SCU Now - Episode 6

Host Anthony Sarinana shares the April episode of SCU Now with updates from Southern California University of Health Sciences, highlighting an SCU blog article on five trends shaping integrative whole-person healthcare, including a shift from “what’s the matter” to “what matters,” personalized and proactive care, prevention and lifestyle medicine, interprofessional collaboration, and the mental-physical health connection, featuring insights from Dr. Tracy Gaudet. 

The episode also covers SCU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, welcoming its first cohort for an immersive lab on the Whittier campus using a flipped-classroom model emphasized by Dr. Craig Ruby. 

Research updates include an SCU study led by Dr. Özüm Erkin on laughter yoga for children, showing reductions in stress, anxiety, test anxiety, and emotional distress. 

Faculty news spotlights Dr. Tori Record earning the CCSP designation, and a feature explains the white coat ceremony’s role in reaffirming compassion and responsibility in healthcare.

00:00 Welcome to SCU Now
00:21 Future of Whole Health
02:40 DPT Immersive Lab
03:53 Laughter Yoga Research
05:06 Faculty Sports Medicine
06:04 Why White Coats Matter
07:04 Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hi everyone, welcome to the April episode of SCU Now, your go-to update on what's happening at Southern California University of Health Sciences and where we're headed next. I'm your host, Anthony Sarranana. Let's get started. As we begin with a look at the future of healthcare and how SCU is helping lead that transformation, a new SCU blog article titled The Future of Integrative Whole Person Healthcare, Five Trends Shaping the Next Decade, highlights five key trends shaping the future for practitioners and patients. And the message is clear. The healthcare system is evolving and SCU is positioning itself at the forefront. At the center of this evolution is a powerful shift in perspective, moving away from asking what's the matter with a patient, to what matters to a patient? That philosophy is a cornerstone of whole health and one emphasized by Dr. Tracy Godet, program director of SCU's Doctor of Whole Health Leadership Program, whose insights are featured in this article. She points to a growing national movement toward care models that prioritize the whole person, integrating physical, mental, emotional, and lifestyle factors into both treatment and prevention. This reflects a broader shift in healthcare, from reactive, one size fits all care to a more personalized, proactive model. Providers are increasingly using data from genetics to wearable technology to tailor care, helping identify risks earlier and intervene more effectively. At the same time, preventative care and lifestyle medicine are moving center stage, focusing on everyday habits like nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management to stop disease before it starts, and in some cases, even reverse it. We're also seeing stronger interprofessional collaboration with teams working together to address the full spectrum of a patient's needs. Add to that growing scientific support for the connection between mental and physical health, and it becomes clear that effective care must treat the whole person, not just isolated conditions. For SEU, this isn't just a trend. It's the foundation of our identity as an integrative whole health university, preparing future practitioners to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. From the future of healthcare to the future of healthcare education, SCU's Doctor of Physical Therapy program recently marked a major milestone, welcoming its first cohort of students to the first immersive lab experience held on the university's Whittier campus. This hands-on session represents a key component of the program's innovative learning model, designed to move beyond traditional lectures and into real-world clinical application. Program Director Dr. Craig Ruby, who is featured in the article, emphasizes the importance of this approach. Rather than relying solely on classroom instruction, students engage in a flipped classroom model, learning foundational material independently so that in-person time can be devoted solely to hands-on collaborative skill building. As Dr. Ruby explains, this structure helps students develop the clinical reasoning and adaptability they'll need in real patient settings, where no two cases are exactly the same. For this first cohort, the immersive lab isn't just a class. It's the beginning of their transition into healthcare professionals. Now to research highlighting the power of something simple but often overlooked. Laughter. A new SCU study led by faculty researcher Dr. Azum Erkin explores the health benefits of laughter yoga for children, and the findings are striking. Laughter yoga combines intentional laughter exercises with breathing techniques and movement to promote both physical and mental well-being. Across studies involving more than 300 children, researchers found significant reductions in stress and anxiety. But here's what stands out. Children who participated in laughter yoga showed measurable decreases in test anxiety and emotional distress, while also reporting improved mood and overall well-being. At a time when youth mental health challenges are rising nationwide, this research underscores how integrative, low-cost interventions can make a meaningful difference. It's a reminder that healthcare innovation doesn't always come from complex technology. Sometimes it starts with something as human as laughter. In faculty news, SCU is celebrating a milestone that reflects both professional excellence and personal passion. Dr. Tori Record has earned her certified chiropractic sports physician CCSP designation, an advanced credential in sports medicine. But beyond the credentials, her story is rooted in a deep commitment to helping athletes perform at their best and recover safely. In the article, Dr. Record shares her passion for working with athletes and supporting them through both injury and recovery, helping them return to the activities they love. That connection between clinician and patient is at the heart of sports medicine. And for SCU students, having faculty like Dr. Record brings that real-world perspective directly into the classroom, bridging education with lived clinical experience. A new SCU article explores the meaning behind one of healthcare education's most recognizable traditions, the Whitecoat Ceremony, and why it still matters today. The ceremony itself emerged in the 1990s in response to growing concern that medical education was becoming increasingly technical, sometimes at the expense of empathy and human connection. The white coat became a symbol, not just of scientific rigor, but of compassion and responsibility. Today, the white coat ceremony marks a pivotal movement for students as they transition into clinical care while committing to the values that define health care. At SCU, it also reflects a whole health approach, emphasizing care for the whole person, not just symptoms. In that sense, the white coat isn't just a uniform, it's a promise to lead with both science and humanity. That wraps up this edition of SCU Now. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you'd like to dive deeper into any of these stories we covered, be sure to check out the full articles on our blog at suhs.edu. And don't forget to follow SCU on social media to stay inspired by the incredible work our students, faculty, and alumni are doing to transform healthcare through integrative, whole health, and interprofessional collaboration. Until next time, take care and keep moving healthcare forward.