Faculty Profiles
Ms. Carmen Carpenter
Ms. Carpenter’s academic preparation includes a Master of Science in Biology and Physiology, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with licensure in the State of Florida as a Registered Nurse. Prior to her position with South University, Carmen practiced as a critical care nurse and later as a sales representative for a pacemaker firm, developing expertise in the clinical and business arenas of healthcare.
As an educator, she has worked over twenty years with a variety of students at different levels in the sciences and healthcare professions. At South University, she developed curricula for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management program and the associate degrees in Physical Therapy Assisting, Allied Health Sciences and Medical Assisting. Currently, she is involved in online curriculum development for the Bachelor of Science in Health Science program and served as the subject matter expert for the development of the anatomy & physiology lecture and laboratory courses online.
Throughout Carmen’s teaching career she has been excited to be in the classroom, both on ground and online, and feels fortunate to have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with an ever-changing group of students. She believes that online education is the “new frontier” of learning and is thrilled to be working with South University Online.
Dr. Lila Stageberg
Dr. Stageberg worked for eighteen years in a variety of Ambulatory Care settings as a Family Practice Physician. She developed a severe autoimmune disease in 2004, and as a result, was unable to work in the clinic setting anymore. She was distraught until her family and friends reminded her how much she loved the part of her clinic work that involved teaching, and that she could still do that without any problem.
Dr. Stageberg wanted to work for an institution that she felt was truly student-oriented, and, when she joined South in 2007 as an Adjunct Faculty Member, she quickly found the opportunity she had been seeking. She found she could use the clinical experience she had to provide a much-appreciated foundation for teaching students preparing for all areas of Health Care professions. From the RN to BSN program to the Basic Science preparation for the clinical programs, Dr. Stageberg’s many years of real-life experience lend a true-life sense of realism as she ties in every area of study to actual patient examples that make her students feel involved.
Moving on to Full Time Status in January of 2009, Dr. Stageberg has never enjoyed working more. She is exploring new areas of involvement in education, having been the Subject Matter Expert for a 400 level class written last year. She is wondering now what opportunities will present themselves next!
Dr. John Distler
Dr. Distler earned his Doctor of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore and his Post Master’s certificate in Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. In addition, he obtained his Family Nurse Practitioner Certification from the University of California at Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, his Master’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Dr. Distler is currently an Assistant Professor for South University Online. Previously, he was the Program Director at the University of Maryland School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program in Baltimore for seven years. He has been a Registered Nurse for thirty-one years with the last twenty years as a Family Nurse Practitioner working in family practice, emergency medicine and allergy, asthma and immunology.
Dr. Distler is a three-term Maryland State Representative for the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and recipient of the Academy’s Health Policy Internship grant in 2005 and Astra Zeneca Asthma Grant in 2008. In 2006, Dr. Distler was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. An active member of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, Dr. Distler also sits as a member of the Education and Practice Committee and co-chair of the Faculty Development committee.
His research interests include the development of innovative advanced practice nurse teaching strategies, problem-based learning, clinical competence, and critical thinking and has presented and published in these areas.