ATSU-ASHS presents 2026 faculty awards

ATSU-ASHS presents 2026 faculty awards

Dean Ann Lee Burch, PT, EdD, MPH, FNAP, presented awards during a virtual ATSU-ASHS faculty assembly meeting on May 11, 2026.

Faculty members were nominated and selected by their fellow colleagues for their contributions during the 2025-2026 academic year. See below for award name, award recipient, and quotes from nominating colleagues.

ASHS Junior Faculty of the Year Award: Clay Walker, MSPAS, PA-C

"In the short time that Clay has been an assistant professor at ATSU-ASHS, he has received the Mayo Clinic Allied Health Researcher of the Year Award, has a combination of 20 published and accepted articles/abstracts and has presented at eight national conferences and seven state conferences. In addition, he is doing a great job as director of the ATSU-ASHS' PA didactic curriculum."

ASHS Faculty Educator of the Year Award: Virginia Little, PhD, PT, NCS, ADHD-RSP

"Dr. Little is a leader in innovative learning-centered instructional design. Dr. Little's current scholarship of teaching is focused on neurodivergent learners and she is actively implementing these evidence based design methods in her coursework. Through her teaching, Dr. Little works to create learning environments that reduce unnecessary cognitive load while building belonging and aligning facilitation of retention of learned material."

ASHS Faculty Scholar of the Year Award: Lourdes Martinez-Nieto, PhD

"Dr. Martinez-Nieto is a productive researcher whose work is centered on providing clinicians and researchers with the tools and insights to support accurate diagnoses, appropriate interventions and more equitable practices for Spanish/English bilingual children. She has six published manuscripts with an additional five under review and has presented at 18 conferences at state, national, and international levels."

ASHS Service of the Year Award: David Doubblestein, PT, PhD

"Dr. Doubblestein has been a leader as the chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee. He also chairs the National Lymphedema Network Medical Advisory Committee and is vice president of the Lymphology Association of North America. Dr. Doubblestein advances the treatment of children with lymphedema through his community service with Camp WatchMe. He also serves as an associate editor and guest editor for various journals."