July/August Distinctions

July/August Distinctions

Student’s first choice

Lisa Edmonds with Michael Perri, dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions

Lisa Edmonds, Ph.D., was recently named Teacher of the Year for the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Her students nominated her for the award. Edmonds, an assistant professor in the department of speech, language and hearing sciences, has been teaching at UF for five years. “It is very apparent that she is well-liked and well-appreciated by the students at UF. They love her,” said Christine Sapienza, Ph.D., the chair of the department of speech, language and hearing sciences. Edmonds said she tries to create an environment in the classroom that encourages discussion, critical thinking and engagement in the material. As a teacher, she strives particularly to be accessible and fair, as well as to challenge her students. “I try to do whatever I can to help each student reach their full potential,” Edmonds said. — Marissa Lyons

 

 

A beautiful building

John Harvey

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine’s new Small Animal Hospital was recognized April 27 with one of the top awards given by the city of Gainesville as part of its annual Beautification Awards program. The new hospital received the Outstanding Institutional Award for the new $58 million, 104,000-square-foot hospital, which opened for business in November 2010. The hospital, which features three floors of clinical and teaching space, enhanced existing services provided to pet owners throughout Florida and the Southeast. The building is the first veterinary facility in the country to achieve Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification. Executive Associate Dean John Harvey, D.V.M., Ph.D., accepted the award. — Sarah Carey

 

Teacher of the Year

Heather Wamsley

Heather Wamsley, D.V.M., Ph.D., an assistant professor of clinical pathology in the department of physiological sciences, has been named the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 2011 College Council Teacher of the Year. A board-certified clinical pathologist, Wamsley has received numerous Teacher of the Year awards from various classes of veterinary students. The students selected her as the Support Services Resident of the Year in 2003 and 2004. In 2010, as a new faculty member, she received the prestigious C.E. Cornelius Young Investigator Award in recognition of her research contributions. “The student of today is the colleague of tomorrow, and as such deserves the greatest respect, care and consideration that I can give at all times,” Wamsley said. — Sarah Carey

 

College of Dentistry

Timothy T. Wheeler, D.M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed senior associate dean and director of the college’s new School of Advanced Dental Sciences. “Tim took the reins in leading the creation and development of the School of Advanced Dental Sciences, which places our college at the forefront of educational change and positions us well to meet the emerging educational expectations of today’s D.M.D. students. I am sincerely grateful for his ongoing dedication in the past, and his willingness to lead us as we move to the future of dental education,” said Teresa A. Dolan, D.D.S., M.P.H., a professor and dean of the college.

Jacksonville

Jeffrey Goldhagen, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of community pediatrics, received the Jacksonville Bar Association’s prestigious Liberty Bell Award. Created by the American Bar Association to honor non-lawyers for outstanding community service and civic responsibility, the award was presented May 5 at the local bar association’s annual Law Day luncheon. Goldhagen was recognized for his significant contributions in establishing the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, Child Mental Health Initiative, Children’s Mental Health Coalition and Partnership for Child Health.

Mobeen Rathore, M.D., a professor and associate chair of pediatrics and chief of pediatric infectious diseases and immunology for the college and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, has been selected to serve on the Pediatrics in Review editorial board. His term will continue for three years. Pediatrics in Review is a continuing medical education journal with review articles and special features on an assortment of topics.

College of Medicine

Michael E. Boulton, Ph.D., a professor of anatomy and cell biology, has been selected by the Salus University Board of Trustees to receive an honorary doctor of sciences degree for his many contributions to optometry and vision science. He also was instrumental in the development of a joint Ph.D. program between the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Cardiff University.

Michael J. Greenberg, Ph.D., former director of the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and a professor emeritus of pharmacology and therapeutics, received the 2011 Florida Academy of Science Medal. Greenberg is considered a pioneer in the development of the field of comparative pharmacology, most notably for his work on a class of chemicals termed neuropeptides.

Richard S. Schofield, M.D., a professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine, has been appointed chief of the medical service for the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System and vice chair of medicine for veterans affairs for the department of medicine. As chief, Schofield will oversee the medical service, including medical specialties, within the health system, which is one of the largest integrated health systems in the national Veterans Health Administration.

William Slayton, M.D., an associate professor of pediatrics, has been named chief of the division of pediatric hematology and oncology after a nationwide search. Slayton, who specializes in treating and studying high-risk forms of leukemia, has served as interim chief of the department of pediatrics division since 2008. “We have this rich scientific environment, and I think there is an opportunity to not only provide great care to our patients but also make discoveries that will help children in the future,” Slayton said.

College of Nursing

Toni Glover, M.S.N., A.R.N.P., a doctoral student, was awarded the John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Scholarship to support her full-time doctoral education. Glover, who has worked as a study coordinator and research nurse for the past 10 years, is examining the relationship between vitamin D and pain in knee osteoarthritis among ethnically diverse older adults in a National Institutes of Health-funded study.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Colin Burrows, B.Vet.Med., Ph.D., the recently retired chair of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s department of small animal clinical sciences, has been named vice president of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. In that capacity, he will serve in a key leadership role that puts him in line for presidency of the international group in 2013.

Rowan Milner, B.V.Sc., M.Med.Vet., the Hill’s associate professor of oncology, has been named the new chair of the department of small animal clinical sciences following a national search. Milner, who also serves as chief of the oncology service for the UF Veterinary Hospitals, will succeed Colin Burrows, B.Vet.Med., Ph.D., who recently retired after 30 years of service.