The University of Kentucky College of Medicine Office of Faculty Affairs and Development recently recognized faculty members who received promotions and/or were granted tenure this year.

During a celebration honoring the recipients, Dean Chipper Griffith, M.D., reflected on the dedication and impact represented by these achievements.

"Promotion and tenure do not happen because of a single successful year or one notable accomplishment," Griffith said. "They reflect years of sustained excellence."

Griffith also highlighted the many ways faculty members strengthen the college through teaching, discovery, patient care and mentorship.

The College of Medicine congratulates the following faculty members on this significant achievement. 

The list is organized alphabetically by department, then by last name. 

Academic Medical Education

Holly Danneman, M.D.
Associate professor

Anesthesiology

Brian Abiri, D.O.
Associate professor

Syed Z. Ali, M.D.
Professor

Amy DiLorenzo, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Rebecca Myers, M.D.
Associate professor

Behavioral Science

Megan F. Dickson, Ph.D.
Associate professor

Emergency Medicine

Patrick Grace, M.D.
Associate professor

Jessica Houck, D.O.
Associate professor

Elaine Kim, M.D.
Associate professor

Erika Pasciuta, M.D.
Associate professor

Seth Stearley, M.D.
Professor

Family and Community Medicine

Tina Fawns, M.D.
Associate professor

Tisha Johnson, M.D.
Associate professor

Karen Roper, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Neena Thomas-Eapen, M.D.
Professor

Internal Medicine

Talal Alnabelsi, M.D.
Associate professor

Donald Campbell, M.D.
Associate professor

Chaitanya Iragavarapu, M.D.
Associate professor

Neeraj Kapur, Ph.D.
Associate professor

Andrew Leventhal, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Whitney Lynch, M.D.
Associate professor

Ashish Maskey, M.D.
Professor

Lakshmi Naidu, M.D.
Associate professor

Courtney Perry, D.O.
Associate professor

Paramarajan Piranavan, M.D.
Associate professor

Takako Schaninger, M.D.
Professor

Joseph Sweigart, M.D.
Professor

Katherine Twist, M.D.
Professor

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Houfu Guo, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Neurology

Zahra Haghighat, M.D.
Associate professor

Kimberly Jones, M.D.
Professor

Donita Lightner, M.D.
Professor

Kevin O’Connor, M.D.
Associate professor

Sharoon Qaiser, M.D.
Associate professor

Padmaja Sudhakar, M.D.
Professor

Kara Jo Swafford, M.D.
Associate professor

Neuroscience

Adam Bachstetter, Ph.D.
Professor with tenure

Salvatore J. Cherra III, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Lance Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor with tenure

Daniel Lee, Ph.D.
Professor with tenure

Joshua Morganti, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Kathleen Salmeron, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Neurosurgery

David Dornbos III, M.D.
Associate professor

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lauren Baldwin Branch, M.D.
Professor

Kourtney Grant, M.D.
Associate professor

Andrea Tucker, M.D.
Associate professor

Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Michelle Abou-Jaoude, M.D.
Associate professor

Ellen Van Norman, O.D.
Associate professor

Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine

Rasesh Desai, M.D.
Professor

Kimberly Kaiser, M.D.
Professor

Chase Kluemper, M.D.
Associate professor

Kathleen Roberts, M.D.
Associate professor

Brandon Scott, M.D.
Associate professor

Benjamin R. Wilson, M.D.
Associate professor

Otolaryngology

Kenneth Iverson, M.D.
Professor

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Janna Neltner, M.D.
Professor

Sahar Nozad, M.D.
Associate professor

Nathan R. Shelman, M.D.
Associate professor

Pediatrics

Prasad Bhandary, M.D.
Professor

Sumit Dang, M.D.
Professor

Murali Palla, M.D.
Professor

Stephanie White, M.D.
Professor

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Cassandra Gipson-Reichardt, Ph.D.
Professor with tenure

Terry D. Hinds Jr., Ph.D.
Professor with tenure

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Cecil Hollen, D.O.
Associate professor

Physiology

A. Catalina Vélez-Ortega, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Psychiatry

Jennifer Connor Godbey, LCSW
Associate professor

Gopalkumar Rakesh, M.D.
Associate professor

Radiology

Riham El Khouli, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor

Gaby E. Gabriel, M.D.
Professor

Joseph Owen, M.D.
Professor

Surgery

Siddharth Desai, M.D.
Associate professor

Clinton T. Morgan, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate professor

Mansi Shah-Jadeja, M.D.
Associate professor

Joshua P. Steiner, M.D.
Associate professor

Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Luksana Chaiswing, Ph.D.
Associate professor with tenure

Urology

Amanda Buchanan, M.D.
Professor

Campbell Grant, M.D.
Associate professor