Surgeon, public safety chief and peds resident earn acclaim
Published on Monday, June 23, 2025
By: Gary Pettus, gpettus@umc.edu
Medical Center faculty and staff often are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their academic or medical achievements. These accolades place UMMC among health science centers worldwide.
Walker is among the top winners at intercontinental surgical workshop
Dr. Marc E. Walker, UMMC associate professor of surgery-plastic, was named a winner of the Aurora Case Competition Grand Prize Award at the Arctic Midnight Sun Surgical Workshop held this month in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The annual workshop, hosted by the Icelandic company, Kerecis, is designed to spread the knowledge of the utility of fish skin grafts for managing surgical wounds and burn injuries.
Out of 178 international case submissions, only six were selected for the highest awards; two of the awards, including the Grand Prize, went to current/former members of the UMMC plastic/hand surgery team: Walker and Dr. Ethan Paulin, a former UMMC hand surgery fellow.
More than 50 physicians shared their cases and techniques in Reykjavik, June 12-14. Only the highest-scoring cases are eligible for the Aurora Award and are admitted to the scientific workshop for presentation.
“Kerecis is a fish skin product that that plastic surgery division at UMMC began using three to four years ago for a variety of reconstructive demands and procedures,” Walker said. “In my practice, the Icelandic fish dermis has had a dramatic effect on my patients.”
The Grand Prize-winning case used the product in base-of-thumb arthritis surgery, the most common type of arthritis treated in the hand and a debilitating condition that often prevents the performance of such basic tasks as opening doors or bottles, Walker said.
“What I have observed with the use of the fish skin product as an adjunct in these cases is better post-operative pain control and an earlier return to the use of the hand,” he said.
“Sharing this novel application with the surgery community at large will allow the work that we are doing here at UMMC for our Mississippi patients to have an impact on patients around the world.”
Walker earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011. He also received an MBA from Harvard. He completed his plastic surgery residency and subspecialty fellowship training in Hand Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery at Yale University School of Medicine before returning to his home state of Mississippi and UMMC.
Paulin is a 2016 graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his general surgery residency at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, and a peripheral nerve fellowship at the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. He completed his hand surgery fellowship at UMMC in 2023.
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Paradis recognized internationally for community policing work
Mary Paradis, UMMC chief of police and executive director of public safety, is this year’s recipient of the Innovations in Community Policing Award from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.
Winners of the award have put forth “new and innovative ideas, demonstrated the significant impact of an evidence-based crime prevention program or initiative and [developed] strong community partnerships programs,” according to the IACLEA website.
IACLEA’s 9,000-plus members include police chiefs, public safety directors, law enforcement officers and security personnel representing more than 1,000 higher education institutions in 31 countries.
Paradis, who was nominated for the honor by Megan N. Costilow, senior policy advisor with the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice, was recognized during the 2025 IACLEA Annual Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, June 16-19.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Innovations in Community Policing Award from IACLEA,” Paradis said.
“This recognition reflects the dedication and collaboration of the entire UMMC Public Safety team and our campus partners who share a commitment to creating a safe, inclusive, and community-focused environment.
“I’m grateful to Megan Costilow for the nomination and to IACLEA for recognizing the importance of innovation and partnership in campus policing. This award inspires me to continue fostering evidence-based strategies that prioritize trust, transparency and engagement with those we serve.”
Paradis joined UMMC in 2021 after serving as assistant vice president of safety and security at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, where she also directed the Office of Safety and Emergency Management.
She has also held policing and security leadership positions at The George Washington University; the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design In Washington, D.C., and other institutions. She served in the intelligence section of the Chicago Police Department for more than 11 years.
A graduate of the Chicago Police Training Academy, Paradis earned a bachelor’s degree in police and security studies and master’s in cybersecurity strategy and information management from GW.
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Pediatric resident accepts award established by Allenburger family
Dr. Alisha Bland, a UMMC pediatric resident pursuing a career in pediatric hematology/oncology, is the 2025 winner of the Christian A. Allenburger IV Resident Award.
The honor was presented June 12 during a ceremony at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s of Mississippi.
The award is named for the son of Christian A. Allenburger III and the late Susan White Allenburger of Jackson. It is presented annually to an outstanding pediatric resident pursuing a career in hematology and oncology. The honor was established in Christian’s memory by his parents and through the generosity of many family friends.
Christian, who died of leukemia at 14 in 1986, loved the outdoors, hunting and riding his four-wheeler, and he had many friends. He had an analytical mind and spent his days building model cars and dreaming of a career in architecture.
Bland thanked the Allenburger family and, during the presentation, related how she cares for her patients.
“I care for our patients deeply and become attached easily, so I thought that would possibly hinder me,” she said, “but then I realized that’s what makes me a great match for this field.”
Dr. Amanda Strobel, UMMC associate professor of pediatrics-hematology/oncology, and fellowship director, said Bland has a “boundless energy and warmth that changes fear into hope, making every child feel safe and valued.”
Allenburger praised Children’s of Mississippi and the care his son received.
“The doctors, nurses and residents meant so much to us,” he said. “They worked so hard on his behalf. Through this award, we want to support the future of pediatric hematology and oncology care.”