ATSU-ASHS Names Four Faculty Award Winners

A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences honored four faculty members for their work during the 2025-2026 academic year at a May 11 virtual assembly.

Dean Ann Lee Burch presented awards across four categories, selected by colleagues.

Clay Walker, a physician assistant and assistant professor, received Junior Faculty of the Year. He won the Mayo Clinic Allied Health Researcher of the Year Award, published or had accepted 20 articles and abstracts, and presented at eight national and seven state conferences. Walker directs the PA didactic curriculum.

Virginia Little, a physical therapist and neurodiversity specialist, won Faculty Educator of the Year for her work on evidence-based instructional design that reduces cognitive load while improving retention for neurodivergent learners.

Lourdes Martinez-Nieto earned Faculty Scholar of the Year for research on bilingual children's language assessment and equitable diagnostic practices. She published six manuscripts with five under review and presented at 18 state, national and international conferences.

David Doubblestein, a physical therapist, received Service of the Year for leading the Faculty Affairs Committee and Faculty Senate. He chairs the National Lymphedema Network Medical Advisory Committee and serves as vice president of the Lymphology Association of North America.