Woman gets Ph.D.
Mary Jolene Holloway received her Ph.D. in medical sciences with a concentration in biochemistry and microbiology from the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 9.
A former resident of Mahanoy City and Barnesville, she received her elementary and junior high education from Mahanoy area schools before moving to Port Charlotte, Fla., in 1997, where she graduated in the top one percent of her class.
Holloway completed her undergraduate education at USF in 2005, earning a double major in microbiology as well as interdisciplinary honors research, focusing on a research project investigating probable causes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's death and clarinet performance.
During her undergraduate education, she co-founded and became president of the USF Undergraduate Research Board. Holloway entered the medical sciences graduate program at USF in 2005 in the Department of Molecular Medicine, and received her master's degree in medical sciences in 2009.
During her predoctoral studies at USF, she received first place in the SIPAIID Symposium in 2008 and 2009, as well as being invited as a keynote speaker at the 2011 Undergraduate Research Symposium. Notably, she received an NIH Predoctural Fellowship to complete her dissertation research project.
She is a daughter of Edward and Theresa Holloway, formerly of Barnesville, and a granddaughter of Helena Holloway, Mahanoy City, and Edward Dawe, Gilberton.
Doctorate earned
Joseph B. Sheris successfully defended his dissertation to earn a doctorate of philosophy in psychology from Northcentral University. His research explored the experiences of nonresidential fathers within the co-parenting relationship following divorce, and how nonresidential fathers promote positive co-parenting within that context.
Sheris is Pennsylvania licensed psychologist and partner at Psychological Associates of Schuylkill County LLC, Pottsville, where he specializes in individual and family assessments, specialized group programs and consultative services. He holds professional certifications as a national certified counselor, certified clinical mental health counselor, nationally certified custody evaluator and nationally certified parenting coordinator.
Sheris is a four-term appointee by Govs. Ridge and Rendell to the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board. He received a master's degree in counseling psychology from Kutztown University and a bachelor's degree from Penn State University. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Mental Health Counselor Association and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. He is also an academy diplomate with the Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators.
Master's degree
Local yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner Beth Shields has received a master's de-gree in the Usui system of Reiki Na-tural Healing. The de-gree was awarded in November at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Mass.
Reiki is a gentle, hands-on technique that relieves stress and restores the body's natural ability to heal. For information about yoga and Reiki, visit www.pottsvilleyogacenter.com or contact Beth at beth@pottsvilleyogacenter.com or 570-622-4399.