Alumni Briefs
 | Carol Ann Huebner, PhD, MSN Class of 1982, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, FAAN, has been volunteering in the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at the School of Nursing. Dr. Huebner completed certification as a Faith Community Nurse through the Westberg Institute in 2018 and was commissioned as a Stephen Minister at Concordia Lutheran Church San Antonio just as the pandemic began in 2020. Her manuscript, “Bridging the Transition to Assisted Living: A Framework for Faith Community Nursing” was accepted in 2020 for publication in the Journal of Christian Nursing. For the nursing school, Carol and her husband sponsor a lecture series in leadership for clinical excellence and an endowed scholarship for veterans. |
 | Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, MSN Class of 1979, RN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FAANP, FAAN, has been named a 2021 Piper Professor. Only 10 Piper Professors are selected each year among educators nominated by colleges and universities throughout Texas in recognition of outstanding academic, scientific, and scholarly achievement and for dedication to the teaching profession. She is a professor and associate dean of Graduate Studies at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. |
| Ret. Lt. Col. Jerry Puente Gonzales, MHA, BSN Class of 1973, RN, retired from the U.S. Army as a registered nurse. He serves on two volunteer boards: the Bexar County Civil Service Commission and the KLRN Public TV Channel. He is a member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the MOAA Nurses Group, and the American Nurses Association. |
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 | Carlos A. Villanueva, BSN Class of 2018, RN, SRNA, graduated and went to work in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Main Methodist Hospital. During his time with Methodist, he underwent extensive training to care for patients who would undergo orthotopic heart transplantation and various other surgical procedures. In addition, he received education on Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps, Impellas, Heartmate and Heartware Ventricular Assist Devices for severe heart failure patients. Villanueva is now enrolled in the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program at Texas Christian University. He will be training for three years to become an anesthesia provider working primarily in the operating room. |
| Benjamin A. Cuevas, BSN Class of 2016, RN, will be graduating from UTHealth Houston with his DNP in nurse anesthesia. He was selected to speak on behalf of the Cizik School of Nursing graduating class for the May 2021 commencement. | |
| Ret. Col. Alfredo E. Montalvo, Jr., BSN Class of 1973, RN, retired with 20 years of active duty in the U.S. Army. He worked in the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) for six years. Montalvo served two deployments to Iraq, including as commander of the 85th Stress Combat Control. In addition, he served as a flight nurse for 18 years in the reserve Air Force. Montalvo earned two master’s degrees with one from Columbia University and the other from the University of California at San Francisco. He taught at both downtown Baptist Hospital and the University of the Incarnate Word. He has been married for 41 years to fellow nursing student, Elizabeth Hanslik Montalvo, BSN Class of 1973. |
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 | Karah D. Garza, MSN Class of 2015, BSN Class of 2011, CPNP, RN, started her nursing career as an RN in the NICU at Methodist Children’s Hospital. After a few years, she entered the Advanced Practice Nursing Program to expand her nursing expertise in multiple capacities. Upon graduation from the school’s MSN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program, Garza began working as a PNP for Building Blocks Pediatrics in Pleasanton, Texas. Now six years later, she became the new owner of Building Blocks Pediatrics. With her dedicated team of certified nurse practitioners, the clinic is in an underserved rural area and provides quality, comprehensive primary care to children of the community and surrounding areas. |
 | Please email the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@uthscsa.edu or call 210-567-3051 with professional news. |
