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The Newport Plain Talk

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ETSU Health ALS Clinic recognized as model for collaborative care

A national award recognizes the ETSU Health Gary E. Shealy Memorial ALS Clinic as an exemplary model of what happens when health care professionals across disciplines work together to improve patient care and educate the next generation of providers. The clinic recently received the 2026 George E. Thibault, MD Nexus Award, a national honor recognizing innovative approaches to interprofessional collaboration that advance both patient care and health professions education. Presented by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, the award recognizes a collaborative approach central to ETSU Health's mission. Faculty, clinicians and students representing medicine, pharmacy, health sciences and nursing work alongside community partners to address the complex needs of people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. “The Gary E. Shealy Memorial ALS Clinic exemplifies the spirit of the George E. Thibault, MD Nexus Award,” said Christine Arenson, MD, FNAP, director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. “They are providing coordinated, patient- and family-centered care to people dealing with a complex, devastating diagnosis in a part of the country with very limited access to health resources. Not only have they increased access to state-of-the-art interprofessional care, they have documented impact