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Two members of Milligan University’s faculty were among this year’s class of Healthcare Heroes, which was selected by the editorial board of the Business Journal of Tri-Cities TN/VA.

Dr. Maureen Knechtel and Ashleigh Lingerfelt were recognized alongside the other honorees at a luncheon inside the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City on July 26. Knechtel is an associate professor and academic coordinator for Milligan’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies while Lingerfelt is the program director and professor for Milligan’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program.

“Having two of our faculty members chosen as Healthcare Heroes underscores the strength of our health sciences programs here at Milligan,” said Milligan President Dr. Stephen Waers. “Maureen and Ashleigh both model servant leadership in the classroom and in the community, and in doing so, they equip their students to be competent, caring healthcare professionals.

Knechtel has been employed at Milligan since 2016 and was heavily involved in the planning and development of the university’s PA program, which launched in 2018. Knechtel continually revises her instruction and assessment methods to maximize the experience of Milligan’s PA students as they prepare for the clinical phase of their training.

Knechtel has been a physician’s assistant since 2005 and still practices one day a week at the Ballad Health CVA Heart Institute in Kingsport. She is also engaged in community service with a variety of agencies and works side by side with students from Milligan’s PA program during an annual Habitat for Humanity building project.

Lingerfelt presides over an OT program that has been producing outstanding occupational therapists for 25 years. She works to structure the program in a manner that equips Milligan’s students to excel as healthcare professionals while also preparing them to lead and serve in their chosen profession.

Through Lingerfelt’s leadership, there is a strong community service component to Milligan’s OT training that provides students with hands-on experience by working with patients at the Crumley House, Dawn of Hope and ETSU’s Early Childhood Center. In addition to her role at Milligan, Lingerfelt remains active as an occupational therapist at a local pediatric practice. The work she does with her young patients allows them to overcome physical and mental obstacles and reach key developmental milestones, setting them up to live fuller lives.