Professional Notes: March 2022

03/30/2022

A round-up of awards, presentations, papers and the other professional achievements of SLU faculty, staff members and students.

Faculty and Staff

Jalil Kianfar, Ph.D. (Civil Engineering) was named this year's Outstanding Professional Engineer in Education by the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) – St. Louis Chapter. In the 42-year history of the award, Kianfar is the fourth faculty member from SLU to receive the accolade. William Schallert, Ph.D., received the inaugural award in 1980. Krishnaswamy Ravindra, Ph.D., received the honor in 2011 and Ronaldo Luna, Ph.D., was recognized in 2017.

Willis K. “Rick” Samson Ph.D., D.Sc. (Pharmacology and Physiology) has been elected by the membership of the American Physiological Society to be its 95th President. Founded in 1887, the APS serves a world-wide community of research scholars and educators whose interests encompass a broad area of scientific inquiry focusing on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease.  Samson’s research focuses on endocrinology and reproduction. Since joining the faculty at SLU in 1999, he has helped discover two novel hormones and identified five novel hormone receptors. Samson is the former editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physiology (Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology) and currently is deputy editor-in-chief of Physiological Reviews, which enjoys the highest Impact Factor (IF 37.23) of all journals in the discipline.

Gabriela Morris, M.D. (School of Medicine) was one of five top dermatology residents selected to attend the 2022 Maui Derm for Dermatologists conference, held in Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii, from Jan. 24-28, 2022.

The Society of Product Safety Professionals selected Steve Epner (Chaifetz School of Business - Management) as a member of an instructor panel, comprised of academic and product safety professional leaders, who will lead the Consumer Product Safety Professional Certification program which takes place June 1 through Aug. 30, 2022, in a virtual format. 

Karen I. Hall, Ed.D. (Leadership and Higher Education) received the Missouri Association of School Administrators 2022 Outstanding Emeritus Award at the MASA Spring Conference Banquet. MASA recognizes a retired administrator from each MASA region during the Awards Program. Individuals chosen for this award are selected based upon their length of service, their participation in MASA while an active member and continued interest in public education since retiring.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine selected Jason Knouft, Ph.D. (Biology) as a 2021-2022 Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State. Knouft is an Intelligence Research Specialist in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues. The Office conducts research, analysis, and briefs Department principals on a range of transboundary issues, environment and development, humanitarian crises and refugees, UN affairs, human rights and security, wildlife trafficking, and war crimes.

The SLUCare team recieved National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition for its Des Peres and Grand Avenue locations.  This recognition reflects the team's journey starting in July 2021 to put the patient in the forefront of care. The teams' contribution in weekly meetings helped identify the operations best practices and workflows that needed improvements to be patient-centered. 

Katrina Thompson Moore, Ph.D. (African American Studies) collaborated with Ron Rebore, Ph.D., the provincial assistant for secondary and pre-secondary education for the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, and the staff at the Jesuits’ Slavery, History, Memory and Reconciliation Project to develop a program for the high schools in the UCS Province. The five-week, 10-presentation virtual program is called "Sharing the Whole Story: Teaching the Complex History and Legacy of American Slavery."

Tobias Winright, Ph.D. (Health Care Ethics and Theological Studies) published an article on the Ukraine crisis in America magazine. 

Winright also published an article on “Resistance, Responsibility and Modern Warfare: Just War Theory and Why Ukraine Has a Right to Defend Itself” in the international Catholic periodical The Tablet. 

John (Jack) Renard, Ph.D. (Theological Studies) has just published his seventh peer-reviewed monograph: Rumi - A Life in Pictures (Edinburgh University Press), a volume in the series Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art.

Lead author Heather Bednarek, Ph.D. (Economics) and support author Ellen K. Barnidge, Ph.D., (Interim Dean College for Public Health and Social Justice) published the research article “1 in 4 Americans are covered by Medicaid or CHIP – a program that insures low-income kids.”

Bruce O'Neill, Ph.D., (Sociology and Anthropology), published the article, "Up, Down, and Away: Placing Privilege in Bucharest, Romania," in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (28/1: 130-151).

Nori Katagiri, Ph.D. (Political Science) published an article on cybersecurity policy in Japan. Titled "Assessing Japan’s cybersecurity policy: Change and continuity from 2017 to 2020," it was published in March the Journal of Cyber Policy. 

Ricardo Wray, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Education) published outcomes from collaborative prostate cancer educational program "Promoting informed prostate cancer screening decision‑making for African American men in a community‑based setting."

Joanne C. Langan, Ph.D. (Nursing) published "Nurse executive experiences with COVID-19: Now we know - We are not going back" in Nursing Administration Quarterly.

Jason Longhurst, Ph.D. (Physical Therapy and Athletic Training) and colleagues from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Touro University published "Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Assessment and Intervention in Parkinson’s Disease: A Scoping Review" in Research and Reviews in Parkinsonism.  

Terri Rebmann, Ph.D. (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) is an author of the new Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) white paper "Between A Rock and A Hard Place." APIC’s new white paper makes the case for investment in the infection prevention and control infrastructure in our nation’s health care facilities so that basic prevention practices can be hardwired into processes of care. 

Ellen Crowell, Ph.D. (English, Core) published article in the AJCU publication Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education focused on SLU’s new University Core. 

Tobias Winright, Ph.D. (Health Care Ethics and Theological Studies) was mentioned in an article in the Baptist News Global about a statement he co-wrote on the crisis in Ukraine. 

Winright also was interviewed by the National Catholic Reporter in an article about ethicists on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dyan McGuire, Ph.D., J.D. (Criminology and Criminal Justice) was interviewed on KMOV-TV Ch. 4 about the U.S. Attorney's Office investigation into the death of Justin King in Crawford County, Missouri.

Jason T. Eberl, Ph.D. (Health Care Ethics Director/Philosophy) was featured in an episode of Covid Ethics Series' episodes entitled "Conscience, Vaccines, and the Obligations of Community." 

J. Cameron Anglum, Ph.D. (Educational Studies) was quoted in article "Beyond the List: Enrollment at St. Louis-area school districts continues to decline" in the St. Louis Business Journal. 

Anglum and colleague Evan Rhinesmith, Ph.D. (PRiME Center) were quoted in St. Louis Magazine in the article, "The turnaround strategy inside St. Louis Public Schools that may be working—and may get discontinued." 

Anglum and Rhinesmith also had an opinion piece published in Education Week. 

Jalil Kianfar, Ph.D.,  (Civil Engineering) was quoted in WalletHub about impact of electric vehicles on insurance industry. 

Thomas F Madden, Ph.D. (HIstory/Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies) was quoted in Die Zeit concerning the history of the Spanish Inquisition.

Flannery Burke, Ph.D. (American Studies and History), will appear in new PBS documentary, Flood in the Desert, airing May 3.

Health Promotion Practice Journal presented select authors during Black History Month on their website. Keon Gilbert, DrPH (Behavioral Science and Health Education)and Aver Yakubu (College for Public Health and Social Justice student) were featured with their bios/perspectives under the "featured authors" section here.

Ajay Jain, M.D. (Pediatrics-Gastroenterology) was spotlighted by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). ASPEN's Physician Spotlight is a forum for outstanding Senior Leaders, Young Rising Stars, and International Colleagues in the field of nutrition to discuss important topics and ideas that impact patient care.

Tobias Winright, Ph.D. (Health Care Ethics and Theological Studies) presented “The Value of Water in Religion and Catholic Social Teaching" on March 23, for the Water Summit, sponsored by the WATER Institute, Saint Louis University. On March 4, Winright gave an invited presentation on Pope Leo XIII and his 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum ("On the Condition of Labor"), to the St. Thomas More Society at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Clayton.

Matthew Mancini, Ph.D. (American Studies, Emeritus) delivered the keynote address at “A Day of Remembrance: A Black History Month Celebration on the 4th Anniversary of the Discovery of the Sugar Land 95” on Feb. 19, in Sugar Land, Texas, sponsored by the Society of Justice & Equality for the People of Sugar Land. The Sugar Land 95 were Black convict forced laborers who worked on Texas sugar plantations during the 1880s and whose bodies were discovered in a forgotten mass burial ground near Houston in 2018. Dr. Mancini is the author of One Dies, Get Another: Convict Leasing in the American South, 1866-1928, a comprehensive study of the convict lease system, by which states furnished a stream of forced labor to corporations and individuals in the South after the Civil War. 

Farzana Hoque, M.D. has been invited as a speaker at the Society of Hospital Medicine National Conference 2022 to talk about “Identity, Vision, and Brand - A Three-Part Harmony to Accelerate Your Career.” The conference will be held in April in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Ellen Barnidge, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Education) recently participated in a round table discussion about how evidence-based policymaking can guide the response to and prevention of food insecurity in Missouri. MOST Policy Initiative hosted the discussion entitled, "Food Insecurity in Missouri: Rural & Urban Food Deserts." 

Christopher Prener, Ph.D. (Sociology & Anthropology) participated in a virtual seminar on March 3, about historical and contemporary causes for racial disparities in St. Louis. Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis hosted the 2022 Spring Seminar Series.

Yolonda Wilson, Ph.D. (Health Care Ethics) participated in a panel discussion on women's health recently co-hosted by the St. Louis Black Repertory Company and Washington University in St. Louis. Panelists provided historical context of The Black Rep's "Behind the Sheet" by Charly Evon Simpson which opened March 18 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis, Missouri. 

David Pole, Ph.D. (Interprofessional Education) participated in a panel discussion about the future of team-based care at the 2022 National Academies of Practice Annual Forum in San Diego, California. The forum’s theme was “Promoting Diversity, Resilience, and Interprofessional Collaboration in Education, Practice, and Research.” 

Michael Rozier, S.J., Ph.D. (Health Management and Policy) was a speaker at the Institute for World Church and Mission's annual international conference. The conference titled, “The Mission of the Church in the Era of Global Public Health,” was held virtually from March 30 through April 1. Rozier presented, "Can the Catholic Church Sustainably Improve the Health of Communities on a Global Scale?"

The Central Reform Congregation invited Sabrina W. Tyuse, Ph.D. (Social Work) to be a guest speaker for a non-partisan voter registration training class held virtually on Wednesday, March 23.

Erica McBride has joined the Cross Cultural Center as the program coordinator. Two of her principal duties include working with the Martin Luther King Scholars Program and SafeZone Competency Program, which strives to shed light on the systemic use of heteronormativity and cis-normativity on Saint Louis University’s campus. She is currently a Ph.D. student within the Higher Education Administration program at Saint Louis University.  

The Department of Pharmacology and Physiology in the School of Medicine has welcomed three new faculty members — Vincenza Cifarelli, Ph.D., Aubin Moutal, Ph.D. and Liberty Francois-Moutal, Ph.D. 

Cifarelli will be as assistant professor. She joins SLU from the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science at Washington University – School of Medicine. Her research interests are to tease apart the contribution of endothelial dysfunction in the development of immuno-metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

Moutal will be an assistant professor. He joins SLU from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His lab focuses on studying rare autoimmune clinical conditions to discover novel proteins involved in the transition to chronic pain. 

Francois-Moutal will be an assistant research professor. She also joins SLU from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her  expertise is on biophysical characterization of post-translational modifications of proteins, structure/function relationship of RNA binding proteins and rationale design of chemical probes. Her research interests are to understand how post-translational modifications affect protein structure and function in neurodegeneration as well as how specific RNA binding proteins participate in RNA transport during chronic pain. 

Students

Meena Chetty (Physical Therapy and Athletic Training student) published the book “Chronicles of Rehab”, a 30-day guided journal for patients with chronic illness who are going to physical therapy rehab. The publication is designed to help health care professionals to encourage their patients to use journaling about their medical and life narratives as a form of treatment and recovery. Kim Levenhagen (Physical Therapy and Athletic Training) was Chetty’s mentor throughout the project.

Yan Xie (College for Public Health and Social Justice student) published, "Risks of Mental Health Outcomes in People With COVID-19: Cohort Study," online Feb. 16, 2022, in The BMJ.

 Xie (College for Public Health and Social Justice student) also published the article, "Risks and Burdens of Incident Diabetes in Long COVID: A Cohort Study," in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 

Students in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business took first and second place in the recently concluded CFA Research Challenge hosted by the CFA Society of St. Louis. They competed against Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University. The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics to university students. Each local competition's winning university team advances to the sub-regional competition.

The competitors are as follows:

• Winning Team: Madelyn Pulver, Saikushal Marri, Jacob Dowell. The faculty mentor is Tom Doellman, Ph.D.
• Runners-up: Zoe Pezold, Alvin Vojka, and Oscar Alvarez. The faculty mentor is Naresh Bansal, Ph.D.

The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) selected Sathwik R. Booreddy (School of Medicine student) as a Top Scientific Abstract Poster winner. Booreddy presented, "The Effects of Chronic Opioid Analgesic Use Patterns on Sleep Quality in Patients With Non-Cancer Pain," at the 2022 AAPM Annual Meeting recently held at the Kierland Westin in Scottsdale, Arizona. Abstract submissions aim to improve the knowledge, competence, or performance of the practice of Pain Medicine, provide innovative solutions to current issues, and further the overall mission of the AAPM organization.

Abigail Menke (College for Public Health and Social Justice student) was named assistant director of the Franklin County Health Department. The Washington Missourian highlighted the news.