Stevens recently welcomed Dr. Kyle Weisholtz, the new director of Student Health Services. She has worked in college health for 15 years and recently earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Michigan. Weisholtz takes the place of former director Maggie Cunning, who retired this past summer.
In an interview with The Stute, Weisholtz said she came to Stevens because she felt it was a natural progression in her career. She said she is eager to make improvements to the Student Health Services and plans on being a part of the Stevens community for many years. “[I’m] really happy to be here, and everyone here is so nice,” she said. “It’s a wonderful environment.”
According to Weisholtz, the Student Health Service’s top priority right now is COVID-19 management. Additionally, they are focusing on fulfilling their traditional duties of seeing patients. She emphasized the importance of college-related health, such as STI prevention and binge-drinking education.
Weisholtz has several initiatives planned for the future of the Student Health Services. Her first initiative for this year is to implement electronic health records here at Stevens. She describes the current system of uploading and scanning documents as “obsolete and archaic,” and she believes that having electronic health records will simplify the process of getting student health records when needed. Weisholtz mentioned that as an Institute of Technology, Stevens should be using electronic health records, and she has over 12 years of experience with these systems.
Her second initiative is to introduce on-site testing, such as throat swabs and urine tests. The tests will be conducted through Health Services and then be sent out to the appropriate facilities. This is something that the Student Government Association has been advocating for since it would eliminate the need for students to leave campus for routine medical tests. Student leaders at Stevens have historically played an active role in pushing for improvement of Health Services, including a call for improved STD testing and holding a summit to discuss LGBTQ+ wellness.
Weisholtz also wants to begin on-site Point of Care testing. This would mean that the Student Health Services can not only conduct tests, but can also run them and generate results right here on campus.
Additionally, Weisholtz wants the Student Health Services to have a greater presence on campus. She mentioned that they will be out at different tabling events, and will be available to answer any questions that students may have.
In her new role, Weisholtz is most excited about expanding the services at the Student Health Services, especially in terms of making it the place of primary care for students. She hopes that Stevens will be able to conduct annual physicals and offer more services such as those relating to women’s health.
Students can currently access the Student Health Services through appointment only, which can be made by calling Student Health Services at 201-216-5678 or through emailing studenthealthservices@stevens.edu.
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