Faculty & staff news – Fall/Winter 2021
Posted: September 21, 2021ATSU
Dan Aaronson was promoted to support services specialist for Information Technology Services. He also received the Missouri campus Employee Excellence Award for the second quarter of 2020.
Sara Amini-Rad, practice-based research network coordinator, A.T. Still Research Institute, earned a master of public health degree from ATSU-CGHS.
Forrest Bollow, EdD, was promoted to director of the Office of Assessment and Accreditation (OAA). He previously served as OAA’s data manager.
Quincy Conley, PhD, director, Teaching & Learning Center, was featured in an episode of the Versatilist podcast, where he discussed his research publication, “MantarayAR: Leveraging augmented reality to teach probability and sampling.”
John Dees was promoted to project coordinator for Administrative Computing.
Clarice Dickess, MA, CRA, CFRE, joined ATSU as director of preaward services for Sponsored Programs on the Kirksville, Missouri, campus.
Dana Funderburk, MBA, CPA, was named vice president for finance/CFO, effective July 1. She joined ATSU in 2016 as associate vice president for finance. With more than 30 years in public accounting, corporate finance, and higher education administration, she provides leadership and oversight for all aspects of the University’s comprehensive financial administration and human resources.
Funderburk earned her bachelor of science in accountancy degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Illinois, and master of business administration degree from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. She is a registered certified public accountant in the state of Illinois.
Carrie Gaines, director of post-award compliance and management, sponsored programs, received ATSU’s Missouri campus 2021 Distinguished Service Award.
Brenda Higgins, EdD, MSN, FNP-BC, was appointed assistant director of interprofessional education & collaboration on the Missouri campus, effective June 1. This new position will expand services to support ATSU’s interprofessional collaborative endeavors.
Cynthia Kaye, senior executive assistant, president’s office, received ATSU’s Arizona campus 2021 Distinguished Service Award.
Stephanie McGrew, MA, coordinator, diversity & inclusion, was named assistant chair for the 2022 United Way Campaign Drive in Kirksville, Missouri.
Jeni Rogers, MHA, is the new senior executive assistant to the senior vice president-academic affairs.
Tina Samms, assistant director, residential admissions, earned a master of public health degree from ATSU-CGHS.
Mary Sims, MA, technical services librarian, A.T. Still Memorial Library, retired from ATSU on April 30, serving the University for nearly two decades.
Christopher Wilken was promoted to desktop security analyst for Network Technologies.
ATSU-ASDOH
J. Rich Cohen, DDS, assistant professor, director of orofacial pain, was appointed to the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s Board of Commissioners, beginning October 2021. He is the inaugural commissioner of orofacial pain, which was recently recognized as a dental specialty.
Germaine Hendon, MS, associate director, earned her doctor of education degree in organizational development and leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Scott Howell, DMD, MPH, FSCD, ’14, director of public health dentistry & teledentistry, was promoted to associate professor, effective July 1. Dr. Howell was named to the 2021-22 cohort of the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity US + Global program, and he was named as one of the Top 40 Most Influential Leaders in Teledentistry. The American Mobile & Teledentistry Alliance recognized 40 influential leaders who have used innovation and been forward-thinking with their efforts to keep oral health a priority, even when in-person office visits were not possible.
Dr. Howell also received the 2020 Teledentistry Innovation Award in the dentist/specialist category for developing a robust oral health program and training over 300 students in teledentistry. Nicknamed the “Tellies,” the awards were created by MouthWatch to highlight dental professionals and organizations bringing telehealth to dental care and the positive impacts they make.
Satish Kumar, DMD, MS, was promoted to professor, effective July 1.
Kimberly Kunkle was promoted to lead dental assistant in the Advanced Care Clinic.
Monica Nenad, DHEd, MEd, RDH, CHES, was promoted to associate professor, effective July 1.
Michael Papadimitriou, DMD, MS, was promoted to associate professor, effective July 1.
Jae Hyun Park, DMD, PhD, MSD, MS, professor and chair, postgraduate orthodontics, was elected as central body director of the national Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, representing the Angle Northern California Orthodontic Society. Dr. Park was appointed as a contributing editor for the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. In addition, he was appointed deputy editor of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Clinical Companion, an international journal dedicated to excellence in clinical orthodontics.
Marc Shlossman, DDS, MS, was promoted to associate professor, effective July 1.
Morgan Shubert was promoted to dental assistant in the pre-doc specialty clinic.
Caitlin Talkington was promoted to dental assistant for oral surgery.
Hanann Tomeh, DDS, assistant professor, comprehensive care unit director, earned a master of public health degree from ATSU-CGHS in December.
Dedrixe Tsosie was promoted to inventory manager in the post-doc clinic.
Amanda Westendorf was promoted to pre-doc coordinator for clinic operations.
ATSU-ASHS
Barton Anderson, DHSc, MS, AT, ATC, ’03, professor, clinical education coordinator, athletic training, received the ATSU-ASHS 2021 Scholar of the Year Award.
Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC, associate professor, athletic training, received the Innovation in Teaching Award from the Teaching & Learning Center for her project, “Personalized learning pathways: Using Qualtrics to promote learning beyond the classroom.”
Lori Bordenave, PT, DPT, PhD, was selected to serve as chair of the Physical Therapy department. Dr. Bordenave has served as program director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy residential program since 2018 and as an associate professor since 2006.
Ann Lee Burch, PT, EdD, MPH, dean, completed the Crisis Leadership in Higher Education program through Executive Education at Harvard Kennedy School.
Tess Coon, MS, PA-C, ’14, joined the School as an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Studies department.
Christina Cuka, DPT, DSc, assistant professor, physical therapy, received the Innovation in Teaching Award, first runner-up, from the Teaching & Learning Center for her project, “Help students become better learners: Using systematic assessments to promote learning and comprehension.”
Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C emeritus, DFAAPA, director, medical science, was featured on an episode of the Physician Assistants (PAs) for Tomorrow podcast and discussed the benefits of PAs obtaining a doctoral degree and overall outlook of the PA profession.
Kimberly DeVore, MS, PA-C, director and assistant professor, physician assistant studies, received the Physician Assistant Education Association’s Clinical Education Award for 2020. She was selected from clinical physician
assistant educators across the nation.
Tracy Ellison, PT, DPT, NCS, was promoted to director of clinical education for the Physical Therapy department.
Deanne Fay, PT, DPT, PhD, professor, physical therapy, was selected as director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. She was one of the founding faculty members of the DPT program at ATSU and has served as director of curriculum for the program since 2011. Dr. Fay teaches in the area of pediatrics and is active in the American Physical Therapy Association in the pediatric and research sections. Additionally, she is an international classifier for paralympics and has been engaged in adaptive sports at the local and national level for over 20 years.
Katherine Jones, MA, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, was promoted to director of progression and retention for the Occupational Therapy department.
Kenneth Lam, ScD, ATC, professor, interdisciplinary health sciences; Ashley Marshall, PhD, MEd, ATC, CES, PES, adjunct faculty, athletic training; and Alison Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA, professor, athletic training, were recognized for their article, “Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Sports Medicine: A Concise Resource for Clinicians and Researchers,” first published in April 2020 by the Journal of Athletic Training. The trio earned the 2020 Journal of Athletic Training Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Advancement.
Tami Lofland, administrative assistant, occupational therapy, received the Arizona campus Employee Excellence Award for the second quarter of 2020.
Cory Manton, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, ’01, was promoted to director of the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency program. Dr. Manton has taught in ATSU-ASHS’ Doctor of Physical Therapy program for 10 years. He has more than 19 years of physical therapy experience in the outpatient orthopedic setting.
Ray Pavlick, PhD, professor, physician assistant studies, was selected as the grand prize winner of the Osmosis Raise the Line Faculty Award in the Physician Assistant category. The purpose of this award is to recognize health educators and the work they are doing to increase the capacity of healthcare systems worldwide.
Seth Peterson, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT, ’13, adjunct professor, physical therapy, received the 2020 Emerging Leader Award from the American Physical Therapy Association’s Arizona chapter.
Kelsey Picha, PhD, ATC, ’14, assistant professor, interdisciplinary health sciences, received the ATSU-ASHS 2021 Junior Faculty of the Year Award.
Cassie Reynolds, administrative assistant, physical therapy, received the Arizona campus Employee Excellence Award for the first quarter of 2021 and annual ATSU-ASHS Exemplary Staff Award.
Marlene Salas-Provance, PhD, MHA, MA, CCC-SLP, FASHA, vice dean and professor, was selected as a distinguished fellow of the National Academies of Practice, an interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to collaborative healthcare practices and excellence in interprofessional care.
Kaylynn Schmitt was promoted to program manager for the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences department.
Jesse Thompson, simulation equipment specialist, physician assistant studies, received the Arizona campus Employee Excellence Award for the third quarter of 2020.
Tessa Tibben, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, ’08, assistant professor, physician assistant studies, received the ATSU-ASHS 2021 Service of the Year Award.
Alison Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA, professor, athletic training, was recognized with two awards from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Foundation. Dr. Valier received the 2021 Volunteer Service Award, in recognition of her exemplary volunteer service advancing the NATA Research & Education Foundation. Dr. Valier is also a member of the Strategic Alliance AT Research Agenda Task Force, which received the Rachael Oats Leadership Award.
ATSU-CGHS
Marjorie Belizaire, MD, adjunct professor, public health, received ATSU-CGHS’ Outstanding Adjunct Award for public health at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony.
Erin Breitenbach, PhD, MA, chair, health education, was selected by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education to co-lead the Online/Virtual and Technology-Facilitated Learning and Practice track at the virtual 2020 Nexus Summit.
Heather Brown, EdD, MTS, assistant director, University Writing Center, received ATSU-CGHS’ Outstanding Employee Award at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony. Additionally, Brown and her co-editors were awarded a new three-year term helming Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy.
Robert Clegg, PhD, MPH, MCHES, joined the College as chair for the Master of Health Administration and Doctor of Health Administration programs. He was previously a professor and faculty lead for Health Administration programs at Northcentral University School of Health Sciences. Dr. Clegg earned his bachelor of science in health science and master of public health at Fresno State and doctorate in human services with an emphasis in healthcare administration from Capella University.
Lihua Dishman, DBA, MBA, associate professor, health administration, served as a judge for the Business Finance section of the virtual Michigan Distributive Education Clubs of America’s 75th Annual Career Development Conference.
Jaana Gold, DDS, PhD, MPH, CPH, professor, public health, is the new chair for the American Dental Education Association Special Interest Group on Evidence-Based Dentistry.
Linda Koonce, DHA, MBA, adjunct professor, health administration, received ATSU-CGHS’ Outstanding Adjunct Award for health administration at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony.
David Larson, MS, adjunct professor, kinesiology, received ATSU-CGHS’ Outstanding Adjunct Award for kinesiology at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony.
Ashley Love, DrPH, MPH, MS, CPH, adjunct professor, public health, was elected to the American Public Health Association’s Nomination Committee.
Eric Matthews, PhD, MS, associate professor, health sciences, received ATSU-CGHS’ Professor of the Year Award at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony. In addition, Dr. Matthews was reappointed to another four-year term as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.
Mary-Katherine McNatt, DrPH, MPH, MCHES, CPH, COI, chair and associate professor, public health, was selected to be part of a toolkit development team with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resources and Services Administration and the nonpartisan and objective research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. The toolkit will include information and resources about evidence-based and promising approaches to developing programs to advance rural health equity. Dr. McNatt was invited to sit on the CommuniVax Coalition by Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the National Rural Health Association. She was also asked to serve on the Texas Pandemic Vaccine Task Force, a selection of subject matter experts who are convening through Immunization Partnerships to provide guidance and recommendations to the Texas governor, Legislature, and Executive Committee on COVID-19 vaccine distribution for the state.
J. Daniel Mikeska, DHSc, ’16, MS, ’12, adjunct professor, kinesiology, was featured on a podcast of the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Patrick Palmieri, DHSc, EdS, MBA, MSN, ACNP, RN, adjunct professor, health sciences, was appointed to the editorial board for Global Qualitative Nursing Research. Dr. Palmieri received the Blue Ribbon Abstract Award from the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology for his abstract titled “Family Function and Treatment Adherence of People Infected with Tuberculosis in Peru: A Multicenter Observational Study.” He also received ATSU-CGHS’ Outstanding Adjunct Award for health sciences at the College’s 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony.
ATSU-KCOM
Debra Blessing, aging studies coordinator, Area Health Education Center, received the Missouri campus Employee Excellence Award for the first quarter of 2021.
William Brechue, PhD, chair and professor, physiology, received ATSU’s Missouri campus A.T. Still Staff Award for Excellence in Teaching, Basic Sciences.
Valena Fiscus, DO, MPH, ’13, joined the College as an assistant professor and internal medicine physician.
Deborah Hudman, MS, senior research associate, microbiology & immunology, was awarded grant funding for her joint project with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The project’s goal is to create a Missouri map of tick species distributions and their human pathogens distribution.
Farid Khalafalla, PhD, was named associate dean for academic affairs, effective April 15. He was previously an assistant professor of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences for the College of Pharmacy at California Health Sciences University. In addition, Dr. Khalafalla received the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Biological Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes AACP Biological Sciences section members who have designed innovative teaching techniques to improve student learning.
Jonathon Kirsch, DO, ’96, associate professor, osteopathic manipulative medicine, received ATSU’s Missouri campus A.T. Still Staff Award for Excellence in Teaching, Clinical.
Saroj Misra, DO, FACOFP, ’98, was named associate dean for clinical affairs, effective Dec. 1. Dr. Misra most recently served as program director of family medicine at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Michigan and as an assistant professor at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Tim Ostrowski, PhD, associate professor, physiology, received a $387,403 grant award from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging for his study titled “Respiratory dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and its link to oxidative damage within the brainstem.”
Erial Stutsman was promoted to patient services coordinator in the clinic business office.
Brenda Williams, project coordinator, academic affairs, received the Missouri campus Employee Excellence Award for the fourth quarter of 2020.
ATSU-MOSDOH
Hussein Al-Wakeel, DDS, Dip, MSc, assistant professor, received the ATSU-MOSDOH Elsie Gaber Compassion & Integrity Award.
Joan Davis, PhD, RDH, professor, was promoted to assistant dean of research.
Nae’Wanda Moore, senior administrative assistant, received the Missouri campus Employee Excellence Award for the third quarter of 2020.
Ammar Musawi, MDS, BDS, associate professor and director, preclinical education & simulation clinic, earned a master of public health – dental emphasis degree from ATSU-CGHS.
ATSU-SOMA
Tina Bannochie, credentialing specialist, clinical education, received the Arizona campus Employee Excellence Award for the fourth quarter of 2020.
Anna Campbell, PhD, associate professor, was appointed chair of the Anatomy department.
Sharon Chu, MD, is a new regional director of medical education at Family Health Centers at NYU Langone in Brooklyn.
Natasha Fein Davis, MD, is a new regional director of medical education at Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation in Alton, Illinois.
Lisa Drummond, DO, is a new regional director of medical education at Family Health Centers at NYU Langone in Brooklyn.
Richard English, MD, is a new regional director of medical education at The Wright Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Candy Fontes was promoted to credentialing coordinator for the Clinical Education department.
Angela Jimenez, MD, is the new regional director of medical education in Santa Maria, California.
Inder Makin, MD, PhD, professor, basic medical science, published a chapter in the fourth edition of Ma and Mateer’s Emergency Ultrasound.
Joel Mascaro, DO, assistant professor, celebrated 50 years of medical practice in July 2020.
Jeffrey Morgan, DO, MA, FACOI, associate professor, earned a doctor of education in health professions degree from ATSU-CGHS.
David Shoup, DO, professor, osteopathic principles & practice, received the Innovation in Teaching Award, second runner-up, from the Teaching & Learning Center for his project, “Integrated curriculum for osteopathic medicine.”
Ebony Whisenant, MD, associate professor, public health, received the Best Faculty Research Presentation award during the 12th annual Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Symposium for her presentation, “Utilizing a Team-Based Approach for Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening in Vulnerable Populations.”