Tamara C. Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA, FNAK, FNAP, chair and director, presented “Prioritizing the Patient Perspective” and “The Association Between Post-Concussion Health-Related Quality of Life and Recovery Outcomes Among Adolescent Athletes.”
Nikki Harris, DAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS, ’17, assistant professor and director of student recruitment, presented “Mitigating Social Determinants and Leveraging Cultural Wealth to Advance Equity in Athletic Training and Therapy Education.”
Sue Falsone, PT, MS, SCS, ATC, L-AT, CSCS, COMT, RYT, associate professor, delivered a keynote speech, “United and Elevating Sports Medicine: A Personal Journey.”
Awarded by the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO), the award recognizes exceptional personal effort by an individual to advance the art and science of the orthodontic specialty, and is given only under exceptional circumstances. Recipients must have at least 20 years of experience in the practice of orthodontics and must exemplify a commitment to the pursuit of excellence and adherence to the highest ethical standards.
Dr. Park has served as president of the American Board of Orthodontics, president of the Arizona State Orthodontic Association, and as the central body director of the National E.H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, representing Northern California. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO-DO) and the AJO-DO Clinical Companion.
Throughout his career, Dr. Park has delivered more than 160 invited lectures internationally, published more than 410 scientific and clinical articles in peer-reviewed orthodontic and dental journals, and has edited three books and written more than 30 book chapters.
This certification signifies advanced expertise in forensic anthropological methods, theory, and casework, validated through a rigorous application review and two multi-hour examinations administered by the ABFA. By earning this credential, Dr. Spies joins fewer than 200 professionals who have achieved this distinction since the ABFA’s founding in 1977.
“For our students and partners, Dr. Spies’ D-ABFA credential brings nationally recognized expertise directly into our classrooms and community collaborations, from human identification to trauma interpretation and medicolegal investigations,” said Kellie Huxel Bliven, PhD, ATC, chair, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences department. “It reflects our commitment to applied, evidence-based training that prepares graduates to work across the health and public-service sectors.”
As a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Spies applies skeletal biology to assist medical examiners and coroners on cases involving decomposed, burned, fragmentary, or otherwise challenging remains, work that supports families, advances justice, and informs public safety.
“I’m honored to join the ABFA diplomate community,” said Dr. Spies. “I look forward to expanding student learning opportunities, strengthening interprofessional case simulations, and partnering with regional medicolegal agencies to serve the public.”
Dr. Amy Spies joined ATSU-ASHS in 2024 and teaches human anatomy courses, with scholarly interests in forensic anthropology that include analyses of trauma using virtual imaging, assessments of facial and postcranial fluctuating asymmetry, and sex and population-affinity assessments using geometric morphometrics.
She earned a PhD in anatomical sciences from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. Dr. Spies has volunteered in the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory at the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, and currently volunteers at the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner, where she performs forensic casework.
Every October, A.T. Still University commemorates its founder, A.T. Still, DO, with a University-wide celebration honoring his influence and the rich history of healthcare, education, and correlated scholarly activity he began.
The University’s Mesa, Arizona, campus celebrated Founder’s Day on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, as students, faculty, and staff, along with their families and friends, gathered for an evening of food, games, and community.
This year’s theme was Camp ATSU, and festivities included a petting zoo, raffle prizes, a rock wall, and a trick-or-treat trail.
Check out more photos below!
November’s staff profile highlight is Laura Barkema, MLIS, the Communications Librarian on the Mesa campus. She is also the liaison for Audiology, PA, DMSc, MSBMS, and DIHS.
Position title: Liaison and Communications Librarian
How long have you worked for the library: One year and change.
What made you want to work in libraries? I was a premed student my freshman year and then realized that I didn’t want to practice medicine, but I was still fascinated and loved learning about it. Since I was already a major reader, someone mentioned that I should be a librarian and when I realized you could be a medical librarian, I was sold. I am one of the few who knew they were going to be a librarian as early as their sophomore year in undergrad.
What do you like most about your job and about working for ATSU? I enjoy that every day is different. Sometimes I am working closely with students or faculty, and others I’m honing in on which Libguides need updating or posting on our social media. The biggest realization I’ve had while at ATSU so far is how much I enjoy research. It shouldn’t be surprising, considering research is a librarian’s bread and butter, but it’s made this transition into medical librarianship from public library life even more exciting!
What is a fun job you had before ATSU? Truly, I’ve mostly worked in libraries (even while in undergrad), but my first job that I worked at on and off for six years was at the Hardee’s in my hometown in Iowa. Being a librarian is very much about customer service, and Hardee’s is where I learned a lot about working with the public. I look back on my time at Hardee’s very fondly, and I still think that the biscuits at Hardee’s are the best around.
What is a fun/unique/exciting tidbit to know about you, or how do you spend your free time? I love to travel. Doesn’t seem unique enough? I get it, but it’s truly my number one passion and priority in life. I would like to visit every country and I still have a long way to go, but I have currently been to 70 countries, which is about a third of the way through!
Jacob Meier, OMS II; Meghan Ott, OMS II; Vedant Soni, OMS II; Nitish Bhargava, OMS II; Brianna Scivinsky, OMS II; and Nicholas Weinman, OMS II, each delivered oral presentations, demonstrating their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to academic and research excellence. The projects were completed under the mentorship of Sumitra Miriyala, PHD, MBA, MPH, FAHA, associate professor, Anatomy.
Debra Loguda-Summers, public service and 3D print service manager, A.T. Still Memorial Library; Jamie Carroll, senior graphic designer, Academic Technology; Corey Sanford, lead multimedia specialist, Academic Technology; and Mike Cramberg, BS, lab manager, Anatomy, provided student support as well.
Casey Holliday, PhD, associate professor, Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, shared his appreciation via email, commending the students for their excellent presentations and professionalism. He noted they “did a great job of showing all the cool things you all are doing at ATSU and all showed a mastery of their material,” adding that they “left a great impression on the rest of the attendees of the conference.”
Nitish Bhargava, OMS II, presents “Evaluating BMX-001 Efficacy: A SOD2 Mimetic Approach to Mitigate Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Damage” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.Nicholas Weimann, OMS II, presents “Enhancing Neuroanatomy Education Through 3D-Printed Models and Adaptive Learning: A Multi-Modal Approach to Support Comprehension and Retention in Osteopathic Medical Training” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.Meghan Ott, OMS II, presents “Histological and Anatomical Characterization of Severe Aortic Stenosis in a Cadaveric Specimen: Advancing Structural Insight Through 3D Modeling and Osteopathic Education” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.Jacob Meier, OMS II, presents “From CT to Classroom: 3D Printing the Pterygopalatine Fossa as a Teaching Tool” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.Brianna Schvinsky, OMS II, presents “3D-Printed Le Fort Fracture Models for Trauma Education” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.Vedant Soni, OMS II, presents “Anatomical and Vascular Characterization of a Horseshoe Kidney: Preventing Iatrogenic Injury Through Structural Insight” at the AAA Regional Conference in Columbia.
Founded in 2021, A.T. Still University’s (ATSU) Harm Reduction Club continues to make an impact across Arizona through education, outreach, and advocacy.
This year, more than 160 volunteers joined the club to assemble over 3,600 naloxone kits, providing lifesaving resources to individuals throughout the state. Each kit represents ATSU’s ongoing commitment to public health and its mission to serve with compassion and purpose.
In addition to outreach efforts, the club hosted educational events highlighting the importance of how to administer naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. These initiatives emphasize the University’s dedication to preparing future physicians who are equipped to address the opioid epidemic through evidence-based, empathetic care.
“Our goal is to create meaningful change by combining medical education with community action,” said club co-president Helen Dang, OMS II. “Through harm reduction, we’re able to meet people where they are, save lives, and uphold the osteopathic philosophy of treating the whole person.”
First held in 2015, E.A.R. Day was organized by ATSU-ASHS alumna Lisa Bell, AuD, ’16, after Bell received a HEAR (Humanitarian, Education, and Awareness Resources) grant from the National Student Academy of Audiology (SAA).
This year’s festivities included laser tag, face painting, pumpkin coloring, bracelet making, and more, as well as an educational component where children labeled and colored the parts of a hearing aid and cochlear implant. Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program students and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program students also joined in the fun this year, organizing an obstacle course and activities.
Parents participated in a dedicated session focused on advocacy strategies and experienced a hands-on activity using earplugs to simulate hearing loss, offering insight into what students with hearing differences may experience in a classroom setting.
Guest speakers included Tracie LeBlanc, speech-language pathologist at Desert Voices; Najwa Ghattas, cochlear implant coordinator at Phoenix Children’s Hospital; and Brianne Fink, educational audiologist with the Paradise Valley School District, who led an advocacy panel.
Additionally, Kelly Hernandez of Advanced Bionics and Tricia Dabrowski, AuD, associate professor of audiology, facilitated an informative device workshop, giving attendees hands-on learning opportunities and insight into hearing technology.
“Bringing together children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, their families, and our University community reaffirmed the power of inclusion, education, and celebration,” said Alyssa Richards, ’27, chair of this year’s event. “From lively games and creative crafts to hands-on educational activities and meaningful parent sessions, every moment underscored our shared commitment to empowering children and their families.”
The fall was full of exciting activity as the Arizona campus library celebrated National Medical Librarians Month in October with several engaging contests and prizes. We are particularly pleased to announce a new name for our 3D printer! After a campus-wide vote by our residential students, it will officially be known as 3DP0.
We’d also like to extend a warm congratulations to all our contest winners: Sumitra Miriyala, Rajendra Angara, and Hannah Fine successfully conquered our open-access trivia contest, while Ricardo “Ric” Dozier made the winning guess in our festive Halloween candy-guessing game.
The winning spirit continues! We are currently seeking your valuable feedback to help us improve our library website. We invite you to take 10-15 minutes to fill out our website evaluation survey. As a token of our appreciation, simply email Hal (hbright@atsu.edu) once you’ve completed the evaluation, and we will happily send a library-themed Bucky sticker (shown above) to you via interoffice mail!
If you haven’t visited us recently, you’ll notice some wonderful physical upgrades to our space. The back of the library now features a fresh coat of paint with calming blue accents, as well as brand-new carpet. Furthermore, we have equipped our Ficus study room with a new 60″ touchscreen monitor, perfect for interactive group collaboration and individual study by both students and faculty. We encourage you to stop by to take a look and book the room here!
Finally, we are excited to personally invite the entire campus community to our upcoming art reception during lunchtime (12:00–1:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, November 19, in the library (Building 5850). This special event will feature our new student library art exhibit as well as creative works by our talented first-year Physical Therapy students created in their Education Theory course. We truly look forward to seeing you there and celebrating our students’ creativity.
California Campus Library Updates
Peter-John Van Beurden and Omar Ramirez, both of CCPA CO2026, submitted art for the student art display in the California library. These will be up for viewing for the CCPA academic year. Van Beurden submitted two images inspired by the PA and the Farmworker image, and Ramirez submitted a beautiful picture of a classic car with the ocean in the background.
The CA Library celebrated National Medical Library Month and Halloween with a “name the torso” contest and candy guessing game. The library received 6 name submissions and the candy guessing box was full! Name submissions included Emperor Biocletian, Ben Abody, Gastro Greg, Bod E. McScience, the Great Gutsby and the Greater Gutsby, with our winner being “The Great Gutsby” submitted by Alana Curtis! Kayla Montoya was the lucky winner of a jar full of candy with the closest guess. Thanks to all for your participation!
Over the last six months, the library has added various new databases and resources to enhance your research and learning. Check out what’s now on offer!
The library has acquired a new clinical resource specifically designed for primary care physicians (PCPs) and other healthcare professionals who manage common musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. MSK for PCP is a fantastic resource for our DO and PA students, especially, offering targeted, practical information.
The Nursing & Allied Health Reference Source is a brand new resource specifically designed for those students studying nursing, allied health, occupational therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and other related disciplines. This source provides a wide array of materials essential for practice and study, including evidence-based care sheets, clinical reviews, exercise sheets, quick lessons, and research instruments. Furthermore, it enhances learning with detailed skills guides that feature in-context images and videos.
Ditki offers unlimited access to nearly 40 medical and health science courses—including anatomy, clinical medicine, and nursing—for ATSU students and educators. Developed by practicing neurologist Dr. Adam Fisch, the Ditki approach is based on a rigorous, instructive format that flows logically to simplify comprehension and memorization.
Ditki provides concise, clear tutorials that utilize a step-wise approach, making medical science easier to learn and retain. The platform includes interactive exercises, drills, quizzes, and downloadable flashcards to reinforce learning. Students preparing for exams like the USMLE, COMLEX, and PA Exams can benefit from over 1,000 board review questions. Furthermore, Ditki offers administrator and instructor tools to guide and assess student learning, and it features seamless LMS integration.
If you have any questions or issues, please contact your liaison librarian or email libaz@atsu.edu.
