Dr. Joel Thomas Bundy is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer for Sentara Health, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. Previously he has served as Vice President of Medical Affairs for both Sentara Leigh and Sentara CarePlex hospitals, and as a Nephrologist since 1994. He is passionate about quality and completed a master's degree in healthcare quality and safety at Thomas Jefferson University, with training as a Master Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean practitioner at Villanova University. He has been very active in various leadership positions within healthcare currently serving as President for the Medical Society of Virginia, chairing several committees with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, past chair of several Medical Society of Virginia boards, past president of the medical staff at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, past president of the Chesapeake Medical Society, past delegate from Virginia to the American Medical Association. Nationally he has served on the board of the American College of Medical Quality and on the prestigious National Quality Forum patient safety committee. He has completed leadership programs including the Claude Moore Physician Leadership Institute, LEAD Peninsula, the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute, and AMPAC. Dr. Bundy has been recognized for his leadership across several organizations, among those as the Senior Leader award from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, CEO award from Sentara Health, and the Jeff Miller award for leadership and commitment to those with developmental disabilities. Dr. Bundy was commissioned to the United States Navy in 1984 and subsequently served as a General Medical Officer at Cecil Field NAS in Jacksonville, Florida and then at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth until 1997. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology, and Fellow of the American Association for Physician Leadership, and is a Certified Physician Executive through the Certifying Commission in Medical Management. He earned his medical degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in North Carolina and his bachelor's degree from Jacksonville University in Florida. He completed his Internal Medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at the University of Florida, University of California San Francisco, and the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. His free time is involved in love of all things William Shakespeare and Miles Davis, as well as trying his hand as a gentleman farmer and jazz trumpeter.

Marianna Garcia is a 2013 Physician Assistant graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School. For the past decade, she has subspecialized in Structural Heart with focus on catheter-based interventions. She has been involved in programmatic development and best practices leading to increased clinic access, reduced patient wait times, and overall increase in patient satisfaction. She has mentored prospective students as well as new hires, and has had opportunities to extend her experience and offer expertise on more national level with speaking engagements at professional conferences. Within rapidly advancing field of Structural Heart, she has participated as Sub Investigator on more than 15 clinical trials, allowing patients access to therapies not yet readily available to general population. Marianna resides in Hampton Roads with her husband and three children and enjoys traveling, and spending time with her family.

Carleigh is a nurse practitioner practicing at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia. She completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at West Virginia University in 2018. Carleigh went on to earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree in 2022 from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Wilkes University. Carleigh worked as a bedside nurse at VCU on the Cardiothoracic Surgery Stepdown Unit for 4.5 years. Now as a nurse practitioner, she specializes in thoracic and foregut surgery in the outpatient setting. She recently became certified through the American Heart Association as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist. Carleigh uses her knowledge as a TTS to help those enrolled in lung cancer screening achieve tobacco cessation. In her free time, Carleigh enjoys spending time with her Labrador retriever, Izzy.

Born in raised in Richmond, Kim completed her undergraduate education at the University of Virginia and gained clinical experience as an EMT and ER Tech. She proceeded to the Emory University PA Program and has practiced at Yale New Haven Health, a critical access hospital in southwest Virginia, and is currently at VCU Health where she splits her time between practicing clinically with Hospital Medicine and managing the APP Transition to Practice Program. Mom of 2, wife of a fellow PA, and avid runner - Kim is excited to join you all today!

Alicia Quella is the Director of Communications and PA Relations at the NCCPA. She has served as a PA educator and has practiced in emergency medicine and primary care. She has served as an epidemiologist during the pandemic and has published research on the PA workforce, global health and issues affecting diversity in PA program admissions. Alicia earned her Masters of PA Studies degree and her doctoral degree in epidemiology from the University of Iowa.

Cindy Kleckner, RDN, LD, FAND is an award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist, culinary expert and author in the Dallas area. She is an adjunct professor at Collin College's Institute for Hospitality and Culinary Education and loves teaching the importance of how to combine the science of nutrition with the art of culinary. Through her consulting business, Cindy works with numerous companies and organizations as a health educator, recipe developer, and national speaker at conferences, consumer events and corporate wellness programs. She is well-known for her culinary nutrition programs and making nutrition come alive using food and culinary skills. She is a distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a former President of the Dallas Academy and a former Media Spokesperson for the Texas Academy. She was the recipient of the 2018 Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Outstanding Nutrition Education Award. In 2017 Cindy was honored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation with the Anita Owen Award of Recognition for Innovative Nutrition Education Programs for the Public. Cindy continues to be very active in her profession in many specialty groups, including Food and Culinary Professionals, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Groups. Cindy was inducted into the prestigious Les Dames d' Escoffier in 2020 and currently serves as their Philanthropy Chair. Cindy is co-author and recipe developer for three national publications, the DASH Diet For Dummies, 2nd edition 2021, the DASH Diet For Dummies 2014 and the Hypertension Cookbook For Dummies 2011. She also developed recipes for several other books including Cooking in Harmony Dairy MAX Cookbook 2021.

Dr. David Munter is a retired Navy Captain, Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician, with an MBA from The College of William and Mary. He has held numerous leadership positions- director of 5 different Emergency Departments, Chairman of a large Academic Department, Medical Director of the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Director of TRICARE for the east coast, member of the National Board of Medical Examiners, head of Emergency Medicine for the Navy, and many more. He is the recipient of multiple leadership and teaching honors and awards. He has spoken widely on managerial/leadership issues and topics around the world- and has been both the boss and had bosses in his long career.

Michelle Kerr has been a Physician Assistant for nearly 30 years, practicing initially in primary care and then expanding to urgent care. She has been at Atrium Health in NC for 13 years, practicing clinically in urgent care, and holding a leadership position within the organization. Michelle serves as an Assistant Specialty Medical Director responsible for 10 of the 30 Atrium Health Urgent Care locations, and as Chief APP (Advanced Practice Provider) for the entire Urgent Care division, advocating and representing over 120 APPs. She actively teaches, updates, and reviews the standard of care practiceses within the Atrium Healthcare system. She serves on several system-wide and interdisciplinary committees and strategy groups.
Michelle continues to serve as adjunct faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology's PA program for over 25 years, still returning yearly to lecture even after moving to NC.

Experienced Physician Assistant with over 23 years' experience in Urgent Care medicine. I am also a Certified Professional Coder and Certified Evaluation and Management Coder for the past 8 years. I contribute articles/coding challenges to Evidenced Based Urgent Care Medicine, College of Urgent Care Medicine and the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. I present Coding Excellence to state PA conferences and other organizations. Member of Novant Health's Advanced Practice Providers Leadership team for the past 7 years.

Travis Kaufman specializes in emergency medicine, global health, and strategic medical planning. He plays a crucial role advising and training NATO and partner nations globally on optimal medical practices, with a dedication to strengthening healthcare systems for improved outcomes and international cooperation. Additionally, PA Kaufman serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Lynchburg College of Medical Science, instructing the Emergency Management and Global Health program. Entering the U.S. Army in 2000 and graduating from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) in 2012, PA Kaufman has made significant contributions serving abroad during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and European Assure Deter and Reinforce. Previously a White House Physician Assistant, he provided direct medical care to the highest levels of government officials, serving as the Senior Physician Assistant and Chief Medical Operations Officer for three Presidential administrations. In this role, he oversaw contingency medical planning for global Presidential and Vice-Presidential travel, successfully leading a team through 482 missions within the continental United States and 42 missions abroad. In July 2020, PA Kaufman earned a Doctor of Medical Science Degree (DMSc) in Emergency Medicine from the University of Lynchburg. His service has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Presidential Service Badge and the Colorado Academy of Physician Associates Leader of the Year. Additionally, he completed the White House Tactical Medical Officer fellowship in 2017. Travis is married to his wife Jamie, and they have two children, Gabriella, and Gage.

Dr. Sam Basta is a healthcare executive with a distinguished career in value-based care (VBC) transformation at a variety of healthcare organizations. Dr. Basta is currently Medical Director at ECPI University's provisionally-accredited PA Program which is anticipating matriculation of its inaugural class in 2026, and the University's Continuous Medical Education program. He is also VBC Advisor to medical technology companies. Previously, he was Chief Medical Officer at Honest Medical Group, led value-based care, population health and quality improvement at Sentara Health Plans, and was Chief Quality Officer and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Basta's VBC initiatives have been recognized nationally including a home colorectal cancer screening program that won American Cancer Society, Hall of Fame award. Dr. Basta's is the author of the weekly New Healthcare Platforms newsletter on LinkedIn with a global readership in the thousands leading to his achieving the prestigious LinkedIn TOP VOICE designation.

Laura Tice is an assistant professor at the James Madison University PA Program. She works clinically as a PA in general cardiology and has been practicing at Sentara RMH Medical Center for the past 12 years. Before joining the faculty at JMU, she served as a clinical preceptor for PA students and mentored new advanced practice providers and stress lab nurses. She resides in Bridgewater, Virginia with her husband and two children and enjoys playing volleyball.

Amanda L. Miller, DMSc, MPA, PA-C is the Lead Advance Practice Provider for Extant Healthcare, a nationwide company serving Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Critical Care programs. A graduate from Baylor University, she received her PA degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and earned her Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree from the University of Lynchburg.

Dr. Miller is currently the only PA in the country on the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) guidelines committee. She is also a Board Member for the Association of Healthcare Social Media and a member of the VAPA marketing committee.

She enjoys research and publication and has served as a content reviewer for Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and McGraw Hill; editing such texts as First Aid USMLE Step 1, BRS series and NMS Surgery. She is an editor-in-chief for PubMed StatPearls and has presented research most recently at AAST & EAST national conferences with publications in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.

Dr. Miller currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and primarily works at Chippenham Hospital. Outside of work, she enjoys attempting to cook and spending time with her husband Justin and dog Claire.

Josh has been an Orthopedic PA for 15 years, currently with OrthoVirgina in the Northern Virginia Region. He is the Director of Clinical Services overseeing the 40+ PAs an NPs in addition to managing the Ortho-on-Call orthopedic urgent care. He still enjoys operating with his physician of 12 years. He lives in Burke VA with his wife and 2 young girls, 6 and 8. His hobbies are limited to what the girls are into and what time allows. He is finishing his MBA at West Virginia University next month.

Rachel Pruitt has been a practicing PA since 2011. She worked in internal medicine with Centra Medical Group until 2017 when she joined the newly developed bariatric surgery program within the same organization. She has found the work fulfilling; where she used to chase chronic conditions with more and more medications, recommending diet and exercise with no real understanding of how to educate patients in these matters, she finds she now has the tools to better serve patients in their health and by treating obesity is able to see chronic comorbidities improve and medications be discontinued. When not working, she enjoys hiking, crocheting, and spending time with her husband, two children, and Great Dane. She was pregnant with her 2nd child during the development of this presentation, which made the topic even more near and dear to her heart, and she appreciates everyone joining her to learn about this special population.

Olushola Ilogho, MPA, PA-C, is a dedicated Hospitalist PA at Sentara Health and a committed healthcare leader with experience in patient care, APP leadership, education, and advocacy.
A 2017 graduate of the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) PA program, she serves as Chair of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee for the Virginia Academy of PAs and is a past President of the Virginia Association of Minority PAs. She is also an assistant professor and community faculty member at EVMS, contributing to the Alumni Board and serves on the Sentara Medical Group's Quality and Safety Board Advisory Committee.
Passionate about education and mentorship, Olushola precepts PA students, provides monthly education for medical-surgical nurses, and serves as an expert CME reviewer for the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). She also participated in AAPA's PAs Go Beyond project, highlighting the impact of PAs in healthcare.
She holds an Advanced Practice Provider Leadership certificate from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Lynchburg. Recognized for her contributions to advocacy, leadership, and patient care, she was named PA of the Year by the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants in 2022 and received the Woman of Distinction in Health and Science award from YWCA South Hampton Roads.
Outside of her professional commitments, Olushola enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, embracing the beauty of nature, and listening to jazz music.

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.

Blake Rogers is an early career hospitalist and critical care PA practicing in southside Virginia. He is a 2018 graduate of the James Madison University PA Program. Blake earned his DMSc in 2023 from the University of Lynchburg. Additionally, Blake is on the PA Medicine Advisory Board for the University of Lynchburg PA Program and teaches as an Adjunct Faculty for their DMSc program.

CAPT Christian Rathke DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA was commissioned in December of 2011 in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) after seven years in the US Navy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA, a Master of Medical Science with a concentration in Physician Assistant Studies from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, and a Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg focused on administrative medicine.

He began his medical career as a National Health Service Corps scholar and medical provider, where he served as the Site Director of a newly established Community Health Center in Fredonia, AZ. His leadership extended to his election as President of the local Chamber of Commerce. As the town's only full-time “Doc,” he treated all aspects of health for his patients and served as the primary consultant to the Mayor for Public Health concerns in the town. He then specialized in cardiology for five years at Pensacola Naval Hospital in Florida and chaired the hospital's CHF practice guidelines committee. CAPT Rathke is also an Aerospace Physiologist, Dive Medical Officer, and educator training over 3,000 pilots and aircrew, the Blue Angels, and NASA Astronauts in all aspects of human performance in high-risk operational environments. As a subject matter expert in flight physiology and hypoxia, he served two years as an instructor for the US Navy Flight Surgeon program and a collaborative published researcher and instructor for the Army Air Warrior Program. Trained in public health crisis management, he has been deployed with the USPHS to respond to public health emergencies. As a USPHS Officer, his four assignments thus far have all been with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). His prior NOAA position was with the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), serving NOAA's 12,000 employees as the Director of Office of Health Services with a portfolio of five medical programs, including Aviation Medicine, Behavioral Health, Dive Medicine, Marine Medicine, and NOAA Corps Medical Affairs. CAPT Rathke was also the COVID-19 response medical lead for the Department of Commerce and NOAA for two and a half years. Starting May 2022 as the Director of Total Worker Health, he now leads a unique comprehensive organizational approach to federal workforce support, healthy work design, and a health-in-all policies framework for the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) within NOAA and across multiple federal sectors.

Award highlights include the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal, NOAA Administrator's Award (2), PHS Outstanding Service Medal, PHS Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Fred Wu, MHS, PA-C has been an emergency medicine PA for 20 years. He is the founding program director of the Emergency Medicine PA Residency at the University of California San Francisco - Fresno and the Lead APP in the Department of Emergency Medicine. In addition to his clinical duties, Mr. Wu is also an educator and researcher with professional interests in medical education, EMS, wilderness medicine and emergency department operations.

Ryan Strauss, MPH, MSHS, PA-C is an Emergency Medicine PA and Lead Advanced Practitioner at the George Washington University MFA Department of Emergency Medicine. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the GW Department of Physician Associate Studies involved in multiple aspects of the PA program. He has been in medical education for nearly two decades including workshop instruction and presenting at countless national and regional conferences.

Chris is a physician assistant working in trauma and acute care surgery in Maryland as well as a local medical examiner for the Virginia Office of Chief Medical Examiner in the Northern Virginia Region. He is also a firefighter and paramedic, working in that role full-time prior to PA school for 12 years, and continues to be an active volunteer in that role. He continues to teach as adjunct faculty for a paramedic education program at Prince George's Community College. He has particular interests in practice, research, and education in the areas of trauma, prehospital care, critical care and forensic pathology and the intersection of these medical communities to “remove the silos.”