Florida International University (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences is welcoming more than 10 new faculty members across its six departments this fall semester. These educators, many of whom are returning to their alma mater, represent the College’s mission to prepare the next generation of diverse health care professionals through interdisciplinary research and instruction.

“We are pleased that so many accomplished professionals will be inspiring and preparing our students to become health care leaders by virtue of their own experiences, innovative teaching methods and forward-thinking research,” said Ora Strickland, PhD, dean of the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Athletic Training Faculty

• Shane Vaughan, MSAT– Clinical Instructor: Dr. Vaughan is a certified athletic trainer with areas of expertise in anatomy, physiology, injury assessment and rehabilitation. A member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, he is matriculating toward his Doctor of Athletic Training from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Ariz., and has a Master of Science in Athletic Training from FIU. Dr. Vaughn most recently served as the head athletic trainer and sports medicine educator at Woodside High School in Newport News, Va.

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty

• Alliete Rodriguez Alfano, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT – Visiting Assistant Professor: Dr. Alfano will be teaching courses in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program, as well as graduate prerequisite courses for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline interested in pursuing the MS-SLP degree. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from Florida State University and a doctorate degree in special education from the University of Miami (Fla.). She is the founder and president of The Alfano Center, a multi-disciplinary therapy center in Miami that supports individuals with communication challenges through speech, occupational, psychological, auditory-verbal and deaf literacy services. Dr. Alfano’s current research focuses on linguistic issues among bilingual and deaf communities.

• Angela M. Medina, PhD, CCC-SLP – Assistant Professor: Dr. Medina is a speech pathologist and licensed teacher with experience at the elementary level. Having graduated from FIU with a master’s degree in linguistics and earning her PhD at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, she went on to work with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to assist children with phonetics, fluency and language therapy. Her work has been featured in numerous books on linguistic studies, and she has also received international recognition in Sweden, Ireland and Canada for her poster presentations on bilingual analysis and other linguistic themes.

 Health Services Administration Faculty

• Frank Wensheng Fan, PhD, EDI Certificate: Dr. Fan’s career in medical and health services administration stems back to his days as a research associate for the China Health Economics Institute. He joins FIU most recently having been an assistant professor of health care administration at Western Kentucky University. He previously served as a project coordinator for the China Initiative, a project within Harvard’s Department of Global Health and Population. His current research focus is on the extensive relationship between health care systems and economics. Dr. Fan obtained a PhD from the U.S. Department of Health Services Administration, an Economic Development Institute Certificate from the World Bank, as well as a master’s degree in public health and bachelor’s degree in medical administration from China’s Shandong Medical University and Hubei Medical University, respectively.

Nursing Faculty

• Therese Boyd, EdD, ARNP, AGPCNP-BC – Clinical Assistant Professor: Dr. Boyd joins a team of professors designated for the College’s Foreign-Educated Physician to BSN/MSN nursing program. A graduate of FIU’s bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs herself, she was previously the associate director for FIU’s Student Health. As a consultant with FIU, she secured a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for research on HIV education. From 2011-2015, Dr. Boyd earned recognition for her work by FIU’s Division of Student Affairs and was named an American College Health Association Foundation Star in 2015.

• Mark Fonseca, RN, ARNP – Visiting Clinical Instructor: Mr. Fonseca worked as an assistant at the College’s Nursing Skills Lab before assuming his current role as a clinical instructor for FIU’s undergraduate nursing program. He previously worked as a nurse at Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit after graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from FIU. He is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner in the state of Florida and is a member of the Nurse Practitioner Council of Miami-Dade.

• Ann B. Miller, DNP, CRNA, ARNP – Clinical Associate Professor:  Dr. Miller joins the FIU Nursing faculty after having served as an investigator at Florida Gulf Coast University’s College of Health Professions and Social Work. She earned her PhD in Nursing from Northeastern University after obtaining a master’s degree in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of New England in Maine. Dr. Miller’s research is focused on the leadership role of nurses in the evolving health care system and the removal of scope-of-practice barriers. She was awarded first place for best “Evidence Based Practice Research” at the 2015 National Convention for Nurse Anesthetists.

• Rosa Roche, PhD, ARNP – Clinical Assistant Professor:  Dr. Roche joins as a full-time faculty member after more than eight years as an adjunct professor for FIU’s graduate nursing program. She obtained her doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from FIU and was named to FIU’s Top 25 Alumni list in 2007. She is a licensed National Certified Asthma Educator and previously worked as a pediatric nurse at Miami Children’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital. She also received research grants to study cystic fibrosis and asthma and appeared in various publications, including the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.

Occupational Therapy Faculty

• Jaclyn Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L – Assistant Professor: Dr. Schwartz comes to the FIU OT department after a three-year tenure as a graduate research assistant and adjunct lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also earned a PhD in Health Sciences. She brings a uniquely multidisciplinary teaching perspective to the OT program, having obtained a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Schwartz has experience developing content for smartphones and web applications to improve community accessibility and is a member of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

• Ingris Treminio, DOT – Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor: Dr. Treminio makes the jump to the full-time faculty ranks after less than a year serving as an adjunct faculty member for FIU’s OT department. Dr. Treminio graduated from FIU with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, and obtained a clinical doctorate in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Treminio worked as a pediatric occupational therapist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Children’s Hospital and various children’s therapy centers in South Florida.

Physical Therapy Faculty

• Erasmo L. Alvarez, PT, DPT – Clinical Assistant Professor: Dr. Alvarez was as an adjunct professor for FIU’s physical therapy department before his new full-time faculty member position. He graduated with honors from FIU with a bachelor’s degree in health education, obtained a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami (Fla.), and earned his doctorate degree in physical therapy from the University of Montana with a specialty in orthopedics and sports medicine. He brings to the position more than 20 years of experience in private practice having worked as an exercise physiologist for the Miami-Dade Police Training Bureau and as a sports/orthopedics physical therapist for Baptist Health Doctors Hospital.

• Laura Miller McPherson, PhD, DPT – Assistant Professor: Dr. Miller McPherson previously served as a physical therapist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago before joining FIU’s physical therapy faculty. She earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northwestern University where she was also a post-doctoral research associate in neurophysiology.  Dr. Miller McPherson has authored multiple articles for the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy and is currently conducting research on the effect of neural constraints on stroke patients, which is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She also received a Travelling Fellows Award from the American Physical Therapy Association Section on Research.

• Nicole Rendos, PhD, LAT, ATC, CSCS – Post-doctoral Associate: Dr. Rendos recently obtained a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Miami (Fla.) (UM), preceded by master’s and bachelor’s degrees in athletic training from the University of Virginia and West Virginia University, respectively. Dr. Rendos’ academic experience includes tenures as a visiting assistant professor at Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina) and graduate research and teaching assistant at UM.  She has been involved in clinical research throughout her career, including studies on control mechanisms for endurance athletes. She will support FIU PT Assistant Professor Dr. Laura Miller McPherson with her research on neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation for post-stroke patients. Dr. Rendos is also a certified and licensed athletic trainer with the National Athletic Trainers Association, the Florida Department of Health and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

 
About the FIU Nicole Wertheim College Nursing and Health Sciences

Established in 1982, the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida was elevated to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences when it joined with the School of Health Sciences in October 2006. It was renamed as the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences in September 2013.The College offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, baccalaureate completion and specialty programs in nursing education; bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Health Services Administration; entry-level master’s degrees in Athletic Training, Speech-Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy; and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  The College’s Graduate Nursing program is ranked No. 58 in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report 2017 Best Graduate Schools listing.