From the Department Chair

Jeff Beer Department Chair Professor of Exercise Science and Athletic Training

This has been a year with challenges like no other year, but also one of hope. I’m sad, yet happy to have completed it.

We started the year in person with some obvious alterations in the classroom. It was challenging to take hands-on experiences and make them socially distanced. It was difficult to teach half of a class in person with the other half on Zoom. Clinical sites and off-campus athletic training facilities were open yet typically modified. But we emerged mostly unscathed and, in many ways, stronger than before. And while much of the pace around us slowed, we made significant progress toward some long term goals:

• We are happy to share the development of two new programs: an undergraduate major in nutrition sciences and a master’s in nutrition and nutrigenomics (also known as NGx). I introduced Laura Bollinger, director of MS in nutrition and nutrigenomics in our last newsletter. Newly hired is Katherine Matutes, assistant professor of nutrition and exercise science & athletic training. (See Bollinger and Matutes bios below). These programs will focus on all aspects of food, wellness, lifestyle medicine and career paths within nutrition. Students will be admitted into the undergraduate program in Fall 2022 and, dependent on accreditation, we hope to launch the NGx graduate program in Fall 2022. The master’s program will prepare students to sit for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) national examination.
• As part of its Charting the Future initiative, Lilly Endowment Inc. this fall selected Manchester for a $1 million grant to help launch a Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The grant allowed Manchester to move forward with hiring Dr. Bhupinder Singh as founding director of the Department of Physical Therapy (bio below). The DPT program start date depends on accreditation approval.
• We will offer two new minors in the fall of 2021: orthopedic studies and medical health education and sales. These new areas of study will require students to take courses in ESAT, health communication and business and will enhance career preparation for those interested working in orthopedic clinics or medical sales.
• We have a new dean leading us into the future. Dr. Lea Johnson will serve as vice president for health science initiatives and dean of health professions. She will oversee nursing and our graduate programs in athletic training and occupational and physical therapy, which will be located in Fort Wayne. She will also oversee exercise science and athletic training.
• Australia, here we come! It is with great pleasure to announce that I’ll shepherd 17 students for  the Australia International Sports Medicine class in January 2022. We are excited to get back around the world, and I can think of no better place to learn, collaborate and have fun in the sun during January. I will have more updates and pictures as the trip moves forward.

On a bittersweet note, we celebrate Dr. Kim Duchane, who will retire at the end of this year. We will miss him as a faculty member but welcome him into emeriti status and thank him for his tremendous service to Manchester.

We continue to thrive with students interested in the many majors we offer and are fortunate to have great faculty and staff working in our department. And, as always, we still have great alumni who support Manchester students and their needs. The future looks bright for MU and ESAT!

We dwell on a hopeful spirit as we round the corner and sprint toward the finish line of the 2020-2021 school year, and we’ll use the momentum to fuel the success and evolution of our department. 

Master in Athletic Training students advance

Our 2020-2021 MAT students are finishing their first year. We are excited for this cohort of 14 students to continue their education throughout summer:  

• Laura Aroz – Tuscon, Ariz.
• Kelsey Bair – Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Colin Calvert – Plymouth, Ind.
• Donjanae Chamberlain – Anderson, Ind.
• Emily Hanneman – New Palestine, Ind.
• Sydnee Jensen – Casper, Wyo.
• Alexis Levesque - Grand Isle, Maine
• Samuel Orr – Plymouth, Ind.
• Bailey Riley – Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Summer Saylor – Fort Wayne, Ind.
• William Stahly – Manchester, Mich.
• Meagan Trimpey – Bowling Green, Ohio
• Linying, Xiao – Centennial, Colo.
• Ashely Young – Brownsburg, Ind.

We’re building our cohort for the 2021-2022 class and are currently at 11 students and growing.

Katherine Matutes

Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Exercise Science & Athletic Training

Matutes

Katherine Matutes, PhD, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP, received her nutrition doctorate from the interdepartmental nutrition program at Purdue University with an emphasis on molecular nutrition and food science. While at Purdue, she also received the dietetics didactic verification statement and will complete the RDN credentialing process in the near future. She will also complete a Master's of science writing from Johns Hopkins University summer 2021.

Additionally, Katherine has completed the certificate in training for Childhood, Adolescent and Adult Weight Management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her expertise includes healthy cooking emphasizing environmentally sustainable techniques, weight management, sports, cardiovascular and wellness nutrition.

Katherine is passionate about sharing evidence based guidance to the lay audience. Communication has been a cornerstone of her career. She worked in community wellness for more than a decade educating the public and facilitating diverse wellness opportunities such as farmer’s markets, healthy vending & food service, cooking classes and family physical activity.

In the academic environment, Katherine served as a site supervisor for dozens of undergraduate students during their field experiences and previously worked as an adjunct faculty at the University of Indianapolis, where she taught worksite wellness, advanced group exercise instruction and yoga.

Laura Bollinger

Director of MS in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics

Bollinger

Laura Bollinger is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Exercise Physiologist. She earned her B.S. in Exercise Science and M.S. in Dietetics from Ball State University. During her Dietetic Internship she completed rotations at Parkview Regional Medical center, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Target Metabolism, and skilled nursing facilities in central and northern Indiana. Laura currently serves as the Founding Program Director for the Master of Science in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics at Manchester University. Throughout her career she has worked in metabolic weight loss, bariatrics, long term care, corporate and employee wellness, personal training, and cardiac rehabilitation. Laura’s research interests include influences of nutrition and exercise on the epigenome and microbiome.

 

Bhupinder Signh

Director of the Physical Therapy Program

Singh

Dr. Bhupinder Singh is the Founding Program Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program at the Manchester University, Fort Wayne Campus, Indiana. He has completed his Ph.D. in Physical Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Iowa and is a licensed physical therapist in multiple states (including Indiana). Dr. Singh has a keen interest in PT academia – teaching and continuous learning. He recently completed a three-year-long LAMP Leadership course from American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and is currently a fellow in Education Leadership.

Dr. Singh’s true passion lies in teaching and grooming future generations of physical therapists for clinical practice and PT research. He enjoys teaching Functional Kinesiology, Gait Analysis, and Evidence-Based PT courses for the DPT curricula. His greatest research interest lies within Gait and Biomechanics and how obesity impacts joint mechanics and cardiorespiratory fitness. Dr. Singh has presented at many national and international conferences, including ACSM Annual Conference, and published in multiple high-impact journals in the areas of gait, biomechanics, obesity, and 3-dimensional analysis.

Dr. Singh has received the Outstanding Advisor Award, Exceptional Levels of Service to Students Award, and the Promising Faculty Award at previous institutions. He founded and served as the Lab Director of the Gait Analysis Movement Evaluation (GAME) lab at the California State University, Fresno. The laboratory utilizes 3-dimensional motion analysis, wireless technologies to measure joint stresses and muscle activation patterns. The lab has received funding from local and federal funding agencies, including National Science Foundations. Dr. Singh is passionate about serving underserved populations and ran a successful multidisciplinary pro-bono amputee clinic in California.