Appointment of the Dean of Health Sciences

June 13, 2017 9:49 am

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Marcus Tye has accepted the position of Dean of the School of Health Sciences, effective Monday, July 17, 2017. Accordingly, President Fritz will recommend his appointment to the CUNY Board of Trustees. Dr. Tye will also hold a tenured professorship in the Psychology Department.

Dr. Tye brings a unique background and record of achievement to CSI. He comes to us from National University, where he has served for the past year as Professor of Psychology and Regional Lead in charge of the Master of Arts program in Counseling Psychology at the Fresno, CA campus, with Marriage and Family Therapy and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor tracks. Prior to his service at National University, he served for 17 years as a faculty member at Dowling College. At that institution, he held a number of leadership positions, including multiple terms as Chair of the Psychology Department, and created an institution-wide program of undergraduate academic honors projects. In Dowling’s relatively flat administrative structure, his duties spanned many of the usual functions of a Dean and/or Associate Provost. He has extensive union leadership experience, with multiple terms as an officer, including serving as chief negotiator of a five-year contract in 2007, and in 2016 as head of the faculty union, working directly with the institution’s president and chair of the board of trustees to extend operations to permit the institution’s final class to graduate. He brings deep experience in faculty governance, as well as administration, and in both regional and professional accreditation issues.

Dr. Tye is a clinical psychologist licensed in the State of New York, whose scholarship is in the area of gender and sexuality. He is the author of a number of articles and book chapters, as well as a widely used textbook in his field. He received his AB from Princeton University (cum laude) and his MA and PhD in Psychology from the University of North Dakota. He has a deep commitment to helping first-generation students succeed in their intellectual and career advancement.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Marcus Tye to CSI and wishing him great success as Dean of the School of Health Sciences.

- Gary W. Reichard

CSI and LaGuardia Physical Therapy Students Gather for Annual Event

April 03, 2017

Students from CSI and LCC take time out to pose for a group shot.

For the past five years, the faculty from the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the College of Staten Island (CSI) and the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program at LaGuardia Community College (LCC) have collaborated to provide students with an inter-professional experience. The Level 1 DPT students from CSI and the Level 1 and 2 PTA students from LCC met for this wonderful educational event.

Background information was provided to the students, regarding similarities and differences between the Physical Therapy (PT) and PTA professions, DPT and PTA curricula, as well as how to work together in a clinical setting.  The students also engaged in an exercise requiring collaboration between the students to come up with a treatment plan for a hypothetical patient scenario. Students also took part in a role-playing exercise that depicted how a real-life scenario might enfold between a PT and a PTA in a clinical setting. The event took place at CSI in Building 5N. The location alternates each year between CSI and LCC.

“As a first-year student in the College of Staten Island’s DPT program, I have been continuously taught the importance of communication between physical therapists and other healthcare professionals while working in the field. However, it is often difficult to demonstrate this discipline in a classroom setting that only consists of other PT students. The interdisciplinary seminar with the PTA students of LCC was an amazing opportunity to practice working together as a team and to begin incorporating necessary communication skills with each other. This collaborative workshop allowed us to develop a stronger awareness of the other’s profession, learn from one another, and simulate hypothetical scenarios that we will all likely experience in the future.  I left the seminar with a sharpened perspective of the PTA profession and ultimately feel more comfortable with my communication skills going forward in my physical therapy journey,” noted Sean Dwyer, Level 1 CSI DPT student.

“I used to think that a PTA was simply a liaison between doctor and patient, but it wasn’t until this experience that I realized we are more than that; PTAs are hard-working critical thinkers and DPTs value our opinions, skills, experiences, and judgement just as much as they value their education. I left that afternoon feeling even more proud of my professors, who not only love what they do, but taught it with such passion… This was a most privileged encounter that I will never forget and can only hope to one day pay it forward to the next generation of healthcare providers,” commented LCC Level II PTA student Amy Almeida.

By Amanda L. Rotondo, PT, DPT, Director of Clinical Education, Department of Physical Therapy

Take Your First Step towards Your Next Step at NYC Clinical Trials for SCI

April 04, 2017

Dr. Knikou is inviting individuals with spinal cord injuries for non-invasive clinical trials.

Neurophysiologist and researcher Dr. Maria Knikou invites people with spinal cord injuries to apply for non-invasive clinical trials to assess, rehabilitate, and improve motor function and control, while reducing spacsticity. Early trials are promising, many returning for Robotic Gait Training. Stipends and travel reimbursements available.

When we think about spinal cord injuries, thoughts generally turn toward Christopher Reeve who was thrown from his horse during trial events for an equestrian competition in 1995, and Steven McDonald, who was shot three times in 1986 after serving two years as an officer with the New York Police Department. Reeve’s and McDonald’s heroic and visible survival stories brought the severity of spinal cord injuries into the international dialogue.

Today at the College of Staten Island (CSI), Maria Knikou, PhD, is holding clinical trials of her breakthrough research designed to develop effective rehabilitation strategies to improve the walking ability of persons with spinal cord injuries that have affected the function of the central nervous system.

During her ongoing trials, she has recently worked with eight people with spinal cord injuries, including a 20-year-old who fell out of a golf cart and broke his neck nine months ago, and a Midwestern woman who broke her neck. These people, who have been diagnosed with tetraplegia (a spinal cord injury above the first thoracic vertebra or within cervical sections Cervical 1-8) and severe paralysis of the legs, came to CSI to participate in the research trials. After completing four to six weeks of therapy with Dr. Knikou, the patients saw motor function improve, with increased control and reduced spasticity.

According to spinalcord.com, “The spinal cord carries nerve fibers traveling both from the brain to the rest of the body and from the body back to the brain. Those coming from the brain are responsible for voluntary control of muscles. Those traveling toward the brain carry sensation.”

Dr. Knikou working in her lab.

Dr. Knikou’s non-invasive therapy focuses on assessing the signal transfer from the brain to the legs in order to strengthen and enhance that pathway and provide gains in motor function. Patients who undergo the phase one therapy may be eligible for the phase two Robotic Gait Training, designed to further stimulate brain, spinal, and muscular health on a pathway for improved mobility. People who participate in the trials are provided a stipend, and certain expenses may be covered.

Persons who are interested in learning if they are eligible candidates for this unique therapeutic approach should contact Dr. Knikou, Professor of Human Neurophysiology in the Physical Therapy Department of the School of Health Sciences at 718.982.3316 or maria.knikou@csi.cuny.edu. All trials are conducted on the Willowbrook campus of the College of Staten Island in New York City.

“Dr Knikou’s forward-thinking and expertise in human neurophysiology have enabled her to be extremely successful, with ongoing grant support from New York State and other private foundations,” commented Dean Maureen Becker, PhD. “She is one of the leading researchers in the School of Health Sciences at the College of Staten Island and her work, one day, will impact the lives of millions of individuals with spinal cord injury.”

Dr. Knikou’s research project is funded by the New York State Department of Health, Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, under the Project to Accelerate Research Translation (PART) award. She mentors high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral research fellows and junior faculty. Dr. Knikou serves on several editorial boards and has published her research work in high-ranking, peer-reviewed scientific journals.

For details regarding Dr. Knikou’s research visit www.researchgate.net/profile/Maria_Knikou

For more information about the College of Staten Island School of Health Sciences visit www.csi.cuny.edu/schoolofhealthsciences

By Sara Paul