Faculty & Staff

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.