Dr. James L. Hughes, M. Beckett Howorth Professor
Hughes graduated from Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1963. After completing two years of residency at Roosevelt Hospital in New York, he completed three years of orthopedic residency at Johns Hopkins. Hughes then completed two fellowships in orthopedic surgery in Bern and Basel, Switzerland, and one fellowship in experimental chirurgie in Davos, Switzerland. Hughes has published numerous articles in addition to co-authoring chapters such as "Fractures of the Ankle" in Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults and the "The Elbow" in Atlas of Orthopedic Surgical Approaches. He co-authored the text "Stabilization of the Hand and Wrist."
Hughes is a member of numerous organizations, including the Christian Medical Foundation International, Inc. He was one of three original U.S. corresponding members for AO International. He served as trustee and executive committee member of the AO/ASIF Foundation. He chaired the socio-economic committee, was a member of the education committee, and served as past chairman of the AO North America educational committee. Also, he served as chief of staff at the University of Mississippi Medical Center from July 1984 to June 1985, and is presently on the Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center medical staff and also serves as medical director of both UMC’s physical therapy division and the University Rehabilitation Center.
Majd Alwan, Ph.D., Director, CAST
Majd Alwan, Ph.D., received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Damascus University, Damascus, Syria in 1988, his M.S. in control engineering with distinction from Bradford University, Bradford, UK in 1992, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering (intelligent assistive robotics) in 1997 from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, London, UK.
He worked from 1988-1991 for the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST), as a Design Engineer and a Research Assistant. In 1997, he returned to HIAST as a Lecturer and Researcher. In the beginning of 2002, he joined the Medical Automation Research Center (MARC) at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Robotics and Eldercare Technologies Program. His research interests encompassed designing, validating and evaluating the outcome of monitoring systems and assistive devices that address the needs of seniors and their caregivers. While at MARC, Majd published several articles on monitoring technology. He co-founded Home Guardian LLC, a start-up company that specializes in In-Home Functional and Health Status Monitoring Systems and Services.
He is a member of the IEEE's Engineering in Medicine and Biology, and Robotics and Automation Societies. Dr. Alwan is also a member of IEEE-USA's Medical Technology Policy Committee (MTPC) and the Geriatric Care Workgroup (GCW).
Tonya Estes
Tonya Estes is director of client services for Samarion, Inc., where she is responsible for the development and maintenance of all client-related documentation, including training materials, system user manuals and other support documentation. She conducts onsite training for customer staff, facility residents and family members, and establishes and maintains customer service programs. Since 2000, Estes has also served as administrator and owner of The Gardens Assisted Living, a 39-apartment assisted living facility, and The Guardian House, a 60-bed total Alzheimer’s care facility, where she was responsible for the initial startup and operations management and also handled facility compliance matters with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and Department of Social Services regulations for the 80+ employee facility.
In 1989, Estes received an undergraduate degree from McNeese State University, and in 1992, she was licensed as a nursing facility administrator. Previous work experience includes serving as a rehab administrator and marketing director for St. Francis Nursing Home in Oberlin, La., and a Medicare consultant for 19 skilled nursing facilities through The Broussard Group in Lake Charles, La.
Kim Welch Hoover, PhD, RN
Kim Welch Hoover, is a professor and associate dean for research and evaluation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing in Jackson. She provides oversight for faculty and student generated research and grants, and facilitates all evaluation and research related activities. Additionally, Hoover has a critical role directing the Magnet research Initiatives.
For the past eight years, Hoover has been instrumental in building the Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce – one of the most active and widely cited nursing centers in the country. She has served as project director, director of research, and most recently, as research consultant. Hoover presents this work and is often sought as a data, workforce and research consultant at the state, regional and national levels. Her most recent publication, The Politics of the Nursing Workforce in Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee’s Policy and Politics for Nursing and Healthcare (2006), highlighted the political dynamics effecting today’s healthcare workforce.
Hoover is active on state and national committees and maintains memberships in the American Nurses Association, Academy Health, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Southern Nursing Research Society, and Phi Kappa Phi. She is currently a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation executive nurse fellow and has won numerous research and leadership awards.
Sheila D. Keller, PhD
Sheila Keller, PhD, is owner and president of an independent research consulting firm, where she has spent the past eight years specializing in outcomes based research and analysis. In 2001, she received her PhD in Clinical Health Sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she is currently an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor. With more than 20 years of healthcare experience, Keller has conducted research and evaluation for federally funded grant projects such as Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Labor (DOL), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and various public and private organizations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Keller’s background and expertise in health services research has led to her work in quality and patient safety issues, where she currently conducts research among rural Mississippi hospitals and long term care facilities.
Prior work experience includes Assistant Professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Research Biostatistician in the Office of Policy and Planning at the Mississippi State Health Department, and Research Associate for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is a member of Academy Health, National Association for Healthcare Quality, American Society of Clinical Pathologists and American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists. She is board certified with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.
For more information about the OBS team, email OBS@Samarion.com