incumbent Democrat who has been popu- lar among Republicans as well as Democrats in the state through the years. The debate focused on issues such as education, oil drilling, health care, the economy, and the environment. Decision 2012: Before You Vote is a project creat- ed by Leadership Florida in partnership with the Florida Press Association. In addition to Nova Southeastern University, the debate sponsors included Florida Blue, AARP, the Claude Pepper Foundation, and NBC affiliate WPTV-Channel 5 of West Palm Beach, which broadcast the debate statewide in all 11 media markets. NSU also partnered with Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association to host the 2006 and 2010 debates for governor and U.S. Senate. n Nova Southeastern University Hosts Florida Senatorial Debate