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PAEA Special Election for Director at Large: Candidates Compete in Run-off Phase

Two candidates have emerged from the special election: Kirsten Thomsen and Ted Ruback. Since no candidate received the 50 percent-plus-one vote required by the PAEA Bylaws for election of an officer, a run-off election must be held between the two leading vote-getters. Once again, program directors are invited to cast a single vote for one of the candidates, whose platform statements, two-page CVs, and photos appear below. Voting will take place through BallotBin, a secure Web-based voting sytem. All program directors were sent an e-mail from BallotBin on December 19, containing voting instructions. Voting opens when you receive this message and closes at midnight, Eastern Time, on January 5, 2007. The candidates' names appear in alphabetical order.

Candidates

Ted Ruback, MS, PA-C, Program Director
Oregon Health & Science University PA Program, Portland, Oregon

Kirsten Thomsen, PA-C, Faculty
George Washington University PA Program, Washington, D.C.

Platform Statements and CVs

Kirsten Thomsen

Thank you for the wonderful support in the elections in Quebec City. Turning 60 in a few months made me self reflect on areas to contribute my time and energy. Knowing that my experiences over the years can benefit the PAEA board and membership, I concluded that I wanted to run for director at large of PAEA. I ask for your support once again.

With PAEA’s transition to independent management we are provided an opportunity to build on the strategic planning done by the transition team, thereby taking the Association to new heights. The Finance Committee’s excellent work has brought fiscal stability that is critical during this time of transition. The Association can now more actively strengthen internal and external systems that will allow us to continue making our mark nationally and internationally. Strategic planning is critical. My experience on previous boards and with other organizations with planning is a key way in which I see myself serving PAEA.

My other areas of expertise include student and faculty mentoring, scholarly work, international PA education, social justice in healthcare and diversity issues. My strengths come from years of experience in health policy, teaching and collaboration. I love the process of making things happen that will benefit others. This comes from my passion for teaching and my activist background.

I hope to turn the knowledge and skills I have gained through years of involvement in medical education, policy work and administration to the Association’s advantage. For example, as a result of my international work, PAEA asked me to represent the organization in South Africa when the Minister of Health requested a PAEA representative at a national conference in 2004. Recently, I was asked again to represent PAEA in meetings with the president of a Canadian college asked by their federal government to develop a PA program. Presently, I am organizing a healthcare roundtable on Capitol Hill which will also address Title VII. I teach at GWU, am a peer reviewer for PAEA journal, have a chapter coming out in a book to be published shortly, sit on the International Affairs Committee, among other things. Interacting often with various organizations I can also contribute to strengthening PAEA’s connections with professional organizations nationally and internationally.

There is an old Dakota Indian saying that states, “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” With your vote, I hope to contribute to strong PAEA tracks in education, scholarly pursuits, and health policy.

Thomsen CV

Ted Ruback

I wish to declare my candidacy in the special election for director at large on the PAEA Board of Directors. As we learned in Quebec, the Transition Taskforce has completed its work. Reviewing the breadth of their charge and the subcommittees that were established to achieve their objectives, the taskforce’s accomplishments are quite extraordinary. The taskforce facilitated much more than independent management and a move down the street into new headquarters. They encouraged a new name and a new “branding” for the organization, they reviewed ways to enhance communications within our membership and they addressed staffing issues. They also developed strategies to ensure our financial future. We owe the taskforce a debt of gratitude for their laudable accomplishments.

Although the taskforce has met its objectives, the transition of PAEA is by no means complete. Our further evolution into a more efficient and proactive organization, responsive to the needs of all of its members must be our next goal. Internally, we need to continue the process already begun to develop greater efficiencies within our organization. We must design a governance structure with policies and procedures appropriate to the important work we do on behalf of our membership. Our staffing structure needs to mature and must identify and value the skill set of each individual staff member to enhance the overall effectiveness of the organization. We need to identify new revenue streams not only to ensure our financial future but to provide additional services to our members and our students. We must re-dedicate ourselves to assuring the quality of our graduates by ensuring the quality of our faculty and continuing to build upon our long standing commitment to faculty development. Through the newly created Committee on Data and Research, we must put our impressive data collection to good use and make it accessible in order to encourage a research agenda that will allow us to learn more about our programs, our students and our graduates. And, finally, we need to establish ourselves, in all things and with all external organizations, as the primary voice for PA education.

It’s an exciting time with much work to be done. I have great confidence in our present leadership and their vision for the future of our organization. I have been privileged to serve my profession in many capacities nationally and locally. I am proud of the contributions I have made and would welcome the opportunity to further contribute as a director at large on the board of PAEA. I would appreciate your support.

Ruback CV

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