Dixie State welcomes new health sciences dean to campus
Dixie State welcomes new health sciences dean to campus
After conducting an extensive nationwide search, Dixie State University has selected Dr. Eliezer Bermudez as the new dean of the university’s College of Health Sciences.
Bermudez, who began his duties at Dixie State University this week, comes to St. George from Indiana State University, where he served as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences. In this capacity, he provided leadership to seven academic departments and three centers, supervised 110 full-time faculty and 51 staff members and monitored the construction of a $64 million building.
“We are very excited that Dr. Eliezer Bermudez will be joining the university as our new dean of the College of Health Sciences,” Dr. Michael Lacourse, Dixie State provost and vice president of academic affairs, said. “He comes to Dixie State with a wealth of leadership experience. Our interview teams were really impressed with his knowledge and experience as a health sciences educator and leader and were especially impressed by his effective communication style and professionalism.”
Prior to his tenure as interim dean, Bermudez has served Indiana State’s College of Health Sciences as a tenured faculty member and department chair of the Applied Health Sciences over the past 22 years. He taught a variety of courses in environmental health and served as a committee member for numerous master’s theses. His scholarship includes 18 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, 85 professional presentations, and 29 grants awarded, all in the discipline of environmental health.
Bermudez earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctorate in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles.
As dean, Bermudez will oversee the operation of Dixie State’s College of Health Sciences, which prepares students for employment in healthcare professions, trains them to lead by example and teaches them to advocate for all patients. With Certified Nursing Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Emergency Medical Services, Health & Human Performance, Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Radiography, Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Phlebotomy, Respiratory Therapy and Surgical Technology programs, Dixie State’s College of Health Sciences is preparing a pipeline of students to join the healthcare workforce in Utah communities. Additionally, the College of Health Sciences features small class sizes in a state-of-the-art facility on the Dixie Regional Medical Center campus.
“These are exciting times to be involved in the health sciences at Dixie State University,” Bermudez said. “The College offers a broad array of health and human performance programs, many of which are accredited. We are starting new academic health programs to offer bachelor and master level degrees in the health fields. This is a college that will continue to grow in terms of students, faculty and academic programs.”
In addition to Bermudez, several other faculty members assumed new academic administrative appointments this week.
Dr. Roberto Rodriguez will join the Dixie State faculty for a one-year appointment as a visiting international scholar and will assume the position of chief officer of Latin America relations. He will guide the creation of partnerships with Latin American universities to increase study abroad and joint research opportunities as well as recruit students for innovative joint degree programs. Rodríguez has been a tenured professor at the University of Costa Rica, where he has taught since 1973 and retired as a full professor in 2000.
Across campus, Dr. Nancy Ross, assistant professor in DSU’s Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, has been appointed as the new director of general education. Ross, who is the chair of the General Education Committee and co-chair of the General Education Task Force, will be responsible for guiding the university through general education reorder, including implementation of the new general education program upon final approval.
For the Craig & Maureen Booth Honors Program, Dr. Jeff Yule, also an associate professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, will assume the role of director. The Booth Honors Program delivers in-class and extracurricular academic experiences to provide a distinctive learning environment to selected students. Yule is also the incoming chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
To learn more about the academic offerings available at Dixie State University, visit academics.utahtech.edu.
