Idaho State University’s Hevener and Tavernier named to WWAMI’s Rising Star program

Idaho State University-Meridian’s Kirk Hevener, assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, and Susan Tavernier, assistant professor of nursing, were recently named Rising Stars in a career development program sponsored by the University of Washington’s Institute of Translational Health Sciences.

The program, which begins in June, provides 12 faculty members from the five-state WWAMI region of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho with a two-year career development package that can include up to $15,000 in research funding, mentoring, peer-to-peer networking, and review services.

The University of Washington created the Rising Stars program to help promising clinical and translational researchers establish themselves in their fields—particularly during a time when federal research dollars are tight.

Hevener’s area of research involves screening drugs to fight the C. difficile infection, which settles in the large intestine and can cause severe dehydration and death. Tavernier’s research explores quality-of- life issues in patients undergoing cancer treatment.