Denise Busbin Locklear, PA-C, is the recipient of the NCAPA 2017 PA of the Year award. Denise is a PA in Fayetteville, NC, specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehab/Pain Management. She organized an NCAPA Regional Chapter, the Fayetteville Association of Physician Assistants Group (FAPA) in 2015 to provide networking opportunities and peer support to PAs in the Fayetteveille and surrounding area, which has “helped many PAs reach out to each other to learn and share ideas.” As one of his nominees wrote:
“Denise is very compassionate with her patients and spends extra time with them, to assure they obtain the help they need. Pain Management can be a very difficult field due to the patient demands and current opioid epidemic. Even when the job is stressful for her, she goes above and beyond for patients and refuses to leave them for an “easier” specialty. She has worked with a local coalition in Fayetteville to improve care and resources for patients when they are faced with addiction. This coalition was responsible for getting project Lazarus to give Narcan to local police and first responders, since Fayetteville has a high rate of opioid overdose. She regularly attends local meetings with colleagues in various fields to discuss the opioid crisis and to work as a local community to decrease the harmful effects that excessive opioid prescribing has had on many North Carolinians.
Denise also regularly precepts PA students and has taught students at Methodist University about pain and related medications.
The PA of the Year award was presented to Denise Locklear during the 41st Annual Summer Conference on Monday, August 21, 2017.
