New faculty join UMMC academic ranks

Published on Monday, December 4, 2023

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

Bonnie O. Brooks

Bonnie O. Brooks, recently an instructor in the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Hinds Community College in Pearl, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor of nursing in the School of Nursing.  

She has also worked recently as a staff RN at the Cardiovascular Holding Unit at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.  

Brooks earned a Master of Science in Nursing-Nurse Educator degree in 2016 at UMMC, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.  

She served as a staff RN at Baptist Health Systems’ Emergency Department in Jackson; Allied Health instructor at Choctaw Central High School in Choctaw; staff RN at the Leake County Health Department in Carthage; clinic RN for the UMMC Department of Ob-Gyn; and staff RN, Psychiatric Med-Surg, at UMMC.  

Brooks is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. Her record of community service includes participation in activities for Habitat for Humanity, Shower Power, the Billy Brumfield Men’s Shelter, and Stewpot Community Services.   

Dr. Steven M. Porter

Dr. Steven M. Porter, recently in practice at Porter, Singley and Crane Family Dentistry in Columbus, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of integrated patient care in the School of Dentistry. 

Porter received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1992 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. He has owned and managed a private dental practice for more than 30 years, 13 years in solo practice.  

In 2016, he was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners, serving as secretary, vice president and president, successively. During his tenure, the board was charged with recommending COVID-19 guidelines for dentists. 

Since 2006, he has served as examiner for CDCA-WREB-CITA, formerly the Commission for Dental Competency Assessments, Western Regional Examining Board, Council of Interstate Testing Agencies.  

He is a member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, American Association of Dental Boards, and Mississippi Dental Association. His record of community involvement is extensive and includes service on the Good Samaritan Medical Clinic Board of Directors in Columbus. 

Porter’s areas of expertise include implants, restorative surgery, digital dentistry, Dentrix Dental Software and orthodontic aligners.  

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Dr. Bulem Yuzugullu Tutunculer

Dr. Bulem Yuzugullu Tutunculer, recently a professor in the Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Prosthodontics, at Baskent University in Ankara, Turkey, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an associate professor of integrated patient care in the School of Dentistry.  

She received her Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 1997 at Ankara University and earned a Master of Science, leading to a specialty in prosthodontics, at Hacettepe University in Ankara, where she also received a PhD from the Department of Prosthodontics.  

Since 2004, she has held positions on the Faculty of Dentistry at Baskent University while also engaged in a full-time practice as a prosthodontist.  

Tutunculer has filled a number of leadership roles throughout her career as a faculty member and as a member of professional organizations, including the International College of Prosthodontists and the Ankara Chamber of Dentists Journal of Clinical Sciences.  

She has served as an ad hoc reviewer for a number of professional journals, including the International Journal of Prosthodontics, Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, European Journal of General Dentistry and many more.  

 Tutunculer, who has undertaken a variety of research projects, is the co-author of approximately 30 scientific publications in international refereed journals and has participated in more than 40 presentations at international conferences, symposiums and meetings.  

She is a member of the International College of Prosthodontists, European Prosthodontic Association, and Turkish Prosthodontic and Implantology Association.