Hunter Library continues to assist faculty, students with virtual research, including 3D anatomy

When Ashley Hyatt, assistant professor of physical therapy at Western Carolina University, recently needed to show her students various perspectives of the human brain, there was a challenge. Normally, Hyatt teaches from a classroom, in the laboratory and using clinical demonstrations. But in this case, she was faced with the new normal of COVID-19.  

Working Professional Summer McMurry Achieves a Milestone

Summer McMurry claims a singular distinction in Western Carolina University history ― she’s the first person to earn a doctoral degree in speech communication and disorders through a collaborative program with the University of North Carolina Greensboro.  

Read Her Story  

Alumni Spotlight: Sue Lynn Ledford

Sue Lynn Ledford learned to care for sick people as a young nursing student at Western Carolina University. Today, she uses the same approach as director of population health and field services for WellCare of North Carolina, a provider health plan for Medicare and Medicaid.  

Primary care nursing residency pivots standard training to assist during pandemic

As COVID-19 protocols began taking effect in the Asheville area, registered nurses in a primary care residency and fellows program made a quick shift to assist an at-risk population while still continuing their training.  

Recreational Therapy Director says Helping Others Helps Her; an “I Love WCU” Story

It’s hard to tell where Jennifer Hinton’s real job ends and her volunteer work begins. As program director and clinical education coordinator for Western Carolina University’s recreational therapy program, Hinton spends much of her time teaching her students about service-learning, coordinating volunteer projects for them or doing community service herself — sometimes for work, her church, her family — or often a combination of some of them, if not all.   

Combatting Addiction: A Second Chance for Veterans

Alumnus Kevin Rumley '18 serves with Asheville's Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) which is an example of a treatment court that specifically serves the veteran community.  

A Call for Empathy: Understanding the Neurobiology of Stigma of Addiction

The American people have historically used substances for reasons ranging from celebration to coping to survival. The current societal focus on the opioid epidemic has brought significant attention to addictive disorders in the United States. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that 63,000 individuals died from drug overdose in 2016. One year later, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported 70,237 deaths in the United States caused by drug poisoning. This is an increase of 7,237 deaths in one year.   

Graduate student tabbed for Council on Collegiate Opioid Misuse

Since coming to Western Carolina University to complete her master’s degree in social work, graduate student Rosemary Yelton has seen firsthand the effects the opioid crisis is having on Western North Carolina. Wanting to help fight what has become a national epidemic, Yelton was excited to learn last summer that she had been named to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s Council on Collegiate Opioid Misuse.  

Alumni and Veteran Finds Peace After 'Journey of a Million Steps'

Graduating veteran finds peace after 'journey of a million steps' | Graduated, enlisted, blown up, hospitalized, released, addicted, homeless, hopeless, rescued, enrolled, graduated, employed, enrolled, graduated, honored, redeemed. Read between those lines a minute, and listen...