We would like to encourage all Fellow members to participate in the AAPA Board of Trustees (BOT) election. Voting has been extended through Monday, October 31, 2022 at 11:59 pm CDT. Fellow members who have not yet voted either online or onsite at the 47th Annual Conference in Minneapolis are invited to cast their vote online via SurveyMonkey (check your email for the ballot). If you did not receive, or cannot locate, the ballot invite, please contact us at [email protected] for alternate means to vote.
To learn more about a candidate, click on their name above to be taken to their feature page. For this election, you will be able to cast your vote for up to three of four candidates.
Results will be announced later in the year, and elected members will begin their terms in January 2023.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
Organization: Comprehensive Pathology Associates
Location: Miami, FL
Fellow Member Since: 2007
Current AAPA Position: BOT Incumbent, Vice Chair/Secretary
Please tell the AAPA membership about yourself, and describe your past volunteer work.
I am a graduate of the Rosalind Franklin University PA program class of 2006. I started volunteering with the AAPA at the inception of the Grossing Guidelines in the “bone” subsection. This opportunity led me to be the Speaker Liaison for Dr. Allan Schiller at the New York conference in 2013 and to join the Education Committee as the Vice Chair. While serving as the Education Vice Chair, I also served as the Speaker Recruitment Chair. I had the privilege of recruiting speakers for numerous Fall and Spring Conferences. I served as the Education Committee chair leading up to and during the transition to the increase of our CE requirements. I was asked to fill a vacant position on the BOT for one year prior to being elected to my first term where I currently hold the Executive Council Vice Chair position on the BOT.
Why are you interested in serving on the AAPA BOT?
I am interested in serving a second term on the AAPA BOT because I have a passion for being part of impacting the future of our profession. Serving on the board allows me to serve the PA community on a broader scale. I have had the privilege to serve as the Vice Chair of the board these last two years. There are so many ongoing activities that I would like to see to completion. It has been a very rewarding time, and there is so much more work still to be done.
What is your understanding of the mission and vision of this organization?
The AAPA is the premier organization to provide everything the PA needs from student to seasoned veteran to provide the best patient care. There is no other organization better suited to collaborate with outside professional organizations and advocate for our members. There is no one better to provide PA-specific education than the PA volunteers that are in the field day in and day out.
What do you think should be the most important priority for AAPA?
As the premier organization for Pathologists’ Assistants, the top priority for the AAPA should be to continue to support our members through advocacy and education. This includes continuing to develop relationships and educate our healthcare partners about who we are and what we do. This is evident in multiple areas that directly impact our profession from hospital administrators to government officials responsible for legislation and being able to carve out a niche for us in the field of forensics. I feel advocacy has never reared its head more than in these last few years.
Is there a particular area that you feel could be improved within AAPA?
The area of the AAPA that I am excited to see grow is education. The education committee has been working so hard on so many large exciting projects like the preceptor program. Varied offerings and programs can really make a difference in the education quality for our members.
What is the biggest challenge your lab faces today?
The biggest challenge my lab faces today is the continued understaffing since the pandemic struck. At the same time, our lab faces high formalin levels that required collaborating with hospital administrators, safety personnel, and outside vendors to remedy the problem.