Health and Wellness Series: Workshop Recordings

Dr. Scott Poland is a Professor at the College of Psychology and the Co-Director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Dr. Poland is a licensed psychologist and an internationally recognized expert on school safety, youth suicide, self-injury, bullying, school crisis prevention/intervention, threat assessment and parenting in challenging times. He has authored or co-authored five books and many chapters and articles on these subjects and has served as a legal expert in a number of lawsuits.

COVID-19 resulted in and all schools going virtual in March 2020 and created unprecedented times for families, children, and schools. Adults and children have all experienced elevated levels of stress, fear, and anxiety. Resuming school physically in the fall of 2020 and attending to the safety and social and emotional needs of children will be a challenge. Every child has a story to tell about their experience being quarantined at home. Many children have anxiety about returning to schools and self-care strategies for everyone are especially important. This session by a former national school crisis team leader will focus on helping all adults understand and respond to the typical reactions that children have to traumatic events. All registrants will learn practical strategies to help restore a sense of safety and security for children. The keys to resiliency and how to help children and families develop a self-care plan to deal with their stress and anxiety will be shared.

This program was developed for the NSU Shark Chats Academic Forums.

South Florida author, business person, and lecturer, Tamara B. Rodriguez was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. As a young mother, she was faced with talking about the disease with her two young daughters but struggled to find the right words.

Tamara has written two children's books,Hair to the Queen! and Teo the Great: A Child's Approach to Cancer, to help families start the conversation. Tamara's presentation covers the benefits of speaking to children about a parent's cancer diagnosis and when is the best time to do it.

An overview of speech and language skill development is discussed by Nova Southeastern University Associate Professor / NSSLHA Advisor Tambi Braun SLP D and graduate student clinicians.

The ability to hear is essential for proper speech and language development. Hearing issues may be suspected in children who are not responding to sounds or who are not developing their language skills appropriately. Speech and language development follows a sequential milestone set. It's important to remember that not every child is the same. Children reach milestones at different ages.

Listen to a conversation between Zevon Stubblefield, Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Medicine and Steven Orris, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance & Student-Athlete Wellness, both from the NSU Department of Athletics, about the importance and value of strength and conditioning training for children.

Stubblefield earned his Bachelor's degree in athletic training/sports medicine from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. From there, he earned a Master’s degree in Exercise & Sport Science at Florida International University, in Miami, FL. Stubblefield brings a multitude of experience to the athletic training staff. His athletic training career has seen him everywhere from the high school to professional level including USA Taekwondo, Jacksonville Jaguars, LLC., and Miami Dolphins, LLC.

Orris spent the beginning of his career at the University of Florida, where he worked as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. During his time at UF, he worked with the baseball (2004-2009), softball (2004-2011), women’s basketball (2009-2011) and football (2003-2004) teams. He also oversaw the direction of the internship program, as well as the coaches clinics and youth camps. He began his work experience by completing internships with the Miami Dolphins and Houston Astros.

Coach Orris received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Florida Atlantic University. He received his Master’s degree in Health Education while serving as a Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Hofstra University.

Listen to a conversation led by Steven Orris, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance & Student-Athlete Wellness with Zevon Stubblefield, Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Medicine, both from the NSU Department of Athletics, about sports medicine and children.

Stubblefield earned his Bachelor's degree in athletic training/sports medicine from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. From there, he earned a Master’s degree in Exercise & Sport Science at Florida International University, in Miami, FL. Stubblefield brings a multitude of experience to the athletic training staff. His athletic training career has seen him everywhere from the high school to professional level including USA Taekwondo, Jacksonville Jaguars, LLC., and Miami Dolphins, LLC.

Orris spent the beginning of his career at the University of Florida, where he worked as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. During his time at UF, he worked with the baseball (2004-2009), softball (2004-2011), women’s basketball (2009-2011) and football (2003-2004) teams. He also oversaw the direction of the internship program, as well as the coaches clinics and youth camps. He began his work experience by completing internships with the Miami Dolphins and Houston Astros.

Coach Orris received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Florida Atlantic University. He received his Master’s degree in Health Education while serving as a Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Hofstra University.

Michael J. Au, O.D., FCOVD, is an Assistant Professor at the NSU College of Optometry. His speciality is Pediatrics and Binocular Vision.

It is estimated that 1 in 3 people have pre-diabetes and 1.5 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Join us to learn about basic strategies to help support you or a loved one in preventing or managing diabetes. This session will be presented by an innovative team of professionals and pre-professions through the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative at Nova Southeastern University.

A presentation on noise exposure and children, and how to prevent it.

This program is by Nova Southeastern University Associate Professor/ NSSLHA Advisor Tambi Braun SLP.D and graduate student clinicians

The ability to hear is essential for proper speech and language development. Hearing issues may be suspected in children who are not responding to sounds or who are not developing their language skills appropriately. Speech and language development follows a sequential milestone set. It's important to remember that not every child is the same. Children reach milestones at different ages.

Penny Bernath, Director of Education for South Florida PBS and KidVision Pre-K, shares resources and practical tips to support young learners in distance learning. KidVision Pre-K strives to help the early childhood community prepare children for learning by providing professional development to parents, caregivers and teachers using education standards which prepare children for a successful start.

Penny shares online resources for little learners, including the KidVision Pre-K app and website which features online professional development for pre-schoolers based on virtual field trips to teach preschool children about science, history, visual and performing arts, professions, and the South Florida communities. The 100 field trips videos, 100 instructional videos and all learning materials: lesson plans, student assessments, and take-home pages are available in English and Spanish.

In this webinar, a panel of experts discusses issues about children's mental health.

The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD), based at the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University, is one of seven state-funded, university-based outreach and support centers in Florida dedicated to optimizing the potential of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), dual sensory impairment, sensory impairments with other disabling conditions, and related disabilities.

At this presentation, get detailed information on autism spectrum disorder, as well CARD services, upcoming events, trainings, and workshops being offered on-line to the community.

Presenter: Jacquelyn Moultrie-Sequeira, BA, CARD Case Manager

A presentation by Dr. Rachel A. "Stacey" Coulter, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVD, Professor at the NSU College of Optometry.

Dr. Coulter will talk about vision and eye care in special population children and adults: why it is important; how modifications/supports can facilitate the exam process; and possible treatments/interventions. The audience will be able to ask questions at the end.

Join Melinda Luis of the NSU Department of Nutrition, for a program on interactive nutrition.

Physical activity is very important for people with diabetes! Good news – it’s not as hard as you might think to be more active. In this webinar, you will learn exercise strategies for diabetes prevention and management. This session will be presented by an innovative team of professionals and pre-professions through the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative at Nova Southeastern University.

Managing blood sugar is the key to living well with diabetes, and eating well is the key to managing blood sugar. But what does it mean to eat well? This webinar will empower you to navigate and understand how to make healthy food choices in your everyday life. This session will be presented by an innovative team of professionals and pre-professions through the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative at Nova Southeastern University.

This session is designed to help people who have diabetes or care for those with diabetes understand different medication options. Some people can manage it with healthy eating and exercise, or with oral medications, while others may also need to use insulin. The most important thing is to get to feeling your best. This session will be presented by an innovative team of professionals and pre-professions through the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative at Nova Southeastern University.

Felicia Timmermann, O.D., FAAO, is an Assistant Professor at the NSU College of Optometry. Dr. Timmermann serves as the Chief of The Eye Care Institute at KID and is a clinical attending physician in the primary care service and pediatric and binocular vision services. She is a research investigator for the Pediatric Eye Disease InvestigatorGroup (PEDIG), a member and fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a member of the World Council of Optometry (WCO).

There is an array of conditions and complexities that contribute to the daily difficulties children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and parents of these children are facing. However, one of the silent causes of daily collapse in function is chronic stress. This webinar will provide a snapshot on the link between the importance of sleep, the gut-brain access, exercise, the limbic system, diet, and Autism Spectrum Disorder and how chronic stress can hinder any potential in improvement in quality of life.

Presenter: Nelson Gonzalez, OTR/L, RFS, CHHC, CCT, CPMT, CCT, CLT

Prevent and manage diabetes the S.M.A.R.T. way. This presentation will provide an overview of important factors related to diabetes, including diet, exercise, medications, and social and emotional influences. Participants to learn to prevent or manage diabetes by setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (S.M.A.R.T.) goals. This session will be presented by an innovative team of professionals and pre-professions through the Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness (IDEA) Initiative at Nova Southeastern University.

Presentation by Deborah Davis of The League of Women Voters of Broward County on ways to protect your children around guns, as well as lead a discussion about current gun laws, relevant statistics in Florida and nationwide, and actions you can take to make your home and community safer.

The Division of Clinical Operations at NSU oversees the administration and oversight of the University's 33 health care centers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. These centers offer high-quality health care services to the community and oversee various community outreach programs in the form of free health care education and assessments for vision, medical, speech, as well as behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy, and dental services. These services are coordinated by our nationally recognized faculty within the 10 NSU health care colleges and programs.

Leonard Pounds, Vice President of Clinical Operations at NSU, will give an overview of their services.

Support your child’s love of reading and learning! Join librarians and early childhood experts to learn about the science of reading and the impact of books on social/emotional development and school readiness. Discover community and library resources that support high quality early learning experiences. Gain practical storytime tips to get every child ready to read and explore the 3Ts – Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns to build your child’s brain with lots of rich language.

Allison Metsch, M.S.Ed., Director of Education and Quality Initiatives for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County. Allison has 20 years’ experience in the field of early childhood and currently oversees professional development, training and quality programming for early educators throughout Broward County. www.elcbroward.org/

Kimberly White, M.L.I.S., Youth Services Coordinator at Broward County Libraries. Kimberly has over 15 years’ experience as a teacher and librarian and especially enjoys connecting the community to libraries with a focus on early childhood services and family resources. www.broward.org/library 

Ruth Shaw, M.L.I.S., Youth Services Librarian at NSU Alvin Sherman Library. Ruth, a.k.a. Miss Ruthie, provides weekly emergent literacy enriched storytimes for families with young children at Raise a Reader Virtual Storytime.

Meagan Albright, M.L.I.S., Youth Services Librarian III at NSU Alvin Sherman Library. Meagan has over 20 years' experience in bookstores and libraries. She serves on local and national committees for early childhood education and libraries, and has written for professional journals on topics including library services and storytimes.