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Students of USM's Athletic Training program are now able
to work intensively with college athletes at the university's
new athletic training laboratory. The clinic, which is overseen
by new faculty member Victor Liberi, specializes in
rehabilitative care for student athletes and is a critical
part of the sports medicine team of physicians, coaches, and
athletic trainers who work to help injured USM athletes return
to their competitive status as quickly and safely as possible.
"We have the only nationally-accredited athletic training
curriculum in the state," noted Liberi. Athletic training
is one of several majors offered in the Department of Sports
Medicine. "Among other things, our students learn how
to provide rehabilitation for everything from sprained ankles
to reconstructive knee surgeries."
The clinic greatly aids USM's three staff athletic trainers,
who provide compre-hensive emergency care to students participating
in USM's 24 sports programs, said Liberi. "The student-staffed
clinic takes some of the rehabilitative load off our athletic
trainers," he said,"so they can be on the field
and in the gym providing medical coverage for sports events."
J. Mark Scearce, assistant professor of music at USM's
School of Music, recently completed a major commission for
the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, where he is also composer-in-residence.
The chamber work, "The Dead of September 11," is
based on a Toni Morrison poem of that title and will have
its premiere on April 26th, with Morrison in attendance.
"I had to start it three times," said Scearce,
who has been working on the composition intensively since
last fall. "I was afraid that I would somehow get in
the way of Toni Morrison's wonderful poem." Written for
mezzo soprano, solo violin and chamber orchestra, the work
weaves Morrison's sung words with the "comforting and
consoling" counterpart of the violin, said Scearce. The
piece ends with the haunting sound of solo bells, reminiscent
of old fire bells.
How healthy are you? It's a question many people are
afraid to answer. But if USM Health Promotion Coordinator
Suzanne Roy has anything to do with it, the answer will come
with a wealth of choices. Roy heads the Healthy USM Employee
Wellness Program, which began in January 2002, a university-wide
health promotion to help employees, dependents and retirees
assess their health status and connect with resources that
support a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy USM has developed several programs over the past
year, including the popular "Fall For Walking Program."
Smoking cessation information and counseling is being offered
and an Employee Wellness Fair is scheduled for May 15th on
the Portland campus.
Their most recent initiative is a Personal Wellness Profile
Health Assessment, which evaluates factors such as blood pressure,
cholesterol, fitness levels, stress, and lifestyle. So far,
120 employees have taken part in these health screenings,
which a detailed, confidential report on their overall health.
With this info, Roy hopes to develop programs and services
targeted to the specific needs of USM employees. Health screenings
will be conducted on the Gorham campus from March through
May. Contact Suzanne Roy
at 780-8151.
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