Recognizing Newly Tenured and Emeritus Faulty
Congratulations to the following faculty members who received tenure as of July 1, 2017
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Debra Simmons, MD, MS
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Debra Simmons, MD, MS, has been awarded tenure as a professor of internal medicine at University of Utah School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology. She has extensive experience treating patients and has been the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials. Her main areas of interest and expertise are diabetes and lipids, with an emphasis on prevention of cardiovascular disease. She received a master’s in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University and a medical degree from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. She continued her training with a residency in internal medicine at the Indiana University Medical Center and a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the University of California, San Diego. She came to Utah already having extensive experience as a clinician and leader. She served as a clinical faculty member at University of California, San Diego from 1989-1996. After moving to Arkansas in 1997, she ultimately rose to the position of tenured professor of medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Since being hired by the University of Utah as a professor in 2012, she has held numerous leadership positions. She is the director of the endocrinology fellowship training program and of clinical affairs in the Division of Endocrinology. She is also a staff physician and chief of the endocrinology section at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She has served as a mentor or supervisor to more than 50 faculty members and students. |
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John Valentine, MD
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John Valentine, MD, has been promoted to a tenured professor of medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology. He has extensive expertise with patient care and research, specializing in inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease. He received his medical degree at University of Texas Medical School at Houston and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Medical College of Virginia. Hired as faculty at the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1991, he ultimately rose to became a tenured professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology. While working there, he was also a staff physician and chief of the gastroenterology section of the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida. He also founded the Southeastern Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Hired next in Utah as a professor of medicine in 2012, he has since become the associate chair of the Division of Gastroenterology. He is dedicated to providing care to patients and expanding scientific understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases. He is developing the University’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and has been the principle investigator on over 30 grants and published nearly 50 reviewed articles. |
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Theresa Werner, MD
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Theresa Werner, MD, has been promoted to tenured faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Oncology. Since being hired in 2007, she has already made a major impact on the department and the scientific community. Originally from Indiana, she received her medical degree from Indiana University in 2000. She continued her training as a resident and ultimately chief resident in internal medicine at the University of Utah, where she also completed a fellowship and chief fellowship in hematology and medical oncology. She specializes in adult hematology and medical oncology with a focus on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies. She is the primary investigator on over 30 grants and has published nearly 30 reviewed articles. She also serves as an investigator and the medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She has been a dedicated and outstanding clinician and scientist, and was a recipient of the Vice-President’s Clinical Translational (VPCAT) Research Program award, where she continued to receive training and support. In 2016, she also received the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Clinical Award for her collaborative work in clinical trials. |
Thank you to the following faculty members who moved to emeritus status this year. Thank you for your contributions to the department.
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John H.B. Bridge, PhD
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John H. B. Bridge, PhD, a Research Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, has been awarded emeritus status. He was first hired to faculty by the University 35 years ago in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, but has since expanded his reach to serve as an adjunct professor both of exercise and sport science and of health, kinesiology, and recreation. Dr. Bridge is originally from London, England, but received his PhD from University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology. He then served as a senior research fellow at the University of Washington before coming to Utah in 1982. His research has focused on excitation contraction coupling, sodium-calcium exchange, and regulation of contraction in the heart. His discoveries in the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute have make leaps and bounds toward a better scientific and medical understanding of the heart. He has published over 50 reviewed journal articles and been the principle investigator on over 15 major grants. As well as moving forward scientific knowledge, he has been leader and mentor to colleagues and students, including acting as supervisor to nearly 20 fellows and PhD students. |
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Mark Elstad, MD
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After 30 years as a University of Utah faculty member, Mark Elstad, MD, has been awarded emeritus status as a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. Throughout his time in Utah, he has been a leader both in and outside the University, including as the Chief of Medicine and Medical Intensive Care Unit Director at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, he received both bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Minnesota, where he continued his training as, ultimately, a Chief Internal Medicine Resident. Dr. Elstad came to Utah in 1984 to finish his training with a Pulmonary/Critical Care research fellowship. Since being hired as faculty in 1986, his research has contributed extensively to medical knowledge, particularly focused in the areas of interventional bronchoscopy and airways disorders. He has published over 30 journal articles and been the Principle Investigator on numerous clinical studies. Throughout his time at the University, he has also dedicated himself to patients, serving as an active clinician and the co-director of the Utah Airway Disorder Center. He has also been an incredible teacher and leader, instructing numerous medical and nursing courses and receiving 11 Outstanding Teaching Awards from the department of Internal Medicine. As well as building his career around helping others, he also dedicates time outside of his career to helping others, volunteering for years through Habitat for Humanity and the Road Home. |
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A. Wayne Meikle, MD
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A. Wayne Meikle, MD, has been awarded emeritus professor status after serving in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology for the past 45 years. A Utah native, Dr. Meikle received a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University. He then received his medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He returned to Utah in 1967 as an Endo/Metabolism Fellow and a Chief Resident of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah. He has remained with the University of Utah since completing his training in 1972, and he has made an immense impact as a clinician, leader, and researcher. His research has made powerful contributions to medicine, focusing on male reproductive endocrinology, prostatic and thyroid neoplasia, and laboratory techniques for hormonal assays. He has published over 200 journal articles and book chapters as well as two full-length books that act as cutting-edge guides to hormone replacement therapy. As well as doing his own research, he has led others as the director of the endocrinology and automated endocrinology laboratories of ARUP and as the associate and clinical director of the Clinical Research Center. He has also served a large patient-base and been a dedicated teacher and mentor to countless students. |
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Mike Sanguinetti, PhD
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After over 20 years serving the University, Michael Sanguinetti, PhD, has received emeritus status as a professor of internal medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. His leadership and research have had an untold impact on both the University of Utah and the study of cardiology across the world.
He received a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of California, Davis, and was a postdoctoral fellow in physiology at the University of Rochester. Prior to coming to Utah, he served as a senior research investigator at the G.D. Searle Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, senior research fellow at Merck Research Laboratory Department of Pharmacology, and research scientist at NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Since being hired by the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in 1993, he has expanded his impact, becoming an adjunct professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry and of physiology.
His research has changed the study of the structural basis of ion channels in the heart. He has received nearly 30 major grants and written over 170 journal articles and book chapters. He also served as the Associate director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute.
As well as being a leader in scientific discovery, he has been a leader to countless young minds, instructing nearly 150 courses and supervising 25 fellows and PhD students.
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