September Professional Notes
A round-up of awards, presentations, papers and the other professional achievements of SLU faculty, staff and students.
Faculty and Staff
Robert Wilmott, M.D., professor of pediatrics and vice dean of medical affairs at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, received the Crystal Wagon award Sept. 6 from the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation and Board of Governors. This award recognizes individuals who are champions of children’s issues and past winners include Mayor Francis Slay, Senator Roy Blunt and former Senator and Governor Kit Bond.
According to the Foundation, "Dr. Wilmott has increased the depth and breadth of pediatric services at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon by significantly increasing the number and expertise of faculty. He has worked with the Foundation to expand the educational, clinical and research services of the hospital by increasing the number of subspecialty fellowships."
Vincent Casaregola, Ph.D., professor of English and director of film studies, presented two papers at the International Conference on War, Literature, and the Arts, held Sept. 20-21, at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
One of Casaregola's papers was on Civil War Literature and the other on films of the Cold War.
On Sept. 27, Casaregola presented "Editing as Examen," an invited lecture on the relationship between careful writing and the Jesuit Examen, at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. While there, he also recorded a podcast on writing pedagogy for the Holy Cross Writing Workshop.
Students
Christina Vivit, a Physical Therapy graduate student, recently received the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) Elwood Scholar Award. Vivit was awarded a certificate of achievement and $2,000 in scholarship funds. The Elwood Scholar Award is a part of the ASAHP’s Scholarship of Excellence program.
“I can speak for the entire DCHS community when I say we are extraordinarily proud of Christina earning the Elwood Scholar award,” said Mardell Wilson, Ed.D., RD, LDN, dean of Doisy College of Health Sciences. “For the ASAHP to select Christina as the sole recipient of this national honor among so many talented and worthy students from across the country, truly reflects not only what an exceptional student she is, but also the talented faculty that have helped guide her through her through her journey at SLU.”
The award will be formally presented at the 2018 ASAHP Annual Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, in October.
Chandler Sparks, D.O., M.P.H., a first-year resident in family and community medicine, was named as a recipient of a project award during the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation's Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute.
The program aims to increase the number of well-trained future family medicine leaders by offering up and coming family medicine residents and medical students a yearlong leadership development training opportunity.
For his project, Sparks created an educational web resource for patients and clinicians called Texas Home Birth which addresses home birth in Texas, including regulation and training, and shares evidence on safety and risks.
SLU McNair Scholars Present at McNair Heartland Research Conference in Kansas City
Three of Saint Louis University’s McNair Scholars presented at the 22nd Annual Ronald E. McNair Heartland Research Conference, held Sept. 21-23, in Kansas City. The scholars and their presentation titles are:
- Wesley Agee, “Phylogeny and Biogeography of Thalia (Marantaceae)”
- Derek R. McFarland, “The Prevalence of Babesia sp. Infections in a Population of Carolina Wren”
- Yesenia Sanchez, “Policy, Perception, Reality: Current Discourse Surrounding Migration in France”
Agee and McFarland are students at Harris-Stowe State University, while Sanchez is a student at SLU.
The McNair Heartland Research Conference is sponsored by the Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska (MO-KA-NE) chapter of the Educational Opportunity Association and is attended by McNair Scholars and staff from throughout the region and country each year. The SLU McNair Scholars were accompanied by McNair program director, Jamie D. Motley, Ph.D., and Anthony Gills, who is the academic counselor for the program. Both Motley and Gills also served as moderators for multiple sessions during the conference
Sweta Bhoopatiraju, a senior studying health care ethics won the "Voices in Bioethics’ 2018 Summer Essay Contest for Undergraduate students." Tara Wilkes, a sophomore nursing student, was a runner-up.
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