An article by Wake PA faculty members Taylor Jensen, Ethan Stonerook and Chris Gillette was recognized as the best article submitted by PAs in 2023 by Journal of Orthopedics for Physician Assistants (JOPA) Editor Dagan Cloutier. “Diagnosis and Management of Lower Extremity Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome in the Active Adult Population,” appeared in the January 2024 issue of JOPA.
Gayle Bodner, Department Chair, was approved for promotion to the rank of associate professor, effective July 1. In addition to her 11 publications, 13 abstracts, and numerous posters and presentations, Bodner was commended for her contributions to the AAMC Quality Improvement and Patient Safety competency work group and for her leadership on committees that serve learners, faculty, the department, and the entire institution. Bodner was also recognized for effectively balancing multiple commitments during the pandemic, including serving as director of clinical year and completing her Doctor of Health Science degree.
Kelly Conner received the Distinguished Service Award: Excellence in Care from the Epilepsy Alliance of North Carolina in March. In late 2023, Conner joined the National Professional Advisory Committee for the Epilepsy Alliance of America. She is the second APP and first PA to serve on the committee.
Alisha DeTroye served as Co-Director for the AAPA Executive Leadership Conference La Jolla, CA, in late February.
Delaney Drechsler was appointed to the PAEA Exam Development Board for a three-year term (2024-2027). She is assigned to the group for Women's Health, Pediatrics and Psych.
Lauren Eyadiel was appointed to the Heart Failure Society of America Advocacy Committee in September and invited to speak at the society’s annual scientific meeting in October in Cleveland. She was featured on HCPLive discussing her talk, “Overcoming Financial Barriers to GDMT in Heart Failure,” and again in February as one of nine leading experts discussing the “Top Issues Facing Cardiology in 2024.
Chris Gillette, Director of Research and Scholarship, was approved for promotion to the rank of professor, effective July 1. He was recognized for his scholarly activities, including 85 peer-reviewed publications, 48 presentations, and eight invited seminars/presentations. He was also commended for his tremendous success in grants awarded and acknowledged for his research focus on health equity in medically underserved communities. In addition to securing more than $1.3 million in funding over the last year, Gillette was named co-Editor-in-Chief for Medical Education Online, selected to serve as a member of the Research Mission Advancement Commission of PAEA, and asked to lead the evaluation of a new physician quality metric for the American Board of Family Medicine.
Sobia Hussaini’s title changed to Director of Admissions and Strategic Recruitment to more accurately reflect her current role. She was also asked to serve on the Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) committee and the Research and Education subcommittee for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Andrea McKinnond, Director of Clinical Education, began her term as President of the NCAPA in January. She continues to host The Shoulders on Which We Stand Podcast for Atrium Health’s The WELL. She also served as a panelist on Advocate Health’s Who We Are series, taught a class on “Why Health Equity Matters” for the Atrium Live Well series, and proposed and hosted a focused discussion titled “Why Can’t We All Get Along: Adapting to Changing Times” at the 2023 PAEA Education Forum in October.
Megan Pinder served as a faculty presenter for “Benzodiazepines: Uses, Dangers, and Clinical Considerations,” a virtual seminar for PA students. Presented by the PA Foundation, the seminar is designed to supplement established PA school curriculum and enhance learning on substance use disorder.
Caroline Sisson, Vice Chair, was named Vice President of Piedmont Association of Physician Assistants and selected as a peer reviewer for the New Faculty Curriculum Update for PAEA.
Ethan Stonerook, Director of Student Services, is serving as a member of the advisory board that helped create the curriculum for The Good Surgeon at Duke University. The project has had great early success with surgical residents at Duke and Wake Forest University. Stonerook had a presentation accepted by the Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics at University College in Cork, Ireland, and an abstract accepted for presentation at the Conference on Communication, Medicine, and Ethics at the University of Brescia, Italy.
Josh Waynick has been working with the Wake MD program to build out their IBL and PBL curriculum, and he was asked formally to join the course team with effort support for the Charlotte PBL curriculum.