News, Accomplishments and Accolades from our Illustrious Faculty and Staff

 

Dr. Veronica Acosta, professor of Biology, and Dr. Julian Davis, professor of Organic Chemistry, were the inaugural recipients of the Dr. Kathleen Light Outstanding Teaching Award. The award is named for Dr. Kathi Light, provost emerita, in honor of her many years of teaching and recognizes outstanding faculty members.

Dr. David Armstrong, assistant professor of English and Creative Writing, Dr. Paulo Carvalho, associate professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Bridget Ford, assistant professor of Biology, Dr. Julio Lujano-Gutierrez, assistant professor of Nursing, Dr. Brett Richardson, coordinator of Music Education and director of Bands, were each presented with a Provost Legacy Teaching Award.

Dr. J. Nile Barnes, interprofessional health education coordinator at the Feik School of Pharmacy, presented the webinar “The Opioid Crisis: Trends and Actuarial Perspectives to the Society of Actuaries” with co-presenter Davenport, S. He also presented “Opioids: Are We Still Talking About This?” at the first annual FSOP Summer CE Seminar for alumni and preceptors in San Antonio in July.

Dr. Renee Bellanger

Dr. Renee Bellanger

Dr. Renee Bellanger, professor of Pharmacy Practice, was a volunteer reviewer for the AACP recommendation list for pharmacy school libraries. She also published “The Impact and Management of Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Women’s Health” continuing education article for Pharmacist Times in June. She published “Chapter 8: Women’s Health,” in Principles and Practice of Botanicals as an Integrative Therapy. She presented “Nutrition and Herbal Medications” at Texas Health and Science University. She also coordinated and presented at the UIW Health Fair for the Women’s Month committee and presented the poster “Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation.”

Dr. Rebekah Benitez, assistant professor of Pharmacy, published “Pioneering Our Way Through Heart Failure Management” in Topics in Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice in July with co-authors Lennon, B.W. and Snoga, J.L.

Dr. Stefanie Boswell, professor of Psychology, was named Moody Professor, the highest honor faculty can receive from fellow faculty.

Dr. Jessica Bradley, assistant professor of Physiology, was named School of Osteopathic Medicine Basic Science Educator of the Year.

Dr. Carol Browne, assistant professor of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, is a Level 2 and Level 3 Item Writer and a Level 3 Examination Reviewer; for the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, and an examiner for the American Osteopathic

The Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing & Health Professions developed the Nursing Cardinal Wellness Center (NCWC) to expand clinical opportunities for students, add an advanced practice faculty site, and extend the tenets of Catholic social teaching within a medically underserved community of San Antonio. The NCWC is a nurse-managed center that offers Texas Health Steps well-child checkups through Texas Medicaid and Head Start physicals in collaboration with the San Antonio Independent School District and Family Services Association of San Antonio. The Center also provides vaccines through the Texas Vaccines for Children and Adult Safety Net Programs. The NCWC also offers well-women services under the Healthy Texas Women program and through the grant awarded by the CHRISTUS Foundation. The NCWC’s focus is on preventative health for low-income adults and children residing mainly in the Eastside Promise Zone. Board of Family Practice.

Dr. Alison Buck, Dr. Wanita Mercer, Dr. Sherry Herbers and Dr. Norman St. Clair, Dreeben School of Education faculty and alumni, published “The Joy of Learning: A Case Study of a Transformative Educator and Activist” in Adult Learning. The article is part of a larger endeavor to document Dr. Dorothy Ettling, CCVI’s legacy of learning leadership, utilizing the talents and reflections of current or former students, colleagues, CCVI Sisters and others.

Dr. Darlene Carbajal, assistant professor of Communication Arts, and Dr. Raymond Blanton, assistant professor of Communication Arts, published “Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman: A Critical Case Study on Social Media, Deception, and Lil Miquela” in Handbook of Research on Deception, Fake News, and Misinformation Online. Carbajal also presented “Inclusive Moves: How Well Do We Know Our Students?” at the 2019 Southwest Fulbright Symposium.

UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO) faculty Dr. James Chapman, Dr. Stephanie Schmiedecke-Barbieri, Dr. Matt Valdes, Dr. Nancy Amir and Dr. Paul Lau established a system to help patients with vision impairment, and in July RSO received an award for “Providing Excellence in Vision Care for Persons Who Have Vision Impairments” at the 29th Annual Americans with Disabilities Act Celebration hosted by San Antonio Independent Living Services (SAILS).

Brandi Coleman, UIW Teacher Network induction coordinator, received a Commitment to Service Award from the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership & Sustainability. Coleman was recognized for her commitment to service for launching a mentorship program that helps young women in middle and high school to become leaders in the community.

Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, CCVI

Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, CCVI, professor emeritus, was included in the PBS series Women, War, and Peace II. According to its website, “The road to peace is built by teachers of peace … Kirk teaches peace based on theology and speaks from her own decades of peace building around the world.” The episode is available via on-demand.wvia.org

Jim Collins, assistant professor and interim program coordinator of Computer Information and Cyber Security Systems, established a three-year $18,000 grant scholarship designed to prepare students for careers in the intelligence services. This scholarship is in cooperation with other local universities and $6,000 will be awarded at UIW.

 

Dr. Jeffery Copeland

Dr. Jeffrey Copeland, professor and assistant dean of Experiential Programs, was re-elected to serve a second two-year term as president of Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International, from 2019-2021. He presented the poster “Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Transition” at the TSHP Annual Seminar in Frisco, Texas with co-author Gosser, J. At the seminar, his poster presentation “Experiential Education’s Role in a Successful Residency Interview,” co-authored with Gosser, J. and Long, C., won the competition’s Practitioner-Education Category Award.

Dr. Johnathan Cuevas, MTM coordinator and assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice, made a continuing education presentation “A 2019 Update to the ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule” at the first annual FSOP Summer CE Seminar for alumni and preceptors in San Antonio.

Dr. Luella D’Amico

Dr. Luella D’Amico, assistant professor of English and co-coordinator of Women’s and Gender Studies, published “The Journey to American Womanhood: Travel and Feminist Christian Rebellion in Susan Warner’s The Wide, Wide World and Martha Finley’s Elsie’s Girlhood” in Children’s Literature Association Quarterly in Spring 2019. She also published a critical introduction to the Stratemeyer Syndicate’s Honey Bunch Series for a web exhibit created by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She presented at the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment Conference in Davis, California, where she presented “‘The Ancestor to Every Action is Thought’: Service-Learning and Catholic Social Teaching in a Transcendentalism-Themed Composition Course.” At the American Literature Association conference in Boston, she presented “‘Who cares?’: Caritas as Salve for the Fallen Mother in Rebecca Harding Davis’ The Promise of the Dawn (1863) and Elizabeth Stuart Phelps’ Hedged In (1870),” and participated in a roundtable about job market strategies for American literature job seekers.

Dr. Tony Dasher, assistant professor and IPPE Coordinator, served at Medication Pass Observation to evaluate medication aides and nurses administering medications to patients at The Village at Incarnate Word Retirement Center. Dasher published “Using Pharmacy Collectibles in Teaching in the History of Pharmacy” in SIG Newsletter, Issue 7. He was elected to serve a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the Central Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacy. He presented “The Opioid Epidemic: Lots of Data, Statistics and Questions but Few Answers” at the American Pharmacy APEX meeting in San Antonio and at the TSHP Annual Meeting, Frisco, Texas. He also presented a poster “Lab Values Don’t Lie: Pharmacist’s Role in Medication Safety” at the TSHP Annual Meeting with co-authors Copeland, J., Furvey, T.L.

Dr. Ann David

Dr. Ann D. David, associate professor in the Dreeben School of Education, along with Dr. Annamary Consalvo of University of Texas at Tyler and Dr. Amy Vetter of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro published “Crafting Communities of Writers: Advice from Teens” in the English Journal, the only professional journal in the country for high school English teachers. The article shares findings from Writing Lives of Teens, a research collective of eight researchers in three states who interviewed 78 adolescents about their writing lives.

Dr. Yvonne Davila, assistant professor of Nursing and clinical liaison, was presented with the Ed Zlotkowski Faculty Service Learning Award.

Dr. Amy Diepenbrock, assistant dean for Student Affairs at the Feik School of Pharmacy, planned and oversaw UIW’s first PharmCAMP, for high school students from the Rio Grande Valley. She presented “Evaluating, Disciplining and Supporting Students after a Positive Drug Screen, DUI or Arrest” at the AACP Annual Meeting, Chicago in July with co-presenters Hughes, J. and Jungnickel, P. She was also invited to serve on the PCAT Advisory Board for the 2019-2020 term and is serving a second year as Secretary of Knowledge Management for Student Services SIG, AACP for the 20192020 term.

Teri Lopez at study tour

Teri Lopez, senior instructor and director of the Fashion program, led a study tour to Bajio, San Miguel de Allende, and Oaxaca, Mexico in May, and delivered fabrics to Hormigas Bordadoras de Tanivet, a women’s cooperative in Tanivet, Mexico. After meeting the artisans and discussing the quilt pieces they are constructing about their families and immigration experiences, the students assisted them in creating a blog to advertise and sell outside of Mexico

Education professors attend the Raising Texas Teachers Emerging Partner Convening

Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia, Dr. Deepti Kharod, Dr. Ann D. David, Dr. Denise Staudt, Dr. Elda Martinez and other faculty from the Dreeben School of Education attended the Raising Texas Teachers Emerging Partner Convening held by Raise Your Hand Texas in Austin in July. Teacher Education programs gathered to begin the continuous improvement planning process.

Dr. Holly DiLeo, director of the Nursing Cardinal Wellness Center (NCWC), received a $71,228.71 grant from the CHRISTUS Foundation titled “Mature Women’s Health Services” for the period July 2019 to June 2020. The purpose of the grant is to expand NCWC to include mature women with limited income and limited access to preventive health care. The grant will provide 50 wellness examinations to women between 45 and 64 years old, including pap smears, preventive laboratory screening tests and screening mammograms.

Richard Duran, interim director of Athletics, has been selected to participate in the NCAA Pathway Program, a year-long course designed to elevate high-level administrators in athletics to take the next step in becoming an athletic director.

Dr. Bradi Frei

Dr. Bradi Frei

Dr. Bradi Frei, professor of Pharmacy Practice, took the ASHP/ACCP Oncology Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification course in May. She organized and led the PharmCAMP on a tour of the Mays Cancer Center in the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center in June. She presented “Update on Oral Oncology Treatments” at the Texas Clinical Nurse Specialists 2019 Conference in Austin in June. She also presented “Medication Naming” to the Oncology Research interns at the Mays Cancer Center in June.

JoAnne Fazio-Gosser, assistant professor and APPE Coordinator in FSOP, presented “Strategies for Optimizing Work/Life Balance” at the TSHP Annual Meeting in Frisco, Texas in April with co-author Frei, B.

Dr. Lucretia Fraga, assistant professor in the Dreeben School of Education, received the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) President’s Volunteer Service Award. ISTE is an official certifying organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This award recognizes U.S. citizens who have achieved the required number of service hours over 12 months or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime. ISTE honors individuals who have volunteered at least 100 hours in ISTE volunteer activities per year.

Dr. Mathew Garber, assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice, presented the poster “Students’ Perspective on Medical Disaster Preparedness Course” at the TSHP Annual Meeting in Frisco, Texas in April.

Dr. Helmut Gottlieb

Dr. Helmut Gottlieb, assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, presented “Cfos Responses Produced by the Central Microinjection of Salvinorin A in Conscious Rats” at the 2019 Experimental Biology Meeting in Orlando, in April with co-authors Aboozar, A., Franklin, C. and Rangel, Y.

Dr. Trey Guinn, program director of Communication Arts, was elected president of Fulbright Association San Antonio.

Dr. Sandra L. Guzman Foster, assistant professor of Graduate Studies in the Dreeben School of Education, with former student, Dr. Stephen J. Fleenor, educational consultant at Seidlitz Education, published “The Power of Praxis: Critical Thinking and Reflection in Teacher Development,” a chapter in the Handbook of Research on Critical Thinking and Teacher Education Pedagogy.

Dr. Adreain M. Henry, clinical assistant professor of Optometry Instruction, graduated with distinction from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, with a Doctorate in Higher Education Management (Ed.D.) He is also the 2019 Alumni Hall of Fame recipient for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Jackson County Campus.

 

University Collective Fall 2017

Dr. Linda Hook

Dr. Linda Hook, assistant professor of Nursing, established a vaccine program through the NCWC that was recognized as the Top Outreach Provider in San Antonio and Bexar County by the Texas Vaccines for Children Program during the 2019 TVFC/ ASN Provider Conference hosted by the San Antonio Metro Health Immunization Program.

Dr. Linda Hook, Dr. Lorena Paul, Dr. Christina Hernandez and Michael Van Doren all from the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing & Health Professions were accepted to present a joint podium presentation titled “A Partnership with Head Start to Teach Population-Based Program Management Through Lead Screening” to the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators Annual Conference in May in Phoenix.

Dr. Chad Jackson, director of Professional Practice Education, Dr. Amy Crocker, director of Experiential Learning and Social Accountability, and Dr. Caroline Goulet, dean of the School of Physical Therapy, received $212,000 from the Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program for their proposal “Transformational Learning in Physical Therapy Education: Sustainable Clinical Partnerships to Enhance Student Engagement with Individuals Encountering Health Disparities.” The two-year grant is to increase academic and clinical partnerships in underserved areas; to increase student exposure to and awareness of issues concerning access to healthcare and health disparities; and to positively influence a graduate’s aspirations of working with under-served populations.

Dr. Lila LaGrange, professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, was named the Piper Professor.

Jingtian Li, assistant professor of Animation and Game Design, has continued developing Udemy video segments that teach Unreal programming, currently he has 15,000 followers.

Dr. Kathleen Lusk, assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice, published “Effect of Therapeutic Interchange on Medication Changes Between Admission and Discharge” in Hospital Medicine, in May with co-authors Popp, R.A., Glaess, S.S., Burkett, D. and Attridge, R.L.

Dr. Anil Mangla, associate professor and director of Public Health, was awarded a Hogg Foundation grant for $425,000 and $50,000 for the Corner Store Project.

Dr. Elda Martinez

Dr. Elda Martinez

Dr. Elda Martinez, director of Teacher Education, served as managing editor for the third volume of TxEP: Texas Educator Preparation, the official journal of the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education. Along with Dr. Jodi Pilgrim of University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dr. Christie Bledsoeof University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Sheri Vasinda of Oklahoma State University, Martinez published two articles, “Critical Thinking is CRITICAL: Octopuses, Online Sources, and Reliability Reasoning” in The Reading Teacher and “Making Connections: An Analogy Between Traditional and Online Text” in Texas Journal of Literacy Education. The authors will present “Lessons Learned from Octopuses and Online Sources: Modeling Web Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills” at the International Literacy Association 2019 Conference in New Orleans in October.

Tracey E. Mendoza, dean of Libraries, has been asked to serve as Chair of the Texas Council of Academic Libraries, which is the association of all Texas Academic Library deans and directors. She also served as the Texas Library Association representative on the Texas Higher Education Coordinator Board’s feasibility study on open educational resources.

Assistant Chair and Professor of Music Dr. Ken Metz’s composition Clavileño (Sancho Sees the Stars) was selected for inclusion in the 100-note Toy Piano Project. Another piece by Metz for wind ensemble, Calliope, will be performed at the Contemporary Music Festival at Christopher Newport University. Metz is also hosting (in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Salfen) concerts for the National Association of Composers USA at UIW and at the Radius Center in September, and for the Society of Composers at UIW and at Trinity University with co-sponsor Dr. Brian Bondari in February.

Dr. William L. Miller, professor and associate dean of Academic Affairs for the Rosenberg School of Optometry, was recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Fellow. The National Academies of Practice recognizes and honors the contributions of the nation’s leading healthcare practitioners through its constituent academies, among other things.

Margaret Mitchell, professor of Theatre Arts, contributed a chapter to the book, Performance Costumes: New Perspectives. She continues her work on costume designs for Ballet Idaho’s The Nutcracker, premiering in December. She wrote the book jacket for Jaroslav Malina in Scenography and Painting, published by Karolinum, Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy. She also served as general editor for the international journal, Studies in Costume and Performance, and the national journal, Theatre Design and Technology.

Dr. Adam Nash, assistant professor of Interior Design, was awarded as a 2019 ASID Ones to Watch by the American Society of Interior Designers

Dr. Lopita Nath, professor and chair of the History department, was presented with the Presidential Teaching Award.

Dr. Monica Ramirez, associate professor of Nursing, was named the 2019 UIW Nurse Imagemaker for her commitment to success and dedication to nursing.

Dr. Adam Ratner, assistant dean of Strategic Initiatives of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, was named president of the Bexar County Medical Society.

Dr. Brett A. Richardson, coordinator of Music Education and director of Bands, served as an invited clinician on score study at the Connecticut and New York music education associations. He will be presenting similar topics on score study for young teachers at The Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago in December. This will be his third invitation to present at this event.

Dr. Kevin Salfen traveled to Japan to develop Phoenix Fire

Dr. Kevin Salfen, associate professor of Music, traveled to Japan in December to develop Phoenix Fire, his new intercultural work in honor of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In June, he returned to Japan for a work-in-progress performance in Tokyo given by international ensemble Theatre Nohgaku, of which he is a member. In May, he was elected president of the American Musicological Society, Southwest Chapter, and in July, he traveled to the U.K. for performances of two of his pieces (New Year Canticles and Is Not This The Fast that I Choose?) in Ripon Cathedral in Yorkshire. With colleague Dr. Ken Metz he co-produced a short film documentary called Made in SA by filmmaker Brian Allen, and he was nominated for a 2019 Artist Foundation of San Antonio People’s Choice Award.

Dr. Brent Sanderlin, associate dean of Clinical Affairs at the School of Osteopathic Medicine, was named president of the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association.

Dr. Donald Sikazwe, associate professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, presented “Research Escapades: Metabolism to CNS Drug Discovery” at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia in June.

Dr. Jenna Snoga, assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice, published “Containing generic drug costs” in U.S. Pharmacist in the June 2019 issue with co-authors LaViola, B.A., Sanchez, C.K

Dr. Mary Ann Snyder, assistant professor of Family Medicine of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, received a Community Service Award from the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association.

Dr. Tanja Stampfl, associate professor of English and QEP Writing Academy director, won the 2018-19 Sr. Margaret Rose Palmer Award for Education. She published A Century of Encounter: Writing the Other in Arab North Africa (Routledge) in March. Her co-authored textbook Business and Economics Readings for ESL Students 2 with Ondes, T, Agirman, E., Ozcan, M., Trinh, C. was published in February. She also presented with Dr. Sree Nair a workshop on “Enhancing Student Learning in Science Classes through Informal Writing” at the 2019 Lilly Conference.

Teresa Trevino, associate professor of Graphic Design, traveled to the XIV Latin American Design Meeting at the University of Palermo, Argentina to present “Women. Telling a Story of Equitable Graphic Design,” which was the result of four years teaching History of Graphic Design.

Matt Tovar, assistant professor of Animation and Game Design, worked with Crystal Dynamics Studios in California this summer on the Avengers game.

Dr. Horacio Vela

Dr. Horacio Vela, assistant professor of Religious Studies, presented the paper “Re-reading Scripture at the Border” at the annual meeting of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS). He was elected to serve as a member of the board of directors of ACHTUS. He has also been invited to present a paper at a gathering of theologians from North and South America marking the 20th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.

Dr. Doug Warden, assistant professor of Pathology, was named UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine Dr. Lucy Wilkening, assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice, had an article “Adverse Outcomes of Abrupt Switch and Discontinuation of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors in Dementia with Lewy Bodies: Case Report and Literature Review” accepted for review in Mental Health Clinician in June with co-authors Greiman, T. and Dear, B.

Dr. Earlanda Williams, case chair and director of Anatomical Science and associate professor of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, is now a COMLEX-USA Level 1 Reviewer.

Dr. Amy Witte, associate professor of Pharmacy Practice, taught the Immunization Training Program to Lebanon American University APPE rotation students at Houston Methodist Hospital in July.

Dr. Raghunandan Yendapally, associate professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, wrote the chapter “Drugs Used to Treat Cardiac Disorders” for Foye’s Principles of Medicinal Chemistry, 8th edition in July with co-author Gottlieb, H. and clinical significance contributor Kalich, B. Dr. Clinical Educator of the Year.

Dr. Timothy A. Wingert named a fellow of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics in Rome

Dr. Timothy A. Wingert, dean of the Rosenberg School of Optometry, was named a fellow of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics at their meeting in Rome. Wingert is only the third U.S. optometrist to be awarded the fellowship. The European Academy’s fellowship program awards members of the academy who have made a significant contribution to optometry, optics or vision science at a local, national and/or international level.

 

 

 

Dr. David Vequist

Dr. David Vequist, professor of Management and founder/director of the Center for Medical Tourism Research, is now approved as one of the U.S. representatives for the American National Standards Institute/ International Standards Organization standards board in healthcare management. He will represent the U.S. in Washington, D.C. this November along with representatives of nearly every country to develop quality standards to improve healthcare processes globally. He will also forward the first ISO quality standards for medical tourism and receiving international patients. If accepted, it will become the worldwide standard for hospitals on every continent.