New faculty join UMMC academic ranks

Published on Monday, October 30, 2023

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

Dr. Amanda M. Heath

Dr. Amanda M. Heath, who recently earned her Doctor of Audiology degree at The Ohio State University in Columbus, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in the School of Medicine.  

She also trained recently as an extern providing clinical services for audiology patients at UMMC. 

At Ohio State, Heath also earned her Bachelor of Arts in speech and hearing science and participated in the Global May Hungary Program as the recipient of a Polish Initiatives Scholarship for cultural studies at the Budapest Metropolitan University in Hungary. 

She has been the recipient of a number of awards and honors for her scholarship and research efforts. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and earned a certificate of clinical competence in audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 

Heath is the coauthor of several research publications and has served as a leader and mentor throughout her career. Her clinical interests include pediatric audiology and auditory electrophysiology. 

Dr. Sandeep Rustagi

Dr. Sandeep Rustagi, recently head of data at the Columbus, Ohio, location of Capegemini, a multinational IT services and consulting firm, has joined the Medical Center faculty as data analytics officer in the School of Population Health.  

Rustagi earned a PhD in management information systems at the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA in information systems and finance at the Institute of Management Technology in India. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from A.M. University in India. 

He has also served as vice president of Capgemini in Columbus, Ohio, and, previously, as engagement director and engagement manager. For seven years, he was a data/IT transformation executive for NiSource Inc. in Columbus. 

His competencies include executive data leadership, data and technology alignment, health care tools and technologies, data design and architecture, data vision and strategy, team development and coaching, and more.  

He has a record of community engagement, including service as coordinator and organization representative for United Way, Central Ohio, and as an academic counselor for a regional youth group.

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Dr. Denisse Staufert Gutierrez

Dr. Denisse Staufert Gutierrez, recently a fellow in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics-child development in the School of Medicine.  

After earning her medical degree in 2016 at Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, Staufert completed her residency in pediatrics at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in Bronx, New York, which is affiliated with Cornell Medical College.  

A University of California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Fellow, she has also received Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) Clinical Training. Staufert has also completed observerships at El Paso Children’s Hospital/Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and at Covenant Women and Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas.  

She has participated in a variety of community service and advocacy projects, including the Special Olympics and a national vaccination campaign in Mexico for poliomyelitis prevention.  

Staufert has made several poster presentations, coauthored a variety of peer-reviewed journal articles and abstracts, and coauthored three peer-reviewed book chapters. Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, she is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.