New faculty join UMMC academic ranks

Published on Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.

Dr. Keonho “Albert” Kong

Dr. Keonho “Albert” Kong, recently a neurorhinology-anterior skull base fellow at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in the School of Medicine.

Kong graduated from the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2015.

He is a board-certified otolaryngologist who completed his residency at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where he distinguished himself as an award-winning researcher and in leadership roles.

He is the co-author of several abstracts and publications and a book chapter, and has participated in a number of oral and poster presentations.

Kong is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Rhinologic Society and North American Skull Base Society.

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Dr. Jeffrey M. Manzano

Dr. Jeffrey M. Manzano, recently a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellow at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics-neonatology in the School of Medicine.

Manzano, who is board-certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, earned his Doctor in Medicine degree in 2009 at Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His postgraduate training includes a neurology research fellowship at the Center for Diagnosis, Advanced Medicine and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT) in Santo Domingo; and a residency in general pediatrics at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Flushing, New York, in addition to his neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship.

He has served on the faculty of UNIBE as a professor of neuroscience, neuroanatomy and UMSLE STEP 1 review for Kaplan Santo Domingo.

Manzano is the author or co-author of several research publications, presentations and abstracts looking at subset of lymphocytes. His professional associations include memberships in the Newborn Brain Society, American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.

His certifications/skills include Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Support, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Virtual Bedside Ultrasound Course and Advances in the Field.  

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Reagan Spengler

Reagan Spengler, recently a dental hygienist at Grants Ferry Family Dentistry in Brandon, has joined the Medical Center faculty as dental hygiene instructor in the School of Dentistry.

Spengler, a registered dental hygienist, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene at UMMC in 2014. After graduating from UMMC, she received certification from the University of Louisiana Monroe to administer local anesthesia.

Her work experience in dental hygiene includes two years at Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care in Shreveport, Louisiana, and another two years at Shreveport Dental Solutions in Shreveport.

Spengler is certified as a national- and state-registered dental hygienist. She is currently pursuing her Master of Health Administration from LSU.

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Kelsey Welch

Kelsey Welch, recently a dental hygienist at the Center for Contemporary Dentistry in Madison, has joined the Medical Center faculty as a dental hygiene instructor in the School of Dentistry.

A registered dental hygienist, Welch received a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene from UMMC and was named Most Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student in 2013, the year she began working for the Center for Contemporary Dentistry.

A member of the Sigma Theta and Alpha Eta honor societies and a former student chapter president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, Welch is a member of the UMMC School of Dentistry Liaison Committee. She has served as a mentor to prospective dental hygiene students.

Welch is a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association and the Mississippi Dental Hygiene Association. She has participated in dental mission work, including an effort in the Central American country of Belize.