Health and Human Services News

Audiology professor elected for American Academy of Audiology board

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Congratulations to Dr. Wafaa Kaf, professor of audiology in the department of communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State University.

Kaf was recently elected to serve as a member-at-large on the 2023-24 Academy Board of Directors for the prestigious American Academy of Audiology (AAA) for a three-year term. Previously, she was appointed to serve as the program chair for the 2022 AAA Conference.

Dr. Wafaa Kaf headshot

Her goal is to advance the audiology profession nationally and internationally through interprofessional collaboration, education, academic service, mentorship and scholarship.

Kaf went through an extensive five-step selection process:

  1. Members of the AAA organization nominated her to submit an application and serve on their board of directors.
  2. After accepting the nomination, she completed a comprehensive application for her vision, objectives and qualities as a leader.
  3. The nomination committee reviewed all submitted applications and made a selection of the final seven nominees to be written on the ballot for election.
  4. Since Kaf was selected to be on the ballot, she also provided a biography and a two-minute recorded speech so voters could get to know her better before the final election.
  5. She was elected alongside two more finalists to serve on the board.

Kaf looks forward to creating real change in the audiology community.

“I’m a hard worker who takes initiative and is eager to take on new challenges,” Kaf said. “I also have a strong desire to serve others, which has been evidenced by my past work in the community.

“Additionally, my cultural background and experience in diversity, equity and inclusion will allow me to help further promote this effort within the audiology community.”

Learn more about the Doctor of Audiology program

Innovative research

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The McQueary College of Health and Human Services hosted the 27th Annual Student Research Symposium on April 27th, 2023.  

It was an exciting time for students and faculty mentors to showcase their scholarly work.  

There were 76 research posters and 1 student organization spotlight presented by students from both undergraduate and graduate programs across the college. Eight of the 11 departments and schools were represented. 

“Thanks to the rest of the MCHHS Student Research Symposium committee, staff, and volunteers for their dedication and hard work planning for the 2023 Research Symposium. It was a wonderful symposium that had engaging poster presentations, great conversations, energy, and of course, we cannot forget all of the delicious refreshments and desserts provided,” said Dr. Wafaa Kaf, professor of audiology. 

“I can attest to the significance of the experience that students gain in both their personal and professional lives by presenting. I was happy to witness future potential scholars in the making from various fields of study. Students, make sure you save the date for the 2024 Research Symposium!” 

Advocating for social workers

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The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Missouri Chapter recently appointed Missouri State University social work graduate student Jess Harman to its board of directors.

Harman, who’s from Topeka, Kansas, will join the board as its Master of Social Work Student Chair member. Her appointment begins July 1, 2023.

“There’s only one position available for the entire state of Missouri,” Harman said. “In the field of social work, it’s a notable position to hold.”

About the NASW Missouri Chapter

The chapter was founded in 1975 and is currently the largest professional association of social workers in the state, with over 1,400 members.

The nonprofit professional membership organization is specifically for degreed social workers and students matriculating through Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited schools who collaborate to fulfill the National Association of Social Workers’ National Board’s mission at the local level.

Innovating hands-on learning

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Investing in resources to give students hands-on learning opportunities is a top priority for MCHHS.

One of the resources is the Simulation (SIM) Lab located in O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center.

The SIM Lab is a controlled hospital environment with real machines and mannequins used to simulate a real-life health care experience.

“The main purpose of the SIM Lab is to give students going into health care professions a chance to interact with the health care environment before they are thrown into their profession,” said Alexis Curran, MCHHS simulation coordinator.

“We create a scenario where it may be something they will see in the hospital. This will help prepare them for patient care.”

How the lab operates

Students use the SIM lab starting in their junior year. Faculty members monitor and control the lab.

The lab has a control room. Faculty and lab techs will sit inside and observe. They’ll also control the mannequin and the cameras.

“The lab uses a recording system so students can watch in a different room and help critique each other.”

The lab has several hospital rooms to replicate different scenarios. They include:

  • Medical surgery room.
  • Clinical room.
  • Intensive care unit (ICU).
  • Maternity room.
  • Pediatric room.

Continuing to evolve

To give students more real-life scenarios, the SIM Lab continues to be upgraded and used in different situations.

“Last fall, we also started using simulated patients (SPs), which are human actors who take on a patient profile to make the scenario seem more realistic,” Curran said.

“Our students don’t perform skills like catheters or NG tubes on our SPs, but they have been a great asset for helping our students learn communication skills, and students have reacted positively to working with a live person.”

The goal for the future of the lab is to have departments within the college collaborate to give students more diverse experiences that are as realistic to the patient care setting as possible.

Learn more about MCHHS resources