Achievers

Langston receives Healthier Communities Award from NCHA

Cape Fear Valley Health’s Corporate Director of Patient Logistics – Critical Care Transport BRIAN LANGSTON was honored at the summer meeting of the North Carolina Healthcare Association, where he was awarded the 2022 Healthier Communities Award. Langston was one of 11 people celebrated for their work with the Statewide Patient Movement Coordination Team during the height of COVID-19. “It was my privilege to represent the commitment of Cape Fear Valley to our communities and the state,” Langston shared

Langston in a press release. “I am honored to receive recognition by the North Carolina Healthcare association for that effort. Our success as a SPMCT would not have been possible without the daily dedication of our own Transfer Center and Patient Placement team members in our Command Center and those across the state.” The 2022 winners of the Healthier Communities Award were presented their prizes by the N.C. Healthcare Preparedness Program Director and Medical Surge Lead during COVID-19 Kimberly Clement. “These team members embody the spirit of coming together for the betterment of their communities,” Clement shared in a press release.

IMBT in Fayetteville NC celebrates inaugural graduating class

The Institute For Massage and Bodywork Therapy honored its first ever graduating class with a commencement ceremony on Aug. 14, presenting diplomas for the 20212022 academic year. LMBT and Director of the Institute Brenda J. Howell assembled the ceremony.

“It’s been a labor of love for our profession. We have a great graduating class of massage therapists who are first and foremost, good, caring people. They worked very hard and it showed, as they all had success with their final case study clients. We’re very proud of our first graduating class,” Howell shared in a press release.

IMBT, the first institute of its kind in the Fayetteville area, offers education ranging from Anatomy and Physiology to Ethics, Pathology and Business.

Graduate Nailah Victoria Davis delivered the keynote address at the commencement ceremony. In her address to present students and future students, Davis shared her joy for the future of the massage industry.

“Massage is evolving. It is not stagnant. It is time to do away with those old ideas of slapping oil on bodies and move into an era of seeing this profession as worth changing the lives of so many, and because we believe in the power of this profession, we as a class encourage you all to find a massage therapist that works for you in the same way you found your primary care doctor.” What are you and your peers achieving? Have you reached a new goal? Have you acquired another business? Maybe your business has a new hire you would like to highlight.

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal wants to hear from you and your business to shine a spotlight on your accomplishments.

To nominate someone for GFBJ’s Achievers section, email editor@bizfayetteville.com with the subject line “Achiever.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: IMBT

Aug. 14, 2022 Class 1 graduation.

FSU professor awarded National Science Foundation funding to continue agro-research

Fayetteville State University Professor LIECENG ZHU, PH.D., has been awarded nearly $100,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue her research on the impact climate change has on crop resistance. Zhu, who works in the university’s Department of Biological and Forensic Science, has been researching how and why global warming threatens our agriculture production and food security by studying the vulnerability of crop plants to insects while also under stress from high temperatures caused by climate change. “It’s sobering to consider the delicate balance of sun, rain, soil conditions and time needed to yield a successful crop that will help feed the world’s seven billion people,” Zhu said in a press release. “Mitigating the threat of insect infestation on major agriculture food crops, in this instance, wheat, is difficult enough. When harsh environmental factors exacerbate that problem and further threaten the food industry at its source, it’s crucial that we identify strategies to protect crops from such environmental factors.” Zhu and her team have been studying the impact of high temperatures on wheat's ability to resist damage from insects for the last five years with support from the NSF. This is the third year in a row Zhu has been given funding to learn more about how climate change is affecting food security.

The additional funding will allow Zhu and her research team to conduct experiments to determine how high temperatures with the addition of plant hormones affect the overall metabolism of wheat plants. The overall goal is to propagate stronger and more resilient crops that will yield a larger harvest. “Dr. Zhu and her research team are conducting cutting-edge research that will have a profound effect on agriculture/food production and food security, especially in at-risk and vulnerable populations,” said Monica T. Leach, Ed.D., FSU provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs in a press release. “She is a superb investigator and an outstanding instructor and mentor for our students, from post-doctoral fellows and undergraduates to aspiring scientists. We are fortunate to have her on our faculty.”

Zhu

Osborne named business administration department chair at Campbell University

DR. MICHELLE OSBORNE was appointed as department chair of business administration for the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business and associate professor at Campbell University. Osborne fills the role previously occupied by Dr. Yu-Mong Hsiao, who retired this spring. “We are excited to have Dr. Osborne join our

Osborne faculty, full-time,” said Dean Kevin O’Mara in a press release. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from both the private and public sectors. Her unique expertise will be an invaluable addition and undoubtedly impact the learning experience of our undergraduate and graduate students. We already know Dr. Osborne is an outstanding teacher and colleague. We are all looking forward to working with her as she imprints her own mark on our programs.” Osborne, a Campbell MBA graduate herself, previously taught for the School of Business and worked as an adjunct professor at NC State and at North Carolina Wesleyan University. “It has been an honor to serve with Commissioner Causey as Chief Deputy Commissioner,” Dr. Osborne stated in a press release. “I am also thankful to Dean O’Mara, for it is an honor to now be a part of the faculty of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business; This has been a long-time dream of mine, as it feels like I am finally coming home.”

She went on to add, “In addition, I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as Chair, recognizing that I will never be able to replace our esteemed Dr. Hsiao. Truly, my desire is to be a servant-leader in whatever capacity I serve.”