The Pulse | October 2017

How did you celebrate PA week? I started mine with a wonderful 50^th Anniversary Celebration at the Stead Center in Durham. Though the weather outside wasn’t perfect, the company inside was.

Dr. Harvey Estes, one of the Founding Fathers of our profession joined us, as well as 15 Past Presidents of our organization. Seeing the wealth of leadership humbled me but it also made me think. What makes a great leader? Is it inherent or is it developed? Can you be a leader if no one follows? What makes others follow?

I don’t necessarily believe that you are born to be a leader, but that we are born with specific gifts and some of those gifts may make you more extroverted or more charismatic. But being charismatic doesn’t necessarily make you a great leader. Some of the greatest leaders that I have ever known aren’t extroverts.

I have noticed several things about leaders. Great leaders make everyone around them better. They aren’t self-serving, they serve out of humility and the good of the organization or the good of the cause. They may not be charismatic, but they are passionate about their cause. Passion draws others to follow. I think of William Wallace in Braveheart who said, “They may take away our lives, but they will never take away our freedom.” How could you not follow a leader like that? A great leader does not use just their own skills and knowledge to accomplish tasks, they use the skills and knowledge of others to fulfill their goals. Since its inception, The North Carolina Academy of PAs has been blessed with some incredible leaders but, for our organization to continue to thrive, we need more than just a few good volunteers. We need PAs.

Unfortunately, many PAs in the state of North Carolina are not members of our Academy. We can do better. As our profession continues to mature, we need to continue to modernize our state laws and continue to seek direct reimbursement from all third-party payers. We must do more, each and every one of us, to draw our fellow PAs into the fold. There is strength in numbers and power in masses.

Past and future Presidents of NCAPA. Standing, left to right: Don Metzger, 2013; Sandy Pierce, 1986; Ryan Vann, 2012; Jeffrey Katz, 1995 & 2007; Elmira Powell, 2008; Bill Vaassen, 2004; Wilbert Dillard, 2000; Robert Wooten, 1997; Gail Curtis, 1994; Marc Katz, 1984, 1993, & 2015. Sitting, left to right: Josh Smith, 2018 President-Elect; Suzanne Reich, 1996; Samantha Rogers, 2017 President-Elect; Truett Smith, 2017; Wanda Hancock, 2016

I hope you had a wonderful PA week and Happy 50^th Anniversary!

To our future,

Truett Smith, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA

NCAPA President

Legislative Updates

by Sarah Wolfe, Assistant Vice-President, McGuire Woods Consulting

Legislators Visit PA Programs Across the State
In celebration of the PA profession’s 50^th anniversary, NCAPA is partnering with PA programs to provide NC legislators tours of the educational programs throughout North Carolina. The visits are both educational and a relationship building opportunity to provide legislators a broader understanding and appreciation of the PA profession. Many of our legislators do not have a clear understanding of what a PA can do and yet are making decisions about PA practice. We are working to change that and know that seeing how PAs are educated and trained is a key component.

NCAPA has held successful visits with the Alamance County legislative delegation at Elon University, the Pitt County legislative delegation at East Carolina University, the Union County legislative delegation at Wingate University, the Henderson County legislative delegation at the Hendersonville Campus of Wingate University, and part of the Forsyth County legislative delegation at Wake Forest University. In November, visits will be held with the Guilford County legislative delegation at High Point University and the rest of the Forsyth County legislative delegation at Wake Forest University.

East Carolina University – Pictured (left to right): Sen. Louis Pate, Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield, and Sen. Don Davis

Elon University – Pictured (left to right): Sen. Rick Gunn, Rep. Stephen Ross, and Rep. Dennis Riddell

Wingate University – Pictured (left to right): Rep. Dean Arp, Rep. Mark Brody, and Sen. Tommy Tucker

North Carolina Medical Board moves forward with defining the STOP Act’s consultation requirement
In September, the North Carolina Medical Board moved to adopt the rule that will govern the STOP Act’s requirement for PAs working in pain management settings to personally consult with a supervising physician prior to prescribing Schedule II or III opioids. The proposed rule will now go to the Rules Review Commission, the state commission that ensures that all proposed rules comply with legislative intent. Once the Rules Review Commission receives the proposed rule, it will be put forth for a public comment period. It will likely be another 90 days before the rule makes it through the rulemaking process and is officially adopted.

Proposed rule:

“For purposes of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-18.1(b), the term “consult” shall mean a meaningful communication, either in person or electronically, between the physician assistant and a supervising physician that is documented in the patient medical record. For purposes of this Rule, “meaningful communication” shall mean an exchange of information that allows the supervising physician to make a determination that the prescription is medically indicated.”

Click here to review the latest version of the North Carolina Medical Board’s FAQ on the STOP Act.

50th Anniversary Celebration Hosted by NCAPA

by Kat Nicholas, NCAPA Director of Membership & Marketing

NCAPA volunteers and staff, PA members of the academy, and distinguished guests gathered in Durham on Saturday, October 7th, to celebrate the first 50 years of the PA profession. The initial forecast was to be ideal, a cool Fall evening, but as is so often the case in North Carolina, the weather soon changed. Rain came in short bursts throughout the day and continued into the evening, but ultimately did not prove to be a deterrent. Guests arrived in fancy dress to the immaculately decorated Stead Center and began the evening enjoying wine and beer with heavy appetizers while guitarist Brice Hursey provided live acoustic music. A silent auction was held during the event, in the board room of the Stead Center, where guests could peruse many lovely items up for bid to raise money for the NCAPA Endowment.

Guests to the event included Dr. E. Harvey Estes, one of the founders of the PA profession, Mary Warner, MMSc, PA-C, NCCPA Board Chair, Gail Curtis, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, AAPA Board President, and Dr. Reginald Carter, the President of the PA History Society. Truett Smith, NCAPA Board President raised a glass and toasted the esteemed guests, as well as NCAPA past Presidents, and all the incredible PAs in the room. Afterwards, Gail Curtis provided her own toast to the profession and Dr. Carter shared some thoughts on the history and future of PAs as well. Once the President’s remarks and toasts were complete, a buffet dinner was served and guests enjoyed the remainder of the evening networking with old friends and making new ones. In the words of NCAPA President Truett Smith:

This year the Physician Assistant Profession celebrates a milestone, our 50th Anniversary.
This is a time to honor the many who have come before us who have sacrificed much to create and refine one of the best new professions of our time.
It is also a time to honor current PAs who work in the trenches of medicine every day, using their knowledge and talents to prolong and enhance the lives of patients all around the world.
We look to our future with eager anticipation of the continued growth and modernization of PA practice.

Happy Anniversary!

NCAPA Endowment Silent Auction Success

by Alisha DeTroye, PA-C

On Saturday October 7th, the NCAPA Endowment held a silent auction at the NCAPA 50th anniversary celebration held at the Stead Center. Over $2000 was raised to support student scholarships, regional chapter CME, and leadership and advocacy development for PAs and PA students. Guests enjoyed placing bids on their favorite items while also supporting the future of the PA profession. There were many treasures to choose from, such as replica scissors of the ribbon cutting at the Stead Center, a framed photo of Duke’s 50th anniversary of the PA program, Wake Forest swag and football tickets, and handmade woodwork with slogans such as “Keep Calm and Call the PA”. The Endowment trustees spent several hours setting up the auction earlier in the day, bonding through lively conversation regarding the rich 50 year history of PAs and the pioneers who paved the way for the practice we have today. We are ALL the next generation of PAs.

In honor of the 50th anniversary, consider making a $50 donation to the NCAPA Endowment. Be sure to include a note of how you plan to leave your legacy over the next 50 years of the PA profession

The PA Way to Effective Patient Recovery

by Sandra Alexander, PA-C

“Recovery is a process, not an event.” This quote is found throughout a variety of literature on Substance Use Disorder, without a citation to give credit to the original source. Yet, I find myself once again sharing it as it is so true in my practice of Addiction Medicine.

As PAs, we may play numerous roles in a patient’s Recovery. We may be the PA in primary care, obstetrics & gynecology, pain management, orthopedics, psychiatry, or other specialty in which we observe, diagnose or coordinate care to manage our patient’s condition as a member of their integrated healthcare team. One thing we need to keep in mind is to continually assess where they are in Recovery and to individualize the most effective treatment or refer to an Addiction Specialist to do so.

Individualized treatment is matching the severity, or level of functioning, with the intensity of service. The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ASAM) Criteria combines six dimensions of multimodal assessment with levels of care based on intensity of service needed.

The ASAM’s six dimensions include:

Acute Intoxication and/or Withdrawal Potential,
Biomedical Conditions and Complications,
Emotional, Behavioral, or Cognitive Conditions and Complications,
Readiness to Change,
Relapse, Continued Use or Continued Problem Potential,
Recovery/Living Environment.

ASAM’s Levels of Care include:

0.5. Early Intervention: Assessment and education for at risk individuals who do not meet diagnostic criteria for Substance-Related Disorder

1. Outpatient Services: Less than 9 hours of service/week (adults); less than 6 hours/week (adolescents) for recovery or motivational enhancement therapies/ strategies

1.D. Detoxification: 24-hour nursing care and services provided by a licensed hospital only to address medical or psychiatric needs

OMT. Opioid Maintenance Therapy: Daily or several times weekly opioid medication and counseling available to maintain multidimensional stability for those with opioid dependence

2.1 Intensive Outpatient: 9 or more hours of service/week (adults); 6 or more hours/week (adolescents) to treat multidimensional instability

2.5. Partial Hospitalization: 20 or more hours of service/week for multidimensional instability not requiring 24 hour care

3.1. Clinically Managed Low- Intensity Residential: 24 hour structure with available trained personnel; at least 5 hours of clinical service/week

3.3. Clinically-Managed Medium- Intensity Residential: 24 hour care with trained counselors to stabilize multidimensional imminent danger. Less intense milieu and group treatment for those with cognitive or other impairments unable to use full active milieu or therapeutic community

3.5. Clinically-Managed High Intensity Residential: 24 hour care with trained counselors to stabilize multidimensional imminent danger and prepare for outpatient treatment. Able to tolerate and use full active milieu or therapeutic community

3.7. Medically-Monitored Intensive Inpatient: 24 hour nursing care with physician availability for significant problems in Dimensions 1, 2 or 3. Sixteen hour/day counselor availability

4. Medically-Managed Intensive Inpatient: 24 hour nursing care and daily physician care for severe, unstable problems in Dimensions 1, 2 or 3. Counseling available to engage patient in treatment

Another important thing to keep in mind as a PA managing a patient with a Substance Use Disorder is their increased privilege of confidentiality under 42 CFR Part 2, which requires specific written consent to facilitate health information exchange while continuing to protect the privacy and confidentiality of those seeking treatment. Having an Addiction Specialist help in coordinating treatment as part of your patient’s healthcare team can ensure proper release of information is obtained and can educate the patient on the health and safety risks with poorly coordinated care, thus enabling better patient care in their integrated services.

Your NC Addiction Specialist PA can be found working under the supervision and in collaboration with a physician that:

Holds a subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties
Holds an addiction certification from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
Holds a subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine from the American Osteopathic Association

*NC PA Addiction Medicine practice Side Notes:

NC DEA-X waivered PAs please be sure to be working under the supervision of a DEA-X waivered physician.
NC DEA-X waivered PAs that currently hold or plan to hold a DEA-X waiver for Buprenorphine Treatment, be sure to register and renew annually with NC DHHS at: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/mhddsas/ncdcu/nc-controlled-substances-regulatory.

More information about the ASAM Criteria can be found here. ASAM offers both the ASAM Criteria text and companion application, CONTINUUM™ to aid in a comprehensive clinical assessment to help you organize treatment priorities and recommend the least intensive, efficient and effective setting for your patient. More information on CONTINUUM™ can be found here.

NCAPA 2018 Health Committee chair-elect Sandra Alexander, PA-C, is the 2016 recipient of the PA Foundation NIDA Mentored Outreach Award in Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Treatment Dissemination. She is also a member of AAPA and founder of RDU PA/NP psychiatry & addiction medicine group/web forum, a consultant for NC Physicians Health Program, and founder and owner of Collegial Behavioral Health, PLLC Raleigh, NC.

NCAPA Election Results

by Emily Adams, Executive Director

The NCAPA election for Officers, Board Members, and the Nominating Committee concluded on October 1, 2017, with a runoff election for a Director-at-large position that concluded on October 13th. Thank you to all of the candidates and to all who participated by voting! The following candidates were elected to terms that begin on January 1, 2017. To read a bit about each new Board member and the new member of the Nominating Committee, click here.

President-Elect: Joshua Smith

Treasurer: Ryan Vann

Directors-at-Large: Chris Barry, Elyse Watkins, and Ashlyn Bruning

Nominating Committee Member-at-Large: Donna Murray

NCAPA 2017 Board of Directors meeting dates will be:

January 27, 2018 (Stead Center)
April 21, 2018 (Stead Center)
August 18, 2018 (Myrtle Beach, SC)
November 3, 2018 (Stead Center)

The NCAPA 2017 Student Directors-at-Large Election results will be posted in the next issue of The Pulse.

Commit to Yourself: Renew Your NCAPA Membership

Thank you for making NCAPA an important part of your professional life. We remain devoted to advocating for your rights as a PA, promoting the PA profession, and supporting your development as a PA in North Carolina. At NCAPA, we:

Work with policy makers to protect your rights and ensure PA interests are represented in the changing healthcare landscape.
Engage the public and promotes the value of employing PAs in today’s world of healthcare challenges. .
Provide the best continuing education your money can buy.

NCAPA is the only organization in North Carolina solely committed to enhancing and strengthening the profession that was born right here in our great state. Please take a moment to renew your commitment to your PA peers and, most importantly, to yourself, as a practicing PA. We are stronger when we work together, so be sure to encourage your fellow PAs to join you! Renew your NCAPA membership today!

Suturing Workshop Coming to Durham

Saturday, October 28th
9:00am – Noon
The Stead Center
112 Slater Road, Durham, NC

Join us for a hands-on suturing workshop in Durham, NC. The suturing workshop is a 3-hour workshop designed to review basic suturing techniques including simple interrupted, continuous, vertical and horizontal mattress, deep dermal, and subcuticular stitches. During the workshop we will briefly discuss the different types of suture material, in addition to the different suture techniques, and the indications for the use of each one. The majority of the time is spent practicing hands-on techniques by suturing pigs’ feet and becoming more comfortable with instrument tying and hand tying. The student to instructor ratio is kept low for maximum interaction and support.

Space is filling up quickly so register today!

Joint Injection Workshop Success at Wake Forest, Boone Campus

by Sarah J. Garvick MS, MPAS, PA-C
Assistant Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Wake Forest School of Medicine

In conjunction with the Wake Forest PA Studies Boone campus, NCAPA provided a regional Joint Injection CME Workshop on Saturday September 16, 2017.Forty local and regional PAs and NPs attended the workshop led by PA Frank Caruso, a preceptor for the Wake Forest clinical year students. The workshop was facilitated by Wake Forest Boone faculty member, PA Sarah Garvick, Wake Forest class of 2014 graduate, PA Brit Donaldson, and PA Jay Peterson, Assistant Program Director from High Point University.

The first part of the joint injection workshop was an interactive lecture session, held in the main PA classroom. The workshop focused on using evidence-based practice guidelines in clinical decision-making to determine when and what kind of injection is needed. Anatomical landmarks were reviewed for safe injections and appropriate injection techniques were demonstrated on joint injection models. For the hands-on demonstration and practice portion of the workshop, participants were divided into groups of 10, rotating through the four IBL small group rooms where several of the joint injection models were strategically placed on the tables for use.

Most of the participants were primary care/internal medicine providers (including five Wake Forest graduates from within the last four years) looking to refresh their skills. These providers are now better equipped to provide service to their patients in office, without having to send them to a specialist, thereby saving their patients the cost of additional co-pays. By the end of the workshop, everyone left feeling comfortable with basic joint injections including knee, shoulder, and hip bursas. Instruction on billing and coding was also given. Participants provided positive feedback and felt the workshop was extremely useful.

Many of the participants requested further procedural workshops and CME events in the region, stating the need for similar events in the more rural, western part of the state. The event was approved for a maximum of 3 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME credit. Special thanks to NCAPA for organizing the event and for additional support from Wake Forest faculty members, PA Alisha DeTroye and PA Sarah Garvick. The Boone campus looks forward to hosting more (and larger) regional CME events once they move into the new Beaver College Health Sciences building, which is estimated to be complete in August 2018.

Don’t Wait! Submit Your Abstract for the Winter Conference Poster Session

Are you a PA or student in clinical practice who has recently seen a great clinical case, which you know your colleagues would enjoy learning about? Or maybe you are an educator who just can’t wait to share your latest research or innovation in teaching students? And what about those of you who can’t wait to share a community outreach or professional advocacy project? The NCAPA and the NC PA Program Directors Council have partnered to provide an opportunity for scholarship at the next NCAPA Winter Conference by sponsoring a poster session. Abstracts are due by November 1st. Criteria and guidelines are now available on the NCAPA website.

NCAPA Student Leadership Retreat

North Carolina PA students will soon gather at the NCAPA Student Leadership Retreat on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at the Stead Center in Durham. Our NCAPA Student Leadership Retreat is focused on students preparing to graduate and the challenges ahead. We will share information on how to be involved in advocating for the profession, becoming a leader, as well practical knowledge necessary as a newly practicing PA.

Topics will include:

Advocating for the PA Profession
NC Licensure and New Opioid Prescribing Rules
Hiring PAs – What Companies are Looking For: Panel Discussion
The Future of the PA Profession

Deadline for registration is October 27th. Registration at no cost to students; Lunch is provided. A very limited number of spaces left – register today!

2017 NCAPA Endowment Student Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2017 NCAPA Endowment Student Grants! They are:

Amanda Taylor, Campbell
Leesha Gunnink, Duke
Ryan Jones, ECU
Morgan Payne, Elon
Elizabeth Hawes, Gardner-Webb
Sarah Gordon, High Point
Raskesh Patel, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jennifer Cox, Methodist
Alyse Moses-Lebron, UNC
Ryan O’Hara, Wake Forest
Elena Garifallou, Wingate

Best of luck to you in the remainder of your clinical year. We are very grateful for your dedication to the PA profession!

NCAPA Endowment Student Scholarship: High Point University Recipient

The NCAPA Endowment congratulates Ms. Sarah Gordon for receiving the 2017 scholarship earmarked for a PA student from High Point University. Sarah earned her undergraduate B.S. degree in Biology from the same university, where she demonstrated active volunteerism. This inclination to serve has continued in PA school as she serves as her school’s NCAPA Student Representative. From working with chronically ill and disabled children at Victory Junction Camp to making mission trips to Central America, to conducting local blood pressure screenings, Sarah always finds ways to help others. She will graduate next summer and hopes to work in primary or emergency care and concurrently jump into volunteer activities. We wish Sarah the best and look for her to help lead the next generation of PAs.

The NCAPA Endowment awards annual scholarships to deserving clinical year students at each of the NC PA programs. It also makes grants to agencies where PAs help oversee care to underserved populations. Please consider making a donation today.

Elon University: Learning, Caring, Serving, Leading

by Lauren Lover, PA-S, Elon University

The Elon University PA Program’s mission statement is “Learning, Caring, Serving, Leading.” We continually strive to embody this vocation, and this year we were fortunate enough to make advances in each of these areas.

First, we would like to congratulate Dr. Melissa Murfin, who was recently selected to assume position as the Department Chair of Elon’s PA program. We are very excited to see what Dr. Murfin has in store; if you know anything about her, you know you can expect a unique approach to a rich educational experience. The new change has allowed Dr. Patti Ragan to step back into a full-time faculty role, and we are extremely grateful that she will remain at Elon as part of our faculty. We are certain that the reorganization in regards to these two fine leaders will only enhance and strengthen the department, and we wish them both luck in their newly accepted roles.

To further reinforce our mission statement, Elon prides its commitment to fostering the caring attitudes of its students towards those in their community. Jacquelyn Visser (Class of 2019), the Elon PA program’s AOR representative, demonstrated her compassion for others at the AAPA conference in May. During the AOR meeting, she passed a resolution to promote the education and awareness of PA students regarding the presence of human trafficking. Research shows that approximately 80% of human trafficking victims come in contact with healthcare providers, who are often the only professionals to connect with them. The importance of recognizing human trafficking victims and reacting appropriately cannot be overstated, and PAs can provide a much-needed lifeline for these individuals. We are very proud of our students and want to commend Jacquelyn on her outstanding work and passion to bring greater awareness to this topic.

As a way to serve the community, the PA program holds the annual “Great Cape Escape,” which is a 5K/10K and kid’s fun run that raises money for the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County. The Open Door clinic offers free health services to needy residents of Alamance County. Students from Elon’s PA program volunteer at the clinic every Tuesday and Thursday to give back to the community while deepening their understanding in the practice of medicine and how to care for patients in vulnerable situations. This year, the Great Cape Escape event raised a record breaking $17,000 for the clinic, which will cover a whole year of medications for the patients who seek care. We are very appreciative of our “heroes,” including the 300 people who participated in the event and our sponsors who made this goal achievable.

Elon is dedicated to leading the way to make advancements in medical education. This year, Elon gained the distinction of being the first PA school without an associated medical school to have an Anatomical Gift Program, which is led by Director Dianne Person. The first Anatomical Gift “signing ceremony” was held on Friday, March 24, to honor those who registered as future donors for the program. It is a tremendous gift that leaves a lasting impression on students professionally and emotionally. The gift of anatomical donation is priceless and enriches the education that the Elon Health Science programs are able to provide their students. The School of Health Sciences has a tradition of honoring the donors who served as “silent teachers” in this year’s anatomy courses by holding a ceremony in their memory. This year’s ceremony was held on July 12, 2017, and it gave the students the opportunity to say farewell to their donors and thank them for their extraordinary gift.

We are grateful for all of the exciting events that have occurred over the past few months and are really proud of all our accomplishments. We look forward to the many new adventures that await us next year as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Physician Assistant career!

PA-rtnering for Healthy Habits

by Shaun Lynch, MS, MMSc, PA-C, Academic Coordinator
Assistant Professor, Elon University Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Thirty-six PA students from the class of 2019 volunteered their time on Friday September 29^th to participate in a service learning project at Garrett Elementary School in Mebane, NC. The project “PA-rtnering for Healthy Habits” was developed from a grant awarded to Shaun Lynch, Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant studies and academic coordinator, and Dr. Diane Duffy, Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant studies and Director of Clinical Education, from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Health Foundation.

The PA students provided pediatric “patient education” to approximately 120 fifth-grade students with a focus on age appropriate health education and promotion. The topics included nutrition, physical activity, oral health, safety, online safety/screentime, and germs/hand hygiene. The educational topics were delivered “health fair style” in short, actively engaging stations.

The project was mutually beneficial for both the PA program and elementary school. The PA students were able to raise awareness and reinforce important health related topics to the elementary students; the children, teachers, school, and local community were exposed to the PA profession and how these medical providers are an important part of the health care team.

Profile of a Piedmont Triad PA

To celebrate PA Week, the Piedmont Association of Physician Assistants is releasing Profile of a Piedmont Triad PA, an infographic that highlights the PA workforce in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad. This infographic was developed from responses from Piedmont Triad counties to the 2017 AAPA Salary Survey.

2018 Summer Conference Hotel Room Block is Now Open

The room block for the 2018 Summer Conference is now open at the Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, SC. Rooms in our block fill up quickly, we recommend you book your room as soon as possible by going here.

Current Issues for the Advanced Practice Provider

On October 27th, 2017,The Duke Cancer Institute is presenting Current Issues For The Advanced Practice Provider at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, NC. For the full agenda and registration, go here.

Upcoming Pain Management Meetings

by Ms. Robin L. Hoyle JD, Executive Director, Pain Societies

Pain Management at the Crossroads – No Matter your Specialty, We Have Sessions for You! Come for the Weekend, Come for a Day!

The Tennessee Pain Society Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions – Nov. 3-5, Hilton Nashville TN
The Pain Society of the Carolinas Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions – Dec. 1-3, Belmond Charleston Place Hotel, Charleston SC
The Pennsylvania Pain Society Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions – Dec. 8-10, Hershey Lodge, Hershey PA

Welcome Members!

Welcome to our renewing and our brand new members!
The following members have joined or renewed their membership since our last issue. Thank you all for your support of NCAPA and all PAs in North Carolina!

David Allgood, Jacksonville
Steven Anderson, Fleetwood
Heather Asher Prince, Holly Springs
Stacy Bachmann, Winston-Salem
Greg Beres, Greenville
Christine Ciszek, Durham
Tracey Cloninger, Raleigh
Joshua Cobb, Cary
Rebekah DeCamillis, Winston-Salem
Paul Delaney, Winston-Salem
Rachel Ertel, Gloucester, VA
Julie Fry, Cary
Elizabeth Fuller, Raleigh
Jeremy Gaines, Waxhaw
April Gentry, Concord
Jessica Grice, Huntersville
Donna Griffin, Apex
Samuel Grossinger, Durham
Peter Guertin, Cornelius
Tara Halpin, Charlotte
Samantha Hammock, Greenville
Carla Hampton, Burlington
David Henderson, Parkton
Tamara Hill, Charlotte
Danielle Hogan, Fuquay Varina
Christ’l Howze, Fayetteville
E. Lanier Jones, Greenville
Quinnette Jones, Durham
Michael Keller, Elkin
Katharine Kovacs, Raleigh
Audrey Little, Weaverville
Caline Long, Fayetteville
Nancy Lopez, Greenville
Deborah Martin, Pilot Mountain
Amy Maurer, Lewisville
Nicomedes Osalvo, Durham
Jessica Oser, Charlotte
Mac Pannill, Cary
Taylor Poe, Greenville
Patricia Ragan, Burlington
Luke Shoulders, Aberdeen
Erica Thursz-Rivest, Cary
Luigi Troiani, Durham
Catherine Watson, Charlotte
Laura Wells, Fayetteville
Caitlin Wetzel, Raleigh
Ross Williams, Charlotte
Todd Williams, Holly Springs
Leigh Wynkoop, Durham

In this issue:

President’s Letter

by Truett Smith , MPAS, PA-C