Stanley J. Dudrick, MD, FACS
Medical Director

The Medical Director, Stanley J. Dudrick, MD, FACS, is responsible for ensuring that classroom instruction and clinical experiences provide an appropriate level of instruction for students in the MSPAS program.

Dr. Dudrick, who holds the Robert S. Anderson, MD, Endowed Chair at Misericordia, is recognized throughout the world for his pioneering research in basic investigative development and subsequent successful clinical application of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a central venous feeding technique that has been acknowledged as one of the four most significant accomplishments in the history of modern surgery, together with the discovery and development of asepsis and antisepsis, antibiotic therapy, and anesthesia. Dr. Dudrick brings to the proposed program a 40-year history in medical education and research, including leading appointments in the Yale School of Medicine, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and the Pennsylvania Hospital. He retains an appointment as Professor of Surgery in the Yale University School of Medicine, and he is Director Emeritus of the Program in Surgery and Graduate Medical Education, and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Surgery, at Saint Mary's Hospital, in Waterbury, CT. Dr. Dudrick's list of published works numbers over 700, and his record of including students in research and publication is well-known.

Dr. Dudrick completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; his internship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; his residencies at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Dudrick served this distinguished organization continuously for 26 years as an Examiner, Director of the Board, and a Senior Board Member. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and serves as a member of their 21st Century Board. He has served on 15 editorial boards, including the Annals of Surgery. He is a member of more than 100 academic, honorary, professional, and scientific societies, and he has been awarded more than 100 other honors, including the American College of Surgeons Jacobson Innovation Award; and the American Surgical Association Medallion for Scientific Achievement for Distinguished Service to Surgery. Yale University has invested him with the Honorary Degree of Master of Arts, and Misericordia University has invested him with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his extraordinary contributions to surgery and nutrition.

Lindsey Vigilante, MPAS, PA-C

Clinical Coordinator

Christopher J. DeFrancesco
Professor of Pharmacology

Dr. Christopher J. DeFrancesco, Pharm. D., received his bachelors degree in pharmacy in 1994 from The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and doctorate in 2011 from Shenandoah University. He maintains a practice site at Rite Aid Pharmacy in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania with a focus on wellness, including adult immunizations. Dr. De Francesco also serves as adjunct faculty at Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy and Nursing. He will be teaching Pharmacology for the PA program. In his free time he likes spending time outdoors and in the company of family and friends.

Angela Asirvatham, B.V.Sc. Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Phone: (570) 674-8002

Dr. Angela Asirvatham Ph.D. is an Associate Professor for the Biology Department at Misericordia University. Her education includes a B.V.Sc., (Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences, Tamilnadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University) from Chennai, India and a M.S. in Reproductive Biology from the University of Wyoming as well as a Ph.D. in Physiology from Kent State University. Her postdoctoral work includes Pulmonary Physiology at University of California and signal transduction in T-lymphocytes at Oregon Health Sciences University.
Dr. Asirvathams research interest is signal transduction in Schwann cells. Her research interests are primarily focused on A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that play an important role in anchoring protein kinase A in various organelles of the cell. Protein kinase A is a broad spectrum kinase that binds cyclic AMP, the universal second messenger in the cell. I am currently interested in the role of A-kinase anchoring protein in Schwann cell proliferation. Schwann cells myelinate the peripheral neurons and myelin is important for rapid conduction of nerve impulses. Treatment of neonatal Schwann cells with heregulin (a growth factor secreted by neurons) and forskolin (a pharmacological agent that stimulates the cAMP pathways results in a synergistic proliferative response. I have found that AKAPs are involved in this synergistic response. Investigation of signaling pathways that stimulate Schwann cell proliferation has important applications for demyelinating disorders such as multiple sclerosis and nerve injuries in the peripheral nervous system. Dr. Asirvatham teaches Immunology, General Physiology and Endocrinology and will be teaching Pathophysiology I and II in the PA program.

Anthony Serino, Ph.D.

Chairperson of Biology

Associate Professor of Biology

Phone: 570-674-6259

Kathryn Michael
Department Administrative Assistant
E-mail: kmichael@misericordia.edu
Phone: (570) 674-6716

Kathryn Michael received her B.A. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources from Susquehanna University. She worked 4 years as an office manager for Rave Landscaping, Inc.; 2 years as an office manager for Country Market Nursery; 2 years as an assistant office manager of McNaughton Company and 2 years as a registrar of IES, a non-profit teacher placement organization. Kathryn reports to the Chair of the PA Studies Department and provides support to the PA Studies medical director, students, faculty, and adjuncts as the Department Administrative Assistant.