Summer Decker, PhD, and her 3D clinical applications team was presented with the inaugural Kolosky Award from the Tampa Innovation Partners Oct. 28.  Dr. Decker, who is associate professor, vice chair for Research and Innovation, and director for 3D Clinical Applications in the Department of Radiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and her team were nominated by the USF Research and Innovation for the global impact her team continues to make during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Kolosky Award is named after the retired president of Moffitt Cancer Center and recognizes health care innovation.

When local communities, and the world, faced a shortage of swabs in COVID-19 tests, Dr. Decker and her team went to work to create a 3D printed nasal swab to address the shortage.  The 3D swab offered a viable and cost-efficient option with comparable accuracy in detecting the virus. The USF-patented design has been produced into more than 80 millions swabs in more than 50 countries.  “This was a true interdisciplinary collaboration and proof that by working together, we can accomplish amazing things,” Dr. Decker said.

Berwin Yuan, second-year medical student at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was recently recognized by leaders of the MCOM Department of Medical Education for his unwavering dedication to go above and beyond for his classmates and the college.  He’s noted for continuously:

• Creating and leading the “MD Student of the Week” spotlight.
• Going out of his way to ask how he can assist the department in organizing collegia activities and other programs.
• Supporting his classmates and other students.
• Keeping an optimistic attitude and assuming positive intent.

“He’s genuinely a kind and caring person,” said Amy Phillips, MCOM DME director of Wellbeing.

For his support and initiative, he was presented a Culture Coin in front of DME and Department of Student Affairs staff and faculty.  He is only the second individual medical student to earn one since the program started in August 2019.

Photo taken by Amy Phillips

The USF Health College of Nursing received the Education Impact Award from the Association of American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for work to retain students and develop more practice-ready nursing professionals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national recognition, which came at the group’s conference held in October, was presented by Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning brand that provides research-based program benchmarking and assessments.

Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Jordan and Dr. L. Alan Todd accepting the AACN Education Impact Award.

The pandemic exacerbated an already existing shortage of about six million nurses and presented unique challenges for nursing education programs. A fall 2020 National Institutes of Health report found that, in addition to disrupting universities and academic institutions, ethical and logistical concerns remained about how to support clinical training in crowded hospitals. Despite the challenges during the pandemic, the USF Health College of Nursing continued its mission to prepare practice-ready nurses, using assessments to drive decisions that supported student engagement and success.

“Earning the Education Impact Award from the AACN further showcases our commitment to bold innovation and excellence in nursing education,” said Dr. Usha Menon, dean of the USF Health College of Nursing and senior associate vice president for USF Health. “Our Trailblazing faculty, staff and students are part of the solution to combat the nursing shortage crisis.”

“Even before the pandemic began, there was incredible demand for well-qualified and trained nurses. This year it was important for us to recognize USF Health College of Nursing for the many innovative ways the school overcame pandemic-related challenges to pave the way for the next generation of practice-ready nurses,” said Steven Ray, vice president of Enterprise Solutions for Macmillan Learning.

Education Impact Award winners were selected using a multi-step evaluation process that included an analysis of multi-year assessment data by the Benchworks Analytics and Research Team that identified programs that either had the best results or best increases in performance in areas like course interactions and quality of instruction, as well as interviews with nursing program administrators. Benchworks assessments have been available for more than 20 years and are used by more than 250 nursing programs each year, making them the most widely used programs in nursing education.

Five USF Health faculty and educators were recently honored by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists (TBABJ), each receiving awards for their efforts in keeping the public informed during the COVID-19 pandemic through interviews with local and state-wide news media.

At the TBABJ awards event are, from left, Dr. Kevin Sneed, Dr. Jason Salemi, Dr. Kami Kim, Dr. Tom Unnasch, Ashley Jeffery (senior manager of Media Communications at AdventHealth), and Dr. Michael Teng. Photo courtesy of TBABJ.

At the TBABJ’s Griot Drum Awards and Scholarship Ceremony, held Nov. 18, the following faculty were honored:

• Kami Kim, MD, professor, Department of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
• Jason Salemi, PhD, MPH, epidemiologist, USF Health College of Public Health
• Kevin Sneed, PharmD, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy
• Michael Teng, PhD, associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
• Tom Unnasch, PhD, Distinguished Professor, USF Health College of Public Health

Collectively, the five faculty provided more than 1,000 news interviews since the pandemic began in March 2020 – informing viewers, readers and listeners of the latest information about this never-before-heard-of SARS CoV-2 virus, its spread across the globe, local and regional infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths, safety measures, vaccines, and myriad associated COVID topics.

Karen Liller, PhD, CPH, FAAAS, USF Health College of Public Health professor and COPH Activist Lab founder and director, recently earned recognition as Culture Champion for her leadership with the lab.

For her expertise and steadfast leadership, Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, presented Dr. Liller with a Culture Coin during the 4^th Annual USF Health  Interprofessional Education Day, held Nov. 10.

The purpose of The Activist Lab is to serve as the hub for providing interdisciplinary advocacy, education, research and service opportunities for students to develop the skills that will promote their success as public health advocates and leaders.  The lab provides seminars, webinars and other opportunities for students and faculty to learn public health advocacy skills and competencies.

Dr. Liller recently took on a new leadership role in the USF Center for Justice Research and Policy.  Launched in January, the CJRP  is devoted to the study of social and criminal justice issues around the Tampa Bay region.

Subhra Mohapatra, PhD, a professor of molecular medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was one of three USF faculty members recently selected as new National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows.

Dr. Mohapatra is a pioneering scientist/researcher whose work over 26 years has been instrumental in advancing the frontiers of drug delivery and cancer treatment.

Subhra Mohapatra, PhD

She developed a novel 3D scaffold for cell culture now universally known as “tumor-on-a-disc” technology, enabling scientists to grow tumors in the lab that can be used to culture patient biopsies, test for anticancer compounds, and allow tailoring of personalized cancer treatment. The platform has led to a line of cancer biology products that have been commercialized globally. She has also pioneered new methods to significantly advance drug delivery for cancer.

Dr. Mohapatra holds 18 U.S. issued patents and one foreign patent for her work.

Dr. Mohapatra joins Norma Alcantar, PhD, a professor in the USF College of Engineering, and Sumita Mitra, a professor at the USF Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation, in earning one of the nation’s the most prestigious honors for academic inventors. “The honor of being named an NAI Fellow not only recognizes their achievements but also celebrates them as trailblazing women who continue to encourage and mentor a new generation of innovators in pursuing the fullest measures of their abilities and ambitions,” USF President Rhea Law said.

Full bios for USF’s newly named NAI Fellows, including Dr. Mohapatra, are available here. The three professors are among 164 distinguished academic inventors from 116 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes worldwide who make up the 2021 Class of Fellows. They will be formally inducted in June at the academy’s 2022 annual conference in Phoenix.

To date, NAI Fellows hold more than 48,000 U.S. patents, which have generated more than 13,000 licensed technologies and companies, and created more than one million jobs. Over $3 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.

The NAI, founded at USF in 2010, has since grown to a membership of over 200 institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor named USF Health’s Ellen Kent, MPH, CPH, as Tampa’s 2021 Outstanding Community Service/Volunteer.

Kent is coordinator for the USF Health Service Corps, which serves as a USF Health-wide interprofessional program that enables students in nursing, public health, physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant and medical (MD and MS/PhD) programs to participate in meaningful, rewarding and enjoyable health-related community service activities.

Kent, who is also Academic Services administrator for USF Area Health Education Center (AHEC), coordinator of the Sunshine Education and Research Center (ERC), and coordinator of Student Research Grants for College of Public Health Research, was presented with the award in November.

The USF Health Service Corps and Kent were nominated by Christine Rover and Denise Barnes, both in the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD-USF). In the nomination, they noted that “The USF Health Service Corps pivoted and began offering virtual service opportunities that reached Tampa residents for the past year and a half since the onset of the pandemic. The USF student volunteers engaged in hundreds of service hours this past year serving a variety of audiences including individuals with disabilities.”

In an email congratulating Kent on the award, Joe Ford, associate vice president for USF Health Shared Student Services, wrote “Congratulations on winning Tampa’s Outstanding Community Service Award – we are all so proud of you and the good work that you do every day in leading our Service Corps and student volunteers.  You are truly “Making Life Better” for the citizens of Tampa Bay through your commitment to service.”

Kevin Espinal received a Culture Coin on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021.

USF Health pediatric nurse Kevin Espinal RN, BSN, was recently recognized with a Culture Coin for his outstanding patient care in the Adolescent Medicine Division.

Espinal said receiving the Culture Coin “means everything” to him and reflects the work both of himself and the “many physicians, nurses and staff that I am lucky to be able to work with here, and I consider it a blessing.

“I am both honored and grateful for the privilege of being able to work for this organization and to serve the patients in our community,” he added.

Espinal was nominated by USF Health pediatrician Cameron Nereim, MD, for his “tremendous job” working with patients and their families.

“Kevin goes above and beyond to make sure our patients receive the best possible care — and believe me, it hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Dr. Nereim said. “Parents are constantly telling me how amazing he is to work with, as he helps them sort through various medical concerns and aids in complex care coordination — and you know what? I couldn’t agree more.”

Dr. Nereim also noted that Espinal’s work with patients has been exemplary during the pandemic: “The past couple of years has been a really hard time to be a kid or young person . . . (Espinal) was able to rise to the challenge and meet the needs of even our most vulnerable patients.”

USF Health’s Dr. Charles Lockwood has been named the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was selected by the Chamber’s Board of Directors and will be presented with the award at the Chamber’s meeting on Feb. 16, where he will also provide the keynote address.

Dr. Lockwood will also receive recognition at the Chamber’s annual meeting on March 3.

“I am extremely humbled to be named the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce,” Dr. Lockwood said. “Thank you to the entire Chamber Board for this prestigious honor. I love our city and am proud of all we have accomplished.”

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Lockwood is professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Public Health at USF Health. He also serves as an Executive Vice President at Tampa General Hospital.

The annual award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond to help make the community of South Tampa a better place to live. Through their actions, they have influenced an improvement in the quality of life in and around South Tampa.

“Dr. Lockwood and his team have led the charge against COVID-19. Their efforts include developing testing supplies that are now being used around the world, creating programs aimed at treating vulnerable populations, and helping rapidly develop and roll out vaccines against the virus. Dr. Lockwood has also provided our businesses and local community with up-to-date information and answered any questions that we may have about the pandemic. Through his leadership, the Board wishes to express its sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Lockwood and recognize him as the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year,” said Chair of the Board Chris Bentley.

Established in 1926, the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce is an association of more than 600 businesses, organizations and individuals working together to make the South Tampa community the best place to live, work, and play. Its active membership consists of local businesses, professionals, non-profits and government representatives who enjoy connecting to the community though advocacy, educational and leadership opportunities. The South Tampa Chamber is recognized as a Certified Plus Chamber by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals and a Three-Star Chamber of Valor by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  www.SouthTampaChamber.org

Jose Lezama, MD

Jose Lezama, MD, vice chair of the USF Health Department of Internal Medicine and professor at the Morsani College of Medicine, recently earned ACP Laureate Award American College of Physicians.  The award is the highest career honor given annually to one physician in each state.  The award recognized career dedication to education, leadership, service to community, innovation, humanism and scientific involvement in the ACP.  Lezama has served the ACP for almost 20 years in a variety of roles to include governors councils, and consulting  on projects in the areas of education, leadership development, patient safety, quality improvement, and residency and student advocacy.  “It’s the award that every internal medicine generalist and specialist most respect and I am humbled by the selection.”

Vladimir Uversky, PhD, DSc, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine professor of molecular medicine, recently earned the distinction as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.  The prestigious international fellowship recognizes those who have been in a senior position for more than five years who’s efforts have made an impact in any field of the chemical sciences.  Uversky’s research encompasses the analysis of protein folding, misfolding and non-folding.  He focuses on experimentally and computationally characterizing intrinsically disordered proteins and understanding their role in various biological processes and human diseases.   This is the second prestigious recognition for Uversky in consecutive years.  He was named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List 2020.  Dr. Uversky has more than 800 published papers with more than 52,000 citations.

USF Health’s Hiram Green was named the 2022 Unsung Hero by the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs (TOBA).

Green, director of Community Engagement for USF Health, was recognized at TOBA’s 42^nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Breakfast held Jan. 17.

Each year, TOBA seeks nominations from the public for its Unsung Hero, then reviews the responses and selects the awardee. The award honors a person who does not seek the spotlight but instead works quietly and effectively in the background.

“Mr. Green has been a positive beacon from USF for his entire career and we believe he is the first  representative from USF to receive an award from TOBA in our 42-year history,” said James Ransom, TOBA Board member and chair of the TOBA Economic Development Committee. “Congratulations to Mr. Green for being an extraordinary ambassador and achieving this notable acknowledgement.”

At the MLK Leadership Breakfast, building up to the announcement of Green as the deserving recipient, it was noted by Dr. Larry Shannon, TOBA Board member and C.T. Harris, TOBA Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Breakfast Committee member, as they presented the award:

“This awardee is known for helping others by giving of their time, talent, funding and other support of those in our community whom have the greatest need. Among notable achievements and attributes, this individual does not seek the spotlight, instead his extraordinary good deeds set a high standard and example for others to follow. This awardee has worked quietly and tirelessly for the University of South Florida (USF) where he was recruited out of Bartow High School as a student athlete on the USF Men’s Basketball Team. After suffering a basketball career ending injury, he began working at USF in various roles that helped to nurture student success, alumni support, community health, welfare and development, among other distinguished achievements. This year’s awardee is currently the Community Engagement Director for USF Health.

“Please join us in recognizing and congratulating Mr. Hiram Green as the 2022 TOBA Unsung Hero.”

An example of Green’s many efforts that successfully connect community organizations with collaborative programs at USF Health is his work with USF Health WE-CARE, an initiative that aims to improve health outcomes among minority populations by increasing minority enrollment and participation in research.

Founded in 1979, TOBA is a non-profit, non-partisan organizatino dedicated to political education, economic and youth development. Among its many efforts, the group works to solve issues facing the black community across the Tampa Bay area.

University-area patients who visit the USF Health BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic for their medical care will be among those who benefit from a generous gift of Beata Casañas, MD, professor in the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM).

On behalf of herself and her daughter Cassandra Casañas, Dr. Casañas donated all of the medical equipment and supplies from the private medical practice office owned by her late husband, Dr. Robert Casañas. In addition to the BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, the TGH Specialty Center at Healthpark received some of the donated equipment, as well.

Dr. Robert Casañas, who passed away June 2020, had a life-long commitment to care for the underserved and the practice of humanistic medicine. He completed his Master of Science degree at USF and was an adjunct professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in MCOM. He practiced for years in California, where he directed and owned three medical practices and served as the main investigative health consultant for the State of California in Sacramento. After moving back to Florida, Dr. Casañas opened his private practice, Lunasol Institute, in Westchase where he practiced as a Functional and Integrative Medicine internist. He was a beloved physician to many in the Tampa Bay area, known for his compassion and dedication to his patients.

Dr. Casañas was a close friend to many at USF, respected for his love of medicine and contributions to the Tampa Bay community.  He was known for his generosity, his keen intellect, and his sense of humor.  Robert and Beata Casañas were married for 19 years and shared their devotion to their daughter Cassandra.

This gift will help serve the health care needs of patients at the USF Health BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, a student-directed clinic caring for underserved patients in the area near the USF campus in north Tampa.

Photos courtesy of the Casañas family.

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named two USF Health Morsani College of Medicine faculty members – Loree Heller, PhD, and Juan Sanchez-Ramos, PhD, MD — to its new class of Senior Members.

They are among six University of South Florida faculty members newly elected to the latest NAI Senior Member class. These Senior Members have devoted their careers to inventing high-tech tools for a myriad of applications and blazing a trail for the next generation of innovators.

No university in the country has more inventors named to this year’s class than USF. For information on all the USF faculty members recently selected, click here.

NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists and administrators from NAI member institutions who have demonstrated remarkable innovation producing technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society. They also have proven success in patents, licensing and commercialization.

Dr. Heller is an associate professor in the USF Health Department of Medical Engineering, a joint department of the Morsani College of Medicine and the College of Engineering at USF. Her research has focused on molecular microbiology, the evaluation of antibiotic alternatives and the bio-effects of gene therapies delivered by physical methods.

She was the first to discover that complete tumor regression of solid tumors can occur when control backbone pDNA is electroporated into different tumor types. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies. She has patented research in molecular pathogen detection; her patents in gene therapy development have been licensed by two companies and include translation into clinical trials.

Dr. Sanchez-Ramos is the Helen Ellis Endowed Professor in the USF Health Department of Neurology. His neuroscience research has included studies of drug dependence, toxicant-induced neurodegeneration, stem cell biology, and novel approaches for delivery of gene therapy. His research team discovered the Huntington’s disease gene in 1992.

His numerous awards include an NIH Clinical Investigator Development Award to start his research lab, the Helen E. Ellis Endowed Chair for Parkinson’s Disease Research, the USF McNair Scholars Faculty Research Mentor Award, and the USF Outstanding Faculty Research Achievement Award. He has been awarded 8 U.S. patents and authored over 300 publications.

Across 2021, USF Health Neurosurgery staff at USF Health’s Life Hope location earned high scores in the Press Ganey patient satisfaction surveys.

Multiple surveys returned with superb scores for Neurosurgery teams, earning them the top Front Staff Quality award for 1Q21, top Nursing Quality award for 3Q21, and top Provider Quality award (Dr. Raul Olivera) for 3Q21.

The high marks also earned them awards that are part of the USF Health’s Press Ganey Employee Recognition Program, an effort to recognize those with top scores in each quarterly report.

“That level of incredible consistency is quite amazing and rare in medicine/health care,” said Mark Moseley, MD, MHA, CPE, chief clinical officer for USF Health, professor and vice-dean for Clinical Affairs for the Morsani College of Medicine, and associate vice president for USF.

The ongoing award program recognizes the top performers providing USF Health patients with exceptional care and service in the following categories:

• Physician
• APRN/Mid-level
• Nurse/Assistant
• Office Staff Quality

The top performers are named each quarter based on their quarterly Press Ganey survey results.

1Q-2021 winner: Neurosurgery front office staff, received a mean score of 98.5 ranking them in the 93rd percentile nationally among 1,312 sites.

3Q-21 winners: Neurosurgery nursing team with a mean score of 99.37 and 99% nationally among 1,302 sites.

Dr. Raul Olivera: with a mean score of 100 and 99% nationally among 1,302 sites.

From left, Jessica Zambrana, Evelyn Luciano, Alexis Cox, Sandra Martinez, CMA.

From left, Joshua Bernales, CMA, Countiss Williams, APRN NP-C, Dr. Mark Moseley, Sandra Martinez, CMA, Evelyn Luciano, Mona Chavda, Dr. Raul Olivera, Mercy Oigbokie, DNP, AGNP-C, NE-BC, CPHQ, and Jessica Zambrana.

From left, Joshua Bernales, CMA, Dr. Mark Moseley, and Sandra Martinez, CMA.

Dr. Mark Moseley and Dr. Raul Olivera.

Four USF Health faculty members received high accolades at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) held in January in Los Angeles, California.

For the first time in 22 years, the IMSH event, organized by the Society of Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), was a hybrid event providing hundreds of industry-leading in-person and online presentations. Colleagues from around the globe convened to foster collaborative efforts dedicated to improving patient safety and health outcomes through advances in simulation education and training.

This year’s scientific conference was also particularly special for  USF Health CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), with achievements and recognitions presented to CAMLS faculty during the international meeting that include:

Dr. Haru Okuda: President of SSH

Haru Okuda, MD, FACEP, FSSH, executive director of USF Health CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), CEO of USF Health Professions Conferencing Corporation, associate vice president of USF Health Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice, officially began his one-year term as the 17th president of the SSH with the passing of the gavel presented by presiding president Juli Maxworthy, DNP, MSN/MBA, RN, CNL, CPHQ, CPPS, CHSE, FSSH, an associate professor at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco.

Dr. Okuda also received a presidential citation by Dr. Maxworthy for his efforts in producing the textbook “Defining Excellence in Simulation Programs.” Serving at the helm of SSH, Dr. Okuda is lending his exceptional leadership talents to help propel the organization forward. The SSH serves as a global community of members and professionals applying simulation-based techniques and best practices in training, research, testing and innovation to advance health care quality.

Dr. Dawn Schocken: Gail Johnson Award, At-Large Board Member of SSH

Dawn Schocken, MPH, director of Experiential Learning and Simulation for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, received the Gail Johnson Award for her service and dedication as the SSH Accreditation Council Chair. The Gail Johnson award recognizes an SSH accreditation site reviewer who demonstrates integrity, scholarship, positivity and leadership. She was also named the At-Large Board Member for the SSH. In 2019, Schocken was one of 15 Fellows worldwide elected to the SSH Academy through a competitive nomination and selection process.

Dr. Luis E. Llerena: Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator –Advanced

Luis E. Llerena, MD, medical director for USF Health CAMLS and professor of surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was recognized at the meeting’s Diamond Ball as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator –Advanced (CHSE-A) recipient. According to the SSH, the CHSE-A certification is a portfolio-based certification for leaders in health care simulation who have proven themselves to be advanced educators in their practice in healthcare simulation and serve as mentors to others in the field.

Phillip Wortham: Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist –Advanced, and chair of the SSH Super-Sized Simulation Affinity Group: 

Phillip Wortham MBA, director of Operations and Technology for USF Health CAMLS, was recognized at the meeting’s Diamond Ball as a recipient of the Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist –Advanced (CHSOS-A). Wortham is among 25 individuals who are the first in the world to be granted the CHSOS-A designation that recognizes those who have advanced skills in the operations specialist role, have demonstrated leadership, and have influenced the health care simulation community beyond their institution. Wortham was also named chair of the SSH Super-Sized Simulation Affinity Group.

Ted Ascherfeld, a member of the USF Health Finance team, was presented with a Culture Coin for his exemplary help and knowledge when it comes to assisting with both the USF Health business office and UMSA.

Alisha Ozmeral, Ted Ascherfeld and Renee Dubault.

On Friday, March 4, 2022, Ted was presented with his Culture Coin by Renee Dubault, assistant vice president for Clinical Affairs at USF Health and interim department administrator for the Departments of Neurosurgery and Surgery; Alisha Ozmeral, vice president of Finance for USF Tampa General Physicians and chief financial officer and assistant vice president of Clinical Affairs for UMSA, USF Health and the Morsani College of Medicine; and Stewart Slayton, budget director for the Morsani College of Medicine.

Ted Ascherfeld and Stewart Slayton.

In her request to present Ted with a Culture Coin, Ozmeral noted: “Ted is an exemplary member of the USF Health finance team and has been such a valuable asset to both the Health business office and UMSA. He is one of the “go-to” people in the organization that truly understands the finances of all three mission areas. He also understands the complex contractual relationship we have had with TGH over the past several years. As a result, leadership and staff across the organization often go to him for assistance and he never hesitates to help. Ted wears so many different hats throughout our organization and every time someone mentions they worked with Ted, they comment on how helpful and knowledgeable he is. We would like to recognize him for all of the work he does behind the scenes to keep this organization running.”

For his ability to never hesitate and step in to do whatever he can to help, Ted was recognized as a Culture Champion for USF Health Finance.

The USF Health Microbiome Institute recently announced winners of its 2022 Microbiomes Awards.

The Microbiome Awards help engage transdisciplinary research and collaboration across the academic community by providing financial assistance to novel projects that help lay the groundwork for microbiome research. Key findings and preliminary results from the work can also aid in pursuing full National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation grant applications.

The USF Health Microbiome Institute is led by Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for research in global affairs at MCOM, associate vice president for international partnerships and innovation, and professor of internal medicine. Seed funding was provided by the Office of the USF Health Senior Vice President.

Encompassing a range of disciplines, this year’s awardees include many from USF Health, as well as faculty researchers from other USF areas, and emphasize transdisciplinary research integrating the strengths of different colleges.

The 2022 Microbiomes Awards recipients are:

Pilot projects:

Tara Randis, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (Pediatrics and Molecular Medicine): “Maternal Dietary Intervention to Reduce Late-onset GBS Disease in Infants”

Shalini Jain, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine:
“Microbiome in prognosis of cancer treatment comorbidities”

Subhra Mohapatra, Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: “Long-COVID: Gut Dysbiosis in Diabetes”

Mark Kindy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Efficacy of Diversify®, a microbiome modulating drug, for seizure reduction and behavior modification in Angelman Syndrome mouse model”

Collaborative projects:

Stephanie Prescott, USF Health College of Nursing: “The Microbiome in Gestational Diabetes: Contribution to Race-Related Health Disparities”

George Philippidis, Patel College of Global Sustainability: “Bioprospecting of Natural Algicidal Bacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms to Develop A Sustainable Microbiome-Based Mitigation Strategy for Red Tides”

Kirpal Bisht, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences: “Tools to Profile Lectins of the Microbiome”

Jeffrey Cunningham, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering: “Microbiome of Denitrification Processes Facilitated by Iron-Sulfur Minerals”

Thao (Tina) Ho, Department of Pediatrics, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: “The Role of Klebsiella in Intestinal Injury of Preterm Infants with Severe Anemia”

Ignite projects:

Umesh Jinwal, Pharmaceutical Sciences, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Role of microbiome interactions with TDP-43 in ALS pathogenesis”

Shyam Mohapatra, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Microbiome dysbiosis in mice following coronavirus infection”

Ashley Kunnath, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022.

Ashley Kunnath, senior SELECT medical student in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was recently recognized as a culture champion by MCOM’s Department of Medical Education.  Ashley is known for going above and beyond to support her classmates.  She is most known for “taking the MD Peer Support Network (PSN) to the next level.”  She didn’t hesitate to serve as leader and exceeded the DME’s expectations.

PSN is a group of underclassmen trained to provide guidance and advice to all MCOM students dealing with personal or academic challenges.  After graduation, Ashley will be a psychiatry resident at the Zucker School of Medicine-Northwell Zucker Hillside at Hofstra University.   She received her Culture Coin during the SELECT Awards Gala in Allentown, Penn.

For her stellar career that has helped elevate the reputation of USF Health, Anne DeLotto Baier was presented with a Culture Coin.

Anne’s incredible storytelling, sense of news and journalism, teambuilding and team support, and her ability to produce a steady flow of content that highlights the faculty, staff and students of USF Health were among the many accolades Dr. Lockwood cited about Anne’s impact on USF Health.

As he presented her with a Culture Coin March 10, Dr. Lockwood thanked Anne for her tireless efforts across a career that has spanned more than three decades.

“You are amazing, a great writer, and have the ability to distill the essence of, many times, very complicated topics in a really coherent way for many,” said Dr. Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “So much at USF Health has been chronicled because of you. It’s really been a joy to read your work. You really are remarkably gifted.”

Anne joined USF in 1989 as founding director of the Public Affairs Office for the USF Health Sciences Center, what would become USF Health.

Across her long career, she produced countless articles and press releases highlighting the education, research and clinical missions of all USF Health programs while also leading a team of photographers and videographers who supported that storytelling with imagery. Anne was also responsible for media relations for USF Health and, over her career, has likely connected several thousand news reporters with clinical and research faculty on myriad topics for viewers, listeners and readers.

From the countless articles she wrote to the special projects she spearheaded to the leadership skills that brought the best out of the entire USF Health Communications and Marketing team, Anne has covered it all for USF Health.

In 2019, Anne transitioned to a part-time position in the USF Health Office of Research, where she continued her prolific writing, this time focusing solely on the impactful research taking place at MCOM. Her work helped shine the light on researchers and their teams, strategic new hires, significant grants, and published findings taking place at MCOM.

On March 14, Anne retired from USF Health, leaving a well-entrenched reputation for dedication and incredibly gifted writing. Her collective work remains the historical record for USF Health, its faculty, staff and students, and is a rich reservoir of the facts and events that took place at USF Health.