Methodist University Physician Assistant Program

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MU Home » Academics » School of Graduate Studies » Physician Assistant Program

Faculty Testimonials

Tiffany Mills
Beard Staci Pessetti
Kommu
Morris
Gainey
Steffes

Christina Beard, MPAS, PA-C, '03
Program Director

I am a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina and a graduate of Methodist University PA Program. Teaching has always been an interest of mine, and my "bucket list" included teaching at my alma mater at some point in my career. After working at Fayetteville Gastroenterology for several years after graduation, I was offered the position of adjunct professor for the Gastroenterology course. This convinced me that academia was a place where I belonged. I was soon hired as the clinical coordinator and served in that role for a year and a half. Establishing international clinical rotations became a passion of mine during my time as clinical coordinator and is an area where I continue to work as a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association Clinical Education Committee subcommittee on international clinical rotations.

Once the need for a Program Director was determined, I interviewed for the position and am honored to serve this Program in such a capacity. I continue to teach the Gastroenterology course, with spot lectures in Laboratory Medicine, Physician Assistant Orientation, and Critical Thinking.

My teaching philosophy is one that anchors in practical medical education, helping our students stay engaged through interactive lectures. I grew up in an unconventional atmosphere as a homeschooler. This molded me into a person who appreciates the learning process. I believe that learning should be enjoyable, individualized and interactive. I bring my experience as a PA into every lecture, giving points on how to survive and thrive as a midlevel provider, providing tips on appropriate physician/staff and patient interactions, and keeping the welfare of the patient as the utmost concern.

I continue my clinical work as a PA in the Expresscare of Cape Fear Valley Health System one day a week.

The strength of our Program lies in the faculty and staff who care about our students on a personal level. You will never be a number in the Methodist University PA Program. We are dedicated to preparing PAs who are excellent diagnosticians, clinicians, employees, and leaders both in their areas of employment and in their community.

Dr. Sekhar Kommu, MD
Associate Program Director

I believe the practice of medicine at its core is equally a teaching profession as it is one of health care. Effective practice of medicine at any level requires a balance of knowledge, compassion and integrity. That vision is shared by all of us at the Methodist University PA Program. We have chosen to be involved in PA education to share that passion and vision with our students and to enjoy the process along the way. We work very hard to find students that also share our approach to education; one of engagement, discussion and teamwork. We are fully invested in the success of our students not only academically but more importantly as empathetic, capable and well rounded medical providers. Methodist University I believe offers the best environment for that kind of development.

I have been a practicing Family Physician since 1996. I attended Austin College, a small liberal arts college in Texas, where I majored in Chemistry and finished my Pre-Medicine studies. I graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1993 and finished Residency in Family Practice at St. Paul Hospital in 1996. I began my practice in North Carolina in August of 1996 and also began teaching in the Methodist University PA Program at the same time with its inaugural class. I have been the Associate Medical Director, the Program Director, and the Associate Program Director at Methodist.

Dr. Deborah Morris, PA-C, MD
Academic Coordinator

I bring an unusual perspective to PA education because of my background as both a PA and an MD. I have been a PA, taught PA's, supervised and worked closely with PAs and feel strongly that the PA profession is the present and future of primary medical care in the U.S.

I graduated from the Yale University PA program in 1982 and worked in a community health center while functioning as an instructor and Clinical Coordinator at the Yale program until 1984. I moved my family to North Carolina to be closer to my parents and worked as a PA in Urgent Care in Wilmington until starting medical school in 1988. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1992 and completed internship and part of an internal medicine residency at UNC hospitals. Family issues forced me out of residency and I returned to Urgent Care work in Cary, subsequently assuming the Medical Directorship of Doctor's Urgent Care Centres, a chain of 12 Urgent Cares in Eastern NC.

In 2002 I founded MedEx Urgent Care in Fayetteville with a group of friends and co-workers to create a place where we could work together, support each other, and have fun while providing excellent care to our patients. I became aware of the Methodist PA program when didactic phase students rotated through the clinic to observe my partner, Mort Meltzer. I asked to help in teaching physical exam in 2007 and slowly expanded my teaching time until coming on to faculty full-time in January 2011. I continue to see MedEx patients a day a week, working closely with an excellent team of physician assistants and other staff while working as the Academic Coordinator at the program, teaching three semesters of History and Physical Examination as well as Oncology and Dermatology.

I bring stories and examples from the clinic and from my almost 30 years in medicine into the classroom and try to teach clinically relevant medicine in a way that is both engaging and rigorous. I feel very fortunate to be teaching such a central and hands-on part of medical practice to the next generation of medical care providers. I also work to support the rest of the didactic faculty in developing their teaching and assessment skills.

I have been incredibly impressed with the Methodist PA students. They bring enormous intelligence and energy to their studies and seem to be grounded in compassion and a commitment to improving the lives of their patients. It is exciting to work here during a time of growth and increasing recognition of our program from people and programs across the country.

Sarah Gainey, MMS, PA-C, '06
Clinical Coordinator

As a native of the Fayetteville area, it was very important to me to return here to provide quality, compassionate health care as a Physician Assistant. I want to give back to the community and program that has helped shaped my career. I love teaching. There is nothing more satisfying than to teach something new to a student and watch him/her grow and apply this knowledge. Methodist challenges the students to be intelligent, caring, providers and teachers for their future patients. I'm proud to be a part of a growing program that continues to graduate the kind of provider that I would recommend my family members to see.

I received my undergraduate degree from UNC at Wilmington in Clinical Laboratory Science in 2002. I worked locally at the CFVMC laboratory several years before pursuing my master's degree in Medical Science at Methodist University Physician Assistant Program. After graduating in 2006, I continued to work locally in OB/GYN and family practice. After serving as an adjunct professor for the lab medicine courses at Methodist part-time, the opportunity to serve full-time as the Director of Clinical Studies presented itself in the spring of 2011. As the clinical coordinator I work to acquire and maintain quality clinical sites that will integrate hands-on experience with the knowledge the students obtained during their didactic year.

Dr. Bruce Steffes, MD, MBA, FACS, FWACS, FCS(ECSA)
Professor of Clinical Medicine

As a physician employing a PA, I am entrusting my patients, my reputation and my financial security to them. As a fellow care provider dealing with a PA, I am relying on them to be men and women of integrity, meticulous in detail, skilled in the requisite skills and willing to go the extra mile for their patient. As a patient under the care of a PA, I expect compassion and knowledgeable care of my whole person (mind, soul and body) and a self-awareness of where your knowledge stops and when consultation should occur. As a fellow member of the healthcare community, I expect the PA to have a high standard of professionalism and ethics with a continuing habit and process of self-assessment and self-education. To the State Board of Medicine, we are certifying that you are competent and are all of these things. As an instructor at Methodist University Physician Assistant Program since 1997, I have had the privilege of helping your predecessors achieve and hold those standards. Excellence and competency must be the bywords for the Methodist University Physician Assistant graduate.

Education:

Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA, 1969-70
University of Michigan, Flint, MI, 1970-72
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, M.D., Cum Laude 1976
Residency/Chief Residency - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 1976-82
Duke Fuqua School of Business - MBA, 1997
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 2004 Clinical Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Training Course (Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers Health, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2005)
Baptist Bible Seminary - MA (Biblical Ministries) - presently studying

Certifications:

American Board of Surgery (General Surgery)
Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care, 1992 (allowed to lapse)

Present Academic Positions (other than MU)

Associate Professor, Department of General and Trauma Surgery, Loma Linda University (2007 - present)
Guest lecturer, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Clinical Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Training Course (2005 - 2010)
Distinguished Global Faculty of The University of Toledo (2009 - present)

Website: www.brucesteffes.net; www.paacs.net