Faculty, staff, SON collect honors

Published on Monday, April 11, 2022

Gleason named to State Board of Mental Health

Dr. Sara Gleason, professor and interim chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, has been named to the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health.

The Mississippi Senate confirmed Gleason for the post. Her term ends in June 2028.

Gleason, who studied public policy as an undergraduate at Princeton University, earned a JD from the University of Michigan Law School. She also completed the executive MBA program at the Else School of Management at Millsaps College. At UMMC, she earned her medical degree from the School of Medicine in 2004 and completed her residency in adult psychiatry.

A former teacher at Jackson Preparatory School and a practicing attorney in Boston, Massachusetts, Gleason was on staff at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System and Mississippi State Hospital before joining the UMMC faculty in 2016.

Gleason is director of consultation-liaison psychiatry at UMMC. Her past leadership roles in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior include vice chair for faculty development, deputy vice chair of clinical affairs, and interim director of the psychiatric emergency service.

At UMMC, she is also a member of the core faculty for the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities; psychiatric consultant to the Asylum Hill Research Consortium; director of community engagement in the Center for Innovation and Discovery in Addictions; and clinical mentor to the School of Medicine’s Shirley House.

U.S. News and World Report rankings rise for School of Nursing

The School of Nursing's graduate program rankings in U.S. News and World Report data increased dramatically this year.

In the Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs, the School of Nursing at UMMC ranks 38th nationally, up from 89th last year.

UMMC is now ranked 72nd in Best Nursing Schools: Master’s, up from 76th.

The UMMC rank for Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice is 87th, an increase from 94th nationally the previous year.

“Seeing our U.S. News and World Report rankings increase like this is a testament to the quality of nursing education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center,” said Dr. Julie Stanford, dean of the School of Nursing. “The impact our nursing faculty members are making reaches beyond U.S. News and World Report to the nurses and nurse practitioners we train and the care they provide.”

Lanier Teen Wellness Clinic wins Governor’s Award second consecutive year

For a second year, the Lanier High Teen Wellness Clinic operated by the School of Nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has won a Governor’s Award.

The clinic, which provides health care to students during the school day, was honored in 2021 with the award, presented by the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education.

The clinic, opened in 2015, treats students holistically, said Dr. Anne Norwood, associate dean for practice and partnerships in the School of Nursing. Health care at the clinic runs the gamut, ranging from testing for strep and influenza, wellness visits, and sports physicals to reproductive health, behavioral health and counseling.

“We are both honored and excited to receive this award again this year,” Norwood said. “Our partnership between the UMMC School of Nursing, Lanier High School, and Lanier High School National Alumni Association is invaluable, and because of this strong relationship, we are able to provide quality health care and other necessary services to the students at Lanier High School in a safe, stable environment.

“We are so thankful for our relationship with them and look forward to many years of caring for the scholars at LHS.”

Evers Society taps outstanding providers, departments

The Carl G. Evers, M.D. Society has announced the 2022 winners of the Evers Awards, which honor the achievements of medical school educators, administrators and departments.

Established as an honorary and service organization striving to improve medical education at UMMC, the society is named for the late Dr. Carl Evers, professor in the Department of Pathology and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Medicine at UMMC from 1978 until his death in 1992.

The 2021 honorees were announced during a virtual ceremony held last spring.

The honorees, as voted on by each of the medical school classes:

M1 Class

2021 Professor of the Year: Dr. Audra Schaefer, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences

2022 Professor of the Year: Dr. Audra Schaefer, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences

2021 All-Star Professors: Dr. Andy Notebaert and Dr. Ellen Robertson, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences

2022 All-Star Professors:  Dr. Alejandro Chade, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, and Dr. Gongchao Yang, Academic Information Services

2021 Department of the Year: Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology

2022 Department of the Year: Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology

M2 Class

2021 Professor of the Year: Dr. Demondes Haynes, Division of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and School of Medicine associate dean for admissions

2022 Professor of the Year: Dr. Stephen Stray, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

2021 All-Star Professors: Dr. Ian Paul, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and Dr. Diane Grunes, Department of Pathology

2022 All-Star Professors: Dr. Eva Bengten, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Dr. Roy Duhe, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

2021 Department of the Year: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

2022 Department of the Year: Department of Microbiology and Immunology

M3 Class

2021 Department of the Year: Department of Internal Medicine

2022 Department of the Year: Department of Internal Medicine

2021 Course Administrator of the Year: Yvonne Stephenson, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2022 Course Administrator of the Year: Yvonne Stephenson, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2021 Attending of the Year: Dr. Asef Mahmud, Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics

2022 Attending of the Year: Dr. Osman Athar, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

2021 All-Star Attendings: Dr. Shannon Orr, Department of Surgery, and Dr. Paul Moore, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2022 All-Star Attendings: Dr. Jarrett Morgan, Department of Medicine, and Dr. Shannon Orr, Department of Surgery

2021 Resident of the Year: Dr. Terrence Thompson, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2022 Resident of the Year: Dr. Blake LeBlanc, Department of Medicine

2021 All-Star Residents: Dr. Katie Palmer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Will Crews, Department of Internal Medicine

2022 All-Star Residents: Dr. Sarah Cottrell-Cumber, Department of Surgery, and Dr. Mobin Kheirkhahan, Department of Medicine

M4 Class

2021 Department of the Year: Department of Internal Medicine

2022 Department of the Year: Department of Internal Medicine

2021 Attending of the Year: Dr. Jessie Harvey, Division of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

2022 Attending of the Year: Dr. Elizabeth Lutz, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2021 All-Star Attendings: Dr. Jonah Gunalda, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Susie Phillips, Department of Pediatrics

2022 All-Star Attendings: Dr. Jessie Harvey, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Dr. Felicitas Koller, Department of Surgery

2021 Resident of the Year: Dr. Dusty Bratton, Department of Emergency Medicine

2022 Resident of the Year: Dr. John Shaughnessy, Department of Surgery

2021 All-Star Residents: Dr. Jacob Stout, Department of Neurology, and Dr. Miles Debardeleben, Department of Internal Medicine

2022 All-Star Residents: Dr. Candyce Mehler, Department of Medicine, and Dr. Karine DeSouza, Department of Family Medicine

Hall of Fame inductees

2021: Dr. Amanda Clark, Department of Internal Medicine; Dr. John Caleb Grenn, Department of  Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Austin Harrison, Department of Pediatrics; and Dr. Stanley Smith, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

2022: Dr. Andrew Notebaert, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences; Dr. Paul Moore, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Dr. Susie Phillips, Department of Pediatrics