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Please vote on the following slate of candidates for AASPA 2022 Board of Director positions. 

Question Title

* 1. Secretary - Sara Guerin, MS, PA-C
Platform Statement: 
The Secretary role is vital to the continued success of the AASPA. These are three goals that I hope to achieve as Secretary if given the opportunity: provide constituent learning opportunities not only related to surgery but also leadership, continued education, and professional wellbeing; increase membership by connecting with PA schools to appeal to current students interested in surgery; and, develop a PA student track for the annual meeting.
 
As a surgical PA covering multiple specialties at a Level I trauma center for the last dozen years, I know the level of skill, knowledge, and commitment that is required of us on a daily basis. Admittedly, I didn’t fully understand these things as a new graduate but have come to appreciate them. There have been many advances in surgery during this time and I have been grateful for the opportunity to learn as a member of AASPA. These workshops and the annual CME conference are invaluable to all of us. I believe we can expand upon the learning opportunities provided at the annual conference to include sessions focused on leadership and advocacy as this is not something most of us are taught or routinely exposed to professionally. The physician assistant profession continues to grow but our representation at the leadership level has not kept up with that growth. Many times we are overshadowed by our physician and nurse practitioner colleagues or others within the system that have more formal leadership training and experience. I believe some PAs with phenomenal leadership qualities shy away from the possibilities due to lack of guidance. By providing leadership education, we could mitigate some of this reluctance. Some would say that PAs now require an even more advanced degree to be successful in leadership positions (certainly some positions require it) so it would be advantageous to incorporate educational sessions about doctoral degrees into AASPA offerings. Another area of the PA profession remains sorely unaddressed is wellbeing; the pandemic exposed the level of burn out in profession, especially in those of us who work in inpatient and high stress specialties. Providing learning experiences focused on wellbeing and stress management would be beneficial to everyone. The number of physician assistant schools continues to rise. In my experience as a PA educator and previous PA student, I have found that most programs do not provide substantial didactic experiences focusing on surgical skills and knowledge despite several students’ desire to pursue surgical employment after graduation. The AASPA has a wonderful foundation to build surgical skills and interest within the PA student and Pre-PA student population! The current webinars and mentorship programs are a great start. By collaborating with PA programs nationwide, we could reach students who may not already know about AASPA thereby increasing membership and impact. Developing a student and a pre-PA student track makes sense. From a financial standpoint, it will drive membership, increase funding and highlight the mentorship program. Professionally, it will highlight the surgical specialty and growing opportunities within the field. An in person networking event at the annual conference could join potential employees and employers. Perhaps PA programs could hold admissions and recruitment seminars for pre PA students. Sessions on resume preparation, contract negotiation, and surgical skills could further fill the students’ days. Creating an engaging and unique experience for students will serve the organization, and the profession, well. While I feel these goals are important, I’m equally interested in the ideas of the organization and constituents. I’m dedicated to building experiences and opportunities that will best serve our community of PAs and the mission of the AASPA.

Question Title

* 2. Director of Education - Amatul Noor Ali, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C
Platform Statement:
I would like to accomplish the following, to be the intermediary between the many diverse education offerings of the Association-ensure educational activities are based on up-to-date practices that lead to well-rounded and well-trained constituents-work in collaboration with the Professional Development Director and ExecutiveEditor to assist in the education of AASPA members and promote quality improvement in surgical practice-offer Pre-PA workshops and mentor students from the ground up-help create a robust high-quality educational program for AASPA members that meet the needs and interests of our members.

Question Title

* 3. Executive Editor for the Sutureline, Alex Merkle, PA-C
Platform Statement:
Over the past year we have developed an outstanding team of associate editors and manuscript reviewers that has allowed us to restart publication of the Sutureline. As always, there is still much work to be done going forward. Our strategic goals over the next year are to publish the Sutureline twice annually and continue to curate hard hitting content that comes from YOU (our members) and is directly relevant to your practice and the patients you help care for. Our biggest goal for the next year is to be able to collect and review enough original research manuscripts so that we will be eligible to submit for PUBMED indexing. This will allow our members to submit their manuscripts to the Sutureline and become eligible for PUBMED citations for their resumes and CVs. Additionally, we have a deployment timeline for increasing our 'student corner' section of the journal with our student associate editor. This section will allow students to submit their papers and invited pieces that have the potential to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of our future surgical PA leaders.

Question Title

* 4. Director of Professional Development, Ashley Sclafani, PA-C
Platform Statement:
As prospective Professional Development Director of the AASPA, I would like to collaborate and partner with other surgical PA organizations in hopes to enhance learning for the surgical PA. To my knowledge, the surgical PA profession is represented through only several specialty organizations, including the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, Physician Assistants in Orthopedic Surgery, and Association of PAs in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. By fostering new relations with these organizations will not only provide focused surgical material and skill workshops, but also aid in increasing the awareness of the surgical PA profession and its subspecialties. We could invite the societies to speak at the annual CME meeting, construct hands-on workshops directed towards the surgical discipline, and participate in webinar series. Further, I want to strengthen the AASPA’s relationship with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as the PA-surgeon relationship is integral to surgical practice. By augmenting this partnership would potentially increase PA representation at the ACS Clinical Congress by gaining the opportunity to co-host congress events, panel discussions, and poster presentations.

Question Title

* 5. Treasurer, Veronica Victorian, PA-C
Platform Statement:
I am honored to submit my platform for AASPA Treasurer starting in 2022. I have been a member of AASPA since the start of my career in 2010. I have served as a representative for the CME Committee, been a guest lecturer and assisted with multiple Wound Closure courses at AASPA annual meetings. I am the current Director of Education for AASPA for this previous 2-year term.

I received my doctorate degree in Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg, VA and my master’s degree in Medical Science as a PA in 2010 from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Myers, Florida. Currently, I am a Physician Assistant in Pediatric General Surgery in Houston, TX where I have been since I graduated. I am an Assistant Director of APPs (Advanced Practice Providers) in the Department of Surgery, overseeing all quality, safety and research efforts for the department. Clinically, I lead the Bowel Management Program as part of our Colorectal and Pelvic Health Program as well as run an independent clinic in specialty care. I was also appointed Assistant Professor for Baylor College of Medicine in 2017. I have been a preceptor to students and all levels of trainees. I lead multiple committees and serve on the organizational medical Staff as the first APP ever on the medical staff.

In December of 2021, I was appointed Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the work that I have led as the founder and Chair of the Surgery APP Diversity Council for my institution. I have a certification from the Academy for Communications in Healthcare as a DEI facilitator in addition to my certification as a Relationship-Centered Communications facilitator. I have led and facilitated communications courses as well as facilitated DEI trainings for medical residents.

With my experience, I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the Board as Treasurer for AASPA. The PA profession has continually grown exponentially and I plan to continue to be a part of that growth with AASPA.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read my platform and for considering me for this position.

Question Title

* 6. Director of Marketing, Mike Llewellyn, PA-C, FAPACVS
Platform Statement:
I would like to make the AASPA Synonymous with Surgical PAs. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently ~133,00 practicing PAs in the US. With somewhere between 30-40% of practicing PAs working in surgery and surgical subspecialties, this leaves a membership potential of at least 40,000 surgical PAs. What's more, I intend to use the AASPA platform to recruit aspiring Physician Assistants to the operating room and surgical wards.

In 2 years I brought The Massachusetts General Hospital from a fledgling robotic surgery program, to a robust and leading center across several specialties. Although surgical skill and trustworthiness on behalf of my team contributed to the growth, much of the success can be attributed to marketing and brand-building. From marketing the brand new job to PAs, to building a robotic surgery marketing strategy with senior leadership, my current role has given me robust experience in marketing and branding. I look forward to bringing my skill set to the AASPA and the board, but also continuing to develop my surgical and nonprofit marketing and branding knowledge.

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