Faculty news
Posted: January 17, 2012
See who’s on the move, who’s been published, and who’s researching what.
ASHS
Dr. Maxwell
Barbara Maxwell, P.T., D.P.T., ’06, M.Sc., Cert. THE, was appointed dean of ATSU-ASHS effective July 1, 2011. Dr. Maxwell served as interim dean in FY 2011 and as vice dean for three years and associate professor for three previous years.
Her academic credentials include a doctor of physical therapy from ATSU, a certificate in teaching in higher education from Oxford Brookes University in England, a master of science in research methodology from Kings College at London University in England, and a bachelor of science with honors in physiotherapy from the University of Ulster in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland.
Dr. Maxwell has worked during the last year to establish a shared leadership philosophy within the School in which everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas and to participate in the success of the School through leadership opportunities. “Our shared leadership group consists of the deans, department chairs, president of the faculty assembly, president of the staff assembly, plus faculty representatives,” Dr. Maxwell said. “This shared leadership group is responsible for the implementation of our strategic plan and for leading major initiatives in the school.”
ATSU-ASHS is working on five strategic directions: 1) attending to the whole person, 2) maximizing the potential, investing in our people, 3) learning together, learning for life, 4) bridging the gaps, and 5) from function to structure.
Brandi Buchanan, OTD, OTR/L, assistant professor, occupational therapy, traveled with Embrace International to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June. Embrace International is a non-profit organization whose mission is to send therapy teams to locations where access to therapy services is severely limited.
The goal of this inaugural trip was to determine the occupational therapy needs of children, caregivers, and staff in orphanages and adoption agency transition homes. In addition to conducting the needs assessment, the team educated nannies, teachers, social workers, and medical teams regarding positioning and developmental milestones, feeding suggestions, facilitating play, using toys safely, and encouraging communication. Additionally, the team provided individualized therapy and suggestions for several children with identified/suspected delays or diagnoses.
“One of the most apparent needs of the caregivers and staff in each of the five sites was education on safe lifting techniques and a daily program of exercises to facilitate improved back health and strength,” Buchanan said. “A secondary goal in this project was to explore the level of cultural competence demonstrated by each of the participating therapists before and after the experience.”
Buchanan is interested in the needs of other cultures and hopes to incorporate more opportunities for students to engage in cross-cultural experiences during their clinical training at ATSU.
ASDOH
Dr. Romer
The Special Care Dentistry Association held its 23rd annual meeting April 1-3 in Chicago. The meeting theme, “Total Patient Care,” reflected the educational content developed for dentists and dental professionals who provide oral healthcare for patients with special needs. Maureen Romer, D.D.S., M.P.A., director, Special Care Dentistry, attended the meeting. Dr. Romer is also a council member on the International Association for Disability and Oral Health.
Jae Hyun Park, D.M.D., Ph.D., M.S.D., M.S., director, postgraduate orthodontics, was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. The article, “Autotransplantation of Premolars in a Patient with Multiple Congenitally Missing Teeth,” was co-authored by Kiyoshi Tai, D.D.S.; Daisuke Hayashi, D.D.S.; and Asuka Miura, D.D.S.
SHM
Shannon Wills, Ph.D., adjunct professor, health administration, co-authored “The Effects of Vaginal Estrogens on Plasma Estradiol Levels,” published in the Journal of Oncology Practice. Dr. Wills is a clinical research associate at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., with the Hematology/ Oncology Fellowship Program and the Cancer Clinical Trials Office.
KCOM
Michael French, co-director, Area Health Education Centers, was elected president of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH) at its membership meeting in Columbia, Mo., on June 17. MCOH is a statewide organization whose mission is to improve oral health for all Missourians through public awareness and sound public policy. In addition to his role with ATSU and MCOH, French also serves on the board of directors for the Missouri Rural Health Association and on the board of trustees for the National Rural Health Association.
Biochemistry Associate Professor James L. Cox, Ph.D., attended BIT’s 4th World Congress of Cancer, an international research conference held May 22-25 in Dalian, China. Dr. Cox chaired a session on “Anticancer Drugs Targeting Protein Kinase Inhibitors” and presented the talk “Natural Inhibitors of Metastasis – the Cystatins.” The conference, “Collaborative Actions Against Cancer,” was attended by 400 participants from 36 countries.
David Kermode, D.O., ’86, has been named interim chair of surgery. Dr. Kermode completed his surgical residency in Kirksville at Northeast Regional Medical Center. He has an active surgical practice in Kirksville and is clerkship director for surgery and course director for the second-year surgery course. His appointment was effective July 1.
Associate Regional Dean (Arizona) Robert D. Ligorsky, D.O., FACOI, FACP, FAHA, has been honored by the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI). He was inducted into the Gillum Society of Master Fellows, one of ACOI’s highest honors for service to the college and profession, in San Antonio on Oct. 14.
The Gillum Society of Master Fellows honors active ACOI members who have demonstrated outstanding past and present contributions to the college or to osteopathic internal medicine on a local, regional, or national level.
Dr. Stuart
Microbiology/ Immunology Associate Professor Melissa K. Stuart, Ph.D., was selected as the 2010 Item Writer of the Year for Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 examinations. This is the second year in a row that Dr. Stuart has received this designation.
Dr. Stuart successfully completed the item-writing training course overseen by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). According to the 2010 NBOME Annual Report, the NBOME undertook an objective evaluation of more than 200 item writers and case authors who contributed to all levels of the COMLEX-USA examinations in 2010 while making its Item Writer of the Year selections.