| Director of Cardiovascular
Services for the Heart Care Center at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North
Mississippi since 1990, DeLashmit has dedicated her life to keeping
the hearts of area residents strong. She said her UM degrees were
essential to her career path in the health care profession.
"As a health, physical education, and dance major (now Health,
Exercise Science, and Recreation Management) at Ole Miss in the
early 1980's, I took a great number of courses that focused on
therapeutice exercise," she said. "But, it was while
working on my master's degree that I became seriously interested
in exercise physiology and cardiac rehabilitation."
Although the St. Louis, Missouri, native did a stint as a physical
education teacher after earning a Bachelor of Science in health,
physical education, and dance in 1984, she decided her true calling
was not as a public school teacher. |
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It was while working
as a graduate assistant in the Department of Exercise Science
in 1985 when DeLashmit discovered her interest in health care.
"The heart care program at the hospital was still new when
I completed my master's degree in the summer of 1985," she
said. "I was offered a training program in cardiac rehabilitation
at Baptist Central in Memphis. After that eight week internship
I knew cardia rehabilitation was my calling and that I would continue
my education and focus on a career in health care. In June 1986,
DeLashmit was hired to develop the cardiac rehabilitation program
for Oxford-Lafayette Medical Center, renamed Baptist Memorial
Hospital-North Mississippi in 1989. Five years later, she completed
course work to earn a doctorate in health and physical education
from UM.
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Megan
Vann of Madison, a graduate assistant at the Heart Care
Center , poses with recovering heart patient Jim C. Miller
of Pope. |
| "Cardiac Rehab is an amazing
field. It is so rewarding when a patient who is seriously
ill one week is physically well 10 days later," DeLashmit
said. "Yes, the medical field has its sad moments. But,
mostly there is constant gratification. It's wonderful to
know you're helping someone." |
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