Small Street Journal: August 28, 2015

Gail Kinney and Jane Scheuermann have achieved the 2015 Roy and Jan Fuerstenberg Teaching Excellence Awards, Chippewa Valley Technical College’s top award for teachers. The awards were presented Aug. 20 during the second of two in-service days to start the new school year. Faculty members are nominated for the prestigious award by their students, and those honored receive cash honorariums of $1,500. Scheuermann, a former associated professor at UW-La Crosse, is a science instructor at CVTC. Kinney joined CVTC in 1990 as a prevention and intervention facilitator. She became and AODA instructor in 1994 and has also been program director since 2004. 

Applied Data Consultants won the WI Innovation Award for Elite EXTRA, in the Software (Service) category. The event, the second annual, took place at Discovery World on Milwaukee’s lakefront. With a total of 33 finalists out of over 170 nominations, the awards were broken down into 10 categories, with biotech, business to business and education among them. Winners were decided by a panel of past winners and Wisconsin business leaders. 

Seven UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff members were recognized for excellence during the university's academic year opening meeting on Aug. 25. Chancellor James Schmidt presented 2015 Excellence Awards to: 

• Janice Henderson, custodian in Custodial Services
  
• Melissa Boellaard, clinical agency coordinator in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences
  
• Dr. Ali Abootalebi, professor of political science
  
• Dr. David Jones, professor of English and liberal studies program director
  
• B.J. Hollars, assistant professor of English 
  
• Dr. Jeffrey Goodman, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in psychology
  
• Dr. Tali Lee, professor of biology
  

Each honoree received a university medallion and $1,500. All six of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation excellence awards for faculty and staff are funded by Markquart Motors and Markquart Toyota of Eau Claire. The 2015 UW System Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award nominee is funded by the Arnold and Lois Domer Foundation of Eau Claire.

Saleha Chaudhry, M.D., recently joined Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Chaudhry earned her medical and general surgery degrees from Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan. She completed her residency at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is board-certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the American Medical Association and American College of Physicians. Previously, Chaudhry worked in Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, Minnesota. 

Pharmacist Michele Richmond recently was named outpatient director of Pharmacy & Home Medical at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire and Osseo. In addition, Richmond will be responsible for the oncology and outpatient infusion pharmacy and long-term care pharmacy in Eau Claire. Richmond completed her pre-pharmacy coursework at UW-Eau Claire and received her pharmacy degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. Richmond has worked for Mayo Clinic Health System for eight years, including the past four as retail outpatient pharmacy manager. Previously, Richmond gained outpatient pharmacy and management experience at the Shopko pharmacy in Chippewa Falls.

Ophthalmologist Naomie Jean-Kraus Warner, D.O., has joined the Eye Care Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Warner completed her undergraduate degree in biology from St. Norbert College in De Pere and spent a semester abroad studying biology and chemistry at Lancaster University in England. She earned her medical degree from the School of Osteopathic Medicine at Des Moines University in Iowa, where she also earned a master’s degree in health care administration. Warner completed her pre-residency fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. She also completed a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus, or misaligned eyes, at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Before joining Mayo Clinic Health System, Warner completed a rotating internship and ophthalmology residency at Michigan State University/Hillsdale Community Health Center in Hillsdale.

Zachary Noland, nurse practitioner, recently joined the Radiology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. His practice will focus on interventional radiology, which uses minimally invasive image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat conditions, such as varicose veins, peripheral vascular disease and deep vein thrombosis. Noland earned his doctor of nursing practice and his bachelor’s degree in nursing UW-Eau Claire. He is board-certified as an adult gerontologic primary care nurse practitioner. Previously, Noland worked as a registered nurse in the post-anesthesia care unit and in pre-operative evaluation at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire.

Joan Cook and Angela Hite have recently joined the HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation Leadership Council. Cook is a long-time member of the Volunteer Partners of HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. She has volunteered for 19 years at the hospital’s information desk and has served on the hospital’s Volunteer Partners Board for 16 years in various positions. Cook has also served as district chair of the Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association. Hite is the community relations director for Dove Healthcare & Associates. Hite is active in professional and civic organizations, including United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley, the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce and the Eau Claire Noon Rotary. HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation Leadership Council provides the local leadership, oversight and direction for fund development strategy and implementation in support of the hospital’s health care ministry through philanthropy.  

Sister M. Peter Lillian Di Maria, O.Carm, recently was awarded the fourth-annual Father Lawrence Dunklee Excellence in Ethics Award at the sold-out 2015 Excellence in Ethics Symposium, which took place at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. The award, given annually at the hospital’s Ethics Symposium and named after the late Father Dunklee – founder of the hospital’s Center for Spiritual Care – is designed to highlight the deep connection between the Catholic Church and the ministry of health care in the field of ethics. The annual winner of the award exemplifies Father Dunklee’s spirit and devotion to the field of Catholic health care ethics. This year’s award recipient, Sister M. Peter Lillian Di Maria, O.Carm, has more than 35 years of experience in the continuum care ministry as a Carmelite Sister for the Aged and Infirm. Sister holds a bachelor’s in secondary education and currently holds three state licenses as a nursing home administrator.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that for the first time, starting July 2015, star ratings on Home Health Agencies are available on Home Health Compare, the agency’s public information website. HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Home Health recently earned an overall 3.5 stars in the rating system and was rated above the national benchmark in indicators such as timely initiation of care, drug education on all medications, improvement in getting in and out of bed, and reduction in hospitalizations. CMS’ goal for the star rating is to help provide consumers with an easier understanding of and comparison in the quality of skilled home health care provided by agencies. The star ratings use a subset of the current 27 quality measures already publicly reported on Home Health Compare.

Two HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital colleagues have recently earned advanced certifications. Darcy Clements, Pharm D., in the hospital’s pharmacy department, recently earned her board certified pharmacotherapy specialist certification. Pharmacotherapy specialists are responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate and efficient use of drugs in patient care. They are also responsibility for direct patient care, often functioning as a member of a multidisciplinary team and are frequently the primary source of pharmaceutical information for other healthcare professionals. Todd Edgar, RN, in the hospital’s surgical services department, has recently earned his CNOR certification. CNOR certification is the documented validation of the professional achievement of identified standards of practice by an individual registered nurse providing care for patients before, during and after surgery. CNOR-certified nurses are recognized internationally for providing the highest quality of care to patients in the perioperative setting.