Class notes

2000s

Melinda Brown, MHA, ’09, was elected to the Carl Junction School District School Board in April. She also serves as the Missouri School Boards’ Association delegate. Brown is director of the Gipson Center for Healthcare Leadership at Missouri Southern State University and resides in Carl Junction with her husband, Mark Brown, DO, ’11. Their children are Zakory; Maggie, a master of public health student at ATSU-CGHS; and Ashdyn.

2010s

Antoinette “Toni” Farmer-Thompson, DHEd, ’10, was named president of Strayer University in Virginia. She is the first Black woman to hold the position. Dr. Farmer-Thompson joined the university in 2021 as its provost and chief academic officer. She previously served as chief financial officer and chief operations officer of educational outreach and student services at Arizona State University.

Gabriel Anders, DO, ’14, received critical care board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine, an independent physician-led, nonprofit organization. Dr. Anders is a physician at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Missouri.

Vivek Babaria, DO, ’14, was one of 20 spine surgeons featured in the North American Spine Society’s SpineLine spotlight of specialists under 40. Dr. Babaria specializes in interventional spine and sports medicine and uses advanced ultrasound technology. In addition to his degree from ATSU, he received extensive training at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and OSS Health.

Justin Silverstein, DHSc, FASNM, FASET, ’14, was appointed clinical assistant professor of neurology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell Health.

Christine Beeson, DO, FAAP, ’16, is board certified in the pediatric specialty of child abuse and neglect. In April, she joined faculty on the Child Abuse team at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. Dr. Beeson sees children for suspected abuse and neglect and is the fellowship’s educational director.

Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, ’18, a graduate of ATSU-CGHS, led research resulting in the article, “Medical Malpractice Payment Reports of Physician Assistants/Associates Related to State Scope of Practice Laws and Regulations,” which was awarded the JMR Award for Distinguished Scholarship by the Federation of State Medical Board’s Journal of Medical Regulation in recognition of an outstanding objective, scholarly contribution.

Andrea Hartford, DO, ’18, joined Women’s Excellence as one of the newest members of its Clarkston, Michigan, medical team.

2020s

Brittany Helmbrecht, DHEd, ’20, was named interim dean of professional studies and applied sciences at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. Previously an associate professor, Dr. Helmbrecht has been a member of the college’s faculty since 2015. In addition, she is president of the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association, secretary of Bike Walk Nebraska, a member of the American College of Health Association, and a certified group fitness instructor by the American Council on Exercise.

Christa Lo, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, ’20, joined the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s School of Health Professions as associate dean. She’ll also serve as faculty in the Physician Assistant Studies program. In addition, she acts as a site visitor and commissioner for the Accreditation Review Commission for Education for the Physician Assistant.

Cheri Jrolf, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, ’22, received the 2024 American Mother of the Year award for Florida from American Mothers Inc., an organization encouraging and highlighting mothers across the U.S. Dr. Jrolf is a mother of five and is a board-certified physician assistant with more than 28 years of clinical experience. She is a champion of foster care awareness and has advocated for children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.