Professional Notes: Summer 2024

08/26/2024

Professional Notes is a round-up of awards, presentations, papers, and other professional achievements of SLU faculty, staff members, and students.

Faculty and Staff

Sarah Conroy (Marketing and Communications) received three awards in the University Photographers’ Association of America 2024 Annual Photo Competition. There were more than 500 entries in the contest and Conroy received 3 of 53 awards. She earned second place in the Sports Features and Illustrations Category for her photo, "Paralympian Professor." Conroy placed third in the People and Portraits Category with her photo of Oliver L. Parks Dean of the School of Science and Engineering Gregory Triplett, Ph.D. Her third award was a fourth-place recognition for "Pool Kayaker" in the Sports Action Category. Conroy came in sixth place overall for for Photographer of the Year.

The Marquis Who's Who Publication Board has named Karen Barney, Ph.D. (Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy) to Who's Who in America and a top educator, stating her outstanding achievements, career longevity, unwavering excellence in her chosen field, and innumerable contributions to society as a whole.

Morgan Hazelton, J.D., Ph.D. (Political Science) and her co-authors, Rachael Hinkle (University at Buffalo) and Michael Nelson (Pennsylvania State University), are co-winners of the C. Herman Pritchett for the best book on law and courts written by a political scientist for their book "The Elevator Effect: Contact and Collegiality in the American Judiciary" (Oxford University Press). The award will be presented by the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association at the annual conference in September.

Hazelton and her co-authors also appeared in the National Center for State Court's Tiny Chat series. The NCSC audience is primarily those who work in courts, including judges, staff, administrators and lawyers, but also reaches a broader audience. 

Courtney Everett (Prison Education Program) was chosen as a Fellow for Jobs for the Future Center for Justice and Economic Advancement Horizons Convening from July 21-23 in Washington DC. The Horizons Fellows program is a professional development opportunity exclusively for professionals with records of arrest, conviction, or incarceration.

Shruthi Sreenivasa Murthy (Research Computing Group) was named an AWS Champion by Amazon Web Services to mark the ways she’s evolving SLU Research by looking toward the cloud. The distinction is commonly reserved for leaders in higher education who have been working in that space for more than 10 years, according to Murthy.  

The AIMS (Adventures in Medicine and Science) Outreach Program at Saint Louis University has once again been awarded the the 2023-2024 Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration Pinnacle Award. This award is bestowed annually to CILC Content Providers for their accomplishments in creating live virtual field trips that have high educational value, actively involve learners at their level, and are professionally delivered.

The Pinnacle Awards are determined by evaluations received from educators and activity coordinators who have participated in the live virtual field trips. Adventures in Medicine and Science (AIMS) is a youth community outreach program that teaches human anatomy, medicine, health education and wellness to students, both at the University campus location and online with the Distance Learning programs."

Dan Warren, Ph.D. (Biology) and Mickey Ariel, Ph.D.  (Pharmacology and Physiology) were recently awarded a three-year, $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the neurophysiological basis of anoxia tolerance in turtles. Anoxia is the complete absence of oxygen from an organism’s environment, and most animals can tolerate it for just minutes or hours before irreversible injury to essential tissues and organs occurs. In humans, oxygen deprivation is a primary cause of tissue injury in the brain and heart during and following stroke and heart attack. In rivers and lakes, oxygen deprivation caused by pollution can lead to the die-off of many vertebrate and invertebrate species. Several species of pond turtle (Family Emydidae) have evolved the ability to survive for more than a day without oxygen at room temperature (68oF/20oC) and for months at 3oC (~37oF), including western painted turtles, which spend long winters on or within the anoxic mud at the bottoms of frozen lakes and ponds in the northern United States and southern Canada. 

The project will also create training opportunities for a post-doctoral fellow, graduate students, and undergraduates, and provide continued support for Warren’s outreach program called TRTLE: Teaching Research with Turtle Life-history and Ecophysiology. Warren will partner with Christa Jackson, Ph.D. (Education) to provide authentic research experiences to middle school children involved in programming from within SLU’s Institute for STEM Collaboration, Outreach, Research and Education (ISCORE). 

Sergey Korolev, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) was awarded a $743,852 NSF instrumentation grant for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art Xta LAB Synergy-R single crystal diffractometer. This is a significant achievement that strengthens SLU's footprint in structural biology. 

Nori Katagiri, Ph.D. (Political Science) presented his analysis in a latest U.S. Army publication on cybersecurity forecasting. Among other things, he discussed how countries like Japan perceive threats in cyberspace and with Artificial Intelligence and offered implications for the Indo-Pacific region. He has been presenting his take on cybersecurity and AI in his meetings with officials and scholars in France, the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan. 

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D. (Interprofessional Education) made the keynote presentation "Transforming Interprofessional Healthcare" on Friday, July 12, at the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Summer Membership Meeting in Washington, DC.

Breitbach also presented at the International Network for Health Workforce Education Conference in Barcelona, Spain on June 26-27,  "Promoting Interprofessional Dialogue and Collaboration and Between Academia and Clinical Practice Through a Structured Stakeholder Engagement Model at Regional Summits" with Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D. (Nova Southeastern University); "Utilizing the Anthropocene as a framework for teaching global interdependence in an introductory interprofessional education course" on how Saint Louis University aligns IPE 2100 with the university core attribute of Global Interdependence; and a panel discussion "Post-COVID Healthcare Transformation: Embracing Innovation, Digital Technologies, and Collaboration in Health Education and Practice"" with Hossein Khalili Ph.D. (Winston-Salem State University), Melissa Owens Ph.D. (University of York, UK) and Shelley Cohen Konrad (University of New England).

Mike Shaner, Ph.D. (Management Emeritus) keynote speaker at the 2nd International Conference on Management Innovation and Economy Development, June 28-30, in Guilin, China. The title of his speech was "Leadership and Failure: A Powerful Alliance." He also teaches at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, in the Enterprise Logistics Executive Capstone Course.  

Farzana Hoque, M.D. (Hospitalist) was invited as a speaker at the Grand Rounds at Stanford University. Her Grand Rounds was titled "Master Visual Diagnosis - A Case-Based Learning Approach." 

Katie Sniffen, Ph.D. (Physical Therapy and Athletic Training) presented her scholarly work titled, "Defining Athletic Training Services: Accessible, Affordable, and Quality Health Care," at the 2024 National Athletic Trainer's Association Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in New Orleans.

Michael Barber, S.J. (Philosophy) published his book "Resilience and Responsiveness: Alfred Schutz's Finite Provinces of Meaning with Springer Press." In addition, he has published three articles: “Alfred Schutz’s ‘On Multiple Realities’ and Transcendental Phenomenology,” in  Métodos y Problemas: Perspectivas e Investigaciones Fenomenológicas Actuales; edit by Rosemary R.P. de Lerner, Mariana Chu  García, and Vania Alarcón, pares 215-235. Lima: Círculo Peruano de Fenomenología y Hermenéutica (CIphER); “The Ethical Potential of Music and Democracies in Crisis,” Études Phénoménologiques/Phenomenological Studies, 8 (2024): 103-126; and “Alfred Schutz: Imposed Political Relevances and the Subjective Meaning of the Actor,” in The Routledge Handbook of Political Phenomenology,” edited by Nils Baratella, Steffen Herrmann, Sophie Loidolt, Tobias Matzner, Gerhard Thonhauser (London: Routledge), 156-166. 

C. Alec Pollard, Ph.D. (Family and Community Medicine emeritus) co-authored the book "When a Loved One Won't Seek Mental Health Treatment: How to Promote Recovery and Reclaim Your Family's Well-Being" this spring. The book for families with a psychiatrically impaired loved one who won't get help. 

Katherine Stamatakis, Ph.D. (Epidemiology and Biostatistics), Elizabeth Baker, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) and student Ashish Shrestha helped author the study "Identifying and Prioritizing Factors to Improve Implementation of an Evidence-Based Program for Child Maltreatment Prevention in Rural Missouri Communities" in the publication Global Implementation Research and Applications.

Ellen Barnidge, Ph.D. (Office of the Vice President for Research), student Ally Terhaar and other colleagues from SSM Health and Saint Louis University published the research "Experiential Learning as a Path to Critical Consciousness in the Medical Curriculum: A Qualitative Study" in the Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development.

Cheryl Rathert, Ph.D. (Health Management and Policy), doctoral student Derick Simmons, and Kimberly R. Enard, Ph.D. (Master of Health Administration Program) published the research article "Good therapeutic connections and patient psychological safety: A qualitative survey study" in the Health Care Management Review.

Rathert and colleagues published the research "Racial/Ethnic Group Differences in Patient Psychological Safety: Qualitative Patient Narrative Study" in the Academy of Management 'Proceedings' Journal.

Rathert and colleagues also published the research article "What matters to you? An observational field study of patient and care provider expectations for health care relationships."

Rathert and colleagues also published the report "System-failing creativity in health care" in Learning Health Systems.

Finally,  Rathert co-published the editorial "The crisis of primary care and the case for more primary care management research" in Health Care Management Review.

Zhengmin Qian, Ph.D., M.D. (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) co-authored research in the "Environmental International'" titled "Exposures to particulate matters and childhood sleep disorders-A large study in three provinces in China."

Qian and colleagues from other universities contributed to and published the research "Building Alternative Payment Models in Health Care" in Frontiers in Health Services.

Additionally, Qian and colleagues from other universities contributed to and published the research study "Regular use of fish oil supplements and course of cardiovascular diseases: prospective cohort study" in the BMJ Journals. 

Keon L. Gilbert, DrPH (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) contributed to the research article "Racial and Ethnic Composition of Departments of Health Policy, Management, Education, and Behavioral Sciences" in the Sage Journals.

SangNam Ahn, Ph.D. (Health Management and Policy) contributed to the study "Examining Health Inequities in A1C Control over Time across Individual, Geospatial, and Geopolitical Factors among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Analyses of a Sample from One Commercial Insurer in a Southern State" in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.

The Translational Sports Injury prevention Lab investigators, graduate students and collaborators, as part of their RICHLoad Project, published two new papers, one in the International Journal of Exercise Sciences titled: "Normative Hamstrings and Quadriceps Isometric Strength Values and Hamstrings-Quadriceps Asymmetry in Healthy Collegiate Soccer and Basketball Players" and the other in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine titled: "Snooze it or Lose it: Understanding Sleep Disturbance and Injuries in Soccer and Basketball Student-Athletes." 

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D. (Interprofessional Education) co-authored a publication entitled "Teaching global interdependence to health professions students during the Anthropocene epoch: Findings from documentary analysis of an interprofessional education course" in the July 2024 issue of Nurse Education in Practice.

Jeffrey Scherrer, Ph.D. (Department of Family and Community Medicine) co-edited the book, "Pain, the Opioid Epidemic, and Depression." The book is being published at the end of September and summarizes 15 to 20 years of research on the opioid epidemic and the role of mental illness.  There are multiple chapters written by SLU faculty members.

Students

SLU Cyber Billikens, SLU's Capture The Flag team, made a significant mark at the recent Black Hat USA 2024 and DEFCON 32 conferences in Las Vegas, returning with several awards. These events, recognized as some of the world's premier cybersecurity conferences, gathering experts, industry leaders, and cutting-edge solutions, provided the team with opportunities to showcase their skills, engage in high-level workshops, and compete against top talent in the field.

SLU Cybersecurity Students representing the Cyber Billikens team at Black Hat USA 2024 were Syam Sai Siddabhattula, Ragan Murali Paupuleti, and Saran Senthil Anand. The trio participated in sessions covering a wide range of topics, from the vulnerabilities in Windows updates to the dangers of Wi-Fi-based surveillance. The team won 1st place in the CVE Hunter Challenge, where they demonstrated skill in identifying critical vulnerabilities. They also took first place in the Lock Picking Event by Red Team Alliance, mastering seven different lock types to claim the top prize.

Following Black Hat, Siddabhattula and Murali Paupuleti, headed to DEFCON 32, where  they built on their Black Hat success. They participated in a range of activities, from badge cloning to social engineering challenges, showing their versatility across multiple cybersecurity domains.

Notable achievements included first place in the Reconnaissance Challenge, earning them the Master Reconnaissance Challenge Coin and an Electronic Badge. They also secured second place in the Lock Picking Contest, building on their earlier success, and third place in the Bug Bounty Competition, highlighting their skill in identifying software vulnerabilities.

Let's P.L.A.Y. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in St. Louis, dedicated to fostering healthy, active lifestyles among underserved youth locally and nationwide. The initiative operates through chapters established at medical schools across the country, with the flagship chapter originating at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and expanding steadily since its inception. Let's P.L.A.Y. engages medical students in impactful outreach endeavors, bringing them into elementary and middle schools in underserved communities for engaging and interactive sessions focused on promoting healthy habits and values.

Saint Louis University School of Medicine students, Kaitlyn Storm, Thomas Koch, Luke Wegenka, Sonia Patel, Lawson Spence, Andrew Schlager, and Bernard Parrish, as well as former SLUSOM student and founder of Let's P.L.A.Y., Dr. Justin K. Zhang, developed an evidence-based education manual that promotes healthy, active lifestyles through collaboration with Mary Chittooran, Ph.D. (Educational Studies) and Karissa Sywulka (Director of STL Teaching Fellows). The education manual contains 21 lesson plans, each of which follows the Madeline-Hunter method of teaching, connecting a short discussion and a guaranteed 45 minutes of games with a different value supported by both professionals and literature. Combining fun and education, lesson topics focus on both the physical and mental health of students, ranging from teamwork to balanced diet, and many more. The Let's P.L.A.Y. Education Manual is now available on Amazon.