Faculty News
Posted: January 27, 2011
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine Researcher receives $300k NIH grant Vineet Singh, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology/Immunology, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for $308,874. Dr. Singh’s research focuses on controlling staph infections by studying the significance of an aggressive bacterial pathogen, staphylococcus aureus, which causes a variety of diseases ranging from skin infections to complicated life-threatening diseases such as lung, heart valve, and central nervous system infections. According to Dr. Singh, approximately one-third of the U.S. population is colonized with this bacterium and up to 90 percent of healthcare professionals are carriers, which means they are frequently in contact with patients, who are at greater risk of developing serious staphylococcal diseases. The goal of Dr. Singh’s research is to understand how this bacterium is able to cause disease in humans and has become resistant to all known antibiotics, and to suggest new therapeutic strategies for its control. In the last few years, Dr. Singh has identified several genes that he suspects are critical for this bacterium to survive antibiotic treatment. His plan is to delete those genes from the resistant bacterium and test if the gene deletion makes the bacterium susceptible to antibiotics and/or incapable to cause disease. Such genes then can be targeted in a clinical situation to control staph infections. Says Dr. Singh on receiving his first NIH grant: “I feel extremely excited both personally and professionally after receiving this funding, which will enable me to test my research ideas, write research papers, attend professional meetings, and further develop my research career.” Wilson honored for service, influencing new generation of physicians 
Osteopathic medicine has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her neighbor was legendary D.O. Delbert Maddox, and her two brothers, Michael and Philip, graduated from KCOM in 1972 and 1977 respectively. It then should come as no surprise that Margaret Wilson, D.O., ’82, has made osteopathic medicine her life’s work as well. Bright and hardworking, Dr. Wilson graduated early from high school and went on the fast track at Truman State University in Kirksville. Graduating at age 20, she was one of a small number of women in her class at KCOM, where she now serves as chair of Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine, and Community Health. A national leader and role model in successful grantsmanship, she has consistently brought in highly competitive external grant awards for ATSU-KCOM since 1995. In total, she has served as the project director on eight successful multi-year grant awards worth more than $3.5 million to date and counting. She also has nearly $1.5 million in federal grants currently pending, which would run through 2015. Dr. Wilson has used such funding to help elevate family medicine and primary care training to a higher level of excellence. As a result, she has successfully implemented the Complete Doctor course, which teaches students clinical and interpersonal skills, as well as competence in history taking, physical exams, and understanding social issues impacting patients. “The course was designed to start developing these students into doctors,” Dr. Wilson says, “not just physicians with knowledge but people who can apply that knowledge and work competently with patients.” She also has infused spirituality and culturally competent care into the KCOM curriculum for the benefit of students and their future patients. Dr. Wilson, who thrives on student interaction, also uses her funding and passion to encourage KCOM students to pursue family medicine and primary care career choices. Since 1988, she has played a key role in training more than 3,200 KCOM students, of which more than half have selected primary care practice. She also serves on the curriculum committee and Still Well committee and is a block leader for the college’s new curriculum. In addition to her role at ATSU-KCOM, Dr. Wilson is a physician and medical director at the Northeast Missouri Health Council, which serves patients from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. As a physician, she has special interests in women’s health and geriatric care and currently sees patients from babies to age 104, including neighbors and former high school teachers. “It’s fun,” she says. “It’s nice to turn around and give back to the community that raised me. I love my work, and I feel very lucky to have had a good career here.” Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health Romer named Health Care Hero Maureen Romer, D.D.S., M.P.A., has been named a 2010 Health Care Hero in the dental category by The Phoenix 
Business Journal. She received the award in August in a recognition breakfast held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. “This award is well-deserved. It is truly an honor to have Maureen as an ASDOH faculty member. She is an extraordinary credit to our school, the profession of dentistry, and all of us involved in healthcare,” said ASDOH Dean Jack Dillenberg, D.D.S., M.P.H. Dr. Romer has served as the inaugural director of special care dentistry at ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health since December 2006. She is also an associate professor and serves as co-director of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program and the ASDOH special care clinics. Dr. Romer is co-principal investigator studying the oral health-related quality of life of adult dental patients with developmental disabilities and for a HRSA grant on workforce development with the Arizona Department of Health Services. She is a member of the Arizona Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities Legislative Consortium. Despite her numerous diverse activities, perhaps the strongest qualities advocating her as a Health Care Hero are Dr. Romer’s compassion and dedication to adults and children with special needs, and teaching ATSU-ASDOH students how to communicate with and approach these patients. According to Dr. Romer, statistics say that 85 percent of people with disabilities can be treated in private practice, and yet many still can’t find offices willing to provide the dental care they need. “I think for students, the advantage of working with patients with special needs is that they realize people with disabilities really can be treated in private practice,“ Dr. Romer said. “The majority of patients are very easy, nice, wonderful people, and once students have the opportunity to be exposed to this population, they realize it can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience.” Community outreach is also a strong component of Dr. Romer’s professional and personal passion. In June 2009, she traveled with students and dental residents to the Alaskan Yukon to provide oral health services to this remote underserved area. Additionally, Dr. Romer trains and educates general dentists in the community about special care dentistry as director of Project C.A.R.E., which aims to educate Arizona dental health practitioners on how to accept and treat the special needs patient with Compassion, Accommodation, Respect, and Empathy in their practice. Dr. Romer received her D.D.S. from New York University College of Dentistry in 1991. She graduated with an M.P.A. from Long Island University in 1997. She also served as associate professor, department of dentistry and department of pediatrics, and director, special care dentistry at the Rose F. Kennedy Center, Children’s Evaluation & Rehabilitation Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Yeshiva University from 2003-06. She has published extensively on special care dentistry and received the New York State Office of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities Distinguished Service Award in 2006. Arizona School of Health Sciences Professors awarded for achievement Rachel Diamant, M.S., OTR/L, BCP, associate professor of Occupational Therapy, received the Lorna Jean King Distinguished Achievement Award 2010 from the Arizona Occupational Therapy Association (ArizOTA). The award was presented during the ArizOTA annual state conference. 
John Heick, PT, D.P.T., assistant professor, Physical Therapy, has received the 2010 Emerging Leader Award from the Arizona Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Dr. Heick is one of 21 recipients nationally to receive the award, which was established by APTA to annually honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the profession and APTA early in their careers. Michael Lebec, PT, Ph.D., APTA Arizona Chapter nominating committee chair, gave the following description of Dr. Heick: “In fulfilling his duties, John makes the effort to find creative ways to advance the profession, and the chapter has benefitted from his innovative ideas.” “The award acknowledges John’s steady work within Arizona State Physical Therapy Association, where he is vicepresident, and the APTA, where he is a house delegate, as well as his ability to gather student motivation around an important legislative or community cause with sequential action,” said Ann Lee Burch, PT, Ed.D., M.P.H., M.S., associate professor and chair, Physical Therapy. “This award is an honor not only for John – but also for ASHS and ATSU – and is a credit to the excellent faculty we have dedicated to advancing health professions.” McLeod named inaugural endowed chair Tamara Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor, Athletic Training, is the inaugural John P. Wood, 
D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine. The endowed chair is a five-year appointment with an opportunity to renew. “Dr. McLeod has earned a national reputation as an expert in sports medicine, especially in the areas of pediatrics and sport-related concussion,” said John Parsons, Ph.D., AT/L, Athletic Training program director. “This position is a fitting public recognition of her work, and relatedly, of the academic quality of the Athletic Training program at ATSU-ASHS.” “I am honored to be named the inaugural John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine,” Dr. McLeod said. “Dr. Wood was an esteemed orthopaedic surgeon and worked hard to promote the osteopathic medical profession. I hope to use this title and the associated funds to further our research and community outreach in athletic training and sports medicine, specifically related to pediatric sports medicine concerns and sport-related concussion.” The endowed chair was created through funds established by John P. Wood, D.O., with gifts made by Dr. Wood during his lifetime and subsequently through his son, John P. Wood. John P. Wood, D.O., FAOAO, FACOS, was a 1927 graduate of ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Wood’s contributions to the osteopathic medical profession were numerous, and he was active in orthopaedics and sports medicine throughout his distinguished career. Funds from the John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine will support sports medicine education and research, while funding for orthopaedic surgery will be used by ATSU-KCOM. School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona ATSU Professor and Principal Investigator Mohsen Sharifi, M.D., presented results of the TORPEDO (Thombus Obliteration by Rapid Percutaneous Endovenous Intervention in Deep Venous Occlusion) trial, the first of its kind to compare percutaneous endovenous intervention (PEVI) techniques to anticoagulation therapy alone in acute symptomatic proximal deep vein thrombosis patients. The results, presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the 2010 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference, showed that PEVI in combination with anticoagulation therapy may trump treatment with anticoagulation alone.