19
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
Faculty Focus -
Activities, Achievements, and Awards
In 2013, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
created two new classifications to honor osteopathic
physicians who are serving the profession with distinction:
Guardians of the Profession and Unsung Heroes.
A
Guardian of the Profession
is an osteopathic physi-
cian who advances the culture of osteopathic medicine by
having served in a local, state, or national osteopathic lead-
ership role. A guardian also demonstrates a strong sense
of pride in the osteopathic medical profession and works
actively to advance osteopathic medicine with colleagues
and the general public.
An
Unsung Hero
is an osteopathic physician who has
enhanced the image of osteopathic medicine by living each
day as an example of what an osteopathic physician should
be. Serving as an outstanding physician and role model,
unsung heroes enhance the profession, create opportuni-
ties for current and future D.O.s, and instill pride in being
a D.O. and a member of the AOA.
A number of NSU-COM faculty members were recog-
nized, with some earning placement in both categories.
Guardians of the Profession:
*OMS-III Carisa Cham-
pion-Lippmann, Dr. Joseph De Gaetano, Dr. Kenneth
Johnson, Dr. Howard Neer, Dr. Edward Packer, and Dr.
Anthony J. Silvagni.
Unsung Heroes:
Dr. Paula Anderson-Worts, Dr. Cyril Bla-
vo, Dr. David Boesler, Dr. Joseph De Gaetano, Dr. Kenneth
Johnson, Dr. Doris Newman, Dr. Edward Packer, Dr. Mark
Sandhouse, Dr. Anthony J. Silvagni, and Dr. Elaine Wallace.
*Only a dozen or so dedicated and esteemed students
nationwide were accorded this special honor.
AOA Honors NSU-COM Faculty
Members as Unsung Heroes and
Guardians of the Profession
James Blount, B.A.
, joined the Institute for Neuro-
Immune Medicine in February as program administrator.
Blount received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Coker
College in Hartsville, South Carolina, and has considerable
experience in research and data management.
Angela Garcia, Pharm.D., M.P.H., CPh
, joined the NSU-
COM faculty team on January 6 as an associate professor
in the Master of Public Health Program, where one of her
primary responsibilities will be to oversee the required field
experiences. Dr. Garcia, who previously served as a faculty
member in the College of Pharmacy, earned both her Doctor
of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degrees from NSU.
Mark Rice, B.S.
, who joined the Institute for Neuro-
Immune Medicine (INIM) in March as a data analyst I,
received his Bachelor of Science in IT-Software Develop-
ment from Florida International University and has been
involved with the INIM since 2012.
Cristina E. Savu, D.O.
, joined the Department of Inter-
nal Medicine on March 1 as an assistant professor. Dr. Savu
is a 2008 NSU-COM graduate and completed her internship
and residency at Broward Health Medical Center. Prior to
joining the NSU-COM faculty, Dr. Savu participated in the
Broward Health Physician Group as an internist.
Kamilah N. Thomas-Purcell, Ph.D., M.P.H., CHES
,
director of the Interprofessional Primary Care Education
Program and assistant professor of public health, joined
NSU-COM in November 2013. Previously, she was an assis-
tant professor at St. George’s University School of Medicine
in St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
New Faculty and Staff Members
Join the NSU-COM Fold
Blount..................Dr. Garcia...............Dr. Savu..............Dr. Purcell
Elaine M. Wallace, D.O.,
M.S., M.S., M.S.
, execu-
tive associate dean, was
featured on the cover of
the inaugural edition of
Leaders Across America
.
The magazine profiled
Dr. Wallace as an in-
novator of medical techniques.
On March 10, NSU-COM faculty and staff mem-
bers gathered to say goodbye to
Yennifer Kus-
ienski
, who served as an assistant to Johneta
Goodwin, the college’s director of administra-
tive operations, since 2007. Kusienski’s future
endeavors will include doing consulting work
on NSU-COM’s Digital Measures Faculty Port-
folio project.
Pictured (from left) are Johneta
Goodwin, Yennifer Kusienski, and Dr. Silvagni.
