NSU Horizons Spring 2012

32 HORIZONS Ronald Renuart, D.O., class of 1990, wears many hats. He is an NSU-educated internist, a Florida House Representative for District 18, and a retired full colonel with the Florida Army National Guard—serving 20 years with three combat tours overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. A native of Florida, Renuart joined NSU’s fifth class of medical students in 1986 at the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “It was always something I wanted to do. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a doctor,” he said. “The ability to have someone who is ill and be able to provide a service that makes them whole, or at least relieves some of their suffering, that’s a tremendous feeling.” Renuart took full advantage of his NSU education. During his senior year, Renuart was student director for a collaborative project with the Florida Area Health Education Center in which students identified the top 102 rural areas in the state for doctors to set up practice. The experience earned Renuart NSU’s first-ever Rose Community Service Award. Originally planning to go into family practice, Renuart ultimately chose internal medicine. “Some of my professors at NSU showed us that, with internal medicine, you get a little deeper into some of the serious chronic illnesses,” he said. “Those are some of the tougher ones to treat, because you’re not going to cure them. You’re going to modify them to lower risk factors to keep the illness from worsening.” Renuart completed his internal medicine residency with the University of Florida Health Science Center Jacksonville (now Shands Jacksonville Medical Center). He is the immediate past president of the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumni Association, a former chief of staff for Baptist Medical Center, and a former chief medical officer for the Florida Army National Guard. As an internist at Baptist Primary Care in Ponte Vedra Beach, and with a flourishing political career, Renuart attributes a portion of his success to NSU. “The school has built up a tremendous reputation and is now widely known,” Renuart said. “In Tallahassee, other health care professionals say to me that they know what NSU stands for. And that’s a quality education that prepares people to be professionals and serve the public.” Ronald Renuart BY KARA POUND Michael Roseff, D.M.D., class of 2004 College of Dental Medicine Active in research at NSU, Roseff was awarded grants to present his research in craniofacial ortho- dontics in Gothenburg, Sweden; Oahu, Hawaii; and San Francisco, California. (See story on page 30.) Briana Shelton, O.D., class of 2004 College of Optometry Shelton is the owner and president of Briana J. Shelton, O.D., P.A., Professional Vision Center, in Marion, North Carolina. Shelton has been honored with the District 31B Lions Club Service Award, Best Optical in McDowell County Award, and is a four-time recipient of McDowell County’s Best Optometrist Award. Casey Stewart Mailman Segal Center for Human Development In 2006, Stewart was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as a Florida Developmental Disabilities Council member, with continued service on the Community Living Task Force, Leadership Committee, and Public Policy Committee. He also serves as a Best Buddies Ambassador for Broward County. Stewart works as a front-end clerk at Publix grocery store. Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., class of 2002 Center for Psychological Studies Toll’s two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University was followed by a full-time appointment to the Yale University School of Medicine. At Yale, Toll is assistant professor of psychiatry and program director of Smoking Cessation Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Toll has received the Yale Cancer Center Research Prize for Most Influential Paper in the Field and the Early Career Investigator Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Ronald Renuart is a proud part of NSU’s reputation for quality.