New faculty join UMMC academic ranks
Published on Monday, December 16, 2024
Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.
Dr. Vilakshan Alambyan
Dr. Vilakshan Alambyan, recently a neurocritical care fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of neurology in the School of Medicine.
Alambyan received his medical degree from the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, Nepal, and completed his internship there in 2013.
After briefly working at G.B. Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in New Delhi, India, he came to the U.S. as a research scholar at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has several peer-reviewed publications to his credit.
In 2022, he completed residency training in neurology at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before graduating from his neurocritical care fellowship at Cedars-Sinai in 2024.
He has served as a reviewer for the American Academy of Neurology, American Journal of Medicine, Neurotherapeutics, Operative Neurosurgery and World Neurosurgery.
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Dr. Sumit P. Sontakke
Dr. Sumit P. Sontakke has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of advanced biomedical education and director of the Judith Gore Gearhart Clinical Skills Center in the School of Medicine.
Sontakke, whose background is in medical education, clinical pharmacology and health care simulation, earned an MBBS in Medicine and Surgery in 2008 and his MD in medical pharmacology and toxicology in 2014 from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India. In 2019, he received a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from UMMC.
He has taken on various roles in teaching, clinical practice and administration throughout his career, focusing on improving curriculum development, medical foundations and clinical skills training.
Sontakke has co-authored several research publications and a book chapter, delivered numerous presentations at international, national and statewide conferences, and received several honors for his contributions to medical education and research. Dedicated to excellence in his field, he has been recognized by the American Society for Clinical Pathology and the American Association of Bioanalysts.
He is certified in clinical simulations through George Washington University and is on track to be certified by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
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Sharron L. Taylor
Sharron L. Taylor, recently a staff RN of 16 years on the Mother-Baby Unit at the UMMC Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor of nursing in the School of Nursing.
Taylor earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Master of Science in Nursing, Nurse Educator track, at UMMC in 2023.
Her professional journey began as a licensed practical nurse at the Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield, where she served for three years before transitioning to UMMC.
During her career, she has earned several awards and honors, including induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and is the current secretary for the organization’s Theta Beta Chapter. She earned the 2023 Dr. Marcia Rachel Excellence in Leadership Award from the Mississippi Nurses Foundation. She is also a member of the American Nurses Association and the Mississippi Nurses Association.
Taylor holds national certification in Maternal Newborn Nursing through the NCC and is credited with other professional qualifications. She has served over 15 years as a mentor and preceptor for nursing students and new oncoming staff. Engaged in her community, Taylor is as an active member of the outreach ministry of her church.