Pediatricians, clinical pharmacist among new faculty

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff:

Caroline Ellender Compretta, Ph.D.

Compretta

Dr. Caroline Ellender Compretta, a recent postdoctoral research fellow at UMMC, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics.

After receiving her B.A. in English magna cum laude from Millsaps College in 1998, Compretta earned her M.A. in anthropology in 2006 and her Ph.D. in anthropology in 2012 from the University of Kentucky, Lexington. Most recently, she was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at UMMC from 2013-15.

In addition to her position as a postdoctoral research fellow, Compretta also served as the director of children's services for Stewpot Community Services in Jackson from 2007-11 and as an adjunct instructor at Millsaps College from 2009-11.

Since arriving at UMMC, Compretta has been a co-principal investigator of the "FOOD: For Thought, For Life" Award from the Mississippi Humanities Council in Jackson and a co-investigator for the "Eat Right, Live Well" program funded by the Bower Foundation.

She has authored or coauthored five peer-reviewed journal articles and given 10 oral presentations at national scientific meetings. An active member of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology, her research interests include social determinants of health, the anthropology of children and youth, health disparities, and community engagement.

Kasey Ilene Davis, M.D.

Davis

Dr. Kasey Ilene Davis, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City and clinical faculty at Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics.

After receiving her B.S. in biology magna cum laude from Baylor University, Waco, Texas, in 2002, Davis earned her M.D. in 2006 at the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas. She completed a pediatrics internship from 2006-07, a pediatrics residency from 2007-09 and a pediatric critical care fellowship from 2009-12 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before joining the University of Missouri Kansas City faculty.

The author or coauthor of six articles in peer-reviewed professional publications, one book chapter and one poster exhibit, Davis' research interests include simulation in medical education, systems-based quality improvement and mediators of acute lung injury and sepsis.

Jessica Summers Everitt, Pharm.D.

Everitt

Dr. Jessica Summers Everitt, a clinical pharmacist in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at UMMC, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine.

After receiving her B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi in 2010, Everitt earned her Pharm.D. summa cum laude at UMMC in 2013. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at UMMC in 2014 before becoming a clinical pharmacist in the NSICU.

The author or coauthor of three articles in professional publications, Everitt has given more than two-dozen presentations at professional meetings in Mississippi and Tennessee. Her academic and clinical interests include medication management in patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, antihypertensive drug therapy and diabetes management and education.