GULFPORT, Fla.— Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida are joining forces to help Florida veterans through supportive clinical services, collaborative student training and joint research.  The collaboration will help veterans negotiate an often complex system so that they may secure disability benefits to which they are entitled.

This partnership is believed to be the first of its kind pairing students and faculty from a law school and an academic health center to help serve veterans.

“Our goal is to serve Florida’s veteran population by helping them secure the benefits they have rightfully earned from the Department of Veterans Affairs while providing an integrated, interdisciplinary learning opportunity for our law students as they gain practical, legal experience in working directly with clients and professionals in other disciplines,” said Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz, dean of Stetson University College of Law. Pietruszkiewicz has championed veterans programs at Stetson Law by expanding the law school’s Veterans Law Institute and Veterans Advocacy Clinic.

Associate Dean and Professor of Law Michael Allen directs Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, and Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox was recently selected to lead the Veterans Advocacy Clinic.

The new program will assist veterans in proving entitlement to disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and help the V.A. make more accurate decisions on complicated medical claims.  It will also team law students with medical, nursing, public health, pharmacy, and physical therapy students to enhance learning and practice in health care and legal services – a compelling need for providing services to veterans in our communities.

Graduate students at Stetson’s law school and USF Health’s colleges will work together to augment and streamline the process of serving their veteran clients and patients. Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic faculty and students will coordinate medical and related clinical case reviews and analyses with USF Health faculty and students where appropriate.  This is expected to be especially important in strengthening and refining diagnoses for certain physical and behavioral health issues and facilitating efficient and effective processing of benefit applications and appeals.

Stetson Law students and USF Health students will teach each other about the practical skills and knowledge associated with legal and clinical standards and processes required for disability eligibility and successful receipt of benefits. Legal and health care advocacy will come together to improve access to, quality of and receipt of benefits.

“This new partnership with Stetson is another example of USF’s commitment to helping veterans successfully reintegrate into civilian life when they leave the military,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “The multidisciplinary collaboration will give our students the opportunity to learn from one another while serving Florida’s veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much in service to our country.”

Stetson’s work in the area of veterans clinics is nationally acclaimed, and USF has been distinguished as one of the nation’s leading veteran-friendly universities.

To learn more about the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at Stetson, visit www.stetson.edu/law/veterans.

About Stetson University College of Law

Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.  

About USF Health

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Media contacts:
Brandi Palmer, Stetson Law Communications Office,  (727) 562-7381
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications, (813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7C-oWoySAM

Army Sgt. Danny Swank’s lower right leg was amputated following dozens of surgeries to try to save the limb severely damaged when a grenade exploded inside his Humvee in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Joe Hutchinson’s lower leg was blown off by a roadside bomb when he served as a soldier in the Iraq War.

Both veterans participate in USF studies seeking to improve the quality of lives of combat wounded warriors through better prosthetics. The USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences specializes in research to improve prosthetic options for those who lose limbs from traumatic injury or diseases – including soldiers and veterans reintegrating into society.

Combat veteran Joseph Hutchinson, wearing an advanced knee prosthetic designed to more smoothly mimic a natural gait, walks up and down stairs.

With the help of Swank and Hutchinson, the school recently offered a behind-the-scenes look at its programs and research to help amputees resume leading active lives, including engaging in rigorous athletics or returning to the workforce, school or active duty.  The Walk With a Warrior event was hosted by William S. Quillen, PT, DPT, PhD, FACSM, associate dean and director of the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences.  Attendees included former enlisted members of Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy as well as representatives from foundations supporting veterans and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council.

“Our goal is to do our best to maximize the function of prostheses, whether they are used for athletic pursuits like running, cycling and aquatics or activities of daily living,” said Jason Highsmith, PT, DPT, CP assistant professor of physical therapy.

Jason Highsmith (center), assistant professor at the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, explains some of the school’s advanced prosthetics research.

Hutchinson participated in USF’s study comparing the effectiveness of two microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees — the gold standard C-Leg® and the new Genium knee joint, designed to more closely mimic natural gait. The study was funded by the Florida High-Tech Corridor and manufacturer Otto Bock. The study was funded by the Florida High-Tech Corridor and manufacturer Otto Bock.

During the event, Hutchinson demonstrated the climbing and descending stairs with the Genium knee he wears, while Highsmith explained how the prosthetic knee’s biotechnology responds to environmental inputs to make motion more intuitive.

“The microprocessor knee is figuring out what Joe wants to do next,” Highsmith said. “Based on analysis of the speed and angles of his movements, the technology senses he’s about to go down the stairs, so the motion of the prosthetic slows accordingly.”  .

An upcoming Department of Defense-funded randomized trial led by Highsmith will evaluate which of three different types of high-tech multifunctional prosthetic feet are best for highly mobile soldiers and veterans with below-the-knee amputations.

William S. Quillen, DPT, director of the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, presented an overview of the school’s applied research projects to representatives of military and veterans organizations.

Swank, training to scale Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro with several other combat-wounded veterans in January, plans to enroll in the study.

“This study could benefit guys who want to return to active duty by fitting them with prostheses that help them do their job as well as before” they lost limbs,” Swank said.

That includes young amputee soldiers who want the option of returning to the battlefield.

As they work on determining which prosthesis comes closest to a real foot in performing high-intensity tactical maneuvers like running, jumping, climbing and crawling, Highsmith emphasizes that the research has applications for civilians as well.

The same knowledge used to develop a prosthetic that can help soldiers more efficiently maneuver across war zone terrain can be applied to people who want to move better in their own homes and work environments, or remain competitive in sports they enjoy, he said.

Faculty members at the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences have attracted more than $3 million in funding from federal agencies, the state, and industry partners  The state of Florida recently provided $500,000 of recurring funding to support a comprehensive range of interdisciplinary research in prosthetics and orthotics optimization, musculoskeletal disorders, traumatic brain injury, and balance and movement disorders.

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

August 1, 2012 (Tampa, FL) – Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Nursing have shown that brief treatments with Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) substantially reduce symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  including, depression, anxiety, sleep dysfunction and other physical and psychological symptoms. The findings of this first study of ART appear in an on-line article published June 18, 2012 in the journal Behavioral Sciences.

ART is being studied as an alternative to traditional PTSD treatments that use drugs or lengthy therapy sessions. The talk therapy uses back-and-forth eye movements as the patient fluctuates between talking about a traumatic scene, and using the eye movements to help process that information to integrate the memories from traumatic events. The two major components of ART include minimizing or eliminating physiological response associated traumatic memories, and re-envisioning painful or disturbing experiences with a novel technique known as Voluntary Image Replacement.

Diego Hernandez, visiting assistant professor of nursing,demonstrates a technique used in Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

For the initial study, researchers recruited 80 adult veterans and civilians, ages 21 to 60, in the Tampa Bay area. Before receiving ART, patients were tested for symptoms of PTSD and depression, with the vast majority testing positive, 80 percent for PTSD and 90 percent for depression. After treatment using ART, the research team reported a dramatic reversal in symptoms.  In as few as one to four sessions, those showing symptoms had decreased to only 17 percent for PTSD and 28 percent for depression.  Improvements were also seen in trauma-related growth and self-compassion in just one to four treatments.

“From this initial assessment, ART appears to be a brief, safe, and effective treatment for symptoms of PTSD,” the report concludes.“Early results are very promising,” said principal investigator Kevin E. Kip, Ph.D. FAHA, professor and executive director of the USF College of Nursing Research Center. “Most people who came in to be treated had very high scores for PTSD, and after treatment, the majority had very large reductions. The treatment also reduced other symptoms, like depression, as well as improved sleep.”

Lead investigator Kevin Kip, PhD

 According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), PTSD has become an epidemic in the United States. Recent NIH statistics show more than 7.7 million American adults and as many as 31 percent of war veterans suffer from PTSD. They experience mild to extreme symptoms, often with greatly impaired quality of life and physical and psychological functioning. ART is a particularly promising alternative to traditional PTSD treatments, because it uses no drugs, has no serious adverse effects, and can improve symptoms in -few therapy sessions. The compelling results achieved principally with civilians in the first study prompted the USF College of Nursing to seek expansion of a second ongoing ART study, funded by the U.S. Army, to veterans and reservists in Las Vegas.

“As part of RESTORE LIVES at USF, the innovative nursing research being conducted by Dr. Kip and his team demonstrates our commitment to the health and welfare of our nation’s military, veterans and their families,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, senior associate vice president of USF Health, and dean of the College of Nursing.  “The results that the ART studies have shown so far are truly amazing, and offer new hope to those suffering from PTSD.”

Last week, the USF research team traveled to Las Vegas to conduct the first mobile ART study with military reservists.  “We are happy about our collaboration with USF College of Nursing,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Raul Rojas, commanding officer for the Naval Operations Support Center (NOSC). “We’re honored to be the first West Coast study site for the USF College of Nursing’s ART study. We hope our relationship will help get the word out to those who can benefit from the study.”

ART is one of the five sub-studies of the USF College of Nursing’s Research to Rehabilitate/Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families (RESTORE LIVES) grant funded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, MD.

“All the pieces are coming together, with published results on ART effectiveness and our first national study site in Las Vegas. It looks like we are closer to getting a more efficient evidence-based treatment into place that will actually eliminate the traumatic response to memories and bring relief to the troops and their families,” said co- investigator Carrie Elk, PhD, LMHC, CTE, assistant professor and military liaison at the USF College of Nursing.

Article Citation:
Kip, K. E., Elk, C. A., Sullivan, K. L., Kadel, R., Lengacher, C. A., Long, C. J., Rosenzweig, L., Shuman, A., Hernandez, D. F., Street, J. D., Girling, S. A. & Diamond, D. M. (2012). Brief treatment of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by use of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Behavioral Sciences. 2(2), 115-134. doi:10.3390/bs2020115

–USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

-RESTORE LIVES at USF-

Through ‘RESTORE LIVES AT USF: Education and Research to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families’, USF College of Nursing faculty develop life enhancing treatments through nursing research, and educate nurses with the knowledge and skills specific to the needs of the military, veterans and their families. The ART study is an example of type of innovative research that the USF College of Nursing is developing to improve the health of our honored service members and veterans.

Media contact:
Ashlea Hudak, College of Nursing Communications
ahudak@health.usf.edu or (813) 396-9642