AAPA's 2011 PAragon Awards Honor Physician Assistants Who Play a Critical Role in Transforming Health Care

LAS VEGAS, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) today recognizes five of the nation's top PAs with the Academy's highest honor, the PAragon Awards. The PAragon Awards confer special recognition on PAs who have distinguished themselves through their unparalleled service to patients, their communities, the profession and the Academy. The PAs will be recognized throughout AAPA's 39th Annual Physician Assistant Conference taking place in Las Vegas May 30–June 4.

The 2011 PAragon Awards, supported by Pfizer Inc, honor exemplary PA service in six categories: Outstanding PA of the Year, Humanitarian PA of the Year, Federal Service PA of the Year, PA Service to the Underserved Award, Physician-PA Partnership Award and the PAragon Publishing Awards. Contact AAPA for more information and videos for each winner.

Outstanding PA of the Year Award: Michael "Rocky" Rackover, MS, PA-C, of West Chester, Pa., was recognized for his efforts to educate fellow PAs and other health care providers about genetics and genomics in the future of medicine.

Humanitarian PA of the Year Award: Mary L. Fargen, PA-C of Austin, Minn., was honored for her service to communities in need in the U.S., Haiti and around the world, including providing health care to individuals in rural areas and prisons.

Federal Service PA of the Year Award: Colonel Douglas C. Hodge, PA-C, of Fairborn, Ohio, was recognized for his expertise and work in medical equipment testing and evaluation and in Tactical Combat Casualty Care.

PA Service to the Underserved Award: Rachel Stark Farrell, PA-C, of Marysville, Calif., was recognized for launching a clinic that delivers preventive and health care to women and families in one of the poorest counties in California.

Physician-PA Partnership Award: Christopher E. Sadler, PA-C, and Daniel Einhorn, MD, FACP, FACE, of San Diego and La Jolla, Calif., were honored for their collaborative work in endocrinology and diabetes over the course of a 20-year partnership.

The PAragon Publishing Awards honor PAs who authored outstanding articles that were published in peer-reviewed journals in 2010. This year's winners are:

• Katherine G. Footracer, PA-C, of Los Angeles, Calif., received the first place award for "Travel-related infections: Diagnosis and treatment of exotic fevers," which was published in the October 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAAPA).
• Laura C. Blesse, PA-C, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for "Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Relieving the symptoms and the frustration," which was published in the November 2010 issue of JAAPA.
• Danielle M. Kruger, RPA-C, of Whitestone, N.Y., for "Lyme Disease," which was published in the May 2010 issue of JAAPA.

The winners will be formally honored at today's IMPACT 2011 opening general session at 9 a.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as during A PAramount Evening, a gala event hosted by AAPA and the PA Foundation to be held on Wednesday, June 1, at 8 p.m., at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Note: Three-minute videos of each winner will be available on the AAPA conference webpage following the opening general session at www.aapa.org.  

About the American Academy of Physician Assistants

Founded in 1968, the American Academy of Physician Assistants is the national professional organization for physician assistants. It represents a profession of over 75,000 clinically practicing PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the majority of the U.S. territories and within the armed forces and federal services. AAPA advocates and educates on behalf of the profession and the patients PAs serve. AAPA works to ensure the professional growth, personal excellence and recognition of physician assistants. It also works to enhance their ability to improve the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of patient-centered health care. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more.

SOURCE American Academy of Physician Assistants