Standouts in family medicine, radiology, physiology in national spotlight
Published on Monday, March 17, 2025
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.
Clark takes on leadership roles for two eminent organizations
Dr. Molly Clark, UMMC professor of family medicine, is the president-elect of the 2025-2026 board of directors for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and will also serve as vice chair for the Council of Academic Family Medicine.
Clark, who will begin her term with STFM in May, is also associate program director in the UMMC Department of Family Medicine and holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Human Behavior and Psychiatry.
STFM is “a national community of academic leaders committed to developing an accomplished family medicine workforce, prepared to serve as the foundation of America’s health care system,” the organization’s website says. Its mission is “advancing family medicine to improve health through a community of teachers and scholars.”
Among the organization’s greatest strengths are its members and leadership, Clark said, “I look forward to drawing upon the resources that we already have as we move family medicine education and the profession forward for the betterment of our patients, communities and national/global health.”
Clark will start her role as vice chair of CAFM in October. CAFM joins other organizations in supporting the discipline of family medicine as well as academic training. Those include the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, North American Primary Care Research Group, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Board of Family Medicine.
Clark received her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed her residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a post-doctoral fellowship in health psychology at UMMC. She is board-certified in clinical health psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology.
She serves on the Mississippi Board of Psychology as credentialing coordinator, and as an oral examiner in clinical health psychology for the American Board of Professional Psychology. She has also served on the Board of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.
At UMMC, she has served as chair of the School of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee.
Moseley to accept national honor for excellence in radiological education
Dr. Tanya W. Moseley, professor of radiology at UMMC, is receiving the 2025 Distinguished Educator Award from the American Roentgen Ray Society.
The award recognizes “individuals in the field of medical imaging who have a proven record of improving radiological education and remain committed to creating and implementing new and innovative educational activities,” the ARRS stated in a news release.
The ARRS’s mission is “to improve health through a community committed to advancing knowledge and skills in radiology,” according to the organization’s website.
Moseley, who is also the Department of Radiology’s vice chair of faculty development, division chief of breast imaging and breast imaging fellowship director, will be honored during the opening ceremony of the 2025 ARRS Annual Meeting on April 27 in San Diego, California.
“This is THE big educator award each year in all of radiology,” said Dr. Richard Duszak, professor and chair of radiology at UMMC.
“We knew when we hired Dr. Moseley that we picked up an international gem. I suspect this will be only the first of many accolades about her that our department will be celebrating.”
A Mississippi native from Columbia, Moseley joined the Medical Center faculty in January of this year after serving as a professor in the Department of Breast Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, and the Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
“As a native Mississippian, joining the UMMC faculty after my time at MD Anderson has been like coming full circle in the most rewarding way,” she said.
“This ARRS Distinguished Educator Award affirms what I’ve always believed – that excellence in education flourishes with a combination of world-class expertise and hometown heart.
“I’m proud to be a product of Mississippi education, starting first at home with my parents, both long-time Mississippi educators, and to bring what I’ve learned back to Mississippi, where my passion for education first took root.
“My brother was my first student. I am honored to join the extraordinary community of learners and colleagues who make UMMC a beacon of education in the South.”
Moseley earned her medical degree at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1994. She completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, where she also completed a clinical fellowship in mammography and thoracic imaging. She has earned multiple certifications and fellowships in health care management and project management.
She has held academic appointments and served as a consultant for such institutions as the UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, University of Houston College of Medicine and Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.
“What truly sets Dr. Moseley apart is her comprehensive approach to education and leadership,” the ARRS stated. “… [S]he has created vital connections between breast imaging, surgical oncology, and clinical sciences.
“Her extensive committee service encompasses scientific programming, faculty achievement, quality improvement, and executive leadership, demonstrating her profound impact on medical education and practice.”
Moseley’s other prestigious honors include the University of Texas System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award and induction into the University of Texas Shine Academy of Health Science Education.
Hester assumes top post for premier society of physiologists
Dr. Robert Hester, a Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology at UMMC, will become the new president of the American Physiological Society.
The tenth UMMC faculty member to lead the organization, Hester will take office at the conclusion of the American Physiology Summit, APS’ flagship annual meeting, April 24-27 in Baltimore, Md.
APS “connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health,” the organization states in a news release. “The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.”
APS defines physiology as “a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease.”
Hester, chair of the APS Advisory Council, became president-elect of APS in 2024. He has served on various other committees and sections for the society, including the American Physiology Summit 2023 Task Force.
“I am honored to serve as APS president,” Hester said. “I am blessed to have had wonderful collaborations with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students and staff at UMMC, and especially the faculty in the Department of Physiology.
“I am also very proud to follow the other nine APS presidents who are or were faculty members in the Department of Physiology.”
Hester is a former associate editor of the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology and past section editor of Comprehensive Physiology. His current research is focused on computer simulation of integrative physiology.
He received his PhD in biomedical engineering from UMMC and Mississippi State University. He did his postdoctoral training at the University of Virginia before joining the faculty at the Medical Center. His work includes developing mathematical models for medical and graduate education.