The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions celebrates community engagement

The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions held their all-college meeting on January 8, 2025. The college provided brief updates to faculty and staff to get fired up for the upcoming semester and calendar year ahead. The focus, however, was to celebrate the Community Engagement Awards recipients. The Community Engagement Awards recognize CHP participation in exemplary community partnerships that advance the college’s pursuit of excellence in scholarship, education and community service. The awards, made from wood paneling left over from the new addition, were presented by Dr. Roop Jayaraman, associate faculty and program director for exercise science and chair of the Community Engagement Committee.

Community engagement within the College of Health Professions aligns with Central Michigan University’s Strategic Plan and priority to engage communities by cultivating and enriching reciprocal partnerships with university stakeholders to ensure a lasting impact in the communities we serve. The College of Health Professions partners with over 800 clinical, educational, social service, government, business and other agencies in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the United States and around the world. Community engagement within the College of Health Professions includes community-based research and scholarship, community-centered education and clinical care, and community service and volunteerism.

There are four awards that recipients can receive. The Faculty & Staff Award, Graduate Student Award and Undergraduate Student Award honors those who played a significant role in a program that shows sustained impact and mutual benefit to the College and one or more community partners. The Community Partnership Development Awards support an emerging collaboration between the College and community partners. Lastly, the Outstanding Community Partner Award honors a partner and their vital role and commitment in supporting the college’s pursuit of excellence in scholarship, education and community service.  

Faculty & Staff Award
PES 360 – College Athletics Marketing Project
Steven Adler, senior instructor, physical education and sport

PES 360 – College Athletics Marketing Project connects our current sport management students with our alumni working in the field. The project is a vehicle for giving our students an experience in which their marketing ideas could be adopted and activated by actual athletic departments nationwide. This reciprocal partnership provides our alumni partners with new and exciting ideas from outside their departments and helps them achieve their attendance and revenue goals while also giving back to their beloved CMU sport management program.

Graduate Student Award
Enhancing Virtual Access to Parkinson-Specific Exercise: DPT Students Partner with the Michigan Parkinson's Foundation
Kabryni Bruening, Megan Lasceski, Keegan Rumler & Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS

More than 35,000 individuals in Michigan are currently living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Engaging in regular exercise six days per week has been shown to improve the management of PD symptoms significantly. The Michigan Parkinson's Foundation (MPF) supports this effort by offering virtual exercise classes Monday through Friday, targeting key areas such as aerobic capacity, mobility, balance, strength, functional ability, and cognition. To further enhance accessibility, three second-year doctor of physical therapy students, under the supervision and mentorship of faculty, lead Saturday exercise classes. This collaboration enables the MPF to achieve its goal of providing free and accessible exercise opportunities six days a week for individuals with PD.

Undergraduate Student Award
Great Lakes Burn Camp
Lauren Revord, Health Professions Residential College

The Great Lakes Burn Camp (GLBC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a distinctive environment that fosters healing, self-esteem, confidence and overall well-being for children who have experienced burn injuries. The camp operates twice annually and is offered to participants at no cost. GLBC relies heavily on volunteer support, with Health Professions Residential College (HPRC) students playing a significant role in advancing the organization’s mission.

The camp serves as an exemplary model of a sustained collaboration that supports the camp’s annual operations and plays a critical role in training HPRC students to become more empathetic, skilled and well-rounded future clinicians. This partnership offers students a valuable opportunity to understand that, as future healthcare professionals, the healing process extends beyond a patient’s discharge.

Community Partnership Development Award
Interprofessional Education & Clinical Collaboration Between Michigan Ear Institute & CMU Audiology
Nicole M. Ferguson, Au.D., director of clinical services and education, audiology
Robert S. Hong, M.D., Ph.D., partner and director of research, Michigan Ear Institute

MEI-CMU Audiology Day is an interprofessional event where third-year audiology students observe live middle ear and cochlear implant surgeries, review narrated pre-recorded surgeries, view ear anatomy under a microscope in a temporal bone lab and engage in hands-on insertion of osseo-integrated and cochlear implants into model ears. The day also includes a tour of the Michigan Ear Institute (MEI) clinic, featuring the Omniax chair, emphasizing the interprofessional relationship between neurotology and audiology. Now in its fourth year, the event has expanded from one to two days, covering cochlear, middle ear, and osseointegrated bone conduction implants. Student feedback led to adding an educational session the night before, including an overnight stay near MEI. This schedule allows participants to be well-rested, provides more time for implant demonstrations and includes a presentation on interprofessional education and practice. MEI Foundation travel grants help ease the financial burden for students.

The Outstanding Community Partner Award is announced every two years. Last year, The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions announced the Isabella County Commission on Aging and The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center (VAMC) for the award.

The Isabella County Commission on Aging (COA) is a department within the Isabella County Governmental Unit that serves the needs of local older adults and their families. Its mission is to promote the health, independence, and fulfillment of older adults through the coordination and provision of diverse services and opportunities.

The Isabella COA has collaborated with CHP faculty, staff, and students through the Health Professions Residential College’s Bottles to Branches landscaping project, the physical therapy program’s Fit Feet Walking Club and the audiology program’s No Cost Hearing Aid Cleanings Clinics. These partnerships have created meaningful opportunities for CHP students to develop professional skills while engaging in community service.

The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center (VAMC), located in Saginaw and part of the Veterans Health Administration, includes a VA Medical Center, an 81-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation Community Living Center, and a VA Healthcare Annex, which provides primary and specialty health services to our Veterans. 

The Aleda E. Lutz VAMC has partnered with the College of Health Professions for over 25 years, providing internship and clinical placements for students in various healthcare and allied fields, including audiology, clinical exercise science, health administration, and physical therapy.  These experiences are fundamental to our students’ growth as healthcare professionals and positively impact the provision of quality care in our region.

The faculty and staff of The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions is proud of the partnerships and collaboration they have with communities and organizations across the world. It’s through these partnerships that the students are able to obtain unique experiences that impact their future.

“Student success and healthy communities grow from the same roots: strong partnerships,” stated Dr. Roop Jayaraman. “At The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, our faculty and staff deeply value these relationships, knowing they are essential to shaping and training the next generation of allied healthcare providers who will educate, serve and transform communities.”