Inside Wake PA Summer 2017 by Inside Wake PA

INSIDE WAKE PA

2017 graduates

p4 treasure and embrace being a PA

12 New CEO comes on board 20 AAPA leader visits

SUMMER 2017 SUMMER 2017

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Greetings from Innovation Quarter, which is the downtown Winston-Salem home of the Wake Forest School of Medicine PA Program. Since January, I have been serving as the program director, and what a whirlwind it’s already been! May brought graduation—the second graduation to include students from both the Boone and Winston-Salem cohorts, and the first with students who earned a Master of Administration degree from the Wake Forest School of Business before starting PA school. Those students helped to pioneer an innovation in dual degrees at Wake Forest, and we are pleased and proud of the success of the coordinated programs. Also in May, right after graduation, in fact, 36 Wake Forest students from the class of 2018, dozens of alumni, and several faculty members travelled to Las Vegas to attend the AAPA 2017 conference. A Wake Forest alumni reception was well-attended, infused with an atmosphere of Demon Deacon pride and enthusiasm (see photos from the conference and reception inside this issue). Wake Forest PA alumni are involved in nearly all aspects of medicine, across multiple specialties and settings. Many former students must have been bitten by the teaching bug, as several alums are principal faculty in our program and at other PA schools. What a testament when our alumni pay it forward and help mentor future members of the profession. Perhaps most importantly, many alums are stepping up to help meet the critical need for preceptors — there is nothing quite like a Wake Forest-trained PA who knows what it takes to prepare students for future practice. Thank you to all who precept — you are our shining gems! It’s an exciting time in the PA profession. So many challenges lie ahead, as health care reform will likely follow a bumpy and circuitous path. Fortunately, the Wake Forest PA Program emphasizes strong clinical reasoning in its educational process which prepares our graduates for all potential avenues of practice. The PA profession is abuzz with the movement toward optimal team practice which may open even more doors for many of our alumni located in certain states across the country. (For more information on optimal team practice see https://www.aapa.org/aapa-press-information/pas-vote-advanceprofession-meet-modern-healthcare-needs/ ) Department Chair L. Gail Curtis, the faculty and I are confident in the Wake Forest PA Program’s ability to educate our graduates to be ready to work at the top of the license. We remain committed to preparing PAs with high clinical acumen and readiness, as well as emphasizing professional behaviors such as knowing one’s limitations and seeking consultation when needed. The profession will enter its next 50 years with exciting and demanding opportunities—be assured that Wake Forest PA Program will indeed be ready! I hope you enjoy this issue. Let us know your thoughts on our program, the PA profession and optimal team practice.

Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C Associate Professor and Program Director

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CONTENTS

I N S I D E W A K E PA Summer 2017 • Volume 1 • 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

FEATURES 4 Class of 2017 celebrates graduation 6 Awards recognize students, faculty, staff

ED I T O RS

Teri Capshaw, MBA Tanya Gregory, PhD C O NT R IBU TORS

Carol Cooper, M.Ed. Andrew Gray (’18) Carol Hildebrandt Sobia Hussaini, MHA Alyssa Murray (’18) Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C P HO T OGRAPHY

Lauren Carroll; Cameron Dennis; Elise Gmuca; Zachary Hartsell, MPAS, PA-C; Anna Hux (’17); Xiao Fu Liu (‘18); Janie McDaniel, MS, MLS, (ASCP)SC; Joel Miller, MD; Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C; Dawn O’Reilly (’12), MMS, PA-C; Nick Oza; Matt Pavelko; State University of New York Downstate; Amanda Winebarger. D ESI G N

Creative Communications Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center 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, NC 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.

OF NOTE 8 Program to host CME event 8 Faculty present at AAPA Conference 9 Curtis (’81) receives AAPA award 10 Physician and author presents symposium 11 Dean Abraham leaving 12 New CEO comes on board 13 Wooten (’81) gets honor at Carnegie Hall DEPARTMENTS 14 Spotlight: Faculty Facts and Student News 16 Preceptor Profile: Dawn O’Reilly (’12) 17 Alumni Profile: Josef Wolf Burwell (’94) 18 New Faces 19 Student News 19 Students participate in MACHE Bowl 20 AAPA CEO visits 21 Big Brother/Big Sister program eases transition 21 Boone campus highlighted in admissions video 22 Alumni News 23 Photo Album

SUMMER 2017

F E AT U R E S T O R Y

Class of 2017 graduates told to treasure and embrace being a PA Members of the Class of 2017 are ready to see patients as soon as they’re certified. But patience was on the mind of keynote speaker Alisha DeTroye (’04), MMS, PA-C, at the Hooding and Awards Ceremony on May 14. “My advice for you as you move from today into the future is to be patient,” said DeTroye, an adjunct assistant professor with the Department of PA Studies. She is also director of PA services and director of transitional and supportive care for Wake Forest Baptist Health. “I recall 13 years ago that on my first day of clinical practice I froze and felt like making the right choice of H2 blocker for a patient with reflux was the biggest decision of my life,” she recalled. “I stopped; took a deep breath and said, ‘I’ve got this. Even if I don’t know the answer I have the critical clinical reasoning skills to figure it out.’ ” “Day by day, you will gain increased clinical knowledge, hands-on skills that become second nature, and confidence.” Eighty-seven graduates of the PA program received academic regalia during the hooding ceremony at Wake Forest Biotech Place. About 500 family members and friends attended the ceremony, which was followed by a luncheon. “It is a calling and a gift to care for patients and their families,” DeTroye told the graduates. “Treasure and embrace this role with enthusiasm.” DeTroye recounted the graduates’ PA school experience from the didactic year’s inquiry-based learning cases to clinical year rotations and working with preceptors. “You jumped in with enthusiasm,” she said. “You were a PA student sponge, soaking up knowledge, hands-on skills, real-life patient experiences, and pearls. The best part of all, this is only the beginning.” She told the graduates to always remember who helped them along their journey and to keep in touch with each other. “This group of 87 is your first network,” she said. “You will likely leave here today and disperse all over the country. You will pursue unique roles in distinct geographic areas and settings, but you will retain common ground as members of Wake Forest Class of 2017.” DeTroye encouraged the grads to take on leadership roles “Wake Forest cultivates leaders with attributes of courage, integrity, selflessness, empathy, collaboration, and reflection,” she said. “We have a rich history of Wake Forest PAs holding office at the local, state, and national level.” She challenged them to join professional organizations and to seek opportunities to educate the community about PAs. “You may choose to volunteer on the sidelines of

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the local high school football game or participate in a health fair.” One of the easiest ways to give back is as a mentor, she added. “Say, ‘Yes,’ when a high school student would like to shadow you and say, ‘Yes,’ when you’re called to serve as a preceptor. Don’t forget those mentors who served you and seize the opportunity to give back.” The hooding ceremony ended with Sherrie Spear, MHS, PA-C, sharing clinical pearls that helped her when she started practicing. “Always be humble as well as prepared,” said Spear, an assistant professor and associate program director. “Find that balance between caring for others and caring for yourself.” “Always keep your compassion front and center because it is what

brought you to medicine in the first place,” she added. Members of the PA Class of 2017 were among 1,900 Wake Forest graduates who took part in commencement at the university’s Reynolda campus on May 15. Historian and journalist Jon Meacham was the keynote speaker. Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize winner who has written books on Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, encouraged the graduates to be curious, gracious, and helpful. He advised them to read Jane Austen, subscribe to newspapers, go to the movies, and to vote. “Look up from those screens; make eye contact,” Meacham said. “You all are about to rule history and the rest of us can’t wait to see what you make of your hour.”

Class of 2017 by the numbers . . .

graduates:

64 in Winston-Salem 23 on Boone campus

31 from N.C. 11 from the Midwest 22 from the South 7 from the West 15 from the Northeast 1 from Puerto Rico

plan to practice in N.C.

2 graduates

plan to complete PA fellowships/ residencies

Top career fields: Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine *Preliminary data as of May 2017

SUMMER 2017

Students, faculty & staff honored with awards at hooding One of the most highly anticipated aspects of the hooding ceremony is the presentation of awards. The Department of PA Studies’ Awards Committee selects student recipients for program honors while members of the Class of 2017 chose winners for student-sponsored awards. The following honors were announced at the ceremony on May 14:

PA Program Awards: James Franklin Wilson Memorial Award

Assistant Professor Jill Grant with Annie Preske

Annie Preske (’17) of Winston-Salem received the James Franklin Wilson Memorial Award. The award goes to a student of the graduating class who shows the greatest aptitude, as defined by academic achievement during the preclinical and clinical years, and devotion to the PA profession, as evidenced by contributions on an individual, local, or national basis. The Wilson Award was established in 1975 in memory of Jim Wilson (’73). Wilson grew up in WinstonSalem and was a medic with the U.S. Army in Vietnam after he earned an undergraduate degree. He decided to become a PA after leaving the Army. “As happens to many who are 6

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involved in a war, my experiences in Vietnam affected me considerably,” Wilson recalled. “I have in my time overseas developed a concern for the suffering of mankind—a concern which I virtually did not have before or possibly which I had for various reasons suppressed.” Wilson practiced as a PA for two years before he died of cancer. The award named for him is funded by PA graduates, Wilson’s father, and a local veteran’s association. Mike Walker PA Excellence Scholarship Morgan Gregg (’17) of Greenville, S.C. and Jon McGuirt (’18) of Rock Hill, S.C., were named recipients of the Mike Walker PA Excellence Scholarship, which is presented annually to students who have demonstrated excellence in the PA program and compassion and excellence in caring for patients. Established in 2014, the scholarship is named in memory of Michael D. Walker, who graduated from the PA program in 1973. Besides his PA certificate, Walker earned a master’s degree in business administration from Wake Forest’s Babcock Graduate School of Management and a master’s degree in PA studies with a specialty in dermatology from the University of Nebraska. Walker practiced as a PA in dermatology and internal medicine in Winston-Salem for many years before retiring. He was a charter member

Tamara Hill was chosen by her classmates for the Class Appreciation Award

and distinguished fellow of the N.C. Academy of PAs. He died in 2012. Patrick and Cathy Ober Community Leadership Award Shelby Wood (’18) of DeKalb, Ill., was presented the Patrick and Cathy Ober Community Leadership Award. The award, named for K. Patrick Ober, MD, and his wife, Cathy, is presented annually to a first- or second-year student who demonstrates remarkable dedication to community service and leadership in outreach, philanthropy, and humanitarianism. The award was established in 2015. Ober has served as the medical director of the PA program since 2003. He currently oversees the Foundations of Medicine and Surgery course and is a facilitator for inquiry-based learning. Wake Forest medical students have honored Ober with more than 30 teaching awards. He is a founding physician and member of the advisory board of the DEAC (Delivering Equal Access to Care) Clinic, where he has also served as a teaching/supervising provider. Ober earned his MD from the University of Florida and completed his residency and a fellowship at Wake Forest. He has been on the faculty since 1977. Cathy Ober is a tireless advocate for those in need of food assistance. She has devoted her time, effort, and energy to the Clemmons Food Pantry for many years.

Katherine H. Anderson Award Trevor Doolittle (’18) of Milford, Conn., received the Katherine H. Anderson Award, which is given to a first-year student in recognition of exemplary academic performance and professional growth toward becoming a PA during the preclinical year. The award was established in 1988 and is named for the first medical director of the PA Program and a much respected physician in both the community and the institution. “Katie,” as Anderson was affectionately known, was a pediatrician in Winston-Salem for 25 years and the first woman elected president of the local medical society. As medical director of the PA program from 1969 until her retirement in 1976, she was instrumental in the development of the educational philosophy and curriculum of the program. She was so beloved among PA students that their professional society is named the Katherine Anderson Society in her honor.

recognizes organizations that have made significant contributions to students’ educational experience. The SECU House and Parent to Parent provide support services to patients and their families and help train students to be compassionate and good listeners. Preclinical students visit the organizations to strengthen their training and better understand what families face when a patient is seriously ill.

Awards Given by the Class of 2017: Preclinical Year Teaching Excellence Award

Preceptor of the Year Award Sage Haresnape (’14), MMS, PA-C, received Preceptor of the Year honors from the graduating class. Haresnape, who works in internal medicine at Wake Forest’s Lexington Medical Center, has been a preceptor for two years. Class Appreciation Award Tamara Hill (’17) of Dallas was singled out by her classmates for the Class Appreciation Award. Outstanding Contributions to the Class of 2017 Award

Dan Bertrams (’14), MMS, PA-C, and Caroline Sisson (’13), MMS, PA-C, were named winners of the teaching excellence award for the preclinical year. Bertrams is an instructor on the Winston-Salem campus and Sisson is an assistant professor on the Boone campus.

Traci Streit and Rebecca Moore received awards for making outstanding contributions to the Class of 2017. Streit has been academic curriculum coordinator for preclinical education in Winston-Salem since 2013. Moore has served as program coordinator at the Boone campus since 2014.

Community Partnership Award

Clinical Year Teaching Excellence Award

Honorary Katherine Anderson Society Award

Becky Wright of SECU Family House in Winston-Salem and Kaaren Hayes of Parent to Parent Family Support Network in Boone were named winners of the Community Partnership Award. The award, started in 2015,

Brian Peacock (’10), MMS- PA-C, assistant professor and co-director of clinical education, was named the recipient of the award for teaching excellence during the clinical year from the Class of 2017.

Suzanne Reich, MPAS, PA-C, associate professor and program director, received the KAS Award for her selfless dedication to students and the profession.

SUMMER 2017

OF NOTE

Program to host CME event in November Preventive care, an update on opioids, and telemedicine are just some of the hot topics on tap at this fall’s WAKE Up Winston-Salem! CME conference. The event, sponsored by the PA program and open to alumni and clinicians, will be held Nov. 1–3 at 525@Vine in Winston-Salem. “We are happy to host our annual CME conference this year at the ‘mothership’— Wake PA department,” said associate professor and chair L. Gail Curtis (’81), MPAS, PA-C. “At our conference in Orlando last year, several alumni suggested a ‘come back to PA school’ theme at 525@Vine. This will allow participants to see our location, visit favorite haunts from PA school days and obtain excellent CME from their professors in our state-of-the-art facility.”

SC; assistant professor Brian Peacock (’10), MMS, PA-C; assistant professor Courtney Perry, PharmD; assistant professor Cathy Shull (’80), MPAS, PA-C; and assistant professor Caroline Sisson (’13), MMS, PA-C. For more information on the conference or to register, call 336-716-2010.

Faculty members present at AAPA conference

“We are excited for this opportunity and expect this to be a very popular conference,” Curtis added. The event offers a mix of networking opportunities, working a case in small groups, and lectures. Evenings are free for catching up with classmates and rediscovering Winston-Salem. Curtis will kick off the conference discussing the state of the PA profession — a topic she’s ideally positioned to tackle as president of the AAPA. Other sessions at the three-day conference will address: “Urinalysis Conundrums,” “Common Hospital Admissions for Oncologic Patients,” “Preceptor Pearls,” and “Advocating Your Value to Your Practice.” The burgeoning field of the telehealth industry will be addressed by Bryan T. Arkwright, MHA, an adjunct professor at Wake Forest School of Law. Arkwright is a managing consultant with Schumacher Clinical Partners Consulting Services focusing on telehealth/telemedicine strategy and operations. Anna Villa, MS, a genetic counselor at Wake Forest Baptist Health’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, will discuss, “What PAs Need to Know about Genetic Testing in Cancer.” Professor and medical director K. Patrick Ober, MD, will address the “Art of Patient Care,” while Erich Grant (’04), MMS, PA-C, assistant professor and vice chair of the department, will offer summary comments. Other PA faculty presenters at the conference include: associate medical director Zachary Hartsell, MPAS, MHA, PA-C; assistant professor and associate program director Sherrie Spear, MHS, PA-C; assistant professor Sarah Garvick, MS, MPAS, PA-C; instructor Kristin Lindaman, MMS, PA-C; assistant professor Janie McDaniel, MS, BSMT, MLS(ASCP) 8

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Four members of the PA program’s faculty made presentations at the AAPA 2017 conference in Las Vegas in May: Daniel Bertrams (’14), MMS, PA-C, instructor, presented, “Bedside Diagnostic Ultrasound.” Zachary Hartsell, MPAS, MHA, PA-C, associate medical director, presented, “A day in the Life of a Hospitalist PA.” Kristin Lindaman, MMS, PA-C, instructor, presented, “C. Diff: Fact vs. Fiction.” Lindaman & Hartsell, presented, “A Collection of Hospital GI Cases.” Janie McDaniel, MS, MLS (ASCP)SC, assistant professor, presented, “Understanding the Alphabet Soup of Rheumatology Labs,” “The Terrible Ts of Thyroid Testing: TSH, T4 and T3,” and “CBC on a Slide – What Every PA Needs to Know.” During the conference, McDaniel was also featured in a videotaped interview with MD Magazine on developments with thyroid testing.

OF NOTE

Curtis receives AAPA award, assumes presidency L. Gail Curtis (’81), MPAS, PA-C, has a new award and a new title. The associate professor and chair of the Department of PA Studies has assumed the top elected post at AAPA and received the association’s House Outstanding Service Award. “I was very surprised,” Curtis said of the award. “I wasn’t expecting it – and I felt it would have been better after I had finished serving.” She received the award in May at AAPA’s annual conference in Las Vegas. David Jackson, speaker of AAPA’s House of Delegates, worked with Curtis’s family and colleagues to collect pictures for the award presentation, many of which documented her nearly 30 years of service to the House. Curtis spent 20 years as a delegate. She also served on and chaired the Standing Rules Committee and many reference committees. She was Second Vice Speaker and First Vice Speaker before becoming Speaker of the House. Curtis also won another prize during the AAPA conference— she and Robert Wooten (’81), PA-C, won the lip syncing contest at the PA Foundation’s Party for a Purpose fundraising event. She and Wooten, a former president of AAPA and an instructor in the PA program, lip synced Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” wearing feather boas and generally hamming it up. On a more serious note, Curtis is excited about taking the helm at AAPA. She became president on July 1 and will serve until June 30, 2018. “When I ran for president last year,” she said, “I felt that I still had some leadership to dedicate in service to the profession in what was surely a pivotal time of change for PAs. I was especially interested in working to ensure PAs could practice to the full extent of their education and training.” Over that year, however, plenty changed, and Curtis said now that her presidency is likely to focus on two key issues: optimal team practice and maintenance of certification. The House of Delegates approved a new Optimal Team Practice Policy at the conference. According to AAPA: Optimal Team Practice (OTP) reemphasizes the PA profession’s commitment to team-based care, and . . . reaffirms that the degree of collaboration between PAs and physicians should be determined at the practice level. It also

supports the removal of state laws and regulations that require a PA to have and/or report a supervisory, collaborating or other specific relationship with a physician in order to practice. In addition, the new policy advocates for the establishment of autonomous state boards with a majority of PAs as voting members to license, regulate and discipline PAs, or for PAs to be full voting members of medical boards. Finally, the policy says that that PAs should be eligible to be reimbursed directly by public and private insurance for the care they provide. Curtis said she will spend a significant portion of her presidential year “helping the wider medical world to understand what OTP means and doesn’t mean, and helping constituents learn to use the policy to advocate for PAs.” Direct reimbursement is particularly important for PAs, she said, because it will help them to be counted. “PAs have been invisible providers because of shared visit billing practices, and we have to be counted in order for our many contributions to be recognized,” she said. Similarly, she noted, the uncoupling of a PA’s license from a collaborating physician’s license will increase access to care for patients. Both physicians and PAs are now employed by large corporations. The burden of supervision of PAs by physicians is becoming untenable to the MDs and in addition has created an inequitable employment environment for PAs as compared to nurse practitioners. The second issue, maintenance of certification and the question of whether PAs should have to recertify via a high stakes exam every 10 years to continue practicing, is still very much a hot button concern. But Curtis has seen progress made between AAPA and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) on the topic. She noted that both sides believe they have the best interests of the profession and patients in mind. “I think NCCPA must stop lobbying state legislatures as their efforts have been harmful to the process of moving forward PA-friendly legislation,” she said. “My hope for my presidential year is to work collaboratively with NCCPA to resolve differences and agree on a plan that best serves the PA profession and our patients.” During her 2017–2018 term, Curtis’s philanthropic goal is to focus on substance use, a long time area of clinical interest for her. She is especially interested in suicidality in individuals with substance use disorders, and AAPA has received a grant that will assist with this work.

SUMMER 2017

OF NOTE

Physician and author holds symposium “What is this story about?” That’s the central question to ask when reading a narrative written by a student, says Terrence Holt, PhD, MD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Holt, a geriatrician and author, was the guest speaker at an April event at Biotech Place sponsored by The Story, Health, and Healing Initiative (SHH), a product of a partnership between the Wake Forest School of Medicine and the Wake Forest University Humanities Institute. Several PA Studies faculty and staff attended the event where Holt read “The Surgical Mask,” a powerful story from his 2014 book, Internal Medicine: A Doctor’s Stories. He then led the group in the reading and discussion of medical student narratives created for a writing course he teaches. So what does fiction have to do with learning medicine? Quite a lot, according to disciples of the field known as narrative medicine. “The effective practice of medicine requires narrative competence, that is, the ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others,” said Dr. Rita Charon, a founder of the discipline. “Medicine practiced with narrative competence, called narrative medicine, is proposed as a model for humane and effective medical practice.” Narrative medicine is about the centrality of stories in medicine – telling them and hearing them, whether the story is the patient’s the provider’s, or the student’s. Holt, who holds a PhD in English and was a college English professor before attending medical school at UNC.

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He also has MA and MFA degrees. In his online biography, Holt states that he “work[s] at the intersections between medicine and literature generally, with a particular emphasis on medical autobiography.” In teaching symposium attendees how to approach student narratives, he emphasized that it is important to ask ourselves how a story makes us feel before trying to determine what it means. “You’re not deciphering the narrative,” Holt said. “What you’re actually attempting to understand are your responses to the narrative.” That understanding is what allows us to answer the question, “What is this story about?” Holt’s talk was part of “Rounding with…” events, where an invited guest working in the field of narrative medicine gives a public reading and facilitates an interprofessional education workshop. The next event, tentatively planned for this fall, features PA program medical director K. Patrick Ober, MD, as the speaker. SHH brings together faculty, students, health care professionals, writers and artists at Wake Forest and the wider community to “critically examine, teach and reflect on the practice of narrative medicine, as well as the roles of story, writing and art in health and healing.” Several PA Studies faculty are members of the SHH steering group, including Ober, assistant professor Jill Grant (’05), MS, MMS, PA-C, and assistant professor and director of academic practice partnerships Sobia Hussaini, MHA. Tanya Gregory, PhD, assistant professor and director of student services, is co-chair of the steering group. The initiative sponsors a range of activities, including guest speakers, reading groups, narrative medicine lunch and learn sessions, workshops, and faculty development opportunities.

OF NOTE

Dean Abraham will be missed

The Department of PA Studies is losing a true champion. Edward Abraham, MD, dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, has left Wake Forest for the Sunshine state. Abraham left the first of July to become dean at the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He’s also serving as physician executive of the University of Miami Medical Group. “We have lost a distinguished and talented dean and a good friend to our profession,” said L. Gail Curtis (’81), MPAS, PA-C, chair of the Department of PA Studies. “If the department had a need, he was always a phone call away. I always had his ear, and he responded with abundant support. If it could be done, he found a way to help PA.” Abraham was a tireless advocate for PAs and supportive of the Wake Forest program. When the department wanted to open a distant PA program campus in Boone, he was on board. “There is a tremendous need for PAs across the country,” he said at the time. “A new program will allow

Wake Forest to go up to the mountains where there are issues with health care delivery to underserved populations, and to have an impact in a new area.” Abraham campaigned for PA-supervised clinical practice experiences when new acquisitions were made to the Wake Forest Baptist Health system, understanding that access to care would be improved for patients by developing pipelines for PA faculty and staff. During his tenure at Wake Forest, Abraham oversaw the relocation of the medical school to the new facility at Innovation Quarter. He was instrumental in the design of the new medical school curricula which is one of the most advanced in the country, and the new compensation plan for faculty. Abraham is an eminent physician in pulmonary and critical care medicine, as well as the holder of four patents and a principal or co-investigator on more than $35 million in NIH grants or contracts and $58 million in other research. He has published more than 350 original research papers.

SUMMER 2017

OF NOTE

New CEO to serve as interim dean of School of Medicine Julie Ann Freischlag, MD, became Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s new Chief Executive Officer in May. She succeeds John McConnell, MD, who announced last year his plan to lead a new Medical Center information technology development program once a new CEO was in place. In one of her first executive decisions, Freischlag has decided to serve as Interim Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM) for the upcoming academic year, effective July 1. Performing in this dual capacity is a comfortable fit, she said, from her tenure at the University of California Davis where she was both Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences. Freischlag found that the two roles gave her critical insights and complementary perspectives that helped her advance the organization’s goals and culture. She anticipates building strong relationships with faculty, identifying issues and opportunities, and building solutions together. Freischlag said she looks forward to interacting with students and tapping into their unique energy as learners. WFSM is well positioned for the future, she added, thanks to Dean Edward Abraham’s work. Freischlag, 62, previously served as the Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of California Davis (UC Davis) in Sacramento. She oversaw UC Davis’ academic, research and clinical programs which include a 627-bed acute care hospital, a private practice group of 1,000 physicians, a school of nursing and a staff of 10,000 employees. At Wake Forest, she will oversee WFSM, Wake Forest Baptist Health and its network of hospitals, physician practices and medical/surgical services, Wake Forest Innovations, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter and new business partnerships. As CEO, she will report to the Medical Center’s board of directors, as well as to the president of Wake Forest University as the medical school’s chief academic officer. A vascular surgeon with 30 years of experience at top academic medical centers including Johns Hopkins Medical 12

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Institutions and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Freischlag is nationally recognized as a leader in the advancement of medical education and training, expansion of research opportunities and improvement in patient and family-centered care. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, considered the highest elected recognition of professional achievement and commitment to volunteer service in medicine. She is an internationally known expert in the surgical treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that causes pain or numbness when blood vessels or nerves are compressed in the space between the collarbone and the first rib. Prior to her work at UC Davis (2014-2016), Freischlag served as Chair, Department of Surgery, and Surgeon-in-Chief at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (2003-2014); as Professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCLA (1998-2003); and as Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair, Section of Vascular Surgery, at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee (1992–1998). She began her professional career at UCLA and University of California San Diego Medical Centers’ Departments of Surgery (1986–92). Freischlag has an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Illinois and a medical degree from Rush University Medical College in Chicago. She completed a surgical residency and vascular fellowship at UCLA. She has served in multiple national leadership roles, including immediate past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation, past chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons, past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, and past president of the Association of Veterans Administration Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Chairs. She has published more than 240 academic manuscripts, abstracts and book chapters on clinical trial data, outcomes in peripheral vascular disease, mentoring and education. Currently, she is principal investigator of the VA OVER (Open Versus Endovascular Repair) trial of abdominal aortic aneurysms, a prospective randomized study tracking more than 800 patients across 34 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers nationwide to compare patient outcomes in open and minimally invasive repair.

OF NOTE

Wooten receives award in Carnegie Hall Robert Wooten (’81), PA-C, received the Ailanthus Award from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center at a graduation ceremony in May at Carnegie Hall in New York City. At the ceremony, Wooten also had the distinction of giving the commencement address for the school’s College of Nursing and College of Health Related Professions. “I am very grateful to receive the Ailanthus Award,” said Wooten, an instructor in the Wake Forest PA Program. “It was very humbling. I don’t think about getting awards for the work that I do. To be given the award in front of family and a few thousand people at Carnegie Hall in New York City was a tremendous honor.” Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, president of SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, presented Wooten with the award. The Ailanthus Award is named after the Ailanthus altissima, or “Tree of Heaven,” the rugged tree featured Riley presents Wooten with award in Betty Smith’s novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The award is given to those whose tenacity and dedication has benefited SUNY Downstate, and the thinking beyond clinic and hospital walls—that one must people of Brooklyn, and beyond. It is SUNY Downstate understand the surrounding environment, the people served, Medical Center’s highest campus honor. and the various cultural factors that help shape their lives. “The Ailanthus tree is a very tenacious plant,” Riley said. “You “Perhaps more than most, you understand that patients in see it everywhere in our borough — in gardens, growing in underprivileged communities must navigate a complicated, the cracks of sidewalks, on rooftops — anywhere it can gain ever-changing, and often inadequate health care system — a foothold. We bestow this award on individuals who are like and that health care professionals must be advocates for the plant, tenacious in pursuing their goals.” those they serve.” “We honor you for your leadership in physician assistant education and training, as well as for your work as a role model and mentor whose career in the health professions has spanned decades,” Riley added. “You have significant wisdom to share with those seeking careers in the health professions. You know that treating patients often requires

Wooten, a native of Brooklyn, joined the faculty in 2004. He is a former president of AAPA, AAPA’s African Heritage Caucus, and the N.C. Academy of Physician Assistants. He is a trustee of the Physician Assistant History Society. He has practiced emergency medicine at Forsyth Medical Center since 1990 and is also a medical examiner for Forsyth County, N.C.

SUMMER 2017

SPOTLIGHT

FACULTYFACTS Alisha T. DeTroye (’04), MMS, PA-C, adjunct assistant professor, has been recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of AAPA. She practices in neuro-oncology and serves as the director of PA services and director of transitional and supportive care at Wake Forest Baptist Health. DeTroye earned the national recognition due to her outstanding contributions to patient care and the profession during 13 years as a PA. The Distinguished Fellow program was established by AAPA in 2007 to recognize exceptional contributions of PAs to the profession through professional achievement, leadership, professional interaction, learning and community service. Distinguished Fellows of AAPA represent two percent of AAPA membership. Sarah Garvick, MS, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor, is serving on the Appalachian State University (ASU) Interprofessional Education Committee, collaborating with other health professions within the ASU health sciences department for Interprofessional educational opportunities.

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Jill Grant (’05), MS, MMS, PA-C, assistant professor, and Tanya Gregory, PhD, assistant professor and director of student services, presented “The Sacred 7: Integrating Humanities into Physician Assistant (PA) Education” at the Communication, Medicine, and Ethics Conference (COMET) in Indianapolis, Ind., in June. They were accepted to make the same presentation at “Creating Space 2017” in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in April, but were unable to attend. Sobia Hussaini, MHA, assistant professor and director of academic practice partnerships, has joined the Wake Forest University Humanities Institute’s Narrative Medicine: The Story, Health, and Healing Steering Committee. Hussaini also presented a poster titled, “Executive Leadership Conference for PAs” at the AAPA conference in May. Cathy Shull (’80), MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor, is featured in a Wake Forest Baptist Health video discussing “Why Research Matters.” The video will be used in various ways by the School of Medicine and the PA program.

Sherrie Spear, MHS, PA-C, assistant professor and associate program director, was appointed to the ASU Institutional Review Board (IRB) for a two-year term. She also has joined the ASU Health Sciences Interprofessional Clinical Committee and the search committee for the director of interprofessional clinical education at ASU. Spear has been invited to serve on the ASU Social Work Department Advisory Council, which promotes student involvement with social and mental health partners in the community. Robert Wooten (’81), PA-C, instructor, was featured in a Wake Forest School of Medicine video that was part of a philanthropy appeal sent to alumni.

STUDENTNEWS The following members of the Class of 2017 submitted their graduate project manuscripts for publication in JAAPA: Eric Bifolck (’17), Andrew Fink (’17), and Daniel Pedersen (’17) submitted in March, “Utility of smartphone imaging for the ophthalmic exam in primary care.” Melanie Jacobs (’17), Rachel Kaplan (’17), Kathleen McMahon (’17), and Carter Musgrove (’17), submitted in April, “Can the Mediterranean Diet prevent cognitive decline and dementia?” Benjamin Hurst (’17), Nathan Rosso (’17), and Matthew Blunden (’17) submitted in April, “Mindfulness meditation and its therapeutic effect on chronic pain.” Georgia Tanner (’17), Kacie Matthews (’17), Hannah Roeder (’17), Margaret Konopasek (’17), and Adriene Bussard (’17) submitted in May, “Current and future uses of probiotics.” Drew Sachwitz (’17), Amanda Lewis (’17), and Anna Hux (’17) submitted in May, “Clinical utility of next generation sequencing in precision oncology.” Tanya Gregory, PhD, assistant professor and course director for Graduate Project course, mentored all the student authors.

Three

cheers student authors! for our

Students in the Wake Forest School of Medicine PA Program seem to have a talent for writing, as well as medicine. Several recent graduates have had articles published in the health humanitiesthemed “Becoming a PA“ department in JAAPA, the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Over the past year, Cameron Young Sweeney (’16) published “Contact Precautions” (April 2016) and “The Happiest Place on Earth” (October 2016); Allison Brooke Brantley (’16) published “Staying True to Your Purpose” (August 2016); Rebecca Vaglio (’16) published “The Beauty of Death” (December 2016); and Ali Garel (’16) published “Beyond Inclusion” (April 2016). We are additionally proud to note that Cameron Young Sweeney has now won the JAAPA Student Writing Award for a humanities article three years in a row. For readers who are fans of The Art of Medicine department in JAAPA, stay tuned. Sweeney is joining that department as a regular writer starting with the September issue this year. Readers who are AAPA members and receive JAAPA as a member benefit can access these articles at www.jaapa.com. Congratulations to our authors!

SUMMER 2017

PRECEPTOR PROFILE

D A W N O ’ R E I L LY Dawn O’Reilly (’12) came to patient care via the research route. O’Reilly originally earned a PhD in molecular medicine and translational science planning to conduct medical research, but she didn’t feel it was the right career path. She decided to pursue a different route and entered the Wake Forest PA Program’s Class of 2012. “I believe God opened doors for me,” O’Reilly recalled. “It has been the most incredible and rewarding journey since I took that leap of faith to change careers.” O’Reilly, who is a regular preceptor for her alma mater, is a favorite among PA students. “I would say she is a breath of fresh air for a preceptor; she’s honest, caring and exceptionally hard-working,” said Jenna Gilmour (’17). “Most important, she treats her students with respect and sets high expectations for us, which as students makes us strive harder to be better clinicians overall. She’s a well-rounded, compassionate person, provider and mentor.” In 2012, O’Reilly was recruited as the first PA at Novant Health to start a practice and run solo for two years until a physician was hired on-site in Wallburg, a small town just outside of Winston-Salem. Since then, the practice has grown to more than 3,000 patients and has received top patient satisfaction scores consistently. O’Reilly sees all types of patients, cradle to grave, including multigenerational families. The practice offers comprehensive services regardless of age or ailment,

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including annual checkups, flu shots, minor surgery, lab tests and other services. Elise Rosenow (’17) saw O’Reilly’s concern for her patients during a family medicine rotation at the Wallburg clinic. “She was one of my favorite preceptors because she challenged me to think like a provider, but was very patient and encouraging at the same time,” Rosenow said. “Additionally she cares so deeply about her patients and their well-being and that is clearly demonstrated in the care she provides them. She takes the time even on a busy day to sit with her patients and makes them feel like the most important person of her day.” Another Class of 2017 graduate, Eric Bifolck, said, “From day one, she quickly made me feel as if I was an integral part of the team, and she encouraged me to approach each patient like they were my own. It is clear that Ms. O’Reilly has a passion for being both a PA and an educator, and I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her.” When not at work, O’Reilly relishes spending time with her husband, son and daughter. They love being outside and enjoying quality time at the park. The pleasure she derives from family time and taking care of patients, coupled with her varied work experience, honors, awards and scholarly publications, and her many years of education experience makes her a credit to the program and an asset to PA students.

Preceptors wanted! The Wake Forest PA Program is always looking for preceptors to work with second-year students during their clinical rotations. If you’re a physician, PA or NP and are interested in helping train our PAs, please contact Lori Cook, program coordinator for the clinical year: lcook@wakehealth.edu or 336-716-2023. We’re grateful for your support!

ALUMNI PROFILE

Award Burwell received as a student has helped guide his life’s misson “I feel like I live my bucket list items every day, so I’ve never really needed an official bucket list.” That’s how alumnus Josef Wolf Burwell (’94) describes his life. Burwell, a PA, a teacher and a humanitarian is a native of Winston-Salem. He pursued becoming a PA in hopes of finding more adventure and a means to serve others, and it has never let him down in those pursuits. After graduating, Burwell started a career in emergency medicine. He worked full-time in Connecticut and Arizona for several years before seeking a way to balance his love for emergency medicine with his passion for caring for underserved populations. These days, Burwell works as an emergency medicine PA in the Middle East at a small clinic operated by the U.S. government. He travels and works in the Middle East for four months each year, and spends the rest of his time in Arizona doing humanitarian work.

access to health insurance. One of the key tenets of Peacework is to involve the people who are being served, so they can ultimately help themselves. For example, in Haiti, Burwell’s team taught health education to the local community, taught teachers and clergy, and provided scholarships for nurse practitioners training in the region; as a result, this community has now built and operates its own clinic. Burwell is also an advocate for gender and sexual minorities. In the Peacework clinic, volunteers are trained to do a gender dysphoria history and help take care of people who want to transition their gender. Burwell began transitioning his gender in late 2014. He describes feeling a “sense of difference for many decades, which ultimately led to this epiphany that was both exciting and terrifying.” His family, girlfriend Tamira, and the transgender community in Phoenix have supported him through his gender transition and official name change from Pam to Josef. “I took the leap to do it, and the only regret I have is that I didn’t do it sooner.”

Burwell is the founder and director of One of Burwell’s most memorable Peacework Medical Projects, a achievements in the Wake Forest PA nonprofit volunteer organization based Program has actually helped guide his in Phoenix that works to improve health life and career trajectory for many years. and health education for marginalized In 1994, he was awarded the James populations. With Peacework, Burwell Franklin Wilson Memorial Award, and has spent time in Honduras, Belize, since that day, Burwell has strived to Guyana, Ghana, Cambodia and Haiti, fulfill the award’s legacy with great care. providing crucial health care services to “The words on that award are about the local communities. More recently, potential, which helped me to realize Peacework has two main projects in that I could really achieve something. I Phoenix, where volunteers provide could become a humanitarian. There is triage services for homeless individuals a type of symmetry from this award that in the community and run a primary I’ve been able to see in my life.” care clinic focused on providing services to individuals who do not have

Get to Know Josef Wolf Burwell What is your personal philosophy? We are all humanitarians. First job I worked in a bicycle shop on Rosemont Avenue in WinstonSalem where I broke down bicycles in preparation for them to be painted. Favorite place? My backyard. I travel very often, so I always like to come home to it. If I wasn’t a PA... I would be leading bicycle trips across the country and across the world. What inspires you? As a young person, I saw poverty, classism, and also real caring around me. I saw people that would make a positive difference through their actions. I saw this in my family, my neighborhood and my school. I felt like I couldn’t do anything less than the best people around me.

SUMMER 2017

STUDENTNEWS

Students make strides in health care equity at MACHE Bowl In front of a live audience at Biotech Place in Winston-Salem, the teams responded to two rounds of questions and were judged by faculty from all disciplines represented on content and interdisciplinary approach. Cover, Murray, and Cummings

Three members of the Class of 2018 took part in a health care competition where students from various disciplines and schools collaborated to address a complex health disparity case. Lindsay Cover, Erika Cummings and Alyssa Murray represented Wake Forest PA in the 5th annual Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity (MACHE) Bowl in March. The competition saw interdisciplinary teams consisting of PA, MD, divinity, law, public health, social work and health care administration students representing five different institutions in western North Carolina. The teams used their expertise to collaborate on a fictitious health care case of an American Indian in southeast North Carolina seeking important preventive care services.

In addition to learning about health equity, students also learned the roles of their future colleagues across other disciplines. “You’re an expert in your field but there are experts in other fields so it’s good to step out and to ask questions and to work together,” said Charlene Hunt, program coordinator at MACHE and the N.C. Indian Health Board (NCIHB). Cummings, the PA student member of the winning Gold team, said, “This event showed us first-hand how interdisciplinary brainstorming is the most effective path to tackling health disparities. The solution we came up with for our patient was more well-rounded than it ever could have been coming from only one of us.” Cover, who served on another team, said, “In our learning right now, we are really

NEWFACES

trained on if a patient comes in with these symptoms, what do you do. I gained a little perspective outside of our scope.” Sarah Langdon, project manager at MACHE and faculty liaison for the competition, described an overlooked health disparity as the motivation for the case’s development. “Even now with the heightened focus on health equity and health disparities, oftentimes the tribal communities are not even at the table,” she said. American Indian health is particularly pertinent given that North Carolina has the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi, according to the NCIHB. The MACHE Bowl, which started five years ago, consistently receives feedback from participants stating that it provided a valuable learning opportunity for future practice. Langdon hopes that students come away with “recognition that all of these disciplines are important and have an equally important role in improving our communities and the health of our patients.”

Inside WAKE PA wants to thank our PCY student writers

Staff member joins Boone campus Amanda Winebarger wants to make a difference in the lives of Wake Forest PA students. “I love to help people and be around students,” Winebarger said. “It takes a team to make this program successful. I think each one of us can make a difference in life.”

property manager’s assistant at Ashe High Country Vacations in West Jefferson, N.C.

Andrew Gray (’18)

Winebarger worked previously as a medical assistant at a pediatric practice in Boone for 13 years. She also has experience as a clinical medical assistant at a family practice in Jefferson, N.C.

Alyssa Murray (’18)

“This is a new journey for me because I have always worked with patient care, so I am ready for the journey of working with students and watching them accomplish Winebarger joined the PA program’s their goals,” she said. “I love medicine, Boone campus as a part-time department period. That is where my heart is and secretary in May. She also works as a forever will be.”

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Good luck with your clinical year rotations!

PICTURE PERFECT!

Students win AAPA national photo contest

Wake Forest PA Studies had the honor of being featured on the Student Academy of AAPA (SAAAPA) social media pages as one of three schools selected by SAAAPA as winners of the National Medical Challenge Bowl photo contest. Xiao Fu Liu (’18), Jon McGuirt (’18), and Alyssa Murray (’18)

represented Wake Forest in the Challenge Bowl at the AAPA conference in Las Vegas in May and received front row seats as well as Starbucks gift cards for winning the photo contest. Wake Forest shared the top prize with Campbell University and Midwestern University – Glendale.

Photo submissions featured the conference theme “Beyond,” and Liu developed the concept of emphasizing the distant campuses of Wake Forest PA Studies as one program. McGuirt assisted with edits and design.

Challenge Bowl

Gail Curtis and students celebrate at the Challenge Bowl, a medical trivia contest held during the AAPA conference in Las Vegas

SUMMER 2017

AAPA CEO inspires students It’s safe to say that Jenna Dorn, CEO of AAPA, is a fan of the Wake Forest PA Program. While Dorn does not routinely visit PA classes, in April she made her third appearance at Wake Forest in two years and discussed the PA profession with preclinical year students, faculty and staff. She shared a message of encouragement, advocacy, and passion for the PA profession. “It’s very easy to be an advocate for a profession that is so important to the improvement of health care,” Dorn said. “What I’ve enjoyed most is building an organization, or helping to build an organization, that supports the profession in a way that PAs can practice to the top of their education and experience.” Dorn has worked for 10 different institutions over the course of her career, and has leadership experience in diverse arenas from federal agencies to nonprofits. In her address at Wake Forest, she compared her experience in the field of business leadership to the generalist training a PA receives. In addition, as the first female CEO of AAPA, Dorn has a long history of advocacy for women in leadership positions. As leadership is a centerpiece of the Wake Forest PA culture, Dorn’s message reached students at a time when they were nearing the end of the preclinical year and looking forward to clinical year and their future as PAs. Department Chair L. Gail Curtis (’81), MPAS, PA-C, promotes students’ exposure to leadership. Curtis was president-elect of AAPA when Dorn visited (she became president on July 1.) “Experiences like this are one of the ways that we create leaders,” Curtis said. “There aren’t many programs that have this opportunity.” Dorn reported that engaging with students and faculty was beneficial to her work. “This is a great way for me to learn about PA perspectives and what they’re thinking, so there is value added to both of us.”

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Dorn and Curtis together emphasized the importance of inspiring new PAs to participate in moving the profession forward. “So many PAs graduate as expert clinicians, but they don’t caretake their profession. You really have to have somebody who watches out for the profession,” Curtis said. Dorn uses her experience in leadership to encourage aspiring PA leaders. “Be unafraid to take a risk and be involved in something outside of your specialty or your practice area, whether that be serving on a credentialing committee, or a research committee, or just taking the opportunity for leadership irrespective of what you feel you’re trained for. I think that sometimes PAs and other young students, newly minted graduate students, think they have to be an expert at everything before they can say ‘yes’ to an opportunity,” Dorn added.

Mentorship program helps new students with transition The decision to attend PA school can be intimidating. And the workload and stress can be off the charts. But having a buddy in the class ahead can make all the difference during the preclinical year. “I remember how stressful it was making such a big life transition, especially coming from out-of-state,” said Kaisey Medley (‘18). “There are so many small things you are unsure of before the big move and having a ‘built in’ resource is unbelievably reassuring. I’ve really enjoyed being able to help ease this transition for someone else. The less stress someone has coming in, the quicker they can appreciate just how big of a family they are about to join.” The Big Brother/Big Sister initiative helps students with the progression through the

PA program by pairing first- and seondyear students. The student-run program asks each clinical year student to befriend a “little” incoming classmate and reach out to answer questions, calm nerves and provide insight into PA school that no one else can give. It’s a small connection and the levels of involvement vary, but students say it can be a lifeline. “We want to make the process seem a little bit less daunting for the upcoming class, and we know they will pass that same gift on to the next one,” said Andrew Gray (’18). “You think about a million things when you enter the PA program – how the schooling will be 10 times harder than everything you’ve done so far, the high standards, high

expectations, how this is almost all of medical school condensed into two years,” Gray added. “You think about how much you are paying to be here and how you had better know what you are doing. What you don’t think about -- and what makes PA school so marvelously special -- is comradery.” “The culture here is different,” he said. “There is no battle to be the top of the class. There is no one keeping score of how much better you are than your competitors. There is no résumé bolstering. There is only a group of students and faculty who want to work together to help you, and everyone around you, become the greatest medical provider you can be.”

Admissions video to highlight Boone campus Picture this: you’ve applied to the Wake “Our campus in Boone is a hidden gem and be made available on the program’s Forest PA Program and you find out you’re that’s unfamiliar to many applicants,” said website. The video features footage of the accepted. Yay! But before you pack your Assistant Professor and Admissions Chair Boone campus and interviews with students bags for Winston-Salem, where you Ian Smith (‘11), MMS, PA-C. “When and faculty. interviewed and toured 525@Vine, you prospective students interview we wanted a “The PA program has worked hard to learn you’ll be based on the Boone campus. way to show them our Boone campus and ensure that there is seamless coordination Boone? What’s Boone? highlight that they will receive the exact and equal education between its two same education and degree as their “The large majority of incoming students campuses,” said Gray. “As a student of the classmates in Winston-Salem, just in a don’t know what to make of Boone,” said Boone campus myself, I can honestly say different setting,” Andrew Gray (’18). “They interviewed at the that I have enjoyed being in the mountains beautiful Winston-Salem campus and they Smith credits Boone students in the Class of for my preclinical year. We were a tight-knit were expecting their PA-school experience 2018 with the idea for doing a video. family and never felt anything was lacking to take place in that environment. Many of in terms of curriculum or attention. If “Our goal was to clear up any misunderus, when we received our acceptance anything, we had the advantage of a standings applicants may have about the letters -- and were told that we would be in smaller class size.” Boone campus and get them excited for Boone rather than Winston-Salem -- were what’s to come as a Wake Forest PA The Boone campus opened in 2014 in suspicious. We were unsure whether this student,” said Emily Pena (’18), student collaboration with Appalachian State would be a different experience than the body president of the Boone campus. “We University. The first cohort graduated in one we were shown on our interview day. know that the experience in Boone is an 2016 and today, there are 24 preclinical year We couldn’t know how much we would all excellent one and we wanted to give the students based there. In 2018, the program grow to love Boone.” upcoming students a glimpse of what it’s will move into the new Beaver Health Students’ love of the Boone campus, like. Both campuses are part of one Sciences building currently under unique opportunities in the area, and the exceptional program.” construction. equality of education and training are The short video will be shown to prospecfeatured in an admissions video for tive students during the admissions process prospective students. SUMMER 2017

ALUMNINEWS 1970s Neal O’Callaghan (’74) is retiring after 43 years as a practicing PA. He says highlights of his career have included serving as a PA on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline construction in 1975–77 and as a lecturer and clinical coordinator with the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program from 1999 to 2010. O’Callaghan was instrumental in starting the New Mexico Academy of PAs scholarship fund for students at the University of New Mexico. He enjoys outdoor activities and has backpacked 700 miles in Grand Canyon National Park.

1980s Mark Layman McCombs (’82) has just completed a term as Grand Monarch of the Grottoes of North America. The Grottoes, a nonprofit associated with Masons, provides dental care to children with special needs. As Grand Monarch, McCombs presided over 130 Grottoes nationwide and in Canada. He served previously as Monarch of Singara Grotto in Sandusky, Ohio, and as past president of the Ohio Grotto Association. He and his wife Joan live in Bellevue, Ohio, where he’s a PA at Bay Park Hospital. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.

1990s James (Jim) T. Ferguson (’90), MPH, currently works in family medicine for Providence Medical Group in Newberg, Ore. In January, Ferguson was accepted into the two-year Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (AZCIM). Ferguson is one of 80 medical providers from around the world participating in the AZCIM Fellowship Class of 2019 and one of only two PAs in the cohort. He and his wife Deborah, a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in working with children on the autism spectrum, live on a 5.4-acre farm in Oregon which they hope to develop into a wellness center. Blaine Hall (‘91) spoke at the National Kidney Foundation conference in April on “Use of Cystatin C in the Transsexual Patient with CKD.” At the conference, Hall, who is the founder of the American Academy of

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Nephrology PAs (AANPA), was honored at the organization’s 20th anniversary. He is an author, speaker and consultant on health care for the transsexual patient. Josef Burwell (‘94) reports that Peacework Medical, a nonprofit he founded, has expanded to connect pre-PA students, PAs and Phoenix’s homeless population in a new weekly effort called Homeless Triage. Since Arizona’s three PA programs are all located in Maricopa County, there were many local volunteers who didn’t have the opportunity to learn good history taking and clinical observation skills, Burwell says. The program is helping PA candidates with their skills while providing the homeless with medical attention. Michael S. Everhart (’95) reports that his son, Paul, has graduated from West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C., and will attend the University of North Carolina at Asheville in August.

2000s S. Mitchell Mack Jr. (’05) has begun a new position working in urgent care at UNC Regional Physicians in High Point, N.C. Mitchell says hello to all his classmates and wishes them well. Andrea Whitley Peyton (’11) and her husband welcomed a son, Robert Oakley Peyton, on March 26, 2017.

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

PHOTO ALBUM

Alumni enjoy reconnecting at AAPA conference

SUMMER 2017

Happy Summer 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 for your support and contributions.

A RE A

C O N TAC T PER SO N

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

336-716-2167

Boone campus

Sherrie Spear, distant campus coordinator

shspear@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

tcapshaw@wakehealth.edu

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Teri Capshaw, departmental project manager

336-713-0820