Physician Assistant Education Association Elects Stephane VanderMeulen

Alexandria, VA — Stephane VanderMeulen, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor and academic coordinator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Physician Assistant (PA) Program in Omaha, Nebraska, was elected to a director at large position on the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Board of Directors. The election was held during the Association’s recent Annual Education Forum in Portland, Oregon, and Stephane will begin her two-year term in January.

Stephane received her master of PA studies degree in 1994 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She is a doctoral candidate in human sciences/gerontology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Stephane is the faculty advisor to the PA Student Society at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has served on PAEA’s Nominations and Awards Committee and subsequently became chair of its new Awards Committee. Stephane is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Physician Assistants in Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants. She is a member of the Healthcare Advisory Committee for Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE), U.S. House of Representatives; a member of the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants’ Legislative Committee; and board liaison to the Nebraska State Board of Medicine and Surgery from the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants.

Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed health care professionals who practice medicine as members of a team with their supervising physicians. PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs

conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and prescribe medications.

Established in 1972, PAEA is the only national organization in the United States representing PA educational programs. Its mission is to pursue excellence, foster faculty development, advance the body of knowledge that defines quality education and patient-centered care, and promote diversity in all aspects of PA education.