Congratulations to all those who received promotion or tenure for the 2020-2021 academic year. These achievements reflect continued excellence and professional competence. This exciting milestone reflects a commendable level of academic growth and the remarkable value of our faculty members.

TENURE

Dr. Lillian Lien

Lillian F. Lien, MD, FACP is Professor of Medicine and Division Director of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, in the Department of Medicine. She did her undergraduate work at Harvard University, and then completed her medical training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at Duke University Medical Center.  Prior to taking over as Endocrine Division Chief at UMMC, she had served as Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Inpatient Diabetes Management at Duke for many years. Throughout her career, she has had a passion for the management of chronic diseases and is especially devoted to safe care for all individuals with diabetes mellitus. On the topics of obesity and diabetes, she is the author or coauthor of more than 55 publications including articles in peer-reviewed professional journals and book chapters, while serving as a journal reviewer and editor for endocrine and internal medicine scientific publications. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, and the American College of Physicians. A nationally sought invited speaker, Lien’s research interests include inpatient diabetes, intravenous insulin, obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Nita Maihle

Dr. Maihle is a Professor of Medicine and Cell and Molecular Biology and serves as Associate Director for Basic Research in UMMC’s Cancer Center and Research Institute. She has held multiple leadership positions on panels for the NIH, the NCI, the DOD, the American Association for Cancer Research and the Gynecologic Oncology Group. She also is Dean of the Department of Defense-sponsored (2015-2025) Ovarian Cancer Academy, established to help support the career development of early career investigators in the field of ovarian cancer research. At UMMC, her research focuses on the development of new methods for the early detection of cancer with an emphasis on breast and ovarian cancers as well as endometrial and precision oncology and its biomarkers. Dr. Maihle holds 10 patents, most related to agents that may be used to detect cancer or treat cancer by targeting biologically relevant pathways.

PROFESSOR

Dr. Myrna Alexander Nickens

Dr. Myrna Alexander Nickens serves as the Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Medicine. As Mississippi’s first female interventional cardiologist, she has been on faculty at UMMC since 2012. She serves as the President of the section of Women in Cardiology in the American College of Cardiology. She is a member of the admissions committee for UMMC’s School of Medicine as well as the Housestaff Selection Committee for the internal medicine residency program.  Her present clinical focus is cardiovascular disease during pregnancy. She has lead mission trips at New Hope Baptist Church. She enjoys playing tennis with family and friends.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Dr. Ben Brock

Dr. Ben Brock is part of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Brock serves as medical director of the Adult Special Care Clinic, UMMC’s adult Ryan White clinic, and of the UMMC AIDS Education and Training Center.  He has served as associate program director of the infectious diseases fellowship and recently assumed the role of program director.  He is involved in multiple clinical trials in HIV prevention and treatment through UMMC’s Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education, and Policy.  Dr. Brock has been recognized for his commitment to medical education having been awarded the Trailblazer Teaching Award and recognized as an All-Star Teacher by the residency program.

Dr. Amanda Clark

Dr. Amanda Clark is part of the Division of General Medicine and Hypertension and practices both inpatient and outpatient medicine. She serves as Associate Vice Chair of Communications, Development, and Technology for the Department of Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. She serves as Co-Director of the Clinician Educator Track, which is a longitudinal curriculum designed for residents interested in academic medicine. Dr. Clark serves on UMMC’s Epic Provider Oversight Committee and is the faculty advisor for the Resident Wellness Committee. She is an active member of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and is serving on the 2021 national meeting planning committee. She was an Associate Editor for SGIM Forum for six years and has published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Journal of General Internal Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine.