Sara Nicely graduated from Roanoke College with a degree in Biology and Medical Technology in 2000. She then received her PA degree from Jefferson College of Health Sciences (now Radford University) in 2002, and she earned a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies from University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2007. She advanced her education by earning the Doctor of Health Education degree at A.T. Still University in 2015. The focus of her dissertation was on developing an oral health curriculum for PA students.

Sara is now the Department Chair and Program Director for the Department of PA Studies at Radford University on the Radford University Carilion campus in Roanoke. She has worked in education since 2010. Sara's clinical background is in surgical fields, and she still works in Surgical Critical Care at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital one day per week.

Sara assumed the role of President-Elect for VAPA in 2020, and she looks forward to contributing to professional advancements in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has developed a passion for the education and support of the PA profession and feels it important that all PAs know the history of the profession and the work that still needs to be done to allow all PAs to practice at the top of their education and licensure.

Dr. Bolin completed his PhD in biochemistry studying cholesterol metabolism and received his MD from the University of Illinois. He completed a Family Medicine Residency at Michigan State and then a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with the doctors for the Panthers and Steelers. Since coming to Roanoke in 2002, he has been an Associate Professor at the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg. He has served as team physician for Virginia Tech Athletics and currently is team physician for Salem High School, Radford University, and Roanoke College.

David J. Sullivan, MHS PA-C
Associate Faculty at Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Research Assistant at Carilion Clinic

Was a Paramedic in NC for 20+ years including time as a training officer, flight paramedic and director of a regional transport service.

Graduated from JCHS PA program in 2002
has been working at Carilion Clinic 12 years in Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology departments.

Laura Hart has been a practicing PA since 1986. After graduating from UVA with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, she attended the University of Kentucky PA program in Lexington KY. After a brief stint in West Virginia, she returned to Salem Va and practiced Geriatrics and Internal Medicine at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 1988 through 2021.

In 2010 , she attended the Program in Palliative Care Education at Harvard Medical School, and found her passion in hospice and palliative medicine. She helped develop the Hospice Unit at the VAMC, and began teaching at the state PA programs as well as in the community about the importance of advanced directives and comfort care.

In October 2021, she retired from the VAMC, but quickly flunked retirement, and now works at Good Samaritan Palliative Care and Hospice.

Mr. Largay is currently employed by AstraZeneca, as a Senior Medical Science Liaison, in Cardiovascular-Metabolic Diseases, with U.S. Medical Affairs for the states of North and South Carolina

Prior to this he was a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Medicine, at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where he worked in the outpatient clinic in the Diabetes Care Center for 19 years where he managed complex patients. He also served as a sub-investigator in their Clinical Trials Program.

He graduated from the Hahnemann University PA Program in 1991.

In the past he has been a content expert for the AAPA and assisted in developing what is now the Diabetes Leadership Edge CME Program.

Mike is currently employed at Virginia Orthopaedics in Salem, VA., where he has been part of a physician-PA team with Dr. Preston Waldrop for the last 11 years. He has 14 years of total orthopedic experience. Mr. Wilson graduated from Jefferson College of Health Sciences, and received the clinical excellence award in 2000. He continues to have a strong interest in academics and is currently an Associate Professor for the Physician Assistant Program at Jefferson College and precepts PA students frequently.

Dr. Oberlender is a graduate of LaSalle College and Hahnemann Medical College, both in Philadelphia, PA. He spent two years as a general practitioner in a remote southwestern Virginia mountain community and then completed his Internal Medicine training at the University of Virginia Affiliated Program. In 1985 he joined the staff at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia and served as Chief of Geriatric Medicine from 1990 until 2003 and as Associate Chief of Staff for Education. During his tenure at the VA, Dr. Oberlender established and directed the Geriatric Evaluation Unit (GEU), served as Medical Director of the Extended Care Rehabilitation Center, and coordinated the Risk Management Program for the Department of Internal Medicine. In 2006 Dr. Oberlender retired from the VA and established a private consultative practice of Geriatric Medicine based in Roanoke, VA. He provides comprehensive in-home geriatric evaluations and independent medical evaluations of decision-making capacity. Dr. Oberlender is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and in Geriatric Medicine and is an elected Fellow of the American College of Physicians. His website is: www.SeniorEvaluations.com

high-volume total joint replacement surgery with a long history diagnosing and treating prosthetic joint infections.

I joined the U.S. Army in September of 2002. During my military experience, I completed my Associate’s degree from Methodist University and volunteered over 100 hours at the Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center, Fort Bragg, NC, as a research assistant. I also conducted research with the Psychology Department at Methodist University from collecting and analyzing data. I graduated from Methodist May 2007 with my BS in clinical psychology and this past December 2013 with my masters in medical science. I'm currently in an Emergency Medicine Advanced Clinical Practitioner Fellowship at Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, VA). My goal is to graduate next year from my Fellowship and continue to pursue ambulatory and wilderness medicine opportunities. My interest is emergency medicine, critical care, orthopedics, EMS, Wilderness/Tactical medicine, and research.

Patrick DeVane (pronounced DeVaughn) completed his Physician Assistant training at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, VA. He is currently enrolled in a fellowship in Emergency Medicine at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA. Prior to becoming a PA, he worked as an EMT for two years in Raleigh, NC. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology at North Carolina State university in Raleigh, NC.

Alissa Helvik is a family nurse practitioner who is currently completing a fellowship in Emergency Medicine at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia. Alissa was an emergency room nurse for 7 years prior to her fellowship.

Joel Bashore graduated from the US Navy/George Washington University PA Program in 1995 and spent 13 of his 24 years in the Navy as a PA in a variety of settings and locales: the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, the Naval Hospitals in Rota, Spain and Sigonella, Italy and a combat tour as medical officer for Provincial Reconstruction Team - Asadabad, Afghanistan in 2007. After retiring in 2008 he accepted a position as a PA in the Carilion Clinic Department of Emergency Medicine here in Roanoke. Since 2012 he has been the Manager for the department's 30 PAs and NPs in all 6 of their EDs. He is also a clinical instructor in emergency medicine in the PA program at Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

Kim Ford is currently the Orthopedic Technician Team Lead for Carilion Clinic Orthopedics. He has been with the Carilion Health System for 30 years and has been working with the Orthopedic Department for the past 20 years doing casting, splinting, and bracing.

He is currently over all of Carilion's Orthopedic Clinics and works with Jefferson College of Health Sciences and their Physician Assistant program providing a casting/splinting beginner course, and as as clinical instructor during the students' Orthopedic rotation. He is also very active in teaching casting and splinting classes for any interested Orthopedic practices.

I am the current director for ultrasound for the Virginia Tech-Carilion Department of Emergency Medicine and director for emergency ultrasound quality assurance for Carilion Clinic.
I completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at Boston University in 2001 and served as director for Emergency medicine ultrasound at UNC for 10 years before being lured north to Roanoke.
I teach medical students, residents, and "old dog" faculty in bedside ultrasound techniques. I look forward to teaching this session for PA's of all experience levels.