Key Individuals
Dr. Babu P. Patlolla
Alcorn State University
Dr. Babu P. Patlolla
Dr. Babu Patlolla has held the position of Dean of College of Arts and Sciences since 2013 at Alcorn State university. Prior to that he was Associate Dean for the College for four years. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at Alcorn State University since 1997 and currently holds the rank of Professor.
During his tenure at Alcorn, Dr. Patlolla conducted summer workshops for K-12 Math and Science teachers from the surrounding school districts for several years. Since 2011 he has been serving on the Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA) Board. Recent Awards received by Dr. Patlolla include the "Diversity Award for Excellence" in 2018 from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and "Outstanding Contribution to Science Award" in 2021 from the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Patlolla received his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry and master's degree in Genetics from Osmania University, India. He received his master's degree in biology and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Jackson State University. He is the son of Sri P. Anna Rao and the late Smt. P. Susheela of Raparthy, Telangana, India. He is married to Dr. Anita Patlolla and are parents of a son, Shiva, and a daughter, Sapna.
Edmund Kerut M.D. F.A.C.C.
Luisiana State University
Edmund Kerut M.D. F.A.C.C.
Dr. Kerut graduated with special distinction in Biomedical Engineering from Mississippi State University, where he is currently Adjunct Professor of Engineering. He then received his M.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by a cardiology fellowship at the University of Maryland. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, Echocardiography and Cardiac Computed Tomography (Cardiac CT).
Dr. Kerut is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography. He is a Diplomat in Cardiovascular Computed Tomography as well as Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography. He sub-specializes in non-invasive heart testing (echo and CT) and has a strong interest in preventive cardiovascular care. Additionally, for over 20 years Dr. Kerut has evaluated commercial and recreational divers from all over North America with unexplained decompression sickness for heart or lung shunts.
Dr. Kerut has published well over 100 articles and abstracts in medical journals, has written several medical book chapters, and two medical textbooks. He is the senior editor for Echocardiography, a medical journal with worldwide distribution.
Basic research interests include writing computer analysis programs to evaluate cardiac and nerve electrical signals, microscopic images of tissues and cells, blood vessel branching patterns, and quantitate contraction patterns of lymph ducts. Through his research he developed a patent for tissue imaging.
Dedicated to his patients and profession, Dr. Kerut is also a family man. He is married to a physician and has three children. He is a member of First Baptist Church of New Orleans.
He has had an interest in health and injury prevention in young athletes, including dehydration and heat related illness and arm injury related to pitching in baseball. He has written several papers on the subject which can be accessed above.
Yufeng Zheng, PhD
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Yufeng Zheng, PhD
Dr. Zheng will discuss Data Science and advancement of technology in biomedical research and population health through integration of deep learning (DL) technologies and data-driven models.
Dr. Yufeng Zheng is an associate professor of data science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He received his Ph.D. in optical engineering and image processing in 1997 from Tianjin University, China. From 2001 to 2005, he served as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Zheng's research interests span various areas, including image processing and pattern recognition, neural networks and artificial intelligence, information fusion, biometrics (facial recognition), machine learning and computer vision, and computer-aided diagnosis.
This presentation highlights advances by showcasing two health applications that leverage the capabilities of DL. Firstly, a You-Only-Look-Once (YOLO) fusion model demonstrates its prowess in detecting the location and predicting the risk of early-stage breast cancers using digital (X-ray) mammograms with an impressive accuracy of 92%. The integration of screening mammograms with computer-aided detection proves to be an indispensable and efficient tool for identifying early-stage cancers. Secondly, a hybrid DL model is introduced for estimating heart rate (HR) and blood oxygen saturation level (SPO2) from facial videos. Anticipating the continued evolution of intelligent deep learning models, it is envisioned that they will pave the way for even smarter health applications, potentially progressing into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). The integration of DL and AI holds the promise of reducing disparities and enhancing healthcare outcomes.
Dr. Zheng holds a utility patent in face recognition. Dr. Zheng is Author or co-Author of three books, six book chapters, 27 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and 61 papers in conference proceedings. Dr. Zheng is a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and holds senior memberships with IEEE & Signal Processing Society and SPIE.
Dr. Richard L. Wilson
Towson University &amkp; University of Baltimore
Dr. Richard L. Wilson
Richard L. Wilson is a Professor of Philosophy and Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University in Towson, MD, and Senior Research Scholar in the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics at the University of Baltimore, MD. Professor Wilson is a specialist in applied ethics with a variety of publications in cyber warfare ethics, information warfare ethics, and ethics of warfare. In addition, he works in business ethics, engineering ethics, environmental ethics, media ethics, and medical ethics. Teaching ethics in a wide variety of areas has led Professor Wilson to the commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to and in all fields of ethics and the centralizing in all of his work to "anticipatory ethics".
Dr. Joseph A. Cameron
Jackson State University (retired)
Dr. Joseph A. Cameron
Joseph A. Cameron, Ph.D, is a Retired Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Programs in the Department of Biology at Jackson State University. He also served as the interim Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and Co-Director of the Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program at Jackson State University. Dr. Cameron is currently a Board Member of the Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium (RMBS), the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) and the Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference (SBEC). He has acquired and directed or co-directed, intra and inter-institutional biomedical research and training grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ie., NIGMS, NHLBI, NIMHD, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Education and the U. S. ARMY that resulted in the mentoring and training of hundreds of students, particularly minority, at the pre-college, bachelors, masters and doctoral levels. He has served for many years in faculty and/or administrative roles at Grambling State University, Jackson State University and Michigan State University. Dr. Cameron has also been active in extracurricular activities including serving as President of the Mississippi Academy of Science, founding member and Director of Community Mobilization for the NIH funded Jackson Heart Study, Member, Board of Examiners, Doctoral Degree Program, SRI Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India, Chair and/or member of NIH review panels for various grants including K01, K08, R-25, T-25, etc., served as an active member of research societies, e.g., endocrine society, society of experimental biology and medicine, etc. He has received many awards and recognition for his achievements, including the Sigma Xi award for "Meritorious Research", Outstanding Contributions to the MAS and inclusion in a "USA Scientific Delegation to Europe", "Personalities of the South", and "Who's Who Among Black Americans". In addition, he has published extensively and presented research findings nationally and internationally.
Dr. Timothy Turner
Tuskegee University
Dr. Timothy Turner
Dr. Timothy Turner is Associate VP for Research in the Center for Biomedical Research at Tuskegee University (TU). He received his B.S. degree in biology from Jackson State University, Jackson MS. His cancer research career started at the University of California, Berkeley where he received his PhD in Endocrinology and Tumor Biology. Dr. Turner conducted postdoctoral training in Developmental Biology in the Department of Pathology at the University of California at San Francisco and in Molecular Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research interests focus on identifying and disrupting signaling mechanisms involved the progression of prostate cancer to its invasive and metastatic stages. Over his career, Dr. Turner has been the recipient of several research, education, and community honors and awards. He is one of the multiple PIs (MPI) on the following grants at TU: the Morehouse School of Medicine/Tuskegee University/University of Alabama at Birmingham O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center U54 Partnership, the UAB/TU Benjamin-Carver FIRST Partnership, and MPI on the TU Center for Biomedical Research/Research Centers in Minority Institutions. In his position as Associate VP for Research, his mandate is to increase the biomedical and health disparity research on Tuskegee's campus. He plans to use his extensive scientific expertise and administrative leadership experience to support, guide and assist TU scientists in taking their research ideas and turning them into actuality.
Dr. Rita Harvey
Veteran Administration
Dr. Rita Harvey
Dr. Rita Harvey, a physiatrist, has years of diverse work, management, and leadership experiences as a physician executive. Dr. Harvey was the owner/physician of Health and Rehabilitation Specialists, P.C., a general physical medicine and rehabilitation practice serving the local communities of East Alabama. She served as the community expert in the issuance of mobilized devices, operated the main EMG clinics for the surrounding communities and hospital, and operated a pain management clinic, which also assisted the local VA when they did not have an available physiatrist. Additionally, her physical medicine outpatient clinics established an amputee clinic in the local community. Since joining the VA, Dr. Harvey served as the Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services, Central AL VAMC in Tuskegee and Montgomery, AL and GV Sonny VAMC, Jackson, MS. She now serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Jackson VA. Dr. Harvey is a native Mississippian. She completed her undergraduate degree at Jackson State University, her medical school degree at the University of California, Davis and her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and continues to practice medicine as a physician in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service.
Mr. Jonathan S. Barrett
Blueway Design
Mr. Jonathan S. Barrett
Mr. Jonathan S. Barrett, MS Psych, MBA Global Mgmt, previously served the University of Wyoming's College of Engineering and Applied Science as their acting Director of Marketing and Communications (2010-2013). His initial charge was to actively integrate the Strategic Diversity Initiatives Committee into university-wide operations. This committee's primary objective was to increase the level of social intelligence within the organization's structure with emphasis on minority populations (ethnic and LGBTQIA+), while simultaneously continuing the building of the university's relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Most recently, Jonathan provided services in the private sector as the Sr. Web Developer and Designer and Ally to the PRIDE Veterinary Medical Community 501(c)(3) working to publish and adopt the (Global) Gender Diversity Bill of Rights for the Veterinary Profession alongside the document's authors, reviewers/contributors and legal reviewers.
GIBOR has now been signed by more than 200 industry partners circling the globe including the Black DVM Network, International Association of Veterinary Social Work, Jewish Association of Veterinary Students, Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association, National Association for Black Veterinarians, Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative et al. Additionally, Jonathan is a 500 hr registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance. Primary modalities of his classes include meditation, yoga nidra, restorative yoga and yin.
Dr. Barbara Graham
Jackson State Universit
Dr. Barbara Graham
Dr. Barbara Graham is director of the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program at Jackson State University. She is a recognized leader in higher education, working to ensure that all have an equal opportunity to improve their lives through education.
Graham knows first-hand the power of a college credential, and she has made it part of her life's mission to help others, especially minorities achieve prosperity through a hearty education.
She has taught Chemistry, Biology and a variety of Environmental Science graduate courses. Graham has researched, taught and consulted in areas of environmental science, student success, first-year student retention, and STEM retention. She has worked in collaborative projects with non-STEM faculty to diversify STEM by introducing students from other disciplines with opportunities to participate in various STEM led programs. Graham has over 30 years' experience in education. She has also served as Associate Director for Environmental Science Instructional Division, Assistant Chairperson Department of Biology and Institutional Review Board member.
She has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed publications on environmental toxicology, metal ions, among other topics. Graham holds a bachelor's degree in Biology, a master's degree in Genetics and a doctorate in Environmental Science (Toxicology) from the Jackson State University.
Dr. Martha Tchounwou
Jackson State Universit
Dr. Martha Tchounwou
Dr. Martha Tchounwou, a social scientist with a Ph.D. in Urban and Higher Education from Jackson State University, currently serves as the Director of Student Support Services at the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET). In this role, she oversees the CSET Scholars Academy and coordinates the activities of the Louis Stokes Minority Participation program in the State of Mississippi. Additionally, she acts as the Program Director for the National Science Foundation Bridges to the Doctorate program, which aims to train minority students in science to enhance and increase the pipeline and diversity within the STEM workforce. With a wealth of expertise in program implementation, Dr. Tchounwou has facilitated the placement of over 1000 students in summer programs both nationally and internationally, while also providing mentorship to numerous minority students. Notably, she is a staunch advocate for diversity and initiated the First Girls STEM summer program at Jackson State University.
Dr. Babu P. Patlolla
Jackson State Universit
Dr. Babu P. Patlolla
Dr. Babu Patlolla has held the position of Dean of College of Arts and Sciences since 2013 at Alcorn State university. Prior to that he was Associate Dean for the College for four years. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at Alcorn State University since 1997 and currently holds the rank of Professor.
During his tenure at Alcorn, Dr. Patlolla conducted summer workshops for K-12 Math and Science teachers from the surrounding school districts for several years. Since 2011 he has been serving on the Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA) Board. Recent Awards received by Dr. Patlolla include the "Diversity Award for Excellence" in 2018 from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and "Outstanding Contribution to Science Award" in 2021 from the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Patlolla received his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry and master's degree in Genetics from Osmania University, India. He received his master's degree in biology and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Jackson State University. He is the son of Sri P. Anna Rao and the late Smt. P. Susheela of Raparthy, Telangana, India. He is married to Dr. Anita Patlolla and are parents of a son, Shiva, and a daughter, Sapna.
Kenneth R. Butler, Jr.
University of Mississippi
Medical Center
Dr. Kenneth Butler
Dr. Kenneth Butler is a professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and laboratory director at the Gertrude C. Ford Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Research Center. He has been involved in biomaterials research for over 20 years and has primarily focused on the biocompatibility of ceramics materials by evaluating the tissue-implant response. Dr. Butler has served as research mentor to 30 residents and graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty in the medical, graduate, and pharmacy schools. He has been an active member of both intramural and extramural grant review teams for both national and international organizations. Dr. Butler has served as a board member and officer in the Mississippi Academy of Sciences and the Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium. In 2014, he was elected a fellow of the AHA in the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and published more than 110 abstracts. His research interests include the evaluation of the tissue-implant response, biocompatibility of implantable materials, and development of machine learning protocols that may be useful in the prediction of material biocompatibility.
Hamed A. Benghuzzi
Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Jackson State University
Hamed.A.Benghuzzi, PhD, FBSE, FAIMBE
Dr. Benghuzzi is the executive director of Mississippi Academy of Sciences and Distinguished Lecturer at Jackson State University, and Consultant in the Effectiveness of Biomedical Devices. Prior to that he was a Professor at the University of MS Medical Center and chaired three departments as well as directing the PhD program during his tenure. He is known nationally and internationally as a pioneer in Ceramic Drug Delivery Systems. He has over 350 PubMed indexed articles and over 800 abstracts detailing the release characteristics of various biologicals from the bioceramic carriers. He has trained (major advisor) to 44 PhD students and served as a member for over 100 PhD committees. He has mentored students at all levels (from high school, undergrad, grad, post doc and faculty). He has served as a mentor for residents and faculty on more than 10 funded grants. He has been in research leadership roles in many organizations such President of the Academy of Surgical Research, President of International Society of Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM), President of Mississippi Academy of Sciences and Engineering, currently serving as a President of the International Biomedical Sciences Instrumentation Symposium (IBSIS)/Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium, and also organized and chaired several regional, national and international society programs. He has also served on numerous NIH special emphasis panels including R-25, K01, KO8, T-35, and the P-60 center grants. In addition, he has received numerous awards from various organizations during his career. He was listed as Most Cited Scientist in Stanford University's Study of top 2% Most Cited Scientists in Biomedical Engineering worldwide. A few of his awards included: (1) The Presidential Award from the RMBS, (2) Presidential Award from SEM International, (3) the Endocrine's Society Outstanding Investigator Award, (4) MAS Contribution to Science Award, (5) The MAS Dudley Peeler Award, and (6) HEADWAE Award, (7) C. Hall Award, Outstanding Contribution to Biomedical Engineering (32nd SBEC), and (8) ISCM Excellence Award from the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine. He was invited as a keynote/plenary to speak at state, national and international levels including recent invitations in Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, China, Poland, Dubai and Canada. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) as well as an International Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE).
Jonathan S. Barrett
Sr. Developer/Designer
Blueway Design
Jonathan S. Barrett, MBA, MS Psych
Jonathan S. Barrett's formal education includes a M.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in individual/organizational growth and development including multicultural integration, a MBA in Global Management and a B.A. in International Economics.
Currently, he is a Sr. Developer/Designer working exclusively with veterinary practices and veterinary organizations across the United States and abroad. He also continues to contract with national and international organizations of all scales and sizes in various organizational development (OD) capacities.
Previously, Jonathan served the University of Wyoming's College of Engineering and Applied Science as their acting director of marketing and communications. His initial charge was to actively integrate the Strategic Diversity Initiatives Committee into university-wide operations. This committee's primary objective was to increase the level of social intelligence within the organization's structure with emphasis on minority populations (ethnic and LGBTQIA+), while simultaneously continuing the building of the university's relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The highlight of this period was being charged to spearhead the initial visibility of the vision for the now operational Engineering Education and Research Building (EERB). This now completed project accumulated $115M ($110M building, $5M equipment) to Laramie's and the state of Wyoming's economies with the intent of continuing to build the college's reputation as a Tier 1 international engineering school and research institution. Additionally, this included the $76M High Bay Research Facility, now fully operational.
His passions include lifespan development, movement, the arts and being immersed in unfamiliar cultures.
Jonathan lives permanently in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
