Sagewood appoints Smith associate executive director

Edmund Smith has been named associate executive director of Sagewood, the resort-style Life Plan Community in northeast Phoenix.

With more than 14 years of experience managing independent and assistant living communities, Smith most recently served as vice president of operations for Mainstreet Health where he managed daily operations of four facilities located in Phoenix, Chandler, Surprise and Tucson. 

In his new role, Smith will assist the executive director, Stewart Ingram, in managing the overall operations of Sagewood.

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. He is also a licensed nursing home administrator and a certified assisted living manager in Arizona.

New faculty Join UA and Banner – University Medicine

Jeffrey Maudlin, MD, assistant professor, and Shana Semmens, MD, assistant professor, have joined the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community Medicine and Banner – University Medicine.

Dr. Maudlin will provide primary care to patients of all ages and serve as the medical director at Banner – University Medicine Multispecialty Services Clinic in Green Valley. In addition, he will train physician-residents at the Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at the Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road, Tucson.

Previously, Dr. Maudlin was in private practice for many years in Nogales, Ariz., where he also served as chief of staff at Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Maudlin worked in a district hospital in Ecuador, and later served as director of a large residency program in a tertiary care referral hospital in Ecuador’s capital city, Quito.

Dr. Semmens will provide the full scope of family medicine practice, providing outpatient primary care at Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at the Abrams Public Health Center and inpatient care at Banner – University Medical Center South. She also will deliver babies and care for newborns and children at Banner – UMC Tucson.

Dr. Semmens earned her medical degree from the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. She then completed her family medicine residency training with the UA College of Medicine – Tucson South Graduate Medical Education program, and went on to complete a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.

UA College of Medicine faculty earn Clinical Excellence Awards

To recognize and celebrate exemplary patient care, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson has established the Clinical Excellence Awards. This year, 10 college faculty members were recognized with the award. 

“I am pleased to launch the first annual Clinical Excellence Awards  at our college,” said Irving L. Kron, MD, interim dean of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. “These awards were conceived to recognize exceptional faculty members who exceed all standards of clinical excellence and inspire us regarding how we should serve and care for patients.”

Physicians at the assistant or associate professor level were nominated by their colleagues in September. Nominees underwent rigorous review and were evaluated for their consistency in delivering exceptional clinical care; outstanding ability to assist and share expertise with colleagues; encouragement of medical students and residents to express ideas and ask questions; and use of innovative methods to assure positive clinical outcomes. 

Awardees also were selected for their sincere compassion for patients and humanistic approach to patient care and interactions with other health-care professionals. This year’s 10 recipients are:

• Bujji Ainapurapu, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine

• Erika Bracamonte, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine and Pathology

• Bobby Kalb, MD, Associate Professor, Medical Imaging

• Aaron Leetch, MD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics

• Ann Mathias, DO, Clinical Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine

• Jessica Moreno, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Kareem Walid Shehab, MD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics 

• Andrew L. Tang, MD, Associate Professor, Surgery

• Monica Vandivort, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine 

• Tirdad Zangeneh, DO, Associate Professor, Medicine

Recipients will be recognized formally with a plaque and monetary award on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson General Faculty Meeting. The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. in the UA Cancer Center’s Kiewit Auditorium.

W.E. O’Neil names assistant project superintendent

W.E. O’Neil announced the addition of Joseph Cabrera to its team of construction professionals. Joe will serve in the role of Assistant Project Superintendent in the Tucson office.

Joe brings more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, where he has served in similar roles for other construction companies in Arizona. His extensive experience has been primarily focused on commercial and residential construction.