S N SPRING 2013

SONONEWS
SPRING 2013
ALVIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DCVS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Accreditation Update/Site Visit
ACCREDITATION UPDATE
1
GRADUATES
1
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
2
STUDENT EVENTS
2
DCVS IN THE NEWS
3
FACULTY UPDATES
4
AWARDS
4
LECTURE SERIES
5
IN MEMORIAM
5
nd
Our reaccreditation site visit was April 22
rd
and 23 of 2013. The reaccreditation was for
Vascular and Adult Echocardiography, as well
as the initial accreditation for Pediatric
Echocardiography.
Once our Pedi program is accredited, we will
be the first Pediatric Echocardiography
program accredited by JRCDMS!!
Presenting the
ACC DCVS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2013
CONGRATULATIONS!
SONONEWS
SPRING 2013
Student Spotlight – Tim Wong
Dr. Edward T.H. Yeh, left, is the leader of a research
team that has figured out why a common chemotherapy
drug (doxorubicin) can do serious, irreversible damage to
a patient's heart tissue. In the photo Dr. Yeh uses an
Echo Ultrasound machine on Alvin Community College
Intern Tim Wong to see if his heart is healthy. Because
of the danger of chemotherapy to the heart, the patient
has an ultrasound done before the first chemotherapy
session and is checked again after a few chemotherapy
sessions. Tim Wong was not sick - he was just used as a
model for the photograph.
Sophomore Echo student, Tim Wong, pictured left, recently
had an opportunity to assist a research team studying the
cardiotoxicity of the chemotherapy drug, “doxorubicin.” The
team includes researchers from the University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Heart Institute at St.
Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston.
Some of the most common forms of cancer are often treated
with a drug that can cause heart failure. Some patients make
it through chemotherapy, only to discover that the drug that
eradicated their cancer has done irreversible damage to
their heart tissue.
But these Houston researchers have made a discovery that
could help patients avoid that damage – and their findings
may lead to new and safer drugs.
“Doxorubicin is used to treat many types of cancer, and has
been used for 50 years,” said Edward T.H. Yeh, Chairman of
the Cardiology department at the University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center and a McNair Scholar at the Texas
Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. “A lot of
cancers still rely on this drug because it’s very effective,” he
said, “but it causes heart problems.” Dr. Yeh’s team has
developed testing to identify which patients are sensitive or
resistant to doxorubicin and who should be prescribed
different medications and strategies.
We currently have 41 students doing clinical rotations! The
sophomores are completing their check-offs at the clinical sites and
the freshmen are getting some scanning experience. In addition,
the students have been busy working at health fairs and other
community events. At left, sophomore vascular student, Khanh
Nguyen demonstrates Doppler to a young student.
Above, Jessica Murphy shows a young
student how to scan, at the ACC Open
House
Above, freshmen echo students Donna Ly and Nicole Pham, along
with sophomore vascular student, Rebecca Fernandez, demonstrate
the phantom arm at the Alvin High School Career Fair.
Alvin Community College | 3110 Mustang Rd. Alvin, TX 77511 | phone 281.756.5625 | fax 281.756.5606
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SONONEWS
SPRING 2013
ACC DCVS in the News!
Each February our students offer heart scans to the
public for Valentine’s Day. The annual event helps the
students raise money for scholarships and lab supplies.
It also increases awareness that February is Heart
Health month. This year, Houston’s Channel 39
featured the event on their news network.
The heart scans are a simple capture of the person’s
heart. The pictures can be personalized with a
message and are available for as little as $2 each.
At left, echo sophomores Zac Gruetzner and Ashley
Elsner scan a patient
while Channel 39’s
photojournalist, Joey, films the action. This segment,
“Heart Scans”, aired Feb. 12th. It may also be viewed
at newsfixnow.com
At right,
sophomore
echo students
Aubrey Bristol
and Ashley
Elsner scan a
Dawson High
School athlete.
Dawson High School Health Fair
Students Attend
Houston Aortic Symposium
We would like to express our gratitude to
Program Directors, Hazim J. Safi, MD, and
David D. McPherson, MD, both of University of
Texas Medical School at Houston and Memorial
Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute, along
with Laurel Steigerwald of Promedica
International. Because of their generosity, 22
DCVS students were granted complimentary
admission to “The Houston Aortic Symposium:
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Diseases, the Sixth
in the Series” in March. The students were
privileged to learn about many topics, including
etiology,
pathology,
imaging,
genetics,
diagnosis, evaluation, management, surgery,
medicine and endovascular techniques.
After the recent sudden cardiac death of
Pearland football player Folabi Akanbi
last week, Alvin Community College DCVS
instructors have been striving to get
student athletes screened for heart
issues. This was a tragic loss of life that
may have been prevented. With the
direction and guidance of Shannon
Trahan and Kathryn Dougherty at St.
Luke’s Hospital, in conjunction with Chris
Shaddock, the head trainer at Dawson
High School, the instructors at Alvin
College helped organize cardiac screening
for the athletes at Dawson High School.
These
screenings included blood
pressure, pulse oximetry, BMI, glucose,
echocardiograms, cholesterol, and EKGs.
The athletic health fair successfully
screened 356 students. Many ACC
students volunteered their time to help
at the event.
Alvin Community College | 3110 Mustang Rd. Alvin, TX 77511 | phone 281.756.5625 | fax 281.756.5606
3
SONONEWS
SPRING 2013
Faculty Update
Lynne Bruner, our Clinical Director for the
past 5 years, recently resigned due to
health reasons. Although we hate to see
her go and will miss her terribly, we are so
grateful to have found an excellent and
highly qualified individual to take her
place. We would like to welcome Sue
Poston, AAS, RDCS (AE, PE), RVS, FASE, as
our new Clinical Director and lead faculty
for the Pediatric Echocardiography
program.
Dina DuBose, clinical faculty and Health
Fair Coordinator, has been promoted to
Clinical Coordinator. She will work directly
with Sue to supervise and coordinate
clinical instruction and supervision. We
would like to make this a full-time position
as soon as possible, due to the increased
number of students in clinical rotations and
additional clinical sites.
1st Pediatric Echo Graduates!
Front, left to right, Bailey Farmer, Hayley Cates, and Veronica Pohl
Back, Lynne Bruner, Heather Williams, Ana Arreola and Sue Poston
And the Award Goes to….
Best Clinical Site
Echo……………..UTMD Anderson
Pedi Echo……….TCH, Med Center
Vascular…………Methodist
Preceptor of the Year
Echo preceptor ………………….Adil Khan, RCS
Pedi echo preceptor…………….Kassie Barron, RDCS (AE,PE)
Vascular preceptor ……………..Fausto Esquivel, RVT
AAS Echo Skills Award ……………………………………...Ashley Elsner
AAS Pedi Echo Skills Award ………………………………..Ana Arreola
AAS Vascular Skills Award ………………………………….Lauren Wilchynski
ATC Echo Skills Award ……………………………………..Tim Wong
ATC Vascular Skills Award ………………………………….Monica Ritter
ATC Echo Academic Achievement Award ………………..Abby Buerkett
ATC Vascular Academic Achievement Award ……………Carlos Martinez
AAS Echo Academic Achievement Award ………………...Zachary Gruetzner
AAS Pedi Echo Academic Achievement Award…………...Heather Williams
AAS Vascular Academic Achievement Award …………….Khanh Nguyen
Alvin Community College | 3110 Mustang Rd. Alvin, TX 77511 | phone 281.756.5625 | fax 281.756.5606
4
SONONEWS
Lectures
“Thanks” to all who presented lectures for
our students and faculty this semester!
SPRING 2013
In Memoriam
February
Lynne Bruner…….Pedi echo “Partial Anomalous
Pulmonary Venous Return”
GE Healthcare…………………………………“A Case
for Contrast” & dinner
March
Medical Director, Dr.Kee…………... “TEE In-service”
Medical Director,
Dr.Tung……………………………..“RV Assessment”
Hamilton Vein Center………………………. “Vascular
Meeting” & dinner
April
Jennie Zarasvand………………………….”Ebstein’s
Anomaly”
Connie Mosier, RRT, RDCS, RVT
By Jessica Murphy
"People with goals
succeed because they
know where they are
going... It's as simple as
that."
Earl Nightingale
Alvin Community College
DCVS Program
3110 Mustang Rd.
Alvin, TX 77511
281.756.5625
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to tell you that
Connie Mosier, former DCVS Clinical Director, passed away
on Saturday, Feb. 23rd, 2013.
Connie and I go way back. I met Connie on the first day of
respiratory school here at ACC in August of 1986. I was
only 18. She was older than I, but we quickly became
friends. We rode to clinical together, studied together,
graduated together in 1988, and passed our boards
together. Connie went on to work in Homecare but then
later came back to ACC to attend the DCVS program and
learn Echocardiography and Vascular Sonography. She
graduated with degrees in both Echo and Vascular. She
went on to become the manager and lead sonographer at
Sweeny Hospital and then she came to work for me as our
Clinical Director several years later. Not too many people
knew how smart Connie was. She did not flaunt it or wave
it in your face, but I never knew anyone as smart as
Connie. We often competed for the best grades and she
won just about every time. When she applied for the job
here at ACC, it was a no-brainer. I knew how smart she
was and how she always put her patients first so it was an
easy decision to hire her. The students all loved her and
benefitted greatly from her experience.
We miss her smiling face and infectious laugh! Please keep
Connie’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Alvin Community College ranked in the TOP 10% of community colleges in the United States! 2 nd Year in a row!
-The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program