Beginning with One Life
Nadine Hart, PA-C, MMSc of Billings, Montana (Class of 1991) has seen the
impact one person can have on many, and has become an individual with impact
herself. Through travels in Uganda she met Kenny, a young man with sickle cell
disease and avascular necrosis of the hips secondary to his disease. It became
her goal to bring Kenny to the U.S. for treatment and education, and she
accomplished that. But she had seen the greater need at that point. Working with
others, she has founded H2O Life (Hope 2 One Life), a faith-based, non-profit
organization with the mission to "provide hope, clean water, health care and
educational resources for impoverished people". Their work continues in Uganda,
and now Sudan. In addition, they have held an educational forum in Billings on
the Children of War in northern Uganda, concerning the use of children as
soldiers and sex-slaves. Please read their recent
newsletter and support their work if
you are so moved. For more information, please contact H2O Life at
hope2onelife@gmail.com .
Nadine is currently (winter 2010) in Uganda again, and posting a blog of
her work there. You can follow her
blog if you're interested.
Fall Farmworker Project Completed
The fourth autumn version of the South Georgia Farmworker Health Project was
completed over the weekend of October 16-18. Workers return to Decatur County in
south Georgia to pick tomatoes and grape tomatoes in a late harvest. This year,
we had an unusual cold-snap (it was in the 40's and windy during much of the
Project) which added a new twist to sites where it had this summer been nearly
100 degrees! The team adapted, as shown! Approximately 190 farmworkers received
medical care over the weekend.
(click to enlarge)
PA Program's Service-Learning Project Recognized
The PA Program was honored this fall with the announcement by the American
Academy of Physician Assistants and the PA Foundation, that our South Georgia
Farmworker Health Project will be the
Host City Prevention Campaign in conjunction with the 2010 AAPA Conference
in Atlanta! We greatly appreciate this show of support!
Welcome (belatedly!) to Class of 2011
Faculty and staff welcomed another strong cohort of students to Emory and
Atlanta in late August.
Students in our new class come from 19 states and 43 colleges and
universities. Forty percent of the class speak a language in addition to English
(Spanish being most popular). Approximately 21% of the class already hold a
graduate degree. The gender mix in this class is 67:33 (female:male). The mean
age is 28.
For each seat occupied in this class, there were approximately 15 applicants.
Summer Farmworker Project Battles Heat, Treats Many
Approximately 25 PA senior PA students participated each week of this
summer's two week outreach into migrant farmworker camps in south Georgia. It
was a classically hot and humid summer in south Georgia. We were joined by
several medical students, and a large Physical Therapy team from Emory. We
appreciated the help of students and faculty from Valdosta State University who
joined us during the Valdosta week of the South GA Farmworker Heatlh Project.
Although final numbers will not be known for some time, it appears that the team
saw over 1700 farmworkers and family members for free medical care over the 12
days of clinics. This represents a new record total for the number seen.
PA Students Speak about Healthcare Reform
Two of our rising clinical year students this summer joined Emory medical
students and Residents in a conversation about healthcare reform produced by the
Atlanta Fox News affiliate, and broadcasted over the cable news network. We were
very proud of their participation. You can view the
news presentation and a follow-up
session. The AAPA noted their
contributions to the discussion too.
CME on DVD
- 2009 Edition Now Available
*Now available for Mac , PC, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Windows Mobile 6
PDA and Smartphones !
Watch a
demonstration of the Review on iPhone / iPod Touch.
In addition to the 2009 version of the CME DVD, we are now taking
registrations for our popular "live" review held in Atlanta in late September /
early October. Find more information available here,
or download a brochure for the "live"
review and the DVD package.
Support a Graduate's Race for the Cure Effort
Lori St. Germain, Class of 2006, asks for our support in her efforts. Please
support her if you can!
I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the 19th Annual Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure® on May 9th in the fight against breast cancer.
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and the
more we raise, the more Komen Atlanta can give back to the community through
breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs as well as supporting
the national search for a cure.
Click here to visit my personal page and pledge your support.
Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the
Race or contributing generously to the 2009 Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure®.
Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness
programs for medically underserved communities in Atlanta and national breast
cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause -
you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of
this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible
contribution to the address listed below. Whatever you can give will help! I
truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer!
Every step counts!
Sincerely,
Lori St. Germain
To sponsor my participation online, click
here.
If you would like to mail a donation to Komen Atlanta in support of my
participation, please print off my donation form from my personal page and mail
the completed form along with your check to:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
4840 Roswell Road
Building D, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30342
First Year Students Serve Community
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., some students from the Emory PA class
of 2010 spent the morning of January 19 serving at The Tupac Amaru Shakur
Foundation whose mission is to "provide training and support for students who
aspire to enhance their creative talents. Each and every child desires freedom
to creatively express themselves. We provide an environment that encourages
freedom of expression, serves as a resource for families, and empowers via
education". Emory PA students spent the morning helping the Foundation with yard
work. The experience was an enjoyable break from the classroom!
(click to enlarge photos)
FUN RUN 2009 Coming Up!
Every year as part of their desire to give back to the community, the Emory
first year PA students organize a 5K Physician Assistant Care to Share Fun
Run. All the proceeds raised are given as charitable contributions to
several important organizations in our community. The event will take place at
Lullwater Park at 9am on April 4th, 2009 and is open to all.
Register for the race or donate online at
www.active.com. Race events will include a 5K followed by a kid’s fun run at
9:30am as well as valuable door prizes and entertainment!
This year as beneficiaries of our fundraiser we have chosen three
organizations that are aligned with our mission to serve the underserved. They
include: Jerusalem House of Atlanta which provides housing for homeless people
suffering from HIV/AIDS; Good Samaritan Health Center which provides
compassionate, low cost health care to the poor and working poor; and, the South
Georgia Farmworker Health Project which provides free healthcare to migrant and
seasonal farmworkers.
Caring for the Rural Poor of Nepal
Emory PA graduate Jennifer Burmeister (Class of 2005) has left the U.S. to
volunteer for approximately six months with
Himalayan Healthcare, a
non-profit joint Nepalese/American project providing care to the rural poor of
Nepal for over 15 years. Please read more about Himalayan Healthcare, and follow
Jennifer's blog about
her working trip.
Fourteenth Annual South GA Farmworker Health Project Planned
Faculty, students, and many volunteers are again preparing for what will be
our 14th medical outreach project during the peak harvest season next June
in south Georgia. We anticipate that we will again provide free medical care for
1300-1600 farmworkers and family members. Dates for the Project this year are
June 12-26, 2009.
Meanwhile, a team of students, faculty, and other volunteers will return to
Bainbridge, GA for a "mini" version of our farmworker health project in early
October. This will be the third year of the fall project.
The June 2008 SGFHP was very successful, with approximately 1600 patient
encounters recorded over 12 days.
Several graduates of the program spoke about their experience on the Project.
Although these are older interviews, they convey the spirit of the experience
very well and you may enjoy viewing them. Please choose the video type for your computer:
Flash (for DSL/Cable)
Window Media ( low resolution version for Dial-up)
Windows Media (for DSL/Cable)
Should you need further information about the South Georgia Farmworker Health
Project, or wish to donate to the Project, please read more on our
Community Involvement page, or contact us by
email.
2008 Fun Run a Great Success!
On April 12, 2008 the Emory Physician Assistant Class of 2009 hosted the 7th
annual Care to Share Fun Run at Lullwater Park. Over 200 runners and walkers
participated in this event, raising money for the South Georgia Farmworker
Health Project, the Good Samaritan Health Center, and the Henry W Grady Health
System Foundation. With the help of numerous community sponsors, family and
friend donations, and registration fees, the Emory PA Class of 2009 raised over
$18,000. The event included a 5K run, a kid's mile run, a raffle with thousands
of dollars of give-aways, entertainment for the children, food, and live music.
Early morning student team makes PB & J sandwiches for
finishers.
Some of the faculty recover from the race.
Emory PA student supports US Track Team in Summer Olympics in Beijing
Second year Emory
Physician Assistant student Harris Patel was selected from thousands of athletic
trainers to join the team of physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists,
massage therapists, and sports psychologists supporting the US Olympic track and
field athletes at the Summer Olympic games in Beijing, China.
Harris worked as an athletic trainer with the University of Georgia football
team for several years prior to attending the Emory Physician Assistant program.
He was selected to go with the US track and field team to the Pan American Games
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the summer of 2007 as one of five athletic
trainers.
“It is and honor to be selected” Harris said when he received the invitation
letter. “I will represent the US and Emory with pride”
Harris is currently doing one year of clinical rotations and will take time off
to travel with the Olympic team. After graduation from Emory, Harris hopes to
work with a physician providing primary care to a community in need.
Harris is the Emory PA student representative from his class to the Georgia
Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA).
Smart phones and PDAs helps Doctors and PAs reduce
errors
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that there are at least 1.5 million
preventable adverse drug reactions in the US each year 1. According
to the IOM, doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can not keep
up with the rapidly changing world of prescription drugs, herbal treatments and
over the counter medications, and need accessible electronic information. A
personal digital assistant (PDA) or a smart phone (cell phone-PDA combination)
is just what clinicians need to help reduce these errors and keep up with the
rapidly changing knowledge base of medicine.
Emory School of Medicine – Physician Assistant Program faculty Allan Platt
PA-C, MMSc, has written a clinician guide book titled Evidence Based Medicine
for PDAs – A Guide for Practice to help clinicians learn the hardware and
software product available to help clinicians choose the best medication. There
are excellent medical programs that inform clinicians of the latest evidence
based treatment, highlight drug – drug interactions and help clinicians review
complications, costs and potential side effects.
“Help is just a click away on a smart phone with the right programs”
according to Platt. The best device is the one you will keep next to you to do
drug interaction look-ups and review the latest treatment options. Most
clinicians keep their cell phone in their pocket and can use it to do quick
look-ups between seeing patients. Clinicians can carry the equivalent of a
library shelf of current searchable reference materials in the palm of their
hand.
Emory PA students are required to have a laptop and PDA with medical programs
that assist diagnosis, treatment, and medical error reduction. “We do many
practice cases to learn how the equipment and software work together” according
to Platt. “We even allow cell phone call breaks to do a quick PDA look-up for
the best treatment of diagnostic plan.”
The book is published by Jones and Bartlett and will be available in March
http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763754761/
1.
http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/35/943/medication%20errors%20new.pdf
Support for the Good Samaritan Health Center
The Emory PA Program has coordinated a collaborative clinic with the Good
Samaritan Health Center in downtown Atlanta since the summer of 2004.
A special presentation was held at the Emory
University Physician Assistant Program on January 22, 2008. Dr. Bill Warren,
Founder and Medical Director of The Good Samaritan Health Center, was presented
with a $5,750.00 check to help support the non-profit faith-based clinic located
in downtown Atlanta. Many vital services are offered at the center including
medical services, dental services, counseling, health education, and social
services. The money was donated by the Georgia Association of Physician
Assistant (GAPA) organization to the Emory Physician Assistant Class of 2008,
who in turn, made the philanthropic donation to the clinic. Ben Taylor, PA-C,
president of GAPA was present along with the faculty, staff, and students of the
class of 2008 and 2009. For more details please visit The Good Samaritan Health
Center at
www.goodsamatlanta.org and The Georgia Association of Physician Assistants
at
www.gapa.net,
Representatives of the Emory faculty and students, along with
Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD., and Dr Bill Warren.
Emory PA Grad at the South Pole
Heidi Lim, Class of 1996, has lived and worked in an exciting array of places
from south Georgia to northern Arizona to Alaska. She has made repeated working
trips to Antarctica (the South Pole), and was recently featured in The Emory
Wire and Advance for Physician Assistants. You'll enjoy
reading about Heidi's work and travels.
Kindergarten Human Body Field Trip
Not only are first year Emory Physician Assistant (PA) students busily
memorizing cranial nerve pathways, studying cellular physiology of the kidney
and practicing their physical exam assessment skills; but they also find time to
volunteer for various community activities and events. One such event is held
one afternoon every October, where about 15 PA students volunteer to educate and
inspire a class of visiting Kindergarteners from the Glenn School for Young
Children. Read more about this
activity and view photos.
Emory Grad Writes from Iraq
Emory PA graduates work in many places. One of our graduates has been keeping
in touch with classmates and faculty while doing a difficult PA job in Iraq.
Jesse Dodson, PA-C, MMSc writes:
I am a Battalion PA in the 82nd ABN DIV serving a 15 month rotation in
Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am the medical provider for a forward Advanced Trauma
Life Support team out of a patrol base inside an Iraqi city. My team consists
of 6 EMT-B certified combat medics and myself who provide trauma services for
all Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces in the city. In our first 12 months we
have treated over 500 trauma patients with 140 aeromedical evacuations. Who
would have guessed that one year out of PA school I would find myself on my own
in the middle of combat, but thanks to excellent education and training from
Emory PA Program and the US Army I have been able to function at the highest
level of medical care.
CPT Jesse Dodson
Emory Class of 2005
.jpg)
Update: We understand that Jesse is on another tour of duty in Iraq. We
continue to wish him well.
New Video Lecture Now Available
We are pleased to host a split-screen video presentation of an excellent
lecture recently (5/4/07) given at Emory by the Editor of JAAPA,
Tanya Gregory, PhD. Her topic was "Writing for Publication: Ten Steps to
Success". You can view the complete lecture
here.
Kudos to Another Graduate!
The Downeast Association of Physician Assistants (DEAPA)
announced that Erich Fogg, PA-C, MMSc, has been selected to receive its 2007
Robert J. Lapham Outstanding Service Award.
This award is presented each year to a Maine Physician Assistant in recognition
of outstanding service to the PA profession and to DEAPA.
Erich is a 1996 graduate of the Emory PA Program, and is the
Program Director of the University of New England Physician Assistant Program.
Congratulations, Erich!
Alumni, We Need to Hear From You!
Although we often hear from our Alumni with updates on their
work and families, we have trouble keeping track of job changes, and contact
information. As we work to build services for our Alumni, it is very important
that we have this current information. Please help us with this task! You can
use our Alumni survey to provide this
information. The survey is a PDF document which you can complete on your
computer. To do so, please download the survey file, complete the text boxes and
appropriate check boxes (clicking on the check boxes will mark or unmark them),
print the completed survey out, and either mail it or fax it using the
information on the survey. Please note that you cannot save the survey file with
your changes. If you also have "alumni news" that you'd like to share with the
faculty here, or even on the website, please send it to
AlumniNews@emorypa.org .
Speaking of Alumni....
We were proud to recently see one of our former graduates
profiled by NBC news. Dr Persharon Dixon was an Emory PA Program graduate and
worked in inner city Atlanta for a number of years prior to returning to medical
school. As noted in the NBC video, she is now a Pediatrician, and providing
mobile medical care to victims of hurricane Katrina. Although we are uncertain
how long the
video clip will remain active, we hope you will have a chance to see the
good work that Persharon is doing. Please also check out the website for the
organization with which she works, the
Mississippi
Gulf Coast Children's Health Project.
New Vacancy-Available Electronic Form Available
Potential employers can now post their desire to hire a PA using our
new on-line form. These posts are immediately
posted to a webpage available to Emory PA graduates and students (through their
respective Grad Web and Student portals). This service is free to the potential
employer, and to students/graduates using the postings.
New Combined Degree Option (MMSc / MPH) Available to Entering Students
This dual degree program offers students the opportunity to earn an MPH degree
in conjunction with training in the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory
University.
Students may apply their combined PA/PH skills in such areas as population or
clinical research, health administration leadership, and community health
promotion.
Students must apply to and be accepted by both the PA and MPH programs. Students
apply to a specific department in the School of Public Health. Students enroll
in the School of Public Health for one calendar year (fall, spring, summer) and
complete 32 semester hours of courses. They include the required MPH core
courses, required departmental courses and, in most instances, a thesis.
Students must also complete a practicum, a structured field experience of
relevance to public health.
As 10 semester hours of PA courses count towards the MPH degree (i.e., students
must complete 32 rather than 42 semester hours), the MPH degree is awarded when
the requirements for the PA program are completed.
The PA program requires twenty-eight months of training, including courses and
clinical rotations. During enrollment in the MPH program, the student will be
charged the rate of tuition established by the School of Public Health. When
enrolled in the PA program, the student will be charged the rate of tuition
approved by the School of Medicine for the PA program
(Atlanta skyline from the old quad - Click to enlarge)
