CU Division of Hospital Medicine Presents:
APF Advanced Practice Fellowship Winter Newsletter 2024
February 2024
IN THIS ISSUE APF Introduction Read the note from our APF leadership team and what you can expect to find in this newsletter issue.
Academic Projects Check out the recent academic projects our current fellows have presented and published in the last several months.
CME Update Learn about the progress of our Continued Medical Education (CME) available for our fellows.
APF Graduate Spotlight In this issue, we highlight two APF alumni, Paul Cannon and Megan Faga. Learn about their stories and accomplishments since graduating the program below.
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STAY CONNECTED Our Values Mission: To foster a supportive learning and innovative training environment where nurse practitioner and physician assistant fellows can reach their full potential. Vision: Our vision is to be the national model of post-graduate physician assistant and nurse practitioner training for the care of the hospitalized patient. Values: We place high value on providing the highest quality and team-based care to our patients. We invest in ventures that will push the field of medicine forward.
About Our Program You can find our APF website here, or scan the QR code for more information. We are always looking for new APF candidates and take referrals from our graduates seriously. Please feel free to share our email: DHM-Education@UCDenver.edu.
INTRODUCTION
Happy New Year! As the Advanced Practice Fellowship (APF) embarks on a new year, it is natural to look back at the year and reflect. 2023 offered both challenges and opportunities. We have continued to recruit and train incredible NPs and PAs. Of the 10 fellows that completed the program in 2023, 6 chose to take APP positions within the Division of Hospital Medicine, while the others took hospital medicine and surgery program jobs in Denver and around the country. Our next two cohorts have fantastic individuals with promising futures. However, as the job market continues to be highly buyer-biased with more jobs than available APPs, we hope we can count on you to talk up the benefits of fellowship training. Visit our Advanced Practice Fellowship website here!
Best, APF Leadership Team
Kelsey Keil, M.Ed.; Rudy Moravek, PA-C; Brian Wolfe, MD; Erin Szemak, NP; Frannie Lorenzi, MMS, PA-C (pictured left to right)
ACADEMIC PROJECTS We are always thrilled when our APFs have the opportunity to present their academic work. Check out the recent projects our fellows presented and submitted over the last six months.
Emma Butler, PA-C
Co-authors: Joshua Ho MD, Hattie Hanson PA-C, Jennifer Doran MD Title: An Unsuspecting Case of Acute Rheumatic Fever Meeting: SGIM Regional Meeting
Emily Equitz, PA-C
Co-authors: none Title: Etiologies and Outcomes of Normocytic Anemia in Children Submitted to Journal of Pediatrics
Anna Pond, NP
Co-authors: Haley Briggs, PA-C Title: What to do about HSV-2 Submitted to Society of Hospital Medicine National Meeting
Rachel Cappello, PA-C
Co-authors: Tara Ward, NP, MS, RN Title: I Smell a Rat: A Case of Rat Bite Fever in a Patient with Psoriatic Arthritis Meeting: National SHM Co-authors: Tara Ward, NP, MS, RN Title: Lost in Translation: Diagnosing Acquired Angioedema Through Language Barriers Meeting: National SHM We’re excited for the upcoming Society of Hospital Medicine and Society of General Internal Medicine conferences happening in March and May this year. We hope to report more academic projects from our fellows!
ACADEMIC PROJECTS CONT. Amanda Miller-Sarmento, ACNPC-AG
Co-authors: none Title: Suspected GCA in a blind patient: A conundrum Meeting: SHM Converge Research, Innovation, Clinical Vignette Scientific Abstract Competition
Anthony Ribarich, PA-C
Co-authors: none Title: Etiologies and Outcomes of Normocytic Anemia in Children Submitted to Journal of Pediatrics
Ben Haerther, PA-C
Title: Bad Blood – How frequent is too frequent Meeting: SHM National
Cortland Vis, PA-C
Title: Cognitive Bias Behind “Flu-Like” Symptoms, Bartonella Quintana Bacteremia Case Report Meeting: SHM National
CONTINUED MEDICAL EDUCATION (CME) One barrier for APFs has been that after completing the program and its numerous hours of lectures, many graduates were faced with having to go to events to earn CME credits in the year after program completion. Well, no more! A tireless campaign by our Program Coordinator, Kelsey Keil, has secured CME credit for the numerous lectures given throughout the year. Now the fellows will each earn approximately 65 hours of CME. Moreover, our faculty teaching in the program get credit for teaching CME-level didactics which is a meaningful step on their way to promotion.
APF GRADUAT Paul Cannon, MPH, PA-C Paul Cannon, MPH, PA-C, currently resides near Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and five busy children. He graduated from the Advanced Practice Fellowship in 2018 and is forever grateful for the opportunities and experiences it provided. His educational and professional experience includes attending and graduating from George Washington University’s dual PA/MPH program in 2017. After completing the Advanced Practice Fellowship, Paul stayed on as faculty for the next five years with the University of Colorado Division of Hospital Medicine (DHM), working primarily as core faculty on the medical oncology and procedure services. He also spent time working at Broomfield Hospital and enjoyed the challenge of carrying primarily for COVID patients in the ICU and floor throughout 2020-2021. Clinical highlights include working with dedicated colleagues and friends, diverse patient populations, and becoming credentialed in multiple bedside procedural skills. Paul was one of the first DHM APPs credentialed in lung POCUS at University of Colorado Hospital. In addition to his clinic work, his passion for process and safety improvement led him to participating in clinical case reviews and improvement projects, becoming the first APP participant in the DHM catalyst program, where he focused his projects on improving care across the hospital for patients with alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. He also became the co-program lead at the University for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Patient-centered Cancer Care certification project, and participated in department grants and competitions such as the CEPS Grant, Remote Patient Monitoring program, IHQSE and DOM shark tank. These efforts culminated in the University of Colorado Cancer Center achieving ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification. Paul currently works as a PA in cardiovascular surgery at Utah Valley Hospital, where he has been trained in endoscopic vein and radial artery harvesting and assisting in cardiac surgery. He continues to draw upon his experiences and education from the fellowship daily in his patient care and current improvement projects, and believes that the fellowship provided the foundation for his successful career thus far.
TE SPOTLIGHT Megan Faga, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC Megan Faga, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC, a Denver native and Nurse Practitioner, currently resides in Denver with her husband, two children, and beloved dog. She takes pride in graduating from the Advanced Practice Fellowship in Hospital Medicine in 2014 (and had a baby the next day!) She spent eight years as a nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Denver Health. Subsequently, Megan pursued the Advanced Practice Fellowship, earning a place as the fifth member of the APP faculty within the University of Colorado Division of Hospital Medicine (DHM). Notably, she later became the first full-time faculty APP Nocturnist within the DHM. Following her five-year span within the DHM, Megan shifted her focus to novel health care delivery models, namely urgent, emergent, and hospital-level care in the home, at DispatchHealth. In her role as the Director of Advanced Practice for Advanced Care at Dispatch Health, Megan devoted several years to leading innovative initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and improving access to care. With a primary focus on supporting interdisciplinary healthcare teams, she played a pivotal role in offering advanced medical care at home as a viable alternative to hospitalization. Before assuming the directorship, Megan contributed to Dispatch Health as a Nurse Practitioner and as the Lead Advanced Practice Provider in Colorado, emphasizing her dedication to advancing healthcare delivery. Currently, Megan serves as an advisor, consultant, and clinician for multiple healthcare tech start-ups. Additionally, she acts as a clinical expert in peer review cases related to Internal Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Urgent Care. Check out our previous APF Newsletter here to learn more about our curriculum, past APF graduates, and information about our program. For any additional questions, please reach out to our Program Manager, Kelsey Keil at kelsey.keil@cuanschutz.edu.