President’s Perspective – First 31 days
Posted: August 2, 2012
Each day I continue to be humbled and amazed by our outstanding faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni, and community supporters. ATSU’s footprint on our nation’s healthcare is broad, deep, and growing.
Students
July 2012 brought excitement to both campuses as students began their first-year studies in biomedical science, dental and oral health, osteopathic medicine (AZ), and athletic training. Altogether, 206 talented women and men started their ATSU journey. Seeing new students on campus brings a smile to our faces as they represent our commitment to what ATSU does best—educating the nation’s future healthcare providers.
Faculty and staff
Our dedicated faculty and staff continue to receive honors and accolades. Promotion in academia is a significant milestone for faculty members. Congratulations to the following faculty:
Donald Altman, DDS – associate professor to professor, ASDOH & SHM
Neal Chamberlain, PhD – associate professor to professor, KCOM
Melissa Clark, OTR, CHT – instructor to assistant professor, ASHS
Rebekah Cunningham, PhD – assistant professor to associate professor, ASHS
Helen Ewing, DHSc – assistant professor to associate professor, ASHS
Monica Fernandez, PA-C – instructor to assistant professor, ASHS
Darrell Hartsfield, DDS – assistant professor to associate professor, ASDOH
Deborah Heath, DO – associate professor to professor, SOMA
Jonathan Kirsch, DO – assistant professor to associate professor, SOMA
Yenping Kuo, PhD – associate professor to professor, SOMA
Tamara Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC – associate professor to professor, ASHS
James Roush, PhD, PT, ATC – associate professor to professor, ASHS
Neil Sargentini, PhD – associate professor to professor, KCOM
Vineet Singh, PhD – associate professor to professor, KCOM
Melissa Stuart, PhD – associate professor to professor, KCOM
Congratulations to the following on their recent promotions:
Katherine Adler, DHA, associate dean, SHM
Norine Eitel, MBA, assistant to the president & secretary to the board, ATSU
James Farris, PhD, PT, chair of physical therapy, ASHS
Virginia Halterman, acting associate vice president for communication and marketing, ATSU
Lori Haxton, MA, vice president for student affairs, ATSU
Brooke Kelsey, associate director of development, ATSU
Tatyana Kondrashova, PhD, assistant professor, KCOM
Iain Leiter, network engineer, ATSU
Beth Poppre, MEd, associate vice president for student affairs, ATSU
Klud Razoky, assistant dean, ASDOH
Sally Van Snepson-Barnett, MSc, PA-C, interim director of clinical education, ASHS
Kudos to ASDOH Dean Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH, recipient of the 2012 Arizona Medical Association “Humanitarian Award.”
Two new deans, Christopher Halliday, DDS, MPH, Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, and Kay Kalousek, DO, MS, AAHIVS, FACOFP, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, joined the ATSU family July 1. We look forward to a long and successful relationship as they lead their respective schools, faculty, staff, and students.
Thank you to Michael McManis, PhD, for “taking on” the role of interim senior vice president – academic affairs, and to Jacqueline (Jackie) Forsythe, APR, MBA, for doing the same by filling the role of interim vice president for communication & marketing. They make my job even better.
Our mission
Traveling this month via Kirksville, Mesa, Santa Fe, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and meeting with our Board of Trustee members, students, alums, donors, faculty, staff, administrators, community supporters, and other university presidents, I am once again reminded how fortunate I am to be representing our great institution. Those “looking in” are amazed at our blending of cultures across campuses, breadth and quality of our schools and programs, and impact on society. They often view what we have to offer as what America and the world needs to overcome the pain and suffering of those who lack access to whole person healthcare.
Opportunity
Whether we agree or not, most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was upheld by the United States Supreme Court on June 28, 2012, setting into motion even greater demand for our graduates dedicated to effective, comprehensive, quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare. This new law of unprecedented access with emphasis on quality, prevention, and primary care fits well with ATSU’s mission and vision.
Thank you
Thank you to all who extended Stacy, Zach, and me a warm welcome, words of congratulations and support, and expressed their love for ATSU and all it means to them. As August begins we are reminded to take time with our families and friends as it won’t be long until the “dog days of summer” (literally this year) come to a close and our schedules bring a new tempo to our time and responsibilities.
Coming soon
Presentations of “Phase One” Arizona and Missouri campus master plans; ASHS graduation on August 4; arrival of KCOM (DO) and ASHS (PT and OT) new classes; and “ATSU’s virtual idea box.”
Yours in service,
Craig M. Phelps, DO
President
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
800 W. Jefferson St.
Kirksville, MO 63501
660.626.2391