Dr. DePalma is an Associate Professor and the director of the Master of Science of the Biomedical Science (MSBMS) program.

Since graduating from the Lock Haven University Physician Assistant (PA) program in 2003, he has distinguished himself as a clinician, PA educator, PA leader, and published author. Dr. DePalma received his BS in Microbiology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1993, his Master of Health Science from Lock Haven University in 2003, and Doctor of Medical Science with a concentration in education from A.T. Still University in 2021. He has almost 20 years of clinical practice in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and family medicine, and has been in PA education for the past five years. Prior to becoming a PA, Dr. DePalma was a Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy and worked as a microbiologist for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

He is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Associates, has served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants, and held several PA leadership and advocacy positions. Dr. DePalma has served on hospital medical executive committees, credentialing committees, and was the Assessment Coordinator for the LHU PA program.

Contact me at michaeldepalma@atsu.edu or (480) 265-8065.

Dr. Heather Alonge has been in higher education for over 15 years working across degree programs and allied health programs. Her professional experiences include nonprofit health advocacy and policy and serving as the program manager to the Office on Women's Health for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Dr. Alonge's research experiences include rural access to care, telehealth, cultural practices for COVID-19 prevention, and injury and violence prevention. Dr. Alonge has published in many peer-reviewed journals.

Developing & Teaching: MSBS 5800: Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health

Dr. Fuanta obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2010 from the University of Buea, majoring in Microbiology with a minor in Medical Laboratory Technology. He later obtained his Ph.D. in 2018 from Auburn University, AL, with a focus on enzyme mechanisms and the characterization of inhibitors. He teaches a range of biochemistry courses from introductory to advanced biochemistry courses. Dr. Fuanta’s research investigates the effects of various inhibitors on various pathogenic bacteria and also targets key protein/enzyme systems within these pathogens – towards the potential development of new antibacterials. Dr. Fuanta is an Education Fellow of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and was elected Mid-Atlantic region’s associate director of Sigma Xi. He serves on the editorial advisory board of award-winning science magazines – ASBMB Today and American Scientist. Dr. Fuanta is also an active member of other professional organizations including the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), and also peer-reviews for several academic journals

Developing & Teaching: MSBS 5200: Biochemistry Essentials

Developing & Teaching MSBS 5700: Medical Ethics (Section II)

Dr. Kevin Hickman is a PA with 15 years of clinical and leadership experience. He was the director of advanced practice providers for 4 years at two large healthcare systems in the northeast. During that time, he worked to improve organizational compliance with state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to physician assistants and nurse practitioners and clinical efficiency. Additionally, he aided in improving PA and NP utilization and documentation. Currently, he is an assistant professor/principal faculty at A.T. Still University’s Central Coast PA Program and clinically practicing in neurosurgery. He is adjunct faculty for multiple PA programs across the country, instructing on professional practice topics, including health law, compliance, billing and coding, malpractice and professional liability, medical ethics, and additionally for congenital heart and transplant surgery and medicine. He is actively involved in his state PA society and the American Academy of PAs. Governor Wolf appointed him to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Health Advisory Board in 2019, and he remains an active member.

He is certified in healthcare compliance and holds a Doctorate in Medical Science from A.T. Still University, a Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola University, and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Ohio University. His thesis for health law explored the potential liability that can arise for physicians and organizations that employ PAs. He is a frequent national speaker at various medical and legal conferences. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of the American Academy of PAs and the Journal of Physician Assistant Education on health law compliance and education.

Katie Kugler began her career as a PA in 2000 upon graduating from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania with her BS in Physician Assistant Sciences. She proceeded to complete her Masters of Education in Health Education at Pennsylvania State University in 2016. Since the beginning of her career she has had a passion for patient care, education, and leadership. She has over 22 years of clinical experience in urology, psychiatry, solid organ transplant surgery, otolaryngology and interventional radiology. During her clinical practice she has worked at small physician practices and large academic institutions giving her a broad based clinical and interprofessional experience. Katie routinely guest lectures for multiple PA programs, precepts clinical PA students, and has held a part-time PA school faculty position in the past. She also regularly lectures at the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) conference, Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants (PSPA) conference as well as other professional medical conferences on a variety of topics. She has a true passion for helping fellow PAs and PA students to meet their greatest potential through education and applies her educational skills to patient care to ensure that every patient understands their diagnosis and medical treatment plan. In addition to her clinical and educational endeavors she is an active leader in the PA profession. Katie is the co-chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the PSPA and an active member of many other committees. She has been a director at large for the board of directors and is a Past President for the PSPA among other positions she has held. On a national level she is a Distinguished Fellow of the AAPA and serves as an AAPA House of Delegate representative for Pennsylvania. She uses this leadership experience to be a strong advocate for PAs within her clinical practice as well as on a state and national level.

Developing & Teaching: MSBS 5900: Capstone I, MSBS 5930: Capstone II, MSBS 5960: Capstone III

US Navy Veteran, 1985-1989 (US Marine Corps-Fleet Marine Force Corpsman 1987-89)

Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic 1992-1997

1997 Graduate Cuyahoga Community College Surgeon's Assistant Program

Experience: Emergency Medicine and Surgery

Master's Advanced PA Studies AT Still University 2019

DMSc AT Still University (Inaugural Cohort) 2021

Ursuline College PA Program Director of Clinical Education 2021-Present

Hobbies: Biking and Walking, Travel, Baseball, All things Cleveland

Married 5 kids (2 mine (daughters), 3 hers (2 step-daughters, 1 step-son)

AAPA Awards Committee

OAPA Communications Committee (Pending)

Teaching: MSBS 5900: Capstone I, MSBS 5930: Capstone II, MSBS 5960: Capstone III

Dr. Mattes is a resident of eastern Pennsylvania and is a full-time Biology professor at a local community college. She taught high school biology for 10 years prior to taking a position at the community college. Her favorite subjects to teach are microbiology and anatomy and physiology.

When she is not teaching, she is raising four children who fill her life with joy. There are also 2 border collies, 5 rabbits, and 8 ducks who add to her very full life on her property. Hobbies include walking, running, and researching projects to build for her children and animals.

Developing & Teaching: MSBS 5000 Medical Physiology I, MSBS 5030 Medical Physiology II, MSBS 5060 Medical Physiology III, & MSBS 5100 Clinically Oriented Anatomy

Dr. Laura Solano has practiced as a Physician Assistant for 13 years in family practice. She is devoted to her patients as she serves in the same family practice location for 11 years. She currently serves on a leadership committee focused on clinical operations, technology and innovation. She represents and leads the family practice subcommittee representing Texas in a wider enterprise endeavor focused on electronic medical record system improvement. Recently she has been added to the clinician recruitment team. Moreover, Dr. Solano currently teaches mathematics remotely in a technology school for adults. She has been an active preceptor for doctoral nurse practitioners and physician associates at the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Wesleyan University, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). Furthermore, she is a member of the Society of Physician Assistants in Genetics and Genomics (SPAGG). She is interested in genetics in light of the relevance of genetic conditions as they pertain to the practice of medicine. She has vast experience with genetic syndromes during her clinical experience of treating pediatric and adult patients for over a decade.

Dr. Solano enjoys writing and has a publication in the Journal of American Academy of PAs (JAAPA) on the topic of continuous glucose meters. She has other articles pending publication and others pending a decision. Dr. Solano obtained her master's degree from UNTHSC and a Doctoral degree from A.T. Still University where she studied education technology, curriculum design, and other topics focused on adult learning.

She is an active clinician and enjoys serving in family medicine. She is a happy wife and a mother of two girls and twin boys. Dr. Solano enjoys music and plays guitar, keys, and drums. She is passionate about education and believes that anything can be learned with the right instructor.

Developing & Teaching: MSBS 5550: Genetics

Teaching: MSBS 5300: Pharmacology I, MSBS 5310: Pharmacology II

Dr. Theobald is a professor of pharmacology at ATSU. He received his doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy and he did a postdoctoral fellowship in the School of Medicine. He came to ATSU, then Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he advanced from assistant professor to full professor, serving as chair of the Department of Pharmacology from 1989 to 2015. His research has involved studies on the smooth muscle of the lower urinary tract and most recently the effect of various drugs on cognition. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Osteopathic Association, the Warner Fund, and the Biomedical Graduate Student Program. He is an active member of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics where he has held national offices, including Secretary/Treasure of ASPET's Division of Pharmacology Education. He is an emeritus member of the Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs Association holding positions of leadership including Councilor, Secretary, and Treasurer. He has numerous publications in national and international peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Urology, Life Sciences, and the European Journal of Pharmacology. He and his wife, Janie, have 3 children, two who are graduate physicians from KCOM, and one who is a marine biologist. Dr. Theobald enjoys reading, old movies, golf, and theology.

Teaching: MSBS 5700: Medical Ethics (Section One)

Dr. Craig Ernst has been a full-time professor and PA educator for nearly fifteen years. In addition to having worked clinically as a cardiology PA, Dr. Ernst is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Ethiopia,

where he taught English in the Ethiopian school system. He holds degrees in anthropology, health science, healthcare management, and public health. His research interests include the cultural aspects of healthcare and the development of cultural humility in healthcare students. Dr. Ernst enjoys traveling and has organized and led medical Spanish and immersion trips abroad for his students. His other interests include hiking, roasting coffee, and spending time with family. Dr. Ernst lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.

Teaching: MSBS 5450: Principles of Immunology

Kristin Hill is an adjunct professor and experienced Physician Assistant with 10 years clinical experience.

Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant, she was a Registered Dietitian and continues to incorporate nutrition and whole person thinking into education and clinical care.

Since graduating from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015, she has worked clinically in the area of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine (specifically Hospital Medicine) and most recently, Surgery.

Kristin holds a strong passion for Physician Assistant education and, prior to joining ATSU, she was an Assistant professor in the Physician Assistant program at Lock Haven University.

Dr. Ann Lee Burch is the dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Burch received her doctor of education from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005. She received her masters of public health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health in 2002 and her masters of physical therapy from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the Research Group on Health Disparities at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her BA is in psychology from the University of Rochester.

Prior to her appointment as dean, Dr. Burch served as vice dean for ATSU-ASHS. She served as the chair of the Physical Therapy Department from 2008-January 2012. Prior to ATSU, Dr. Burch was the director of physical therapy at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has held administrative and/or faculty positions at the International Center for the Disabled in NY, NY, Mercy College in NY, and Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.

Dr. Burch’s area of scholarly interest and application of that interest is in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of health care providers and healthcare professional students towards underrepresented patient/client groups.

Dr. Burch is the author of a Guide to Physical Therapy (Vault Publishers) which was written to increase information access about physical therapy to both high school graduates and re-entry adults. She was a co-investigator on an NIH grant at the University of Puerto Rico exploring the feasibility of an exercise program for breast cancer survivors living in San Juan. Dr. Burch has lived in Symi, Greece, Taipei, Taiwan, Ahmdebad, India and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is committed to research, teaching and service that further the understanding of the impact of socioeconomic and cultural variables on health.

She was a member of the class of 2014 cohort of Women in Educational Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2017 she was the co-PI on a Centers for Disease Control, Association for Prevention and Teaching grant exploring a population health case study format for teaching and communicating the impact of social determinants of health on health disparities. She was recently appointed a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.

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Dr. Salas-Provance, is professor and vice dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Salas-Provance received her doctorate in speech science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received her masters of health administration from the University of Missouri School of Medicine-Columbia. She holds both a bachelors and masters in Speech Pathology from New Mexico State University.

Prior to her appointment as vice dean, Dr. Salas-Provance served as associate dean of academic and student affairs for the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston. She served as assistant dean and chair in the College of Education, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico and department chair in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Montevallo (AL). She held faculty positions at Fontbonne College and St. Louis University, in St. Louis, MO.

She has made extensive professional contributions to the American, Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA), serving on the Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council, member of the Financial Planning Board, and the Multicultural Issues Board. She served as coordinator of ASHA’s Special Interest Group (SIG) 14, Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations and was a founding member and coordinator of SIG 17, Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is an ASHA Fellow and received ASHA’s highest awards for “Special Recognition in Multicultural Affairs” and “Outstanding Contributions in International Achievement.”

Dr.Salas-Provance has served as a clinical educator throughout her academic career, especially related to children with cleft lip and palate. She is a member of an international medical team with Rotaplast International and has traveled worldwide for over 15 years to provide clinical services to children with cleft palate. She implemented a program for graduate students in speech pathology to provide clinical services in Spanish to children with cleft palate in Lima, Peru. In addition to Lima, Peru she has provided clinical services in China, Bangladesh, Philippines, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Dr. Salas-Provance is coauthor of the textbook Culturally Responsive Practices in Speech-Language and Hearing Science (Plural Publishing, 2019) which meets the needs for training students in healthcare professions regarding practice with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her research is focused on attitudes towards disability by diverse populations and addressing the use of language interpreters during healthcare and educational encounters.

Over the past ten years she has lectured extensively to international audiences, both in English and Spanish, including as invited speaker for the Congreso Internacional en Trastornos de la Comunicacion at Escuela de Fonoaudiologia (Speech Language Pathology / Audiology) de la Universidad de Talca, Chile and for the Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Peru, Endoscopic Evaluation of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction. She was invited keynote speaker for the First International Congress in Speech-Language Pathology and Orthodontics in the area of cleft lip and palate in Lima, Peru.

Dr. Salas-Provance was selected for the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Leadership Program and attended the National Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington DC (2017) for advancing female executives in higher education.

Dr. DePalma is an Associate Professor and the director of the Master of Science of the Biomedical Science (MSBMS) program.

Since graduating from the Lock Haven University Physician Assistant (PA) program in 2003, he has distinguished himself as a clinician, PA educator, PA leader, and published author. Dr. DePalma received his BS in Microbiology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1993, his Master of Health Science from Lock Haven University in 2003, and Doctor of Medical Science with a concentration in education from A.T. Still University in 2021. He has almost 20 years of clinical practice in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and family medicine, and has been in PA education for the past five years. Prior to becoming a PA, Dr. DePalma was a Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy and worked as a microbiologist for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

He is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Associates, has served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants, and held several PA leadership and advocacy positions. Dr. DePalma has served on hospital medical executive committees, credentialing committees, and was the Assessment Coordinator for the LHU PA program.

Contact me at michaeldepalma@atsu.edu or (480) 265-8065.

Sara Amini-Rad graduated top of her class from A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies with a Masters in Public Health. In addition she is certified as a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Ms. Amini-Rad has worked for A.T. Still University for six years, has ten years of traditional and social media marketing experience, and has 20+ years of experience in community service and community program planning and implementation. Medical education is a true passion and the field in which Ms. Amini-Rad enjoys working most; with an emphasis on ensuring that students understand the important roles Social Determinants of Health, Patient Advocacy, Health Literacy, Mental Health and, Person-Centered Whole-Person care play in the outcomes of their future patients.

Personal Teaching Philosophy: Doing the best I can to create a learning environment in which students can be successful.

Contact me at saraaminirad@atsu.edu or (623) 251-4714.

*16 years of instructional design experience in higher education

*Seven years of adjunct faculty experience teaching online

*Five years of Instructional Design Project Manager experience on two Department of Labor multi-million-dollar grants (TAACCCT and First in the World) purposed to design programs of study to help learners gain industry-ready skills.

*Master of Arts in Education/Training and Learning Technologies with a focus on instructional design and program evaluation from the University of New Mexico