Page 2 - The Fort Report

ACHE Collaborates With Researchers At The Stanford Prevention
Research Center
ACHE School Of PT Takes Another Step Toward Full Accreditation
Special to The Fort Report
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education has begun a collaboration with researchers at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, through the Our Voice Citizen Science Initiative. Our Voice employs a “Discovery Tool” mobile app that trained citizen scientists use to document health-impacting features of their communities. They then work together to prioritize areas for realistic change and promote improvements that will support community health.
Elizabeth McClain, PhD, Chief Wellness Officer at ACHE stated, “This approach of citizen scientist has the ability to engage people in our community to discover, discuss, advocate, and make monumental changes. These changes will help to create a healthier living environment.,” said McClain. “Once selected and trained, the citizen scientists will be able to use the Our Voice app on their phones to document health- related features of the community through geotagged photos, audio/text narratives, feature ratings, and walking maps. Once uploaded, the integrated images and audio/text narratives will be reviewed by the community group. The group will then use their own collective data to prioritize action areas, identify resources, and engage additional stakeholders who can collaborate on activating recommended changes.”
McClain has engaged in a multi- year collaborative research agreement with Abby C. King, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health and of Medicine at Stanford, who leads the Our Voice Research Initiative.
King was recognized in 2020 by
receiving both the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine and a lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. McClain stated, “It is an honor to collaborate with Dr. King and the Our Voice team at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. We will utilize two ongoing initiatives in the community that focus on access, health, and wellness. The Frontier Metropolitan Planning Organization interdisciplinary team, selected by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which has been chosen to participate in the Walkability Action Institute, will incorporate Our Voice into their planning which will focus on health, access, and walkability. The Fort Smith community is also participating in Robert Wood Johnson (RWJF) Action Learning Cohort to focus on building a culture of health. All of these initiatives will help us transform our city.”
Kyle D. Parker, CEO of ACHE stated, “I believe the utilization of Our Voice and citizen science research will change the paradigm and embrace the health equity of our community in both authentic voice and vision. This artistic approach of visual imagery is a great representation of our story and embraces art and health in a unique and powerful approach to drive change.”
ACHE will begin the pilot project phase of the Our Voice Initiative by deploying the mobile app in December 2020. Our Voice is being used across the United States and globally in over 20 countries at this time.
Special to The Fort Report
The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) announces that its newest program, the ACHE School of Physical Therapy has received Candidate for Accreditation status from the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
Teressa Brown, DPT, PhD, Dean of the ACHE PT school stated, “We were thrilled to receive the official letter from CAPTE stating that we have been granted Candidate for Accreditation status. We are now able to enroll students and move forward in the development and implementation of the program.”
ACHE PT is a three-year, doctoral program that will begin on June 1, 2021. The class size for the new program is forty students.
Kyle D. Parker, JD, CEO of ACHE said, “This is our second doctoral program to open under the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education. “We will graduate our inaugural class of Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine on May 15, 2021, and welcome our first class of Physical Therapy students in June. We couldn’t grow at this accelerated pace without top notch faculty and staff and the support of our incredible community. It is amazing that we are developing our fourth health science program since founding ACHE six years ago,” said Parker.
Brian Kim, JD, President of ACHE stated, “CAPTE was tasked with determining the quality of the education, the faculty, and the resources available to the institution. We are proud to have received the highest status available at this time.”
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) is a private, not-for-profit institution located on 430 acres in Fort Smith, Arkansas. ACHE’s first college, the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) is set to graduate its inaugural class of 150 osteopathic medical students in May 2021. ACHE opened its second building, a 66,000 square foot facility that will be the home to developing programs: the School of Physical Therapy, the School of Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies. ACHE School of Physical Therapy will welcome its first class in June 2021. ACHE recently announced the purchase of the ACHE Research Institute Health & Wellness Center, a 317,850 square foot facility that will contain a biomedical research laboratory and space for transformational initiatives in health and wellness. ACHE is the first and only private institution in Arkansas that is dedicated solely to healthcare and wellness. For more information about the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education and our programs, visit www.acheedu.org.
Volume 1, Number 19
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December 2, 2020 | The Fort Report