Alumni News
Emergency Medicine
Turki Alhamid (EM ’04) is a paramedic for the Royal Clinic/King’s Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is also part of the King Abdullah Medical Team establishing a non-emergency medical transport program. Alhamid met with Dean Cliff Brubaker during the dean’s trip to the Kingdom in November.
Health Information Management
Meagan Sampogna (HIM ’00) was promoted to director of client solutions and implementation for the Reimbursement Access Services Division of McKesson Specialty. The new position involved relocating to Scottsdale, Ariz. Previously, Sampogna served as director of pharmacy operations and director of strategy and program development for the company.
Meredith Flack (HIM ’08) accepted a position as implementation specialist with McKesson Provider Technologies, Alpharetta, Ga.
Julie Rudolph (HIM ’08) has accepted the position of implementation specialist with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Horsham, Pa.
Sarah Smith (HIM ’08) recently accepted the position of medical records coordinator with Precision Therapeutics, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dr. Bakheet Aldosari (HIM ’00, ’03) was promoted to chairman of the Department of Health Informatics in the College of Public Health and Health Informatics at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In November 2008, Aldosari met with Dean Alumni News Cliff Brubaker during the dean’s visit to Riyadh and assisted in meetings with Saudi educators.
HIM alumni joined faculty and guests at a reception held in conjunction with the AHIMA Conference in Seattle, Wash., in October. Gathering for a Class of 1981 reunion photo were (left to right) Barbara Rosen Knight (HIM ’81), Jill Sell-Kruse (HIM ’81), Dr. Mervat Abdelhak (HIM ’73, SIS ’81), HIM chair and associate professor; Denise Dunyak (HIM ’81) and Mark Dietz, AHIMA director.
Jill Sell-Kruse (HIM ’81), coding compliance coordinator for Memorial Health System, Colorado Springs, Co., is a 2008 ACE member of AHIMA and is a routine presenter for the Southern Colorado Health Information Management Association. She’s also the proud mother of three children (two in college).
Physical Therapy
Charlotte Carey (PT ’65), a competitive ballroom dancer, competed in the recent America’s Ballroom Challenge and placed 1st (world champion) in American Smooth Style World Pro-Am in the senior (60 and older) level, and 2nd in the American Smooth “C” level (50 and over). She and her partner also took 2nd place in the International Standard World Pro-Am in the senior level and 5th place in the Standard “C” level.
Dr. Ahmad Alghadir, (PT ’02, ’06) is chair and assistant professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in the College of Applied Medical Sciences at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is also serving as president of the Saudi Physiotherapy Association (SPTA). Alghadir provided Dr. Tony Delitto, chair and professor, Department of Physical Therapy, a tour of SPTA headquarters during Delitto’s recent visit to Riyadh in November.
Rehabilitation Science and Technology
Maggie Casteel (RST ’07) contributed a chapter in a recently published book on deafness, ACCESS – Multiple Avenues for Deaf People. Casteel provided a description of the latest innovative hearing assistive technology. She also contributes to Hearing Loss Magazine, distributed to members of Hearing Loss Association of America. Casteel, with her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, serves as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the VA.
Athletic Training
Ryan Grove (AT ’93, ’96), triathlon competitor, performed his personal best in the 2008 Ironman Austria in Klagenfurt, Austria, recording a 10- hour 17-minute time in the grueling triathlon. Grove competes in at least four Olympic distance, Half-Ironman, and Ironman Distance races each year. Next up is the Kinetic Half-Ironman in Lake Anna, Va. In addition, Grove, athletic trainer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, witnessed his second Super Bowl win and victory parade with the NFL team this past February.
Alumnus Named Legacy Laureate
Dr. David Perrin (AT ’85), pictured with Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, was named a University of Pittsburgh Legacy Laureate last October. Recognized for his outstanding personal and professional accomplishments, Perrin was among 12 honorees for 2008.
Renowned in the field of sports medicine and athletic training, Perrin received his doctorate in Exercise Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985. He currently services as provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, and a professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
As a member of the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Professional Education Committee, Perrin helped establish accreditation guidelines for both undergraduate and graduate athletic training programs. He has published over 130 research articles and textbook chapters. Perrin is a recipient of NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and is a member of the NATA Hall of Fame. He was named the SHRS Sports Medicine/Athletic Training Distinguished Alumnus in 2005.