Alumni News

Ensign K. DeAnne Hart PA-C, MSC, USNR

Physician Assistant Alumni:

It is always a pleasure to hear from the graduates of the Physician Assistant Program. Perspective has a funny of revealing that all those long hours in the classroom and on rotation did have an educational purpose. Of late the following graduates and students have contacted us to make us aware of significant events in their lives.

Bill Capell is working at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Shifting his time between surgical services and ambulatory care his has been exposed to a wide range of clinical responsibilities. His self-proclaimed favorite is "lumps and bumps" clinic where he excises various skin lesions. When not at work he enjoys competing in western style horseback riding.

Meredith Dowell is woking in Fredericksburg, VA with a physician
who specializes in pain management. While this is somewhat removed from where she saw herself after graduation she is enjoying the opportunity to be involved with cutting edge management techniques for
patients with chronic pain.

And class of 2003 graduate, Ensign K. DeAnne Hart PA-C, MSC, USNR sent the following note and photo from Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

”I just returned from Combat Casualty Care Course at Camp Bullis, Texas (outside San Antonio) sponsored by the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute. This was a Joint Forces Operation which included the Air Force, Navy, Army and the Canadian Army. We spent the first 3 days being instructed in our perspective disciplines i.e. doctors, nurses, dentist, and PAs in ATLS, TNCC and PHTLS, respectively. After passing our written exams and skill stations, we were moved to the field to begin our real training. For 5 days, we slept in co-ed tents; ate MREs (meals ready to eat); did not shower; spent 18 hours doing land navigation in the Texas hill country with full gear; repelled off a 40 ft tower; and carried 50lb ruck sacks, molly gear, Kevlar helmets, flak jackets and M-16 rifles. This is why this course is worth 50 CMEs! We also were instructed on decontamination procedures during Chemical, Biological and Nuclear attacks. There is nothing like wearing full MOPP gear with a gas mask and carrying the rest of your gear while doing a mile hike uphill. This is a great way to lose weight quickly! On our 7th day, we began our 24-hour evolution to encompass all the training that we had received. Of course after a death by Power Point presentation until 2200, we were awaken at 0130 with mortar rounds exploding, M-16 rifles blaring, and smoke canisters thrown into our tents. We were afford opportunities to play various roles i.e. the trauma patient, provide security for the compound, triage doc, litter carrier, the PA/Doc at Level 1 (a tent on the frontlines with minimal supplies-this is were most PAs are utilized) and/or Level 2 (a huge tent with an ER, pharmacy, x-ray capabilities, surgical suite and evac), Commanding Officer, etc.

The most interesting role for me was playing the trauma patient-I was an unconscious patient who had been impaled with shrapnel to the abdomen and going into hypovolemic shock. Thus I was an immediate/expectant patient i.e. if they didn't evac me I was going to die. Needless to say, my counterparts let me die! Seriously, this course has given me a better understanding of what I will face if deployed to Iraq on the next rotation in late Fall. More importantly, I have a deeper appreciate for the men and women who are on the ground in harms way.”

If there has been a significant event in your life, or you would just like to update the faculty and staff on your status , send an e-mail to knitteds@cisat.jmu.edu.

Health Services Administration Alumni

Homecoming Alumni Get-Together - Fall 2004

Several alumni joined program faculty for an informal get together in the HHS Conference Room on the JMU Campus during Homecoming, 2004. HSA Alums dropping by included Keisha Watson, Sara Perron, Keri Kidd, Quan Phan, Maureen White, and Stephanie Panichello. It was great to see alums and catch up on their activities!

2004 HSA Alumni Survey

There have been over 350 graduates of the HSA Program since 1991. Dr. Syre has been working with the JMU Alumni Office on campus to obtain the most recent addresses on all of these alumni.

This past summer, a survey was sent to HSA graduates to learn about alumni activities and perceptions of the HSA Program. The survey included questions on salaries, positions, job titles, graduate degree completion and pursuit of graduate degrees, suggested ways to improve the HSA Program and interest in the formation of a national or region-wide JMU HSA Alumni Organization. Over 90 surveys have been returned and Dr. Syre is now in the process of compiling and analyzing the data.

This information will be used to help strengthen the current program, and will also meet Full Certified Member Program requirements of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.

Please stay in touch! If you are a graduate of the HSA Program and we have not been in touch with you, we need to hear from you! Please contact us through our faculty e-mail addresses. We are interested in knowing about your life after JMU!

Health Assessment & Promotion Concentration Alumni

Rebecca Campbell is employed at the Army Material Command in Alexandria, VA.
Jeremy Akers is a Nutrition Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Health.
Kara Racicot is currently a Special Education teaching assistant at Sterling Elementary in Sterling, VA and is applying to the master’s program at George Mason University in Special Education

A Health Assessment & Promotion alumni website is under construction and will soon be available to get your news and updates, you can link to the new site through the current HAP website at

http://www.healthsci.jmu.edu/HAP/health assessment and promotion home page.htm

Alumni Profiles:

Carrie Owen Plietz (HSA,1997)

Carrie is currently the Vice President Clinical Services at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), a Sutter Health Affiliate, in San Francisco California. CPMC is the largest community based, private teaching hospital in California, a tertiary referral center with 1,200 licensed beds, three hospital campuses and 5,500 employees. CPMC is ranked as the best hospital in the Bay Area, one of the top 50 hospitals according at AARP, the healthiest hospital in America according to Natural Health Magazine and first in the nation for first year survival rates following liver transplantation.

What are your responsibilities?

As Vice President Clinical Services, I am responsible for the management of seventeen departments located in twenty-eight sites including: Imaging Services (including Interventional Radiology, Beast Health Center, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Oncology), Dialysis, Diabetes Clinic, Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy, Invasive (Cardiac Cath Lab, Electrophysiology, Brachytherapy) and Non-Invasive Cardiology, Clinical Laboratory and Pathology, Pharmacy, Neurodiagnostics, Ophthalmology Services and Respiratory Care Services. This year I had oversight of over $56 Million in capital projects, an operating budget of $100 M, and 1,300 staff.

What positions have you held since JMU and since you received your master’s degree?

96-97 Columbia/HCA Richmond Division – Operations Manager Assistant – 96-97
97- Administrative Intern, Bon Secours Richmond Division (JMU Internship)
97- Graduated from JMU
97-98 – Health Management Analyst, Bon Secours Richmond Division
98-99- Management Engineering Analyst, Bon Secours Richmond Division
99-00 – Administrative Resident, Sutter Health Western Division
Graduated from MCV MHA May 2000
7/00-8/02 – Assistant Administrator, CPMC
11/00-8/02 – Assistant Administrator/Compliance Officer, CPMC
9/02 – present – VP Clinical Services, CPMC

How specifically did JMU provide the foundation for your health administration career?

JMU provided a strong foundation for my career in health administration. Many individuals I worked with in my first few positions and fellow classmates in graduate school had varying backgrounds in business and finance. Healthcare business and finance is an animal unto itself and JMU’s curriculum created a strong foundation in health care finance, marketing, managed care, policy and structure. While others during the first semester of graduate school were catching up on this foundation those who had this foundation were able to move ahead more easily.

What did you like best about the JMU program?

This is a hard question to answer. Supportive faculty that push you to be better and put a priority on making sure the students who come out of the program are successful. The administrative internship is an absolutely critical component of the program and the support the program gives to make sure students push for the best experience possible in the internship is priceless. It is also great to be part of a program where the leadership is never satisfied with the current program, always pushing to be number one in the country.

What advice do you have for current students as well as new graduates of the HSA Program?

The profession needs people who are passionate about making health care a better place so please don’t go into this profession if your intentions are any less. ( I guess that is more of a plea). Advice: Old news but completely true - you can do anything you set your mind to so don’t let anyone tell you differently. IF you want to pursue graduate school I highly recommend a university that requires an administrative fellowship or internship. Programs that are less than three years may seem more attractive for many reasons like keeping down the expense or just being sick of school, but it is short term gain for long term pain. Schools that require residencies take a very active role in assuring the residency sites, preceptors and overall experience are the best they can be. Those that do not leave most of the success up to the students. OVERALL ADVICE: Take advantage of every learning opportunity, be a sponge.

Personal information and hobbies.

I am happily married to Jasen (another JMU alum) for almost 5 years and we have a wonderful little short haired Jack Russell terrier named Gabby who we both adore. Other than working a lot, I am a runner, which actually sounds funny to me since I hated running when I was a Dukette at JMU. Now after running 5 or so marathons I am looking for the next challenge by training for a triathlon in 2005.

Jeanette DeWitt, Public Health (2002)

Jeanette currently works for the National Safety Council (NSC). Their mission is to educate and influence society to adopt safety, health and environmental policies, practices, and procedures that prevent and mitigate human suffering and economic losses arising from preventable causes. NSC is a 90 year old, federally chartered, public service, non-profit organization.

Jeanette is currently working under three programs: she is an assistant program manager with the EPA-funded asthma program (45% of my time), the HUD-funded Lead program (45%), and was also serves as the Emergency Coordinator of the DC branch(10%). Under the EPA grant, Jeanette set up, markets, and conducts asthma workshops around the country. Attendees have diverse backgrounds: day care providers, lay health educators, health professionals, health department workers, parish nurses, school nurses, and doctors. They conduct an outreach activity following the workshop, and receive a $50 stipend. Under the HUD program, she assists in overseeing subcontractors who mitigate homes with lead paint, which then provides a healthier home for children. As Emergency Coordinator, Jeanette is revamping the NSC's DC office Emergency Response Handbook which includes drafting a new section for terrorist responses.

When asked what she likes about her job, Jeanette replied “ I travel all around the country for various reasons, including conducting asthma workshops, attending conferences, presenting at conferences, and monitoring our
subcontractors under the HUD grant. I also really enjoy working with
community-based organizations and providing them with money to help them
implement or improve their own asthma programs. In addition, my job
allows me to research controversial and evolving subjects such as asthma
management, and optimum ways for workplaces to respond to various
terrorist threats.”

Reflecting on aspects of her coursework at JMU that might be helpful or relevant to her current position, Jeanette states “Child and Adolescent Health, grant-writing (I wish I were better at this!) from HTH 458 class, Environmental
Health, Intermediate level of Spanish, Human Anatomy/Physiology, Cell
Biology, a little HTH #20- Statistics, to interpret data
findings and not just rely on a study's own conclusions, have been useful.”