A Record - University of Mississippi Medical Center

June 2015
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER
Graduates of the School of Graduate Studies
in the Health Sciences, from left, Erica Chen,
Ciara Frizell and Giorgio Grant
A Record
Commences
UMMC graduate totals top previous year’s mark
By Ruth Cummins
M
any, like nursing graduate Faith Sherman and School
of Medicine graduate Sarah Kerut, will care for
patients at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
for the next year or more.
Others, including School of Medicine graduates Lucas
and Marianne Wilson, will travel far away to begin the next
chapter in their medical careers.
They’re members of UMMC’s Class of 2015, 864 graduates
strong, a class size that’s risen for the third year in a row.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Ò
2015 UMMC Commencement Special
CENTERVIEW
2 Long coat, pinning ceremonies punctuate Commencement
In photo above, School of Medicine graduate Jorge
Jimenez flexes as he is coated by Dr. Dan Jones, University
of Mississippi chancellor, while Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice
chancellor for health affairs and SOM dean, looks on during
the Class of 2015 Long Coat Ceremony May 21 at the
Jackson Convention Center.
In photo at right, Brook Ponder, right, B.S.N. graduate, receives her pin from Dr. Kim Hoover, dean of the School of
Nursing, during the SON Class of 2015 Pinning Ceremony
Mayt 21 at Christ United Methodist Church.
June 2015
Senior Editor:
Bruce Coleman
Photographers:
Jay Ferchaud, Marc Rolph
Staff Writers:
Dustin Barnes, Ruth Cummins,
Jen Hospodor, Gary Pettus
Support Staff:
Peggy Wagner
CenterView, published every other week, is the
internal publication of the University of Mississippi
Medical Center, the state’s only academic health
sciences center. Content features news of interest for
and about Medical Center faculty, staff and students.
Content may be reprinted with appropriate credit.
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The University of Mississippi Medical Center
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Published by the Division of Public Affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
Chancellor
University of Mississippi:
Dan Jones, M.D.
Vice Chancellor for
Health Affairs:
LouAnn Woodward, M.D.
Lead Designer:
Derrick Dyess
Chief Public Affairs and
Communications Officer:
Tom Fortner
— CenterView is printed by the UMMC Department of Printing —
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CENTERVIEW | June 2015
/UMMC1
@UMMCNews
@UMMCNews
Medical Center’s preeminent educator earns singular honor
By Bruce Coleman
strive to endorse, to develop and to represent to our students,” Rockhold said. “The
Dr. Rob Rockhold was the keeper of a wonderful secret when he ran into the
term ‘best of the best’ is used a lot by academic health science centers, but in the
last person in the world he needed to see May 8.
education mission, I think it is appropriate that we recognize the best of the best
Rockhold, deputy chief academic officer and professor of pharmacology and
among our educators.
toxicology, was to present the Regions Bank Toward Educational Advancement in
“This very deliberately advances the educational mission in the most significant
Care and Health (TEACH) Prize May 12 to the individual who most represents the
way possible.”
highest qualities of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s academic faculty.
Stewart received her M.S.N. in the adult health/nurse educator role in 1994
At a restaurant four days before, Rockhold
and her Ph.D. in 2002 from UMMC. In 2003, she became dean of the Joseph and
happened to come face-to-face with the selected
Nancy Fail School of Nursing at William Carey University. She left William Carey
recipient: Dr. Mary W. Stewart, professor of
in 2008 to become associate professor of nursing and special assistant to the dean of
nursing.
nursing at UMMC. In 2010, she was promoted to professor of nursing. She became
“You cannot imagine how difficult it was
School of Nursing director of the Ph.D. in Nursing Program in 2011 and director of
not to let her know,” Rockhold told the audience
accreditation for the School of Nursing in 2014.
after revealing the winner during the 2015 NorThroughout her teaching career, Stewart has maintained a steadfast philosophy
man C. Nelson Order of Teaching Excellence
of health science education.
luncheon.
“The best words I have to synthesize my philosophy are relationships, integrity
Alon Bee, Regions Bank Metro Jackand hope,” she said. “In relationships, we are not alone - nor should we be. We
son president, Rockhold and Dr. LouAnn
truly need each other. To have integrity, we must keep the standards high: perseverWoodward, vice chancellor for health affairs,
Stewart
ance, not perfection. Be honest. Take responsibility. Then, know how to forgive
presented a ceremonial check for $10,000 to
yourself and others.”
Stewart, the third TEACH Prize recipient. Dr.
She said her proudest moments as an educator occur when a student confesses,
Kimberly Simpson, associate professor of neurobiology and anatomical sciences,
“I see things differently now,” or “My thinking has changed.” She said serving on
won the inaugural award in 2013, and Dr. Ian Paul, professor of psychiatry and
faculty at the Medical Center is the highlight of her teaching career.
human behavior, received it last year.
“Just being among people from many disciplines whose mission is to make
Stewart said being named a TEACH Prize winner reinforces her awareness of
life better for others is an amazing realization,” she said. “I’m so glad to be surher academic duties.
rounded by people who care.
“It is a convincing
The investment of individureminder of my responsibilities
2015 Nelson Order
als, community partners and
as an educator - to persevere in
service institutions toward the
the advancement of education
School of Dentistry
School of Medicine
advancement of education is an
as the path to solving our greatDr. Jennifer Bain, assistant professor of periodontics and
Dr. Bill Daley, professor of pathology
preventive sciences
Dr. Lisa Didion, assistant professor of pediatrics
example of caring for all of us.
est problems,” she said. “I want
Dr. Yuefeng “Jordan” Lu, assistant professor of neurobiology
Dr. Michael Hebert, professor of biochemistry
“I think what matters most
my students to say confidently,
and anatomical sciences
Dr. Elizabeth Lutz, instructor in obstetrics and gynecology
is that we choose to care - each
‘I don’t know,’ but at the same
*Dr. Susan Warren, professor of neurobiology and
Dr. Stephen Stray, assistant professor of microbiology
day, with every student and
time, I want them to recognize
anatomical
sciences
*Dr. Jose Subauste, professor of endocrinology
every patient, in the face of
they are gifted with the ability
challenges and the shadow
to question, explore, discover
School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences
School of Nursing
of celebrations, we make the
and disseminate.
*Dr. Lique Coolen, professor of physiology and professor of Dr. Kate Fouquier, assistant professor of nursing
choice to care.”
“I also hope they remain
neurobiology and anatomical sciences
Cindy Luther, assistant professor of nursing
The Nelson Order is
cognizant of the power of
Mary McNair, assistant professor of nursing
School of Health Related Professions
named
for Dr. Norman C.
not only knowledge, but
*Dr. Mary W. Stewart, professor of nursing
*Dr. Kristi Moore, associate professor of radiologic sciences
Nelson, vice chancellor
understanding - particularly of
School of Pharmacy
Angela Morey, assistant professor of health informatics and
emeritus for health affairs and
perspectives that differ from
*Dr. Meagan Brown, assistant professor of pharmacy practice
information management
dean emeritus of the School of
their own.”
Robin Parish, assistant professor of occupational therapy
Medicine, who led the Medical
The 19 recipients of the
* TEACH Prize nominee
Dr. Felicia Tardy, assistant professor of medical laboratory science
Center from 1973-94; at the
Nelson Order, who represent
time of his retirement, Nelson
all six schools at the Medical
was the longest-sitting dean of a medical school in the country.
Center, were eligible to be nominated for the TEACH Prize. The deans of each
The order recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence in delivering inschool designated a single candidate from their respective schools, and the winner
novative teaching methods; engaging and inspiring students; conveying accurate,
was selected by the Medical Center Faculty Development Committee and officers
contemporary knowledge; setting clear, appropriate expectations for professional
of the Associated Student Body.
behaviors; and guiding and mentoring students.
“This award identifies the educator who most represents the characteristics we
June 2015 | CENTERVIEW
CENTERVIEW
PRIZE TEACHER
3
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
The new physicians, dentists, nurses, allied health professionals and
she said of the chancellor and his wife. “As many of us know, so much
graduate students in the health sciences were recognized during UMMC’s
has been achieved in the last 15 years that would not have happened
59th Commencement May 22 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. That
without your vision, wisdom, strength and courage.
tops 2014’s 846 graduates, and 2014
bested the 2013 total of 677.
Dr. Dan Jones, University of
Mississippi chancellor, and Dr.
LouAnn Woodward, UMMC vice
chancellor for health affairs and
dean of the School of Medicine,
addressed more than 3,000 guests
who came to cheer for their family
and friends.
The ceremony marked
Woodward’s first commencement as
vice chancellor
and the final
time Jones addressed UMMC
graduates as
UM chancellor. Jones, who
served six years
Marianne Wilson
Jones confers rights and privileges on UMMC’s graduates while Woodward awaits her turn to address them.
as UMMC’s
vice chancellor for health affairs
and School of Medicine dean before being named UM chancellor in 2009, will
“You are an exceptional leader.”
officially leave Sept. 14 when his contract expires.
Woodward told the graduates that earning a degree is
only the beginning of their learning process.
She encouraged them to “deal with those you
serve with a deep respect for their differences.”
“Our nation will continue to struggle
with ways to care for the sick,” she said.
“Play a role in finding a solution to this
Lucas Wilson
struggle. We need your talents in Mississippi.”
And, she told them, “Proceed with courage.”
The Wilsons are headed to the University of Virginia for
residencies: Lucas in pediatrics and Marianne in internal
medicine. Kerut, Marianne’s sister, will stay at UMMC for her
internal medicine residency.
They’ll miss the many friends they’ve made at UMMC,
Freshly minted School of Dentistry graduates include, from left, Hamilton
Lucas
said.
Brown, Anna Bruce, Daniel Carney, Jason Coats, Olivia Cook, Carson
Cruise, Katherine Lee Curtis, Kenzie G. Davidovich, Laura Dixon and Valexia
“That’s the hard thing about leaving. So many people are
Edwards.
staying to do their residencies here.”
He talked his wife into venturing out of state for their residencies.
The new graduates “share a common legacy with all who have gone
“We both went up there and loved it,” said Lucas. “She was a little
before . . . and that’s a mark of quality,” said Jones, a UMMC graduate and
hesitant about going that far, but I convinced her. She and her sister are
physician whose patient care and research have focused on hypertension
very home-bodied people.”
and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Sherman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has just begun
Woodward paid tribute to Jones for his own legacy.
her dream job in UMMC’s surgical intensive care unit.
“Let me take a moment to say how much we appreciate you and Lydia
“It’s a lot of thinking on your feet, a lot of autonomy,”
for all you’ve done for UMMC and for Ole Miss over 23 years of service,”
CENTERVIEW | June 2015
she said of her calling. “You can’t call the doctor
every five seconds.
You just have to know what to do.
“It’s never a dull moment, and I like that.”
Commencement is a day for both students and
their professors to be recognized for excellence in
education, with some awards closely held secrets
until commencement.
The six students who received
top honors were:
Julia Dhossche of Madison,
who received the Waller S.
Leathers Award for the medical
student with the highest academic
average for four years;
Michael Cole Collier of
Sherman
Baldwyn, who received the
Wallace V. Mann Jr. Award for the dental student
with the highest academic average for four years;
School of Medicine graduate Marianne Wilson is hooded by Dr. Loretta Jackson, professor
Olivia Carsyn Byars of Magee, who received
of medicine and associate dean for School of Medicine Academic Affairs.
the Christine L. Oglevee Memorial Award for the
The Wilsons’ next move was to “load up the
outstanding School of Nursing baccalaureate graduate;
U-Haul and drive 13 hours to Virginia,” Lucas said.
Charlotte Lorene Floyd of Byram, who received the Richard N. Graves
Will their careers take them home to Mississippi?
Award for the registered nurse deemed most outstanding by the faculty in
You won’t have to ask Marianne twice, Lucas said.
clinical and overall performance;
“We’re leaving on the premise that I’ve always
Mary Elizabeth Croisdale of Vicksburg, who received the Dr. Virginia
wanted to leave, and then to come back,” he said.
Stansel Tolbert Award for the student with the highest academic average in
“I want to do more fellowships, then come back
the School of Health Related Professions; and
and work at Batson (Children’s Hospital), if they’ll
Erin Taylor of Germantown, Tennessee, who received the Randall-TrustKerut
have me.”
mark Award for outstanding research achievement by a graduate student.
— Commencement by the numbers —
Among the degrees conferred at 2015 Commencement:
124 School of Medicine graduates received the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree;
34 School of Dentistry graduates received the Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree;
363 School of Nursing graduates receiving either the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) or the Doctor of Nursing
Practice (D.N.P.) degrees;
82 School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences graduates received either the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or the Master of Science (M.S.) degree; and
262 School of Health Related Professions graduates received either the Doctorate in Physical Therapy (D.P.T.); the Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.);
the Master of Science (M.S.) in Health Sciences or in Health Informatics and Information Management; or the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Radiologic Sciences,
Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Science, Health Sciences, Cytotechnology or Health Informatics and Information Management.
June 2015 | CENTERVIEW
CENTERPIECE
CENTERPIECE
4 2015 Commencement: Woodward’s first as UMMC’s leader, Jones’ last as UM’s chancellor 5
CENTERVIEW
6 PITCH PERFECT
Commencement strikes right notes
for 4 Hearts, 1 Beat
By Gary Pettis
PHOTO CREDIT: Zach Pippin
They call themselves 4 Hearts, 1 Beat, a double-edged name that cuts to the chase: A
love of medicine brought them together, and a love of music has kept them there.
The Hearts are lead singer Kelly Pippin, guitarist/vocalist John Bridges, accordionist Jorge Jimenez and violinist (fiddler) McGinty Chilcutt. The Beat is Drew Smith, the
drummer.
In March, the Beat and three of the four Hearts matched at UMMC for their residencies. But they matched up with each other long before that – drawn together by their
mutual love of performing and the medical students’ craving to, as Smith put it, “use a
different side of the brain.”
“It scratches a different itch,” Bridges said.
Said Pippin: “I think we’d go crazy if we didn’t do something else.”
Doing something
else, in fact, helped
them land a recent gig at
New Orleans’ House of
Blues, and it may have
helped them get through
medical school. Chilcutt
is the only one of the
five who didn’t graduate
May 22, and that’s only
because he just finished
his third year.
Ophthalmology resident
Band members, from left, Jimenez, Chilcutt,
Jimenez, who has played
Pippin, Bridges and Smith at the House of Blues
piano since kindergarten
and took four years of
classical piano at Millsaps
College, squeezes his keyboard skills into the accordion. Bridges, an internal medicine/pediatrics resident, has played trombone most of his life; he said he learned guitar in college and
was a Teach for America music teacher in the Humphreys County School District.
Pippin, brought up in Roanoke, Va., toured with a children’s concert choir for seven
years and studied piano for 10. Aware of each other’s backgrounds, she and Bridges
decided two years ago to perform at Fenian’s during the Jackson pub’s open mic night
after recruiting Jimenez.
The band was born.
Less than a year later, the group won Fenian’s open mic night competition and was
awarded a spot on the pub’s St. Paddy’s Day lineup – 4 Hearts, 1 Beat’s first paid gig.
SHRP as STEELE
“We started getting booked more often after that,” Bridges said.
Chilcutt had come on board at the invitation of Bridges, who had gotten to know
him during one of their medical rotations. The current band roster was fixed when
Smith, the former Drumline Captain at LSU for three years, was enlisted.
Genre-wise, the quintet spans much of the musical spectrum – the Beatles, country,
hard rock, folk rock, pop and more - but, with a couple of exceptions, no tributes to the
big-haired ‘80s.
“We don’t have a bass player,” Smith explained.
The process of choosing which songs to cover is “Darwinian,” Chilcutt said. Only
the fittest survive, as determined by audience love, or lack thereof.
At such venues as Fenian’s and their friends’ weddings, they’ve entertained frequent
requests for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Free Bird,” and more.
Britney Spears and Spice Girls tunes also light up the room, said Pippin, whose
husband and fellow internal medicine resident, Zach Pippin, takes on managing and
“merch” (merchandising) for the band. But it was a somber rock ‘n’ roll standard that in
April propelled them to the stage at the immortal House of Blues.
Dr. Jerry Clark, chief student affairs officer, and M3 student Turner Brown got wind
of the band’s talents. In their capacity as co-chairs of a joint regional meeting of the
Association of American Medical Colleges in New Orleans, Clark and Brown decided to
explore the possibility of the band performing at the meeting. Clark asked the band to
name its best song.
Zach Pippin’s answer was the name of a famous tune, and a seedy establishment, set
in New Orleans: “House of the Rising Sun.”
“It seemed like a sign they were the group for us,” Clark said.
For about three hours, the five played for 246 medical students, faculty and student
affairs officials in the House of Blues.
“That was our biggest gig,” Jimenez said. “We peaked.”
Despite that sterling addition to their resume, the band members aren’t sure
how long they can keep the band together, faced as they are by rigorous postgraduate training.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about being able to play during residency,” Bridges said.
Whatever happens, they seem grateful that they have been given the gift of music
and have been able to give it back - in some cases, literally.
“This past Christmas I was super broke,” Kelly Pippin said, “so I asked John and
McGinty to record some songs with me on a CD – which I gave to my family for a
Christmas present.”
“If I had known you were going to give it to people,” Chilcutt said, “I might have
played a little harder.”
Surgery tech earns rad sciences degree,
eyes nuclear medicine field
By Ruth Cummins
As a young child, Jalyssa Steele remembers, she wanted to be a sonographer.
“I knew radiology was the way to go,” she said.
But her health education path took a turn when she enrolled in the surgery technician program at Meridian Community College, graduating in 2011.
Today, the University of Mississippi Medical Center surgery tech in labor and delivery has expanded her career options. She received a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic
Sciences from the School of Health Related Professions May 22 and is preparing to
continue her education in nuclear medicine technology.
“I thought, ‘Let’s just go back,’” Steele said of her decision to continue her studies
in SHRP. She plans to continue working part-time at UMMC while she enters the next
phase of study.
“The new program will take me a year,” she said.
Steele isn’t skipping a beat as she transitions from one program of study to another.
During her tenure so far at SHRP, she’s gathered a number of awards, including the
$4,000 Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship from the American Society of
Radiologic Technologists.
Only five radiologic sciences students nationally were chosen for the scholarship,
which is presented to those in entry-level radiography, sonography, magnetic resonance
imaging, radiation therapy or nuclear medicine technology programs.
“It meant so much to get that scholarship,” said Steele. “There were others who
were just as competitive as I was, and it was such an amazing opportunity to put money
toward something I really love.”
She took part in the 2014 Student Leadership Academy at the ASRT Educational
Symposium and Annual Governance and House of Delegates Meeting in Orlando,
CENTERVIEW | June 2015
Florida. She also serves as one of two student delegates to the Mississippi Society
of Radiologic Technologists.
“The key word to describe Jalyssa is
initiative,” said Dr. Kristi Moore, associate
professor and director of the radiologic
sciences program. “She really takes the
initiative to go above and beyond and to
seek out opportunities.
“She wants to be a leader, and she’s
the type who goes for it and works hard
for it.”
Steele
It’s especially noteworthy, Moore
said, that Steele has worked on weekends
and attended class during the week, at the same time taking part in conferences and
other leadership activities on the state and national levels.
“Since she came into our program, she’s been very service oriented,” Moore said.
“She’s the type of student to go above and beyond to get involved in leadership opportunities.
“She’s been a wonderful student.”
Steele said she wants to expand her horizons just a bit more in the future.
“I want to find a job in nuclear medicine, but to continue to practice as a surgical
tech just to keep my skills up,” she said. “And I want to get married. I want to start a
family, and to start off my life.”
From DRUG REP to D.M.D.
Cook leaves ‘first career’ behind to focus on endodontics training
By Bruce Coleman
After carving out a thick slice of
the American Dream, Olivia Cook
decided to punch the reset button.
A pharmaceutical sales representative with a thriving business - the
territory surrounding her home base
in Tupelo had stretched for more than
150 miles and included 350 doctorclients - Cook had a nice house, a
company car and a loving husband
who she had met through her work.
Yet after almost a decade in the
pharmaceutical trade, she longed for
something different.
“The pharmaceutical industry
was
very different 10-15 years ago, beCook
fore generic drugs came along,” Cook
said. “It became a totally different
atmosphere, a lot more uncertain, and I didn’t want to live with the instability.”
After her company launched a narcotic medication that her sales partners marketed
to area dentists, Cook joined her friends for a dentistry Lunch and Learn one afternoon
and quickly became fascinated with the profession.
She found herself observing area dentists and their staffs and called upon her own
personal dentist for a “behind-the-scenes” look at his practice. It didn’t take long for
Cook to decide that a career change was the best medicine for what was ailing her.
“I prayed about it and decided to go back to school,” Cook said. But it wasn’t as
simple as applying to dental school – first, she had to return to her alma mater for two
years’ worth of prerequisite courses at the University of Mississippi.
“I had to resign my position, turn in my car and sell my house, which was really
hard for me,” she said. “We moved to Oxford and I took classes to prepare for the Dental
Admissions Test.
“I scored well, applied to dental school and got in on my first try.”
It wasn’t the only life-changing event Cook and her husband experienced at that
time. Nine months before she would enter the School of Dentistry, the couple’s daughter
was born.
“I hadn’t really studied hard in 10 years, and now I was having classes in gross
anatomy and neuroscience,” Cook said. “I felt like I was behind the 8 ball. I just
looked at it (dental school) like it was my job. I came in, put my head down and did
it.
“On Saturdays and Sundays, I would come here to the library, and my husband and
daughter would bring me lunch and we would have a picnic on the grounds. That was
just about our only family time.”
Then, to add another degree of difficulty to her new career quest, Cook developed a
troubling thyroid condition that looked as if it might completely upend her educational
pursuits.
“I didn’t tell anybody,” she said, “but I thought I might have to withdraw a couple
of times. I still battle with it.”
Through the darkest times, Cook said she relied on her faith, her family and her
fellow classmates, many of whom delight in calling her “Mama Liv.”
“I’m definitely the ‘momma’ of my classmates,” she said. “We have gotten so close, I
can’t imagine going through the last four years without them.”
Cook managed to excel in spite of her challenges and developed an interest in
endodontics, for which she credits Dr. Scott Gatewood, professor of endodontics, and
Dr. Pia Chatterjee Kirk, her academic advisor for three years.
“Olivia has shown an exceptional ability to maintain balance in her life and career
goals - with family, academics, extracurricular activities and planning for the future,”
Gatewood said.
“Olivia has been an exceptional student. She truly understands the value of helping
others,” said Kirk, associate professor of care planning and restorative sciences. “Her
ability to prioritize what is important alongside her work ethic allowed her to beautifully
balance school and family.”
The day after commencement, Cook set out for Columbus, Ohio, to begin an
endodontics residency at Ohio State University. But she will keep an eye on her home
state and the possibility of returning to the academic arena in Mississippi - just not as a
student.
“I would like to see private patients and come back here to teach,” Cook said. “I
think it’s important to cultivate that interest in the profession in students.
“It’s absolutely amazing to look back and see how the love of God and the support
of my family has gotten me where I am. I took a different journey to get here, but I also
wouldn’t change it at all.”
PLUM OPPORTUNITY
Daughter ‘driving force’ behind
B.S.N.’s academic achievement
By Jen Hospodor
Faith Sherman received her Bachelor of Science in
Nursing magna cum laude May 22, which is .02 shy of
her goal of summa cum laude.
Her motivation for excelling through school was a
Plum. And it isn’t the kind you get from the grocery
store.
Sherman is inspired by her 4-year-old daughter,
Milan, who Sherman calls by her nickname,
“Plum.”
“When I was pregnant, my sister said I looked like a
plum, and she often called me that,” Sherman said. “So
we decided to call her Plum.”
Sherman said her daughter, who “talks a lot and
asks a lot of questions,” was her driving force to finish
Sherman
everything early and on time.
“She’s really smart,” Sherman said. “She tells me
now how proud she is of me and how she wants to be a
nurse.”
Sherman didn’t know quite that early in life that she wanted to be a nurse. The
23-year-old was deciding between nursing, pharmacy or medical school when her
grandfather got sick and came to live with her family in Woodville.
“He came home to stay with us on home health and then hospice, so I kind of
helped my mom out and really took care of him,” she said.
She enjoyed the hands-on aspect of caring for her grandfather, helping him with
everything from range-of-motion exercises to feeding.
“That’s how I really got into the field of nursing,” she said.
After graduating from Jackson State University in just three years with a Bachelor of
Science in biology, Sherman entered nursing school at the Medical Center.
“It was hard at first because I was going to school
and my last year, I had a job at the VA hospital,” she
said. “I do at least 30 hours a week.”
Her mother helped with Plum, which allowed
Sherman to focus on succeeding at school. She received
several scholarships and has been active in community
service projects, such as the Mercy Delta Express Project, Habitat for Humanity and the school-based clinics.
She also serves on the board of the Mississippi Association of Student Nurses, a position she ran for on her own
without being a pre-slated candidate.
Mary McNair, assistant professor of nursing, said
Sherman was one of the quietest students she’d ever
taught, but “that ‘quietness’ hides a wealth of capability.”
McNair will never forget watching Sherman give her
campaign speech from the back of the convention room.
“Honestly, I don’t remember what she said,” McNair
said. “All I know is when she stood in front of that microphone and started to speak, the
‘quiet’ Faith was replaced by a powerhouse of a speaker. She absolutely wowed me with
her ability in front of a room of strangers.
“I knew then that no matter what is placed in front of her in the future, she will be
successful.”
Success came quickly for Sherman, who recently landed her dream job in the surgical intensive care unit at UMMC.
“It’s a lot of thinking on your feet, a lot of autonomy,” Sherman said. “You can’t call
the doctor every five seconds. You just have to know what to do.
“It’s never a dull moment and I like that.”
As mother to a precocious Plum, Sherman is used to that.
June 2015 | CENTERVIEW
CENTERVIEW
7
8 CATFISH CURIOUS
Microbiologist earns Ph.D. while
studying deadly catfish virus
CENTERVIEW
By Dustin Barnes
From corn to catfish, Dr. Erin Taylor always has
indulged her natural curiosity and dived head-first into
research.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
biochemistry at Mississippi State University, and after
marrying a Jackson native and moving with him to the state
capital, Taylor said she knew she wasn’t done with her
academic pursuits.
“I knew at that point I wanted to get my Ph.D., so I
applied to this program,” said Taylor.
The program – the Doctor of Microbiology – was in the
School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences.
“I had researched corn with my undergraduate advisor at MSU,” she said. “I had always been working in an
agricultural field up until then. I don’t know if that’s why
I chose the catfish lab, but when I took the graduate immunology class, I was really interested in the area based on
that. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
“We use catfish both as a research evolutionary model
of the immune system, but also for more practical reasons, because catfish is such an
important industry here in the state of Mississippi.”
During her time working with catfish, Taylor began a project looking into a disease
known as the channel catfish virus.
“It’s a herpes virus that can affect really small catfish, called fingerlings,” she said.
“At catfish farms there are a large number of those small fish, and this virus can cause up
to 100 percent mortality.”
Her project received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to
study a possible cytotoxic cell response to the virus to help move toward a potential
vaccine.
“They would be able to vaccinate the fish and protect them from this disease,”
she said. “That’s a serious economic loss if you lose all your fish in the pond at that
age.”
While Taylor mentioned the USDA grant in passing, her lab mentor, Dr. Melanie
Wilson, professor of microbiology, said it was the first time a student in the lab was
awarded this particular pre-doctoral fellowship.
“As a student, I believe her greatest strengths included her ability to ask and answer
the ‘right questions’ pertinent to her research, her determination and her ability to
discuss and present her data in a logical manner,” said Wilson. “Also, she was never
hesitant to help other graduate students troubleshoot their
experiments or talk with the newer students about their
classwork.”
The sentiments were echoed by Taylor’s program
advisor, Dr. Eva Bengten, a professor of microbiology.
“I have frequently seen graduate students from different departments come to Erin for advice, and she has
been willing to help anyone who is sincere and prepared
to work hard,” Bengten said. “She has high expectations of
herself and expects others to rise to the same standards.”
Those high expectations helped Taylor win the
graduate school’s highest honor this year, the RandallTrustmark Graduate Research Award.
On May 22, Taylor collected her degree. The following Tuesday, she was at her new gig – a postdoctoral
fellowship at UMMC, this time looking into another
Taylor
research field with Dr. Michael Ryan, associate professor
of physiology and biophysics and the associate dean of the
graduate school.
The opportunity to learn about Ryan’s research area – hypertension in lupus – is one
she said she’s ready to take on.
“I thought this would be something different for me to do, where I can think of
immunity in a different model, especially one that is more translational to humans,” said
Taylor. “Certainly what I’ve learned here in this lab to be an immunologist helps me in
the new position.”
As Taylor continues to build on her research history, Taylor said she’s where she is
meant to be.
“I really want to be in academia, but I want to work at a medical center-type of
place where there’s a lot of research going on.”
The freedom that comes with research is one of the aspects she admits drew her to
the field in the first place.
“I knew, probably in the middle of college, that I wanted to work in research,” she
said. “I thought I wanted to go to medical school, but I had an advisor at State who gave
me a job in her lab and that’s what got me interested.
“You’re kind of your own boss in a way, this independence to explore what you
want to do. I was definitely given that opportunity here in this lab. If I had an idea,
they would at least let me try it out for a while. That’s what’s fun about research is that
you’re kind of the master of your own destiny in a way.”
GROSS DIVIDENDS
Pharmacy graduates, sisters split
up to achieve career goals
By Ruth Cummins
For seven years, Brittany and Whitney Gross have worked hard to earn degrees from
the University of Mississippi’s School of Pharmacy, beginning on the Oxford campus and
ending with training and classes at the Medical Center.
Their May 9 graduation at Ole Miss doesn’t just mark the next chapter in their lives.
It means that the 25-year-old twins, for the first time, won’t be living together and won’t
be seeing each other every single day.
Whitney will complete a one-year residency at Methodist Hospitals in Memphis
while Brittany will stay at UMMC for her residency.
“It’s going to be different. We’ve never lived apart, and I’ve never lived alone,” said
Brittany, who’s the younger twin by a couple of minutes. “But I’ve been a student for
seven years, so getting to practice pharmacy and not be in school, and having a career .
. . It’s exciting.”
For Whitney, living in the big city of Memphis will be a real transition from the
twins’ hometown of Carthage.
“I think people are more worried about us being separated than anything else,” she said.
The Gross sisters are among 63 students who received Doctor of Pharmacy degrees
this spring. Others include 110 Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates, one Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate and 14 Doctor of
Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates.
Dr. Laurie Fleming, clinical associate professor in the School of Pharmacy, has
served as a mentor to the Gross sisters.
“I have really enjoyed getting to know them over the past four years,” Fleming said.
“They are both hard-working girls with a positive attitude. You’ll never see them without
a smile on their face.
“They’re extremely passionate about pharmacy in general, and they really enjoy
serving others. They care about people.”
CENTERVIEW | June 2015
That’s evident in their current career leanings. Brittany is
considering a hospital career,
working with critical care and
pediatric patients. Whitney
also wants to work on a
hospital floor with critical care
patients or in an emergency
room setting.
Health-care careers run in
their family. Their older sister
is a pharmacist in Carthage,
where their father is a dentist.
“Both of us wanted to
go into a health-care field,”
Whitney said.
Fleming said both sisters’
residencies will prepare them
for clinical pharmacy positions.
Brittany, left, and Whitney Gross
“They definitely have a
lot of choices,” Fleming said.
“This is such an exciting time
in their life. They’ve got a lot of life changes in front of them.”
“I’m relieved to be finished with school after seven years, but I’m excited about
what’s to come,” Whitney said. “It’s a whole new start, and it’s a whole
new career.”