ASHS graduation: A time to celebrate
Posted: August 5, 2013
A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) held its summer commencement ceremony for six online and residential programs on Aug. 2 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz. More than 300 students (132 distance education; 193 residential) earned a master of science or doctoral degree at the ceremony.
Graduates received degrees in human movement, occupational therapy, advanced physician assistant studies, audiology, doctor of health sciences, and physical therapy. This was the first time that the online students had met each other in person, since they all acquired their degrees through distance education.
“This graduation highlights the working professionals in their respective fields who have decided to get their next degree,” said ATSU-ASHS Dean Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA. Founded in 1995, ATSU-ASHS is committed to educating and preparing its students to practice at the forefront of a rapidly growing healthcare system.
During the commencement ceremony, a keynote address was given by Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas, who received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Dr. Dunn is an internationally-known expert for her studies about sensory processing in everyday life. She has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters and books, and has spoken around the world about her work. She is the author/co-author of all the Sensory Profile measures, which capture people’s responses to sensory events in everyday life; these assessments have been translated into dozens of languages and are used for both professional practice and in research programs.