On August 14, 2012 Saybrook University’s College of Mind-Body Medicine held its first independent graduation ceremony as a College! The Commencement Ceremony took place in San Diego, California. University Provost Dan Sewell, College Dean James Gordon, and College Chair Donald Moss bestowed the master’s degree in mind-body medicine on fourteen individuals. Ten of the 14 graduates were present for the ceremony, and are pictured in the accompanying photo.
The fourteen master’s degree graduates, along with their master’s project or thesis title and faculty chair, are:
1. Kari Allen-Hammer, “Embodied Practice for Health and Wellbeing: A Healing Retreat for Mental health Professionals Experiencing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue,” (Lisa Kelly, PhD, Chair),
2. Alexzandria C. Baker, “Sexual Wellness Enhancement and Enrichment Training Model: Modified Mind-Body Skills Group Model for Adult Populations,” (Connie S. Corley, PhD, Chair),
3. Marisa T. Iacobucci, “The Effects of Mind-Body Skills Groups on the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia,” (Connie S. Corley, PhD, Chair),
4. Virginia Soldana Kemmy, “Integrative Oncology: Developing an Integrative Wellness Center within a Private Oncology Practice,” (Donald Moss, PhD, Chair),
5. Jennifer L. Leonard, “Managing Stress through Acupunture and Biofeedback to reduce Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetic Patients,” (Donald Moss, PhD, Chair),
6. Maureen P. Molinari, “Complementary and Alternative Medicine Techniques for People with Diabetes Mellitus: A Web-Based Stress Management Program,” (Lisa Kelly, PhD, Chair),
7. Betsy S. Murphy, “Alleviating Compassion Fatigue: Practical Applications for Nursing Practitioners,” (Lisa Kelly, PhD, Chair),
8. Nancy Susan Piper, “The Lived Experience of QiGong,” (Lisa Kelly, PhD, Chair),
9. Tamami Shirai, “A Preliminary Study of the Health Risks of Survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake,” (Eric Willmarth, PhD, Chair),
10. Clifford R. Smyth, “The Contributions of Feldenkrais Method to Mind-Body Medicine,” (Donald Moss, PhD, Chair),
11. Ruthi B. Solari, “Superkids for Superfoods: Nutrition-Based Service Learning Addresses Food Insecurity-Obesity Paradox and Promotes Healthy Eating Habits in School Aged Youth,” (Connie S. Corley, PhD, Chair),
12. Christopher H. Stallard, “Reducing the Global Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases: A Case for the Establishment of a World Health Organization (WHO)– Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Collaborative Center for Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine (TM/CAM) and Public Health,” (Eric Willmarth, PhD, Chair),
13. Emily Joy Steadman-Robinson, “Can Mind-Body Medicine Intervention Help in the Treatment of Depression,” (Connie S. Corley, PhD, Chair), and
14. Heidi Marie Tobin, “Equine-Assisted Therapy as an Adjunct Treatment in Essential Hypertension,” (Donald Moss, PhD, Chair).
Each of these individual master’s projects or theses have been or will soon be covered in a separate College of MBM blog entry. The entire faculty and the College leadership wish a heartfelt congratulations to the fourteen new graduates.