Meet Brittany Macon-Davis, DMSc, MHS, PA-C – mother, clinician, lover of science, and a leader in the PA education space. A member of the NCAPA Nominating Committee, Brittany is also the Clinical Coordinator and an Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health at the Duke University PA Program. NCAPA is spotlighting her work as PA faculty, as Brittany shared her reflections on nurturing, guiding, and mentoring the next generation of PAs.
Roots in Teaching
Brittany majored in Chemistry and minored in Mathematics at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she relied on her early love for the sciences. “As a kid, I wanted to become a math teacher. I loved going up to the projector in school and walking through the problems with other people.”
As an undergraduate student, she spent the afternoons in the lab working on experiments, when she realized that she thrived with more person-to-person interactions. “Being in the lab was great, but I am a chatty Cathy,” she laughed. “I knew I loved talking and working with people!”
Knowing she was ready for a change, Brittany attended a health professions fair at UNC-Chapel Hill one day, where she met her future-mentor and now-peer, Lovest T. Alexander Jr., MHS, PA-C, who currently serves as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion/Recruitment in the Duke University PA Program and as Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.
“He taught me about the PA profession,” Brittany shared. “And the more I learned about it, the more I knew it would be right up my alley with my love for interacting with people and figuring out solutions to problems.” Upon pivoting towards a path to PA school, Brittany was accepted into the Duke PA Program – a move that she described as “natural and felt just right.”
Leaning on PA Peers
Brittany was no stranger to the phrase, “drinking from the firehose,” when it came to describing PA school. She reflected on how her fellow peers and classmates got her through the intense rigor of the curriculum. “We all helped each other in some form or capacity to get through the highs and lows of PA school. I think that’s what’s so neat about PAs – we’ve already been out into the world and have already gotten some experience. PA school allows us to bring that experience here and be able to apply it in many different ways and learn from so many peers of all different walks of life.”
Brittany earned her Master of Health Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the Duke PA Program in 2015 and her Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg in 2019. She also completed the Advanced Practice Fellowship Program in Hospital Medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC in 2016.
Oncology: An Unexpected Path
After her fellowship, Brittany practiced in oncology – a move that she initially did not expect for herself. “During my Fellowship program, my dad was diagnosed with cancer about three or four months in,” she explained. “In the Fellowship, we were allowed two electives. When my dad got diagnosed, I knew I wanted to lean into oncology, and I knew I wanted to be able to help him. But unfortunately, he passed before that happened.”
Brittany initially tried pivoting away from oncology during that difficult time in her life, but committed to the challenge. “There were some hard days where I truly just broke down – but I think that’s okay. I think patients value when providers can relate to them. Building those relationships while being able to educate patients on their next steps, disease, and diagnoses was powerful.”
Now serving as faculty at the very same PA program where she studied, Brittany brings her experiences with her to her teaching, where she spearheads courses like Oncologic Emergencies and topics focused on end-of-life care. “I always try to relate it to what I’ve seen in the field. I use my personal and clinical experience to describe how different concepts work within a real-life setting. They can be hard lectures for me to give, but they are very important. It was something I was not exposed to as a student, so I am happy to pay it forward.”
Reflecting on the full-circle moments that have defined her professional career and life, Brittany spoke on the guiding force that motivated her to join NCAPA and get involved as a leader. “When I look at my life, it has been guided by mentors who really took an interest in me and invested in me,” she said. “One of my mentors is Dr. Varnell McDonald-Fletcher. She encouraged me to take the next step after education and to get involved.”
She credits Dr. Varnell McDonald-Fletcher for her involvement in NCAPA, where she has served on the Continuing Education: Professional Development Review Panel (PDRP) committee, and now the Nominating Committee. “Getting involved was another way for me to experience being a PA,” she said. “While continuing to do what I love – teaching and paying it forward.”
Thank you to Brittany for taking the time to share her PA journey!
Have a recommendation for an NCAPA member to highlight?
Send an email to tommy.wellenhofer@ncapa.org
Written by Pauline Bulala
NC Academy of PAs Communications Coordinator
