IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame Inducts 2018 Class at Luncheon and Ceremony

Event efforts collectively raise more than $1 million for student support

The Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame inducted its 2018 class, made up of seven health care legends from across the state, at a luncheon and ceremony in Belmont’s Curb Event today. Hosted by Partner at DVL Seigenthaler John Seigenthaler, Jr., the Hall of Fame seeks to recognize and honor the pioneers and current leaders that have formed Tennessee’s health and health care community and encourage future generations of health care professionals.

Created by Belmont University and Belmont’s McWhorter Society with the support of the Nashville Health Care Council, a Founding Partner, this year’s inductees include:

  • Monroe Carell, Jr.: Former CEO of Nashville-based Central Parking Corporation; Prominent philanthropist who led efforts to fund the Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
  • Carol Etherington: Initiated Victim Intervention for the Davidson County Police Department; Established coalitions that led to the founding of the Nashville Prevention Partnership and volunteer mental health pools for the Red Cross; Current Chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health & Associate Professor of Nursing, Emerita, at Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
  • John Henry Hale & Millie Hale: Brave and innovative practitioners who paved the way for justice and equality; Opened their home to become the Millie E. Hale Hospital when African Americans couldn’t be treated at ‘white’ institutions; Created a holistic community center; Dr. Hale was Professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery at Meharry; Millie Hale created a training center for nurses across the South
  • Lynn Massingale: Known as a major influencer on emergency medicine, nationwide; Founded TeamHealth and served as CEO (1979-2009) and now Chairman; Was named a Hero of Emergency Medicine by the American College of Emergency Physicians and received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Previous EMS Medical Director of Tennessee
  • William Schaffner: Professor of Preventive Medicine, Department of Health Policy and Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Nation’s pioneer of rigorous infection control in hospitals; His Nashville standard became the standard of excellence nationwide; National leader on adult immunizations; Served as President of the National Foundation for Infectious Disease and is now Medical Director; Longest serving member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
  • Matthew Walker, Sr.: Founded the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Inc.; Was one of the first African Americans voted into the Nashville Academy of Medicine; Credited for training half of the African Americans in the US at the time of his death; Served as a Professor at Meharry for four decades; First African American Fellow of the American College of Surgeons

But this year’s event didn’t simply announce the induction of these impressive health care pioneers.  Seigenthaler announced that monies raised through the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame have surpassed the $1 million mark since the event’s inception. Coupled with other McWhorter Society fundraising efforts, this brings the total amount raised for McWhorter Society Endowed Scholarships to $3.4 million.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I am grateful for Belmont’s placement in Tennessee—a state widely recognized as a central hub for health care in the US. As an institution of higher learning offering programs in nursing, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy, social work and health care business administration, Belmont is committed to equipping students to skillfully and confidently meet the challenges they will face in the ever-changing health care arena. We are deeply grateful for these leaders who have set such inspiring examples for our students and other health care providers.”

For more information on the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame, click here.

Belmont Receives Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award

Belmont University recently received the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Commitment to Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award, presented at the organization’s 14th annual closing reception of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The event was held on the 27th floor of the Nashville City Center in downtown Nashville.

During Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), the NAHCC recognizes the professional, civic and business contributions of its members while recognizing non-members whose involvement had a meaningful impact on the community at large. Nominees are selected from those who have demonstrated commitment and leadership to the advancement of the organization, the Hispanic community and Nashville.

“On behalf of the NAHCC Board, I congratulate the recipients of our 14th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Awards. We are honored to have the opportunity to recognize those whose work and achievements have been vital to the empowerment, growth and appreciation of Hispanic businesses and our community at large” said Yuri Cunza, NAHCC President & CEO, in a press release. Award recipients are selected by an independent committee and are chosen based on their  contributions, outstanding accomplishments, quality of service, civic and business leadership and commitment to the Hispanic business community and the city of Nashville.

Joyce Searcy, Director of Community Relations at Belmont, was also honored at the event with the NAHCC’s Outstanding Service Leadership Award.

Full coverage of the event can be found here.

Nashville Public Education Hall of Fame Recognizes Belmont Board of Trust Members

The Nashville Public Education Foundation recently recognized three Nashville Public School distinguished alumni, all of whom have connections to Belmont University, as inductees into the Public Schools Hall of Fame. The distinguished individuals included Rashed Fakhruddin, Harry Allen and Anne Lowry Russell.

Fakhruddin is an engineering supervisor for the Nashville Electric Service and has two children who attend Belmont University. Allen is the co-founder, executive vice president and chief relationship officer at Studio Bank. He is also an alumni of Belmont University, served as the president of the Alumni Association and currently serves on the university’s Board of Trust. Russell is a prominent attorney of Adams and Reese LLP, serves as an adjunct professor at Belmont’s College of Law and sits on the university’s Board of Trust.

All of the honorees are graduates of a Metro Nashville high school and have been involved in several notable Nashville organizations. These individuals, among others, were selected from over 100 different community nominations. A ceremony was held by the Nashville Public Education Foundation on October 2 where the Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented by Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher.

The Nashville Public Education Foundation also named almost 200 people to the event host committee who are standouts as leaders in Nashville and in education. This list included Dr. and Mrs. Fisher and several others linked to the university.

Belmont University Named Among Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

Belmont University was recently named among a list of The Princeton Review’s 2018 Guide to Green Colleges. The list features a total of 399 named Green Colleges following a review of green ratings and student opinions. The full list of The Princeton Review’s 2018 Guide to Green Colleges can be found here.

Belmont is featured as one of the most environmentally responsible. Schools are featured because of their commitment to environmental awareness and their commitment to sustainability and the environment.

“We strongly recommend Belmont University and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said The Princeton Review’s Robert Franek, editor-in-chief.

Franek also noted that college applicants and their parents are increasingly more concerned about the environment and sustainability issues. Among the nearly 11,000 teens and parents The Princeton Review surveyed for the “College Hope & Worries Survey,” 63% said that having information about a schools commitment to the environment would influence their decision on where to apply or attend school. A full report of the survey can be found here.

Colleges are assessed based on a Green Ranking that looks at a school’s environmentally sustainable policies, in addition to schools’ sustainable practices and programs. More than 25 points were weighted in the tallies for the Green Rating score which was done on a scale of 60 to 99. All colleges with a Green Rating score higher than 80 made it into the 2018 guide.

Alumna Named Miss Tennessee USA

Belmont University 2016 international business alumna Savana Hodge was recently crowned Miss Tennessee USA. Hodge plans to use her newly-earned title as a continuation of her personal goals while sharing her platform, “Our Time is Now.”

“This is such a unique opportunity that really is unlike any other,” Hodge said. Believing that “timing is everything,” she credits her past experiences, especially those at Belmont, as having prepared her to become the voice of Tennessee through her new role.

“Belmont allowed me to be in a place of leadership because of its principles as a University and
the value it places on its staff and programs for undergraduate students,” she said. While on campus, Hodge was involved in a number of students organizations, providing a variety of opportunities and experience.

In addition to her role at Miss Tennessee, Hodge works as an operations analyst at an engineering firm in Nashville. She plans to focus her volunteer efforts around helping children through the Make a Wish Foundation among other local organizations.

Hodge will be chronicling her experiences as Miss Tennessee on social media at @Misstnusa.

This press release was submitted by Judith Jager.

Students in National Science Teachers Association Volunteer at “Get Spooky” Event

Members of Belmont’s National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) recently participated in the Adventure Science Center’s “Get Spooky” (Halloween/Spooky Science Day) event on October 6.  People of all ages stopped by to see science in action as NSTA members demonstrated and discussed the shattering effect of submerging roses in liquid nitrogen.

Throughout the day, Aaron Rice (chemistry major, community outreach officer), Avery Daniels (chemistry major, treasurer), Edward Gheorghita (physics major, member) and Sarah Verbinnen (physics major, member) engaged several hundred people with their interactive and theatrical science demonstration.

NSTA student members have been volunteering for the Adventure Science Center for several years now.  Faculty advisor Dr. Danielle Garrett is thrilled with the dedication and passion Belmont NSTA members continue to show for spreading their love of science. “Volunteering for the Adventure Science Center provides our students an outlet to share their enthusiasm and passion for science with the local community, working to stimulate further interest in science and the scientific method, and encouraging both creativity and analytical scientific inquiry,” she said.

Rogers Named as Metro Arts Learning Lab Resident

Selected to work alongside Senior Ride Nashville to build deeper connections to community agencies

Christine Rogers, assistant professor of art, was recently selected to serve as a Learning Lab Resident alongside Senior Ride Nashville for the Metro Nashville Arts Commission. Embedded in local government and nonprofit offices over the next nine months, Rogers and the four other residents will work to gain a deeper understanding of their partner agency’s work, while honing and diversifying their own skills.

The selected organizations align with Learning Lab’s current focus areas of transportation, affordable housing and aging populations and include Metro Nashville Health Department (artists Simone Body and Aaron Doenges), Metro Nashville Social Services (artist Kristen Chapman Gibbons), Faith Matters Network (artist Diego Gomez) and Senior Ride Nashville.

“My goal is to help amplify and advocate for their organization and the great work they do providing transportation for senior citizens in order to increase volunteers and awareness of the program,” Rogers said. “In civic practice work, outcome is more important than output. The final product is often times the biggest concern of most visual artists, but in this case, the concern is trying to find measurable outcomes within the organization as a result of this partnership.”

Rogers hopes to get her students involved in the work as she provides service learning experiences to them over the next nine months.

To prepare for the launch of her residency, Rogers partnered with Senior Rode over the summer and began her research. She took riders and drivers to lunch, discussed their experience with the organization and has since begun a mapping project of their work. “I hope to expand this into a photographic and narrative direction,” she said. “It’s still in the early stages of the process, so there’s a wide open field as to what progress will look like, but I am very excited to bring my artistic skills into the realm of local nonprofit work.”

All five residents are members of the 2018 cohort of Learning Lab, Metro Arts professional development program to train artists in civic, public, social and placemaking practices. As Learning Lab artists bring their unique perspectives and abilities to service agencies, they diversify their portfolios and learn to translate their artistic talents into the non-arts sector.

“During the Learning Lab training, we help artists identify specific skills and tools that can be translated and applied to a multitude of economic and professional development opportunities, including deep community partnerships,” said Metro Arts Executive Director Caroline Vincent in a recent press release. “We are expanding the notion of whom artists can work with and how they execute the work, and in the process are transforming the way artists are viewed and how they can be in partnership with community.”

Voight Speaks at International Society of Hip Arthroscopy Annual Congress

Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. Mike Voight recently spoke at the International Society of Hip Arthroscopy annual congress held in Melbourne, Australia. Serving as co-chair of the physical therapy programming, Voight was also invited to serve as an invited lecturer at the event.

Throughout the four-day congress, he gave several presentations on the management of hip injuries and on the emerging use of orthobiologics. In addition to invited presentations, Voight had two research platform presentations accepted for presentation. Attended by over 600 surgeons from around the world, the annual ISHA congress brings together the world’s best professionals who assess and treat hip injuries.

Campbell, Voight Present at International Society for Hip Arthroscopy and Preservation

During the recent annual congress of the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy and Hip Preservation held in Melbourne Australia, Belmont University School of Physical Therapy Adjunct Instructor Dr. Ashley Campbell along with Professor Dr. Mike Voight showcased a research poster presentation.

Attended by over 600 surgeons from around the world, the annual ISHA congress brings together the world’s best professionals who assess and treat hip injuries. During the closing ceremonies, ISHA President Dr. Chuck Cakic from South Africa and Dr. John O’Donnell from Australia recognized Campbell as having the best physical therapy research poster.

Adjunct and O’More Alumna Balding Featured in Nashville Design Week Article

Ashley Balding, an adjunct instructor in the O’More School of Design at Belmont, an O’More alumna and the owner and designer for Ona Rex, was recently featured in an article published by Nashville Design Week. The article includes interviews with five artists from the Nashville area.

In her feature, Nashville native Balding discusses her line of luxury women’s wear, how her design practice began, her biggest areas of influence and more. A science fiction lover, Balding points to the genre as some of her biggest influences. “It probably plays into the part of my brain that likes science, and the part that likes weird,” she said in the article. “I get excited about fantasy worlds and outer space. I think there’s something exciting about futuristic things. Aliens, creatures, monsters…There’s just something about the human form in a completely different, abstract view.”

Recently, Balding has been nominated for two NFA Honors including Women’s Wear Designer and Creative Collaboration with fashion photographer Brett Warren, and she was named Women’s Wear Designer of the Year in 2017.

The piece goes on to feature Belmont alumna Elizabeth Williams and her business partner Kelly Diehl for New Hat, their custom wallpaper design project.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.