Inside Wake PA Fall 2018

INSIDE WAKE PA 2018 p3

Gail Curtis reflects on her year as President of AAPA

8 New faces in remote places: Rotation site in Aniak, Alaska 10 Welcoming the Class of 2020

FALL 2018

CONTENTS

I N S I D E W A K E PA Fall 2018 • Volume 2 • Number 3 Department of PA Studies, Wake Forest School of Medicine Associate Professor and Chair L. Gail Curtis, MPAS, PA-C Associate Professor and Program Director Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C ED I T O R

Tanya Gregory, PhD MA N A GING EDITOR

Jamie Blalock, MA C O NT R IBU TORS

FEATURES 3

“An opportunity of a lifetime”: Gail Curtis reflects on her year as president of AAPA

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VITALS course uses humanities to teach the art of medicine to first-year students

Tanya Gregory, PhD Carol Cooper, MEd Carol Hildebrandt Jamie Blalock, MA Camille Jones, MBA Traci Streit Wylder Fondaw (’20)

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New faces in remote places: Rotation site in Aniak, Alaska

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PA Studies welcomes the Class of 2020

P HO T OGRAPHY

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Class of 2020 receives their white coats

Lori Cook; Carol Cooper, MEd; Candice Creecy (’19); Nathan Gray, MMS, PA-C; Tanya Gregory, PhD; Kayla Hall (’19); Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C; Wylder Fondaw (’20); American Academy of PAs; Creative Communications photographers Lauren Carroll and Cameron Dennis

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DEPARTMENTS 14

Alumni News

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Faculty Facts

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Alumni Profile: Nathan Gray MMS, PA-C, 2012

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Student News

21 Photo Album INSIDE WAKE PA is a digital quarterly publication for students, faculty, staff, alumni, preceptors, and friends of the Department of PA Studies, Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Please send correspondence to: PA Studies, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27157 or email PAAlumNews@ wakehealth.edu.

The Wake Forest School of Medicine and the Department of PA Studies are committed to diversity, inclusion and the spirit of Pro Humanitate. In adherence with applicable laws and as provided by School of Medicine and Department of PA Studies policies, the School of Medicine prohibits discrimination in its educational programs, admissions, and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and veteran status.

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@WakePAStudies

F E AFTEUARTEU RS E T OSRT Y ORY

Curtis delivers the President’s Address to nearly 3,000 PAs at the opening session of AAPA 2018 in New Orleans.

“An opportunity of a lifetime”: Gail Curtis reflects on her year as president of AAPA

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F E AT U R E S T O R Y

PA Studies associate professor and department chair L. Gail Curtis (‘81), MPAS, PA-C, was eager to talk about her term as AAPA president. She described the experience as an “honor” that most people don’t get to experience and welcomed the chance to “tie a bow on the year” by sharing what it has meant to her. She hopes too that by sharing her experience, she will help to motivate others “to reach for a leadership position that they hadn’t thought about before.”

Curtis described what an honor it was to talk to so many PAs, students and regulators across the country. “It was an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said, and it turned out to be a bit different than she expected, particularly when it came to learning about PA experiences outside of North Carolina.

Having practiced here for her entire career, Curtis was familiar with the practice environment in North Carolina. “I knew that certain states had better regulations for PAs than others,” she said, but going to other states and having conversations with PAs was eye-opening. “There were states where I initially thought, ‘Gosh, this might be a difficult place to practice,’ and yes, they had some barriers to practice, but they also had some good things – some that even North Carolina didn’t have. It was very interesting to take a walk in their shoes and hear it from them.”

Another striking aspect of her presidency included encounters she had with PA students across the country.

Curtis anticipated that during these encounters, she would always be thinking about “our excellent Wake Forest PA students.” Though Wake Forest PA is special to her, she noted that all “PA students are wicked smart, no matter what school they are in. They are very passionate, and they are very welcoming.” One of her fondest memories was participating in many state Challenge Bowls across the country as a judge. “To see these future PAs made me even more hopeful and excited for our profession. It was quite a wonderful experience.”

Curtis also enjoyed helping the PA community tackle barriers, talking with them about where the PA profession is now and what AAPA is doing to improve regulatory environments at the state and federal levels. This involved “sitting down, rolling up our sleeves and problem solving.

I would learn and they would learn, and that was fantastic,” said Curtis.

The AAPA president also engages physician organizations, and a favorite story of Curtis’s involved attending the American College of Physicians meeting in New Orleans as

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a special guest. At a breakfast meeting for the dignitaries, Curtis serendipitously ended up sitting with the president elect of the American Medical Association. When she took her seat, the conversation at the table was critical of “nonphysician providers.” Wanting to be transparent, Curtis introduced herself. Then she expressed recognition for the breadth and depth of physician training and went on to paint a picture of what the PA experience is like. Curtis described how she did this: “Did you know that PAs are losing jobs to NPs? Did you know there is a large medical organization in the country that won’t hire PAs because they have to be supervised? We hear some physicians saying, on one hand, ‘We don’t want PAs to have more autonomy,’ but on the other hand not wanting to supervise. And then you have organizations hiring NPs because they don’t have to be supervised.… PAs have always been about team care and have always been close collaborators with our physician partners....” The AMA president elect was not aware of the current working climate for PAs and was surprised to hear this news. Empowered by that encounter, Curtis feels hopeful about collaborating with AMA in the future.

“It was a phenomenal happenstance, and now there are plans to follow up with the AMA president elect. Without this role, these opportunities would never have become available to me.”

When Curtis assumed her presidency, one of her goals was to make progress with AAPA’s new initiative to promote optimal team practice. She believes she has, with 20 states actively moving forward on OTP and nine states bringing legislation forward in 2019. “I feel like I’ve done a lot of good by helping to dispel myths and helping people to understand exactly what OTP is and what it isn’t. PAs are not seeking independent practice; we just want to provide access to care for our patients and practice medicine.”

Curtis also helped to create tools that further this initiative.

By relaying feedback on OTP to AAPA, for example, Curtis and her team were able to help the Academy create infographics, billboards and videos about how to talk to groups, including physician groups, about OTP.

Curtis’s second focus was maintenance of certification.

Over time, divisions had occurred between NCCPA and AAPA regarding this issue, and Curtis thought it was imperative the two organizations work together for the benefit of everyone. “My goal for the year was to bring the two organizations together and get rid of the huge breach by working with people on both sides and working for an evidence-based recertification process.” She expressed that much progress has been made and she was glad to be an integral part of the reconciliation. “We are in such a better place and are back working together. I like to hope that the way I communicate and my method of working with people helped in some way. I do feel like I was the right person at the right time to bring them back together. Yes, I feel like I accomplished my goals.”

When asked about aspects of her presidency that challenged her most, Curtis described “the enormity of information that comes at you every day. You are the touchpoint for everything. Very little goes out from AAPA without the president blessing it.” The number of interviews, press releases, speaking engagements and trips was also surprising. “I knew there would be a lot of travel, but the reality is different than thinking about it,” Curtis said. “How much really goes on day to day at AAPA was eye opening.”

Curtis went on to praise the AAPA staff, saying, “I’ve never seen such amazing, smart, talented people. They know their areas so well.” At a recent reception, Curtis told them, “You guys make the president look good. If it was not for all of you, there is no way the president could do this job.”

When asked what she will miss most about being AAPA president, Curtis jokingly responded, “I will miss the same things I’m glad I don’t have to do anymore. I will miss knowing everything there is to know. I will miss getting to talk to all these great PAs and PA students across the country – that is what I will miss the most.” By the end of her term, however, she was ready to pass on the torch. “I don’t think anyone should do it more than one year. You just can’t keep up the pace, especially when you have a day job.”

Now that she has wrapped up her term, Curtis says, “I’m not quite sure what my next thing will be.” Until she figures that out, she is enjoying being back at her day job and looking forward to a pleasure trip to Italy in the fall. She stressed that she would not have been able to lead AAPA successfully without the help and support of the Wake Forest PA faculty and staff, whom she described as “amazing. They were able to step forward and make sure everything got done on the home front. To them, I am eternally thankful.”

Curtis celebrating with the winners of the 2018 National Medical Challenge Bowl.

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VITALS course uses humanities to teach the art of medicine to first-year students First-year students in the Wake Forest PA program take a required course called VITALS. What does the VITALS acronym stand for? Course director Jill Grant, MS, MMS, PA-C, spells it out: V = Value, I = Inspire, T = Thrive, A = Awaken, L = Lead, and S = Serve. “The vitals are the essentials,” said Grant. “How can you take a patient’s medical history if you don’t know how to talk or relate to the patient? You can know a lot about medicine but still not be able to fully give care to the person who needs it.”

The evolution of the VITALS course is a study in how the Wake Forest PA program innovates and evolves its curriculum. The course started several cohorts ago as a health humanities elective – called Sacred 7 – created and taught by Grant and faculty member Tanya Gregory, PhD, and first offered to the PA Class of 2016. The elective aimed to teach students how to become PAs who could care humanely for patients and themselves. It grew dramatically over three cohorts, from 18 students in the first cohort to 69 students in the third cohort, the Class of 2018. Given that the PA program’s class size is 88 students, talks began to explore turning the Sacred 7 elective into a required course,

Jill Grant and Tanya Gregory

and the decision was made to have it take on the VITALS name and integrate and replace the course that was then called Being a PA. “With some changes in administrative leadership over the last two years, combined with exponential increased enrollment for the elective, it started to make sense to think about combining those courses,” said Grant. The class of 2020 will be the second cohort to complete the VITALS course.

When asked about the transition, Gregory said, “To combine the two courses, we analyzed the curriculum for the old Being a PA course to identify what the accreditation standards and curriculum needs required us to cover in the VITALS course. We knew we needed to teach communication skills and ethics, for example, which had not been a formal part of the Sacred 7 elective. We kept some sessions of the old Being a PA course, while for other sessions we shifted perspective, tried different teaching techniques or changed the materials to bring in more humanities as a tool.”

Grant and Gregory are excited about the new elements in the VITALS course. Grant highlighted the changes being made to the communication skills sessions as an example.

The Program to Enhance Relationship-Centered Communication, or PERCC, is the communication training used by Wake Forest Baptist Health for practicing providers.

PERCC had already been adapted for MD students, and Grant further evolved it for PA students. “We adapted PERCC to shift the perspective a little bit,” she said, “so that the relationship is about both the patient and the provider versus only-patient-centered or only-provider-centered communication. That was one evolution that we wanted to try to accomplish.” continued

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Mandatory self-care is also a new element of the course.

Students are required to demonstrate they are taking care of themselves while learning how to take care of others.

“They have a passport that they have to get three stamps on for each Unit of the preclinical year,” said Grant. “They can choose a variety of activities, and those activities will shift each unit so they try new things. Our goal is to show that if you only have three minutes, you can do something to catch your breath even in the middle of an insanely busy clinic day – of which there will be many.”

The course also uses films to give medical learners new perspectives on giving care. One film carried over from Sacred 7 is Alive Inside, a documentary about using personal music playlists to improve life for patients with memory loss and other neurologic diseases. “Patients will talk about the music and what it meant to them and what they were doing when they listened to it. It is very moving to see people who have been unresponsive come alive,” said Gregory. Another film introduced this year is a documentary called Being Mortal, based on the book of the same title by surgeon Atul Gawande. This documentary explores the difficulties health care providers experience when having end-of-life conversations with patients. Finally, the film Bending the Arc is also planned for the spring. A 2017 film suggested to The self-care passport Gregory and Grant by a student from the Class of 2020, this documentary tells the story of a community health model developed to treat diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS that has saved millions of lives in the developing world.

When asked what students will take away from the VITALS course, Gregory said, “Part of the intention is to educate them about aspects of practicing medicine that are not covered in the scientific curriculum. The sessions explore the human contexts for the scientific information students are learning and help to remind them that as PAs, they are going to be taking care of people, not diseases. Much of the material and techniques we use are designed to connect students to the art of medicine.”

At the same time, this focus on the art of medicine leads to unique challenges. Finding ways to deliver sessions that resonate with students can be tricky, Grant said. “Not everyone gravitates towards this type of material. However, I feel that each student needs these elements to have a full experience as they prepare to practice medicine. So just helping our students understand the importance and the ways in which these things will serve them well later can be difficult.”

“I do think it is a challenge,” Gregory added, “to convince students that this kind of material is not tangential. It’s more about taking care of people than fixing a broken limb or controlling a case of diabetes. Practicing medicine is more than simply solving biomedical problems.” Gregory went on to reference Rita Charon, MD, PhD, a pioneer of the narrative medicine movement, who says that the affiliation between the patient and the provider is at the heart of the practice of medicine. “That relationship in and of itself can be healing, even if the underlying disease cannot be cured. The provider’s ability to accompany the patient on the journey is what produces the more powerful effect,” said Gregory.

Grant and Gregory emphasized that the VITALS course is a work in progress. They are proud, however, to have created a course that is unique, markedly different from what students would normally experience in PA school.

“What’s interesting about it,” said Gregory, “is that it represents a serious systematic attempt to integrate humanities into medical training. I don’t think efforts to do that are widespread among PA programs.” Even though health humanities threads may be rare in other curriculums, the Wake Forest PA program has always taught that caring for the patient is paramount. “I trained here 15 years ago,” Grant said, “and that was evident in our curriculum at the time all the way up to what our predecessors were doing in the Being a PA course. So, for us to have the chance to evolve that process and to further incorporate health humanities is very worthwhile. To be a part of that, for me, has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career.”

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OF NOTE

New faces in remote places: Rotation site in Aniak, Alaska Imagine a community that is accessible only by boat or plane. Now imagine that there are no paved roads, only dirt roads traveled using an ATV or snowmobile. There is a town hall, a courthouse, a small grocery store and one restaurant. During the summer months, there are 19 hours of daylight each day, and then 6 months of total darkness during the fall and winter months. The Northern lights are beautifully on display from September to April. Indeed, there is such a place: Aniak, Alaska.

With around 1,000 inhabitants, Aniak is located about an hour and a half west of Anchorage on the bank of the Kuskokwim River. Most of the residents are native Inuits known as the Yup’ik people. Though they have adopted some aspects of western culture, many Yup’ik still maintain their traditional values and ways of life. Young boys are required to hunt and fish, while young girls learn how to cut fish, cook, pick berries and make clothes. As for adults, after work and on weekends, men spend their time drifting or fishing. Unlike in the lower 48, these men fish for sustenance, not sport. They will stop fishing once they have enough to feed their families and the elders of the community. Women, in addition to cleaning and preparing the fresh meat, travel to the tundra to pick berries. After food preparation is complete, they can items into Mason jars and store them for the winter. In the Yup’ik culture, a person is measured by how well he/she can provide for family members and the community.

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This unusual setting now serves as one of the program’s clinical rotation sites in family medicine. Suggested to the program by alumna and current preceptor Ayanna Galloway, the site has been active since December 2017.

Students gain experience in areas such as pediatrics, women’s health, behavior health, urgent care and, in some cases, emergency medicine.

Aniak has a sub-regional clinic that is the main hub for the Delta region in the Yukon-Kuskokwim. The primary clinic oversees smaller village clinics within the region and is staffed with two PAs and five community health aides. Since Aniak is an isolated rural area, the clinic professionals provide dental and behavioral health services in addition to medical care.

While on rotation, students typically spend three weeks in the sub-regional clinic and one week in a village clinic.

When asked about the differences between them, Kayla

The sub-regional clinic in Aniak, Alaska

Hall (’19), who was the first student to rotate in Aniak, said, “The people in villages don’t have the same access to care.

The village clinics are smaller and are not staffed with medical providers at all times.” Providers travel by plane or boat to the village clinics and provide care for only a few days at a time. “The hours in the villages are typically longer, usually 10- to 12-hour days. We did this in order to see as many patients as possible,” said Hall.

Lack of access to resources is a challenging aspect of providing care in such a setting. Providers do not always have the most current or best treatment available for a patient. “We are responsible for thinking of other ways to care for our patients and providing the best care with the resources we do have,” said Hall.

As for how this environment can change one’s perspective on health care, Hall shared a couple of takeaways from her experience. The first is her patients’ gratitude for what they have and the impact it made on her. “They don’t always have access to medical care or even food, so it was eyeopening to see how much we take for granted. I remember discussing with one patient the differences between salmon in Alaska and North Carolina. When I told her that the salmon in North Carolina wasn’t as good as the salmon in Alaska, she reminded me that at least I had food. That was quite a humbling experience for me.”

Second, this experience challenged her to integrate herself into a completely different culture and to keep an open mind. “Sometimes it’s hard to relate to patients,” said Hall.

“Nevertheless, it’s important to ask questions and try to get to know them. This is crucial because if you make assumptions about them, this will ultimately affect the care you provide for them and the trust they place in you.”

Serving folks in this community is extremely rewarding, said Hall. “It is amazing to see just how grateful the people were to receive medical care.” This is especially true in the village clinic, where it can be months before patients see a provider.

“You don’t always get to see the impact you have made on people’s lives, but in Aniak and in the villages, the impact you have is tangible.”

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OF NOTE

PA Studies welcomes the Class of 2020 Schedules – check; nametags – check; advisor assignments – check. The Wake Forest PA program happily welcomed the 90 students in the Class of 2020 on Wednesday, May 30. Students came from as far away as California and as nearby as Winston-Salem, N.C. Orientation started with students sharing interesting facts about themselves. We learned the group is well-traveled, loves animals and enjoys spending time with their families. Tyisha Barrett felt orientation was a great time to get to know her fellow classmates, all of whom she was meeting for the first time. “The icebreakers and games were nice introduction,” says Barrett. Another student, Jill Nelson, stated, “It was exciting to mingle with people from all over the world. Everyone in our class comes from such a rich background. It was incredible hearing pieces of everyone’s amazing life stories.”

After three days of orientation, students jumped right into their Unit 1 Fundamentals of Basic Sciences. The course engages students through lecture as well as cadaver lab learning. Thomas Perrault, PhD, and his team review anatomy and physiology and other fundamentals, upon which the future curriculum is built. The course is fast and intense. Terri Robinson described it as “Like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Seriously, I’m thankful for professors who not only know their disciplines well but teach with excellence and enthusiasm.”

As students look ahead to the remainder of the preclinical year, they are eager for hands-on opportunities to apply what they are learning. Nelson said, “I’m looking forward to having an IBL case that matches my patient care experiences. Now that I know the basic mechanisms behind a lot of what we were doing, it’ll be interesting to revisit these specialties with a provider in order to understand the reasoning why we followed certain procedures when we were medical assistants or a techs before entering PA school.”

Harrison Rose had similar sentiments: “Unit 1 was a tough but important part of the curriculum. Many students, including myself, had been out of school for many years and needed a ‘boot camp’ to refresh our knowledge of the core sciences. Even with the relatively small amount of material we’ve covered so far in Unit 2, I can already appreciate the foundation Unit 1 has provided.”

Rose echoed similar feelings: “I continue to look forward to the case discussions and problem-solving aspects of IBL groups. Each new area of medicine we encounter is an exciting opportunity for a new understanding of complex but incredibly interesting and important mechanisms and treatments. I’m particularly excited for cardiology, which is an area of medicine I am interested in specializing in.”

Class of 2020 on the first day of orientation

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Both Boone and Winston-Salem students have found time to balance their academics by exploring their respective cities.

Along with several of her classmates, Jamie Cosby has enjoyed local activities such as movie nights, concerts and yoga sessions in Bailey Park. Other students appreciate the school’s close proximity to downtown. Rose, a Boone student, said he misses Krankie’s coffee in Winston-Salem but has had a blast hiking and rock climbing with fellow students in Boone and is looking forward to ski season.

PA Studies faculty and staff look forward to getting to know even more about the students as they progress through the program. On behalf of the department, it has been our honor to welcome the Class of 2020.

Class of 2020 by the numbers are enrolled 90 Students in the class of 2020 Students are 65 on the Winston-

25 16 4 41

Salem campus Students are on the Boone campus Students came from the Emerging Leaders Program in Business Students have a military background Are in-state students

Are out-of-state 49 students Students hold 27 advanced degrees FALL 2018

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OF NOTE

The Class of 2020 receives their white coats As traditions go, the White Coat Ceremony is a comparatively new one. Begun in 1993 by Dr. Arnold P. Gold at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, the idea of presenting students with their first white coats at the beginning – rather than at the end – of their medical education quickly took hold. Twenty-five years later, virtually every MD, dental, pharmacy, PA, nursing and veterinary school in the United States, as well as in many foreign countries, holds a White Coat Ceremony.

Dr. Gold was a pediatric neurosurgeon in New York City who became concerned in the 1980s about clinicians’ focus on technology at the expense of patient-centered, compassionate care. Prodded by his wife Sandra, Dr. Gold set out to change the way medicine was taught and practiced. The pair established the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to focus on programs that support humanism in health care, in addition to excellent medical care. Today the Foundation is dedicated to its core principle: Keeping Healthcare Human. The foundation realizes its mission through awards, fellowships, research, lectures and its signature program, the White Coat Ceremony.

According to the Gold Foundation, these ceremonies vary according to discipline and school, but two elements are constant: the presentation of the white coat and the recitation of an oath. The oath stems from Dr. Gold’s belief that because students see patients throughout their training, they should pledge to treat them with professionalism, compassion and respect from the first day of their training.

In this way, the White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage, symbolizing the students’ entry into the medical profession.

Wake Forest PA student Morgan Locklear (’20) understands this clearly. “As rewarding as it was to receive a white coat after all the effort it required to be able to have that opportunity,” she said, “I couldn’t help but think about the responsibility I was receiving: to serve humanity through the gift of medicine. Unlike putting on and taking off a white coat, I cannot put on and take off this responsibility. It’s something that will always be a part of me.“

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For each new cohort of students, the Wake Forest PA Program’s annual White Coat Ceremony is held at the conclusion of the first unit of study. This year it took place on June 29 in the atrium of Biotech Place for the 90 students of the Class of 2020, with Department of PA Studies chair Gail Curtis (’81) welcoming students and guests. An annual highlight of the ceremony is the keynote address by our medical director, Dr. K. Patrick Ober, whose speech includes quotations from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-thePooh, the recitation of R.D. Laing’s poem, “There is Something I Don’t Know” and, finally, the telling of the poignant story of a young resident who, after telling the family of a young mother in his care that he was unable to save her, finds that “his white coat doesn’t work anymore.”

Afterwards, assistant professor Catherine Shull (’80) led the students in reciting the PA Honor Oath, pledging to be “honest, trustworthy, display a professional demeanor, respect the rights of others, be personally accountable and protect the welfare of others.” Each student then acknowledged the pledge by signing the Honor Book and stepped forward to receive their white coats as their names were called by assistant professor Caroline Sisson (’13). It is a Wake Forest PA Program tradition that members of the second year class “coat” the first-year students. This year’s coaters from the Class of 2019 were Brian Bernish, Claire Porter, Alexandra Spooner, Laura Tastad, Tyler Watson and Aaron Wooten. Assistant professor Sarah Garvick provided final remarks, after which the newly-coated students posed for their official class photo. A reception with families, friends and PA faculty and staff concluded the event.

Asked to put into words what receiving her white coat meant to her, Minh-Tam Le (’20) said, “I’ve dreamed about receiving my white coat for 12 years and to finally put it on was unreal. My grandma and I cried together after the ceremony because we understood what the coat meant to each other. I am honored to be trusted with this symbol of integrity, compassion and patient-centered humanism. “ Dr. Gold couldn’t have said it better.

“…receiving my white coat was more of an overwhelming experience than I had anticipated.

The white coat is a tangible representation of my calling to serve others through health care, identifies me as part of a respected profession and knowledgeable community of colleagues, and reminds me of the humility and compassion that are integral to being an exemplary PA. I hope that every time I wear it, I am reminded of the gift I have been graciously given. “ - Terri Robinson (’20)

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ALUMNINEWS 1980s Keturah (Kim) R. Faurot (’80), serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor for the UNC – Chapel Hill PA program, teaching evidence-based medicine.

Kim also manages several research projects and teaches biostatistics to medical students.

Peter A. Fenn (’84) is the Director of Pre-Clinical Education for the Campbell University Physician Assistant program where he has been since 2012. Peter also works in the emergency department of UNC/Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, N.C. He completed his Doctor of Health Science Degree through A.T. Still University in 2017.

1990s After more than 21 years of practicing internal medicine, Sandra Keys O’Neill (’96) has re-invented herself, now practicing urgent care and loving it. She is married with two boys (ages 15 and 17) and living in Charlotte.

2000s Kara Canaan Gehan (’08) and her husband, Robert, pictured here, announced the birth of their son, Evan Gehan, born October 19, 2017.

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Camilla E. Hollen (‘08) was promoted to Associate Professor in the Division of Physician Assistant Studies at Shenandoah University in August 2018.

Tracy Watson Wang (’09) has recently been appointed as an Adjunct Instructor with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehab at UNC Hospital.

Morgan Simmons (’14) was married on November 11, 2017. Several alumni attended the wedding.

Left to right: Annie Preske, Mary Kathryn Alexander, Caitlyn (McKenzie) Langford, Dara Seelig, Morgan Simmons, Francesca Carter, Adrienne Bussard, Alyssa (Basen) Ligh

2010s Ethan Stonerook (’12) had been in bone marrow transplant at the University of Florida since graduation. As of August 27, Ethan is working in the BMT program at Wake Forest Baptist Health. Ethan and his wife, Valerie, and their two sons and two daughters are excited to come back to WinstonSalem and its familiar faces and places.

Ethan also enjoys precepting students.

Rachel Conklin, formerly Weaver (’13), now leads Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s radiology oncology survivorship program. Through the use of telemedicine, the program offers survivorship care in Clarksville, Tenn., to patients after they complete curative treatment.

Let us hear from you!

Alumni are interested in hearing from you. Send us a note about your professional activities, any changes in your life (marriage, family, moves), honors or anything else you would like to share.

Send your note to:

PAAlumNews@wakehealth.edu

FACULTYFACTS Sonia Crandall, PhD, MS, professor and director of scholarship and research, had four projects accepted to the 2018 AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) meeting in Basel, Switzerland. They include (1) “Implicit and Explicit Weight Bias in Physician Assistant Students,” co-authored by Gail Curtis (’81), MPAS, PA-C, associate professor and chair; (2) “Integrating an Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Experience into Physician Assistant Education,” co-authored by Kristin Lindaman, MMS, PA-C, assistant professor; (3) “Speak Up, For Patient’s Sake! Empowering Students and Staff with Interprofessional Communication and Teamwork Tools to Improve Patient Safety,” also co-authored by Kristin Lindaman, and (4) “Growing Your Own Leaders: Preliminary Outcomes of an Institution Based Leadership Development Program for Women Faculty.”

Crandall also published “Positive Value of a Women’s Junior Faculty Mentoring Program: A MentorMentee Analysis” in the August issue of the Journal of Women’s Health.

Gail Curtis completed her year as president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

She will serve as AAPA past president until June 2019.

Sarah Garvick, MS, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor and associate program director for the Boone campus, presented “Sports Physicals: A Review on Clearance Guidelines and Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes” to members of the Appalachian Association of

Physician Assistants and students from the Boone campus. This was the inaugural Category 1 CME event for the chapter and was hosted by chapter president and assistant professor Brian Robinson, MS, MPAS, PA-C. Adjunct assistant professor Alisha DeTroye (’04), MMS, PA-C, provided the welcome from NCAPA.

Tiffany Hiatt (’07), MMS, PA-C, assistant professor and director of student assessment, presented “Could It Be Your Thyroid?” at the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants 2018 Summer CME Conference.

Erich Grant (’04), MMS, PA-C, assistant professor and vice chair, curriculum and innovation, presented “The Effect of Interprofessional Education on Attitudes toward Healthcare Teams between CRNA and PA Students” at the 85th annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in Boston.

Sobia Hussaini, MHA, assistant professor and director of academic practice partnerships, presented “Launching into Healthcare: A Social Justice Framework for College-and-Career Readiness” at the St. Louis University Health and Social Justice Conference in September.

Tanya Gregory, PhD, assistant professor and director of student services, published “Smartphone imaging for the ophthalmic examination in primary care” in the August 2018 issue of JAAPA. Co-authors were Class of 2017 graduates Eric Bifolck, Andrew Fink and Daniel Pedersen.

Gregory also won a 2018 Association for Women in Communication Clarion Award in the category of magazine regular editorial/opinion column, circulation of 100,000 or less, as department editor for The Art of Medicine in JAAPA.

Hussaini has also been selected to serve a three-year term on the PAEA Leadership Mission Advancement Committee.

Courtney Perry, PharmD, assistant professor, presented “Comparison of Inhaled Epoprostenol and Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Premature Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Induced Pulmonary Hypertension” at the 2018 PPAG (Pediatric Pharmacy Association) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.

Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C, associate professor and program director, published “Barriers to Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Adolescents” in the journal Physician Assistant Clinics. Co-authors were Class of 2016 graduates Meredith Browne, Stevi Barrett, Laura Icenhour, Rebecca Gimpert and Tiffany Esinhart.

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ALUMNI PROFILE

NATHAN GRAY For Nathan Gray, MMS, PA-C, 2012 graduate of the Wake Forest School of Medicine PA Program, there is no typical day. His primary role is taking care of children with bone marrow failure and myelodysplastic syndrome in the outpatient clinic of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. In addition, he takes outside referrals, consults in-house and occasionally covers the inpatient service while also participating in research and quality improvement initiatives focused on patient safety.

When asked what an abnormal day would look like for him, Gray said, “One that was not busy.”

Reflecting on his time in the PA program, Gray returns again and again to the concept of family. He credits his classmates with encouraging him during challenging times, helping him through his standardized patient encounters and making sure there was a little fun mixed in with all the hard work.

His patients are what sustains his passion for the medical profession these days. He has high regard for his institution in their handling of the organizational aspects of medicine such as payment and insurance. This allows him to focus on his most important mission: caring for patients.

“At St. Jude, no child is denied treatment based on the family’s ability to pay. Each patient, regardless of insurance status or financial situation, will get equal treatment,” said Gray. “From my standpoint, that means I do not have to focus primarily on what diagnostic testing insurance will approve or what medication the patient can afford. I can focus on what is best for the patient and provide them with the highest quality of care and treatment,

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regardless of those circumstances. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude, so they can focus on their child and not worry about how they will pay.”

Thinking back to his time in PA school, Gray’s most important advice to current students is to treat every rotation as a job interview. As was the case with Gray, “one of them may turn into your first employer after graduation.”

“Be professional,” he said. “Be willing to see every patient you can, do every procedure they allow and have a positive attitude through it all. This is your time to get the experience you need under supervision before you go out into the real world.” Though Gray very much enjoys being a medical professional, one thing he would change about the medical system would be to streamline the EMR process so that charting is less burdensome. “This would enable providers to spend less time on a computer and more in front of the patient,” said Gray.

When not at work, Gray enjoys spending time with his wife, Emily, who is also a 2012 Wake Forest PA graduate, and his 7-month-old daughter, Charlotte. A golden retriever, Rosie, rounds out the family. Gray counts listening to music, traveling, hiking, fishing, watching basketball and enjoying all Memphis has to offer as his favorite activities. The thoughtful and compassionate care that Gray provides his patients, and the enthusiasm with which he meets each challenge, gives inspiration to future generations of PA students. Gray is not only an invaluable member of the Wake Forest PA family, but of the profession as a whole.

STUDENTNEWS

Boone PA students volunteer at the 2018 Back 2 School Festival Just one month after moving up the mountain, the Wake Forest PA program’s Class of 2020 Boone cohort is making their presence known in the community. In addition to students appearing at area contra dances, local coffee clubs, hiking trails and App State music events, the Boone students further integrated themselves by volunteering at the annual Back 2 School Festival (B2SF) held at Watauga High School.

Walking into the loud, happy and crowded Watauga High School gymnasium was a lot like entering a carnival. Just as in previous years, PA students mingled with local volunteers, businesses and churches by donating their time and resources to ensure that children in Boone start the school year prepared. Students participated in in shifts to hand out school supplies including backpacks, shoes, socks, paper and binders.

This year, class community involvement chair Caitlin Joyce applied for the Wake Forest PA program to run their own booth in addition to having PA students hand out school supplies. PA students at the booth led middle and high school students through interactive games like pin the tail on the skeleton, operation (a classic) and coloring diagrams of healthy foods. One of the most engaging activities was the handwashing station. Participants could spread blacklight luminescent material on their hands to see just how thoroughly they were washing their hands. Several PA students commented they were impressed with the overall performance of the school children: “One boy sang the alphabet song to himself while he washed his hands and he did a really good job!”

The B2SF is a fun event that not only provides exposure for the Wake Forest PA Program but also helps supply a critical service in the community. According to publications local to the Boone area, 29% of families in the Western North Carolina mountains are living in poverty. Given that it costs $125 to prepare a child for the academic year, the need for such a program is apparent.

Local volunteer Jennifer Brown has been with B2SF since its inception and recounted when the event was held in the armory near the Greenway Trail. During this time, the B2SF served under 100 families. Over the past five years, the event has grown rapidly. Last year’s festival supplied nearly 1,200 children with school supplies and saw over 2,000 attendees, including students, parents and other family members. “It doesn’t have to be big to have a big impact,” Brown said. Though much progress has been made, Brown is concerned that the B2SF still has not reached some impoverished families. She is encouraged, however, by the annual growth and continued support from dedicated volunteers like the PA students. As a result, more children will start school next week equipped and prepared to learn.

In addition to educating children, PA students had the opportunity to interact with parents and other volunteers who were curious about the PA program. A mother whose son is considering a pre-PA curriculum was surprised to hear about the Boone cohort’s existence and asked where her son could learn more about the program. Another volunteer and local orthopedic PA introduced herself to the group of PA students. She, along with other bystanders, assumed the cohort had traveled from Winston-Salem to attend the event. Harrison Rose, a PA student in the Boone cohort, answered questions about the PA program and was told several times how community members would make trips to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to receive care.

Harrison added that locals “expressed interest in the presence of the program in Boone and voiced their hope for PA students to stick around.”

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STUDENT NEWS

Boone students organize fundraiser at Appalachian Mountain Brewery On August 10, Class of 2020 Boone campus students Jill Nelson, Olivia Wilkins, Caitlin Joyce and Laura Schnoor organized and executed a fun and successful silent auction and raffle at Appalachian Mountain Brewery. With live music and good beer as a backdrop, bar-goers, PA students and friends bought raffle tickets in hopes that they would be lucky enough to win one of various prizes donated by twelve local businesses. Prizes included haircuts, gift cards, climbing passes, bags of coffee and yoga classes. Additionally, a collection of pottery, local honey and sunglasses donated by PA student family members made up the silent auction table. Appalachian Mountain Brewery hosted the event and pledged a portion of their profits to the fundraiser.

The outpouring of generous donations came from all corners of the community and often exceeded requests. For example, local climbing gym Center 45 donated three climbing passes that included shoe and equipment rentals valued at $60.

Similar stories of generosity were told by PA students who approached Espresso News, Hatchet Coffee and other contributing businesses. Jeff Lane, Boone local and friend of the PA program, composed a haiku in honor of the occasion after winning a jar of honey collected and donated by the Schnoor family: “It’s for a good cause / PA students really rock / I won some honey.” Between the raffle and silent auction, the PA students came home with a $565 profit and numerous new connections to the businesses and people of Boone. The students will donate half of the proceeds to Camp Kesem in Greensboro, N.C. The other half of the funds will be used to help students attend the national conference at the end of the academic year.

Boone class president Will Kabrich was pleased with the turnout, saying, “The AMB fundraiser was a huge hit not only for our class, but more importantly, for the community of Boone. One of our goals for the Boone cohort is to make an impact here in Boone. The AMB fundraiser was a step towards reaching our goal. The best is yet to come!” This the fundraising committee’s second event of the year, with a benefit night hosted by Chipotle planned for September 25.

Thanks to:

Anna Banana’s Boutique; Boone Bagelry; Center 45 Climbing & Fitness; Changes Salon; Christy & Co Salon; Espresso News; Hatchet Coffee; Ron and Lynn Fondaw (local pottery); Hatchet Coffee; High Country Yoga; Melanie’s Restaurant; Schnoor Family Raw Honey; Stick Boy Bread Co.; ReGear Outdoors; Kabrich Family; Troy’s 105 Diner and Appalachian Mountain Brewery.

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STUDENT NEWS

Olivia Jones selected as a 2018 health policy fellow After a highly competitive application process with submissions from students across 260 PA programs in the U.S., Wake Forest PA student Olivia Jones (’19) has been selected as one of 14 PAEA Student Health Policy fellows. This fellowship is designed to enhance students’ understanding of political processes and health policy, as well as inspire grassroots advocacy and leadership to promote the PA profession as an integral part of the health care system.

The acceptance came as a nice surprise to Jones. “I had worked hard,” she said, “and felt that I submitted a strong application, but I really didn’t expect to be selected. I felt very honored.”

Jones decided to apply to the fellowship because she has always been drawn to public policy work and feels that this platform will allow her to advocate for the profession.

“Though the PA profession has made much progress over the past 50 years, I believe we still have further to go and I want to play a part in shaping our future” said Jones.

Her clinical experiences were also motivating factors when it came to applying for the fellowship. “I’ve been troubled by the shortcomings of our systems: our cost efficiency is abysmal, corruption is rampant and access to and delivery of care inequitable. It’s easier sometimes to point the finger at legislators, insurance companies or healthcare administration and say ‘therein lies the problem.’ But the truth is, we are leaders in this system with which we are too often complicit. As such, I think we are called to do all we can to create and demand reform.”

Jones hopes the health policy fellowship will shape her both personally and professionally. She is looking forward not only to becoming more familiar with the challenges PAEA identifies as the most pressing issues facing PAs but also to learning how leaders introduce legislation pertinent to the interests of PAs and patients. “I want to learn these things so I can be a lifelong advocate for PAs and make positive policy changes in public health,” said Jones.

Additionally, Jones is looking forward to meeting the cohort of fellows from all over the country: “It’s always rewarding to meet and work with peers who are passionate and engaged.

I am also excited for our visit to Capitol Hill, and for the opportunity to represent PAs there.”

After Jones’ DC experience, she will return to program and work with a faculty mentor and PAEA’s Government Relations team to implement a local advocacy project by September 2019.

The Department of PA Studies congratulates Olivia and wishes her the very best as she continues her fellowship.

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STUDENT NEWS

PA student to lead women Veterans to the top of the highest mountain in North America Wake Forest PA student Candice Creecy (’19) was selected as team captain for one of the first female veteran ascents of Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The 20,310-foot peak resides in Denali National Park and Reserve in Alaska. To prepare for the upcoming expedition, Creecy led a training exercise in Washington to the summit of Mount Baker. She is scheduled to lead the climb to Denali in June of 2019.

The training climb on Mt. Baker in Washington state and the expedition to Denali are supported and run by Veterans Expeditions, an organization founded by Nick Watson to give veterans opportunities to head outdoors to bond with other veterans and find healing. When he left the Army after

years of service as an Army Ranger, Watson didn’t have this type of opportunity and felt compelled to change that.

“The Women’s Veteran Denali Expedition in June 2019 is an opportunity to train female veterans how to mountaineer and take on one of the most challenging mountains in the world,” said Creecy.

Only 10 to 15 percent of climbers on Denali are women, and to have a team of them is unusual. Unlike similar expeditions in the past, this group will not have a guide.

Their team of six veterans from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps will plan and execute the 21+ day expedition largely on their own, with the assistance of Veterans Expeditions. That means each of them will have to haul over 100 pounds of gear, food and fuel.

“Being selected for a leadership role on this climb is an honor and quite humbling,” said Creecy. “Many of the women on this team have not climbed on glaciated mountains, and I will be instructing them how to navigate crevasses, travel on a rope team and survive at high altitudes.

Since women comprise such a small number of climbers on Denali every year, I am excited to represent the Marine Corps, Wake Forest, the PA profession and the strength of women everywhere.” Creecy plans to take a Wake Forest PA flag up to the summit of Denali next summer.

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PHOTO ALBUM

Class of 2020 and 2021 Emerging Leader in Business students at the ELP reception in July 2018.

Pediatrics Workshop June 2018: PA Studies faculty, staff and alumni brought in their children to participate.

Wake Forest PA faculty and staff tour Levine Hall, Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University.

PA Studies’ Boone campus is scheduled to move to Levine Hall in December 2018.

The student-run Delivering Equal Access to Care (DEAC) Clinic has been a resource for providing care for indigent and otherwise uninsured, underserved patients in the WinstonSalem area. Students perform important health screening steps such as taking blood pressures, obtaining height and weight for BMI calculation and manning tables to conduct fingerstick blood glucose and serum lipid measurements. Wake Forest PA students greatly enjoy these DEAC Mobile opportunities, as they have a chance to interact with community members and practice the important health screening and prevention steps they will be doing “in real practice” very soon.

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Happy Spring from the Wake Forest School of Medicine Department of PA Studies!

We are always available to help. Please use the quick reference guide below when you need assistance.

We are grateful your support and contributions.

Students from thefor 2020 Boone cohort at the grand opening of Levine Hall, Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University.

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A RE A

C O N TAC T PER SO N

EMAIL

PHO NE

Department chair

L. Gail Curtis

gcurtis@wakehealth.edu

336-716-2027

Department administrator

Dorothy Carter

dncarter@wakehealth.edu

336-716-2026

PA Program

Suzanne Reich, program director

suzreich@wakehealth.edu

336-716-2035

Preceptor education

Lori Cook, program coordinator, clinical year

lcook@wakehealth.edu

336-716-2023

Admissions information

Elise Gmuca, student admissions administrator

egmuca@wakehealth.edu

336-716-4358

Emerging Leaders Program

Sobia Hussaini, director, academic partnerships

ssharif@wakehealth.edu sshariff@wakehealth.edu

336-716-2167

Boone campus

SherrieGarvick, Sarah Spear, distant associate campus program coordinator director

shspear@wakehealth.edu 828-262-6148 smaloney@wakehealth.edu 828-262-7366

Completion of enrollment Camille Jones, registrar verification forms, transcripts, credentialing and licensure documents

camjones@wakehealth.edu 336-716-7068

Alumni news or address change

PAalumnews@wakehealth.edu

All other requests or questions and to join our mailing list list

tcapshaw@wakehealth.edu 336-713-0820 jamie.blalock@wakehealth.edu 336-716-2031

INSIDE WAKE PA

Teri Capshaw, Jamie Blalock,departmental departmentalproject projectmanager manager