Three PA students, two from Emory, were honored at the Student Writing Competition Awards Ceremony, sponsored by PAEA and the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAAPA), and held on May 31, 2010 during the AAPA Annual PA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One hundred thirty-one PA students from 29 PA programs submitted scholarly papers focusing on clinical care and other issues affecting the practice of medicine by PAs. The honorees gave brief presentations of their papers during the ceremony, which was moderated by PAEA President Ted Ruback; JAAPA’s Sarah Zarbock, editor-in-chief, and Tanya Gregory, editor, presented the winners with certificates and checks. 

Left to right: JAAPA's Sarah Zarbock and Tanya Gregory; Laura Banks (3rd place winner), Brittany Hill 1st place winner), Shawna Chezem (2nd place winner), and PAEA President Ted Ruback.

This was the tenth consecutive year that JAAPA sponsored the competition, which gives PA students an opportunity to showcase their medical writing skills. In addition to monetary prizes of $500, $300, and $200 awarded to the first-, second-, and third-place winners respectively, JAAPA funded students’ travel, lodging, meals, and registration. The 2010 winning students are:

First Place
Brittany G. Hill and Ashley G. Moloney, Emory University School of Medicine PA Program, Atlanta, Georgia, for “Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity in a Population of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in South Georgia.”

Hill had this to say about her research: "I am so honored to have received this award. The results of my research demonstrate that migrant farmworkers in South Georgia are suffering from food insecurity in alarmingly high proportions. I hope that this study will serve to inspire future research, future interventions, and future policy changes that will address the severity of food insecurity in this vulnerable population."

Third Place
Laura Banks, Emory University School of Medicine PA Program, Atlanta, Georgia, for “Should Electrocardiograms Be Used as a Screening Device for Young Athletes?”