Recent Accomplishments

Dr. Fiona O'Farrell

Dr. Fiona O’Farrell, receives educator of the year award from WAMFT. Excerpt taken directly from The Washington Association for Marriage and family Therapy: WAMFT extends its heartfelt congratulations to the distinguished recipients of 2024 awards. Your tireless dedication, innovative approaches, and profound positive impact on the lives of countless individuals and families across the state have not gone unnoticed. As luminaries in the field of marriage and family therapy, your groundbreaking research, compassionate clinical work, and visionary leadership serve as an inspiration to your colleagues and a testament to the transformative power of our profession. Your unwavering commitment to advancing the practice of marriage and family therapy, advocating for the needs of therapists has strengthened our community immeasurably. On behalf of the entire association, we applaud your exceptional achievements and express our deepest gratitude for your contributions to the mental health and wellbeing of the people of Washington. Congratulations once again on this well-deserved recognition of your outstanding work.

Educator of the Year: Congratulations Dr. O’Farrell

Dr. Gordon West is serving as the senior mentor for a $300,000 grant from the Triservice Nursing Research Program (TSNRP). He will be working with a team of nurse scientists and nurses at Madigan Army Medical Center located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The goal of this research is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of ultraviolet disinfection in an Army field hospital during prolonged casualty care. This project builds on a program of research Dr. West has completed addressing infection control and utilizing various UV-C devices to reduce the risk of patients developing healthcare-associated infections. The team is currently working with TSNRP to expand the study to also assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these same devices within various aircraft utilized for patient evacuation by the military. The team will evaluate the challenges associated with transporting the UV-C device to and within the actual field hospital. Additionally, feedback will be sought from personnel within the field hospital to gauge the perceived feasibility of using this device across various settings, including the operating room, intensive care ward, interim care ward, and emergency medical treatment tent. These assessments will contribute to determining the practicality of deploying the UV-C device in an Army field setting.
The anticipated results of this study are poised to offer valuable insights that will inform infection control guidelines in Army field hospitals. These findings hold significant potential to impact operational readiness. Beyond the exploration of healthcare-associated infections, the study goes a step further by implementing interventions tailored to the military-specific environment, aiming to improve overall outcomes in the care provided within this unique setting.

Congratulations Dr. West!

Dr. Colleen Hacker

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Hacker on her recent work and accomplishment as Assistant Coach for the US Women’s team that won The Soccer Tournament (TST)’s 7v7 World Championship last night against the NC Courage (6-3). See the team’s full roster and coaching staff here.

If you happened to miss the championship match on ESPN+, you can see the very end and the trophy celebration here. At the 4:04 mark, you might see a familiar face! 🙂

Notably:

this was the FIRST TST women’s championship
the FIRST $1,000,000.00 equal prize money for the TST 7v7 World Champions of both the women’s and men’s brackets

Congratulations on this accomplishment, Dr. Hacker!

Dr. Alexus Hamilton

We are so proud of professor Alexus Hamilton, who was recently notified that she is the recipient of the 2024 AAMFT Dissertation of the Year Award for her work “Centering Black Therapists in Practice: Exploring Factors Contributing to Retention and Attrition.”

Congratulations, Dr. Hamilton!

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