SGSHS Distinguished Alumni2007-2019

Barbara Alexander, PhD, FAHA, FAPS -- 2019 Barbara T. Alexander, Ph.D., FAHA, FAPS, is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Alexander received her undergraduate degree in Zoology from Mississippi State University; she then received her PhD in Biochemistry and postdoctoral training in Physiology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Alexander has made major contributions to our understanding of the link between birth weight and blood pressure with a special emphasis on the mechanisms by which insults during fetal life lead to sex and age related differences in the developmental programming of hypertension. For more on Dr. Alexander's career and research, click here.

P. David Rogers, PhD -- 2018Dr. P. David Rogers currently holds the First Tennessee Endowed Chair of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacy and is Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine. He also serves as Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science, the Director of Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, and Co-Director of the UTHSC Center of Excellence for Pediatric Experimental Therapeutics. For more on Dr. Rogers' career and research, click here.

Robert Hester, PhD -- 2017 Dr. Robert Hester is a native of Starkville, MS and aBiological Engineering graduate of Mississippi StateUniversity. He completed a year of graduate work inMechanical Engineering at MSU before earning a PhD inBiomedical Engineering jointly from Mississippi StateUniversity and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He joined the faculty at UMMC in 1985 and rose from therank of Assistant Professor to his current rank of Professor-- he is also the Director of the Center for ComputationalMedicine and a Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor. Formore on Dr. Hester's career and research, click here.

Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN -- 2016Kaye Bender, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, is the president and CEOof the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), aposition she has held since 2009. Before coming to thePHAB, she served in both local and state public healthpractice for the Mississippi State Department of Health,including 12 years as deputy state health officer. Sheserved as associate vice chancellor for nursing at theUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center and dean of theUniversity of Mississippi School of Nursing for six years.For more on Dr. Bender's career and involvement inhealthcare research, click here.

A.P. "Pete" Shepherd, PhD -- 2015A native of Greenwood, Mississippi, Dr. Shepherd receiveda BS degree from Millsaps College in 1966 and his Ph.D.degree in Physiology from the University of MississippiMedical Center in 1971. After receiving his Ph.D., Dr.Shepherd completed his postdoctoral studies inPhysiology at the University of Texas Medical School inHouston where he later joined the faculty as an assistantinstructor in 1972. In 1973, Dr. Shepherd moved to Irvine,California, to join the Department of Physiology at theUniversity of California College of Medicine as anassistant professor. For more on Dr. Shepherd's careerand research, click here.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Dr. Dzielak received anAAS degree from the State University of New York atDelhi and a BS degree from Cornell University. Dr. Dzielakreceived his Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from theUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center in 1982. In 1987Dr. Dzielak returned to the University of MississippiMedical Center to continue his career in academicmedicine. Dr. Dzielak is an integrative cardiovascularphysiologist by training, and his research has focused onthe neural control of the circulation and the role ofimmune mechanisms in cardiovascular disease. For moreon Dr. Dzielak's career and research, click here.

David Dzielak, PhD -- 2014

Helen Turner, PhD -- 2012Dr. Turner was born in Walnut Grove, Mississippi and grewup in Kosciusko, Mississippi. In 2003, she became the firstassociate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMMC. Asa faculty member at UMMC, she received recognition forteaching excellence, being named Alpha Omega Alphateacher of the year for two years. She was also recognizedfor clinical excellence and was named to “Best Doctors inthe Southeast Region” and “Best Doctors in America” forseveral years. During her career, she has been a trailblazer as the first woman to serve as associate chief ofstaff for education and chief of medicine at the VAMC. For more on Dr. Turner's career and research, click here.

Richard O'Callaghan, PhD -- 2013Dr. O’Callaghan is a native of New Orleans and a biologygraduate of LSU in New Orleans (now University of NewOrleans). He earned MS and PhD degrees in theDepartment of Microbiology of the University ofMississippi Medical Center. He moved to the Departmentof Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology at LSUMedical Center in New Orleans (later LSU Health SciencesCenter) where he rose from the rank of assistantprofessor to professor and Chief of Bacteriology. As afaculty member at LSU Medical Center, Dr. O'Callaghan ledresearch on influenza C virus that discovered a uniqueviral receptor destroying enzyme. For more on Dr.O'Callghan's research, click here.

D. Neil Granger, PhD -- 2011D. Neil Granger is a Boyd Professor and Head of theDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at theLSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. Heearned his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from theUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana and both hisMaster’s and PhD degrees in Physiology and Biophysicsfrom the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr.Granger’s research has focused on the role of themicrocirculation in acute and chronic inflammation, andhow risk factors for cardiovascular disease influencemicrovascular function. Dr. Granger has served asPresident of the American Physiological Society (APS) andthe Microcirculatory Society (MCS). For more on Dr.Granger's career and research, click here.

Robin Robinson, PhD -- 2010

Dr. Robin Robinson was appointed in April 2008 as thefirst director of the Biomedical Advanced Research andDevelopment Authority (BARDA), established in the HHSOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness andResponse by the Pandemic and All-Hazards PreparednessAct of 2006. BARDA provides medical countermeasures toman-made and natural threats including chemical,biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, pandemicinfluenza, and emerging infectious diseases. BARDAmeets this mission by supporting product innovation,advanced development, acquisition and stockpiling, andbuilding manufacturing infrastructure. For more on Dr.Robinson's career and research, click here.

Douglas S. Lyles, PhD -- 2009Dr. Lyles is currently Professor and Chair ofBiochemistry at Wake Forest University School ofMedicine. He received his Bachelor's degree inBiochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, andhe received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry with a minor inMicrobiology and Immunology from the University ofMississippi Medical Center in 1975. Dr. Lyles has anactive research program on the biochemistry andbiophysics of virus envelope assembly that has beenNIH-funded since I979. His laboratory is studying thestructure and assembly of enveloped RNA viruses. Thegoal of one research program is to define the molecularinteractions involved in assembly of enveloped virusesby budding from cellular membranes. For more on Dr.Lyles' career and research, click here.

Dennis J. O'Callaghan, PhD -- 2008Dennis J. O’Callaghan is Boyd Professor, Willis-KnightonChair of Molecular Biology, and Head (Chairman) of theDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology atLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center,Shreveport, LA. A native of New Orleans, he received theB. S. from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1962. In1968, he was awarded the Ph.D. at the University ofMississippi Medical Center and trained under thedirection of Dr. Charles C. Randall, a pioneer in virology.Dr. O’Callaghan directs a research program on themolecular biology of alphaherpesviruses with emphasison the mechanisms by which viral regulatory proteinsdetermine whether the outcome of infection is aproductive cytocidal infection or a persistent infection.For more on Dr. O'Callaghan's career and research, clickhere.

L. Gabriel Navar, PhD -- 2007Luis Gabriel (Gabby) Navar is Professor and Chairman ofthe Department of Physiology at Tulane UniversityHealth Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. A native of ElPaso, Texas, he received his B.S. from Texas A&MUniversity in 1962. He received his Ph.D. in 1966 at theUniversity of Mississippi under the direction of Dr.Arthur Guyton in the Department of Physiology. Heserved as a faculty member at the University ofMississippi School of Medicine until 1974. In 1972, Dr.Navar was a visiting scientist at Duke University. Dr.Navar joined the faculty at the University of Alabama atBirmingham in 1974 and remained there for 13 yearsrising to Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, andSenior Scientist in the Nephrology Research and TrainingCenter. Dr. Navar was appointed as Professor andChairman of the Department of Physiology at the TulaneUniversity School of Medicine in 1988. For more on Dr.Navar's career and research, click here.