Bi-Annual Faculty Instructional
Excellence Award of 2022
Three members of the ANU faculty — Dr. Lina Hammad, April Conner, and Patricia Vander Hoff — have been named the recipients of our Semi-Annual Faculty Instructional Excellence Award of 2022. Program chairs, deans, and direct managers undergo the nomination process twice each year, seeking individuals who embody ANU’s values. Nominees must display a commitment to teaching and their students; an engaging, encouraging, active teaching approach to ensure students are intellectually stimulated; the ability to effectively communicate with students; and a positive, lasting impact on students. Earning this award is how we recognize members of the faculty who embody these ANU values.
Dr. Lina Hammad (Pharm.D, MSc, CPhT) is passionate about educating people about drug abuse/misuse and helping students succeed especially in the field of Pharmacy. Her experience has been as a Clinical Pharmacist providing Medication Therapy Management services for Long Term Care patients and training pharmacy technicians/pharmacists both one-on-one and through preparation courses for state-wide pharmacy license board exams.
Since she joined the Pharmacy Technician faculty pool at American National University, Dr. Hammad has helped the department restructure most of the new course content for the program. Her instructional abilities are exceptional, bringing the vast experience from her previous employment as a Pharmacy technician instructor. Her classroom setups and the instructional techniques engage the students who tend to retain the material taught by proof of her class retention and student success rate. She is also one of the few instructors who handles the lab classes taught in the program. She utilizes different techniques during lecture hours and engages the students outside the lecture hours. Aside from her duties as an adjunct faculty, Dr. Hammad also volunteers as an advisory board member for the Pharmacy Technician Program.
April D. Conner, JD, is an attorney practicing law in the state of West Virginia with twenty-six years of experience. Ms. Conner received her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in Sociology and Political Science and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the West Virginia University College of Law. Ms. Conner began her legal career as a Writ Clerk with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, and thereafter relocated to north-central West Virginia where she served as both an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and private counsel in multiple counties. Throughout that time, she developed an excellent working relationship with attorneys across disciplines and worked very closely with the courts. Ms. Conner developed a reputation for being able to provide sage counsel in complex cases with difficult issues.
Based upon her collaborative approach and the strength of relationships built, Ms. Conner was often called upon by the courts to conduct independent investigations and provide insight to the court.
After spending the initial part of her career specializing in the areas of criminal law, juvenile justice, and family law, Ms. Conner expanded her practice to include civil litigation. She had a unique opportunity to serve as a contract attorney with the well-respected law firm of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Dietzler, and thereafter returned to public service as Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Carrie L. Webster in Kanawha County, WV. Both of these opportunities allowed Ms. Conner to both gain civil litigation experience, and to return to southern West Virginia to be closer to her parents as they advance in age. Ms. Conner continues to serve the state as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Kanawha County, WV.
Throughout this time, Ms. Conner embraced opportunities to speak to and teach civic groups and law students about her experiences and the practice of law.
Ms. Conner joined American National University as faculty in Paralegal Studies, Legal Studies and the Business programs in January 2021 and has enjoyed teaching under the diligent leadership of Dean Wendy Notz and working alongside her capable team.
In her free time Ms. Conner enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and exploring new recipes and cooking techniques. Ms. Conner looks forward to sharing her years of experience and insight to ANU students in the time to come.
Patty Vander Hoff is the Program Director of the Health Information AS & Diploma programs here at ANU. She has held this position for almost a year, but has years of experience teaching in higher education. Patty has experience in Revenue Cycle Management, Coding, and Billing. She previously worked as a Director of HIM, HIM Operations Manager, a Program Chair for HIM, and she got her first HIM start as a coder in a multispecialty practices clinic.
Patty has a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Healthcare Informatics. Her Bachelors’ degree is in Health Information Management Administration, and she is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA). Patty also holds an AS in Health Information Technology, along with my Diploma in Medical Billing & Coding.
Patty lives in Michigan and enjoys hanging out with nieces and nephews and her great nieces and nephews. She loves to garden in the morning before everyone is up and her guilty pleasure is watching the Real Housewives programs!
