Class Notes

Sherri L. Rose (B.S.’75/N) has written “The Teensy Weensy Virus,” a 44-page paperback children’s book illustrated by Megan E. Brawand, with  accompanying musical score arranged by The Gregory Brothers.

The book uses simple, kid-friendly explanations about COVID-19. Rose, a retired pediatric and family nurse practitioner, hospice nurse and  palliative care nurse, was inspired by her grief when she could not hug her grandchildren during quarantine. “COVID-19 has created so much stress, anxiety, grief, and loss for adults — imagine what children must think but be unable to express.”  The books provides parents and caregivers a way to introduce and reinforce the importance of safety measures to children, while giving kids the opportunity to ask questions and share their feelings.

The book was published in December 2020. It is recommended for children ages 2 and up.

Sara Moore Federico, M.D. (M.D.’03/M) has received the 2020 Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award from the National Cancer Institute. The award recognizes her leadership in developing clinical trials for pediatric cancer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Rich Spain (M.Ed.’13/E) has received a 40 Under Forty Leadership Award for 2021 from East Carolina University. The award recognizes emerging leaders who received their start at East Carolina University, as well as those who have used their ECU experiences to make significant impacts in their respective professions, local communities and the world. Spain earned a B.S. in sports management/business administration from ECU in 2010.

Johnathan B. Phillips (B.S.’94/N) was named the 2020 Year of the Nurse Award by the Virginia Nurses Foundation. Phillips, of Martinsville, Virginia, was chosen from more than 70 nominations and was one of 20 registered nurses recognized in December 2020. The award honors nurses who enhanced the image of professional nursing and rose to the unprecedented challenges facing the profession with compassion and respect during the COVID-19 pandemic. An RN for 29 years, Phillips is employed by Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in the intensive care unit.

David C. Reese, J.D. (M.S.’04/En), was made a partner at Finnegan, an intellectual property law firm, in January 2021. He has a mixed practice with an emphasis on contentious patent office proceedings and concurrent litigation challenges. 

James Denvil, J.D. (B.A.’96/H&S), was promoted to counsel at global law firm Hogan Lovells in January 2021. He practices in the areas of global regulatory and intellectual property and media and technology (privacy and cybersecurity) in Washington, D.C. He advises clients on a range of technology and data issues, including global privacy governance, incident preparedness and response, workforce monitoring, electronic contracting, digital advertising and public policy initiatives supporting innovative information use and sharing practices.

Veronica Sikka, M.D., Ph.D. (B.S.’01/H&S; M.H.A.’03/HP; M.D.’09/M; Ph.D.’09/HP; H.S.’12/M), was named the 2020 University of Central Florida College of Medicine’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. She received the award for her excellence in teaching, research and service as an associate professor of emergency medicine. 

Carl “Hank” Hanks, M.D. (H.S.’88/M), was profiled in October 2020 about his medical career in The Southwest Times, which covers southwestern Virginia. In the article, he said, he remembers he got the calling to become a doctor at age 14. Hanks operates a medical practice at Volvo Trucks for Volvo employees and their dependents and is the medical director at the Pulaski (Va.) Free Clinic.

Dale Brumfield (B.F.A.’82/A; M.F.A.’15/H&S) has published his 11th book, “Railroaded: the true stories of the first 100 people executed in Virginia’s electric chair.” The book examines Virginia’s use of the electric chair from 1908 to 1920 as a form of “legal lynching.” Using digital databases, newspapers, court records and gubernatorial papers, Brumfield researched the forgotten stories of these first 99 men and one woman to face death in the what was a new form of execution; of these, 87 were Black and only 13 White. Many were also young, uneducated and/or intellectually disabled. VCU associate professor Bill Oglesby wrote the foreword.

Jacob Davis (B.A.’17/GPA) married Lindsay Jacobs (B.S.’07/B) on Feb. 4, 2015. They have a son, Ryan Matthew Davis, who was born Sept. 19, 2019.