Health

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is working to broaden awareness about the wide range of cancers affecting individuals worldwide. As part of this effort, the university will host its third annual two-day cancer awareness event, “Rams: Thriving Together Stronger than Ever,” on March 20-21.

Winston-Salem State University is set to host a series of impactful events throughout March, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and the community for discussions, performances, and educational initiatives.

Winston-Salem State University and Salem Academy and College formalized a new partnership that will create a direct pathway for Salem College students to enroll in WSSU’s Division of Nursing Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Muztaba Fuad, professor and interim chair of computer science at Winston-Salem State University, are pioneering the use of mobile apps to make healthcare work more efficient. WSSU students are helping with the research by tracking their own movements and postures.

Winston-Salem State University students will have access to more food and clothing resources thanks to the generosity of Allegacy Federal Credit Union. Allegacy donated $120,000 to WSSU in 2023 to repurpose a former game room on the campus into a new Student Resource Center.

Winston-Salem State University nursing alumnus Dr. Clifton Kenon Jr. is no stranger to being a trailblazer. At age 33, he won the highest honor given to a nurse from the American Academy of Nursing. Now, at age 37, he is making history again by becoming the first male and first millennial to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from AWHONN.

As I reflect on my first months as Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, I am inspired by the incredible accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Homecoming was a highlight of my time here. It was incredible to watch generations of the Ramily come together to celebrate all that is wonderful about WSSU.

From actor Samuel L. Jackson to a Purple Heart military veteran, Winston-Salem State University students presented stories on drugs and alcohol abuse for a Drugs, Crime and Justice community project titled, "Echoes of Resilience: Unveiling Stories of Drug Victims and Survivors." Take a listen by scanning QR codes in story.

The Winston-Salem State University A.H. Ray Wellness Center has been accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Accreditation distinguishes the WSSU student health center from many other outpatient facilities.

Two Winston-Salem State University graduate students, Cristina Sorensen of the occupational therapy program and Stefanie Ramsey of the family nurse practitioner program, have designed a training program to teach mothers how to avoid common injuries.

Each year during homecoming week, Winston-Salem State University recognizes the progress made in healthcare for African Americans and the East Winston community and honors that history during the Healthcare Legends Awards Luncheon. The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Donald J. Reaves Student Activities Center, Room 100.

Winston-Salem State University officially became a StormReady campus during a Recognition Ceremony on Sept. 17. Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service (NWS), Raleigh office, read the official letter and designation during the program and presented it to Jason Stogner, director of the WSSU Office of Emergency Management.

Dr. Leslee Battle, dean of the Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences, has been awarded the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) Fellows Program Award for 2024. The ASAHP is a national professional association for administrators, educators and others who are concerned with critical issues affecting allied health education.

Winston-Salem State University senior Robert Moore has spent this year serving as a business operations year round intern with the SAS Healthcare and Life Sciences team in Cary. Moore, who is majoring in healthcare management, said the internship, which started in January 2024, has been profoundly impactful on his educational journey and career aspirations in healthcare administration.

Today, Barbara Woods is a hair stylist. But after two weeks, she could start a new career in biomanufacturing thanks to a new program at Winston-Salem State University. Woods is a member of the first WSSU cohort of the Accelerate NC Life Sciences Manufacturing Coalition, led by the NC Biotechnology Center, which received $25 million from President Biden’s Build Back Better program to strengthen life sciences manufacturing in the state of North Carolina.

Winston-Salem State University is the first campus to support the ELETE Experience, Inc. program, which aims to increase healthy dining and entrepreneurial mentorship opportunities for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Join us for the second annual Cancer Awareness Event.  Thursday, March 21 will feature a panel discussion on the different types of cancer.  The panelists will feature representatives from the local healthcare community. The following day, Friday, March 22 enjoy a variety of interactive events taking place at WSSU's practice field.

As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.

Winston-Salem State University’s Department of Physical Therapy is looking for participants for a study titled: “Evaluation of segmental lumbar spinal motion and physiological responses following common spinal mobilization techniques.”

The schools, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Southern University Law Center (SULC) join more than 200 private, nonprofit and governmental organizations across the country that have received Gold Standard accreditation.

In February 2023 the Winston-Salem State University Chancellor’s Executive Staff issued a request for proposals for faculty and staff to create programs designed to improve undergraduate student success outcomes focused explicitly on student retention, student engagement, student belonging, and student debt load.

For the past seven years, WSSU, in partnership with Northwest Area Health Education Center (NW AHEC) of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, honors this history by hosting the Healthcare Legends of East Winston luncheon, said Cooper, who serves on the planning committee.

Winston-Salem State University has become the first university in the country to partner with Spentys to use 3D printing technology to produce high-quality, economic orthotic splints and introduce that technology into its occupational therapy curriculum.

March is Cancer Awareness Month. Winston-Salem State University and Novant Health have teamed up to sponsor a Cancer Awareness Event on the WSSU campus.

Winston-Salem State University ranks high on a diverse group of national lists, especially in the areas of value, affordability, and student success.

Here is a list of some of WSSU’s notable rankings for 2022-2023.

Winston-Salem State University has earned a high ranking for its online Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program. EduMed.org named the WSSU online MHA program no. 5 in the nation based on quality, accessibility, affordability and commitment to student success. 

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $30,000.00 grant from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund led by Dr. Karen T. Williams, Director of the A. H. Ray Student Health Center, to conduct rapid COVID testing of students who present with symptoms of COVID and testing of students who are exposed to COVID.

Occupational therapy involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or occupations of individuals. All-to-often though, a key tool is missing for occupational therapists: mental health training.

It is no secret that underserved segments of the population … minorities and the disabled … face serious barriers when it comes to health care in this country.

A team of Winston-Salem State University faculty members – Dr. Tammara Thomas, Dr. Keisha Rogers, and Dr. Felicia Simpson – recently concluded research that showed those barriers were even more pervasive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sometimes to move forward, you need to look back, or at least that’s according to the old adage.

It certainly rings true for Laura Garner, aquatics director at Winston-Salem State University.

Winston-Salem State University’s Occupational Therapy Program has added a partnership that will help its graduates reach more people in an easier, virtual fashion.

WSSU-Novant Health Physical Therapy Neurologic Clinical Residency Program receives full accreditation from the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education. WSSU is the first HBCU in the nation to offer a fully accredited PT residency program.  

As the first year of this new decade comes to an end, here’s a look back at some of the year’s most memorable WSSU news stories.

WSSU’s School of Health Sciences has secured just over $5 million in grants to directly support students in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Occupational Therapy departments.

The last decade has seen incredible milestones at WSSU. Here are some of the highlights from 2010 to today.

Alexis McCrea ‘17 will make history as the first WSSU student to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree through the Early Assurance Program.  

Aaron Jackson oversees the Rams Know H.O.W. Mobile Unit at WSSU, the nation’s only HBCU-based mobile clinic.

Dr. Melicia Whitt-Glover, who brings nearly 20 years of experience in health disparities research, has been named the executive director for the Center of Excellence in Eliminating Health Disparities at WSSU.

The partnership has created the first physical therapy residency program based at an HBCU. The 12-month program, which will focus on neurologic care, launched Aug. 27. 

A WSSU researcher is hoping to expose the 'freshman 15' myth and help college students avoid the weight-gain trap. She offers seven heart health tips for freshmen.