ISU honors two Meridian professors for outstanding research and service

Each year, Idaho State University—through the offices of Academic Affairs and Research—honors outstanding faculty in the areas of teaching, public service and research. This year, two of the 14 honorees are from ISU-Meridian.

Karl Madaras-Kelly,  Pharm.D., M.P.H., Researcher 

Pharmacy Professor Karl Madaras-Kelly has received more than $1.6 million in grant support from the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Health Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and various pharmaceutical interests. His research spans the disciplines of epidemiology, health systems, implementation science, and the measurement of health outcomes.

Madaras-Kelly practices at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center where he conducts clinical research and manages the local antimicrobial stewardship program to reduce the spread of infectious diseases within a clinic or hospital.

He has consulted nationally and mentored numerous professional and post-graduate trainees in design, analysis, and dissemination of research and quality-improvement projects.

A scholar and scientist, Madaras-Kelly has authored numerous manuscripts on infectious diseases and worked to integrate his findings into health-care practice.

He received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1991 and pharmacy doctorate in 1992 from the University of Minnesota. He completed an infectious diseases/pharmacokinetics fellowship at the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center. He holds a master’s degree in public health from ISU.

Shauna Smith, M.S., Service Award

Shauna Smith is a speech-language pathologist, clinical associate professor and clinic director in the graduate speech-language pathology program of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

She graduated from ISU with a bachelor’s in speech pathology and audiology in 2003 and earned her master’s in speech-language pathology in 2005.

Before joining the ISU faculty, Smith practiced as a speech-language pathologist on an outpatient brain injury team specializing in the treatment of cognitive and communication disorders related to traumatic brain injury, and the treatment of swallowing disorders in individuals with head and neck cancer. She has also worked with adults in inpatient and home health settings.

Smith continues to treat patients and mentor student clinicians in the ISU-Meridian Dysphagia Clinic, which she founded in 2012. Her clinical focus involves treating people with swallowing disorders and patients experiencing the cognitive and linguistic challenges associated with traumatic brain injuries. 

Smith, who has spoken at national conferences, has sought out numerous opportunities to serve the community, profession, and university. She believes through active service that positive change is made.