OHSU PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM FACULTY & STAFF 2020 Interviews | PA23 Cohort Faculty Christopher RA Sim, D.Sc, PA-C, DFAAPA Gopal Allada, MD Pat Kenney-Moore, EdD, PA-C Lillian Navarro-Reynolds, MS, PA-C José Guillén, MHS, PA-C Stacey Merz, MPAS, PA-C W. Patrick Bowden, MMS, PA-C Sarah Drummond, EdD Meet the Brianna Hanson, MS, MPAP, PA-C Shannon Anderson, MPAS, PA-C Claire Hull, MHS, PA-C team Emily Jacobsen, MPAS, PA-C Katie Caba, MHS, PA-C FACULTY & STAFF Gina Jones, MS, PA-C Staff Dawn McNeill, M.Ed. Colleen Schierholtz, MS Julie Carlson Bob DeBarge, MFA Michelle Eigner Jami Keene Jill Fitzpatrick
Oregon Health & Science University | PA Program Christopher RA Sim, D.Sc, PA-C, DFAAPA DIVISION HEAD AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Dr. Sim brings a wealth of experience to OHSU and the PA Program including 30 years of clinical experience in emergency medicine in academic, community and military facilities. He was previously the associate program director and assistant professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at MGH Institute of Health Professions. He received his doctor of science from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, MS in physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, BS in health science from Drexel University, and BS in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco. Dr. Sim is also a U.S. Army veteran. Gopal Allada, MD MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Dr. Allada was born and raised in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate and medical school education. From there, he completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1998, he began his pulmonary and critical care fellowship at OHSU. He has since become board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care, and sleep medicine. He currently serves as the general pulmonary clinic director, pulmonary clinic quality improvement director, the OHSU adult cystic fibrosis director and the medical director of the OHSU Physician Assistant school. In addition, he participates in clinical research trials for promising cystic fibrosis therapies. He serves on the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) Center committee, the national CFF Education committee and is a board member of the Oregon Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING FOR THE PA PROGRAM
The best thing about the PA program are the people (faculty, staff, and students). Everyone is really trying to make the world a better place in a collaborative way! I love finding the key for how a learner learns best and getting them to learn a new thing!
WHAT I LIKE TO DO IN PORTLAND
Hike! And trail run. Favorite restaurants include Andina, Bolywood Theater, Acadia.
WHAT I LOVE TO DO ON A RAINY DAY
Watch movies and cook. Pat Kenney-Moore, EdD, PA-C ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Pat Kenney-Moore joined the OHSU PA Program in April 1995 prior to the matriculation of the inaugural class and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the academic curriculum. She served as the Academic Coordinator until 2018 and continues as the Associate Director of the program. She is responsible for course directing a number of courses and is a frequent lecturer throughout the academic year.
She is a graduate of the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at the University of Southern California (USC). She subsequently completed a Master of Science degree in Postsecondary, Adult and Continuing Education and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership: Postsecondary Education from Portland State University. Pat’s clinical background includes family medicine and general internal medicine and she continues to maintain a part time clinical practice at a free clinic with an underserved patient population. At OHSU, Pat was recently promoted to Professor in the Division of Physician Assistant Education - the first physician assistant at OHSU to achieve that academic distinction. WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT TEACHING
Being a guide on their path to their chosen career and hearing from them later about the impact the program had on their professional development. Students have taught me so much and I am honored to be part of their journey. I look forward to meeting each new class! WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING AT OHSU Seeing the incredible growth of the program since its inception in 1995 and seeing all of the success of our graduates who are providing exceptional healthcare around the United States. Time has flown from our first graduating class of 11! I am also thrilled with the growth of the PA profession here at OHSU – when I arrived, there were only a handful of PAs, and now they are integrated throughout the clinical services on campus. SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO In person music events, plays, festivals – all sadly on hold for now. Each year I eagerly look forward to the Waterfront Blues Fest – several nonstop days of all kinds of blues held on a downtown lawn near the Willamette River. The following weekend is the Oregon Country Fair where I can return to my hippie roots. Love to travel as well – my current favorite destination is New York City. Can’t wait to go back! Lillian Navarro-Reynolds, MS, PA-C DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC EDUCATION
I’m the Director of Academic Education and have been with the OHSU PA program for about 4 and a half years now. Prior to moving back to Oregon to be closer to family I lived in England and started in PA education with St George’s University of London. I completed my PA training at Northeastern University in Boston, practiced family medicine in Seattle for a bit and then practiced Endocrinology in Hawaii. I currently provide care to seasonal vineyard workers around Oregon as part of a mobile healthcare team.
I live just south of Portland with my husband, two kids and two dogs. We enjoy hiking, trips to the coast and camping. When we can’t be outside we love cooking and crafting and since quarantine started working on endless 1000 piece puzzles. I look forward to meeting you! Good luck and I hope you enjoy getting to know each other and the program. José Guillén, MHS, PA-C CO-DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL EDUCATION
Jose Panaderia Enrique Danger Guillen Subtle Rodriguez was born in the wilds of a Texas/Mexico bordertown. He was, by all accounts, a strange child, curious by nature and just as eager to dissect a roadkill armadillo as he was to (unwisely, it turns out) explore a fire ant mound. He quickly realized that additional weirdness was to be found beyond the borders of his native home, and moved to Portland to begin his protean career at Reed College. Since then, he has earned degrees in various flavors from PSU and Emory University, with many a road less traveled, in-between.
As a testament to his refusal to be limited by a single path (or good sense), he has worked in education, research, public health, and medicine, often practicing these in tandem with his hobbies: international travel, nerding, bicycling and dance. Highlights from his resume include multiple international public health research projects, coordinating and presenting sexual health curriculum at LGTBQIA and Poly/Kink conferences, Adventures in Rural Primary Care, and selling vacuum cleaners door to door. He reads voraciously (usually sci-fi and fantasy), is a sucker for pastries, and his favorite Ninja Turtle is Donatello. Despite being the proud father of a two year old mischief maker, he is still coming to terms with being “adult,” and firmly believes that silliness and responsibility are not mutually exclusive, but instead key elements to a balanced, happy life. He is enthusiastically Out as a queer, polyamorous, nerd, and is supportive of any individual who wishes to live their life in the open.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT TEACHING
I very much enjoy exploring, not what a person thinks they know, but why they know it, and how they came to believe it, in the first place.
WHAT I LOVE TO DO ON A RAINY DAY
Any boardgame that is sufficiently crunchy (complicated) that it takes 2-4 hours to play, and results in me pondering for days afterwards how I could have employed different strategies to win or win more efficiently. Alternately, playing a rousing round of Magic: The Gathering, preferably the Elder Dragon Highlander variant, with 2-4 friends.
MY FAVORITE PORTLAND RESTAURANTS
Best donuts: The buttermilk glazed at Angel’s Donuts, on NE Alberta Best burrito: The Red Wet Burrito with carne asada at Que Sabroso, on N Williams Best pho: The #9 at Pho Hung, on SE Powell Best ramen: The Spicy Red Miso at Boxer Ramen, on NE Alberta Stacey Merz, MPAS, PA-C CO-DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL EDUCATION
Stacey Merz joined the faculty in July 2020, along with Jose Guillen, as the co-director of clinical education. She is a proud 2006 graduate of the OHSU PA program. After graduation she began working, like many a medical nerd before her, in an outpatient internal medicine practice in Newport on the central Oregon Coast. In 2014 she moved to a rural health clinic in Lincoln City, and happily specialized in the grouchiest patients in town. Prior to PA school, she tried her hand at being a master’s level student in cultural anthropology, a storyteller in Ireland, a white water river guide on the Colorado plateau, a physiology teaching assistant, and every medical job she could convince to hire her. She helped deliver babies, took vitals, entered orders in the ED and med/surg floors, bathed patients and worked through their post-stroke physical therapy in their homes, provided first aid in the backcountry, and had surgeons throw dirty instruments (pre-behavioral policies) in her direction. As well as several other medical and non- medical jobs. She loves working with the clinical year team to convince preceptors that they are going to love taking OHSU PA students, and coaching the students to deal with the challenges of the clinical year. Since onboarding in July in the middle of the pandemic, she has only gone to her actual office on campus twice. Her favorite thing about working in the pandemic is that she can wear her wool slippers all day long.
In her free time, Stacey enjoys spending time with her family, coaching soccer, spending time in her garden, whitewater rafting and camping. Seriously, she will nerd out if you want to talk about any of these topics, especially soccer. Go Thorns and USWNT and Liverpool! In addition to the above, Stacey has been accused of having the loudest laugh people have ever heard. Her children use it to locate her in large crowds and her patients found it comforting to know she was somewhere in the clinic, even if on the complete other side. She pretty much laughs most of the time, because life is funny, even when super hard if you look at it the right way. Plus laughing makes you feel good. She also has almost no pictures of herself as an adult because she’s the one always taking the pictures. W. Patrick Bowden, MMS, PA-C PRINCIPAL FACULTY
I grew up in rural northwestern North Carolina in the cities of King and Walnut Cove. My first job was bussing tables at a seafood restaurant when I was 14. I took this job in order to save enough money to be able to go with a group from high school to Europe for 2 weeks. I quickly learned that I would need additional jobs to finance this trip so I began mowing lawns and was hired that summer by my Pediatrician, Dr. Stone, to work in her office. I continued to work with Dr. Stone throughout high school, college and PA school. All those of jobs were totally worth it for those 2 weeks in Europe and ignited my passion for travel! I have particularly enjoyed my travels in Mexico, Central and South America.
I completed my undergraduate and PA training at Wake Forest University. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Social Work and Social Research at Portland State University. My research interests are moving towards the intersection of sexuality with neurodiversity and folx with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT TEACHING
I enjoy the relationships that develop from teaching as well as the continual learning. Students come from such a wide array of backgrounds and have so much to share. I am constantly learning and growing alongside them. I am naturally curious and love to engage in discussions and debates. Sarah Drummond, EdD PRINCIPAL FACULTY
Sarah Drummond, the Director of Research and Assessment, joined the OHSU faculty in 2015. She teaches the Community Outreach Project, which is the Master’s Capstone for the PA Program and does assessment, accreditation, and educational research. She is interested in how students learn and how educators define and measure learning outcomes. She values evidence-based educational practices and enjoys working with data and creating data visualizations.
Prior to working at OHSU, she attended the University of Puget Sound and read English Literature. She studied education at Lewis and Clark College, where she received a Master’s in Teaching in Language Arts, and Portland State University (PSU), where she earned a Master’s in education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education.
At PSU, she worked as a research assistant on a multi-institutional study on undergraduate advising, which she still consults on today. Her dissertation was on factors that facilitate master’s student success, specifically looking at the role of advising.
When she is not at work, Sarah can be found reading, visiting bookstores and libraries, drinking tea, hiking, and hanging out with her two teenage daughters, Emiko & Mia, and their various pets. Brianna Hanson, MS, MPAP, PA-C PRINCIPAL FACULTY
I was born and raised in California but when I married my spouse, who I met in Los Angeles, I also married the PNW. Within the initial five minutes of our first date he told me that he would eventually be moving back home to Oregon. It took four years, a wedding, a PA degree, and a baby but he finally made it back here. That was nine years ago and now we have a house with a garden, another kid, and grandparents who like to babysit so he is feeling pretty confident that we won’t ever be returning to California. He’s not wrong. Grandparents who are close enough to baby sit are worth their weight in gold.
When our students from California come here and start lamenting the lack of sunshine I am person they are told to see because I am always the one who understands what that is like and the one who will always share my light box. Portland may not have a lot of sunshine six months out of the year but it has plenty of other things that make up for it. I legitimately believe that it is the most beautiful state in the nation. If you like to spend time outside this is the place for you and I am always happy to recommend day trips and hikes. If you don’t like to spend time outside this is also the place for you (or, it will be, when we are all allowed to be inside together again) because there is always a weird and wonderful corner of the city to explore. I can recommend those places to you as well but they are likely to have a play area for kids and/or be related to a dessert of some kind.
I’ve been a PA for ten years (graduated from USC Keck School of Medicine in 2010) and the last four of those have been as faculty here. My favorite part of being a PA has always been the patient education side of the job so it is no surprise that I love my role as a PA educator. There are so many things about this job that I appreciate but if I was had to narrow it down to the two things that mean the most to me they would be that 1) with each cohort of students I get to meet new incredible humans and 2) I love my working with my colleagues. I get to laugh and learn something new every day. I like to think that all of our students are able to say the same thing about the being in the OHSU PA Program. Shannon Anderson, MPAS, PA-C FACULTY
I’m a 2010 graduate of the OHSU PA Program and have worked in the Parkinson Center of Oregon and Movement Disorders Program since graduation. I am the Deep Brain Stimulation program coordinator and run the Newly Diagnosed Workshop for patients with Parkinson’s disease. I work as part-time faculty for the PA program, teaching first year students and as a preceptor for second year students.
I grew up in Portland and went to college on the east coast at Boston College. I lived there for a few years before moving back home to Portland. I have a 3 year old daughter Nora and a 5 year old son Evan.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING AT OHSU
The number one answer is the community. I feel completely supported by my coworkers professionally and personally. Everyone on the team is valued, and everyone on the team is approachable. Questions are encouraged and never judged. We also know how to not take ourselves too seriously and have some fun.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OREGON
Too many things to list! There are pockets of “recharge your batteries” for everyone whether that be the mountains, the beach, the forest, a coffee shop, an eclectic bookshop, a delicious meal. There’s an opportunity to de-stress for just about anyone. Claire Hull, MHS, PA-C FACULTY
I graduated from the Duke University PA program in 1995. After completing PA school I worked at the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Community Health Clinic on the coast of Oregon. This was a great place to begin my career as a physician assistant, and I really loved my job. While I was there, the OHSU PA program was established. I became involved in the program right away, volunteering as a clinical preceptor, admissions committee member, and guest lecturer. My husband at the time decided to do a fellowship training program, and we ended up moving to Birmingham, Alabama. I accepted a faculty position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham PA program, and my career in PA education began!
I have been in PA education for 20 years! I served as the Academic Coordinator at UAB and Yale University PA programs. In 2006 I moved back to Oregon and joined the faculty at OHSU. Shortly after I arrived, I became the Clinical Coordinator the program, and I served in that role up until 2018. Last year, I decided to return to full time clinical practice, but I still work with the OSHU PA program on a part-time basis. Currently, my role with the OHSU PA program is to support both the didactic and clinical year. I am still very involved with admissions, curriculum development and assessments, clinical rotation development, lectures, and pretty much wherever I am needed! I love teaching and mentoring students. Being a part of the transformation of our students over 26 months is rewarding and exciting. Seeing our graduates being so successful in their careers and giving back to the profession by teaching the next generation of students really warms my heart!
I have also been very involved in the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and the National Commission for the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). My involvement has provided rich opportunities for professional development and service to the profession. One of things that drew me to the PA profession was the ability to work in different specialties. I have maintained a clinical practice in addition to my teaching responsibilities. I have practice in family medicine, hospital medicine, emergency medicine and urgent care medicine. With the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been doing much more telehealth medicine as well. Medicine is an ever-changing career that requires a lot of flexibility and humility, and this year in particular has really put these attributes to the test! It is part of the appeal and challenge of this profession.
Now to tell you a little bit about me, personally. I am the middle of 7 children. My family is English. I was born on the island of Malta, which was at one time a British colony. It had been a dream of my parents to move to the United States, and we did so when I was 5 years old. I spent most of my early childhood in Iowa and then moved to Colorado for my high school years. I attended Carroll College in Helena where I graduated with a biology degree. It had been a dream of mine to practice medicine ever since I can remember, but it wasn't until I was out of college and working as a clinical research assistant that I discovered the PA profession. I am so glad I did! Instead of going to medical school I decided to become a PA. I have no regrets ~ I have had a wonderful career...so far!
I have two grown sons. One is pursuing a career as a clinical psychologist, and the other is starting college next year and still not sure what he wants to do. I love to travel and have been fortunate to go to some amazing places. My favorite places have been New Zealand and Ireland. I also love Italy, Prague, Victoria BC, Hawaii, Greece...Still on my bucket list are Croatia, Slovenia, Scotland, Switzerland, France, and Australia. I have been to every state in the U.S. except Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and West Virginia. There are a lot of places want to visit in the U.S. as well (Grand Canyon, Big Sur, the aforementioned states). In my free time I enjoy reading (mostly fiction, memoirs and biographies), baking, knitting, paper quilling, playing board games, and going to Portland Blazers and Portland Timbers games. Emily Jacobsen, MPAS, PA-C FACULTY
I’m originally from Santa Cruz, California. No I don’t surf but I do love the ocean, and the redwoods. I went to undergraduate at The Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. Evergreen has no grades and also allows you to create your own classes called “individual contracts”. If you create a class and get a professor to agree to proctor it then you can do it. The most unusual college quarter I had was one where I did an individual contract to study medical Spanish which I did while rafting down the grand canyon for 35 days in the Winter. At Evergreen I met a PA for the first time and began considering that as a career path. After graduating from Evergreen I spent time working in as many medical positions as possible to try and figure out what I wanted to do for graduate school. I worked as a medical assistant, EMT and scrub tech. Ultimately I decided on training to become a PA and graduated from the OHSU PA program in 2004.
Since graduating I have worked in family medicine at the OHSU Richmond Clinic. Richmond is an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) serving the urban underserved in SE Portland. I have very much enjoyed caring for patients of all ages and also over their changing lives. Since I have been in practice for 15 years now I have seen children grow into adults and have their own children and have the privilege to care for the next generation. I have also helped patients through many life changes be they joyous of difficult. In the last 5 years I expanded my skill set to include care of gender diverse populations and have found this to be a very fun, interesting and rewarding addition to my practice. In addition to my clinical work I have been a part time faculty member with the PA program since 2006. I enjoy teaching both in the classroom and in clinic very much and find it to be as challenging as it is rewarding. I most enjoy teaching modalities that involve active learning on the part of the student and facilitate development of clinical reasoning.
In my spare time I am kept busy enjoying the joys and challenges of everyday life with my husband Jason, my daughter Lyla (11) and son Connor (14). When I find a moment to myself I am often found running, going for walk or on my bike. I bike commute whenever I can including through the winter which is wet but otherwise mild. I also enjoy throwing pottery (mugs are my favorite) and knitting (hats are my specialty). I am vegetarian and try to eat relatively healthy. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes and flavors.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT PORTLAND
My favorite time in Oregon is late summer and early fall. I love these times for the fairly consistent sunshine and the abundant harvest of delicious foods coming from gardens and farmers markets. My favorite restaurants in Portland are Por Que No (Mexican) and Bollywood Theatre (Indian) both are very casual atmospheres with order at the counter service. Katie Caba, MHS, PA-C REGIONAL COORDINATOR My name is Katie Caba. I graduated from the Duke University Physician Assistant Program with my husband in 2001. We returned to our home in Bend, Oregon, where I worked in primary care medicine and later in orthopedic surgery. I have served on the OHSU clinical team for 15 years as a regional coordinator in Central Oregon. One of my primary roles is to establish fantastic clinical experiences in my region. [And yes, I certainly have recruited my husband and his urgent care team]. I also have the privilege of serving as the AHEC Scholars liaison.
Jeff and I have four active boys---ages 17, 15, 13 and 7. We love to ski, hike, run, climb and bike the Cascade Mountain tails in our backyard. My family is also passionate about our partnerships/friendships in East Africa. We have taken multiple medical teams to Uganda over the years and look forward to getting back there soon.
You have chosen a wonderful profession. Best of luck in the journey! Gina Jones, MS, PA-C REGIONAL COORDINATOR
Greetings! I was born in Austin, Minnesota (Go Vikings and Twins!) and cannot remember a time in my life when I wanted to do anything other than practice medicine. I attended Creighton University, where I majored in Exercise Science. I decided to stay in Omaha to attend the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) for PA school. I married my high school sweetheart in 2004 and we moved to southern Oregon two days later. Neither of us had jobs and I'd never been to Oregon-I just knew I wanted to live there! I graduated from UNMC that December and took a job at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). I transitioned to an outpatient endocrinology practice from 2008-2013 (while still working at La Clinica a couple of days a month). In 2014, I transitioned to an inpatient GI position, where I still practice three days a week. Lateral mobility and the ability to practice part time- I love being a PA!
I joined the OHSU PA Program as their Southern Oregon Regional Coordinator in 2012. In that role, I advise students during the clinical year, assess students during OSCEs, and establish and maintain rotation sites in southern Oregon. I also do work with admissions. I absolutely LOVE working with this fantastic faculty and staff, and feel fortunate to be able to work with OHSU while still practice clinically. As much as I enjoy working with students during their time at OHSU, one of my favorite parts of working at OHSU is hearing from students AFTER graduation-I love when they tell me where they are working, ask for advice, or share pictures of their adventures as a PA!
My husband (he was a teacher and went back to school to be a pharmacist) and I have two children, Carwyn (born 2012) and Graham (born 2014). In my spare time, I love running, playing violin at church, reading, listening to podcasts, hiking, camping, and teaching fitness classes at one of our local gyms. Dawn McNeill, M.Ed. DIVISION ADMINISTRATOR
I was born and raised in the Boston, MA area and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2010 to escape the brutal New England winters. I have a Master’s in Education, Higher Education Administration specialization from Northeastern University and nearly 30 years of experience in non-profit and higher education administration. My past employers include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Project Adventure, Inc. and Tufts University, School of Medicine.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING AT OHSU
My favorite thing about working at OHSU and the PA Program is contributing to the education of our future healthcare workforce, plus the people I work with are amazing!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OREGON
I love Oregon’s seasons…we get a true spring (unlike New England’s notorious “mud season”), lingering and beautiful summers and lovely crisp fall weather that usually stretches into November and December (I do miss NH/VT foliage though). Colleen Schierholtz, MS DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS & RECRUITMENT
I have had the privilege of being with the program since the beginning, November, 1994. I grew up in Southern Oregon and moved to Portland to pursue my undergrad degree at Portland State University. I’ve since completed a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy degree, also at PSU. I enjoy working with prospective students from their initial inquiries to matriculation, as well as working with community college and university advisors. I’m involved with OHSU in other areas including the Student Health Advisory Committee and several admissions/recruitment focused committees.
Portland is an ideal location – it’s within a few hours’ drive of both the beautiful Pacific Ocean beaches and the numerous hiking/Nordic ski trails of the Cascade Mountains (also Alpine skiing if that’s your preference). Family is a big part of my life, so that’s where I’m usually found most evenings and weekends – with family celebrating something, hiking, exploring, wine tasting, watching college sports, quilting, baking. Julie Carlson ADMISSIONS & RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR
I am a born and raised Oregonian. I attended Oregon State University where I received my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. I have worked at OHSU since 2011 in a few different roles before finding my home with the PA program in 2015. My role with the program is to work with prospective applicants/students up until their matriculation into the program. I am actively involved in recruitment, application reviews, interviews, and onboarding.
I live in the suburbs with my husband, daughter, and 2 cats. I am a Harry Potter enthusiast, reality TV junkie (competition shows, mostly), and lifelong Backstreet Boys fangirl.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT WORKING AT OHSU
My favorite thing about working in the PA program is being part of helping our prospective students achieve their goals. I enjoy the relationships that I build with our students from the beginning of their educational journey through their graduation from PA school. Bob DeBarge, MFA EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR
Bob is the program's Education and Technology Coordinator. He has been with the program since 2004 and has over 20 years of academic experience, having worked at several institutions across the country. He works in conjunction with the Director of Academic Education to schedule lectures in the academic year, handles department IT, and deals with a myriad of course coordination issues. Michelle Eigner CLINICAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR I am from California originally but moved to Oregon when I was elementary age. After high school my family moved back to California but I stayed for college. I am a huge Oregon Ducks fan. I have twin girls and a wonderful husband. We enjoy outdoor sports such as mountain biking, skiing, and climbing.
I have worked at OHSU since 2001 as an Epic Analyst, Residency Coordinator and beginning in 2008, a Clinical Education Coordinator for the PA program. I work with the second year students in their clinical phase.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OREGON My favorite thing about Oregon is the beach and the mountains are close. There is always something to do outdoors. Jami Keene SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR
Hi, welcome to OHSU and Portland. I’m a native Oregonian, born and raised in SW Portland. I attended University of Oregon in Eugene – Go Ducks! I am married (my husband went to Oregon State, but I love him anyway) and have 2 daughters who are in 4th and 8th grades. We added a puppy to the family this summer, a husky named Cobalt, who is lucky to be so cute because he can be very naughty.
Despite the fact that Portland has been my home most of my life, I love to travel. Some of my favorite trips have been to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Lake Como in Italy, Hong Kong, and Washington DC. In Oregon, I love the north coast and the Columbia Gorge. While I love and appreciate all the outdoor beauty and recreation that is available here in the NW, I’m not a camper or outdoorswoman. I think the image of Oregon is one of rugged living, but there are many of us who like nice hotels, good restaurants, and opportunities to get fancy – but probably not too fancy, because it is Portland after all!
I started working at the PA program in 2002. It is a great program lead by smart, creative, hard- working, and generous faculty and staff. I am impressed by the accomplished, compassionate, and diverse people who are drawn to our program and the PA profession. My experience has primarily been in the clinical year, so I get to see the positive impact our students have on outside providers and practices during rotations. I take pride in contributing to our students’ education because I think PAs are integral to the future of medicine. I’ve worked here so long that my family members have been taken care of by “my” graduates. And they are fabulous! Jill Fitzpatrick ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Jill joined the program in 2014. She came to the program after many years of experience working with students in the OHSU Registrar's Office. She works in all aspects of the program from admissions to the academic year, as well as the clinical phase.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WORKING AT OHSU My favorite thing about working for the PA program is the people I get to work with.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OREGON I love the fresh air and clean water.
MY FAVORITE PORTLAND RESTAURANTS I like finding vegan friendly places to eat such as Aviv, Luc Lac and Sizzle Pie (and Sauce in Ashland).
MY FAVORITE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES I’ve taken up running and am quite slow!