Misericordia Student Joins POTA Board

Maura Musial, OTS, a senior at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA, was recently appointed to the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association (POTA) Board of Directors as the representative of Pennsylvania's occupational therapy students. As a member of the board, Musial will participate in vital discussion and decision making concerning current issues in occupational therapy in Pennsylvania.

Musial was nominated by Lalit Shah, EdD, OTR/L, professor of occupational therapy at Misericordia and a member of the POTA board for five years.

Musial will graduate from Misericordia in 2010 with her master's degree in occupational therapy.

NYU Students Bring Aid to the Bronx

Three first-year OT students from New York University recently visited the Rose F. Kennedy Center's Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) in the Bronx for their pediatric observation experiences. While there, the students met the children who come to CERC for OT and PT, and were invited to participate in the center's holiday party.

Under the direction of Joanna Dritsas, the community relations coordinator for the class of 2011, the students selected and purchased toys appropriate for the children who have varied developmental diagnoses.

The carefully selected gifts enabled the children to carryover play, fine- and gross-motor coordination, dexterity and interaction skills at home.

This educational opportunity with collaboration between the clinic and the classroom was invaluable to the clinicians and greatly benefitted the children and families.

Kaiser Receives Three-Year News Grant

The Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit, private operating foundation based in Menlo Park, CA, recently agreed on a funding arrangement with The SCAN Foundation, an independent, nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing the development of quality care for seniors, that will enable the Kaiser Health News service, a forthcoming initiative, to provide in-depth coverage of health care issues of concern to America's senior population.

The three-year commitment from The SCAN Foundation will result in coverage of health care issues through longer-form articles, interviews, webcasts and other web-based materials. Topics covered will include long-term care, Medicare, and health care affordability and delivery, among others.

Content will be available for free at www.kaiserhealtnews.org.

New Journal Addresses Visual Impairment

The AER Journal: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness, a recently launched publication, will serve professionals as a resource that can be used in a practical setting, with articles and other information about experiments, research, education and technology.

Published by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the journal will include articles on a range of lifestyle topics as well as features where practitioners can share and exchange ideas.

Information presented at the AER International Conference will also be published.

The AER Journal will be available in print and online at www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1550.