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July 2006 |  |
Candidates Declare for President Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Director at LargeThe PAEA Nominations and Awards Committee is pleased to present the candidates for the positions of president elect, secretary/treasurer, and director at large that will be voted on at the 2006 PAEA Annual Education Forum in Quebec this October. The eligibility of all candidates has been determined by the committee. Candidates' platform statements, two-page CVs, and photos are featured in this issue of the PAEA Networker. Future issues will include candidates' responses to questions posed to them by the committee. Candidates will also present their positions in person at the Candidates Forum in in Quebec. Candidates for director at large are presented in alphabetical order. CandidatesPresident Elect Dana L. Sayre-Stanhope, EdD, PA-C, Department Chair Secretary/TreasurerCharles Brakhage, MPAS, PA-C, Program Director Director at LargeDavid Fahringer, MSPH, PA-C,
Director of Admissions Kevin Lohenry, MPAS, PA-C,
Program Director Donna Sewell, MS, PA-C, Program Director Kirsten Thomsen, PA-C, Faculty Mary L. Warner, MMSc, PA-C, Program Director Platform Statements and CVsDana Sayre-Stanhope, President Elect
There are two distinct areas upon which I will focus: the health of the organization and the health of our member programs. First, to assure the continuing health of the organization we must identify and develop new revenue streams. We must assure long-term organizational stability through an organizational infrastructure that will serve this dynamic association for years to come. Second, we need to focus on enhancing service to the members, enriching faculty development programs that develop leaders in the classroom and the organization, and supporting innovative methods of addressing common processes. I have been privileged to serve on the Finance Committee for 10 years, have been a member of the Transition Task Force for three years and chaired it for one, been a liaison to the Faculty Development Institute, and am completing a three-year term on the board of directors. Each of these activities has taught me the value of negotiation and collaboration balanced with data-driven decision making. As an outgrowth of these positions and as a result of my prior work with the ARC-PA, I have had a small hand in helping shape the direction in which we are now headed and believe that these experiences have prepared me to meet the challenges facing the Association today. I welcome the opportunity to serve our Association and ask for your support. 
Charles Brakhage, Secretary/Treasurer
Over the past 30 years as a physician assistant (PA) We accomplished the transition this year to become an independent body and, with judicious financial responsibility, completed the task under the budget estimate by a quarter million dollars. Now, we must look to the future as a “stand alone” organization, being ready to seize the moment when opportunities to increase revenue present themselves. We must develop a solid short- and long-range business plan for investment to strengthen our position as an organization and secure our financial independence. We must not only rely on CASPA and membership dues as our main sources of revenue, but seek additional methods and sources of income, thereby allowing us to solidify our investment strategy and develop stability for the organization. I have managed budgets from a few thousand dollars to nearly a half-million dollars. As a military program director I know well the challenges of day-to-day business in a time of rising costs and inflation creep, while at the same time having yearly budget cuts. The Finance Committee has taken its fiscal responsibility very seriously and has managed the Association funds wisely. You can be sure that will continue to be of paramount importance and the first priority as we strive forward as a new independent organization. I believe my years of experience as a PA clinician and educator and my service on the Finance Committee have prepared me for the responsibility to serve as secretary/treasurer for the Association. Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy.
David Fahringer, Director at Large
I am now seeking to serve as the director at large on the PAEA board. I feel that my experience in PAEA since 1994 is an added plus that I can bring to the board. I am excited to see not only my personal growth as a PA educator, but the growth of our teachers’ organization — PAEA. I would like to help shape the organization as we develop our own identity as an organization among the other PA organizations. It is important that each of us support the mission to “pursue excellence, foster faculty development, advance the body of knowledge that defines quality education and patient-centered care, and promote diversity in all aspects of physician assistant education.” My goal as director at large is to be your representative who will work hard on behalf of all faculty, PA programs and students across the nation. Through developing our own identity, we will be able to lift the organization to the next level of professional growth. As the director at large I would like to help foster excellence in physician assistant education.
Kevin Lohenry, Director at Large
We have an organization that represents our best interests in joint discussions with the Academy, the Commission, and ARC-PA, and ensures our continued growth as professional educators through research and service opportunities. We have an organization that that provides opportunities for service and focuses on scholarship, through the many grant opportunities that it finances. Finally, we have an organization that took the daring step towards independence when they successfully planned and implemented their departure from the Academy. From my position on the Finance Committee, I have seen the rewards of the Transition Task Force’s cautious planning, which has solidified PAEA’s very strong financial position. Serving on this committee has also given me an overall perspective of everything we do as an organization. I firmly believe all of these experiences have prepared me for this unique opportunity to serve the membership. The future of our organization is truly exciting, and I sincerely look forward to having the possibility of representing all of you in our new independent organization.
Donna Sewell, Director at Large After having just completed a very enjoyable first year as PAEA liaison to the AAPA Education Council and having had the privilege of membership on the Graduate Education Commission (GEC), I am excited about the prospect of serving as a member of the board at this critical time in the Association’s development. I ask your support for my candidacy for the position of director at large.
We need to become a voice in the discussion of PA specialty exams/certification, continue monitoring changes in PA education as outlined by the GEC, and address the need to expand programs in response to increasing workforce need and market demand for PAs in the face of limited clinical placements and the dearth of qualified PA faculty. Internally we must continue to assess our governance system to assure adequate representation and better response to the needs of all member programs. We may want to examine the current geographic consortia structure and perhaps look at ways to form program groups with like needs, interests, and concerns. It will be critical for us to promote faculty development, tackle issues such as promotion and tenure, and develop policy that will aid member programs in their conflicts with their institutions regarding the terminal degree for PAs. It will also be important for us to develop new methods of gathering data on PA programs and to promote scholarly activity among PA faculty. I believe that my experiences with the Degree Taskforce, GEC, AAPA Education Council, representing the organization to the HOD, along with nearly 25 years as a PA faculty member — 14 as program director — provide me a solid perspective and grasp of the important issues. I would bring a strong sense of the Association’s culture and the importance of honoring that culture, along with a keen awareness of the need to look to the future embracing necessary change to the board as director at large. I look forward to the opportunity to further serve PAEA and appreciate your support.
Kirsten Thomsen, Director at Large
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 a time of transition. The Association can now more actively improve internal and external systems that will allow us to continue making our mark nationally and internationally. We have done a wonderful job with faculty development. Now we need to take the next step, finding ways to encourage Association members to be at the table with respect to mentoring new faculty, international PA education, and increasing opportunities for active information sharing among programs. Mentoring efforts must increasingly focus on underrepresented and diverse students and faculty who can strengthen the profession. Information exchange between programs and organizations is critical. I believe I can continue the work done by many PA educator pioneers who have established a strong foundation upon which we can continue to build the Association. Let’s take it to the next step. If elected, I will apply my knowledge and skills gained through years of involvement in medical education, policy work, and administration to help make some of the connections we need outside our organization nationally and internationally. For example, you may not realize we have no PA members of the Institute of Medicine. We have had participants on committees, but no members. It is time to have PA educators active and at the table of many of the prestigious organizations with which we interact. May we all get active, and “Let us be the change we wish to see in the world,” as said so eloquently by Gandhi.
Mary Warner, Director at Large
We entered the theater and were promptly expected to place white crepe paper headbands on our heads. The audience became members of the cast and crew as we learned successful rock star maneuvers and unrolled reams of white paper. The use of cameras, light boards, and volunteers maintained the almost eerie emphasis on the audience. Unconventional, yet simplistic techniques forced each of us to interact with one another. The Blue Man Group message was clear. In this fast-paced, technologically smothered society we remain isolated. For the good of our civilization (and our organization), we must find inspiring ways to interact and share our human experiences. Our organization, which was started in the early 1970s by Fred Sadler and others, is facing a unique time in its history. Our transition to an independent organization continues to bring both the unknown and the expected. Issues relating to accreditation, PA education and workforce research, the globalization of our profession, and the lack of PA faculty mandate attention and, in some instances, even action by the PAEA. But I will argue that the strength of this organization will depend on its ability to find innovative and maybe even unconventional methods to facilitate the interaction of the members to improve our human connection. |
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As secretary/treasurer, I have been privileged to be entrusted with the stewardship of the Association’s resources. When I was elected three years ago, the budget projections were for a small deficit. In the ensuing years, with the help of the Finance Committee and the decisions made by the membership, we have financed the move to independent management, outfitted new offices, continued and enhanced our member services, developed and implemented an investment policy with more than $250,000 invested to date, and returned a surplus budget each year. This fiscal health provides us with both challenges and opportunities for the coming years. We are challenged with ensuring the continued health of the organization, with addressing the needs and concerns of all our member programs, and with the pressures of external factors. As those before me have stated, we also have the opportunity to redefine ourselves and create new relationships both nationally and internationally with other educational and professional organizations.
I am declaring my candidacy for the secretary/treasurer position on the board of directors of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). 
A home grown product of PAEA, this is how I see myself. I started my teaching career in 1994. That very same year I went to my first PAEA meeting and I got hooked. I served on the Membership Committee from 1994 to 1997 as a member and then served as chair of the Membership Committee from 1997 to 2000. In 2001, I was appointed as the PAEA graduate advisor to SAAAPA board. I had a wonderful five and one-half years serving in that role. As of June 10 of this year, I stepped out of the role. 
I would like to declare my candidacy for the director at large position on the Physician Assistant Education Association’s (PAEA) Board of Directors. Over the past nine years, I have worked in PA education as a clinical preceptor, adjunct faculty, associate program director, and currently as a program director. During that time, I have had the honor of working with many of you in a variety of positions. I have moderated sessions at our annual and semiannual meetings; chaired the Midwestern Consortium; worked with the PAEA Finance Committee; and served as a representative for the joint AAPA/APAP/ARC-PA Focus Group on Program Director Turnover. These experiences have inspired me to seek a new position with the board of directors. PAEA has provided me the opportunity to learn new skills in their Research Skills Workshop. I have also attended the Leadership Workshop and the Program Director Workshop in Puerto Rico. In addition, my current doctoral research specialty is in leadership for higher education. Through these experiences, I have seen the real value of our organization and the importance of strong leadership. That value is exhibited by the maturation of our program faculty as we all learn new skills that help us excel in teaching, scholarship, and service. 
As the Association nears the conclusion of a very successful first year as a fully independent organization on equal footing with the other three national PA groups, it is important that we continue building on this momentum. In order to become the force and voice in directing the future of PA education we must grapple with some very important issues. Only a few of the key issues are addressed below. 
“The world is run by those who show up,” I heard a prominent PA educator say many years ago. During this time when PAs are projected to be among the fastest growing professions, PA educators need to be at the table providing input on medical education, health policy, and administration. Many of us do this on a regular basis in our academic institutions, programs, professional organizations, and in our communities. For those of you who have been a little hesitant to show up, I invite you to join me in the process as together we all actively contribute to the growth of the Association. The time is now, and it is fun!
So, last night I attended a performance of the Blue Man Group with my family. I was struck by the parables in their performance and how they relate to the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). For those of you who are unfamiliar, this deconstructionist, Kabuki-like theater group is comprised of three guys who cover their heads and exposed skin with blue paint. Their uniforms and the stage background were black, and yet, light and color pervaded the experience. 