Alumni updates
Priscilla Bowens, master’s in public health and doctorate in veterinary medicine ’13, will receive her juris doctorate degree this spring from the University of Texas School of Law. She has accepted a position in the health care practice group of the international law firm of Haynes and Boone in Dallas, where she will focus on health care business transactions, regulatory compliance and food and drug law. She is also a licensed veterinarian in the state of Texas.
Mary Brinkmeyer, doctorate in clinical psychology ’06, was named the Navy Psychology Civilian Psychologist of the Year. She is the associate training director for the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth psychology training programs.
Carlton Inniss, master’s in health administration program ’02, received the Fox Legend Award from the National Association of Health Services Executives. The awards are given to former participants of the association’s student case competition who have gone on to exemplify professional excellence and have a tangible impact on their communities.
Sarah Key-DeLyria, doctorate in communication sciences and disorders’11, received Portland State University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Social Sciences early career award. It will be used to support her exploration of sentence processing in people who have had cognitive changes after traumatic brain injury.
Adam B. Lewin, doctorate in clinical psychology ’07, is an associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of South Florida. He joined the board of directors for the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and recently received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and All Children’s Hospital for his research in Tourette Syndrome and early childhood anxiety, respectively. He is a member-at-large for education and standards for the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology/APA division 53.
Julie Mann Plyler, master’s in public health ’12, was married in August 2014 and is in her final semester of law school at the University of Virginia. She recently assisted a professor in editing a textbook on public health law and ethics, and will be working at a law firm in New York this fall.
Lisa McTeague, doctorate in clinical psychology ’07, and Barbara Smith, doctorate in rehabilitation science ’10, are PHHP’s recipients of the UF Outstanding Young Alumni Awards for 2016. McTeague is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. Smith serves as a research assistant professor in the UF department of physical therapy. They were honored at a recognition luncheon and invited to sit in the President’s box at the Orange and Blue football game.
Marsha Powers, master’s degree in business administration/health administration ’79, was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the University of Florida Board of Trustees. She is the chief executive officer for Tenet Healthcare’s Florida Region.
Cynthia Puranik, master’s in speech pathology ’96 and doctorate in communication sciences and disorders ’06, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their careers. She is an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders at Georgia State University.
Rich Rodriguez, bachelor’s in health science ’05, is the associate medical director of the emergency department at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview, Fla.
Miles Rogish, doctorate in clinical psychology ’02, was named the 2015 Clinician of the Year by the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum. He is a consultant clinical psychologist for the Disabilities Trust.
Isaac Sia, doctorate in rehabilitation science ’15 and master’s in public health ’13, is the head of speech therapy at the National University Hospital in Singapore.
Laura Zahodne, doctorate in clinical psychology ’12, received the Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging from the American Psychological Association’s division 20. She is an associate research scientist in the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center at Columbia University.
IN MEMORIAM
Elizabeth “Lisa” Hannold, doctorate in rehabilitation science ’04, passed away Sept. 28, 2015. She served as a research health scientist at the Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research located at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville. An expert in qualitative research methods, her studies focused on community reintegration, including independent living, employment and driving, for veterans with polytrauma returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. She lived with a severe neuromuscular disability and her experiences provided a unique perspective and understanding of the health, rehabilitation and community reintegration needs of people with disabilities. She offered numerous disability awareness trainings and presentations for medical and rehabilitation professionals and the general public. She was named one of the college’s outstanding alumni in 2012.
“Lisa Hannold was a brilliant rehabilitation scientist whose work will inspire many in the years to come,” said Mary Ellen, Young, Ph.D., a clinical professor in the department of occupational therapy and Hannold’s dissertation mentor. “Her life was a testament to overcoming obstacles and knowing no limits. She is deeply missed by her family, friends and colleagues.”