AICURI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — June 17, 2019 – Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is expanding its presence and influence in the health arena by offering the first entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program in Rhode Island. The university welcomed its first student cohort to campus on June 10 to begin the full-time, 36-month program.

“As Johnson & Wales University explored a larger presence in the healthcare market, the institution heard directly from industry of the growing need for more occupational therapists,” said Ann Burkhardt, founding director, Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program, College of Health & Wellness. “With input from industry leaders, we designed a program with diversity of access to inter-professional partners, a broader view of health and wellness as it affects quality of life, and real life experiences to push the borders of practice to be more inclusive. Our graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and experience to propose, design, develop and grow practices to better meet the needs of people across the lifespan and to change care delivery for the shifting demographic of consumers of care.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Two Brown University faculty members have been named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering, the nation’s highest award for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers.

Sohini Ramachandran, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Anita Shukla, an assistant professor in the School of Engineering, were among those chosen by the White House to receive the PECASE award, which goes to individuals “who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced this year’s winners on Tuesday, July 2.

Story in the Public Square, a program of Salve Regina’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, will receive the Newport Historical Society’s inaugural History Starts Here Award, offered to an individual or organization who is making history now, or making opportunities for thinking about how history is important to today.

Hosted by Jim Ludes, executive director of the Pell Center, and G. Wayne Miller, senior staff writer at the Providence Journal, Story in the Public Square features interviews with print, screen, music and other storytellers about their creative processes and how their stories impact public understanding and policy. The program is available on more than 200 public television stations across the country as well as SiriusXM satellite radio’s P.O.T.U.S channel.

The History Starts Here Award builds on the historical society’s interest in how historical perspectives help us think about the present and improve the future. “Storytelling is an essential component of history, and especially of public history,” said Ruth Taylor, executive director of the historical society. “By focusing on how story impacts understanding and discourse today, Jim and Wayne are making history, and using the techniques of historical discipline to capture important work in a variety of fields.”…Read more

President Jane Gerety, RSM, who is retiring in June after 10 years at the helm, will be awarded an honorary doctorate and will offer her reflections when the University community gathers on Sunday, May 19 to celebrate its 69th Commencement. Sister Jane’s longtime friend, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), will present the honorary degree citation, after which he will offer remarks to the University’s graduating Class of 2019.

Sister Jane joined Salve Regina’s board of trustees in 1995 and, among her leadership efforts to advance the institution, chaired its committee to rewrite the University’s mission statement re-affirming its mercy mission and Catholic intellectual tradition. Inaugurated as Salve’s seventh president in 2009, she worked tirelessly during her tenure to introduce several new academic programs, expand student scholarships, and oversee a major renovation to the University’s flagship academic building. But first and foremost, Sister Jane was known across the University community as a student’s president.

“I’ve loved being part of the spirit of Salve, which I really think is imbued with mercy,” she said. “I hope I’ve helped to cultivate that spirit.” When she announced her retirement, she told students: “You have changed in your time at Salve and so have I. Looking forward, we all share a bit of fear for the unknown and also hope for the excitement that is to come.”…Read More