Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni, Director of Expeiriential Education and Development and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the School of Pharmacy has been re-elected to the Board of Directors of the American Osteopathic Foundation and elected secretary for the board. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Osteopathic Medicine Association and Dr. Giorgianni’s work the AOF continues his long-standing personal and professional commitment to fostering health research.
Johnston Named Clinical Professor of Medicine
Dr. Philip Johnston, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, has been named Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. This honor recognizes his expertise as a clinical pharmacist, commitment to patient care and medical student education. This appointment represents one of many emerging areas of professional exchange and research collaboration between the Belmont University School of Pharmacy and Vanderbilt School of Medicine/Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Fishers Sign Book
Dr. and Mrs. Fisher released Life is a Gift: Inspiration from the Soon Departed (FaithWords, Hachette Book Group USA), on May 20, 2008, featuring a collection of interviews and lessons learned from 104 terminally ill patients of Alive Hospice in Nashville. FaithWords held a book signing for the Fishers at Davis-Kidd Booksellers on Thurs., May 22. To read more about the book, click here.
McEntire Publishes Book
Belmont religion faculty Mark McEntire has released the book Struggling with God: An Introduction to the Pentateuch (Mercer University Press). The textbook focuses primarily on the content and structure of the Pentateuch. Discussions of historical and theological issues are included and the book also contains many lists of textual data in each chapter.
McEntire teaches Old Testament and Hebrew language at Belmont and also taught in North Carolina, Ethiopia, and Kentucky.
Miller Profiled in Hometown Newspaper
Alumna and women’s basketball standout Brandi Miller (’05 and ’08) was recently profiled in The Oldham Era (KY) newspaper. Miller recently earned her doctorate in occupational therapy from Belmont. Click here to read the full story.
Hobson Appointed to Award Panel
The School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Eric Hobson has been appointed to the 2008 RXportfolios National Achievement Award panel of experts. In this role, Dr. Hobson will act as a judge to evaluate pharmacy student professional portfolios from across North America. The portfolios are evaluated based on breadth of content, quality of writing and overall accomplishments contained within their personal RXportfolio.
Fisher Interviewed by Tennessean on New Book
Dr. Bob Fisher was featured in the Sunday Tennessean in an interview about the new book he co-wrote with his wife Judy, Life Is a Gift: Inspiration From the Soon Departed. Click here to read the full story.
Wollaber Receives Vision of Nursing Award
Dr. Debra Wollaber, professor in the School of Nursing, was recently awarded the Vision of Nursing Award at The Tennessean‘s Salute to Nurses luncheon. Wollaber served as Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Nursing for 10 years before deciding that she wanted to return to teaching. In addition, senior nursing student Diane Maynard was given the Top Student Award for her academic accomplishments. Salute to Nurses is a quarterly news magazine for nursing health professionals throughout Tennessee that is published by The Tennessean.
Belmont Pharmacy Claims Boulevard Victory
Belmont’s School of Pharmacy (BUSOP) stepped past the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy at the Sun., May 4 Arthritis Walk. BUSOP fielded a faculty, staff and student team for the event and challenged Lipscomb’s Pharmacy team to enter the walk and raise more money. The funds have now been tallied and Belmont School of Pharmacy’s team raised $2,745, taking a slim lead over Lipscomb’s team of walkers. Deans Phil Johnston (Belmont) and Roger Davis (Lipscomb) agree, however, that the most important aspect of this friendly competition is that together the schools raised nearly $5,000, well above their combined goal of $1,500. In addition, the Belmont physical therapy team raised nearly $600.
New Book by Fishers Offers Insights from Hospice Patients
Authors to Sign Books at Davis-Kidd Thurs., May 22, 7 p.m.; Percentage of authors’ royalties to go to Alive Hospice
Dr. Bob Fisher, president of Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., and his wife, Judy, are releasing, Life is a Gift: Inspiration from the Soon Departed (FaithWords, Hachette Book Group USA), on May 20, 2008, featuring a collection of interviews and lessons learned from 104 terminally ill patients of Alive Hospice in Nashville. FaithWords will hold a book signing for the Fishers at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Green Hills Mall, on Thurs., May 22 at 7 p.m.
During the course of their interviews, the Fishers spoke with a wide range of terminal patients of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Though each person had a unique story, each accepted death as an unavoidable fact. All of the 104 patients the Fishers interviewed have since died.
“We wanted to glean the wisdom of those who are ‘near-to-death,’” the Fishers wrote in Life is a Gift. “You’ve heard stories of people who have a near-death experience and change their way of thinking about the world… In our talking to the soon-departed, it was our goal to have an experience of being ‘near-to-death’ and to see where it led us.”
Alive Hospice President and CEO Janet Jones said, “When I read this book, I was so inspired by the messages the people we were privileged to serve left with us. What a gift this book is to all of us about how to live our lives to the fullest. Bob and Judy Fisher’s ability to lovingly be present during these conversations and allow the individuals to express their core feelings and then grasp them in the story is nothing short of miraculous.”
Twenty-five percent of the authors’ royalties will go to Alive Hospice, www.alivehospice.org.
The conversations with patients like 5-year-old Maddie or the 98-year-old man who spent his last weeks learning Hungarian followed a standard question-and-answer formula: What are you most proud of? What has been your greatest joy? What has been your greatest disappointment? What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done? What do you regret? What comes next for you? If you could give one message to the world, what would it be?
