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WSU Health Professions Student Center Meet the staff

Donald Allison, Ph.D., PA-C (on Leave August 15, 2023-May 31, 2024)
Director, Health Professions Student Center

Beginning his career as a physician assistant in Colorado, Donald Allison has worked over 25 years in various clinical settings including migrant community health clinics and the emergency room. In 2004, along with 13 other PAs, he had the opportunity of participating in a two-year pilot project introducing the physician assistant profession to the United Kingdom (now called physician associates in England).

Throughout his career, Donald has worked in multiple settings and in various roles with diverse populations and individuals, endeavoring to decrease healthcare disparity for Mexican migrants, and other underserved populations throughout various locations in the world. Subsequently, Donald has firsthand knowledge of the health needs of the Blackfoot community in Montana, Appalachia in Northeast Tennessee, maximum security prison communities, various groups in China, and communities experiencing health disparity in Mexico and Peru. In addition, as a traveling faculty, Donald had the privilege of teaching a semester of Medical Anthropology and Public Health, in an experiential learning format, in New Orleans, India, Argentina, and South Africa.

Donald, a native of Montana, has a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies and a Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language. His dissertation, entitled “Mexican Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Culture, Gender, and Language Ideologies: Pláticas de HIV/AIDS,” is a qualitative study evaluating how Mexican migrant and seasonal farmworker men talk about HIV/AIDS and what their discourse reveals about culture and gender. Research interests include: linguistic landscape, health literacy, D/discourse, gender studies, cultural issues in health care, Mexican migrant farmworkers, and health disparity.

In his encounters with students, Donald uses his experiences as a clinician, an academician, and a researcher to challenge their worldview, and the approach they will use to provide healthcare to the diverse array of patients they will encounter in their future careers.

Email: donald.allison@wsu.edu

Phone: 509-335-4549

Professional Advisors/Specialists

 

Kimb Devich, MN, RN
Pre-Nursing Advisor (A-J), Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Advisor

Education: A.A.S Spokane Community College, BSN Washington State University, MN Washington State University, Graduate Certificate Nursing Education

Professional Experience: Kim has years of experience as a Registered Nurse, mostly in the acute care setting and in nursing education, but has also worked in home health, community health, and hospice. Kim’s first job in nursing was as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Her love for nursing and patient care motivated her to continue her education and become a life-long learner.

What do you do when you are not advising? Kim is protective of her work-life balance and enjoys spending time with her family and pets, reading, taking long walks, card-making and scrapbooking (even though she’s not that good at it), and shopping at thrift stores. Kim has also enjoyed volunteering as a registered Therapy Animal Handler with Pet Partners.

What is your take on advising? Kim enjoys the roles of teaching and mentoring while making a personal connection with advisees, helping them achieve their personal and professional goals, and exploring the many pathways to a career in nursing and healthcare.

Email: kimberly.devich@wsu.edu

Phone: 509-335-4549


Lourdes Giordani, Ph.D
Pre-Medicine, Pre-PA Specialist

Education: Bachelor of Science in General Biology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Master’s of Science in Biology, Eastern Michigan University; and Master’s of Science & PhD in Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Professional Experience: Lourdes works with students from all disciplines who are interested in becoming physicians or physician assistants. She served as an academic advisor at Ohio University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities prior to joining WSU. She holds the Appreciative Adviser Certification. In addition to teaching and advising undergraduate students in anthropology, Lourdes has conducted ethnographic research in Latin America and served as the editor-in-chief of the journal Reviews in Anthropology. She worked on a project to examine the health needs of Venezuela’s indigenous people alongside other anthropologists in 2005. Her work for this initiative among the Yabarana is published in Salud Indígena en Venezuela, which received an honorable mention for the Venezuelan National Book Award. Lourdes has also served as a public school teacher in New Mexico, especially with Navajo students. Her teaching and mentoring experiences with university and K-12 students inspired her to become an academic advisor.

What do you do when not advising? Lourdes enjoys taking quiet walks in nature, reading, and watching Korean historical dramas.

What is your take on advising? Lourdes views advising as a collaborative process between student and advisor that involves the two-way flow of ideas, constructive dialogue, learning, and personal growth.


Tristin Herup-Wheeler, M.S.
Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-occupational Therapy Specialist

Education: M.S. in Molecular Biosciences from Washington State University, B.S. in Microbiology and B.A. in French from Idaho State University

Professional Experience: Tristin worked for a few years as a student advisor in a graduate teaching capacity at WSU and has also undergone a variety of clinical training, working as a Phlebotomy Technician and an Emergency Medical Technician. He also has extensive research experience across multiple fields within the biological sciences. Outside of academia, he has gained a wide range of management and supervisory experience working across many organizations.

What do you do when you are not advising? Raised around mountains in Idaho, Tristin will use every opportunity to go on hikes and runs in the neighboring rolling hills of the Palouse or up at Moscow Mountain with his corgi in tow. He enjoys winter sports such as Nordic and Alpine skiing, and when snow is not on the ground, you can likely find him swimming or tending to his many indoor and outdoor plants.

What is your take on advising? Having been through a Pre-Medicine program in his undergraduate career, Tristin feels that there is no singular method of advising that works for all students. He wants to adopt an individualized, hands-on approach for his students to ensure that they are prepared for their chosen career fields.

Nathan Hutto B.A.
Pre-Medicine, Pre-Dental Specialist

Education: B.A. in Journalism from University of Georgia

Professional Experience: Nathan transitioned into higher education after working as an elementary school teacher for the past three years. He has extensive editing and writing experience, having previously worked as a professional copyeditor and social media manager.

What do you do when you are not advising? Assuming a bright and sunny day, Nathan can be found searching woods and outcroppings for different rocks and minerals, or hiking one of the many beautiful trails in the area. If the weather is cold and rainy, Nathan is often at home practicing music or painting miniatures while trying to fend off his three cats.

What is your take on advising? Nathan strives to equip students with the information and resources they need to become excellent communicators and self-advocates when faced with the rigors of medical school and beyond.

Email: nathan.hutto@wsu.edu

Phone: (509) 335-4549

 


Tina Krauss, M.A.
Pre-Veterinary, Pre-Optometry Specialist

Education: BA in Communication (Adverting) from WSU 1998. MA in American Studies Digital Diversity with an Emphasis in Women’s Studies from WSU 2006

Professional Experience: Tina advised in the School of Biological Sciences for 4 years and in Criminal Justice for 5 years before beginning her position as a Pre-Health Specialist for Pre-Vet and Pre-Optometry students with the HPSC in 2022. Prior to being an adviser, Tina taught American Studies and English for the WSU Global Campus and worked in the Registrar’s Office, Residence Life, the Student Advising and Learning Center, and Writing Programs.

What do you do when you are not advising? Tina likes to travel whenever she can and visit zoos wherever she goes. She also likes to go on adventures with her son, whether it be trying foreign snacks, watching history documentaries, or traveling to new parks and towns.

What is your take on advising? I believe that academia should be fun, and I help students find the balance during college that will help them succeed in the classroom, while building the experiences they need to market themselves in the future.

Email: tina.krauss@wsu.edu 

Phone: 509-335-4549