CONHS Faculty Members Honored with Annual Mentor Awards

Pictured above (L to R) are Mary Camm, Dr. Deana Kehres, Dr. David Vanata,
Grace Reichard, Dr. Dennis Gruber, Jessica Zeitz, Jill Solis and Dr. Jeri Berryman

Eight Ashland University faculty members were honored during the University’s 32nd annual Academic Mentor Awards recognition ceremony held Jan. 26. Of the eight, five are CONHS faculty members. The program recognizes faculty whose academic leadership with regard to students extends beyond the classroom. The mentors, each nominated by an Ashland student, were presented an engraved silver plate at the event held in John C. Myers Convocation Center. 

Recipients from the CONHS this year are Dr. Jeri Berryman, clinical assistant professor; Dr. Dennis Gruber, chair of Health Sciences Department and clinical assistant professor; Deana Kehres, clinical assistant professor; Jill Solis, adjunct clinical education instructor; and Dr. David Vanata, associate professor of Health Sciences.

Friends, colleagues and family members attended the luncheon, joined by members of Ashland’s administration and Board of Trustees. Provost Dr. Eun-Woo Chang welcomed the guests and presided over the event, while also commending the award recipients and the students who nominated them. The awards were presented by Dustin Ness, chairman of the academic affairs committee of the Board of Trustees; and President Dr. Carlos Campo provided remarks.

Students nominated faculty or staff members using the criteria of history of their relationship, how they benefited academically, how their personal development has been enhanced by their mentor and what impact the mentor has had on the student’s progress at the University. Selections were made by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Ashland University Board of Trustees from the information included in the nomination letters.

Students who submitted winning nominations included: Nicole Ziegler, a senior from Medina, Ohio, majoring in Nursing, nominating Berryman; Jessica Zeitz, a senior from Bellevue, Ohio, majoring in Athletic Training, nominating Gruber; Mary Camm, a senior from Findlay, Ohio, majoring in Nursing, nominating Kehres; Gabrielle Hetzel, a senior from Hilliard, Ohio, majoring in Nursing, nominating Solis; and Grace Reichard, a senior from Nevada, Mo., majoring in Dietetics, nominating Vanata.

Berryman, who joined Ashland University in 2013, serves as a clinical assistant professor in the Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She received a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ohio State University, an Associate Degree in Nursing from Regents College and an LPN from North Central Technical College.

Gruber, chair for the health sciences department, clinical assistant professor and program director for athletic training, joined Ashland University in 2003. His areas of expertise include acute and chronic pain and qualitative research. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Youngstown State University, a Master of Science from Ohio University and an Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies from Georgia Southern University. He is a site visitor and review team member for CAATE and a certified athletic trainer. 

Kehres, who serves as clinical assistant professor of nursing in the Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences, joined Ashland University in 2014 and she holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ashland University and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Akron. 

Solis joined Ashland University in 2017 and currently teaches Advance Simulation and Complex Care Clinicals through the Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University and is working to complete her Master of Science in Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner.    

Vanata, who joined Ashland University in 2002, serves as director of the Dietetics program and as associate professor of health sciences in the Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Stockton College, a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from Florida State University and a Ph.D. Human Nutrition from the University North Carolina Chapel Hill.

In nominating the recipients of this year’s Mentor Awards, the students wrote one-page essays about their mentors. Passages from these essays were distributed at the luncheon.