The College of Medicine welcomes the following faculty and staff to new roles starting Jan. 1:
Leah Sheridan, Ph.D., associate dean for medical education and professor, Integrative Medical Sciences
As associate dean for medical education, Dr. Sheridan will provide leadership and oversight for developing high-quality, integrated curricular content and develop and oversee programs that ensure student success in the pre-clerkship phase of the curriculum and USMLE licensure examinations.
Dr. Sheridan has extensive experience teaching throughout the undergraduate and health professions continuum, teaching undergraduate students, physical therapy, pharmacy, and, most recently, medical students. She has received numerous awards from universities and national organizations for her learner-centered scholarly approach to teaching and research funding for her laboratory science and medical education efforts. Her current research interests include curriculum design, assessment for learning, learner-centered teaching strategies such as team-based learning, and the cognitive integration of the sciences into clinical reasoning and practice.
Dr. Sheridan earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and postdoctoral training from the University of Colorado (CU)-Denver Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the CU-Denver Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.
William Demas, M.D., assistant dean of student success and enrichment
As assistant dean of student success and enrichment, Dr. Demas will provide mentorship to all medicine students, serve as an advisor for the NEOMED chapter of the Student National Medical Association, support student success, and participate in the recruitment and retention of students in the COM and University pathway programs.
Dr. Demas has been chair of the NEOMED Radiology Department since 2011. He is a professor of radiology and has been a NEOMED faculty member since 1987. He is the medical director of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Salem Regional Medical Center and a practicing radiation oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and the Cancer Care Center in Salem, Ohio. He has earned numerous awards and honors during his career, including but not limited to Fellow, American Society of Radiation and Oncology, University of Akron Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, SUNY Downstate Medical Center Excellence in Service, and the NEOUCOM President's Award.
Dr. Demas received his medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and completed his residency in radiation oncology at Downstate-Kings County Hospital.
Brian Butler, M.B.A., director, project implementation
As director of project implementation, Butler will be responsible for directing the implementation of strategic initiatives within the College of Medicine. In this position, he will provide supervision over compliance of accreditation requirements and manage the continuous quality improvement of processes related to accreditation concerns.
Butler has been a part of the NEOMED community for the past four years as the assistant director of student services. A Northeast Ohio native, Brian grew up in the Portage Lakes area and earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Akron and an M.B.A. from The University of Toledo.
While in the Office of Student Services, Butler enjoyed working with NEOMED's talented and driven students and professional development opportunities such as the Lean Six Sigma yellow belt and green belt programs.
Carla Mattiussi, Ed.S., career advisor
As a career advisor in the College, Mattiussi will advise a cohort of medicine students enrolled in pre-matriculation degrees and those who have matriculated to the medical school class through the completion of their career as a student. She will play an essential role in academic advising, assessing interests and skills related to career goals, providing guidance on involvement in student organizations and research, and assisting with preparing their electronic residency application service (ERAS) applications and the residency interview process.
Mattiussi is a career expert focused on professional development. She is dedicated to providing a holistic counseling experience emphasizing integrating personality assessments. Her student development focus includes professional branding, mock interviewing and LinkedIn critique. Mattiussi’s collaborative, transformational counseling style emphasizes individual empowerment. Her focus on student success includes optimizing her writing skills to assist students with their curriculum vitae and resume content building.
— submitted by Jennifer Lint, director, administration and communications, College of Medicine