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Joining assistant professor in the University’s Osborne College of Audiology, Dr. Bre Myers, another Salus faculty member and a Doctor of Behavioral Health student at Arizona State round out the 2017 class of Biomedicine graduates. Dr. Lynn Greenspan, assistant professor in the University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry, earned her PhD, while Scott Rowe, earned his master of science.
Both Dr. Greenspan and Rowe chose to advance their studies within the University’s Office of Graduate Programs in Biomedicine because it suited their individual needs and professional goals.
“It is designed specifically for the experienced clinician who wants to become a researcher,” Dr. Greenspan said. “It teaches all the necessary steps in preparation for independent research. The flexibility allows working individuals to tailor academic studies around a busy schedule.”
Dr. Greenspan focused her dissertation on a subject she’s studied personally for many years, in which always had outlying questions she knew needed answers.
“After 21 years working with neurological impairment to the visual system, many unanswered questions existed,” she said. “I found myself saying, ‘Someone should answer this. Someone should design a study to see what would happen.’ Then I said, ‘Why not me? I should do this.’”
Her research entitled, “Saccadic Eye Movement Dysfunction as an Indicator of Persistent Post-Concussion Impairment,” explores eye movement endurance in concussion patients.
“The brain spends a lot of energy and real estate on the coordination of eye movements,” she explained. “Eye movements become impaired after neurological injury and disease. Using eye movements as a measure of neurological disease and injury makes sense. Many patients complain about difficulty with visual endurance when returning to work or school after a concussion. I hope to expand the relevance of this research to other neurological and degenerative diseases, drug side effects, treatment efficacy and the aging process.”
Rowe’s research took shape over time as he was paired with two mentors for the duration of his program. He said the experience of having a mentor guide him helped him truly understand the process of researching a topic for academic scholarship.
“The topic I chose that I eventually had the defense for was actually my second topic,” he said. “I was originally doing research on medical ethics and end of life decisions but the project just was not practical. When I was paired with Dr. John Crews as my mentor, he guided me in the direction of the research that he conducts. I was able to find a data set to analyze with help from my secondary mentor Dr. William Sansing.”
For his research, Rowe focused on examining physical limitations for those aged 65 and older in relation to hearing and visual impairments. Even though he has been very interested in medicine since his early 20s, his experiences in the Biomedicine program at Salus allowed him to further pursue this innate interest. “After time, I realized I would be better suited in a research role as opposed to a clinical role,” he said. “I want to make a difference in the biomedical field and this is where Salus came in to play. Their reputation for providing a strong education from some of the most respected practitioners in the field as faculty made the choice rather easy. It is a decision I am very happy I made, and I feel it was the correct one.”
