Isaac R. Navarro, DMD, ’08, has been named director of community-oriented primary care for ATSU-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) and will assume his position on May 1.

Previously, Dr. Navarro served as an ATSU Board member since July 2012 and has been a generous supporter and strong advocate for the University.

The chair of the ATSU Board of Trustees, G. Scott Drew, DO, ’87, shared the following statement: “Dr. Navarro brought a unique blend of energy, enthusiasm, and alumni perspective to the Board. While he will be missed on the Board, he will continue to contribute to the success of ATSU-SOMA and ATSU.”

The Osteopathic Founders Foundation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, presented its 2015 Outstanding Physician award to Wilbert W. Stoever, DO, ’61. This award is given to recognize and honor the recipient’s service to patients, community, the osteopathic profession, and the education of young osteopathic physicians in the Tulsa community.

He completed his post-graduate studies at Southern Illinois University and entered A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1957. Upon completion of medical school, he moved to Tulsa with his family to complete his internship at Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital and entered General Practice in Pryor, Okla. Following residency, he moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where he practiced internal medicine for four years and developed an interest in cardiology. In 1971, he returned to Tulsa and established the Non-invasive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at the hospital and was director for more than a decade. Dr. Stoever continues to be active in his cardiology practice, Heart Care of Tulsa.

Throughout his career, he has been an avid teacher of students and residents and has held the academic appointment of clinical professor of medicine at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine since 1975. He has co-authored and published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals. His accomplishments include fellowships in American College of Cardiology, American Society of Hypertension, and American Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention. He has the distinction of master fellow in the American College of Osteopathic Internists.

The 2014-15 A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) Alumni Board recently committed to funding an operatory in the Advanced Care Clinic in ATSU-ASDOH’s Center for Advanced Oral Health. The total gift of $10,000 is the first of its kind from alumni leadership in ATSU-ASDOH’s history. The donors include:

Adam D. Bennett, DMD, MPH, ‘14
LaVonne Hammelman, DMD, MPH, ‘10
Shauna D. Hayes, DMD, ‘07
Andi Livingood, DMD, ’11, MPH, ‘10
Isaac Navarro, DMD, ’08, MPH
Charmaine Ng, DMD, ‘09
Timothy W. Oh, DMD, ‘08
Golnaz Pahlevanlou, DMD, ’13, MPH, ‘12
Michele Pindyck, DMD, ‘11
Julie J. Storm, DMD, ‘10

“A sincere thank you to the extraordinary ATSU-ASDOH alums who continue to demonstrate their commitment to fulfilling their dreams and supporting the ATSU-ASDOH mission,” said Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH, dean, ATSU-ASDOH. “All have demonstrated compassion, generosity and leadership from their first moments at the school and it continues. The entire ATSU-ASDOH family, faculty, students and staff appreciate, and are inspired by, their continued support.”

Isaac Navarro, DMD, ’08, ATSU trustee and ASDOH Alumni Board chair, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to give back. “As an alumnus, I feel that it is essential to lend support to the University that has done so much in shaping my career. It was an honor to have the opportunity to participate in a unified show of support alongside other alumni board members.”

Andi Livingood, DMD, ’11, MPH, ’10, also offered her sentiments regarding this gift. “It was a joy and a privilege to attend ATSU-ASDOH, and I am forever changed for the better for having had the opportunity to learn from so many amazing colleagues. This donation is a small step towards giving back after receiving so much.”

A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences Vice Dean Ann Lee Burch, Acting Chair Rachel Diamant, and Program Director Bernadette Mineo welcomed alumni, students, and guests at a reception held in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Annual Conference in Nashville. Below is a summary of updates: • The entry-level OTD program is, targeted to start during the fall of 2016, is in its beginning stages. Dr. Brandi Buchanan has been selected as the program director! • Dr. Mineo is the program director for online post-professional programs and encourages anyone interested in pursuing their OTD degree to consider the program – alumni also receive a 20% tuition discount. • There are open positions for full-time, half-time, and adjunct faculty – please visit our job site or contact Dr. Diamant if you are interested in teaching or being mentored into a faculty role. • The CarFit community service activity has been so successful with our students and faculty that we are exploring international service-learning activities. • Many congratulations to alumni who are working on their own businesses, developing adapted products used in school-based practice, and presenting workshops at the AOTA conference! We always encourage alumni to share your stories and successes with the University – please send them to alumniaz@atsu.edu at any time. Additional photos from the event can be found on the alumni Facebook page.

Saturday, April 18 marked A.T. Still University’s 8th annual Free Community Health & Wellness Day event, a day where each Arizona campus program works in a collaborative environment offering a variety of healthcare services to the community. Dental screenings and sealants, general medicine screenings, hearing and balance testing, and proper helmet and backpack fittings, were a few of the services offered to members of the community.

Students gained other valuable experience by meeting patients from different backgrounds, addressing their concerns, providing referral resources, and often times, simply lending a listening ear.

“There was a sense of excitement and camaraderie as my classmates and I had the opportunity to join forces with other students,” said second-year doctor of audiology student Lydia Heays. “It was inspiring and educational to watch students from each program do what they do best and to be able to share with them some of what we do as well.”

The event was held at Adelante Healthcare in Mesa, an ATSU-affiliated community health center campus where students do their clinical rotation gaining hands-on experiences. Nearly 400 patients attended this year’s event, yielding a 52% increase from 2014.

“Watching our hard work from the past few months come together on Free Community Health and Wellness Day was truly one I won’t forget,” said first-year dental student Pedraum Heydari. “The excitement on people’s faces and their appreciation was so reassuring to me that the event was a huge success.”

To bolster community excitement, the event featured kid-friendly activities and games, and a special, interactive visit from area partners including the Arizona Coyotes and Mesa Fire and Medical Department.

View more event photos by visiting A.T. Still University’s Facebook page.

Four staff and student teams from A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH)  played in the Smart Scramble Annual Golf Tournament held on April 17 at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., to raise funds for Give Kids A Smile. SmartPractice, the tournament sponsor, created a friendly ATSU versus Midwestern University competition for the first time, and ATSU won! The trophy will stay at ATSU-ASDOH for the year, and will be taken to next year’s competition. The team that wins next year will take it home to their university.

The ATSU-ASDOH team that won second place overall and brought home the ATSU versus Midwestern cup comprised second-year dental students Shane Byun, Chad Gidel (who also won the men’s longest drive in the afternoon), Wes Nomi, and Andrew Shelby.

Other team players included ATSU-ASDOH third-year students Charles Culler, Nicholas Salava, Chester Adams, Rainey Garrison, Tyler Gregory, Christopher Evans, Ryan Blake and Nicholas Potter, D2 (who also won closest to the pin in the morning). ATSU-ASDOH staff participants were Jennifer Anderson (who won closest to the pin in the afternoon), Vicki Hodge, Albert Torres, and Pedro Torres.

The ATSU Office of Assessment & Accreditation and the University-wide Assessment Committee recently sponsored the Inaugural Assessment Week virtually and on both campuses, April 13-16. Dr. Lisa Bunu-Ncube, director of Assessment and Accreditation at ATSU, said that Assessment Week will be held annually. The theme of the 2015 inaugural event was Growing a culture of assessment across the University.

Some of the highlights included: a Town Hall panel with Norman Gevitz, PhD, senior vice president, Academic Affairs, and Ann Boyle, DMD, MA, associate vice president for academic innovation, discussing the core professional attributes; a keynote address by Trudy Banta, EdD, professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis who presented Moving assessment to the university level to strengthen a culture of learning; a poster showcase; and a virtual resource fair with discussions regarding Higher Learning Commission and Tk20.

“Comments by attendees at our first-time event on assessement were favorable,” said Dr. Bunu-Ncube.  When attendees were asked “what was the most beneficial aspect of the event and/or sessions, comments included “the importance of assessment for ATSU” and “Foundational information was provided, and seeing some examples and having a list of resources to refer to later will be very helpful.”

“Our Inaugural Assessment Week really set the stage for the University in terms of coming together and sharing what we all do regarding assessment,” said Janet Woldt, PhD, chair, University-wide Assessment Committee and ATSU-ASDOH associate dean for Academic Assessment. “It was exciting to have all of the schools at ATSU work together and be a part of this special week.”

ATSU’s National Center for American Indian Health Professions (NCAIHP) is now under the leadership of Student Affairs. NCAIHP’s mission is to inspire, support, educate, and retain American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) students in the health professions to improve the health and wellbeing of their tribal communities by incorporating the osteopathic principles of body, mind, and spirit along with traditional healing. “The Center is dedicated to recruiting AI/AN students and provide support services during their academic and professional careers,” says Beth Poppre, associate vice president-Student Affairs and supervisor for the Center.

Vikki Driving Hawk, MEd, has been selected as director for the NCAIHP. She holds a master’s degree in education for counseling and human relations from Northern Arizona University. Driving Hawk worked previously at ATSU’s Arizona campus as the associate director for residential admissions in 2007. Driving Hawk also worked in Student Affairs since 1992 in financial services, admissions, recruitment, and retention services. She has worked with several tribal communities in both Arizona and Wisconsin. “Driving Hawk has already represented ATSU and NCAIHP at student recruitment events for AI/AN students and is getting to know the current ATSU AI/AN students,” said Poppre.

NCAIHP is assisted by an advisory council chaired by ATSU alumnus Ron West, DPT, ’04. The council, which represents five AI cultures, includes George Blue Spruce, DDS, MPH, founding chair; Chris Halliday, DDS, MPH, dean, Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health; Dr. Wayne Mitchell; Gwen Werner, DMD, ’08; and Rowin Begay, DO, ’14. The advisory council helps the Center network with tribal communities and provides mentoring for ATSU’s next generation of AI/AN healthcare professionals.

NCAIHP is located in Building 5835 on the Arizona campus. For more information on NCAIHP and events, contact Vikki Driving Hawk at vdrivinghawk@atsu.edu or at 480-219-6108.

Website: www.atsu.edu/american-indian
NCAIHP Facebook: www.facebook.com/ATSUAmericanIndian
NCAIHP Twitter: https://twitter.com/ATSUNCAIHP

Janelle Anderson, a Doctor of Health Education student, ’15, has been selected as a Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program candidate.

Out of 7,800 applications, 600 individuals were selected to join the highly competitive program. Anderson, who will begin a two year rotation starting October 1, will undergo 160 hours of interactive training, challenging work assignments, and upon completion, prestige recognition as a graduate of the PMF Program.

“Janelle is an innovator with an unquenchable passion for health education and health promotion,” said Donna Allen, PhD, assistant professor, ATSU-College Graduate Health Studies. “Her dedication to the field and desire to work in public service does not go unnoticed.”

Bearing the Presidential moniker, the PMF Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates. It was created more than three decades ago by Executive Order and has gone through many changes over the years. The Program attracts and selects the best candidates possible, but is really designed with a more narrow focus – developing a cadre of potential government leaders. It provides some sustenance during the first years of employment and encourages development of leadership capabilities. The PMF Program inculcates a lasting bond as well as a spirit of public service, ultimately encouraging and leading to a career in the government.

Currently, Anderson works on the programmatic side of a federal program allowing her to implement federal policy. After fulfilling the PMF Program, she hopes to transition to a position allowing her to be a part of the policy development process. She is slated to graduate in August from ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies.

ATSU’s Arizona Campus Interdisciplinary Research Committee (IRC) is sponsoring a week-long research symposium April 27-May 1.

During this event, faculty will present and share their research through short, mini-presentations (15 minutes) over the lunch hour Monday-Friday at noon in Saguaro A or Ocotillo. Lunch will be available at 11:45 a.m.

In addition, a students’ poster exhibit and social for faculty, students, staff, and community partners will be held on Friday, May 1 from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

For information on the schedule of events and to register for the symposium, view the registration form.