New faculty join UMMC academic ranks

Published on Tuesday, December 26, 2023

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

Dr. Luke C. Drake

Dr. Luke C. Drake, recently a pediatric orthopaedic surgery fellow at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery in the School of Medicine. 

After earning a Master of Science in Biology at Mississippi College in Clinton, Drake graduated in 2017 from the UMMC School of Medicine. At UMMC, he also completed his orthopaedic surgery residency.  

Throughout his academic career, he earned recognition for his scholarship while also serving in a number of leadership roles. Drake has an extensive record of institutional and community service. 

He is the coauthor of several scientific publications and has participated in podium presentations at regional and international meetings.  

Drake is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, and J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society.  

Bailey L. Jones

Bailey L. Jones, recently a Registered Dental Hygienist at Key Dental Group in Madison, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor of dental hygiene in the School of Dentistry. 

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree in 2019 from the UMMC School of Dentistry after serving in leadership roles and earning academic honors during her undergraduate years at the Hattiesburg campus of Pearl River Community College and at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.  

Jones, who has also worked as a Registered Dental Hygienist at Oakdale Family Dentistry in Brandon, is skilled at patient relations and education, prophylaxis and periodontal therapy, digital radiography and more.  

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Manuela Staneva

Manuela Staneva has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor in the Department of Population Health Science in the John D. Bower School of Population Health. Before joining UMMC, she worked as an epidemiologist at the Mississippi State Department of Health.  

After graduating in 1994 from the Medical University of Sofia with a medical degree and working as a physician in her native country of Bulgaria, Staneva earned a Master's Degree in Public Health-Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Southern Mississippi.  

An 11-year veteran of MSDH, she was the lead author on more than 40 published epidemiological reports on a diverse range of topics, including prescription drug use and overdoses, COVID-19 hospitalizations, and preventable pediatric deaths.  

Staneva has numerous scientific conference presentations to her credit and her work has been published in such prestigious academic journals as Health Affairs and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Her research interests include identifying new morbidity and mortality trends, delving into disease causality, and detangling the complex impact of the social, economic, and cultural environment on health outcomes.