Page 36 - COM Outlook - Spring 2013

Colonel Bret
T. Acker-
mann, D.O.,
FAAEM,
FACEP (’92)
recently
celebrated 20
years of active duty service as
an emergency medicine physi-
cian in the U.S. Army Medical
Corps. His service includes
combat deployments in sup-
port of U.S. Special Operations
Command to Iraq in 2003 and
2006 and Afghanistan in 2004
and 2005. He also was one of
two army physicians who at-
tended the 2010 resident class
of the U.S. Army War Col-
lege in Carlisle, Pennsylvania,
where he earned a master’s de-
gree in Strategic Studies. Cur-
rently assigned to Tripler Army
Medical Center, in July 2013, he
will assume command of the
medical brigade headquartered
at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, 18th
Medical Command (Deploy-
ment Support), where he will
be responsible for the mission
command of all assigned and
attached medical units in sup-
port of U.S. Army-Pacific.
Deanna Andrews, D.O. (’97),
who is board certified by the
American Board of Pediatrics
and is practicing pediatrics in
Nampa, Idaho, earned second-
place honors in the Contempo-
rary Pediatrics Journal National
Photo Contest for the image
showcased above.
Fritz Barionette, M.S.B.I.,
CPhT (’97), a 2011 NSU-COM
Biomedical Informatics alum-
nus, was promoted to the po-
sition of integration architect/
technical project manager at
Cerner Corporation in Kansas
COM Outlook . Spring 2013 36
Alumni Corner - Activities, Accomplishments, and Awards
City, Missouri, after working
with the organization for less
than a year. He also serves as
an adjunct instructor in the
college’s Biomedical Infor-
matics program.
Dana Block-Abraham, D.O.
(’07), who is currently doing
a maternal-fetal medicine fel-
lowship at the University of
Maryland, was appointed to a
two-year term on the Ameri-
can Medical Political Action
Committee Board of Direc-
tors, becoming the first D.O.
to ever be appointed to this
prestigious board. In addition,
she was recently appointed to
serve a one-year term on the
American College of Obste-
tricians and Gynecologists’
Committee on American In-
dian/Alaska Native Women’s
Health Care and is in her sixth
year of serving as a sectional
delegate to the American
Medical Association House
of Delegates, representing its
Residents and Fellows Section.
Frank X. Conidi, D.O. (’95),
who was recently reappointed
as the team neurologist for the
Florida Panthers’ hockey team,
was elected vice chair of the
American Academy of Neurol-
ogy Sports Neurology Section
and appointed co-chair of the
Florida High School Ath-
letic Association’s Concussion
Committee. In addition, he
had his article entitled “Sports
Concussion: The Role of the
Headache Specialist” pub-
lished in Headache: The Journal
of Head and Face Pain and was
interviewed on ESPN about
the May 2012 death of long-
time NFL player Junior Seau
and the possible link to chronic
traumatic encephalopathy.
Gaston Dana D.O. (’92) was
recently certified by the Ameri-
can Registry for Diagnostic
Medical Sonography as a
registered physician in vascu-
lar interpretation and is now
certified in five specialties:
internal medicine, emergency
medicine, hyperbaric medi-
cine, medical acupuncture,
and vascular interpretation. In
addition, he was elected as an
Indiana Osteopathic Associa-
tion board member, became a
clinical assistant professor at
Marian University College of
Osteopathic Medicine, and was
named chairman of medicine
at Johnson Memorial Hospital.
He also received the John-
son Memorial Hospital 2012
Service of Excellence Physician
of the Year Award and was
named chairman of the 116th
Annual Convention of the In-
diana Osteopathic Association.
Michelle Ferreira, D.O. (’06)
had a book chapter titled “An
Unusual Cause of Cervi-
cal Dystonia: Porencephalic
Cyst, Putaminal, Pallidal, and
Cerebellar Atrophy, Aqueduc-
tal Stenosis, and Obstructive
Hydrocephalus” published in
Movement Disorders: Unforget-
table Cases and Lessons from
the Bedside by Hubert H.
Fernandez M.D., and Marcelo
Merello M.D. Dr. Ferreira is a
board-certified neurologist and
movement disorders specialist
practicing in Miami, Florida.
Melinda F.
Greenfield,
D.O. (’94), a
self-employed
dermatologist
in Albany,
Georgia, who
trains year-round in running,
swimming, biking, and weight-
lifting, was awarded an athletic
sponsorship through Athleta—a
women’s-specific athletic cloth-
ing company. She was chosen
to represent the new store in
Atlanta. During her one-year
sponsorship, she will participate
in a variety of lectures, runs,
and triathlons while represent-
ing the Athleta brand.
Kevin Friedman, D.O. (‘05)
recently coauthored an article
entitled “2-Year Follow-Up
to STeP Trial Shows Sustain-
ability of Structured Self-
Monitoring of Blood Glucose
Utilization: Results from the
STeP Practice Logistics and Us-
ability Survey (STeP PLUS)” in
the February issue of Diabetes
Technology & Therapeutics.
Michael W.
Higgins, D.O.
(’96), a prac-
ticing ortho-
pedic surgeon
in Spring
Hill, Florida,
is hosting a biweekly radio
talk show called No Bones
About It on WWJB AM 1450/
WXJB 99.9 FM where cur-
rent concepts in orthopedic
surgery, diseases, diagnoses,
and treatment options are dis-
cussed and listeners can call in
to ask various questions. The
program, which highlights the
osteopathic profession, also is
available on the Web.
James O. Hill
II, D.O. (’00),
who served
in Baghdad,
Iraq, for a
year in what
is known as
the Green Zone, has accepted a
position as ER medical director
at Shoals Hospital in Flor-
ence, Alabama. In addition,
he was recently honored for
his military contributions at
The Charmettes Incorporated
of Broward County Chapter
Third Annual Cancer Fun-
draiser that centered on the
theme Honoring Our Unsung
Military Heroes.
Gregory J. James, D.O.,
M.P.H., FACOFP dist. (’88)
was elected president of the
Florida Osteopathic Medical
Association (FOMA) during
the organization’s 110th Annual