Faculty Promotions 2018

September 11, 2018

Lisa R. Stoneking, MD, has been promoted to professor of emergency medicine, Clinical Scholar Track. She joined the department in 2008, and in 2013 became the program director of the University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Recently, Dr. Stonking was elected to serve as the Banner – University Medical Center South Chief of Staff for the next two years.

Dr. Stoneking has been involved in the development of innovative, nationally recognized residency program curricula, feedback tools, and study techniques that she has implemented at the UA and published in leading research journals. She developed and expanded the popular Integrated Medical Spanish Curriculum and a Wellness Curriculum in the residency program.

In addition to residency education, Dr. Stoneking is active as a leader and teacher at the College of Medicine, serving as Associate Block Director and facilitator for the Clinical Reasoning Course for first- and second-year medical students. She participates in Multiple Mini Interviews and was named one of the top faculty participants in the MMIs, helping to select the Class of 2020 for the College of Medicine. In 2017, she was elected into the Academy of Medical Education Scholars, and awarded the Faculty Medical Student Teacher of the Year award by medical students rotating through BUMC emergency departments.

Dr. Stoneking also received the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC) Junior Mentor Award for her collaborative research efforts with residents and medical students, and the Academic Teaching Award by the graduating senior residents.

Coauthor of journal articles and abstracts on sepsis research, quality improvement, medical education and healthcare disparities, Dr. Stoneking is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Academy of Emergency Physicians, and the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors.

“Dr. Stoneking is an amazing talent and extremely passionate about academic medicine. She has demonstrated outstanding performance in all missions and is a gifted leader. She also becomes the third woman in the department to attain the rank of full professor!” says Department of Emergency Medicine Head, Samuel M. Keim, MD.

“I have been fortunate to work in an environment that encourages promotion,” says Dr. Stoneking. “Emergency Medicine is a fairly young specialty and advancing to professor as a female allows me to serve as a role model for future female leaders in emergency medicine,” says Dr. Stoneking.

Clinical Associate Professor Promotions

Todd M. Alter, MD, MS, joined the department in 2011. He has an active role in training residents and educating medical students, facilitating their learning from lecture halls and simulation labs to bedside patient care. With a background in biomedical engineering and biotechnology, Dr. Alter has participated in research that includes the areas of spinal cord injury, gene therapy, environmental-pulmonary medicine, atherosclerotic disease, and laser-optical medical instrument development. He is an active member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM).

Brian S. Drummond, MD, joined the department in 2012. Dr. Drummond previously served two years as Assistant Medical Director for Banner – University Medical Center South Emergency Department. He teaches case-based instruction to first-year medical students and serves as a mentor to students interested in emergency medicine. He developed a medical student ultrasound teaching module, helping students to understand ultrasound early in their education. Dr. Drummond set up a series of formal and informal lectures for residents. He has received a number of teaching awards, including the Clinical Teaching Award, Resident Choice for Senior Teacher Award, and the Faculty Leadership Award. In 2017, he was named Clinical Instructor of the Year. For the past 5 years, he has served as associate editor for PEPID, a clinical and drug digital resource for emergency physicians. He is a former United States Naval Officer, having twice deployed to Iraq as a General Medical Officer. After completing residency training at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, Dr. Drummond served in Guam and Twentynine Palms, Calif., as an Emergency Physician in the United States Navy. He received a number of military achievement awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal for his role in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

J. Scott Lowry, MD, joined the department in 2013. Dr. Lowry is the Medical Director at Banner – UMC Tucson Emergency Department. His research includes currently serving as the Co-PI for the ScholarQuest clinical research project, “The Effects of Dexamethasone on the Time to Pain Resolution in Dental Apical Abscess.” He serves on the editorial boards for three scientific journals: Journal of Emergency Medicine, Archives of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, and International Journal of Anesthesiology & Research. He also is an associate editor for Dr. Amal Mattu’s latest edition of Avoiding Common Errors in the Emergency Department that was published in 2017. Dr. Lowry has been recognized for outstanding clinical teaching, receiving the 2016 Clinical Teaching Award from the University of Arizona Emergency Medicine Residency at South Campus. An active member of the Arizona College of Emergency Physicians (AzCEP) since residency, he has held a continuous seat on the AzCEP Board of Directors and has served on the executive board and various committees. On a national level, he was an alternate councilor for ACEP in 2012 and has been a full-voting councilor every year since 2013. Dr. Lowry is a member of the UA College of Medicine and Banner – University Medical Center Tucson Leadership Council.

Christopher G. Williams, MD, became a faculty member in the department in 2012. Shortly after joining the UA, Dr. Williams developed a new curriculum in Wilderness Medicine, which formally became a College of Medicine elective and offers certification in Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS). He also serves as faculty advisor to the Wilderness Medicine Interest Group. He is a member of the Clinical Medicine Student Teaching Faculty (CMSTF), a small group of emergency medicine attending physicians who devote time to medical student education within the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Williams’ teaching to both medical students and residents has earned him Clinical Teaching Awards. He has published journal articles for his research, which includes wilderness medicine and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Williams is a member at large of the UA College of Medicine and Banner – University Medical Center Tucson Leadership Council.