This award honors a PA who has been in practice for at least 15 years and has demonstrated a steadfast and enduring commitment to the profession and Arizona community through leadership, service, and advocacy.
Dr. DiBaise has spent her career as an advocate for the PA profession, PA education, and underserved communities, and has worked to remove barriers for PA students, including securing grants for student scholarships, pre-PA recruitment, and endorsement from undergraduate institutions near community health centers. She has also worked to expand clinical training in rural Arizona communities and nationwide at community health centers to better serve the underserved.
She graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s PA program in 1990 and earned a master’s degree in PA studies in 1998. In 2014, she earned her Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) degree from ATSU.
Dr. DiBaise’s long-standing record of advocacy, service, teaching, and scholarly work has benefited the PA profession at the local, state, and national levels.
At A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), assistant professor Joel Mascaro, DO, believes strongly in the importance of being a mentor.
“I owe it to the students to be not only there, but to be receptive, listening and trying to give them guidance,” Dr. Mascaro said. “When you have 54 years of experience in the field, that translates into a library.”
Since 2007, Dr. Mascaro has been sharing his life lessons and expertise as an assistant professor at ATSU-SOMA, and doing his part to help ensure students’ success. But even with over 50 years of experience and a decade of teaching experience, Dr. Mascaro feels he is ever-improving.
“Some people are born teachers. I don’t think I’m a born teacher, but I created myself into a teacher, and I think I’m very effective,” Dr. Mascaro added. “That’s what drives me, this light inside. I try to be better every day. I want to be 1% better than I was the last day.”
This is just one of the life lessons Dr. Mascaro makes sure he teaches to all of his students – the importance of self-improvement.
One way ATSU students have access to self-improvement resources is through ATSU Learning Resources & Accommodation Services. With programs such as the Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) program, which is available to all residential program students, students who want to improve their learning and academic performance have access to relevant support and guidance.
This past February, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education recognized A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU) as a top producer of doctoral health science degrees earned by African American students.
Founded in 1984, Diverse is a bi-weekly news magazine dedicated to covering matters of access, diversity, inclusion, and opportunity for all in higher education. Every year, Diverse publishes its top 100 degree producers for minority students, based on data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics for its Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
In line with the celebration of Black History Month, Diverse chose to expand this year’s listing with an additional focus on African American students. Ranking at No. 25 in all combined doctoral disciplines, ATSU is the only health sciences university to have made the list, which is based on research conducted by Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, founder and president of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race.
This award is the committee’s highest honor and recognizes a career-advancing athletic trainer who is making an impact on the profession at the national, district, state, or community level. Winners demonstrate a high level of service, professionalism, and competence and embody the ideas, goals, and mission of NATA and the committee.
Dr. Freiburger is a 2019 graduate of ATSU-ASHS’ Master of Science in Athletic Training program and a 2022 graduate of the Doctor of Athletic Training program. She currently serves as the head athletic trainer at Williamsburg Junior/Senior High School in Williamsburg, Iowa, where she is active in numerous service and leadership activities.
Hear from Dr. Freiburger as she explains why she chose to pursue her athletic training education at ATSU here:
On Friday, Feb. 23, approximately 200 uninsured and at-risk children received free dental care during the annual Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) event hosted by A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) and the Arizona Dental Foundation.
In total, 275 students, 44 alumni, and 70 faculty and staff members participated in this year’s event, serving students from four elementary schools within the Mesa Public Schools district, in addition to several walk-ins.
The GKAS program was founded in 2003 by the American Dental Association (ADA), providing free oral healthcare for underserved children with a goal to ensure access to quality oral healthcare for all.
“Participating in GKAS was deeply rewarding. It provided me with an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of children in need, improving their oral health and overall well-being,” said Kiana Okonowski, D3, one of the co-chairs of this year’s event. “The event also worked to foster a sense of community and collaboration among the volunteers, alumni, and participants. I was pleased to see the kids proudly sharing their smiles with those important in their lives.”
Since its founding, GKAS has provided dental care for more than 7 million children across the U.S. Each year, more than 6,000 dentists and 30,000 dental team members volunteer at local GKAS events in their communities.
Jordan Nolan, D3, GKAS co-chair, added, “I fell in love with this event during my first year as a student and it has been cool to see my older brother come back to help out as an alumnus each year. My favorite part has been seeing the kids’ smiling faces at the carnival after receiving their dental care and being able to reconnect with alumni.”
The theme of this year’s conference is, ‘Revitalize our Establishment, Restore our Engagement, Rejuvenate our Purpose,’ and Dr. Del Sordi-Staats’s presentation will focus on the prescribing of lifestyle medicine to achieve health.
Practicing medicine since 2007, Dr. Del Sordi-Staats is board-certified in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and currently serves as a member of the AOMA Board of Directors and House of Delegates. In 2014, she founded Essential Family Health & Wellness Center, a private family medicine practice which blends OMM and traditional family medicine with functional medicine, which Dr. Del Sordi-Staats was certified in by the Institute of Functional Medicine in 2018.
In a large-scale interprofessional education collaboration, students teamed up with over 100 standardized patient actors, staff, and instructors, along with medical professionals from Banner Health, first responders from Mesa and Gilbert Fire and Police departments, and medics and nurses from the U.S. Army, for the University’s annual mass casualty simulation and Stop the Bleed training on Feb. 14, 2024.
Led by ATSU-SOMA faculty members Christina Weaver, DO, ’14, assistant dean, innovation and clinical curricular integration, and assistant professors Maurice Lee, MD, MPH, FAAFP, and Danish Javed MD, FAAP, the simulation aims to prepare students for the unexpected and allows them to practice their practical, hands-on lifesaving skills.
After a simulated explosion, students assessed and aided injured patients, and after several minutes of providing emergency “care,” the landing of a Banner Health helicopter signaled the arrival of the first responders, who provided students with feedback and guidance.
Once the helicopter landed, students then had the opportunity to check out the aircraft before heading to a debrief session to reflect on the day’s experiences.
The week kicked off with the keynote address, “The Epidemic of HPV-related Oropharyngeal Cancer: Why We Must Vaccinate, But Can We Screen?” delivered by visiting keynote speakers Erich M. Sturgis, MD, MPH, professor and deputy chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, and Karen Anderson, MD, PhD, associate dean of strategic research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and professor, Biodesign Institute, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University.
Throughout the rest of the week, which was organized by Ann Spolarich, RDH, PhD, FSCDH, ATSU-ASDOH professor and assistant dean for research, students and orthodontic residents presented clinical, diagnostic, laboratory, and survey research studies to their peers and other dental professionals.
You can virtually view the week’s oral presentations here.
Check out photos from the week’s scientific poster session below!
A.T. Still University’s National Center for Osteopathic Principles and Practice Education (NCOPPE) will be hosting a four-day introduction to osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) for MDs and DOs on the University’s Kirksville, Missouri, campus from May 20-23.
Taught by expert OMM faculty from the founding college of osteopathic medicine, ATSU-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), the 32-hour “Introduction to OMM for MDs and DOs” course is geared toward all levels of learners, especially faculty and residents participating in Osteopathic Recognition residency programs. It is designed as both an introductory course and a refresher for those who want to sharpen their skills and knowledge while learning about OPP, soft tissue, counterstrain and muscle energy techniques, and segmental diagnosis for the thoracic and lumbar spine.
The NCOPPE provides individualized education support and serves as an online repository of OPP-related materials available on-demand for educators across the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education continuum. NCOPPE’s goal is to advance osteopathic education, promote integration of osteopathic principles in clinical practice, and encourage development of OPP educational materials in the profession.
“Introduction to OMM for MDs and DOs” will take place in the Blumenthal Osteopathic Skills Lab in the Connell Information Technologies Center at ATSU’s Kirksville, Missouri, campus. The cost is $200 for NCOPPE/Still OPTI members and medical students and $550 for all others.
Dr. Pineault was also recently featured as a guest on “Sound Like No Other,” a podcast featuring experts and thought leaders in sound and hearing by Widex Canada, a leading manufacturer of hearing aids. His episode focused on the association between tinnitus and mental health, and can be viewed here.
As an audiologist, Dr. Pineault has extensive clinical experience in the assessment and management of tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia. As a lecturer, he has educated professionals on tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment protocols such as amplification, sound therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, and more.
In addition, Dr. Pineault has also served as an off-campus preceptor supporting Canadian university audiology programs, including the University of British Columbia, Western University, Dalhousie University, l’Université d’Ottawa, and l’Université de Montréal.