On a Thursday morning last spring, Paul Penoliar and his CSUDH student assistant, Isabelle Guevera, help 15 older adults do a series of stretching exercises. Stretching will give you a better quality of movement,” the longtime occupational therapist and CSUDH lecturer tells them. “It helps you to become more flexible. Stretching helps joint issues and provides stress relief.” Some of the seniors have back pain, others are recovering from breaking bones and from surgery; Penoliar shows them how they can adapt the exercises to accommodate their abilities. It’s no secret that one of the most pressing health care concerns in the United States is the increasing demand for innovative, ... Read More
College of Health Human Services and Nursing
Mark Muller Named New Chair of Orthotics and Prosthetics Department
Mark Muller, CPO, FAAOP, MS, has been named the new chair of the Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Dean Gary Sayed of the College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing announced. Muller joined CSUDH in 2006, and immediately went to work developing new curricula in gait and biomechanics, along with working to upgrade all course objectives. Prior to CSUDH, Muller worked in private practice in San Diego, served as education manager for Ossur Americas, and taught at Northwestern University P&O Center. He has lectured extensively in the U.S. and is past president of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. Muller ... Read More
Scott Cheatham’s Research May Help Doctors Get More in Touch with Patients’ Pain
If all goes well, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Scott Cheatham’s research could open doors for new methods of examining people who suffer from fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome—two chronic conditions that cause widespread pain in the muscles and tissues of the body—and related issues such as fatigue. For over a year, Cheatham, who serves as director of Cal State Dominguez Hills’ Pre-Physical Therapy Program, studied more than 90 individuals with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain. Normally, a doctor will apply a self-prescribed amount of pressure to a body region using touch, then document the patient’s reaction to the graded pressure. With Cheatham’s new scale, doctors ... Read More
MSW Graduate Layla Sewell Works to ‘Awaken the Greatness’ in Local Communities
When Layla Sewell is out in the community and she hears someone say, “Look! It’s Ms. Sewell!” it warms her heart —as it should having worked to warm the hearts of entire families for over 20 years. Sewell is executive director of the Awaken the Greatness Foundation (ATG), which she founded in late 2011. The Los Angeles-based non-profit facilitates, organizes and moderates workshops, classes and events that “enrich and improve the lives of African-American parents and youth.” “Working with young people just seems to come naturally to me. It’s truly a joy,” said Sewell. “It’s been a major part of my life for so long.” Along with her work for ATG, Sewell has been balancing her role as ... Read More
Occupational Therapy Students Take 1st at CSU Student Research Competition
For their ground-breaking research on incorporating a proven, yet emerging, wellness methodology into occupational therapy (OT), California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) OT students Lisa Faust and Vanessa Dougherty took 1st Place at the statewide 30th Annual CSU Student Research Competition, held this year at CSU Bakersfield. Dougherty and Faust won in the “Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences” category for their presentation “Occupational Therapy Trauma-Informed Practice Using the Community Resiliency Model [CRM]: Narrative and Photo Voice with Veterans.” The overall goal of their research was to explore the benefits of OT professionals’ use of CRM with trauma-exposed ... Read More
