New faculty join UMMC academic ranks

Published on Monday, January 8, 2024

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

Dr. Rebekah Hollis Howard

Dr. Rebekah Hollis Howard has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of occupational therapy in the School of Health Related Professions. 

In 2011, she completed her Master of Health Science in Occupational Therapy from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. She is a certified hand therapist with 12 years of diverse clinical experience in a level one trauma outpatient hand clinic, acute care, travel therapy, inpatient rehab and skilled nursing.  

Howard, who has taken on a number of service and leadership roles throughout her career, has served as research content mentor and clinical instructor for many students, in addition to working with universities and colleges across the United States to coordinate clinical placements.  

During her five-plus years as the adult OT student clinical coordinator at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, her passion for students, fieldwork, education, and academia grew and led her to complete her post-professional doctorate at Medical University of South Carolina in May 2023.  

As a scholar, she investigates the benefits of mindfulness to improve student stress, burnout, and well-being. Howard has participated in several peer-reviewed scientific presentations.  

She is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists, American Occupational Therapy Association, Mississippi Occupational Therapy Association and other professional organizations and special interest groups.  

Roxanne Katzenmeyer

Roxanne Katzenmeyer, who recently served as a PRN registered dental hygienist, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor of dental hygiene in the School of Dentistry. 

She worked for three years as a dental assistant before earning her Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene in 2005 at UMMC.  

Katzenmeyer worked in the Jackson/Ridgeland area for 18 years.  

She has completed training in a variety of areas, including cybersecurity awareness.  

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Dr. Ramona Moles

Dr. Ramona Moles, recently a postdoctoral fellow in virology and immunology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of cell and molecular biology in the School of Medicine.  

Moles earned her M.Sc. in health biology in 2011 at the University of Bologna in Italy and her Ph.D. in pathology at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2017. She did research at the University of Bologna and the University of Kansas Medical Center before joining the National Cancer Institute.  

The coauthor of a variety of scientific publications, Moles has made numerous oral presentations, invited talks and poster presentations at regional, national and international conferences.  

Moles, who has extensive leadership/professional training and experience, is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Oncology and Hematology, Journal of Pathology & Microbiology, Annals of Carcinogenesis, and Austin Oncology.  

Her research at NCI focused on molecular events associated with the infection of the Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1.