Faculty news rundown
Posted: November 5, 2009
Arizona School of Health Sciences
Jeffrey Alexander, Ph.D., D.H.Sc., assistant professor, has been named to the new International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) Visioning Board. Dr. Alexander will work with other board members to develop a vision for such vital components of active aging as programming, facility development, and community design.
“The ICAA has its finger on the pulse of the global aging population, continually striving to improve the health, fitness, and well-being of older adults,” said Dr. Alexander. “Serving on their Visioning Board will afford me the opportunity to impact and ensure the future well-being of our growing older adult population, as well as provide our students a preview of things to come in the aging industry as I relay discussions and developments back to them.”
Tabitha Parent-Buck, Au.D., associate professor and chair of Audiology, is president-elect of The Academy of Doctors of Audiology and also conference program chair for its annual convention in October. At that time, she will become president for one year and will then serve a third year on the 14-member board as past-president.
Founded by nine practitioners in 1977 as the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists, the ADA is dedicated to leadership in advancing practitioner excellence, high ethical standards, professional autonomy, hearing and balance care technology, and sound business practices in the provision of quality audiological care. The ADA also collaborates with other professional organizations to strengthen grassroots efforts to achieve positive legislative changes at the local and federal level.
Rebekah Cunningham, Ph.D., assistant professor, Audiology, was elected to the board of directors of the American Academy of Audiology and began her position July 1. The academy is the world’s largest professional organization of, by, and for audiologists and is dedicated to providing quality hearing care services through professional development, education, research, and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders.
Alison Snyder, Ph.D., ATC, has been named assistant director of research support for ATSU’s Arizona campus, and Ken Pamperin, M.S., is the new assistant director of research support for the Missouri campus. In their roles, they will serve as the primary contacts for research activities. Dr. Snyder is an associate professor within the Athletic Training Program of the Arizona School of Health Sciences. She also has accepted an appointment within the Still Research Institute as director for the Center for Clinical Outcomes Studies. Pamperin is the project manager for the Office of Research Support.
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
ASDOH holds faculty advance
More than 120 internal and adjunct faculty members gathered for sessions in networking, critical thinking, and presentations at the annual ASDOH Faculty Advance July 9-11 at the Hilton Phoenix/Mesa Hotel and the Arizona campus. The event, which has been held since 2005, provides a vital forum for ASDOH faculty to come together to develop skills in teaching and learning, become more calibrated in student assessment, monitor trends in dental education, and stay connected to the initiatives of the University and the dental school.
Scott Morrison, D.D.S., is ATSU-ASDOH’s new associate dean of education. Dr. Morrison previously served as ASDOH’s director of clinical education.
Kneka Smith, R.D.H., M.P.H., former ASDOH associate dean, received The Tower Award, the Westbrook College Alumni Association’s highest award, which is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves by a high level of performance in business or professional life, by services of unusual quality in civic activities, or by extraordinary, de- voted and loyal service to Westbrook College.
Smith has received numerous awards for her dedication to oral health and improving oral health through public health initiatives. Most notably, she was selected for the Centers for Disease Control’s Citizens for Better Oral Health Award in 1997. She also is a coveted speaker on the topic of improving oral health and has given presentations for the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, the Arizona Oral Health Summit, the Maine Department of Human Services, and the National Oral Health Conference.
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
George Carlson, Ph.D., professor of physiology at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, received his first grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for his work on treatment options for muscular dystrophy. His win means that Dr. Carlson and ATSU now have a total of $201,967 to use for research involving testing new drug therapies for muscular dystrophy.
In addition to his award from the NIH, Dr. Carlson also gained a grant from AFM, or Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, for roughly $80,000 over two years. Based in France, this association fights neuromuscular diseases by supporting projects, and in 2007 it committed 66 million Euros toward research and the development of new therapies.
A veteran to the grant-writing process, Dr. Carlson has received grants in the recent past from ATSU, AFM, and Charley’s Fund, a non-profit organization based out of Massachusetts that is dedicated to researching muscular dystrophy.
Peter Kondrashov, Ph.D., associate professor, Anatomy, ATSU-KCOM, presented his paper, “Diversity and Adaptations of Arctocyonidae from the Paleocene of Western Europe,” at the International Symposium on Terrestrial Paleogene Biota and Stratigraphy of Eastern Asia in Beijing, China, on June 15.
Just three months after his appointment to the editorial board of the American Journal of Medicine, ATSU-KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, D.O., ’76, co-authored an article on osteopathic clinical education for the journal Academic Medicine.
“Osteopathic Clinical Training in Three Universities” ran in the June 2009 issue of the journal. It explains the difference between osteopathic clinical medical education and allopathic medical education, traces the history of clinical training, and details the requirements of clinical preparation and the challenges faced. The main focus of the article is describing different methods of delivering osteopathic clinical training in a traditional academic medical center, a school with a statewide clinical consortium, and a school with a regional campus system.
School of Health Management
Erin Breitenbach, Ph.D., is the new Health Education Program chair at ATSU-SHM. From the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Breitenbach obtained her B.A. in kinesiology in 1991, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in health education in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Dr. Breitenbach’s professional experience has been in health education research and practice as well as clinical research.
David Line Denali, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the M.P.H. program. He received his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico in health, physical education, and recreation in 2004. His professional experience has been in behavioral health, emergency preparedness, and public administration.
Colleen Halupa, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in the H.Ed. program. Dr. Halupa has a doctorate in education, curriculum, and instruction and served in the Air Force for 20 years as a medical technologist, a laboratory manager, an accreditation/compliance director, and as the program director for the Air Force Medical Laboratory Training Programs, which served more than 700 students per year. She first joined the university as adjunct faculty in the D.H.Ed. program in October 2006.
Lynda T. Konecny, D.H.Ed., is an assistant professor in the H.ED. program. Dr. Konecny has worked at the University in Admissions and Alumni Services for about four years and received her doctorate from ATSU-SHM in 2008. Since earning her D.H.Ed., Dr. Konecny has also served as adjunct faculty for the H.Ed. program.
Susan B. Randers, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the M.P.H. Program. Dr. Randers received her B.A. (1968), M.A. (1971), and Ph.D. (1976) in psychology from the University of Maryland and her M.P.H (2003) in community health with a concentration in management and policy science from the University of Texas School Of Public Health. Her research interests include community mental health, disaster mitigation, and models of behavioral change with respect to chronic diseases.
Mary-Katherine Smith, Dr.P.H., is an assistant professor in the M.P.H. Program. Dr. Smith obtained her B.A. in biology from Texas A&M University (2000), her M.P.H from Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health (2002), and her Dr.P.H. in social and behavioral sciences from The University of North Texas (2006). She is a Certified Health Education Specialist, is actively involved in multiple public health and pandemic influenza planning groups, and serves on multiple boards.
School of Osteopathic Medicine – Arizona
Mitch Kasovac, D.O., professor of family medicine at SOMA, received the “Arizona Outstanding Mentor” award from the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association.