Candice Coffman, PhD

Candice Coffman (she/her) teaches for the Bachelor of Health Sciences program. Her classes taught include Urban Health, Technology Marketing & Media in Health, and Sexuality Across the Lifespan. Addressing the social determinants of health is at the forefront of each class. Her teaching draws upon her experience working as a Community Health Field Specialist in rural Missouri and as a Psychologist. Her Ph.D. is in Psychology with an emphasis on health and decision making. She has a special interest in using technology to spread health awareness and improve health outcomes. Candice also has a M.A. in Experimental Psychology and has taught research methods, intro to psychology, and statistics at previous institutions. She strives to meet students where they are and help students gain ownership of their learning.

Candice is excited to be part of the Peer Observer program because learning is dynamic for both students and instructors.

Tracy Crabtree, MSN, RN

My name is Tracy Crabtree, MSN, RN. I have been a nurse for almost 30 years and have dedicated 15 of those years to nursing education. My rewarding nursing career caring for and educating patients fostered the desire to educate future nurses. Patient care requires a collaborative effort much like an educational learning environment. I am committed to supporting colleagues in their professional growth, improving student outcomes, and mutually learning from others experience.

Lyn Elliot, MFA, PhD

I teach film production, screenwriting, and occasionally film studies courses in the Department of Media, Art and Design. My teaching is closely related to my own creative work as a writer and director of short films. I really enjoy the cross-pollination between my own work and my teaching, particularly the challenge of devising a new way to teach a film concept or skill.

Before my M.F.A. in Film and Video Production, I got a Ph.D. in English at the University of Iowa. I taught various literature courses there for several years, so my teaching experience includes courses involving textual analysis, discussion, and critical writing. Recently, I’ve taught critical writing as a major component of my FILM 346: Art of the Short Film class here at UMKC.

Greer Gerni, PhD

Greer Gerni (she/her) is Assistant Teaching Professor of Theatre at the UMKC Conservatory where she teaches courses including Theatre History, Script Analysis, and Acting. She holds a PhD in Theatre History, Theory, and Literature at Indiana University, an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU, and a post-graduate certificate in Acting, Directing, and Meyerhold’s Biomechanics from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS). As a theatre artist, she works mostly in ensemble-based theatre, devised theatre, and verbatim theatre and prefers work that subverts audience expectations of genre.

Wajeb Gharibi, PhD

Dr. Wajeb Gharibi is an Associate Teaching Professor at UMKC (since October 2019) with a Ph.D. in Mathematical Cybernetics and 35 years of teaching and research experience.

I have taught an array of courses in Computer Science and Engineering including Discrete Structures I and II, Introduction to Algorithms & Complexity, and Applied Engineering Analysis I and II. Before moving to the USA, I taught many other courses in three languages (Arabic, Russian and English) at different institutions.

My research interests are vast and cover areas such as cybersecurity, machine learning, quantum computing, and optimization. Moreover, I have published over 130 papers, served on conference program committees, presented many seminars at various universities worldwide, and have served as a visiting professor at several international scientific institutions.

Beyond teaching and research, I have contributed to academic and professional committees, including ABET and the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment. I have also held leadership roles, such as leading a Research Unit and serving as Head of the Department of Computer Engineering and Networks.

Preetham Goli, PhD

Dr. Preetham Goli is an associate teaching professor in the Division of Energy, Matter, and Systems at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He primarily teaches power systems engineering courses emphasizing on power system operation and control, power system protection, and distribution system modeling and analysis. His research interests include distribution system analysis, electric vehicle grid integration, power system restoration, cybersecurity issues in power systems, and power engineering education. He received the School of Computing and Engineering Teaching Excellence Award for the academic year 2020-2021. Dr. Goli is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and actively contributes to various IEEE task force reports and reviewing activities.

Brain Hare, MS

I started my career as a social worker, working in public-sector mental health, until changing careers in the mid-90s. I have taught at UMKC since 2002, and have taught quite a few of the undergraduate computer science courses at one time or another. My current courses are Programming Language Design & Implementation; Functional Programming; and Ethics & Professionalism. I’ve been a regular attendee and occasional presenter at conferences focusing on computer science education, and have chaired the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Central Plains conference; I’m also on the CCSC board of directors and the CCSC Central Plains steering committee. I was also the adviser for the student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery for several years.

We have systems in place to help people become better researchers; I’m excited to be participating in a similar process for teaching.

Lorie Holt, MS, RDH, PhD

Lorie has earned three degrees from UMKC including a bachelor’s and master’s degree and most recently a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on culturally responsive pedagogy and faculty/professional development. She was a faculty member in the School of Dentistry-Division of Dental Hygiene for over 25 years. Lorie currently serves as the pillar lead for Faculty Life and Leadership in the UMKC Diane Filion Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE).

Jess Magana, PhD

I’m Jess Magaña and am an associate teaching professor in the Biological and Biomedical Systems division of the School of Science and Engineering. I teach introductory biology and upper-level courses that explore ecological problems, such as invasive species. My teaching experience is broad in class size (3-270 students), modality (in person, online synchronous, and online asynchronous), and subject matter (biology, science writing, healthcare careers, general education). Each semester, I try at least one potential improvement in each course, so I am always looking for new ideas!

When my course was observed through this program, I appreciated that I could direct the process to meet my students’ needs, and the reflective process sparked some excellent course improvements. I am excited to help others as I was helped!

Rola Mahmoud, MD

Dr. Rola Mahmoud is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Associate Program Director at the UMKC neurology residency program. She is a board-certified neurologist with a subspecialty in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuroimmunology and serves as the Director of the MS Comprehensive Center at Kansas City physician partners, INC- Neurology.

Dr. Mahmoud's training includes a fellowship in multiple sclerosis at Baylor College of Medicine, neurology residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York and a combined neurology and psychiatry residency at Ain Shams University School of Medicine in Cairo, Egypt, where she earned her medical degree.

Dr. Mahmoud is dedicated to patient care and is deeply passionate about partnering with each patient on their journey. In addition to patient care, Dr. Mahmoud enjoys teaching students and residents, mentoring, reviewing medical articles, and working closely with the National MS Society to advocate for people living with MS.

Cydney McQueen, PhD

I (she/her) studied chemistry and Russian and Soviet Studies at Oklahoma State and KU before ending up with a BA in English from William Jewell College. I later returned to obtain a PharmD here at UMKC.  I helped to develop a postgraduate fellowship product in Natural Product Information and Research during my last year of school and became faculty at the School of Pharmacy after completing the program. After teaching evidence-based decision-making and natural medicine within the Drug Information Center at the School of Pharmacy for several years, I now teach non-sterile and sterile compounding (didactic and lab courses) as well as vitamins with the Pharmacotherapy series and electives focused on dietary supplements, herbal medicine, and medicinal cannabis.

I firmly believe that no one learns anything by doing something right the first time….and I’ve probably made every teaching mistake possible along my way! I love learning about and using new teaching technology tools, especially those that emphasize recall practice, but am a strong proponent of hand-written note-taking. Teaching others is the best way to learn, so both my didactic classes and labs have a lot of group activities. 

Gina Paese, PhD

Gina holds a PhD in Literacy for Diverse Learners. Having grown up in NYC, Gina taught middle school ELA in the NYC public school system, giving back to the schools she attended during her K-12 years. Gina also has a background in teaching creative movement to young children and as an acting coach to teens. She has taught many courses at UMKC, including: The Teaching of Reading, Language Development, Working with Families and Communities, Literacy Across the Disciplines, Adolescent Literacy Seminar, and Cultural Diversity, Self in Society. This semester, Gina will also serve as a supervisor for our education program student interns and student teachers as they learn and practice teaching in our partner schools.

David Trowbridge, PhD

Dr. David Trowbridge (Ph.D. Kansas, 2008) is the William T. Kemper Associate Research Professor of Digital and Public Humanities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. As part of his research and teaching, Trowbridge uses technology to connect people to history. Trowbridge is the author of A History of the United States, a textbook published under a Creative Commons license and available to students and the public in various formats. In 2013, Trowbridge began work on Clio, a website and mobile application that connects people to nearby history and culture, as a professor at Marshall University. Clio is free for everyone and has grown to over 38,000 articles for individual landmarks and over seventeenhundred walking tours and virtual tours of museums and historic sites.

Karyn Turla, PhD

I completed my undergraduate education at Pennsylvania State University in Vertebrate Physiology, my doctorate at the University of Michigan Medical School in the department of Molecular and Integrative physiology, and two post-docs at the Dartmouth Medical school. I have been teaching at the University level for over 26 years, where I have gained experience in teaching a variety of student populations (majors, non-majors, introductory level, upper level, professional). The different population of students have their own unique requirements/considerations when thinking about the best mechanisms to promote student engagement and learning. 

I have a passion for, and have spent a tremendous amount of time, researching and trying various techniques to promote student learning. My courses incorporate much that I have learned. I am also excited to learn new approaches that will improve what I do. My course format is lecture based; however I consider myself a storyteller as opposed to a lecturer. 

Nancy Twillman, PhD

Nancy is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences, and a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Kansas. She received her MSW at UMKC and an MST-E (teaching) and BA (psychology) from the University of Chicago. Nancy’s social work practice experience is as an evaluator working with non-profits and educational entities to plan for and measure outcomes as well as audit processes and implementation. Her teaching interests include a focus on teaching advanced generalist practice classes, supporting students as they work within a framework of selecting, implementing, and evaluating practice interventions. Specific focus is given to inclusive teaching environments which honor individual and community sources of knowledge. Nancy taught as a UMKC adjunct for many years before joining the faculty full-time in FS 2022. 

Luke Wezeman, DDS, MAT