Latest news with #WillcoxonInnovationinHealthSciencesSummit
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri Southern students explore future healthcare at summit
JOPLIN, Mo. — Bit of a different Friday for some students at Missouri Southern. They got to learn more about future precision healthcare advancements thanks to the 2nd annual Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit. It featured a number of professionals—and a keynote speaker—all there to help students explore cutting-edge technologies and trends shaping the future of the industry. Some of the students also got to give presentations involving their research projects. 'Healthcare affects everyone. And if we can develop programs, if we can produce very high-quality graduates, which we do, then they can go and fill those roles and help to bridge the gap in those shortages. And so that is definitely a very important aspect of what we do here at Missouri Southern,' said Dr. Crystal Lemmons, MSSU College of Health, Life Sciences & Education Dean. 'I think it's really important, because we are the future generation coming up and so, it's helpful to know that we're informed about what's coming and how we're going to be able to handle it, too,' said Chloe Seme, MSSU Freshman dental hygiene student. Those in attendance also got an update on the new Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit focuses on precision health care and AI
Health care technologies and trends shaping the industry's future were the focus Friday of Missouri Southern State University's Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit. Crystal Lemmons, dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences Education, said the summit was open to everyone in the community. The theme centered around precision health care, which means what works for one person might not work for someone else, she said. 'Precision health care is an integral part of what medicine is and where we're headed in the future,' Lemmons said. 'The term means we are looking at personalized health care. We are moving away from a one-size-fits-all medicine model and getting into looking at an individual's life, their genetics, their environment and lifestyle. We are understanding that is the key to tailoring treatments to get a much better diagnosis with our technology.' In addition to speakers, there was a lunch presentation on the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center under construction on the campus, displays, students presenting research from the summit's scholar program and a virtual reality section for people to tour the new building. With construction of their new facility, MSSU continues as the educational cornerstone for the region, Lemmons said. 'We know regionally we're experiencing shortages in our health care workers,' she said. 'We are try to meet that demand by bringing awareness. Secondly, education is the cornerstone to closing that gap. Learning is the key for that.' The summit's keynote address featured Marilyn Heine discussing 'Strengthening the Focus on Precision Healthcare with an AI Twist.' She is a member of the American Medical Association's board of trustees, an emergency medicine and hematology oncology physician in southeast Pennsylvania, and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Heine said precision health care and artificial intelligence continue to shape the future of health care. Precision health care improves effectiveness, enhances patient safety to lessen potential risks and side effects, and has better outcomes to improve quality of life. For example, Heine said this takes the form of looking at someone's personal factors, like a history of substance abuse, and external factors, such as living in an area of high pollution, to diagnose and treat a patient. AI can help with examining and monitoring these factors at a much higher level than humans can. AI doesn't supplant the physician, it guides them, Heine added. 'AI is crucial and drives precision health care,' Heine said. 'As clinicians, we rely heavily on pattern recognition, but AI does that to a different level. AI augments our human ability to analyze and interpret data that is complex and has patterns. It also efficiently helps clinicians to develop and deliver a tailored approach.' Heine used the example of a doctor seeking to improve care for a diabetes patient in a rural area without easy access to health care. The doctor can use AI-based mobile health to continuously monitor the patient's glucose and use an AI-based wearable to monitor the patient's heart rate. In the future, AI may be able to determine if the patient is following their medication regime. Heine continued that it's important to realize AI's limitations, including limitations on access to appropriate data and present bias that is not fully addressed in the AI models. The AMA also realizes the need to establish the issue of liability if an AI model is wrong. In the end the potential benefits to patients are worth addressing these concerns, she said. 'Through effective policy and advocacy, education and collaboration we can work to overcome barriers and strive to realize the potential of precision health care,' Heine said. Lincoln Greek, a MSSU junior and nursing major, said the summit was a good opportunity to learn about new things happening in the medical world. It's important for students to learn and grow as nurses, Greek said, and it's good practice for their future to engage in continuing education. He plans on starting out as a nurse with a local ICU and possibly becoming a practitioner in the future. 'This summit is technology based, so I'm looking forward to understanding the trend of technology and how we can implement it in the future for nursing,' Greek said. 'I think things like AI will play a bigger role, especially with diagnosing accurately. We live in the here and now, so people might not understand where the future is headed.' Did you know? In addition to Heine, the summit featured Haval Shirwan, with MU Nextgen Precision Healthcare, talking about cancer prevention; R. Gabe Linke, 3D Imaging and Advanced Visualization program manager at Children's Nebraska, talking about the evolving role of 3D imaging; and Jeffrey Staudinger, from Kansas City University, talking about genomic insights and colon cancer.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Graduate programs growing at MSSU
Graduate programs are growing in demand at Missouri Southern State University. In addition, the university will widen its statewide mission to include health and life sciences and immersive learning, President Dean Van Galen said at a Monday night meeting of the Joplin City Council. While the focus of the university to provide a well-rounded undergraduate program continues, the university is also seeing increased interest in graduate programs. Graduate enrollment has increased 52% in the past year, Van Galen said. Master's degrees in business administration, data analytics, health care administration and arts in teaching have been added to the master's program in recent years. 'So the university is intentionally adding these graduate programs to serve the citizens of our region and to provide opportunities, especially in an area of higher course demand in our region,' Van Galen said. In addition, the university is working to expand its statewide mission. 'This is a way to say, 'This is a strength of the university, something we're focusing on, something we're proud of and we want to grow into the future,'' Van Galen said. For a number of years, global education has been the university's mission. 'That will continue,' he said. 'We have sent over 3,400 students to study-abroad opportunities, and those are truly life changing, so that will continue.' The university will add two elements to its statewide mission — health and life sciences and immersive or hands-on learning experiences. 'This idea of immersive learning really is playing out across the campus. We're committed to engaging our students more,' he said. 'The days are over that lectures are the primary way to deliver education. We think this is a growing hallmark of Missouri Southern.' The university now has 15 health and sciences programs. That is the same number as the University of Missouri, bringing the two universities to the top in that field among state institutions, Van Galen said. They are high-quality programs that have produced a graduation rate of 100%, he added. 'Nursing is doing extraordinarily well. Recently, we gained approval by the State Board of Nursing to increase the size of our nursing cohort,' he said. The university is currently permitted 30 students per class, but the state board has approved a second group of 20 students starting in spring 2026. 'This will help us serve more students and certainly help us address the workforce needs for nursing in our region,' the university president explained. Another plus is that MSSU has received a grant to start a master in science degree program that will likely start in fall 2026. Coming up March 28, the university will host the Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit. It is free and open to the public. This year's summit will focus on precision health, artificial intelligence, immunotherapy to prevent cancer and 3D printing. In addition, the work of the Joplin Regional Alliance for Health Sciences will be advanced with the recent appointment of a new director, Lori Worthington, the council was told. Van Galen also celebrated MSSU Lion athletics success last weekend when student-athlete Joy Udo-Gabriel competed in Indianapolis and won the women's 60-meter dash with a time of 7.11 seconds, setting an NCAA Division II record. She is among the fastest two or three women runners in that event in the nation, Van Galen said. Lions Forward is in its third year of fundraising. The goal is to reach $42.7 million in contributions and so far donations have reached $36.5 million. The president also commended the Humphreys Scholars, who are supported with scholarships from David and Debra Humphreys. A topping-off ceremony was recently held for the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center on campus. It will offer immersive learning classrooms, an expanded cadaver lab and other educational facilities. Construction is expected to finish in July 2026. 'I think we all understand that the future of the university and the city in terms of economic development, community development and quality of life are connected,' Van Galen said.
