promoting global health, one person at a time joint mspas mph program
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S P R I N G 2 0 1 1
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
PA Foundation
Scholars Fuchs and
Warburton
2
Interview with
Kyla Simpson ‘09
2
Preceptor Survey
Results
3
Touro University-
California’s New
Look
3
Meet the Faculty:
Robin Wempe and
Garland Brinkley
4
Meet the Class of
2013
4
Upcoming Conferences
4
P R O M OT I N G G L O B A L H E A L T H , O N E P E R S O N A T A T I M E
V O L U M E I V , I S S U E I I
With a first-time pass rate of 97%, the Class of
2010 is the fourth Touro University-California
Joint Program class in a row to beat the na-
tional average for first-time PANCE pass rates,
which was 94% in 2010.
The PANCE is the Physician Assistant Na-
tional Certifying Examination. Successful com-
pletion of the PANCE is a requirement to prac-
tice clinically as a PA in the United States, al-
though individual states may apply further
criteria before granting a license.
After passing the PANCE, PAs become
NCCPA-certified, which entitles them to use
the PA-C designation until the expiration of
their first cycle (approximately two years). To
maintain NCCPA certification and retain the
right to use the PA-C designation, they must
continually update their medical education
and pass a recertification test every six years.
2010s: 97% PANCE Pass Rate
Joint MSPAS / MPH Program
School of Health
Sciences
Program Directors :
Joint MSPAS/MPH Program :
Grace Landel, MEd, PA-C
grace.landel@tu.edu
707-638-5878
Public Health Program :
Assefaw Tekeste Ghebrekidan,
MD, DrPH
assefaw.tekeste@tu.edu
707-638-5834
http://www.tu.edu/
departments.php?id=42
Admissions :
Melanie Lim
melanie.lim@tu.edu
Touro University History Touro University is one
of more than 25 division
campuses within Touro
College, a Jewish spon-
sored not-for-profit edu-
cational system princi-
pally located in New York. Touro University is composed of two cam-
puses - the main campus located in Vallejo,
California and the branch campus in Hender-
son, Nevada. Touro College was founded by
Dr. Bernard Lander in 1970, and now educates
over 18,000 students. The current President
and CEO is Alan Kadish, MD (pictured above).
Dr. Kadish received his MD degree from the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva
University and his postdoctoral medical train-
ing at the Brigham & Women's Hospital and at
the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Lander served as associate director of for-
mer New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuar-
dia's Committee on Unity, a precursor to the
city's Commission on Human Rights, where he
promoted key fair employment legislation and
attacked discriminatory quotas in higher edu-
cation. An ordained rabbi, he earned a doctor-
ate in sociology from Columbia University.
Touro College derives its name from Judah
and Isaac Touro, leaders of colonial America,
who provided major endowments for univer-
sities, the first free library on this continent,
community health facilities in the United
States, and pioneering settlements in Israel.
This generosity was exercised to better the
lives of all people through the encouragement
of education and charitable and vocational
enterprise without regard for creed or color.
Credit: wwww.touro.edu and www.tu.edu
P A G E 2
V O L U M E I V , I S S U E I I
Manuela (Nellie) Gallegos, ’07 At what age did you decide to go into medicine,
and when did you decide to become a PA?
When I was around 7 years old, my grandfather
noticed I was fascinated by the local healers, who
were incorporating native herbs and home reme-
dies in their patient care. He planted the seed in
my mind when he said, when I grew up, I, too,
could provide care to the sick. My grandfather
was a very positive influence on me even at a
very young age. He always encouraged me to
follow my dreams.
How did you decide to work where you are
now, and move to Silver City?
Once I graduated, I wanted to work for a Feder-
ally Qualified Community Health Center that
was approved by the National Health Service
Corp (NHSC), Loan Repayment Program. The
NHSC repaid my student loans in exchange for
my working in a rural community. In 2010, the
initial award was increased to $60,000 for a two-
year commitment, and up to $170,000 for five
years. I would encourage all PA students to look
into and consider this option, especially those
with student loans over $100K. NHSC opportu-
nities are available in all the 50 states.
What specialties did you consider, why, and
how did you decide on Family Practice?
Once I graduated, my first choice for specialty
was Family Practice, because I wanted to be ex-
posed and practice my medical knowledge and
skills that I was trained for in the Physician As-
sistant program. During my first three years, it
has been extremely beneficial and rewarding
working in Family Practice, and I am very grate-
ful for the experience.
What would you say now to Nellie Gallegos,
PA-S, if you traveled back to September 2004?
Knowing what I know now, I would have said to
her in 2004 to do her very best learning and ab-
sorbing as much of the information presented in
the various classes of the PA program. In the
clinical rotations you are assigned to, to take ad-
vantage of the preceptors' experience - ask ques-
tions of anything you are not sure of or you do
not understand - as well as utilizing all the re-
sources available. If you ever become over-
whelmed, do not give up - keep working hard,
because if you are persistent you will succeed -
organize a study group, if necessary.
Read the entire interview on our website:
www.tu.edu/
The New College of Education and Health Sciences The Colleges of Health Sci-
ences and of Education have
just completed a merger, and
are now the College of Edu-
cation and Health Sciences
(CEHS)..
Within this new college will
be two schools: the Graduate
School of Education (GSE),
and the School of Health
Sciences, which includes the
MPH and Joint Programs.
Dr. Jim O’Connor, who served as the Interim Program
Director for the Joint Program last year, is the dean of
the newly combined college. He is a former Physician
Assistant, and had served as the Dean of the College
of Education since 2007.
Dr. Michael Clearfield served as In-
terim Dean for the College of Health
Sciences for four years, concurrent
with serving as the Dean of the Col-
lege of Osteopathic Medicine (COM).
He will now focus on COM’s ambi-
tious plans, which include developing
a post doctoral program by 2013.
The CEHS will be home to the planned School of
Nursing, which is slated to open its doors in Fall 2012.
A retreat was held in early January for CEHS faculty
and staff, where integration of the three groups was
discussed. Discussions were both lively and fruitful;
the Joint Program is pleased to have access to the ex-
pertise of their new colleagues.
Le’Anna St.John, Pamela Bowler, and Denise Fisher discuss the integration of the colleges at the January 4, 2011 retreat. Photo: Diyosa Carter
Dean O’Connor Photo: Diyosa Carter
What makes my
job extremely
gratifying is
that I feel very
fortunate to be
able to consult
and guide
patients on the
road to good
health.
P A G E 3
In April of 2010, the first preceptor survey was
sent out to 151 preceptors; the reply rate was
40%. These were current and immediate-past
preceptors of Joint Program students on PA rota-
tions; the preceptors for the public health rota-
tions were not included.
The survey asked preceptors to both rank the
students and to make suggestions for future di-
dactic changes.
Thirty-three (56%) of the preceptors who pre-
cept students from other programs stated that
Joint Program students were better prepared
Joy Dugan’s article
J O I N T M S P A S / M P H P R O G R A M
On May 5, 98 local high school students
came to Lander Hall to experience ten
different health occupations, under a
grant from the California Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Devel-
opment. Tracey DelNero PA-C and
Robin Wempe PA-C showed the
students how to properly wrap a
sprain, and what a poorly-wrapped
sprain felt like—prompting an “ohh” of
recognition from many student athletes.
Jessica Smith, MPH, ran the students
through an outbreak of gastroenteritis
and had them perform calculations to
figure out the underlying cause. A
number of Joint Program students from
the classes of 2010 and 2012 volun-
teered their perspectives on the path to
a health care career, including Planning
Committee member Rick Nolley PA-C,
MPH (Class of 2010) pictured below.
The 98 students were surveyed before
and after the event, and their intent to
enter a health-
care career
went from 52%
to 69% - a 33%
increase.
JP Students in the News
Class of 2012 White Coat Ceremony The Class of 2012 White Coat Ceremony
was held December 19, 2010 at Gaia Napa
Valley. The keynote speaker was Patrick
Killeen, PA-C, President of the American
Academy of Physician Assistants.
Photos: Diyosa Carter
JOINT MSPAS / MPH MISSION
Through the integration of the Physician Assistant and Public Health disciplines, the mission of the Joint MSPAS/MPH Program is to: 1) train quality PAs to work with underserved populations, 2) recruit applicants from these communities or individuals with a demonstrated interest in serving these communities, and 3) increase access to care for underserved populations
Meet the Public Health Director:
Assefaw Tekeste Ghebrekidan, MD, DrPH Alumni Survey Results The Joint Program now has 186 alumni! This year’s
Graduate Survey had a response rate of 32%:
In keeping with our mission of recruiting from under-
served populations:
73% of incoming students either self-reported being
educationally or economically disadvantaged and/
or were from Health Professional Shortage Areas/
Medically Underserved Areas or Populations
29% are medically Under-Represented Minorities
(URMs)
59% (27) are from California
53% (24) speak a language other than English: 16 speak
Spanish (three of these speak yet another language),
and one speaks five languages
59% are female, and 41% are male
The average age is 28 (range: 22-50)
There are 11 University of California graduates, and 10
California State University graduates
Society for Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants, March 13-17, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants, March 24-26, Charleston SC
American Academy of Physician Assistants, May 30-June 5, Las Vegas, NV
Physician Assistants in Orthopaedic Surgery, August 15-19, Chicago IL
Joint MSPAS/MPH Program
College of Education and Health Sciences
Touro University-California
1310 Club Drive, Mare Island
Vallejo, CA 94592
Phone: 707-638-5809
Fax: 707-638-5955
Editor: Julie Charles, MBA
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Dr. Assefaw Tekeste Ghebrekidan was
born in Eritrea and earned his medical
degree at Haile Selassie I University in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He returned to
Eritrea in 1972 to practice medicine at
Massawa General Hospital and was a
key architect in rebuilding the national
health care system after the country's
liberation in 1991. Eritrea’s health sys-
tem has become a model of operational efficiency and effec-
tiveness for other developing countries.
In 1994, he returned to academia as the Dean of the Faculty
of Health Sciences at the University of Asmara, and in 1999
became a Research Fellow in the School of Public Health at
University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Ghebrekidan earned
a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree for his study of
corruption and its effect on health care in sub-Saharan Af-
rica. He has served as Program Director and Associate Pro-
fessor at Touro’s Public Health Program since 2002.
Credit: www.igh.org (cached); Photo: Diyosa Carter
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