Category Archives: Featured Alum

Featured Alum: Christen Gregory, 3rd year medical student, Biology 2005

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Christen with her mother.

My name is Christen Gregory and I graduated from Christian Brothers University in 2005. Since then, I have gone on to work as a research technologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for two years before starting medical school at Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. While at CBU, I was accepted to St. Jude’s Pediatric Oncology Education program for my senior research with the help of Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald. While I was there, I made several contacts and gained invaluable experience that ensured that I had a position waiting for me when I graduated from CBU. The lab skills and courses that I took as an undergraduate Biology major prepared me for my work as a research technologist.

After working at St. Jude for two years, I started medical school at Quillen. During these first two years, I have been involved in mostly didactic studies, including Gross Anatomy, Embryology, Physiology, Neuroscience, Microbiology/Parasitology, Biochemistry and Pathology. Surprisingly, I remember going into more detail during some of my undergraduate courses than we do in medical school! The volume of these medical school courses can be daunting, but my Biology degree from CBU really prepared me for what was to come and I owe a great debt of gratitude to all of my undergraduate professors!

At ETSU, I’ve been involved with a few extracurricular activities. I am currently serving as the vice-president of the Emergency Medicine Interest group, which educates medical students about the details of a career as an EM physician. I am also serving as a member of the Quillen Honor Council. This past summer, I worked as a student research fellow in the Quillen Dept. of Psychiatry. My mentor Dr. Norman Moore and I published an abstract entitled, “Visual and Auditory EEG biofeedback in Anxious Patients Compared with Healthy Controls” which will appear in the upcoming July issue of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society Journal. I also presented this research at the joint EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society / International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry conference on September 7, 2008 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Featured Alum: Emily Biggs Rettinger, Pharm.D., Chemistry 2000

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Emily with her husband and son

I graduated from CBU with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry in May 2000. In August of the same year, I started pharmacy school at UT Health Science Center. After finishing my first semester, I really felt like CBU had prepared me for the challenges that I had faced academically and in my day to day life, and I still feel that way today. I also became an active member of the professional pharmacy fraternity Phi Delta Chi and held the office of secretary my second year. I worked at St. Francis Hospital inpatient pharmacy to gain experience in a hospital setting. (I had previously worked for an independent and a chain pharmacy.)

In May of 2004, I graduated with honors and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. After receiving my license, I started working for SuperD, and I continue to work there today. I also continue to work for St. Francis on an as needed basis. I am a member of the Memphis Area Pharmacist Society, American Pharmacist Association (APhA), Tennessee Pharmacist Association (TPA), and the Christian Pharmacist Fellowship International (CPFI).

While attending pharmacy school, I met my husband, Paul, who also works for SuperD pharmacy here in Memphis. We have a 3 year old son, Matthew. We enjoy traveling, going to the Mississippi Riverking’s hockey games, and spending time with family. We are also members of First United Methodist Church.

Featured Alum: Stephen Wetick, O.D., Natural Science 2000

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Stephen with wife Emilie at his graduation from the Southern College of Optometry.

Greetings Buccaneer community and science connoisseurs. It is an honor to be this month’s SOS featured alum. My name is Stephen Wetick and I have lived in Memphis for most of my life. I am a graduate of the CBU class of 2000. It took me 5 years to complete my degree, which at that time, earned me the nickname among my friends as the “5th-year senior.” As is the case with many high school graduates, I entered college not knowing what career to pursue. To be honest, this was an awkward stage in my life. I mean, just two years ago I was worrying about passing my driver’s exam, and now all of the sudden I’ve got to make decisions that will impact me for the rest of my life. “What do you like to do?” my parents would ask me. I would think to myself, “Well, I enjoy rockin out to Led Zeppelin, mountain biking, and hanging out with friends.” Needless to say, I knew this dream job did not exist. In the end, I relied on my inner voice to help me determine which career path to take. Something inside pulled me in the direction of becoming a healthcare provider. I guess the best way to describe it is an “innate sense.” Yes, I know this sounds strange, but at the same time I believe this is a unique ability we all possess. I am sure you can think of a time in your life when you did something for no rhyme or reason, other than the fact you knew it was the right thing to do.

College life at CBU was filled with a lot good times and some bad. I made several new friends, learned a ton of fascinating things in the classroom, and had many moments of fun and laughter. Some of the bad moments were results of me not applying myself hard enough, such as failing to turn in a paper on time, or receiving a poor grade on a test due to lack of preparation. Other tough moments included the death of a friend, the death of my grandmother, and my parents moving eight hours away due to a job transfer. Just as CBU was there to provide good times, CBU was there to help me through bad times. It was perhaps my professors, who helped me the most by providing a constant source of encouragement. I recall Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald really being able to connect with her students through her laid-back approach. Dr. Fitz made it seem as if there were not any limits to my capabilities as long as I set my mind to it. With this encouragement I found the strength to get through tough times—both in and out of the classroom. As a result, I left CBU with a sense of accomplishment, and even more important, confidence in my ability to overcome challenges and achieve any goal I set forth. I truly believe this would have not been the case had I attended a larger university where one is simply a “face in the crowd.”

After college, I obtained a job as a technician at a private eye care practice. A fellow CBU classmate also worked at the practice, which helped me tremendously in procuring the position. Eventually, I was accepted into optometry school and graduated from the Southern College of Optometry (SCO) in May of 2008. CBU gave me the foundation to get through courses such as optics, pharmacology, pathology, and neuro-ophthalmology. Thanks to confidence in my ability, I graduated with honors AND in four years (no more 5th-year senior!). I am currently pursuing an ocular disease residency at a co-management facility in Memphis. Working in a referral center provides for exciting and challenging days. You never know what problem you will have to face. The eye is an incredible structure—it has vascular, lymphatic, neurological, muscular, dermatological, and connective tissue components. This unfortunately means a lot of things can go wrong with the eye! Similar to my college experiencing, working in healthcare has a lot of good moments and bad ones. Helping someone get better is a wonderful feeling. Telling someone that their vision cannot be restored is not easy, but offering encouragement and help to overcome this obstacle can be just as rewarding.

Speaking of rewarding, my wife, Emilie, and I are expecting our first child on March 18th! Claire Cecille Wetick might have arrived by the time the March newsletter is released!! My plans after residency include becoming an associate at a practice or possibly returning to SCO as a didactic/clinic staff doctor. I truly enjoy patient care, but the idea of educating and providing guidance to optometry students is something I could see myself enjoying as well. It would most certainly give me an opportunity to provide students encouragement similar to what I received during my time at CBU. I honestly believe that attending CBU and pursuing studies with an emphasis in science was one of best choices I have ever made. For current students, I can assure you that the knowledge gained during your time at CBU will be heavily utilized in whatever career path you happen to take. I wish you all the best of luck.

Featured Alum: Jami Gattuso, Natural Science 1983

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I graduated from CBU in 1983 with a B.S. in Natural Science and then went to Nursing School at the University of Tennessee, Memphis where I got both a B.S.N. and an M.S.N. I am on the Board of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses and am a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. I have worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since January, 1986, in a variety of roles: staff nurse, discharge planning coordinator, clinical nurse specialist and nursing research specialist (my current role). In the Division of Nursing Research we conduct collaborative nurse-driven research studies on topics such a sleep and fatigue, quality of life, and end-of-life issues. I am the coordinator for the studies of quality of life in children with osteosarcoma and melanoma and for the recently completed study of the effects of dexamethasone on the sleep and fatigue of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I also coordinate an in-house fellowship program for staff in our Patient Care Services Department to help them learn more about the research process and about evidence-based practice. Through this program staff members implement unit-specific projects such as improving understanding and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, the usefulness of bronchoalveolar lavage, and an improved tool for assessing symptoms. In all of these research and evidence-based practice projects, the goal is to improve the care for children with catastrophic illnesses and their families.

I have always said that there is one thing that can’t be taken away from me and that is my education from CBU. The small class sizes, the individualized attention, and the incredibly talented faculty gave me a top-rate education that made nursing school a breeze. The many leadership opportunities I had at CBU made stepping into positions of leadership in my career easy as well. I consider the campus of CBU a holy place–one that helped solidify the foundation for my ongoing spiritual journey. CBU is probably the most important “place” in my life and I am ever grateful for all that “place” has given and continues to give me.

Featured Alum: William Horner, Mathematics 1980

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I graduated from CBC in 1980 with a B.S. in Mathematics. As a high school student I had little interest in mathematics, but my mathematical curiosity bloomed while taking calculus courses as part of the engineering curriculum. Eventually it dawned on me that my interest in mathematics far exceeded my interest (and talent) in engineering, and I became a math major. Drs. Yanushka and Becker were my professors for most of my upper division math courses. I recall that they were both excellent lecturers. It was not until after my graduation from CBC that I learned that they are gifted researchers as well. There were quite a few math majors for a school the size of Christian Brothers, and classes were rather large. It was clear to me that my professors were highly dedicated to their work, and to this day I sincerely appreciate their encouragement and guidance.

After getting my bachelors degree I earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Memphis State University. For the past 20 years, I have been a faculty member of the mathematics department at the University of Southern Mississippi. My doctoral thesis was in Differential Equations, but after publishing a few papers based on my dissertation I switched my area to Analysis and Operator Theory. I had the good fortune to collaborate with three professors from Memphis State and “haunted” their department for several summers after taking the job at USM. My research has probably been the most fulfilling aspect of my job, though I enjoy teaching as well. Our department is small for a university having around 15,000 students, so I’ve taught over 25 truly distinct courses.

The job opportunities for our bachelors recipients are quite variable, of course, with three of the major determinants being the student’s academic record, choice of minor, and willingness to relocate. Students who choose Computer Science as a minor tend to fare particularly well, and a number of our students have found positions with defense contractors and the like. The graduates of our master’s program have found good jobs, several teaching at the community college level and others entering industry. At least 6 of our master’s students have gone on to earn Ph.D.’s in mathematics or engineering, and I am happy for their success and to have been a part of their training. While I’m handing out (unsolicited) career advice, let me sound a note of caution to undergraduate mathematics majors contemplating graduate school. If you anticipate earning a Ph.D. in mathematics, then the importance of getting your degree from a highly ranked program cannot be overemphasized. Please take a careful look at the faculties of several mathematics departments, paying special attention to where these folks got their degrees. You might be surprised to find that a large percentage of math Ph.D.’s earn their degree at topfight schools, and consequently departments which are not among the elite can attract faculty from these prestigious programs. Another thing to keep in mind is that there is a large and seemingly perpetual oversupply of research mathematicians. This has all the implications you might imagine. While my case may represent an “outlier”, I am a full professor in a math department at a state university, with 20 years experience, who would require a raise of several thousand dollars to match the salary of a novice chemical engineer with a bachelor’s degree. But having a math degree can be lucrative as well. Periodically our department solicits data from our graduates, including salary ranges, and it is clear that a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with good grades and some computer background, can put you on the path to a prosperous career.

Featured Alum: Claudia Wade, chemistry 1996

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Claudia Wade with her family

Hola my fellow Buccaneers! I am honored to be the featured ALUM this month. I graduated from CBU in 1996 where I received a B.S. in Chemistry. My time at CBU was always very busy because along with my studies, I was a member of the Lady Buccaneers Volleyball Team!! Go Bucs!! My experience at CBU, both in the chemistry department and the on the court have played a big role in my life today. I attribute a lot of my career success to Dr. Mike Condren, the CBU faculty, my coach, Irene Collins and my family. When I first arrived at CBU, I was enrolled as a Chemical Engineer. My freshman year, I took Dr. Condren’s General Chemistry class and I was convinced science was in my blood. Dr. Condren has such a passion for chemistry that when he taught it came out in every lecture. I would get just as excited as he would as the years went by. Of course, it was a challenge for me because along with my studies there was hard work in the gym. Though my coach had us very disciplined and really pushed success in the classroom first, the fact that our classes were small and the having the opportunity of one-on-one attention from the teachers, made my experience at CBU go by smoothly. As I reflect today, that one-on-one attention is one of the many characteristics that makes CBU a WINNER. Each one of the CBU teachers really enjoys their work and wants to see you succeed and they are always willing to help. Dr. Condren is the best mentor/teacher anyone could have. He taught me not only chemistry but how to think outside the box, how to discipline myself in the lab, and he truly cares for each one of his students.

I currently work at Buckeye Technologies in Product and Market Development and was promoted in January 2006 to a Research Specialist. I have been employed with Buckeye 9 ½ years. Buckeye is a leader in producing-cellulose-based specialty products for high-end niche markets worldwide. We are the only manufacturer in the world offering cellulose-based specialty products made from one of the most abundant materials on earth, cellulose fiber drawn from wood and cotton, both naturally renewable resources. I work in the New Products Department and my goals are to develop novel cellulose fibers for upstream product lines. So a lot of thinking “outside the box” and my job requires a lot of discipline in note taking on experiments for legal patent purposes. I have received recognition for my work in a patent for “Delivery of Fibers Into Concrete”. Volleyball has also continued to be a part of my life after CBU. I have coached middle school volleyball @ St. Agnes Academy for the past 11 years and have also coached Junior Olympic Volleyball for various clubs around the city, including one for inner city girls.

Along with working full-time, I am a mother of two beautiful children, Isabella Concepcion (4 yrs.) and Jacob William (2 yrs.). My husband, Kelly, and I have been married for 11 years and are enjoying life each day. My husband is a CRNA and is enlisted in the Army Reserves. He just returned from his first tour of duty in Tikrit, Iraq. I am so proud of him for supporting and aiding our soldiers in the fight for freedom and the continuation of the American way.

Featured Alum: Lachre Brown

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Lachre Brown, biology 2003, is now fulfilling her dreams in the field of healthcare as a registered nurse. She is not your typical nurse though, she is a travel nurse. Travel nursing has been around for years and is a growing career choice for new and upcoming nurses. The nurse travel agencies require a licensed registered nurse with one year of experience in any specialty area. Most nurses find an agency by just going on-line. There are hundred of agencies to choose from and each offers special perks in hopes that more nurses will choose their agency. Once an agency is chosen, then the fun begins! Nurses get to choose any place in the country that they want to go from California to Hawaii and even overseas, if the agency offers international travel. During the trip all expenses are paid for including airfare, housing and car rental. Looks like Lachre has found a dream job and she thanks the professors at CBU for helping her get there. Special thanks goes to Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald and the MHIRT program for providing that reaching out to the community and meeting the community’s health needs that enriches us all.

Featured Alum: Shanna Wall, Biology 2002

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Shanna Wall (on left)

Greetings from Dickson, Tennessee! This is Shanna Wall, class of 2002. I guess technically I should introduce myself as Dr. Shanna Wall. I graduated from CBU with a B.S. in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. After 4 long and tortuous years, I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

The professors of the science department prepared me incredibly well for the trials and tribulations of vet school. For example, we covered Embryology in 5 hours in my first semester anatomy class. That was one of the few topics I had the jump on compared to my classmates. I guess looking at a 48-hour chick embryo is like riding a bike.

Of course, neither CBU nor UTCVM could truly prepare me for “the real world”. Most of us that go into veterinary medicine go in with the idea that we can save the world, one pet at a time. In reality veterinarians must navigate through deal human issues just as frequently as pet issues. Sometimes I end up taking care of the human caretakers even more than their pets.

I start a new job the week of St. Patrick’s Day. The job is with Banfield, the Pet Hospital, which is affiliated with the Petsmart pet stores. I never thought that I would go into corporate medicine, but it is a great opportunity to provide high-quality preventative care to a broad client base. It will be a huge change (I hope) from my practice in Small-town, West Tennessee. Wish me luck and good luck to all of you!

Shanna

Featured Alum: Keith Criner, Natural Science 1999

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The article below is from an e-mail to Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald.

Dr. Fitz, Always good to hear from you. I have been getting the SOS newsletters which I enjoy reading. Its nice to see that CBU is thriving and that the SOS is doing well. The new building sounds nice. As for the Alumnus article, I would be happy to do whatever I can to help, and would be honored to be featured. I guess to update you on what’s going on in life, I will finish a combined 4 year Internal Medicine and Pediatric residency this June and then will start a combined 3 year Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship in July at UAMS. After that, I guess I will grow up and get a ‘real job’,probably doing just Critical Care Medicine in an ICU somewhere. Maybe academics, maybe private practice. Recently got married to Mary in October who is an Audiologist (ear hole specialist as i call it). Hobbies include fishing, traveling, flying (just a couple more hours and I will have my private pilot license). My interest in medicine started when I was at West Memphis High School, when I used to round on the weekends with Dr. John Huey, a Pulmonary doc in Memphis. CBU further fostered the desire to pursue medicine, though I had my doubts after a couple of exams with Drs. Ross and Wescott. While at CBU, I worked at Baptist Hospital Pharmacy as a Pharmacy Tech for 4 years, and later in Maternal Fetal Research at UTMem/The Med under Dr. Baha Sibia and Dr. Risa Ramsey. I think the employment and research activities helped keep me interested in medicine and provided some much needed money.

This was said in an earlier email,but I really didn’t realize how important your classes were at the time. We learned a lot of ‘stuff’ in college, but YOUR classes had actual real life ‘stuff’ that I still use today. Not a day goes by that I’m not thinking about Beta Receptor blockers or agonists, Alpha Receptor agonist or antagonist, chronotrophic and inotrophic agents such as Norepi, Epi, Dopamine, Dobutamine, Phenyeph, and how all of those things work together. When the BP goes down, the HR and ejection fraction needs to go up as does the vascular resistance. Hence, I remember your explanation of how dopamine is broken down into other neurotransmitters and what neurotransmitters have alpha, beta 1 or beta 2 effects. I can then make a decision on what drug to use and know why i am doing it. How can sodium worsen congestive heart failure and increase blood pressure? One simply needs to look at renal physiology and the Angiotension system. It all seems very simple now, but at the time it was a lot to grasp. I can remember pulling out my Physio notes from your class in college (which i still have) and reviewing physiology after a med school lecture. Your notes were, to say the least, easier to follow and actually made sense. Its easy to develop pattern recognition, that is someone is hypertensive they need fluids and dopamine. However, it is paramount to know why you are doing something, so when the old stand bys don’t work one can figure out what to do next. I think med school throws so much ‘stuff’ at you, it is sometimes hard to see the forest for the trees, and hence difficult to recognize what is important. You teach important concepts in a relaxed environment that tend to stick with people long after the class is over.

Neuroscience, without a doubt, was my hardest class in med school. Had I not taken your Neuroscience class and had a basic understanding of neuroanatomy and physiology, my battleship may have been sunk. All ten million gyri/sulci with those pesky spinal tracts and cranial nerves may have been the death of me. However, I was ahead of the game and was able to keep my head above water. None of my friends in medical school had ever had a Neuroscience class. I found myself correcting someone the other day. She said that birds knew to migrate South because as it got cooler they knew it was time to go. Actually, as I learned it, they have an area similar to our SupraChiasmatic Nucleus (I think the Eddinger-Westphal) that recognizes the amount of daylight and hence as the days get shorter, there is less sunlight, and that is how they know to migrate. This can further explain some depressive disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, less light stimulation equals less happy neurotransmitters. Its also the reason watching TV late at night can cause insomnia. Anway, the point is, these are things I learned from you, not from med school. But they are important concepts that we need to know and that I use regularly.

I didn’t mean to get verbose, I was just sitting here on call in the intensive care nusery and got to rambling. Compared hour for hour, college is a much more efficient way to learn than med school. Would love to come see the new building sometime. Maybe next time I come to visit the parents.

Thanks,
Keith

Featured Alum: Analice Hosey Sowell, B.S. Chemistry (minors math, physics), 2002; Master of Arts in Teaching, 2005

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Analice Sowell, and her husband, Michael

Teaching is 1% grading papers and 99% being interested in your students and subject you teach. The CBU science professors definitely love the science they teach, and always tried to express that in everything they did. This enjoyment of teaching and working with students has remained with me as I teach my own chemistry students at MUS. When I teach, I always try to think back to the first time I learned something new. I continually remind myself that at one time, I was in my students’ shoes … barely knowing what a chemical compound was, how to balance an equation, or even how to spell “stoichiometry” much less complete a problem. But, I always try to pattern my teaching after the great teachers I had in the School of Sciences. Many times, during my lectures, I’ll pause and chuckle to myself, knowing I just did something or said something just like a science professor I had at CBU. I’m proud to be a teacher, and I’m proud to say I’m a CBU graduate. After all, people see a science degree from CBU and immediately know the outstanding reputation of the School.

But, how did I decide to become a teacher? I worked at CBU after graduating with my Chemistry degree and attended graduate school at night to earn my M.A.T. I definitely had an interest in science and at the time was involved in many education outreach programs, so pursuing graduate work in education was a perfect fit. Once I finished my M.A.T, I took at job with Buckeye Technologies in the Product & Market Development Division as a Chemist. I enjoyed my work, and learned a great deal of real world applications of chemistry. However, I really wanted to go back into the classroom, and I had my chance. Through networking at ACS events like the High School Chemistry Competition (which CBU and ACS sponsor) I met many high school teachers. MUS had an opening for a chemistry instructor, and I readily accepted the chance to teach at a wonderful school like MUS. I will never regret pursuing a career in industry, because I learned so much during that time. However, teaching is definitely my calling. I have great students, and I love going down the halls and hearing “Hey Mrs. Sowell!” My students definitely know my classes are not easy. But, they also know that I will help them when they need me – just like all of my CBU science professors helped me. For some people, teaching high school might seem easy. I beg to differ! Anyone who says a high school teacher has a boring, effortless job evidently has never taught school. It’s a dream come true to teach at MUS, but I infinitely stay in running mode — keeping up with teenagers definitely keeps you on your toes!

Analice’s chemistry students at MUS

Outside of the classroom, my husband Michael and I enjoy attending MUS sporting events together. I’m also involved in the local section of the American Chemical Society, where I currently serve as Chair. Also, I serve on a national committee for ACS where we (the committee) develop K-8 science outreach activities for National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Day programs. Additionally, I serve as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the Graduate Education Programs at CBU. My days are busy, but thankfully my loving husband and family support my volunteer efforts and my dedication to teaching. I work with wonderful people at MUS, and I can honestly say I really am having the time of my life teaching here! I know that I do not have 65 aspiring chemists in my classes, but as long as they walk away from their year of Chemistry with an appreciation of all that it has to offer, and what it has given us, I can most assuredly say I have done my job.