ISSUED: 22 January 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s School of Nursing is hosting a Photobiomodulation Therapy and Wound Management conference on Wednesday, January 29, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education. This interactive training course will outline a model for understanding PBMT mechanisms, discuss established protocols utilized for wound care and oral mucositis, and review case studies showing the effective application of PBMT. Participants will have the opportunity for experiential learning. There is no registration fee for this conference and participants can earn eight continuing education units in nursing through Shepherd’s School of Nursing.
James Carroll, founder and CEO, Thor Photomedicine, Ltd., will be one of the speakers. Carroll is a recognized world authority on photobiomodulation mechanisms of action, dose, dose rate effects, and the measurement and reporting of parameters. He has numerous appointments including Biomedical Optics Society conference chair, Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, editorial board of Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, and the World Association for Laser Therapy board.
Also speaking will be Dr. Praveen Arany, assistant professor, oral biology and biomedical engineering, School of Dental Medicine, Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo, New York. Arany is trained as a dental and oral pathologist. He completed a joint Ph.D. Residency program at Harvard University as a Harvard Presidential Scholar. He has more than 80 scientific publications and is the recipient of numerous scholarly awards. He is an active member of the Wound Healing Society, American Association for Dental Research, and Academy of Laser Dentistry and is currently the president for the World Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy.
Dr. Robert Bowen, Berkeley Medical Center Wound Care in Martinsburg, will also speak. Bowen is board certified in internal medicine, sleep medicine, and pulmonary disease. His medical specialties include pulmonary and critical care, sleep medicine, internal medicine, hospitalist, and wound care. Bowen currently practices as a cosmetic surgeon.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award totaling $2.7 million, with no percentage financed with non-governmental sources.
“We are thrilled to have these three outstanding authorities in the field of PBMT delivering the conference and addressing the use of PBM to combat pain and enhance wound healing,” said Dr. Sharon Mailey, dean of the College of Nursing, Education, and Health Sciences and director of the School of Nursing. “The conference has been designed to equip participants with the tools and techniques needed to help curb the escalating demand for prescriptive drugs that lead to misuse and addiction, thereby addressing the health needs of our community. Through funding from the grant, our school is equipping our advance practitioners graduating from our Doctor of Nursing Practice program, with the PBMT skills to transform the patient experience and outcomes by recommending a diverse selection of complimentary treatment options. The course content suits all medical fields.”
For more information, contact Dr. Kelly Watson Huffer, assistant professor of nursing, at 304-876-5026 or kwatsonh@shepherd.edu, or Mailey at 304-876-5344 or smailey@shepherd.edu.
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