The community is invited to attend the Craft Beer Lecture and Tasting Thursday, June 13, at 6 p.m. at The University of Toledo Center for Alumni and Donor Engagement, located at 4510 Dorr St.

Dr. Neil Reid, UToledo professor of geography and planning, affectionately known as the “Beer Professor,” will speak about the growth of the craft beer industry and the factors driving that growth. He teaches a class titled The Geography of Beer and Brewing.

Reid’s latest research about the impact of craft breweries on home values was featured in publications across the country, including Food & Wine magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.

“America is in the middle of a craft beer revolution,” Reid said. “Craft breweries often locate in neighborhoods that were once economically distressed. Thanks to the arrival of the craft brewery and other investments by both the public and private sector, many of these neighborhoods have become revitalized. In fact, our analysis shows living within a half mile of a craft brewery increased the average value of a single-family home by almost 10 percent, using Charlotte, N.C., as a case study.”

Representatives from two Toledo breweries and UToledo alumni also will discuss their journey from home brewers to brewery owners. Keefe Snyder, who graduated from the College of Engineering in 2006 and the College of Law in 2010, is a co-owner of Earnest Brew Works. Aaron Grizaniuk, who graduated from University College in 2005, co-owns Patron Saints Brewery.

The event costs $20 a person and includes eight 3-oz. beer samples and appetizers. The tasting is for people 21 and older.

To register, go to the Alumni Association website or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 419.530.2586.

The event is hosted by the UToledo Arts and Letters and Engineering Alumni Affiliates.

Prince Senayah, a second-year law student at The University of Toledo College of Law, recently was awarded a 10-week public interest labor law fellowship by the Peggy Browning Fund.

Senayah will spend the summer working at United Auto Workers (UAW) International headquarters in Detroit to write briefs related to ongoing collective bargaining and grievance resolution proceedings, while witnessing and participating in union certification efforts.

The fund supports more than 80 public interest labor law fellowships nationwide, and the fellowship application process is highly competitive. Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished students who have not only excelled in law school, but who also have demonstrated a commitment to workers’ rights through previous educational, work, volunteer and personal experiences.

Born and raised in Ghana, Senayah earned a bachelor of science degree in land economy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. At the College of Law, he is pursuing a juris doctor with a certificate of concentration in labor and employment law to explore the correlation between employee rights and access to justice. He quickly developed a passion for worker rights advocacy after discovering the serious effects that workplace-related policies can have on the underprivileged.

Senayah was named a Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer Fellow in 2018 and also served as an instructor for the Law and Leadership Institute’s 2018 summer session, where he taught classes to prepare high school students from underserved communities for legal careers.

“I feel prepared to take on the responsibilities that will be assigned to me this summer not just because of the classes I have taken at the College of Law, but also because the attorneys I will be working with under the fellowship are committed to mentoring me,” Senayah said. “It is also reassuring to know professors at the college are so committed to seeing their students excel that I can reach out to them whenever necessary.”

“The Peggy Browning Fellowship is a prestigious award, with students from all over the country competing for jobs with major players in the labor and employment law world,” said Joseph Slater, Distinguished University Professor of Law. “Prince is an excellent student whose hard work, dedication and commitment is obvious in class. He will have the opportunity to work with the legal department of the UAW, one of the most important unions in the country, and I am sure he will do a fantastic job. He is very much deserving of this excellent opportunity.”

The Peggy Browning Fund is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a prominent union-side attorney who was a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 1994 until 1997. Peggy Browning Fellowships provide law students with unique, diverse and challenging work experiences fighting for social and economic justice.

Mark Fadel came to The University of Toledo well-informed about what lie ahead.

One of his brothers is a surgeon. Another, an attorney. Fadel had seen firsthand the rigors of completing just one of those degrees.

He was embarking on both simultaneously. Law and medicine combined.

“Watching them go through those programs individually, they sacrificed a lot,” he said. “To do it together was very difficult. It took a lot of perseverance.”

After six years of intense study, switching between medical textbooks and case law, clinical rotations and writing projects, Fadel will join Alexis Holman as the first graduates of UToledo’s J.D./M.D. program.

Holman also is set to receive the valedictorian award at the law commencement ceremony.

“There is a famous quote, ‘Faith is taking the first step when you do not see the top of the staircase.’ That is a great analogy for the program,” Holman said. “There were some challenging moments for us, but I am so happy we saw it through. Graduation will be a special moment.”

One of roughly two dozen such programs in the country, UToledo’s joint degree, established in 2013, is geared toward individuals who are driven to work at the intersection of medicine and law who seek opportunities to shape the future of health-care policy.

D. Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law, said it takes an amazing amount of talent, ambition and perseverance to complete two professional doctorates in such a short time frame.

“The combination of the two degrees can be very powerful. There are a wide range of intersections between law and medicine, and there are only a few people who are fully trained in both,” Barros said. “Recipients of this joint degree are well-poised to be leaders in a wide range of areas, including health-care policy, health-care system management and health-care regulation. We are incredibly proud of Alexis and Mark.”

After graduation, Fadel is going to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for a residency in otolaryngology, more commonly known as an ear, nose and throat specialist. He has already taken the bar exam and expects to learn his results within the month.

Holman will head to the University of Michigan for a residency in anesthesiology. She elected to take the bar exam after learning where she matched for residency.

Each said their respective residency programs were receptive to their dual degrees and the perspective that brings. They intend to continue researching and writing on medical law topics while in residency.

Looking further into the future, Holman and Fadel see a wide range of opportunities to put their unique training to use.

“With the changing face of health care — the shift to bigger medicine and increase in regulation — I was interested in trying to give physicians a seat at the table to help shape the future of care delivery in the United States,” Holman said.

Fadel and Holman already have had their work recognized at a national level, winning the Hirsch Award in the American College of Legal Medicine Student Writing Competition in back-to-back years. Fadel was recognized in 2018 for a piece arguing for stronger limitations on who can opt out of measles vaccinations read the UT News story. Holman won in 2019 for a paper questioning whether the FDA’s processes for determining equivalency between name brand and generic drugs were sufficient; read the UT News story.

“We are very proud of these two for their academic accomplishments and excellence,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, and executive vice president for clinical affairs. “They were the pioneers of this new program, and they have set an excellent example. They have a bright future ahead of them.”

Holman and Fadel credited faculty in the College of Law and College of Medicine and Life Sciences for being open to working with them as the first students in the program, and each other for their support during the difficult parts of their journey.

“Watching our friends match, graduate, sit for the bar, and participate in all the exciting things you do at the end of each of these programs was pretty hard to watch,” Fadel said. “We always wondered when it would be our moment and, finally, it came.”

The College of Law commencement is Sunday, May 5. The College of Medicine and Life Sciences commencement is Friday, May 10.

The commencement ceremony for The University of Toledo College of Law will be held Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

Mary Ellen Pisanelli of The University of Toledo Board of Trustees will confer degrees to approximately 70 law graduates.

Angelita Cruz Bridges, a 2000 alumna of the College of Law, will deliver remarks to the graduating class.

Cruz Bridges serves as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. She litigates both affirmative and defensive civil cases on behalf of the United States, including those filed under the False Claims Act, the Federal Tort Claims Act and Title VII. She also represents U.S. interests in civil rights cases enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws in the areas of fair housing, disability rights and education.

She has received numerous commendations, including the 2015 Director’s Award from the Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys for her superior performance investigating financial fraud.

Throughout her career, she has served in leadership roles with the Toledo Women’s Bar Association, Toledo Bar Association, and Thurgood Marshall Law Association. She is currently a member of the Zepf Center Board of Trustees and the Toledo Zoo Board of Trustees, and is president of the Toledo Chapter of Jack and Jill of America.

“I am delighted that Angelita Cruz Bridges will speak to our graduates at commencement,” said College of Law Dean D. Benjamin Barros. “She is a leading lawyer in Toledo, and does incredibly important work in her role as an assistant United States attorney. She also is a leader in our community, and devotes both her professional and personal time to public service. I look forward to hearing her advice and encouragement for our new graduates.”

Alexis Holman, College of Law J.D./M.D. joint degree student, was named the Hirsh Award winner in the American College of Legal Medicine Student Writing Competition.

The American College of Legal Medicine is the preeminent national organization for law and medicine. This marks the second year in a row that a UToledo law student has won first place in the annual writing competition.

As the first-place winner, Holman was asked to present her research for “Is Bioequivalence a Sufficient Measure of Equivalence?” at the American College of Legal Medicine 2019 annual meeting last month in Los Angeles.

The paper focused on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of generic medications. As generic medications are subject to less extensive review than brand drugs, manufacturers must only prove that they are the “bioequivalent” of the brand drug. Holman researched whether certain classes of brand and generic drugs could be used interchangeably without consequences for the patient.

“In my paper, I aim to establish that the evidence is insufficient to conclude whether using bioequivalence to establish true equivalence is adequate, especially for narrow therapeutic index drugs, which operate over a small range of acceptable dosages and blood concentrations,” Holman said. “Even if the current bioequivalence guidelines are medically sufficient, there are additional issues stemming the regulatory designation of equivalence, such as pharmacy auto-substitution and legal remedies in the case of patient harm from generic drugs.

“Overall, more research must be conducted so that the regulatory and legal framework surrounding generic drug approval can address the many consequences of deeming two drugs interchangeable,” she said.

“FDA approval of generic prescription drugs plays a crucial role in health-care costs and patient access to treatment,” said Elizabeth McCuskey, professor of law, who co-directs the University’s J.D./M.D. and J.D./M.P.H. joint degree programs. “Ms. Holman’s research adds a fresh perspective to this complex regulatory regime, exposing important considerations for doctors, patients and regulators. Her medical education enables Ms. Holman to take a deep dive into the scientific literature informing prescribing decisions, while her legal education enables her to reveal potential weaknesses in the regulatory regime underlying generic approval, as well as the legal rights patients unwittingly give up when taking generic drugs. This interplay of regulation, medical judgment and legal consequences that makes Ms. Holman’s research so valuable exemplifies the interdisciplinary power of UToledo’s J.D./M.D. joint degree program. She is poised to be a leader in health-care policy, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll tackle next.”

Holman was born and raised in Toledo. She earned her bachelor’s degree in brain, behavior and cognitive science from the University of Michigan.

She will complete her J.D./M.D. joint degrees this spring. She matched with her top choice, the anesthesiology residency program at the University of Michigan, where she plans to pursue clinical training and medico-legal research.

Katie Holmes, a native Toledoan who rose to fame as an actor, producer and director, will return to her hometown to deliver the keynote address during The University of Toledo’s undergraduate commencement ceremony Saturday, May 4.

A Notre Dame Academy alumna and international icon of screen, stage and film, Holmes will address 2,078 candidates for degrees — 2,023 bachelor’s and 55 associate’s candidates. The event will take place at 10 a.m. in the Glass Bowl.

The University’s graduate commencement ceremony is scheduled the same day at 3 p.m. in the Glass Bowl, and will commemorate 915 candidates for doctoral, education specialist and master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates. Analese Alvarez, an educator and musician who has recorded with the Grammy Award-winning rock group Fleetwood Mac, will be the keynote speaker. She is a candidate for a doctoral degree.

Both ceremonies are open to the public and can be viewed live on the University Views website.

President Sharon L. Gaber will present Holmes with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree before the keynote address.

“The University of Toledo is pleased to welcome Katie Holmes as our commencement speaker to inspire our newest alumni as they celebrate receiving their degrees,” Gaber said. “As a Toledo native with close, personal connections to the University, we are eager for her to share her experiences and accomplishments in the entertainment industry and as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.”

Holmes is an internationally recognized film and television actor, producer and director, as well as a Broadway actor and an entrepreneur.

An exceptional student at Notre Dame Academy, Holmes was accepted to Columbia University, but deferred to embark on an entertainment career. She made her feature film debut in “The Ice Storm” in 1997, then established herself as a rising young actor the next year in the television show “Dawson’s Creek.” For six years, she played Joey Potter, a character still recognized in pop culture.

Holmes has appeared in supporting or starring roles in more than 30 films and television programs, including acclaimed performances as Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in “The Kennedys” and “The Kennedys: After Camelot,” Hannah Green in “Wonder Boys,” Rachel Dawson in “Batman Begins,” April Burns in “Pieces of April,” Rita Carmichael in “All We Had,” and Paige Finney in “Ray Donovan.”

Her credits as a director and producer include “All We Had,” “Touched With Fire,” “The Romantics” and “The Kennedys: Decline and Fall.”

Holmes made her Broadway debut in a revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” in 2008 and played the role of Lorna in “Dead Accounts” in 2012.

As an entrepreneur, Holmes managed and designed a well-received fashion line, Holmes & Yang, with Jeanne Yang, from 2009 to 2014.

Her philanthropic efforts include the Dizzy Feet Foundation, an organization Holmes co-founded in 2009 that increases access to dance education in the United States. She also supports the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes; Love Our Children USA, a national nonprofit organization that fights violence and neglect against U.S. children; Raising Malawi, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to helping vulnerable children in extreme poverty through health, education and community support; and the Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation.

Graduate ceremony speaker Alvarez has been an educator for nearly two decades and is a candidate for an education doctorate in educational administration and supervision.

The Santa Barbara, Calif., native has enjoyed an outstanding career teaching high school music, highlighted by leading her previous school’s music department to become a Grammy Signature Schools recipient in 2015. She has continued teaching music while pursuing her doctorate at UToledo by serving as a graduate assistant for the Rocket Marching Band and athletic bands since 2015.

Alvarez”s long career as a musician includes recording with Fleetwood Mac on “The Dance” and appearances on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and Nickelodeon’s “The Big Help.” She also was a member of the Los Angeles Laker Band, a subset of the University of Southern California’s Trojan Marching Band. She has performed with numerous professional ensembles, including The Desert Winds and the Gold Coast Wind Ensemble.

A volunteer club advisor for Gay Straight Alliances, Alvarez co-chaired the Southern Nevada chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network and served the Gay and Lesbian Center of Las Vegas. During the past year, she has been executive director at Equality Toledo, where she has worked to support the local community.

Alvarez earned a bachelor of music degree from the University of Southern California and a master of music degree from Northern Arizona University, both in music education.

UToledo’s spring commencement ceremonies will recognize graduates from the colleges of Arts and Letters; Business and Innovation; Judith Herb College of Education; Engineering; Graduate Studies; Health and Human Services; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Nursing; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and University College.

UToledo’s College of Law will host its commencement ceremony Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium. Angelita Cruz Bridges, a 2000 graduate of the College of Law who serves as an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will give the commencement address.

The next week — Friday, May 10, at 4 p.m. — the College of Medicine and Life Sciences will hold its commencement ceremony in Savage Arena. Dr. Scott Parazynski, a physician and inventor whose career included serving 17 years as an astronaut, during which time he flew five space shuttle missions and conducted seven spacewalks, will be theutoledo.edu/commencementrmation, visit the commencement website.

The University of Toledo Board of Trustees approved during its April meeting tenure for 12 faculty members and promotion of another 31 associate professors and professors.

“We continue to have high-caliber faculty advancing through our tenure and promotion process, and this year’s cohort of faculty members all have very impressive achievements,” said Dr. Karen Bjorkman, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

The provost also noted the goal in the strategic plan to increase the percentage of professors among the total number of full-time faculty. There were 22 who became fully promoted to professor with the board’s recent action.

Faculty members who received tenure and promotion to associate professor are:

College of Business and Innovation

• Dr. Xinghao Yan, Information, Operations and Technology Management

• Dr. Marcelo Alvarado-Vargas, Management

College of Engineering

• Dr. Carmen Cioc, Engineering Technology

• Dr. Luis Mata, Engineering Technology

College of Health and Human Services

• Dr. Kimberly McBride, School of Population Health

• Dr. Shipra Singh, School of Population Health

• Dr. Heather Sloane, School of Social Justice

College of Medicine and Life Sciences

• Dr. Nezam Altorok, Medicine

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Dr. Trieu Le, Mathematics and Statistics

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Dr. Isaac Schiefer, Medicinal and Biological Chemistry

• Dr. F. Scott Hall, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

• Dr. Amit Tiwari, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Faculty members promoted to professor are:

College of Arts and Letters

• Dr. Melissa Gregory, English Language and Literature

• Dr. Bhuiyan Alam, Geography and Planning

• Dr. Charles Beatty, History

• Dr. Lee Heritage, Music

• Dr. Ovamir Anjum, Philosophy and Religious Studies

• Dr. Patricia Case, Sociology and Anthropology

• Dr. Willie McKether, Sociology and Anthropology

College of Business and Innovation

• Dr. Iryna Pentina, Marketing

College of Engineering

• Dr. Yakov Lapitsky, Chemical Engineering

• Dr. Hong Wang, Engineering Technology

• Dr. Matthew Franchetti, Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

College of Health and Human Services

• Dr. Wendy Cochrane, School of Intervention and Wellness

• Dr. Jiunn-Jye Sheu, School of Population Health

• Dr. Kasey Tucker-Gail, School of Social Justice

College of Law

• Bryan Lammon

College of Medicine and Life Sciences

• Dr. Cletus Iwuagwu, Medicine

• Dr. Ruby Nucklos, Medicine

• Dr. Tanvir Singh, Psychiatry

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Dr. John Gray, Biological Sciences

• Dr. Dragan Isailovic, Chemistry and Biochemistry

• Dr. Alessandro Arsie, Mathematics and Statistics

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Dr. Zahoor Shah, Medicinal and Biological Chemistry

Faculty members promoted to associate professor are:

College of Medicine and Life Sciences

• Dr. Sarah Gerken, Anesthesiology

• Dr. Anu Garg, Medicine

• Dr. Dani Zoorob, Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Dr. Jiayong Liu, Orthopaedic Surgery

• Dr. Waseem Ostwani, Pediatrics

• Dr. Eileen Quinn, Pediatrics

• Dr. Richard Baron, Psychiatry

• Dr. Kimberly Hunter, Psychiatry

• Dr. Jason Schroeder, Surgery

The University of Toledo women’s basketball program will host its second annual Lessons in LeadHERship Conference Tuesday, April 30.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

The conference is designed to help grow female leadership in the Toledo community and is being sponsored by Rocket alumna Kelly Savage from Savage & Associates.

“I was thrilled to have 350-plus people at last year’s inaugural conference, and I’m hopeful we can top that number this year with another outstanding lineup of speakers,” Toledo Head Women’s Basketball Coach Tricia Cullop said. “My hope is that this event continues to grow, as well as inspires current and future female leaders.”

Guest speakers at the conference will be:

• Holly Dunn, survivor and advocate. The only known survivor of the Railroad Serial Killer co-founded Holly’s House, a child and adult advocacy center for victims of intimate crimes.

• Lin Dunn, who was inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. She has 40 years of women’s collegiate basketball coaching experience and coached for 11 seasons in the WNBA.

• Dr. Adrienne King, UToledo associate vice president of marketing and communications. The 2018 Leadership American Program graduate joined UToledo in January from Murray State University. Under King’s leadership Murray State grew private support by an average of 47 percent and tripled the size of the school’s alumni association.

• Diana Patton, UToledo law alumna and author of “Inspiration in My Shoes,” a 2016 memoir that chronicles overcoming abuse, racism and heartache. The CEO of Diana R. Patton Consulting LLC is an attorney who speaks about leadership, emotional intelligence, diversity, inclusion and equity. She serves on the UToledo College of Health and Human Services’ board and the UToledo paralegal advisory board.

• Rhonda Sewell, manager of external and governmental affairs for the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. She was a journalist with The Blade for 18 years. Sewell is a member of the Toledo Press Club and is on the ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital Foundation board of directors.

• Sharon Speyer, president of the northwest Ohio region of Huntington National Bank, a subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares, a $100 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The UToledo law alumna is a member of the University Board of Trustees.

Chrys Peterson, former WTOL news anchor, will serve as the emcee.

The cost to attend is $50 per individual and $25 for high school and college students.

For more information, contact Lauren Flaum, director of women’s basketball operations, at 419.530.2363 or lauren.flaum2@utoledo.edu.

Diana Patton will return to The University of Toledo Tuesday, March 26, to talk about overcoming abuse and persevering to become an attorney.

She will speak at 7 p.m. in Thompson Student Union Room 3020.

“We are honored to have Diana Patton visit campus to share her moving and motivational story,” David Young, UToledo director of Toledo Excel and Special projects, said.

Patton is the author of “Inspiration in My Shoes,” a 2016 memoir that chronicles overcoming abuse, racism and heartache. In the 236-page book she wrote with Amanda Filippelli, Patton explains inspiration is everywhere; turmoil doesn’t define you; and faith and determination can help through anything.

The CEO of Diana R. Patton Consulting LLC is an attorney who speaks on leadership, emotional intelligence, diversity, inclusion and equity, as well as trauma-informed care. She is a mentor on self-care, and social and emotional intelligence.

Patton served as the vice president, chief operating officer and general counsel for the Toledo Fair Housing Center, and she worked at CedarCreek Church. In addition, the graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York also co-owned a health-based company, FITatudes LLC.

She serves on the UToledo College of Health and Human Services’ board and the UToledo Paralegal advisory board.

Patton received bachelor’s and law degrees from UToledo and was a member of the track team.

Her visit is part of the Office of Multicultural Student Success’ African-American Intitiatives Through Your Eyes Series.

The first 20 women at the event will receive a free signed copy of “Inspiration in My Shoes.”

For more information on the free event, contact Young at david.young@utoledo.edu.

The University of Toledo College of Law was awarded a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic grant from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Taxpayer Advocate Service, making it the only academic institution in Ohio to receive the honor.

The grant can match funds up to $100,000 annually to support the law school’s existing Tax Controversy Clinic. Law students work under the supervision of Tax Controversy Clinic Director Chris Bourell to assist taxpayers in disputes with the IRS.

Bourell indicates that the federal grant will allow the tax clinic to expand its services and community outreach efforts, as well as provide structural support for the operation.

“We are especially honored to become a part of a network of recognized Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics across the country,” Bourell said. “The contacts we have made with other grant recipients, both at legal aid organizations and other law schools, and within the IRS itself have been beneficial to improving and expanding our services.”

Tax clinic students receive legal training from their experience of handling challenging legal cases, and they have the opportunity to serve the community.

Student attorney Stephen Domingue said, “I have learned how to be a better attorney through the clinic. It is a great program to improve my legal skills, but it also gave me insight into the challenges faced by many people who are not able to receive quality legal care elsewhere.”

Consultations for assistance from the tax clinic are made by appointment by emailing intake@ttcc.law or calling 419.484.8822.