Congratulations PA Class of 2015!

Lindegren Hall MC 6516
SIU Carbondale
Carbondale, IL 62901-6516
Phone: 618-453-8850
Fax: 618-453-7216
Fall/Winter 2015
In this issue:
White Coat Ceremony
1-3
Grant Recipient
New Faculty
Congratulations PA Class of 2015!
3
4-5
Challenge Bowl
5
Addition to PA Family
5
PAEA Presentation
5
Transitions, Retirements
5
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On August 1, 2015, the SIU Physician Assistant Program honored the Classes
of 2015 and 2017. The Class of 2015 was awarded their Certificate of Completion and received the long white coat of a PA graduate! The Class of 2017 was
coated in the short white jacket of a PA student as they enter the profession.
Family, friends, faculty, and staff celebrated the accomplishments of both classes. Thirty-four students received their Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies: Katrina Barger, Wyatt Baxter, Andrew Bryant, Nathan Caslow,
Julia Corwin, Hannah Cross, Morgan Echols, Chelsea Fella, Austin Fiedler,
Quinn Golinske, Josiah Hamilton, Rachel Henry, Allison Hindman, Sara
Hoyle, Makinzee Kemp, Tracey May, Brendan McElligott, Jameka McElroy,
Patricia Orozco, Mattison Perez, Rachel Phelps, Stacy Regnier, Sara Roper,
Ruth Shilling, Stephanie Shirkey, Kathryn Skibinski, Haley Smith, Ashley
Stephens, Kristina Wallace, Ethan Weshinskey, Alexa Whitehead, Lauquyta
Wilmore, Megan Wise, and Abby Wood. Congratulations!
The Class of 2015 had a 100% PASS rate on the NCCPA Board Examination and were
above the national mean on all PAEA End of Rotation examinations including
each task and organ system content areas!
WAY TO GO!!!
Fall/Winter 2015
Page 2
White Coat Ceremony August 1, 2015
Presenting our new class: Class of 2017!
The Class of 2017 has started their journey to becoming Physician Assistants. Welcome Lindsay Blakley, Lauren
Boente, Erin Browne, Joseph Bulinski, Martha Curtin, Joeli Diemer, L. Brooke Eaves, Thomas Engle, Michelle
Farazi, Colleen Gibbons, Courtney Gregson, Anum Haq, Kalyn Harker, Lindsay Helbach, Mallory Lindberg, Erin
Miller, Stacy Miller, Joseph Mork, Philip Pifer, Christine Potter, Alexandra Powell, Stormi Raines, Morgan Rakers, Maxx Ramirez, Julia Sames, Mitra Shultz, Whitney Stibb, Jessica Tarragano, Miranda Teller, Elizabeth
Vollmer, Morgan Wagner, Anna Wheeler, Matthew Woodruff, Meredith Worrall, and Amber Yaddof. Congratulations and best of luck!
Pi Alpha Inductees
Pi Alpha National Honor Society recognizes PA
students, faculty, and graduates excelling in
areas of academic achievement, leadership,
research, community/professional service and
other related activities. Faculty inductees were
Sid Smith, MD, FAAP, Kathryn Waldyke, MD,
and Rhonda Pulver, PA-C. Alumni
inductees were Cari Fearday, PA-C,
Chad Kovash, PA-C, Brad Albertini,
PA-C, LeAnne Robinson, PA-C. Honorary inductee was Jerry Goddard,
MD. Student inductees were Rachel
Phelps, Mattison Perez, Austin
Fiedler, and Allison Hindman. Congratulations to all!
Kathryn Waldyke receives certificate
Fall/Winter 2015
Page 3
White Coat Graduation, August 1, 2015
Preceptor of the Year Awards!
At the White Coat Ceremony, preceptors were awarded the SIU PA Program’s Preceptor of the Year award for outstanding service. The recipients were Greg Churchill, PA-C—Belleville, M. Kate Scott, PA-C—Carbondale, Angela Grimaldi,
PA-C—Champaign, Paul Sutherland, MD—Olney, Gavish Patel, MD—Peoria, Mindy Sanders, PA-C—Springfield, Amber Garwood, NP and Paul Gurley, PA-C—Decatur, Bernie Ranchero, MD—Mattoon, and Christopher Solaro, MD—
Quincy. Dr. William Ribbing received the Outstanding Continuous Support of the PA Program and Our Mission. Congratulations to all award winners and thank you for your dedication and contributions to the Physician Assistant Program!
Dr. Diemer & Angela Grimaldi, PA-C
Dr. Diemer & William Ribbing, MD
Dr. Diemer & Kate Scott, PA-C
Phase I students ready to get started!
Guest speaker Clark Anderson
Graduate Ethan Weshinskey &
Dean Dorsey
Jennifer Schmitt, Phase II Student, Receives Grant
Jennifer Schmitt, Phase II Student, was awarded a grant this year for
Continuing Education through the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O) International, GX Chapter.
Jennifer Schmitt receives award from Sally
Moutardier, P.E.O. International member
(GX Chapter)
P.E.O. International is an organization established to promote educational
opportunities for women. It was founded by seven students at Wesleyan
College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa in 1869. The organization’s chapters in
the United States and Canada provide grants, scholarships, and loan opportunities for women all over the world to help them obtain their educational goals. The organization provides monetary opportunities for women
in all areas and levels of higher education: Bachelor, Graduate, and Doctoral degrees. Each Chapter of PEO International identifies and selects its
final recipient. Congratulations, Jennifer!
Fall/Winter 2015
Page 4
Welcome New Faculty!
We have three new faculty who have
joined the SIU PA Program!
to get to know the faculty and students, and I hope that I can be an asset to everyone.”
Rob Reichert, Doctor of Pharmacy,
Pharmacology Instructor
“I am the pharmacology instructor for first year students
of the Physician Assistant Program at SIU Carbondale. My goal for the class is to describe important principles of pharmacology, but also try to include real world
clinical applications. My hope is to give our future providers a solid foundation of pharmacologic knowledge to
make safe and effective clinical decisions when choosing
medication treatments for their patients.
I was born and raised in Southern Illinois. I grew up in
the outdoors, and spent every minute outside farming,
hunting, and fishing. I still enjoy doing all of those
things on our family farm where my father and I grow
corn, wheat, and soybeans. I try to throw in a little photography whenever time allows. My wife (also a pharmacist) and I built a house on the farm, and we live there
with our dog "Rx".
I became interested in pharmacy at a very young age, and
I started working in a local independent retail pharmacy
when I was 16. That experience assured me that I had
found the right career path. I received my doctorate of
pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy. My plan
had always been to return to Southern Illinois and work
in a retail pharmacy. I had a wide variety of clinical experiences in college including acute and ambulatory care
medicine at John Cochrane VA in St. Louis, inpatient
psychiatric medicine at Choate Mental Health in Anna,
inpatient medicine at Union County Hospital in Anna,
and ICU/CCU medicine at St. Joe's West Hospital in
Lake St. Louis. These patient care experiences lead me
to a career in hospital pharmacy.
I began working as a staff pharmacist at Union County
Hospital immediately after graduating and passing board
exams. As a staff pharmacist I focused on patient education, anticoagulation, renal dosing, and antimicrobial
stewardship. After a few years of staffing I became the
director of pharmacy services at the hospital, and have
been in that position for about 3 years.
I am thrilled to be a part of this excellent educational
program. The students are very bright, engaged, and
excited about becoming healthcare providers. They definitely keep me on my toes. I look forward to continuing
Dr. Rob Reichert
Gloria Debeljuk, MD, MSW, LCSW,
Clinical Assistant Professor
“I was born and raised in Buenos Aires Argentina, where
I graduated as a Medical Doctor at the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires. I trained as a Pediatrician, a Child Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst. I became a
Member of the Argentine and International Psychoanalytic Association. I had my private practice for 15 years
in Buenos Aires. I moved to New Orleans with my husband and son, and to Carbondale, IL in 1988. My husband had been a researcher at Tulane University and
later in the Department of Physiology at SIU.
I graduated with a Master in Social Work at SIU in
1994. I had my private practice for 20 years in Carbondale providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents,
and their families. I am a mental health consultant at
Migrant Head Start program in Cobden and East St
Louis. Before I became a Clinical Assistant Professor at
the Physician Assistant Program at SIU, I was a clinical
instructor in the same program for nine years.
I love soccer (Barcelona fan) and opera. I enjoy reading,
listening to music, knitting, cooking, and traveling. I
have been traveling to South, Central, and North America, Europe, Africa,
and Asia. I am very
happy to have the opportunity to work in
the PA Program at
SIU!”
Gloria on a trip to
Senegal
Fall/Winter 2015
Page 5
Brooke Miller, MPAS, PA-C
Clinical Assistant Professor
Brooke Miller returned to the
SIU SOM Physician Assistant
Program on October 1, 2015 as
Assistant Professor and will assume the role of co-Clinical Coordinator. Brooke Miller is a 2006
graduate of the SIUC Physician
Assistant Program and earned
her MPAS through the University of Nebraska in 2009. Upon
completion of the PA program, Brooke was recruited
as faculty and worked clinically at SIU Family Medicine/Residency Program. Early in 2008, she chose to
work closer to home with the arrival of the first of
her two sons and accepted a position with Rural
Health, Inc. as the PA and Clinic Coordinator at the
AJ School Health Center, a school-based health center. Brooke continues her clinical work in that same
location in Anna and maintains the Clinic Coordinator role there as well. Brooke has a passion for teaching and is excited to return to the program!
OTHER NEWS!
Challenge Bowl Champions!
The SIU PA Program Challenge bowl team brought
home the championship title this year! The event
was held at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago,
IL in April. Congratulations
to
the Illinois Challenge Bowl State
Champions 2015!
We are very proud
of you!
New Addition to the PA Family!
Great news! Faculty member, Erin Micenheimer and
husband, Tyler, welcomed
baby girl, Lily, on November 18, 2015. Lily weighed
7.1 pounds, 20.5 inches.
Erin has been with the program since 2012 and this is
her first child!
Diemer Presents at PAEA
National Conference
SIU PA Program Director, Dr. Don Diemer, DHSc, PA-C
presented with Northwestern University’s Kristine Healy,
MPH, PA-C at the Physician Assistant Education Association ‘s National Conference in Washington, DC in November 2015. They presented on the topic “Problem Based
Learning: Two Programs’ Experiences.” Great job!
Transitions—All the Best!
Ron Browning, PhD, Emeritus, SIU School of Medicine, retired from the PA Program (Pharmacology) in June 2015.
J. Kevin Dorsey, MD, PhD, will return to teaching medical
students in January 2016 after completing his tenure of 14
years as Dean and Provost of the SIU School of Medicine.
Nancy Koertge, Olney Administrative Asst. (PA Program support since 1998), retired from Richland Memorial Hospital in
September 2015.
Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, will become the fourth Dean and
Provost of the SIU School of Medicine in January 2016.
Interested in guest lecturing at the SIU PA Program?
Email kwaldyke@siumed.edu
The champions: Brendan McElligott, Jacob Ribbing, Dylan Pate,
Interested in being a preceptor to PA students?
Wyatt Baxter,, and Austin Fiedler with their coach, Dr. Diemer!
Email Brooke Miller at bmiller52@siumed.edu