College of Medicine Faculty
- Beth ConwayProfessor of Biomedical SciencePhDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Conway received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Abilene Christian University in Texas and her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Connecticut Health Center. Before joining Belmont’s faculty, she was a Biology professor at Lipscomb University for 14 years. In this position, she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in genetics, molecular biology and cancer biology, helped design academic programs in molecular biology and biomolecular sciences, supervised over 100 student researchers in her cancer biology lab and served as department chair. - Jude EzekakpuAssociate Professor of Simulation SkillsMBBS, MScLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Elochukwu Jude Ezekakpu MBBS, MSC is an internist and associate professor of Medical Simulation and Clinical Skills in the Integrated Medical Education department, Thomas Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University. In this role, Dr. Ezekakpu will enhance the knowledge, practice, aptitude, and application of medicine through medical simulation and clinical skills. Dr. Ezekakpu created the OSCE Tonic Model, a pedagogical method to improve exam performance through clinical skills. The OSCE Tonic Model (serial number 88206078) is a patent, trademark, and copyright. Dr. Ezekakpu is currently writing a manuscript on physical diagnosis and clinical skills. Dr. Ezekakpu is a certified reviewer for the United States Medical Licensing Exam for Steps 1 and 2. Dr. Ezekakpu is passionate about educating, mentoring, and advising students. His former students loved him for his teaching style and methodology. Dr. Ezekakpu is a Christian of the Roman Catholic faith. He is a third-degree member of the Knight of St. Columbus. Dr. Ezekakpu is married to Ijeoma and was blessed with four children – Onyi, KC, Kamsi, and Chichi. He loves to watch soccer, football, and attend church functions in his spare time.
- Jill ForbessAssistant Professor of PediatricsMD, FAAPLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Jill Forbess received a B.S in Chemistry from Oglethorpe University, followed by an M.D. degree, and pediatric residency from the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Forbess is a board-certified pediatrician through the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Hearing a call from God to serve church, family, and her profession, she and her husband, Jeff, moved to Nashville in 1994 to join Life Fellowship Church and raise their family. This move has led to a long successful career as a pediatrician and the founder of Brentwood Pediatrics since 2006. Passion to serve others was also expressed through leadership roles as the pediatric department chair at St Thomas Midtown for two terms and to teach others to practice medicine through her work as an adjunct professor of pediatrics in the physician assistant program at Lipscomb University since 2019. - Tracy FrameAssociate Professor of PharmacologyPharmD, BCACPLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Tracy Frame joined the Belmont faculty in 2014. She graduated cum laude from Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy in Birmingham, AL. Following graduation, she completed an ASHP-Accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Denver, Colorado. After completing her residency, she became a patient care clinical manager with Kroger, Inc, in Cincinnati, OH. She then joined the faculty at Cedarville University in 2011 as an assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice and developed clinical pharmacy services at a federally qualified health center located in Springfield, OH. As faculty in the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Frame taught the Pathophysiology and Therapeutics series, Health Assessment, and a Women’s Health elective course. Dr. Frame has established a practice site at The Next Door, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving women impacted by addiction, mental illness, trauma and/or incarceration. She works with the medical team there which provides medically monitored detoxification, acute medical care, chronic disease management and educational groups. This practice site serves as an advanced pharmacy practice experience site for student pharmacists in their fourth year of the pharmacy curriculum. Dr. Frame also has a huge passion for missions and is involved in missions both locally and globally in underserved areas. Her areas of research include substance use, women’s health and student wellness and spirituality. - Kathleen GallowayProfessor of AnatomyDSc, PT, ECSLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Kathleen is a retired Army officer and received her MPT (physical therapy) degree from the US Army-Baylor program. She has a doctorate in Clinical Electrophysiology. She is APTA board certified in clinical electrophysiology and has research interest in anatomical variation and peripheral nerve injury. Kathleen has been a physical therapist for 31 years and has been teaching at the university level for 24 years. She has been teaching whole body anatomy for the Physical Therapy program at Belmont for 16 years and is active in research and clinical practice. She enjoys running, gardening, golfing, and traveling to visit her three sons ages 28, 23 and 20. - Ryan GrippoAssociate Professor of RadiologyMDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Grippo earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as the Dean John E. Chapman Endowed Scholar and completed a diagnostic radiology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then completed a musculoskeletal imaging fellowship at the University of Utah. Dr. Grippo is a board-certified radiologist. Prior to joining Belmont in 2022, he served as a civilian radiologist for the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell, KY and as a private practice radiologist. His research interests include improving techniques for imaging the musculoskeletal system, and his work has been featured in several scholarly publications, including the Journal of Orthopaedics. Dr. Grippo is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and serving in medical missions. - Duane HatchAssociate Professor of Biochemistry, College of Sciences and Mathematics (Dual appointment in the College of Medicine)PhDLocation: Janet Ayers Academic Center 4013View Bio
Dr. Hatch earned his B.S. in biochemistry from Tennessee Tech University (TTU), his M.S. in chemistry from TTU in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory Bioscience Division and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from University of Cincinnati, where he developed carbohydrate-based ligands for the real-time detection and differentiation of select pathogens. He continued his training as a post-doctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University, where he investigated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their role in altering protein-tyrosine residues. Dr. Hatch has continued his work at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a visiting scholar, where he investigated heavy metal containing amino acids and their potential use in elucidating protein structure and function. Dr. Hatch began his teaching career in 2010 at Belmont in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, where he teaches general chemistry, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry and mentors undergraduate students in his research group. - Amy HennemanAssociate Professor of PharmacologyPharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CDCESLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Amy Henneman has been on faculty with Belmont University since 2020, initially serving as an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice within the College of Pharmacy. She completed a B.S. in biology at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA followed by a Pharm.D. degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) in West Palm Beach, FL. Following graduation, she completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center. After completing residency, Dr. Henneman returned to PBAU as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice where she served for 10 years teaching in various pharmacy courses and maintaining a practice in primary care with an emphasis on the care of underserved patient populations. During her time on faculty at PBAU, Dr. Henneman obtained more than $130,000 in grant funding to increase medication access to underserved populations in Palm Beach County, FL. Additionally, she served as the PGY1 pharmacy residency program director from 2014 – 2020 and founding director of the PGY2 pharmacy ambulatory care residency from 2018 – 2020 at PBAU. In addition to teaching and training pharmacy students and residents she coordinated the resident teaching and learning curriculum within the School of Pharmacy. Her current practice is at Neighborhood Health where she provides medication management via telehealth to patients with complex chronic disease states. She has published several papers regarding expansion of pharmacy services as well as the teaching and training of pharmacy students and residents. Dr. Henneman is passionate about teaching and mentoring. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons, running, and a good project.
- Michael HillAssociate Professor of PhysiologyPhDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Hill received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he completed a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. His academic career to date has been focused on teaching physiology and pathophysiology in the pre-clerkship phases of the undergraduate medical education program (M.D.) concomitant with the performing of cardiovascular research. To that end, his research has been focused on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie the more frequent development of post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus. Prior to joining Belmont, Dr. Hill held faculty positions in the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College. - Ashley HornerProfessor of NeurosciencePhDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Ashley Horner received her B.S. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane University. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Pharmacology at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. Dr. Horner has over 15 years of experience teaching neuroscience, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology and behavioral science to 1st and 2nd-year medical students and has been involved in the development of neuroscience and pharmacology curricula. Dr. Horner also spent close to 20 years researching basal ganglia pathways involved in the development of habitual drug use. She was the recipient of several research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and has 20 publications describing her research into mechanisms of addiction. Dr. Horner is also a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the International Basal Ganglia Society, the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and the International Association of Medical Educators. - Judy KingProfessor of PathologyMD, PhDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Judy King will join the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine faculty as a clinician educator in Pathology. Dr. King earned her Ph.D. in Anatomy from East Tennessee State University, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, and her M.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed an internship in Internal Medicine at MUSC and a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of South Alabama. She has been actively involved with medical education at West Virginia State University, and Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, as well as clinical service, research, and administration. Judy and her husband, Jim, have lived throughout the Southeast, but still call East Tennessee “home.” They are the proud parents of three daughters: Jada, Jaime, and Jenna.
- Kimbell KornuProvost Professor of Bioethics, Theology, and Christian FormationMD, PhDLocation: Office of the Provost
- Stephanie McClureProfessor of Internal Medicine and GeriatricsMD, FACPLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. McClure earned her medical degree and completed an internal medicine residency at Quillen College of Medicine of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and served on the faculty with an active clinical practice. She is board certified in internal medicine and geriatrics. In addition, she served as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Following her tenure at ETSU, Dr. McClure joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine at Amarillo, where she was the Founding Associate Regional Dean for Faculty Development and was co-Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation grant for the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women. Later, appointed the Myrick-Myers Endowed Chair in Geriatric Medicine and division chief, she grew the division from one faculty member to an interdisciplinary team of 10, consisting of geriatricians, geriatrics advanced nurse practice, geriatrics-specialty pharmacists, and physical therapy. In addition, she was also the director of the Center of Excellence; principal investigator of the federally-designated TTUSHC Geriatric Education Center (GEC); co-investigator on a Donald Reynolds Foundation grant (Cohort 3); and director of the TTUHSC Alzheimer’s Academy, which was one of its kind in the nation partnered with an Area Agency on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association enabling a geriatrics interdisciplinary team to provide free consultation and outreach to the family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s. Prior to joining the faculty at Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University as the Founding Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, she served at Meharry Medical College as the Executive Vice Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, where she continued to have an active geriatrics clinical practice and was a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine as faculty for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program.
- Andrew MichelAssociate Professor of PsychiatryMDView Bio
Dr. Michel earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program; Dr. Michel is a board-certified psychiatrist. Prior to joining Belmont, he served as an Assistant Training Director of the Vanderbilt Psychiatry Residency Training Program and formerly served as the Chief of Psychiatry of the Veterans Affairs Hospital System across middle Tennessee. - Nick RagsdaleAssociate Dean, College of Sciences and Mathematics (Dual appointment in the College of Medicine)PhDLocation: Janet Ayers Academic Center 4024View Bio
Dr. Nick Ragsdale is a native Nashvillian who returned to Nashville after receiving his A.B. in Psychology from Wabash College, receiving a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Tennessee at Memphis, and completing post-doctoral work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the Department of Infectious Disease. He has been at Belmont University since the summer of 2000. He has taught a range of courses in the College of Sciences and Mathematics while also serving as the Associate Dean. And he has also served as the University Pre-Health Advisor which allowed him to work with students from across Belmont’s campus as they pursue entry into graduate healthcare programs. Dr. Ragsdale is excited to be in the inaugural faculty group of the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine and looks forward to engaging with medical students in classrooms, small groups, simulation spaces and investigative laboratory venues. - Tanu RanaAssociate Professor of Microbiology & ImmunologyMS, PhDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Tanu Rana earned her M.S. in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India. She received her Ph.D. from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India where she developed an assay for the detection of active tuberculosis infection. She came to Nashville for her postdoctoral training at Meharry Medical College and studied host-pathogen interactions. With her expertise in microscopy, she became a part of the instrumentation core at Meharry, consulting and participating in transdisciplinary research and authored several publications. Prior to joining Belmont, Dr. Rana served as a faculty in the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College. She taught microbiology and genetics in the masters, dental and undergraduate medical education (MD) programs. - M Kevin SmithAssociate Professor of Internal Medicine, Associate Professor of PhysiologyMD, PhD, MMHC, MACPLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Kevin Smith received his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as well as a Ph.D. in Molecular Physiology. During his matriculation, he studied the regulatory domain of Calcium/Calmodulin Protein Kinase II under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Soderling. He subsequently completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt. He also earned a Master of Management in Healthcare degree from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. He has practiced primary care internal medicine in Nashville since 1996, first at Saint Thomas West Hospital. He then continued his practice at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, prior to joining the faculty at Frist College of Medicine in 2022. He has been very active in teaching medical students and internal medicine residents at Vanderbilt both in small educational groups and inpatient and outpatient clinical settings. He was awarded the Hugh Jackson Morgan teaching award as the best ambulatory teacher as voted on by the internal medicine residents. He was also awarded membership in Alpha Omega Alpha as a Vanderbilt Alumni inductee. He was awarded the Laureate Award from the American College of Physicians Tennessee Chapter in 2019 and Mastership in the American College of Physicians in 2020. He has been named a Castle Connelly Top Doctor in Internal Medicine since 2019. Dr. Smith has also been very active in physician advocacy serving as president and chairman of the board of directors of the Nashville Academy of Medicine. He was elected president of the Tennessee Medical Association for 2020-2021. He continues to serve on the TMA Legislative and Bylaws Committees. He also serves on the Governor’s Council of the Tennessee ACP chapter and as a delegate to the TMA House of Delegates. His clinical interests include management of hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases as well as prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. - Jeffrey SmithAssistant Professor of Family MedicineMDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Dr. Jeff Smith was born and raised in Texas, where he earned a B.S. in Biology from Abilene Christian University, followed by his M.D. and his residency training both at Texas Tech University School of Medicine (Lubbock, TX). He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. After spending time in a group clinical practice in Lubbock, TX, Dr. Smith joined Lubbock Christian University in July 2005 to establish the LCU Medical Clinic. He served as physician and director of the clinic for 17 years, providing care to both students and employees, while also serving as team physician for the LCU athletic teams (NCAA D-II) and working occasional ER shifts in the community. He also served as a clinical preceptor and adjunct medical school faculty for Texas Tech, working with 2nd through 4th year medical students.
In the summer of 2022, Dr. Smith and his wife moved to Tennessee to join the inaugural faculty of Belmont’s new Frist College of Medicine. He considers it a blessing to have an opportunity to contribute to the medical education of future physicians within a Christian atmosphere. He and his wife have two sons back in Texas, one in medical school and one in college studying ag business and playing baseball.
- Larry StackProfessor of Emergency MedicineMDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Lawrence (Larry) B. Stack, MD attended Oral Roberts University School of Medicine prior to completing an Emergency Medicine Residency at Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Stack has been involved in medical student, resident and fellow training in Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine for 33 years. His academic interests include clinical photography, diagnostic imaging, emergency ophthalmology, emergency airway management. He has co-authored The Atlas of Emergency Medicine, The Atlas of Emergency Radiology, and The Handbook of Medical Photography. He enjoys aviation, woodworking, clay sports, steel and concrete. Larry and his wife, Venette, attend Community Bible Church in South Nashville. They have 3 children, Laura Reid (Adam), Andy, and Emily. - Stephen StaggsAssociate Professor of Obstetrics & GynecologyMDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
A native Tennessean, Dr. Staggs received his B.S. from Lipscomb University, his M.D. from the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis, completed an internship in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga and a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University. He was in private practice in Brentwood, Tennessee for 38 years and earned a Masters in Theology from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2013. He has been active in physician leadership and served as department chairman at both Saint Thomas Midtown Medical Center and Centennial Medical Center and as the President of the medical staff at Centennial Medical Center. He holds patents in both medical instruments and medication delivery systems. - Jennifer ThomasProfessor of Immunology and Microbiology, College of Sciences and Mathematics (Dual appointment in the College of Medicine)PhDLocation: Janet Ayers Academic Center 3012View Bio
Dr. Jennifer Thomas received her B.S. degree in Biology at the University of Evansville where she also studied abroad at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. After graduation, she attended a master’s program in Immunology at Loyola University Chicago studying T cell leukemias and then graduated with her Ph.D. in Microbial Pathogenesis from Northwestern University studying Human Papillomavirus. Dr. Thomas spent an additional year at Northwestern as a postdoctoral fellow prior to joining Belmont in 2000. In addition to developing and teaching numerous courses in the Biology Department, Dr. Thomas has mentored and advised over 40 undergraduate students in their senior research projects, traveling with them to local, regional and national meetings. She has been actively involved in the Honors Program, BELL Core, Belmont’s Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS), a student-led reading program in the sciences (SLURPS), study abroad and served administratively as the coordinator for the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program (2005-2008), Assistant Director of Belmont’s Teaching Center (2015-2017), and Chair of the Biology Department (2018-2021). Dr. Thomas was the recipient of Belmont’s Chaney Distinguished Professor Award in 2011. Her passion as a professor is in the classroom and lab learning with her students and she is excited to share her love of teaching and mentoring in the Frist College of Medicine, where she joined in the summer of 2021. - Pat WhitworthAssistant Professor of RadiologyMDLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Pat Whitworth, III, MD, is a graduate of Tulane University and earned his medical degree from Boston University. He completed a residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a fellowship in Abdominal Imaging at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Whitworth joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2020 as an assistant professor of Clinical Radiology and Radiological Sciences. He is a member of the Society of Abdominal Radiology, Society for Advanced Body Imaging, American College of Radiology, and Radiological Society of North America. - David WyantAssistant Professor of Biostatistics, College of Business (Dual appointment in the College of Medicine)PhDLocation: Barbara Massey Hall 246View Bio
Dr. Wyant is an Assistant Professor who came to Belmont in 2013 to teach in the Healthcare MBA program in the Jack C. Massey College of Business and in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the College of Health Science and Nursing. In both colleges he has taught courses on healthcare financial management, health care information management and statistics/biostatistics. He holds a PhD in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota, College of Public Health and a MBA in Finance and an MA in Economics from Ohio State. He has taught in healthcare management programs since 1995. Prior to beginning his career in academia, he worked in a number of positions with healthcare providers and state legislature study commissions. His grant awards include funding from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the possibilities of merging healthcare claims data with cancer registry data to study the effectiveness of alternative treatment protocols. His research has been published in leading healthcare journals, including Medical Care, The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Journal of Medical Systems, and Digital Health, among others. He is active in the Healthcare Financial Management Association and in the Healthcare Management and Information Systems Society.
College of Medicine Staff
- Alex D. Atkinson, IIDirector of Student Activities and WellnessEd.D.Location: Inman 404View Bio
Dr. Atkinson comes to us with nine years of experience in higher education. Before joining the Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University, Dr. Atkinson was the Assistant Director for Medical Student Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, overseeing student organizations and events, while implementing wellness programming. He has also served as the Assistant Dean for Student Life and Engagement at Tennessee State University and Chief Operating Officer for the Center for Non-profit Management of Nashville.
Dr. Atkinson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Finance & Marketing from Tennessee State University, and a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University. He completed his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration in Organization and Strategic Planning from Lipscomb University.
Dr. Atkinson is passionate about working with students and student organizations related to student engagement, student development, and wellness.
- Jeff JacksonDirector of Assessment and EvaluationEd.D.Location: Inman 406View Bio
Dr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard Payne University, Master of Education degree from The University of Texas at Austin, and Doctor of Education degree from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Dr. Jackson has worked for over 20 years in higher education, including 11 years at the Long School of Medicine in San Antonio, TX, where he most recently served as the Director of Curriculum Evaluation.
- Katie L. GrayFaculty and Academic Affairs CoordinatorB.A.View Bio
Katie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Public Administration with a minor in History from Lipscomb University. While acquiring her undergraduate degree, she worked in Lipscomb’s Career Development Center, where she first fell in love with working in higher education. Before joining Belmont, Katie worked in the finance industry for seven years. - Caleb D. MarshDirector of Pathway Programs and RecruitmentEd.D.Location: Inman 404View Bio
Dr. Marsh has over 20 years of health professions administrative experience. Having served as a Health Professions Advisor at Baylor University, the University of Texas at Austin, Temple University, as the Director of Health Professions Advising at Southern Methodist University, and as the Admissions Director of Temple University’s CST Post Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program. He now serves as the Director of Pathway Programs and Recruitment at The Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University.
In addition to his extensive professional advising experience, Dr. Marsh currently holds roles on the National Association of Advisors to the Health Professions (NAAHP) Technology Committee and serves as Co-Chair of the NAAHP Postbac Committee. He has previously held roles as the Communications Director and member of the Executive Board for the Northeast Association of Advisors to the Health Professions (NEAAHP), as the Webmaster for the Texas Association of Advisors to the Health Professions (TAAHP), and as a member of the Texas Health Education Service Advisory Council.
Dr. Marsh holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from Baylor University and a doctoral degree from Temple University.
- John MuiseStudent Affairs ManagerB.A.Location: Inman 404View Bio
An alumnus of Belmont University, John earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in 2000. After 10 years working in music publishing, he transitioned to higher education and spent 12 years at Meharry Medical College working in clinical skills, simulation and curricular support as a Project Coordinator. He brings his knowledge and experience to the division of Student Affairs and Diversity at the Frist College of Medicine.
- Holly RandaAssessment and Evaluation CoordinatorM.S.Location: Inman 406View Bio
Holly earned her bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and in Mathematics from the University of North Dakota and her M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Utah. After completing her education, she worked in biotech companies designing laboratory automation processes, writing and modifying software for machine control, and creating novel methods for information analysis. She has also served several years in secondary education. Holly most recently worked at Belmont as an adjunct faculty in Chemistry, in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
- Sheila Wyatt RileyDirector of Student Support ServicesEd.DLocation: Inman 404View Bio
Dr. Riley earned her M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University and her Doctor of Education in Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. Before joining Belmont in fall 2020, Riley served as the Director of Enrollment Services in the Division of Enrollment Management at Tennessee State University and formerly served as the Assistant Dean of Student Engagement at Fisk University.
- Jamie ShafferDirector of Faculty Affairs and DevelopmentEd.D.View Bio
Dr. Jamie Shaffer is a three-time graduate of Vanderbilt University, earning a B.A. in Psychology, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, and Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and Learning. Most recently, Jamie served as the inaugural University Coordinator for Teaching and Learning Initiatives and Head of the Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), where she conducted training and professional development for faculty, coached faculty through the promotion and tenure process, and led and contributed to key university events and initiatives that originated from the Provost’s Office. - Jean SheltonAssistant Dean for AdmissionsM.S.Location: Inman 404View Bio
Jean’s entire professional career has been devoted to graduate health science admissions where she is passionate about encouraging and supporting learners to achieve their goals. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Buena Vista University where she majored in Corporate Communication and minored in Business. She then went on to complete her Master of Science degree in Higher Education with an Enrollment Management emphasis at Drexel University. Her introduction to higher education admissions began when she served as an Office of Admissions intern at her alma mater, Buena Vista University. A native Iowan, her first professional job after college was as an admission assistant, then admission coordinator at Des Moines University, a graduate health professions university with programs in osteopathic and podiatric medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, public health, and health administration. Jean went on to serve as the Assistant Director for Recruitment at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Illinois. Most notably, she served as the Founding Director of Admissions at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In that role, she was instrumental in implementing their holistic review admissions process (balancing academic preparation with a wide variety of experiences and attributed aligned with the institutional mission) to select the inaugural and subsequent classes, worked collaboratively with the Admissions Committee Chair to facilitate meetings, served as the admissions contact to the AMCAS and the AAMC, tracked and reported admissions data internally and externally, contributed significantly to the DCI, as well as informed the design of interview days. These are just a few of her accomplishments. In 2016, she was promoted to Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Life where she assumed additional responsibility for overseeing student organizations, responding to student concerns, and leading teams to plan and execute major student events such as the White Coat Ceremony, Match Day, etc.
- Jakima SmithMedical Education CoordinatorLocation: Inman 403View Bio
Jakima’s career in academic administration began in the dean’s office at Morehouse School of Medicine followed by 4 years of dedicated service and support at Meharry Medical College. She brings leadership and faculty support experience to the Department of Medical Education, as medical education coordinator, working alongside the department chair, faculty, and staff.
- Hope TerhaarCurriculum Manager, Yrs. 1/2M.A.Location: Inman 406View Bio
Hope received her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Ottawa University and her Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. She brings more than twenty years of expertise in the educational leadership field to Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University. Prior to joining Belmont University, she served as the Multitiered System of Supports Coordinator for the Arizona Virtual Academy/Insight Academy of Arizona, was in the classroom as a teacher, an Educational Coordinator and Trainer for the Arizona Character Education Foundation, as well as a Program Specialist for the Arizona Department of Education. In addition to her wide variety of experience working in educational leadership roles, Hope also brings a unique perspective on mentorship and caring for individuals from her sixteen years in part-time and full-time ministry. Her strong community leadership skills and ability to organize departmental processes and procedures make her a valuable asset to our Belmont team.
- E. Terrell WashingtonAssistant Dean for Faculty and Academic AffairsM.S.Location: Inman 406View Bio
Terrell received his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Industrial Management and Graphic Design from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He earned the Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel and Counseling Services from Arkansas Tech University. Currently, Terrell is pursuing a Doctor of Education Degree in Instructional Technology at the American College of Education in Indianapolis, Indiana. He brings more than ten years of higher education experience, most recently working as an Assistant Dean for Special Programs at Meharry School of Medicine. He has expertise in accreditation, program review and compliance, curriculum design, faculty development, grant development and management, student success, and testing operations.
- Vincent WilsonCurriculum Manager, Yrs. 3/4M.S.Location: Inman 406View Bio
Vincent received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology with a minor in International Studies from Austin Peay State University. He earned his Master of Science Degree in Human Development and Leadership, focusing on College Student Personnel, from Murray State University. Vincent brings more than ten years of higher education experience to the Frist College of Medicine, most recently working as an Educational Skills Specialist and Student Disability Coordinator at Meharry Medical College, serving students across the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Graduate Studies and Research, and the School of Applied Computational Sciences. He has expertise in student development and success, disability services, student programming, and learning modalities.
Vincent will work in our Accreditation, Curriculum, and CQI Unit within the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs to support faculty in developing and delivering the medical school curriculum. He will also have an intricate role in designing and launching FCoM’s curriculum mapping inventory processes and integrating new instructional technologies (i.e., iPad Program) into our curriculum.
- Shavonia L. WynnDirector of Student Success ProgramsPh.D.Location: Inman 404View Bio
Dr. Shavonia Wynn joins the Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University as the Director of Student Success Programs with 10 years’ experience in medical education testing (MCAT, Coursework, Shelf Exams, and USMLE Step 1 & 2) and over 15 years of experience within higher education learning and academic support. Before joining Belmont, she managed the Johns Hopkins JUMP program whose mission is to promote the success of students from underrepresented populations that are interested in pursuing careers in medicine and other health professions. In addition to her extensive professional experience, Dr. Wynn is currently the Chair of the National Medical Education Learning Specialist Group (MELS).
Prior to Hopkins, Dr. Wynn worked for eight years at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix as a Learning Specialist for post-bac premed students and traditionally admitted medical students. In this role, she worked directly with medical students, coaching them from matriculation to graduation, USMLE board prep, and teaching ‘Learning in Medicine’ courses.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Wynn earned her M.Ed. in Student Affairs – Higher Education Administration at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Northern Arizona University. Her dissertation focused on improving MCAT multiple choice question reasoning and self-efficacy among Black pre-med students.