Faculty, students, pharmacist commended

Published on Monday, April 8, 2024

By: Gary Pettus, gpettus@umc.edu

Medical Center faculty and staff often are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their academic or medical achievements. These accolades place UMMC among health science centers worldwide.

Shake recognized for contributions to critical care medicine

Dr. Jay Shake, professor of surgery-anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been inducted into the American College of Critical Care Medicine as a designated fellow.

Shake, who is also associate chief of clinical staff and director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, was among the honorees during the 35^th Annual Convention of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, held earlier this year in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Madison resident is the only Mississippian to be listed as an FCCM designee on the organization’s website, which notes that the ACCM honors “individuals whose achievements and contributions demonstrate personal commitment to critical care excellence.

“Fellow of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) and Master of Critical Care Medicine (MCCM) are prestigious credentials that demonstrate personal commitment to critical care excellence.”

“Dr. Shake’s induction is a national recognition of what we in the Department of Surgery have known for a long time,” said Dr. Chris Anderson, professor and James D. Hardy Chair in the Department of Surgery at UMMC.

“Jay is an excellent clinician and leader. He was instrumental in the transformative re-design of critical care delivery that UMMC has undertaken over the last decade. He is one great example of our commitment to critical care of patients.”

A Wadena, Minnesota, native, Shake earned a Master of Science degree in physiology at the University of Minnesota before graduating from the university’s medical school in 1997. He completed his surgery residency and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he was a visiting fellow in the Division of Cardiac Surgery. He also completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at Johns Hopkins.

An Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society member, Shake joined UMMC in 2014. He has numerous research presentations and peer-reviewed publications to his credit and is the co-author of several book chapters.

“I appreciate that the designation of FCCM is a prestigious credential and that it is awarded to only a few members of my specialty who have demonstrated clinical excellence and have made significant contributions to critical care medicine,” said Shake, who also acknowledged the contributions of the entire team of medical professionals responsible for giving quality critical care at the Medical Center. 

“I am so grateful for the opportunities and collaborations that I have had here at UMMC, and I really believe that we provide the best critical care in the State of Mississippi.”

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School of Nursing Research and Scholarship Day winners announced

UMMC School of Nursing Research and Scholarship Day award winners include faculty as well as graduate students. 

Held April 3 in the Norman C. Nelson Student Union, the third annual event included 57 abstracts and 54 posters, which highlighted research and scholarship projects by 23 DNP students, five PhD students, 12 undergraduate student groups and 14 faculty members.

Faculty award winners include, Dr. Melissa Klamm, assistant professor, who won first place for her research, “Increasing Autonomous Motivation for Physical Activity among Adolescents.” Dr. Angela Duck, associate professor and director of the PhD in Nursing program, placed second for “Harvest for Health in Survivors of Chronic Disease: A Demonstration Project in the Alabama Black Belt and Mississippi Delta Region.” Third place went to Dr. Laree Hiser, associate professor, for “Potential Novel Biological Risk Factor for Cervical Cancer.”

DNP student award winners include Reagan McMurtery for “Independent Double-Checking of High-Risk Medications among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: a Best Practice Implementation Project.” Second place went to Brandy Wilson for “Promoting Evidence-Based Practices Regarding Extravasation and Infiltration (Pediatric Populations): An Evidence Implementation Project." Kathryn Sinn was awarded third place for “Sedation Assessment of Adult Intubated Patients in an Emergency Department: A Best Practice Implementation Project.”

Among PhD in Nursing student award recipients, Jennifer Brumfield won first place for “Trends in Sexual Risk Behavioral Responses among High School Students between Mississippi and the United States: 2001 to 2019.” Gordon Gartrell placed second for “Critical Incident Stress Debriefing in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Caring for the Caregivers,” and Dr. Deloris Slade, SON DNP graduate, won third for “Mobile Heath Application, Self-Care, and Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Feasibility and Effectiveness Trial.” 

Faculty selected to give podium presentations were Dr. James Miller, part-time assistant professor, who spoke on “Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention at an Academic Medical Center to Reduce Stigma of Accelerated Pre-licensure Nursing Students Toward Patients Living with HIV,”  instructor Allison Princiotta, “CRAM Deck: Finding a New Way to CRAM Pharmacology,” and Dr. Carolann Risley, associate professor, “A Preliminary study in Alterations in the Cervical Microbiome, Bacterial Vaginosis, and HPV infection in Specimens from STRIDES (Studying Risk and Improving Disparities in Mississippi).”

Students selected to give podium presentations were Jaclyn Smith, DNP student, “Nurses’ Use of the Five Rights of Medication in a Comprehensive Care Unit: A Best Practice Implementation Project,” and PhD in Nursing student Lesley Thweatt, “Engagement in Advance Care Planning among Community-Dwelling Adults with Non-Oncological Chronic Diseases.”

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Pharmacy specialist McIntosh named a Top 40 Under 40 honoree

Dr. Regan McIntosh, a clinical pharmacy specialist at UMMC, has been selected as one of the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2024.

Each year, the publication identifies 40 of the state’s residents who have made significant accomplishments before reaching their 40th birthday, including contributions to Mississippi’s economy.

“Regan is a clinical pharmacy specialist with UMMC’s specialty pharmacy program, and an awarded practitioner within the Mississippi pharmacy community,” said Dr. Kelsey Raymer, assistant director of pharmacy services at UMMC.  

“For the past two years, Regan has assisted in the care of HIV and hepatitis C patient populations in UMMC’s Adult Special Care Clinic, while also overseeing medication shipment audits for the specialty pharmacy program at large.

“We are fortunate to have such a high performer as part of our team.”

McIntosh earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Mississippi, followed by her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at UMMC in 2019. In 2020, she received her MBA from Mississippi College. She completed a PGY-1 residency with Walgreens in Jackson.

“I would like to thank fellow UMMC Specialty Pharmacist Dylan Lindsay for nominating me,” McIntosh said. “He was a member of the 2023 Mississippi Business Journal 40 Under 40 class, and being nominated by him was an honor in itself.

“Since starting at UMMC two years ago, I have felt empowered to grow within our specialty pharmacy program and have been encouraged to continue pushing the profession of pharmacy forward.

“The support I receive from our specialty pharmacy team and the Adult Specialty Care Clinic allows me to participate in roles and projects that afforded me this accolade.”

Last year, McIntosh was elected by the Mississippi Pharmacists Association (MPhA) as its 2023 Member of the Year, and serves as chair of the organization’s New Practitioner Committee. She was awarded the MPhA Spirit of Pharmacy in 2020.

She is also an active member of the Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists, serving as chair of Industry Relations; and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacies, serving on the Government Affairs Committee.