WCHHS displays scholarship at interprofessional symposium

The Waldron College of Health and Human Services (WCHHS) community will convene for its fifth annual Interprofessional Symposium and Expo (IPS&E) on April 10 in Heth Hall.

The daylong celebration of original research by the WCHHS faculty and students will be keynoted by Dr. Marisela Rosas Hemphill, First Lady of Radford University. 

Also featured will be senior nursing student Cassidy McRorie, who will join Assistant Professor of Nursing Megan Hebdon, to make one of the event’s 23 podium presentations.

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Assistant Professor of Nursing Megan Hebdon (left) and Cassidy McRorie (right), shown here at the March 21-24 Southern Nursing Research Society annual conference in Atlanta, will make a one of eight podium presentations at the April 10 Interprofessional Symposium and Expo, hosted by the Waldron College of Health and Human Services.

McRorie and Hebdon will be presenting overview research into the effects of chemotherapy drugs on patient cognition that was accepted for presentation at the recent Southern Nursing Research Society annual conference in Atlanta.  McRorie is also partnering with Associate Professor of Nursing Eunyoung Lee for a poster presentation of their comparative analysis of health care systems and issues between South Korea, Taiwan and the United States based on a 2017 summer study abroad experience.

McRorie said she considers research experience invaluable to her professional goals.

“I want to grow as a researcher as well as a nurse,” said McRorie whose research career began as a sophomore under Associate Professor of Biology Tara Phelps-Durr and has developed in the Radford University Honors Academy.  

“I want a little more than bedside nursing,” said McRorie, who aspires to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the terminal degree for advanced practice nurses. “The biggest impact I can make is to continually find ways to improve patient outcomes and my experiences as a researcher at Radford has helped me make connections and contributions.”

Her recent SNRS conference presentation experience was unique, said McRorie.

“I was one  of a few undergraduates among DNP and Ph.D candidates in nursing.  Everyone looked at me like I was a baby,’ McRorie said.

McRorie was quick to share credit to those who helped her and encouraged her to make the professional leaps of faith.

“Dr. Hebdon was an amazing mentor, “ said McRorie. “My Honors academy experience and friends pushed me to fulfill commitments while my study abroad experience confirmed my vocational goal.”  

McRorie will be one of many WCHHS graduate and undergraduate students whose research will be on display at the IPS&E, a showcase for the research and scholarly work that emerge from the relationships between WCHHS faculty and students.

The 2018 IPS&E will also include 47 poster presentations, from graduate and undergraduate students and faculty in the Schools of Nursing and Social Work, the departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Occupational Therapy and the Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Nursing Practice and RN to BSN programs. Poster and podium presentation abstracts will be available online at: http://ocs.radford.edu/.

Also featured at the expo will be more than 25 WCHHS university and community partners representing health care and community service organizations in the public and private sectors. Among the featured exhibitors and clinical partners for student health care professionals on display will be Carilion Clinic-Social Work Services, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, New River Community Services, Friendship Retirement Community, Pivot Physical Therapy and Family Preservation Services.

The IPS&E is organized by the WCHHS Interprofessional Planning and Peer Review Committee and is sponsored by the Waldron College of Health and Human Services.

Apr 6, 2018
Don Bowman
(540) 831-5182
dbowman@radford.edu