Faculty News
Posted: June 17, 2011
{ATSU}
Aging Project gets new leadership
Janet Head, Ed.D., is now director of the ATSU Aging Project for the Kirksville Campus, and Elton Bordenave, M.Ed., assumes the same position on the Mesa campus.
Drs. Head and Bordenave are responsible for coordinating outreach programs and activities linking students with community elders and establishing links to community agencies that serve older populations in their respective communities.
The new directors are also responsible for interdisciplinary training for team approaches to elderly healthcare, as well as coordinating the campuses’ annual Lecture on Aging. Both will report to Michael Creedon, D.S.W., ATSU chairman for Aging Programs.
The ATSU Board of Trustees established a Geriatrics Initiative several years ago to foster activities and training in the realm of elderly care, in response to the aging American population. These positions will provide additional leadership to continue to grow the program.
“It is my pleasure to appoint Drs. Head and Bordenave as directors of the ATSU Aging Project,” said ATSU President Jack Magruder. “Much has been achieved over the years, but a stronger leadership capability is needed as we continue to develop our programs in this field. The appointment of these directors signals our commitment.”
{ASDOH}
Blue Spruce honored with national volunteer award
George Blue Spruce Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H., assistant dean for American Indian affairs and ASDOH assistant professor, is the recipient of the 2010 Oral Health America Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Volunteer Award. Dr. Blue Spruce was presented with the award in September in Washington, D.C., at the Capitol Visitor’s Center. The award ceremony was part of an event held on Capitol Hill in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America.
Dr. Blue Spruce was selected for the award for his dedicated volunteer leadership in improving the oral health of the American Indian people and for inspiring American Indians to enter and become leaders in the dental and allied health professions. He is the first recognized American Indian dentist, the first American Indian to hold the position of Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, and also the founder of the Society of American Indian Dentists.
“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by such an esteemed organization as Oral Health America,” said Dr. Blue Spruce. “As the first recognized American Indian dentist, and looking back to see how very few natives there were following in my footsteps, it became my challenge and passion to serve as a role model and leader, letting American Indian people know that there is an opportunity and a pathway to ultimate success as a leader in dental healthcare for American Indian people.”
In addition to presenting the Marvin Goldstein Award, Oral Health America will place a brick in Dr. Blue Spruce’s honor in the courtyard of the Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, Md.
{SHM}
SHM faculty attend national health conference
Full-time faculty of the Master’s in Public Health Program attended the National Rural Health Association’s 16th Annual Rural Multiracial and Multicultural Health Conference, “Health: Wellness and Equity,” in December in Tucson.
From left to right are Assistant Professor David L. Denali, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor Mary-Katherine Sanchez Smith, Dr.P.H.; Professor and Chair Michael E. Samuels, Dr.P.H.; Assistant Professor Susan B. Randers, Ph.D.; and Professor V. James Guillory, D.O., M.P.H.
Drs. Denali, Sanchez Smith, and Randers comprised the research panel “Rural Border Emergency Preparedness: Organization, culture competence, and practical application.” Dr. Samuels served as moderator.
{KCOM}
Snider named Researcher of the Year
Karen Snider, D.O., OMM chair, is a co-recipient of the 2011 Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year award, selected on the basis of outstanding accomplishments in scientific research.
Faculty present at national conference
At the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine held in Houston in January, several faculty members made presentations, including Margaret Wilson, D.O.; Patricia Sexton, D.H.Ed.; Jeffrey Suzewits, D.O.; Michelle Colen, M.D.; and John George, Ph.D.
Topics included humanities in medicine, improving students’ performance with remedial intervention, training standard patients in physical exam skills, making the most out of preceptorships, the impact of the undergraduate medical education curriculum on student professional development, making difficult patients and difficult topics easier, completing whole person healthcare by increasing oral health education for medical students, and examining clinical reasoning through authentic assessment.
{ASHS}
Gunder named PA of the year
The Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants (AFPPA) and ADVANCE magazine has named Laura Gunder, D.H.Sc., MHE, PA-C, the Family Practice PA of the year.
Dr. Gunder received her award in Colorado at AFPPA’s 12th Annual Fall CME Conference and Exhibition. While she is grateful for this honor, she hopes to turn attention toward the needs of rural residents in need of good medical care.
Dr. Gunder is director of research and faculty development for the Physician Assistant program at the Medical College of Georgia and serves on adjunct faculty in ATSU-ASHS’ Doctor of Health Sciences Program while practicing rural medicine in Ridge Spring, S.C.
Rigo honored by ADA and students for skill, spirit
Thomas G. Rigo, Ph.D., associate professor, Audiology, received The Academy of Doctors of Audiology’s (ADA) Joel Wernick Award at the ADA conference held in San Antonio, Texas, in November. The award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding educational contributions within the professions of audiology or hearing science. Dr. Rigo was nominated by Audiology’s graduating class.
Knowing early on that he had a passion for teaching and introducing students to audiology, Dr. Rigo has taught and administered audiology programs at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and ATSU-ASHS for more than 25 years. In addition to his work in the classroom and the clinic, Dr. Rigo has published in numerous scholarly journals and presented extensively in the areas of auditory processing disorders, aural rehabilitation, and multi-modal perception of speech. He is also a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Additionally, Dr. Rigo serves on the Arizona Licensing Committee for Hearing Aid Dispensers, Audiologists, and Speech Language Pathologists.
Graduating audiology students said this of Dr. Rigo in their nomination letter: “There is no one else we can point to who has influenced the development of so many future audiologists or has done it with more joy, energy, and passion than Dr. Rigo. He exemplifies the true spirit of audiology in everything he does for the profession.
“The award would recognize both his longstanding and continuing commitment to excellence as an educational leader and his role as an active and vocal advocate of the Doctor of Audiology degree.”
In 2002, Dr. Rigo was appointed to the Department of Audiology at ATSU-ASHS. He stepped into a role that would allow him to assist with the development of an accredited audiology program from the ground up. Today, the ATSU Audiology program is one of the top residential Au.D. programs in the country. Since the first class of Au.D. students at ATSU-ASHS matriculated, Dr. Rigo has been voted Outstanding Teacher of the Year every year.
Dr. Rigo was selected because of his unmatched ability to adapt to each student’s learning style.
“Dr. Rigo is a highly dedicated professional with a dynamic teaching method, whose effective communication abilities and classroom activities have an exceptional way of promoting understanding, motivating students to learn, and reinforcing students’ knowledge and skills,” said Tabitha Parent Buck, Au.D., associate professor and chair, Audiology. “In spite of his gifts, he is humble and approachable and enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge with others, particularly his students.”
Awards for Drs. McLeod, Sauers, Valier, Parsons
Drs. Valier and Sauers
The Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association (AzATA) Board of Directors recently recognized faculty members from the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Tamara McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, was recognized with the 2011 Warren H. Lee Certified Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. This is the second highest honor bestowed by the association, and is named after the long-time certified athletic trainer at the University of Arizona, a pioneer in the profession. Dr. McLeod is recognized for her statewide research, policy, and advocacy work in the area of youth sport-related concussions.
Eric Sauers, Ph.D., ATC, chair, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, and Alison Snyder Valier, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, and assistant director of research support, office of Research, Grants, and Information Technology Systems, were recognized with the 2011 AzATA President’s Award. This award recognizes exemplary service on behalf of the association and/or the profession of athletic training. Drs. Sauers and Valier are recognized for their tireless efforts in support of association legislative and governmental affairs activities.
John Parsons, Ph.D., ATC, AT, assistant professor, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and director, Athletic Training, has been named the 2011 NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award (ATSA) winner. The ATSA recognizes NATA members for their contributions to the athletic training profession as a volunteer at the local, state, and district levels. ATSA recipients have been involved in professional associations, community organizations, grassroots public relations efforts, and service as a volunteer athletic trainer.
“This has been an outstanding year of recognition for ATSU Athletic Training program faculty,” Dr. Sauers said. “Our faculty continues to model professional engagement and service at the highest levels and is being recognized locally and nationally for their service leadership.”
Scholar and educator of the year announced
ATSU-ASHS awarded Pam Bosch, P.T., Ph.D., and Tamara Roehling, P.T., D.P.T., with the ASHS 2010 Scholar & Educator of the Year awards.
The ASHS Scholar of the Year recipient, Dr. Bosch was nominated by the ASHS Faculty Assembly in recognition of her demonstrated excellence in scholarly and creative activities, which included proficiency, discovery, translation, and dissemination.
Dr. Roehling received the ASHS Educator of the Year award. The award was also determined by the ASHS Faculty Assembly for her effort to ensure the best education for ASHS students. Dr. Roehling demonstrated excellence in her teaching, mentoring, community-based activities related to education, and her devotion to students.
“The Arizona School of Health Sciences has a wonderful faculty dedicated to student learning,” says ASHS Dean Barbara Maxwell, PT, D.P.T, ’06. “Each year the faculty select the educator and scholar of the year, and it is a great pleasure this year to celebrate the dedication to students and scholarship exhibited by Drs. Bosch and Roehling.”